The Vietnamese Marine Radio Network

By Don Moore

Don’s traveling DX stories can be found in his book Tales of a Vagabond DXer [SWLing Post affiliate link]. If you’ve already read his book and enjoyed it, do Don a favor and leave a review on Amazon.

Fair warning … This article comes with a quiz at the end!

If asked to make a list of major maritime nations, I never would have put Vietnam on the list. It’s not particularly big, and while it does have a long coastline, there are a couple dozen countries with longer ones. But I recently found out that in terms of tonnage, Vietnam has the fourth-largest fishing industry in the world – after China, Indonesia, and India. And that explains something else: why Vietnam has an extensive network of coastal radio stations far greater than would be expected for the country’s modest coastline.

Vietnam’s marine radio network, however, is not easy to hear in Eastern North America. So when I planned my trip to Southeast Asia last winter, my top DX goal was to log all the stations in the network. From November to February, I made SDR spectrum recordings at seven different locations. I did a little DXing of the files while traveling, but it wasn’t until this summer that I had the time to seriously go through them. The spectrum analyzer tool in SDR-Console allowed me to easily find what I was looking for in my many hours of recorded files. Google Translate gave me the means to understand what I was finding. The combination made it possible to DX this network in a way I never would have imagined a few years ago. It’s not just that I made loggings of all the stations. I also gained a deeper understanding of everything the network is doing. It turns out there’s a lot to it, so let’s take a look.

The Duyen Hai Network

The parent organization of this radio network is Vishipel, a Vietnamese government-owned company that provides various services to the fishing and maritime industry. One of Vishipel’s most important responsibilities is the coastal radio station network, known in Vietnamese as the Duyen Hai system. The name is the Vietnamese word for coastal.

Duyen Hai operates twenty-nine coastal radio stations strung along Vietnam’s coast from north to south. Some sources give the number of stations as thirty or thirty-three, but those figures include locations used for satellite monitoring and other support activities. Via California DXer Ron Howard, we have this map showing the network stations.

Ron also found this three-page Vietnamese-language PDF file listing the various services and schedules. In the rest of this article I’ll be combining information from the Duyen Hai website, the PDF, the DX Info Centre website https://www.dxinfocentre.com, and my own extensive monitoring.

But first … about spelling. Vietnamese is written using the Latin alphabet but with an extensive system of diacritic marks. It’s far beyond what languages like French and German use and doesn’t always play well with English language websites. For that reason, I’ve omitted the diacritic marks from all the place names and Vietnamese phrases here. But a complete list of everything with the proper Vietnamese spelling can be found in this text file and/or PDF. If you want to put any of these words and phrases into a text-to-speech engine or a translation application, you will have to copy from the text file to get the correct result.

All twenty-nine Duyen Hai stations broadcast scheduled marine weather forecasts twice a day on VHF. Seventeen of those also broadcast the forecasts on 7906 kHz shortwave. Here is a list of those along with the UTC times of the reports on 7906 kHz. Note that three stations also use 8294 kHz. The coordinates are to their antenna sites, per the DX Info Centre website. I’ve reformatted them so they can be pasted directly into Google Maps.

2220 & 1020 Kien Giang 9°59’36.0″N 105°05’50.0″E
2235 & 1035 Quy Nhon 13°46’40.0″N 109°14’21.0″E
2250 & 1050 Hue 16°33’02.0″N 107°38’28.0″E
2305 & 1105 Hong Gai 20°57’21.0″N 107°04’07.0″E
2320 & 1120 Phu Yen 13°06’22.0″N 109°18’41.0″E
2335 & 1135 Ca Mau 9°11’23.0″N 105°08’01.0″E
2350 & 1150 Nha Trang 12°13’19.0″N 109°10’50.0″E
0005 & 1205 Hai Phong * 20°51’01.0″N 106°44’01.0″E
0020 & 1220 Vung Tau 10°23’41.0″N 107°08’44.0″E
0035 & 1235 Da Nang * 16°03’17.0″N 108°09’28.0″E
0050 & 1250 Ben Thuy 18°48’50.0″N 105°43’07.0″E
0105 & 1305 Ho Chi Minh * 10°23’41.0″N 107°08’42.0″E
0120 & 1320 Mong Cai 21°31’33.0″N 107°57’59.0″E
0135 & 1335 Phan Rang 11°33’51.0″N 109°00’42.0″E
0150 & 1350 Phan Thiet 10°55’04.0″N 108°06’22.0″E
0205 & 1405 Can Tho 10°04’18.0″N 105°45’32.0″E
0405 & 1605 Thanh Hoa 19°20’58.0″N 105°47’36.0″E

