Help record the 2026 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast later today (June 21, 2026)

Every year, the BBC broadcasts a special program to the scientists and support staff in the British Antarctic Survey Team. The BBC plays music requests and sends special messages to the small team located at various Antarctic research stations. Each year, the thirty minute show is guaranteed to be quirky, nostalgic, and certainly a DX-worthy catch!

After successful listener events from years past, I’m once again calling on all SWLing Post readers and shortwave radio listeners to make a short recording (say, 30–60 seconds) of the BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast today and share it here on the SWLing Post. Details on this below.

Time and frequencies

Thanks to Dave Porter who has confirmed these three shortwave frequencies for the annual BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast (2130–2200 UTC Sunday, June 21, 2026):

  • 9460 kHz from Woofferton
  • 9510 kHz from Ascension
  • 12070 kHz from Woofferton
  • Also on DAB in the UK at 2130 UTC (2230 BST).

Recording the Midwinter Broadcast has become an SWLing Post community tradition! Read our previous post for more details.

I’m especially fond of this broadcast as it always falls on my birthday and it’s always fun capturing this unique DX!

Share your recording and notes with us!

Comment with your recording!

During the Midwinter Broadcast, I will publish a dedicated post where you can comment and include links to audio and video of your 2026 Midwinter Broadcast recordings. When this post is available, I will link to it here. This will allow you to post your logs and recordings at your convenience without my availability becoming the bottleneck.

So that there’s no confusion, I’ve turned off comments on this post so that comments are left on the appropriate article.

Here’s the format I’d like you to leave in your comment on the dedicated post:

Name:

Listening location:

Notes: (Include frequencies and any details about your receiver and antenna.)

Link to audio or video: (YouTube, Vimeo, Internet Archive, SoundCloud, etc.)

Video and Audio Recordings

There is no way to directly upload audio in your comments, however, you can link to the recordings if you upload them to the Internet Archive (which I’d highly recommend) or any of the video streaming services—like YouTube and Vimeo—or audio services like SoundCloud.

If you have a photo you’d like to include in your comment, send me an email from the same address you used in your comment. I’ll manually post the image at the top of your comment when time allows.

As with each year, I’ll make sure the BAS team and the BBC receive a link with all of your recordings!

Will FM Radio Be the Next Casualty of the Connected Car?

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura, who shares the following article about a growing trend among automakers: removing not only AM receivers from new vehicles, but FM as well. This is in favor of internet-connected streaming services. While the shift may seem inevitable, it raises important questions about emergency communications, rural connectivity, and the future of free over-the-air broadcasting.

Read the full article here: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2026/06/16/fm-radio-excluded-from-new-vehicles/

Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast 2026: Tune in Sunday, June 21, 2026

1 Reply

Each year, we look forward to one of the most unique traditions in the world of shortwave radio: the BBC’s Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast—a special program beamed to a handful of overwintering scientists and support staff at British Antarctic research stations.

Halley VI: The British Antarctic Survey’s new base (Source: British Antarctic Survey)

SWLing Post readers around the globe regularly tune in and make off-air recordings of this remarkable broadcast, sharing reception reports and recordings from every corner of the planet. It’s one of our favorite annual traditions!

Time and Frequencies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Richard Langley, who shares the following information via the bdxc-news and Alan Pennington:

Thanks to Dave Porter, who has confirmed these three shortwave frequencies for the annual BBC Antarctic midwinter broadcast (2130-2200 UTC Sunday 21st June):

    • 9460 kHz from Woofferton.
    • 9510 kHz from Ascension
    • 12070 kHz from Woofferton

Also on DAB in UK at 2130 UTC (2230 BST).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct9bnv

As always, we’ll post an article here on Sunday as the broadcast begins, where you can share your own reception reports, audio clips, and impressions in the comments section—just as we’ve done in years past.

Happy DXing, and let’s celebrate midwinter together—wherever you are in the world!

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of Radio 10 AM (June 17, 2026)

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening report of a recent Radio 10 AM broadcast.

Carlos notes:

Radio 10 AM 710 kHz, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Click here to view on YouTube.

Carlos’ Mini Review of the Sony SRF-S84 AM/FM Portable Radio

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who writes

I recently purchased a Sony SRF-S84 radio, which, despite its diminutive size, has excellent sensitivity. From what I’ve researched, this model began production by the Japanese company in 2001 and was discontinued around 2010. Below are the radio’s specifications, taken from its instruction manual.

The radio is an analog AM/FM model with a small tuning dial that requires a deft touch. It operates on a single AAA battery (excellent battery life), has no built-in speaker, and features a stereo headphone output (P2). Despite its tiny internal ferrite antenna (approximately 3 cm long) and the typical oscillations of medium waves, I was able to receive stations from neighboring countries very well here in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Here is some audio from this little marvel. I focused only on the medium waves. All listening sessions were conducted outdoors, at night, and without the aid of a MW loop antenna.

Audio 1

Radio 10, AM 710 kHz, Argentina, June 17, 22h30 (local time)

Audio 2

Radio Universo, AM 970 kHz, Paraguay, June 17, 22h33 (local time)

Audio 3

Radio Atlantica, AM 760 kHz, Argentina, June 17, 22h45 (local time)

Audio 4

Radio Super Rede Boa Vontade, AM 1300 kHz, Brazil, June 17, 23h43 (local time)

BBC Begins Phased Closure of Radio 5 Live AM Transmitters

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Majid Hussain, who notes that the BBC is beginning the phased closure of some of its BBC Radio 5 Live AM transmitters.

According to RadioToday, the first two AM transmitters are scheduled to close at the end of July 2026, marking the start of a wider reduction in the network’s mediumwave coverage. The move reflects the BBC’s continued transition toward FM, DAB, television, and online platforms, while maintaining nationwide access to Radio 5 Live through other distribution methods.

You can read the full story here:

BBC starts closing BBC Radio 5 Live AM transmitters