DX QUICK TIPS
June 17, 2026

Once again, propagation conditions have been good over the past two weeks. Here are a few stations monitored across the shortwave spectrum. All logs below were noted on my own receivers and antennas - NOT via Internet streaming (for God's sake!!). Where signals were very weak, several broadcasts were checked and confirmed against a Kiwi remote SDR at a more favourable location; those logs have been noted accordingly.

Equipment: SDRPlay RSPduo, Yaesu FTDX3000 transceiver, Kenwood R5000 receiver, Yaesu FRG 100 receiver, Kenwood TS2000 transceiver.

Antennas: 80m long horizontal sky loop antenna, a delta loop antenna for 10 MHz, a double bazooka antenna for 14 MHz and a 5/8λ centre-fed vertical for 21 MHz and above.

Yankee Doodle Makes a Return!

Over the past few days, the Voice of America has returned with test transmissions from Kuwait, Thailand and the Philippines. These tests were registered with the HFCC recently. Some broadcasts were tones, some repeated musical items, and one seemed to carry actual programming. At the time of this writing, it looks like further tests are planned for Friday this week (June 19) and beyond. So, eyes and ears peeled, folks! Here's what I have monitored so far this week:

9350 PHILIPPINES. VOA - Tinang. Scheduled for Mandarin to EAs at 1130. No audio programming heard. Just a big carrier. They eventually pulled the plug about 15 minutes later, Jun 15.

11575 KUWAIT. VOA - Umm Al-Rimam. 1130 Farsi to WAs. Test txion beginning with the Yankee Doodle theme. Then, news on the US/Iran peace deal. Excellent signal marred only by OTHR QRM, Jun 15.

11575 THAILAND. VOA - Ban Dung. 0610 English to SEAs. Test txion. Good signal with test music of several instrumental pop selections repeated over and over. Jun 16.

11590 PHILIPPINES. VOA - Tinang. 1130 Scheduled for Mandarin to EAs. Test txion. Very strong, S9 +10 dB, no audio content. Just a carrier with a nasty txer hum. Suddenly off at 1149. Perhaps lying idle for months isn’t so good for high-powered txers. Who’d have thought it! :-) Jun 15.

15370 KUWAIT. VOA - Umm Al-Rimam. 1130 Scheduled for Dari to WAs. Test txion. Very weak in the noise. 35 seconds of introductory fanfare music repeated over and over. Txer suddenly off at 1212 UTC. Jun 15.

17880 THAILAND. VOA - Ban Dung. 0425 Scheduled for English to NEAs. Test txion. Very good signal with test music of several instrumental pop selections repeated over and over. Jun 16.

21550 THAILAND. VOA - Ban Dung. 0501 Test txion, good signal with test music of several instrumental pop selections repeated over and over. Heavy co-channel QRM CNR jamming of Sound of Hope. Maybe not a good frequency choice! Jun 16.

🌟 3310 BOLIVIA. R. Mosoj Chaski - Cochabamba. 1054 Very weak signal, commentary (presumed preaching), couldn’t tell if it was Spanish or Quechua. Faded around 1105 on June 5th. A somewhat better signal was monitored on the next night at 1025 with music, Quechua anncts and occasional anncts. This station used to be a regular visitor, but it has been heard here with decent strength only a few times over the past two years. Jun 6.

🌟 4775 PERU. R. Tarma - Tarma. 0955 A selection of musical items on Andean pipes in a contemporary setting. S/on 1001 with full station ID and freqs. Many “Buenos dias” and roosters crowing. Then into music programming with echo anncts. A fair level, and I haven’t heard it this strong for ages; usually barely audible. Jun 6.

🌟 4810 PERU. R. Logos - Chazuta, San Martin. F/in 0805 with Spanish gospel songs and occasional IDs. This is the earliest I have heard Logos this season. Still noted weakly when rechecked at 1100. Jun 5.

The Radio Logos studios in the little town of Chazuta, Peru.

🌟 4820 PERU. R. Senda Cristiana - Cotahuasi, Arequipa. 0930 Andean pipes music, ID (Spanish, not Quechua), then religious talk. Later, a mix of pre-recorded religious programming in Quechua with background music (dramatic storytelling?). Still audible but weakly at 1130. Slightly stronger signal than its 4810 neighbour, R. Logos. Also monitored via the OA4DFF KiwiSDR. Jun 5. See video below, recorded on June 12 at 1050 UTC.

5935 USA. WWCR - Nashville, TN. Early winter afternoon f/in 0505 with American preaching. Jun 3.

5939.45 BRAZIL. R. Voz Missionária - Camboriú, SC. Weak f/in 0550 with preaching and songs. Slow to improve strength on Jun 3.

🌟 5995 MALI. RTV du Mali - Kati. 0610 French anncts and vibrant Malian music. Later, heavily accented French, not Bambara, but could easily be mistaken for Bambara. But then Bambara seems to pop up at any time. As do sound effect roosters crowing for this morning service! Weak at first but rose to a fair level by 0630. Long path propagation over southern Canada and across the vast Pacific Ocean. Jun 3.

🌟 6010 COLOMBIA. La Voz de tu Conciencia - Puerto Lleras. Very early and gradual f/in from 0525 with light music programming. Rechecked at 0720 - a talk on missionaries working in China in the 1800s. Fair-to-poor signal throughout the two hours of monitoring. Jun 3.

6030 USA. R. Martí - Greenville. Very early f/in 0340, Spanish to Cuba. Midwinter afternoon reception with a weak signal past 0400, Jun 3.

🌟 6070 CANADA. CFRX - Toronto, ON. 0645 Talk radio on policing. Shock jock tones of outrage! Jun 3.

6165 GERMANY. R. Japan - Nauen. 0435 to s/off 0450 Russian to EEu. Very weak signal, and with some strange buzzing noise in the modulation. Only midwinter propagation gets this one in our afternoons. Jun 3.

🌟 6185 MEXICO. XEPPM R. Educacion - Mexico City. 0700 Strange! Nothing was heard at Mt Evelyn, apart from what appeared to be an unmodulated carrier. Double-checking on the Grupo Diexista Mexico SDR also showed just a strong carrier at S9+. A few minutes later, wisps of choral music would occasionally fade up and down on the carrier. 0709 - Music annct and into Mexican marimba music at a good level. Ahhh! Someone found the volume control! A weak signal into Mt Evelyn, Jun 3.

🌟 9795 PHILIPPINES and ALASKA. FEBC - Iba transmitter site. 1150 Preaching in the Vietnamese service. S/off 1159, leaving the Vietnamese siren jammers exposed. Apparently, the Vietnamese regard FEBC as subversive! The 1200 KNLS - Anchor Point signed on with a strong signal for the English service to EAs. Jun 11. See video below:

11885 MALAYSIA. RTM - Kajang. 0915 Sabah V programming in the Bajau language. Pop music, anncts and telephone call-in chats. The Bajau language, or Sinama, is spoken by the traditionally seafaring Sama-Bajau people across the geographically dispersed coastal regions of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Good signal on Jun 6.

15210 TAIWAN. R. Free Asia - Paochung. 15 min service in Lao to SEAs, signing off 0015, good signal, Jun 11.

15295 MALAYSIA. RTM Nasional FM - Kajang. 0925 Malay with pops and anncts. 0936 - Birthday and wedding anniversary wishes to listeners. Fair signal only on Jun 6.

21500 JAPAN. R. JAPAN - Yamata. 0330 to s/off 0400 Japanese to SAm, fair signal. Jun 3.

73 and good DX,

Rob Wagner VK3BVW