Below is a selection of QSL cards which have arrived in the mail in the past few weeks for Marija VK5MAZ and myself.

My final station logged on Sunday evening (17th October 2021) was Radio Farda on 15690 kHz in the 19m shortwave band. The broadcast was in the Farsi language.

Radio Farda is the Persian language broadcaster at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, providing 24/7 radio programs for Iran on multiple platforms including shortwave.

Radio Farda first aired December 2002. Radio Farda broadcasts news on topics like political, cultural, social, and art with an emphasis on Iran. The name “Farda” means “tomorrow” in Persian. Radio Farda’s broadcasts have been continually blocked by Iranian authorities over the history of its programming.

Overall reception of Radio Farda was good.

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Below is a short video of my reception of Radio Farda.

References.

1. Radio Farda, 2021, <https://en.radiofarda.com/p/6258.html>, viewed 23rd October 2021
2. Wikipedia, 2021, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Farda>, viewed 23rd October 2021

I then tuned into KSDA Adventist World Radio in GUAM on 15715 kHz in the 19m shortwave band. They were broadcasting in the Mandarin language.

Adventist World Radio (AWR) is a religious broadcast station. Their website states:-

“No walls, no borders, no limits. AWR’s broadcasts travel where missionaries cannot go, transforming lives for eternity.“

Adventist World Radio commenced airing programs for the first time in 1971 from a rented shortwave station in Portugal. The main focus of the broadcasts was to carry the gospel into Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. AWR subsequently decided to build its own shortwave station on the island of Guam. In 1987 broadcasts began from KSDA-SW, covering the entire Pacific Rim: North and South Korea, Japan, China, and other neighbouring countries.

AWR broadcasts in about 80 languages via AWR’s Guam station and leased transmitters in various locations (see the map below):

KSDA broadcasts from the island of Guam in the Pacific.

The video below shows the AWR Guam radio towers.

I was copying KSDA well. The signal strength was strong with only minimal fading.

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4	4	4	4	4

Below is a short video of my reception of Adventist World Radio.

References.

1. Adventist World Radio, 2021, <https://awr.org/about/>, viewed 23rd October 2021
2. Adventist Review, 2021, <https://www.adventistreview.org/1513-18>, viewed 23rd October 2021

I then logged Radio New Zealand on 7245 kHz in the 41m band.

The Radio New Zealand signal was really coming in beautifully here. It was ‘armchair’ copy.

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Their program was in the English language and was the All Night program featuring news, weather, sports, and music.

Below is a short video to show how well Radio New Zealand was coming into my location.

My third station in the log on Sunday evening (17th October 2021) was NHK World Japan on 7355 kHz in the 41m band.

NHK World-Japan (also known simply as NHK World) is the international arm of the Japanese state-controlled public broadcaster.

NHK began shortwave broadcasting on an experimental basis in the 1930s, and began regular English- and Japanese-language shortwave broadcasts in 1935 under the name Radio Japan.

Here is a promotional video from NHK World.

https://youtu.be/uUWbKIl4mnE

Overall reception of NHK was good.  The signal strength was good and there was slight fading of the signal.  However there was interference from 7345 in the Chinese language.  I experienced some static crashes on the band.

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4	3	4	4	4

Below is a video of my reception of NHK World Japan.

References.

1. Wikipedia, 2021, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHK_World-Japan#Radio>, viewed 23rd October 2021

Second in the log on Sunday night (17th October 2021) was Radio Marti in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on 7335 kHz in the 41m band.

I tuned in to Radio Marti at 1024 UTC. The broadcast was in the Spanish language.

Radio Televisión Martí is an American state-run radio and television international broadcaster based in Miami, Florida. The station transmits in the Spanish language to Cuba. Radio Marti was established in 1983 with the addition of TV Martí in 1990. The station broadcasts news and information to Cuba to promote freedom and democracy. US Congress has provided more than $660 million to fund these efforts.

The Radio Marti website states that the station’s purpose is:-

“to provide the Cuban people with news and information without the censorship of the regime.”

During the early 1980s, the United States Government planned to create a radio station to be known as Radio Free Cuba. Its mission was to fight communism in the hope of hastening the fall of Cuban President Fidel Castro. The station was established in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan at the urging of Jorge Mas Canosa, a Cuban-American exile.

The station was renamed Radio Marti after Jose Marti who had fought for Cuba’s independence from Spain and against US influence in the Americas. 

Radio Marti uses three x 250, and five x 500 kW transmitters (Voice of America) in Greenville, North Carolina. It is known as the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station, named after Edward Rd. Murrow the former Director of the United States Information Agency.

Below is an interesting video from YouTube put together by Al Jazeera about Radio Marti. It is a little dated (2015).

I was receiving Radio Marti very well. The signal strength was strong (10dB over strength 9) and there was no interference from nearby stations. Fading of the signal was only slight.

There are reports that Radio Marti’s signal has been the subject of jamming by the Cuban Government, but I did not experience that whilst I was listening.

 

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Below is a short video on my reception of Radio Marti.

References.