* Daily weather also on 8294 kHz

Using Google satellite view and Google Street View, I was able to spot all the antennas except for Hong Gai, where there is no sign of any radio activity. There is a high-voltage power line there, so it doesn’t seem like the best place for an antenna tower. Perhaps the coordinates are wrong, or maybe Hong Gai shares the antenna farm at nearby Hai Phong.

The antenna farms vary greatly in size, from large fields with multiple towers to sites with just a single tower in the back of the building or even on the roof. In terms of how the stations are used and the size of their antenna farms, five are clearly more important than the others: Hai Phong, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh, and Vung Tau. The latter two share the same antenna farm in Vung Tau, which is located on the coast at the mouth of the Sai Gon River. The port of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam’s largest, is forty kilometers upriver.

At Nha Trang I see at least eight towers in this satellite view.

Da Nang has a similar large site. There is a good view of it from the back on Google Street View.

Ca Mau is a mid-sized installation with four towers. Click here to view.

Phu Yen also has four towers. Click here to view.

Phan Rang has a single tall tower behind the station building but zooming in shows several wire antennas. Click here to view.

Quy Nhon has a single tower on top of the building. Click here to view.

The Daily Weather Reports

On a day-to-day basis, the marine weather forecasts are the primary job of the Duyen Hai stations. As noted above, seventeen stations broadcast twice-daily forecasts on 7906 kHz, with three also using 8294 kHz. Sixteen stations are scheduled every fifteen minutes over a four-hour block in the local morning (starting at 2220 UTC) and the local evening (starting at 1020 UTC). The broadcasts begin at five, twenty, thirty-five, and fifty minutes after the hour. A seventeenth station, Thanh Hoa, is outside the regular pattern.

During inclement weather, stations may broadcast additional forecasts, but always at the same time slot in the four-hour cycle. For example, Vung Tau might also broadcast at 0420, 0820, 1620, and 2020 in addition to the regular broadcasts at 0020 and 1220 UTC.

Weather reports usually take around five minutes and never more than ten. And they are always read live by a woman announcer, never a man. The voices on the different stations sound similar, so I suspect they look for a particular type of voice when hiring. Usually, when a station comes on the air, the announcer starts immediately, but sometimes a long audio tone is played first. I haven’t figured out if there is a reason for that.

The announcer starts by repeating a short phrase about the state of the weather three times and then gives a station identification announcement three times before continuing with the detailed forecast. Knowing the pattern, it’s easy to pick out the station name if the signal is clear enough. Here’s an example from Ca Mau Radio, recorded at 1135 UTC on 15 February 2026 near Butterworth, Malaysia.

The announcer starts by saying “Canh bao khong khi lanh” three times.

This means “cold air warning.” Next, she says the identification, “Dai thong tin tren hai Ca Mau goi cac dai tau.” That translates as “Ca Mau Maritime Radio calling all ship stations.” The Duyen Hai stations all use the same wording for the identification, but the initial statement about the weather varies. Under normal conditions, the broadcasts start with the phrase “Du bao thoi tiet bien,” which simply means “marine weather forecast.” The word bien means sea. Other initial phrases describe various hazardous conditions.

Canh bao thoi tiet nguy hiem tren bien – Warning of dangerous marine weather.

Canh bao bao. – Storm warning. (I heard this one a lot.)

Canh bao ve cac nguy hiem. – Hazard warning.

Canh bao gio mua. – Monsoon warning.

Khoang vao ap suat khi. Changing air pressure.

Du bao thoi tiet buon. – A gloomy weather forecast.

