Long Wave Not Dead, Yet (4K) 

As an American stationed in Germany from 1992 to 1997, I LOVED listening to 198Khz at night and drifting off to sleep.

In a national emergency, LW is the only broadcast signal that will penetrate into underground stations, tunnels and parking places where people might need to take refuge. The signals even penetrate about 5 metres into seawater - a former RN submarine engineer told me they could listen to cricket while submerged. After 9-11, it was found in the USA that radio was the best and most secure method of communication to the public, not TV, not internet, not telephone!

Aprox 20 years ago I drove all over the US in a truck, and I installed a Becker Mexico radio so that I could listen to shortwave radio. I could easily listen to Australia early afternoon in California. This radio also received LW (longwave) but I never picked anything up, nor did I expect to. This video does a good job of showing the multitude of LW stations that still exist. Well done !

Long life to the Droitwitch 198 Khz station. I tune it everyday

Greetings from bromsgrove , 3 miles from droitwich , i was a big HF listener until powerline adapters came along and wrecked everything , still got my Grundig satellit 2100 from 1977 tony

The photo of you listening to the Russian broadcast, reminded me of my teenage years back in the early 1970s. My bedroom was full of valve and transistor radios and a dual band tv. I spent years up until i left school, tuning into 100s of stations from all around the world with a variety of aerials. There's not a lot left to hear these days, which is a shame as i have grown increasingly fed up with the internet of everything and multi channel digital tv rubbish. Lots more interference to deal with too which makes listening harder. 198khz from Droitwich has been selected to close down by the second half of 2024. I doubt that anything will save it, just like 252 closed last year.

Great video,nice to see the site. The BBC said a few months ago they intend to close longwave within a few years. Droitwich was received in South Australia last year using a beverage antenna around 20.00 gmt.

Hello! You know, it's amazing that in Australia you had to listen to broadcasts from the USSR. I like to listen to the radio in the LW, MW and SW ranges, while hiking in the wild. I use a Sangean ATS 808 receiver. Late in the evening, when reception improves, especially on the longer wavelength range, it's good to sit by the fire and listen to the radio. In Russia now there is neither longwave nor shortwave broadcasting, most often stations are received from China, including in Russian. Interestingly, Romania broadcasts quite actively. It was possible to catch the Romanian radio in Arabic. I asked myself - why is this? Is there at least one inhabitant of the Arab world who is interested in the events in Romania. But it's funny. For me, this activity is like fishing. You never know what will come up. If I can receive a transmission from afar, such as Cuba, Bangladesh, Japan, Africa, I feel great pleasure. In Norway, probably due to its subpolar location, unusual radio wave propagation effects are possible. In general, there is some mysticism in this. Academician Sakharov, creator of the Soviet thermonuclear bomb and human rights activist, while in exile, listened to a tank receiver given to him by the US military after World War II. He argued that the interference that we hear on these waves is the voice of the planet itself, its ionosphere.

Great video, thanks for taking the time to share this. Yes I too agree LW is not dead....let hope its a round a few more years. 73s Brian

I remember listening to shortwave in the 1980s before the Berlin Wall came down. Somehow it seemed really exciting to tune into Radio Moscow from the other side of the Iron Curtain. I moved into a place with an old Hotbird dish on the wall. Hotbird is like the TV Tower of Babel. The nearest thing I've experienced to the old shortwave radio was flicking through hundreds and hundreds of free TV and radio stations on Hotbird from all over the world. (Although Hotbird's footprint is centred on Europe, North Africa and the Near East.)

About 10 years ago I was in Azemmour Morocco 70 miles South of Casablanca. turned on my car radio (About 6PM) BBC Radio 4 198 Long Wave Loud and Clear.