1. Wikipedia, 2021, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_y_Televisi%C3%B3n_Mart%C3%AD> viewed 23rd October 2021
2. American University Washington DC, 2021, <https://www.american.edu/centers/latin-american-latino-studies/cuba-archive-tv-and-radio-marti.cfm>, viewed 23rd October 2021]
3. Radio Marti, 2021, <https://www-radiotelevisionmarti-com>, viewed 23rd October 2021
4. World Radio TV Handbook, 2021

On Sunday evening (17th October 2021) I did a little more broadcast shortwave receiving. First in the log was Echo of Hope in SOUTH KOREA broadcasting on 4890 kHZ in the 60m band.

Echo of Hope is operated by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service. It is purported to be run by the General Union of Overseas Compatriots, North Koreans who have escaped from the DPRK.

They broadcast news and information daily to North Korea. Often these broadcasts are jammed by North Korea. The station was established in June 1973 and was previously known as the Voice of Reunification. It transmits from Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.

I was receiving Echo of Hope well. The signal strength was strong, with slight interference from adjacent stations on the band. There was slight fading of the signal. There were static crashes on the band from local storms in Australia.

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4	4	3	4	4

Below is a short video of my reception of Echo of Hope.

References.

1. buzzingbastard, 2021, <https://buzzingbastard.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/south-koreas-echo-of-hopevoice-of-hope/>, viewed 23rd October 2021
2. North Korea Tech, 2021, <https://www.northkoreatech.org/2019/10/02/south-korea-adjusts-some-radio-frequencies-to-escape-jamming/>, viewed 23rd October 2021
3. <http://www.abiweb.jp/clan/clandest.htm>, 2021, viewed 23rd October 2021

Band conditions over the past few weeks have been pretty good again for the DX. Marija VK5MAZ has been working some big pile ups into Europe on 20m on the long path.

I have been focussing on trying to pick up some new DXCC entities and working some of the overseas Park & SOTA activators. Below is a bit of a snapshot of some of the overseas activators I have logged in the past few weeks.

27th September 2021.

IQ5QO – activating an Italian lighthouse – Castello Alfonsino (WAIL PU-029) and the Worked Castles Award (WCA 1737).

DL8ECA Stadtwald Göttingen and Kerstlingeröder Feld DLFF-0332 in GERMANY.

2nd October 2021

YL44WFF – YLFF-0221 in LATVIA

Sam F4GYG in FFF-2126 in FRANCE.

3rd October 2021

Daniel OA9DVK in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest in Chayu Nain Comunal Reserve OAFF-0040.

4th October 2021

F5NLX activating Foret Commuale De Vinassan FFF-2955

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Jean-Marie sent me an email and he said:

“I am very surprise when j heard VK5pas hi on my small dipole 2x5m at 3m up !!report 56 with my 30 watts”

Sam F4GYG – FFF-2098 FRANCE.

5th October 2021

I logged Daniel again OA9DVK in OAFF-0040.

6th October 2021.

Mike 2E0YYY/p G/ HSP-020

7th October 2021

Darius M0KCB/p – Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty GFF-0248 ENGLAND.

CT1MH – Bragadas CT/ TM-043 in PORTUGAL.

IQ5QO/p – IFF-0743 in ITALY.

8th October 2021

Sam F4GYG/p – FFF-1845 in FRANCE.

Fabio IK2LEY/p – SOTA Poggio Croce I/ PM-387 in ITALY. This is a 1,765 m high summit and is worth 6 points.

EA2RCG/p – EAFF-1172 in SPAIN.

IQ5QO/p – Area Naturale Protetta di Interesse Locale Il Bottaccio IFF-0507 in ITALY.

Babs DK0DFF – Hartz Mountains DLFF-0006 in GERMANY.

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DC8TM – SOTA peak Herzogenhorn DM/ BW-002 in GERMANY. This is a 10 point summit and is 1,415 metres above sea level.

10th October 2021

Mike 2E0YYY/p and Rob G7LAS G/ HSP-020

Mike posted on Facebook:- “Todays activation was a whole heap of fun and the DX was a real bonus.”

Antonio EC2AG – SOTA summit Unbe Mendi EA2/ BI-076 in SPAIN.

Jose EA5ITW/p – SOTA summit Plans EA5/ AT-006 in SPAIN. This summit is a 4 point summit located in the Alicante area of Spain.

During the past few days I received my certificate in the mail for the 2021 John Moyle Memorial Field Day (JMMFD).

I came first in the ‘Single Operator, Phone, HF, 6 hour’ portable category.

Thanks to everyone who called me whilst I was in the Bullock Hill Conservation Park 5CP-265 & VKFF-0873. And thanks to Dennis VK4AE the Contest Manager.

Details on my activation can be found at……..

https://vk5pas.org/2021/03/22/bullock-hill-conservation-park-and-the-2021-john-moyle-memorial-field-day/

My last station logged on Tuesday (12th October 2021) was the Voice of Indonesia on 3325 kHz on the 90m band.

I tuned in at 1313 UTC. The broadcast was in the English language.

The broadcast included news, music, and a program called Indonesian Wonders.

The overall reception of the Voice of Indonesia on this frequency was fair. The signal strength was fair with absolutely no interference from other stations, with moderate fading, and only slight noise.

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Below is a video showing my reception of the Voice of Indonesia, both on the Tecsun S-2000, and the Yaesu FTdx101MP.