That last one is a good example of how Google Translate self-corrects as it works. The translation first said, “The weather forecast is sad,” before correcting to the more idiomatic “A gloomy weather forecast.”

Urgent Information

The frequency of 7903 kHz is reserved for announcements about incidents that require assistance from other nearby vessels. Examples include looking for a man who fell overboard, looking for an overdue vessel that hadn’t been heard from for a few days, and helping a stranded vessel that had broken down.

These transmissions usually last under two minutes. They always start with the phrase “khan cap”, meaning “Urgent!” repeated three times, followed by three station identification announcements, and then the emergency message. Here is a recording of an announcement from Phan Rang Radio on 7903 kHz at 1320 UTC on 14 February 2026, as recorded near Butterworth, Malaysia. The message is about a missing fishing vessel and gives the coordinates where it was last seen.

Any station in the system can broadcast an urgent message. I logged ten different stations on 7903 kHz, and most of them on multiple occasions. Urgent messages air as needed but they do stick to the same 15-minute spacing of broadcasting at five, twenty, thirty-five, and fifty minutes after the hour. When there is an urgent message, the station airing it will usually repeat the message hourly for several hours. As with the weather forecasts, the announcers are always women.

The Marine Operators

Marine operators are radio stations that serve as intermediaries for ships at sea to make radio-telephone calls to land-based phone numbers. The ship contacts the station via radio. Then the radio station dials the phone number provided to connect the two parties. Sometimes the land-based party calls the station first, and then the station tries to reach the ship on the radio. Before satellite communications came along, these were the primary method for making phone calls to/from ships at sea. And they weren’t just for ships in the middle of the ocean. The United States had an extensive network of marine operators on the Great Lakes and the inland rivers. I have old QSLs from marine operators in places like Cincinnati and Memphis.

It turns out that Vietnam’s fishing vessels are not equipped for satellite communications, as the Duyen Hai stations also serve as marine operators. Below is a list of frequencies used, according to the PDF file mentioned above. Note that this includes two additional stations that do not broadcast the marine weather on shortwave: Cam Ranh and Cua Ong. Broadcasts typically begin with the ship calling the land-based station and giving the operator (always a woman) the phone number to be called. Sometimes the station broadcasts the dialing noises and then the initial connection as the operator tells the land-based party who is calling. Other times they play instrumental hold music until the connection is ready.

Most of the marine operator traffic goes through just a few main frequencies. I frequently logged 8104 Ho Chi Minh, 8125 Da Nang, and 8146 Nha Trang and had a couple of logs of 7960 Thanh Hoa and 7948 Cam Ranh. Vietnamese marine operator traffic was also heard on the unlisted frequencies of 7918, 7993, and 8687 kHz. Normally, there is no identification at the beginning of these transmissions, as the calling vessels would know which station they are calling based on the frequency. They just come on and say, “Hey, operator!” and wait for the operator to answer. However, in one instance, I heard a vessel specifically call Cam Ranh Radio on their frequency of 7948 kHz. The two stations connected and went on to make a phone call. Here’s a recording of the initial contact, made on 18 November 2025 at 1248 UTC in Taal, Philippines.

Vietnam Marine Operator Frequencies

6224 Kien Giang
6227 Can Tho
6230 Vung Tau
7912 Phan Rang
7915 Ben Thuy
7927 Quy Nhon
7948 Cam Ranh
7960 Thanh Hoa
7966 Phu Yen
7969 Ca Mau
7975 Nha Trang
7981 Can Tho
7987 Ca Mau
7990 Phan Thiet
8101 Hai Phong
8104 Ho Chi Minh
8125 Da Nang
8143 Cua Ong
8146 Nha Trang
8149 Hue
8155 Mong Cai
8158 Kien Giang
8167 Nha Trang
8173 Hong Gai
12359 Hai Phong
12359 Ho Chi Minh
12365 Da Nang

Other Duyen Hai Services and Frequencies

Last winter, I wrote about finding the Duyen Hai Information Station broadcasts. As explained in my recent article on Google Translate, the language is Vietnamese, not Thai as initially reported. Originating at the Hai Phong station, these are regular twenty-minute daily programs of information of interest to the fishing industry. They are scheduled at 0005 and 1205 UTC on 8101 kHz and at 0505 UTC on 7996 kHz but typically begin about fifteen minutes late. Once again, the announcers are always women, but you might hear a man’s voice as they sometimes do interviews or play short, prerecorded reports. The programs start and end with a distinctive musical interlude.

