KTWR QSL for Special Broadcast to Nepal

In the wake of the recent Earthquake in Nepal and the numerous aftershocks still rocking the Himalayan Nation causing havoc to life and environment, Trans World Radio (TWR) has put up a commendable initiative. TWR from its broadcast facility in the Island of Guam (KTWR) has started a daily Nepali broadcast on shortwave. Here’s the excerpt from the official TWR blog post “TWR is producing a one-hour program with four 15-minute segments in Nepali, Hindi, Bhojpuri, and English. The programs is on-air once a day, seven days a week, on shortwave (SW) from Guam to reach those closer to Mount Everest, where survivors may not be able to receive FM broadcasts.”

Rajdeep Das · KTWR Special Transmission to Nepal 15280 kHz 03.05.2015

Just after getting the news of this special ‘disaster relief’ broadcast from KTWR Guam, I logged the transmission on May 3, 2015 from my QTH in Kolkata, India. SIO was a crisp 454 and the whole 1 hour transmission was monitored. Reception report was emailed to KTWR Frequency Co-ordination Department. On May 14, 2015, Kathy Gregowske confirmed my report with an e-QSL card.

I must mention that TWR is distributing over 5,000 radios to quake struck people in the core areas. If you want to bring hope to the shattered lives of countless Nepalese I ask you to donate to Asia Disaster Relief Fund. Spread the good word around by sharing this post on social media.

IRDR Special Transmission Monitoring and QSL Response

As a long time shortwave radio hobbyist I was excited with the news of IRDR (The Trial of International Radio for Disaster Relief) conducting special SW transmissions scheduled during the Media Summit on Climate Change, ICTs and Disaster Risk Reduction 5-6 June 2014 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The schedule was posted in the HFCC website and quickly found audience with the DX fraternity worldwide. However, with both the dates being weekdays, and during morning (work hours) there was little hope for me to DX and try to log the special transmissions.

I missed 5^th June due to work but somehow managed 6^th June to keep my appointments at bay and instead focused on logging IRDR transmissions in the afternoon. 

Here are my observations –

QTH – Kolkata, India | RX – Tecsun PL 660 | ANT – Telescopic Rod | Date – 06.06.2014

920-927 UTC IBB (PHT) 15650 KHz SIO 333

1015-1025 UTC AIR 15650 KHz SIO 343

1035-1045 UTC RTC in Chinese 21840 KHz SIO 433

1100-1130 UTC KTWR Guam (Eng) 15650 KHz SIO 433

Reception reports were sent to the broadcasters. 

An E-QSL was received from KTWR (Trans World Radio) Guam on June 11 for my e-report.

Here's the extract from the mail  - 

“Greetings from our sunny island of Guam,

Thank you for your reception report, we were excited and pleased to learn that our special test broadcast for International Radio for Disaster Relief was able to be heard so strongly by many listeners. I am pleased to confirm that you listened to our special test program on June 6, 2014 at 15650 kHz from 1100-1130 UTC. Here's an e-QSL for your report ... Blessings, Kathy Gregowske”

A14 Season Kicks Off With 2 New E-QSLs

The A14 broadcast season has kicked off with two new E-QSLs in my kitty!

The first E-QSL was received from Atlantic 2000 International for monitoring their special broadcast via internet streaming. The station plays a fantastic assortment of western music from different genres. In fact, by listening to their show I have heard a few golden voices from the years past, for the first time ever! Programming from Atlantic 2000 International was monitored on April 6, 2014 and a reception report was sent the following day to atlantic2000international@gmail.com An E-QSL was received from Radio Atlantic 2000 International on April 17th, 2014, verifying my reception report. For details about their broadcast visit: http://radioatlantic2000.free.fr 

The next E-QSL  was from the very interesting station STF Radio International. 

STF Radio Int. Special broadcast was logged on April 20 in the 16 mb frequency of 17660 KHz and a reception report was mailed right away. E-QSL reply was received from Jason/6955 on April 25 thanking for the reception report and a promise to send across a hard copy QSL once it is printed. Here's the e-QSL (#020) received featuring different decodings of one of the images sent by MFSK64. 

If you don't know about them yet here it is "STF Radio International, is a new venture that broadcasts digital modes over shortwave (similar to VOA Radiograms)" Details about them can be found on their website http://stfradio.com. 73's

STF Radio International Special Broadcast

Taking a cue from my fellow DX buddies, today I logged the Special Broadcast of STF Radio International. Here are the SW log details - 

April 20, 2014 between 0445 Hrs - 0500 Hrs UTC on 17760 KHz in English with SIO: 454. Transmitter site -Trincomalee, Sri Lanka with power 125 kW. Booming signal was heard at my QTH in Kolkata, India. Surprisingly the other SW frequency listed on their website 21490 KHz was inaudible. RX Tecsun PL 660 with no external antenna (just using the fully extended telescopic rod attached to the receiver). Here's my recording -

Programming consisted of several digitally created soundtracks and ids (multiple times) was heard by OM. Reception Report was mailed to <qsl@stfradio.com> 

Visit STF Radio International's website for details: http://stfradio.com. 73's

STF Radio International Special Broadcast logged with Excellent Signal