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On mediumwave, Cuba was a heavyweight, with many high-powered transmitters all over the dial, exceeding the already generous allocation agreed to by the North American nations in 1941.
In 1971, Radio Havana Cuba broadcast on shortwave with Spanish to the Americas, English, French, Portuguese, and a few other languages.
Later, I saw a magazine ad from the 1960s. The ad was for Hallicrafters, a Chicago maker of shortwave radios and communications equipment. The ad showed a menacing-looking caricature of the Cuban dictator speaking and posed the question:
“Have you ever actually heard this son of a bitch?”
Fidel Castro’s understanding of radio was no accident. He studied its use in other Latin American countries and in previous coup attempts, and used it shrewdly in his own rise to power.
One program seemed to a 15-year-old to cross the line. The Voice of Vietnam was an English language program aimed at the United States that was broadcast from Havana, not Hanoi. This program seemed strident and objectionable, which may have been the goal.
Today, Cuban broadcasting is in a shambles. Hurricane Rafael flattened its largest shortwave transmitter site. Ongoing problems with the power grid and shortages of fuel have led to nationwide power outages. Many AM stations are off the air. Technicians from China who kept things running have reportedly left the country.
Karl D. Forth has been interested in radio and DXing for more than 50 years. This story was included in the book Radio Nights and Distant Signals.
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Paraguay vs Germany: Reporter from Paraguayan Rádio Ñanduti comments on the public celebration after Paraguay’s victory over Germany: “The Guarani lion ate the German shepherd!”
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Carlos Latuff, who shares the following article. Carlos writes:
Panasonic Microcassette Recorder
To record my radio listening sessions, I usually use a Sony digital recorder, model ICD-PX240. However, last week I purchased another beauty—this time a Panasonic microcassette recorder, model RN-305, manufactured in Japan in 2000.
I decided to test it out, and here are the results. The listening sessions were conducted in Porto Alegre using XHDATA D808 and Ecopower EP-F23B receivers.
Earthquake in Venezuela, Spain and France offering rescue workers.
US Secretary of State assured Gulf allies the Strait of Hormuz will stay open as Iran threatens transit fees.
Former Israeli leaders threatened legal action over alleged Jewish terrorism in the occupied West Bank.
June 26, 2026
BBC, 15400 kHz (in English)
Earthquake in Venezuela, more than 900 people are now known to have died in two earthquakes. The U. N. says 50,000 people are missing.
The U.S. announced a framework to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
John Bolton pleaded guilty to one charge of mishandling information.
A state of emergency was declared in Crimea.
Extreme heatwave in Europe, Germany recorded temperatures above 41°C on Friday, in France, festivals, street parties and Paris Pride were canceled, while alcohol sales were restricted in Paris, in the Netherlands, electric bus charging failures disrupted public transport.
Paris suspended flights to and from Kinshasa, D.R. Congo, after a passenger tested positive for Ebola.
Civil unrest in Tanzania.
D.R. Congo sued Rwanda at the International Court of Justice over alleged atrocities.
Earthquake in Venezuela: Full coverage.
Lebanon and Israel reached a U.S.-brokered deal for Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Radio Exterior de España, 17715 kHz (in Arabic)
Venezuela was struck by two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.3 according to the U.S. Geological Survey on Wednesday. Collapsed buildings and several damaged structures were observed in the capital, Caracas. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez reported in an initial tally that the two earthquakes resulted in 32 deaths and 700 injuries. State of emergency was declared after the two earthquakes, which were followed by approximately 20 aftershocks. The earthquakes caused further damage, including building collapses and the closure of Simón Bolívar International Airport. The state of La Guaira was the most affected and was declared a disaster area, as explained by Acting President Delcy Rodriguez.
Vatican Radio, 11870 kHz (in English)
Africa News Panorama: Ebola outbreak in D.R. Congo, more that 1100 cases with 300 deaths.
Anti-immigrant rallies in South Africa.
Rescue workers are working in the rubble of a three-story building that collapsed in Nigeria.
Radio 2, 1230 kHz AM (in Spanish)
Venezuela increased to 920 the dead and there are at least 3360 injured in the latest reports of the Ministry of Health after the earthquakes of Wednesday. In addition to 50.000 people who remain missing.
A reader, Michael, recently shared a new online resource he created for the shortwave listening community called HQ Shortwave Radio: https://hqshortwaveradio.com
According to Michael, the site lets users enter a frequency and uses AI to help identify what’s currently on the air. It also incorporates current broadcast schedules, propagation information, station listings, maps, and a variety of other tools designed to help listeners explore the bands.
I’m traveling, so I haven’t had an opportunity to put it through its paces and can’t offer an evaluation. That said, while I’m generally not a fan of AI-generated writing, YouTube videos, or artwork, I do think AI can be a genuinely useful tool for organizing, searching, and presenting complex datasets. This seems like an interesting application of that idea, and I’m curious to hear how well it works in practice.
If you give it a try, please share your impressions in the comments. I’m sure Michael would appreciate constructive feedback from fellow SWLing Post readers.
Droitwich Transmitter Site (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor David Iurescia, who shares this BBC articleabout the end of an era in British broadcasting: the BBC has permanently switched off its longwave Radio 4 service after nearly a century on the air. The closure marks the end of longwave broadcasting in the UK, with the historic 198 kHz transmitters at Droitwich, Westerglen, and Burghead now falling silent after decades of service.
For many radio enthusiasts, this represents far more than the retirement of an aging transmission system—it is the closing chapter of one of broadcasting’s most iconic services, one that carried everything from the Shipping Forecast to Test Match Special and reached listeners across the British Isles and beyond.
Many thanks as well to SWLing Post contributor Andy Wang, who shares this off-air recording capturing the final hours of the BBC’s longwave service before the transmitters went silent:
Many thanks to SWling Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who writes:
Thomas,
My local charity shop received a donation recently in the form of a Grundig Elite Boy 500.
It’s in working order, although the volume control needed some Deoxit D5 to solve some bad scratching. Good cosmetic condition and works across all the bands.
by Karl D. Forth