Hai Phong isn’t the only station doing what I think is not so much a utility service as shortwave broadcasting.

Several times I heard Da Nang (with ID) at 1300 UTC on 8140 kHz with a short two-minute broadcast that was mostly an advertisement for the company’s new “fishing vessel journey monitoring service.” This is a safety service that fishermen would pay to have installed and then pay a monthly service fee to keep activated. According to the announcement, this same broadcast was repeated at 0100, 0500, and 1300 UTC. A couple times around 1245 and 0045 I heard Da Nang on 8140 kHz with a five-minute chatty advertisement-like discussion between a woman announcer and a male fisherman promoting various Duyen Hai products including a “sludge separator.” Another time the pair recommended that fishermen download the Duyen Hai app.

I found a similar advertisement-like 2 ½ minute broadcast once at 0100 UTC on 7915 kHz. Google Translate struggled with the noisy signal but got enough of it for me to determine that the man and woman were promoting Duyen Hai navigation services. There was no ID, but this is the marine operator frequency for Ben Thuy. Continue reading →

Bob’s Radio Corner: Focusing on Hardware

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Figure contributed by Copilot

By Bob Colegrove

I have a friend who has collected antique cars for many years. So far, his collection is no immediate challenge to that of Jay Leno. However, it is his collection, and he is very proud of it. The cars festoon the inside of a large barn on his rural property. You will rarely see one of his vehicles out on the interstate. He has gone beyond the primary function of using these cars to get from Point A to Point B. Instead, he has chosen to focus on the means of transport – the cars themselves – the hardware.

By way of that analogy my point is that whatever your interest, the primary objective of the endeavor may become incidental, and the focus transforms to hardware. Take radio for example. I have spoken a couple of times about the many facets of radio. The primary interest is simply listening to program content, with perhaps a concentration in DXing. Others among us have gone beyond this function and attend seriously to the container the sound comes from – the radio – the hardware. This interest might be subdivided into collecting, restoring or modifying radios.

As proof, I have observed that the most interest in this blog is generated by radio reviews. There is a noticeable increase in the pulse rate whenever a new model comes to market. We seem easily infected with curiosity, and comments soon append the original posting. What are the possibilities? Does it have SSB? What are the bandwidths, etc.? Appearance is important; features are important; ergonomics is important. How well does it perform?

What Attracts Us to Hardware

Appearances

Our reaction is sometimes irrational. Techno-appeal might very well be the first grabber. Certain radios are captivating, irresistible. Examples are the Transoceanic, the old German manufacturers like Grundig, Blaupunkt, Telefunken, and then that RCA dial that shows up here on SWLing Post occasionally. You get the idea. In each of these examples, the beauty of the beast draws us into a closer look. There is a feeling that this radio will carry us off on an exciting adventure.

An attractive setup conjured by Copilot

Appearance gets serious attention from the manufacturers. Raymond Lowey, a noted industrial designer of the last century, was hired by Hallicrafters to bring some of its products out of the pre-WWII functional motif into a more appealing modern appearance. Examples included the SX-42 (1946), S-40A (1947), and S-38/S-38A (1946–47). These models helped shift Hallicrafters from purely technical ham gear to stylish consumer electronics, blending streamlined industrial design with functional engineering.

Raymond Lowey

Features

Of course, features are an important checkbox. We all have our lists. Although there is an ordered list of popular items, features come down to personal preferences. You know what you want. Sometimes it is a compromise based on what is available. Sometimes it is a compromise based on economics.

Ergonomics

The relative ease of operation generally occupies a portion of receiver reviews – the ergonomics. In general, entry and recall of memory locations has become a feature of diminishing returns (see https://swling.com/blog/2023/11/if-memory-serves-me-right/).