Most of the Droitwich Marconi Long Wave transmitter from memory is Solid State. It uses a pair of 250kw units which made purpose made by Marconi using a modulation method called Pulsam with a extensive RF matching network located at the base of the T antenna, best discribed as a combined RF filter/matching and antenna in one large unit. The combiner/filter/matching stage were inside a room of its own with wood framework to stop staff getting too close. RF output valves from what I recall were TH537 ? vapour phased cooled tetrodes. At the back of the main building was a pair of Mirelees Blackstone generators with I think were 2000 HP engines giving around 1200 KVA output. I visited the site when I worked for the BBC in the early 1990s after the BBC replaced the Marconi Pulsam modulators stages and replaced them with solid state. Me and a couple of colleagues were invited to the site to see the new equipment along with the then new Harris DX50 solid state transmitters used for Virgin Radio and Talk Radio, these were 50 kw each and combined together to gain 100kw. The Harris equipment was very efficient compared the older Marconi's used on Radio 4 Long Wave and Radio 5 Medium Wave and there was much discussion if the BBC were going to install new solid state equipment to save on power. I think the shortage was mainly down to HF broadcasters buying up the valves for the large 250 kw transmitters used on HF and leaving a shortage of valves to keep the LW units running as I think Thales or Eimac who make the valves had announced the valves would be no longer made. I suspect the factory had a rethink and made some more. More on Marconi Pulsam. tech.ebu.ch/docs/techreview/trev_263-fenn.pdf

I used to be able to see the Droitwich masts from my bedroom window in Kidderminster. Had no idea they were so old.

I grew up in worcester, and the news paper used to report the houses you were stood by used to have music coming from there cookers and other appliances .

We need to keep these things going. I got my radio bug by using a self made crystal radio when I was about ten years old.

It's surprising that longwave didn't catch on in Australia. It's got lots of features that would make longwave an attractive option: Lots of land to cover, a dry interior across which longwave signals would propagate well, a dispersed population, lots of space in which to erect longwave antennas. It's a very interesting band. Occasionally the carrier of the Ashgabat transmitter on 279 kHz can be detected on the Enschede SDR in the Netherlands.

Fantastic, it's a BBC engineering icon, thanks for posting.

If I was in those houses I would set up a long wire and power my lights!!!! :)

This must have been what shortwave was like before all the national outlets closed down, lots of good music! Thanks for the video, warmest greetings from the states!

Absolutely nuts that France Inter stops broadcasting on Long Wave, presumably to save money but they still have to keep the transmitter going anyway. Why not just let them keep broadcasting?

The little "sheds" at the base of the masts house the (now disused) lift machinery that operate the lifts that travel up the inside of the masts. They are no longer used due to safety concerns, if you take a look back at your footage you'll see at 2:16 in your video one of the lift cradles "parked" towards the top of the tower, just in line with the third set of guy lines/insulators from the top, for best impedence and electrical matching.

Thanks for that. Very interesting. When I was a kid I used to listen to ABC radio on a crystal set. Great memories!

Thanks for the interesting video. In the UK Iceland can be heard early mornings on 189 and 207 kHz. ...and sometimes Ashgabat, Turkmenistan can be heard weakly on 279 kHz via the Enschede webSDR. Hopefully a new briadcssting use will be found for longwave. A home for DRM?

I love the "Tuning box"...They actually hold the lift gear...

Thank you VK3ASE, great video, I loved it, fond memories of drifting off to sleep as a kid whilst listening to my valve radio on lw and sw, nice warm glow of the radio dial. QSB in full swing. Thanks again. Andy - m0bah.

Hi! It is really cool! I can hear several Middle East LW stations from Samara using SDRPlay and 3 m antenna wire.

Thank you three-years later loved the old photo 👍📻

LW...198khz..BBC2...heard CalIfornia...doing winter!!!

Very nice video. I didn't know you have NDBs with voice announcements in Australia. Just a small correction: Russian longwave stations were closed quite recently - in 2014 and the station you heard on 207 was not from Ukraine, but from Iceland. They also have a second transmitter on 189, which airs the same content.

Fantastic stuff, thanks for the video!

Regarding the transmitter on 153khz on Ingøy in northern Norway It's closed down now, norwegian broadcasting can be heard from svalbard island on 1485 khz medium wawe on an upgraded transmitter, 3 kw Regards Jorn, Norway

243 kHz, longwave Kalundborg, Denmark was shut down on 31-12-2023 forever

I did a survey looking at the induced current into the human body there, had a current clamp on my leg, when it exceeded 1 amp I decided it was better to leave!, I also heard R4 LW when working in the USA...

