50 Years of MW DX-ing. 1 - The Beginning

This October marks my golden jubilee of DX-ing on the Medium Wave band. But the journey began even earlier. This fall, I'm penning a series on my evolution as a DX-er to the present day. It's packed with tales of camaraderie, elusive stations, the evolution of radios and antennas, the highs and lows of activity, cherished QSLs, and much more. Yet, the story starts not in October, but a few years prior. In September, actually.

At the tender age of 14 in 1972, I stumbled upon the world beyond FM radio while scrubbing pots and pans on a Sunday after dinner. The only broadcaster in Norway, NRK, was airing a youth program that piqued my curiosity with tales of global stations. Our family's Radionette Menuett radio was a treasure trove of unexplored frequencies. With a little nudge from my dad, who rigged up a makeshift antenna, I embarked on an auditory adventure. It wasn't long before the exotic sounds of Radio Baghdad in English filled the air. Astonishing! The thrill of this discovery was all it took to hook me into the world of shortwave radio. I was sold.

The Radionette Menuett. It brought me the world (photo: snellingsmuseum.co.uk)

Just when I thought things couldn't get any stranger, I caught a broadcast from Radio Australia. Australia, of all places! It was as if the airwaves were playing a global game of tag. Soon after, my parents reclaimed their auditory pastime, bestowing upon me an old Radionette Kurér, the Rolls-Royce of portable radios back in its day. Armed with that and an outdoor longwire antenna, I was ready to tune into the world's secrets from my backyard.

The Kurér, the iconic RED Kurér, stands as the matriarch of portable radios in Norway. This name, steeped in history, will make a comeback as we delve into the tales of the 2000s. (photo: nrk.no)

I soon became a member of Norway's exclusive club for DXers, the DX-Listener's Club, and received the cool "call sign" LA-DX-719, or just -719 for brevity. It turned out many youngsters had tuned into the same radio show and joined the club too! We were lucky to meet seasoned DX-ers who warmly welcomed us and steered us clear of beginner's blunders, showing us the ropes of becoming adept DX-ers.

Back in the day, the Shortwave bands were bustling with international broadcasters, a scene quite different from today. Eastern Europe was a hotbed of activity with stations like Radio Moscow and Radio Station Peace and Progress (quite a name, right?), along with Radio Berlin International, Prague, Sofia, Bucharest, and Radio Tashkent adding an oriental twist. They were all on a mission to showcase the 'spectacular' technological strides of the 'socialist democracies' to the impressionable western youth.

On the flip side, there was Voice of America, BBC World Service, Deutsche Welle, Radio France International, Radio Sweden, Radio Japan, and a host of others, broadcasting their own narratives.

And let's not forget the shortwave stations catering to local listeners, particularly in South America, Asia and Africa.

Oh, and the jamming stations of the eastern bloc! They were like the party crashers, trying to silence the voices of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty at every turn.

I got my first taste of the MW band with the Kurér. Two stations stand out: One that almost every youngster in Europe listened to at the time - 208 Radio Luxembourg on 1439 kHz, "Broadcasting from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg". How many mornings did I not walk to school in trance, caused by only a few hour's sleep. Deutschlandfunk (DLF) often graced the airwaves, transmitting from Cologne on 1267 kHz. They even featured a special DX program in Norwegian, crafted by DX-Listeners' Club members.

As time passed, the airwaves didn't offer much novelty. And after all, who's eager to listen to the tech triumphs of socialist democracies? I wanted to hear new stations. My enthusiasm began to diminish. But then, the summer of '74 rolled in. It was hot. And it brought change.

To be continued.