Excessive direct entry key presses can be annoying.
Locating controls along the sides.
Poor display arrangements.
Overly complex clock/alarm setup.

I could go on and present some examples, but you get the idea.

Control Curiosity

We have an insatiable curiosity about how things work. Despite the foregoing pitfalls of ergonomics, many of us are fascinated with the operational intricacies of radios – pressing buttons, twirling knobs, throwing switches. I am easily entertained. To amuse myself, I once did a full-page cause-effect flowchart of button presses for the Tecsun PL-660. It was interesting and kept me out of mischief for a while.

Performance

Performance is a gray area – sensitivity, selectivity, tone quality, etc. Lacking laboratory test results or side-by-side comparisons, the review of a new radio may fall short. Additionally, accepting the manufacturer’s specifications can be misleading or confusing. Ideally, variables must be isolated and controlled. We should not rush to judgment. Still, the typical consumer can render an honest appraisal if it is properly qualified.

Accessories

The radio stands as the centerpiece. For today’s all-in-one portables, an external antenna and a pair of earphones may be the only other hardware needed. In earlier times, the radio was likely a fixed unit requiring AC power. Many models were not as capable as even a moderately priced portable today. As a result, accessories such as external speakers, q-multipliers, and crystal calibrators complemented the capabilities of the radio. Knowledgeable operators who knew how to fix things might have servicing gear like signal generators, vacuum-tube voltmeters, and oscilloscopes positioned on nearby shelves. All this hardware was a source of pride and gave one the assurance that the listening experience was the best possible.

Thinking inside the Box

Beware of SWLs with soldering irons. There is a quantum leap in going from a listener to a certified tinker. It’s not for everybody. It’s the result of long mystic contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with the radio – Zen and the art of radio maintenance. Ultimately, you gather the tools. You open the case. You’re on the way to either Valhalla or complete annihilation. As you open the cover, you are transported down a long, dark cavern and suddenly arrive at an alien Tron-like world of strangely shaped parts.

An inside view by Copilot

Some folks are prepared for the adventure. They have read a book, taken a course, or earned their ham ticket. Others, like me, have thrown caution to the wind with no assurance of success, just a curiosity impervious to reason and a glimmer of hope that we can touch something and make it better. For us, it’s an embarkation on a long encounter with trial and error. Only by persistence and occasional reference to the previously neglected training materials will we finally earn our stripes.

Before I took up the soldering iron, I tackled alignment. I have heard beginners mistakenly thinking that every one of those slotted screws needed to be completely torqued down. Somehow, I had been cautioned that each one had a sweet spot at which the receiver displayed optimum performance. Each one of these adjustments operated in series with all the others, and near total synchronization was necessary to produce even a whisper of signal. It is a sort of electronic Rubik’s Cube; there are many combinations but only one solution.

To be sure, I made my share of mistakes. Initially I did all this by ear without the benefit of an RF generator, voltmeter, or even an insulated tool. I do remember one occasion getting an intermediate frequency adjusted up into the broadcast band. What a squeal that made. Over a period of a few years, I made progress and gradually came to tackle the dual-conversion Hammarlund SP-600 with great aplomb.

Source: Better Shortwave Reception, William I. Orr, W6SAI,
Radio Publications, Inc., Wilton, CT, 1957.

The purported goal in all of this is to squeeze every microvolt of signal out of the ether and hear more stations. In truth, that is only a cover so we can play with the hardware.

Today’s radios don’t have nearly as many adjustments. Through digital processing and phase-locked loops, most of the resonant circuits of old radios have been eliminated. It might be an improvement in performance and reliability, but it’s not the same.

Even the tinker’s quintessential soldering iron has mostly gone cold. The large-scale integration and surface-mounted, robotically-installed components have rendered radio repair and modification intimidating if not impossible. Only a few isolated Merlins of wizardry can deal with this.

For that reason, tinkers have largely retreated to experimentation with antennas. It does not require post-doctoral work in electronic engineering to produce tangible results. While there is a valid wealth of professional theory and practice which has gone into antenna design, the rest of us can still amuse ourselves by hanging wire, winding coils, and empirically evaluating the results.