162 kHz still experiences atmospheric cross-modulation from the RTL longwave. good to hear if on USB setting. (the transmitter itself is not receiving any modulation directly except for the time signal which is unheard - not via amplitude modulation - because this is transmitted by phase-shifting). 198 is thought to be on its last set of tubes. And if BBC gets the intended cut on their public funding (Boris J's plans) it is unlikely that the station will continue to operate any longer. (e.g. BBC 3Counties Radio is already scheduled to shut down on the medium wave, and others might follow soon if funding is no longer secure).

I’ve heard Radio 4 on 198 on the Iranian border back in the 90s was early in the morning grayline time also can be heard around Central Europe 24/7 Driotwich is a massive landmark

A wonderful Video it unfortunate Australia didn’t keep there long wave station from The early days we have large and mass idealey suited to Australian conditions But now our Shortwave Stations are gone and their is rumours that Am Medium wave band will eventually go also they want to move the crap digital system,Thanks for posting a very interesting video Top Marks.

This was uploaded on my birthday last year :o A few of those are gone now. :( RIP Europe1

I love videos like this, what RU-vid was made for ❤

Just today I catched 198 KHz. BBC Radio 4 LW. Petrich, Bulgaria, from the other side of Europe.

Thanks from Ireland . Fascinating links too. God Bless !

It would be sad to see longwave go.

Howdy! If you get this, could you tell me where I can buy an antenna for long waves? A directionnal ferrite or a loop? I'm in Normandy, as it it I get BBC 4 very strong, 225 Poland sometimes, 252 Algers and not mutch else... Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I've just stumbled upon your channel after finding out about sdr radio. I look forward to seeing what your other videos are like.

It's a shame DRM has never taken off because it would have given LW MW and SW much better quality and reception.

Brilliant. I had an HRO, too, excellent receiver.

Great video. Do you know the other frequencies transmitted from this site and do they use the same frequency reference?

Just tuned in from Holland SDR radio online! It's a very good reception...

Many of the few remaining can be heard in North America in winter. Check out the amateur radio activity on 600 metres and 2200 metres.. cheers.. VE6PG

Fascinating. We never had LW broadcast in Canada.

I love Radio

Long Wave travels farther than Medium Wave and Short Wave, and it's very useful listening to it at night during the early fall to early spring seasons, and when the lightning storms cool down then it's good also to listen during the night during the early spring to early fall months as well. It's the Low Frequency world band just like Short Wave is the High Frequency world band. LW propagates differently just like SW propagates differently. No, Long Wave will never be dead, we need to prove these things by having DX contests by listening to the Long Wave bands during the winter months and verify recepiton reports.

Congratulations! Very good!

I've lived a few miles from Wychbold all my life, in Bromsgrove and briefly in Droitwich. I grew up with tales of cookers relaying radio broadcasts, apparently true, drainpipes too. Good news is that there are attempts to get the towers listed. Bad news is that there are only a few, less than 10, replacement valves and the cost for those is too high for the BBC, especially when its funding has been slashed, and dodging the licence fee has become a national pastime. I've grown up seeing the transmitters from 10 miles away, the aircraft warning lights are obviously designed to be seen from great distances and heights. The thought that they might soon go was saddening, but this week I did some research. Certainly the masts will celebrate their 90th birthday, later this year, and because they carry other signals, like the one governing Economy 7 domestic electrical systems, they will continue operating. Incidentally, the box referred to at the base of the tower isn't connected to the transmission operation, it's the housing for the lift (elevator) that used to operate inside the mast for maintenance

Good onya Dave....just been cooked on watching a bunch of your video's from Flinders Island to this taining LW report....quite excellent...

What's the furthest AM station you've received from the US and/or Canada? I onced received WINS New York, which is a news station, just using a portable radio. It faded in and out for a while. This was around 02:00 GMT. The same... 1010 WINS (news station) and a 1510 station from Boston which no longer broadcasts. There's a couple more but I can't remember what they were. This was around 02:30. What's the longest station received a MW or LW station from Europe in North America.