Collecting

It only takes one radio to get things started. Where it goes from there depends on your interest. About 10 years ago I bought a Hallicrafters S-38E in virtually unused condition. The Hallicrafters lettering was printed on each of the original tubes. There wasn’t a mark on it. Obviously, someone bought this radio new, circa 1959, decided they weren’t interested in shortwave radio, and stored it in an environmentally ideal closet for more than half a century. (No, I have not felt the slightest need to recap it.)

I also bought my first S-38E in 1959. Unlike the first owner of my current S-38E, I have had a persistent affair with radios over the years. It started with just one radio, but I didn’t start collecting them for many years. Instead, I traded up, first an S-40B, then an SX-43, and ultimately the Hammarlund SP-600. It was at that point I was well into tinkering and wound up with three -600s plus one hulk for parts. The Sony ICF-2010 came along in the ‘80s, and I have just kept collecting from time to time with no thought to downsizing.

Let’s look at the economics of the thing. The S-38E cost $55 in 1959. Adjusted for inflation, this would be roughly $600 today. How many folks would be induced to spend that kind of money today to try out shortwave radio? If you bought a $600 radio today, it would be far superior in quality and features to the humble S-38E. Even an entry-level $55 radio today is better. We just can’t make comparisons other than to say radio has become a cheap hobby, unless, of course, you are a collector.

Hardware Groups

There are at least two healthy user groups in groups.io which deal with radio hardware: https://groups.io/g/HallicraftersRadios/topics and https://groups.io/g/SonyICF20102001Dusergroup/topics. There are others, but I am most familiar with these.

For these folks, listening and reporting station reception is incidental to the acquisition, care, and feeding of the radio – the hardware. What are you hearing on the radio? More specifically, are you hearing anything you hadn’t heard before? These questions often go unasked in these groups.

It amazes me that both groups remain very active long after the hardware production ended. Hallicrafters ceased operation in 1980. The Sony ICF-2010 and 2001D radios were manufactured from 1984/1985 to 2002/2003, depending on your reference. Yet each interest group has a core membership steeped in the history and technology of these radios and is quick to address the inquiries of others.

The Hallicrafters Group

The Hallicrafters Group focuses on both receivers and transmitters from the 1930s through the 1960s – the vacuum tube or “hollow state” era. For most purposes, a soldering tool is essential, schematics are necessary documentation, and diagnostics is a required skill.

It was a hands-on era; repair was down to the component level. Today, parts are becoming an issue. While tubes, capacitors, and resistors are still reasonably common, unique items such as transformers, variable capacitors, and various mechanical items (knobs and dials in particular) are more of a problem. This has resulted in cannibalization or “parting out” units in more extreme states of deterioration for their valued parts. This isn’t always a helpful solution, as a defective part may be a common occurrence among other units. A few enterprising vendors have taken up the challenge and come up with innovative solutions, including the use of 3-D printing to replicate parts such as knobs. Bottom line: Restoration of antique hardware appears to be a primary focus of this group.

The Sony ICF-2010/2001D Group

The Sony ICF-2010/2001D Group represents another generation of radios, which were produced in the closing decades of the 20th century. Even more amazing, their interest focuses essentially on a single model receiver. There were at least 6 different versions tailored to local regulations. The -2010 was the North American version.

The complexity of these radios was orders of magnitude greater than those of the vacuum tube era. Being solid-state, they were relatively compact and reasonably portable. They achieved the pinnacle of excellence in portable shortwave reception. Among aficionados, they are still regarded as such today.

Memory capacity of a digital radio can quickly become a point of diminishing returns. While not the first portable to have digital memory, these radios sported an 8 x 4 matrix of memory buttons. Recall is instantaneous, not only frequency but other tuning parameters.

Today’s group remains quite active. Due to the complexity of these radios, troubleshooting and repair are much less common compared with the Hallicrafters Group. However, from time to time capable repair sources have shown up to provide this service as well as several useful modifications. The ICF-2010 and -2001D occupy a unique spot in the hardware collection arena, commanding high prices on the used market. They are regarded as truly classic radios worthy of preservation. They also remain high-performance shortwave receivers today.

Conclusion

Cars and radios are similar. They do not necessarily have to be driven or tuned to be enjoyed. The proof is in the barns and shacks of true hardware lovers. On the other hand, you may have just one radio, but it’s still a special piece of hardware and a captive testimony of your love of technology.

Good DXing.

UPDATE: Radio Nacional da Amzonias Shortwave Service

1 Reply

by Paul Walker
News Director/Operations Assistant,
Wolf Creek Radio Broadcasting of Laramie, WY

As many know, Radio Nacional da Amazonias has been operating on a much reduced schedule for several months now. The shortwave service owned by the government broadcaster, Empresa Brasil de Comunicação is using transmitters that are about 50 years so and several technical breakdowns along with high energy costs have resulted in the reduced operating schedule.

What was 7 days a week 0750 to 0200UTC for both 6180 kHz (100 kW, 344 deg az) and 11780kHz (100kW, 312 deg az) has been (since July 1st 2026) 0745 to 2000UTC for 11780kHz and 2000 to 0200UTC for 6180kHz on weekdays with only 11780 on weekends 0900 to 2000UTC with 6180 off air weekends.

I contacted the Ombudsmans Office at the broadcaster regarding the current reduced schedule for Radio Nacional da Amazonias on Shortwave, mainly expressing concern for them losing access to many North American listeners with the reduced schedule and why getting back to normal is important. I also proposed a partial restoration of the full schedule. When you contact the Ombudsman’s Office, even as a non Brazilian, the 1988 Constitution details you are owed a reply. And I got one today… here’s what they said:

Dear Listener,

The Ombudsman’s Office appreciates your feedback and interest in the programming of Rádio Nacional.

Regarding your message, the Executive Management of Radio Stations thanks you for your message, your attention, and especially for the detailed account of the reception of Rádio Nacional da Amazônia on Shortwave in the United States. We also appreciate your comments on the programming and the importance of the service for listeners who follow the station from different parts of the world.

Regarding the reduction in broadcast hours on Shortwave, we inform you that the schedule will remain as currently practiced until the end of 2026. The expectation is that, in 2027, broadcasts will return to their usual times, as requested.

We also appreciate the observations and suggestions presented regarding the 11.780 kHz frequency and the shared reception records. They contribute to the station better understanding the experience of its listeners, including those who follow Rádio Nacional da Amazônia outside of Brazil.

So that does appear to be some good news! 6180 is pretty good in the eastern USA, but with its much more northerly beam, it’s not as good in the western US, but still pretty decent. 11780 signs off before it gets good in the western US.

And you’ve also got a CGTN (CRI) broadcast on 11780 from 00:00 to 01:00UTC, and 6180 from 00 to 05 UTC, both from sites in China, and those broadcasts do some damage to the Nacional Amazonias services in the western US. I’ve sent an email to CGTN asking if they’d consider moving those broadcasts to another frequency… but that’s another story for another time, I guess

By the way, you too can email the Ombudsman’s office, and I encourage you to do so: [email protected], and let them know how much you enjoy the services, as I have told them… between the lively futbol broadcasts, music, and the lively show with Mauricio Rabelo “Eu de Cá, Você de Lá” (Me here, you there), with listener interaction…the Amazonias Shortwave service is fun to listen to even if you don’t understand Portuguese.

October 2026 Schedule Updates: From the Isle of Music & Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot

From the Isle of Music, October 2026

This month, we will air the postponed episode covering the career of accordionist/bandleader/arranger/composer/producer Eddy Gaytan, born in Argentina but moved to Cuba and had an impact on several styles of Cuban music. We hope to have his son, Eddy Gaytan, an accomplished musician in his own right, to guide us through an interesting and, to many North Americans, unexpected mix of music. . Friday, October 9, 2026, 9670 kHz, 1800 CEST (1600 UTC), repeats on 3955 kHz at 2400 CEST (2200 UTC)

Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, October 2026

This month, we will feature Quebecois French Canadian and Cape Breton celtic music. .
Friday, October 16, 2016: 9670 kHz at 1800 CEST (1600 UTC), repeats on 3955 kHz at 2400 CEST (2200 UTC)

All from Channel 292 in Germany. In addition to terrestrial listening, we do accept reception reports using remote sdrs provided both your own physical location and the location of the sdr are included. EQSLs only for either.