I picked 198 kHz up one night from the US very faint. Long Wave here is nothing but some airport beacons.

270kHz Topolna radio towers was destroyed few weeks ago :(

Managed to pick it up from near Gothenburg on my car radio

There used to be one or two AM masts just like these just off the A47 between Postwick and Brundall, Norfolk. Not sure if they're still there and if they are, what their future is. LW, MW and SW stations are all hard to tune into in East Anglia.

As long as practical neutrino-based communication continues to be nonexistent, longwave will continue to exist (for submarine and underground fallback communication).

Thanks ... at Corfu Greece ... with a small analog radio named eltra asia, almost every night can hear ...153 antenna satelor ... 171 medi 1, 198 bbc, 225 poland, 234 rtl, 252 algeria, 270 radio zurnal Chech (it close 11 pm UK time)

I'm sure many years ago BBC radio 4 on long wave was on 200m

Long live long wave!

I remember seeing LW radios on small boats to pickup the shipping forecast. It must have good range I guess. I don't know if fishing boats would still have them.

Strangely I've started listening to LW more in the last year. Use a 1950's Bush DAC90A, or a Sailor hf ships radio.

It's about time you corrected the sub-titles on these videos.

Imagine the groundwave coverage of a station way down at the low end of the LW band!

Can't they broadcast DRM on longwave? They've been banging on about this DRM digital radio for years but no one seems to have invested enough in the technology. And I've never seen a DRM receiver for sale anywhere despite looking on websites all over the world.

Is there a way to get software defined radio four the iPhone and other IOS devices with out the need of a computer?

Just heard RTL 234KHz close down @ midnite GMT, 1/1/2023. Another one gon.

hope you are now familar with obs and screen capture where you can as well input line audio from an usb audio interface to your recording.

That's too cool... I'm wasting time from work, but it's great!

Samtimes can hear 5-6 stations on longwave AM... normal can hear 1-3 stations...

When you received a long wave Russian station in Australia back then is that a daytime reception? In your photograph at 4:35, the window shows it's daytime.

At times at night I hear very weak signals on 198 and 252 khz here in NOrth America

Sir Is the longwave in UK still alive??? Here in germany at Dec.31st 2015 all SW/MW transmitters were switched off. :-( I´am 36 years old, since my childhood fasconated from this. Greetins from germany

Thanks for this great video.

Those towers should stay forever, eternity.

Most taining, thanks Dave. Hunting out UK radio history, that's my kind of tourism!

Great video and I particularly love the visit to the BBC 198 KHz tx site.Ive never been there but I'm planning a visit to see an old friend who lives up that way so I will stop off and take some pictures.I bet my car radio will overload if I tune into 198 KHz when I arrive at the site.😂73 G7HFS/PA3IKH

Thanks for the Video. Vy 73 DC4BR Michael

Interesting thanks.

8:55 last year of ČRo Radiožurnál transmitting

Hi & thanks; What should be done so that medium waves do not interfere with long waves?

Sadly LW 270 (Topolná, 50 KW, Czech republic) shutdown at the end of 2021

6:16 what is the program that you use there?

RTL at 234 kHz seem to be closing fron 1 January 2023. 😞

I am thinking of getting sdr

Very interesting, thanks.

Used to listen to the singer 2002 to 2011 time BBC 4 LW RTE AND TWO FRANCE ONES

They should just open it up for the public to use.

The short wave bands and lower band are a shadow of their former selves. Gone is your bloody kookaburra from R Australia, its all gone digital☹️

I've never been able to pick up a long wave station

what is the web adress that you listen to stations worldwide, on the video?

Sonora, s station radio am broadcast in Jakarta 1990

270khz thats a czech radio radiozurnal TX site: Topolná near Zlín ONLY 50kW!!!! But bad bad audio processing!

I once heard Rolf Harris on the BBC Light Programme

261 khz is free all over the Europe!

only lw I hear in the USA is NAVCOM

2:08 i like this kind of towers