ELWA Monrovia, Liberia – Then and Now

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by Dan Greenall

Radio ELWA (Eternal Love Winning Africa) is a Christian ministry station that has been on the air from Monrovia, Liberia since 1954. When I first heard them in the 1970’s from my listening post in Ontario, Canada, they were using 10 and 50 kw transmitters to broadcast their programs to targets in most parts of the African continent and the Middle East. A couple of old recordings I made captured their interval signal and a station ID in Arabic: https://archive.org/details/elwa-monrovia-liberia-1970

They sent me this attractive QSL card in 1970.

The 1971 Communications Handbook profiled the station on page 14.

From 1989 to 2003, Liberia was embroiled in a couple of lengthy civil wars, and ELWA was forced off the air at least a couple of times. This simple folded paper QSL, that included their program schedule, was issued during this period for reception in 1994.

The station also endured a major Ebola outbreak and the Covid 19 pandemic as described in this link: https://www.elwaministries.org/radio/

Today, ELWA broadcasts programs primarily to the city of Monrovia on 94.5 FM. However, these programs are simulcast with one kilowatt on 6050 kHz shortwave for the rest of the country. They can be tricky to hear in other parts of the world. In recent months, a co-channel Chinese station made reception difficult, even through the use of remote KiwiSDR’s. However, this past week, I have found them in the clear (in English!) for up to 2 hours before 2230 UTC sign off, using a KiwiSDR in the Azores Islands.

Five separate recordings made between September 17 and 20 can be found at this link and embedded below:

ELWA 1

ELWA 2

ELWA 3

ELWA 4

ELWA Sign-Off

I have also been able to hear their signal recently using SDR’s in Cape Cod, MA and Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles.

You can listen to ELWA 94.5 FM online at: https://radio.galcom.org/?station=ELWARadio

End of an Era: Kyodo News radiofax service discontinued

5 Replies

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I knew that sooner or later this was going to happen.

Yesterday, September 22, 2026, on a cold, sunny morning, I was in Porto Alegre doing my usual radio listening when I thought of tuning in to 16971 kHz to download one of Kyodo News’ news bulletins via radiofax. No signal. It sounded strange, so I did some research. I found a post on Reddit:

“Kyodo News Radiofax service (JJC) has been discontinued.”

I didn’t see any other mention of this fact anywhere on the Internet, but I believe the information is correct, since I haven’t listened to the signal on this frequency anymore, even though the agency’s website still lists the service as available.

I sent a message to Kyodo News requesting information, but honestly? I don’t expect a reply. If and when I do get one, I’ll post it here.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve been tuning in to and receiving Kyodo News radiofax transmissions.

There were countless posts on the SWLing Post. I have nothing to complain about; I made the most of it while I could. I even started an illustrated diary with the printed radiofax pages, which unfortunately I was unable to complete.

Even though it’s a Japanese company, and the Japanese remain firmly attached to their traditions, Kyodo News has just embraced modernity, practicality, and cost reduction, because after all, maintaining shortwave transmitters and radiofax costs money, and the vast majority of its audience receives Kyodo News reports over the Internet. One of the reasons the news agency was still using radiofax was the fact that the Internet does not reach the crews of Japanese vessels, but this is changing, with new technologies allowing ships to receive reports, whether news or weather bulletins, via satellite.

The fact is, the new always comes along, and no matter how nostalgic we may be (and I am very nostalgic!), there’s no way to stop changes. A sad day for me and for the many people who, like me, became used to receiving Kyodo News radiofax transmissions.

Kyodo News was the last company on the planet still sending bulletins by radiofax. With the discontinuation of this service, an era is coming to an end as well. Radiofax’s days are numbered. Enjoy the few services that still exist before they disappear.