2025 38th NASWA SWL Fest — Program and Forums Schedule
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The BOB BROWN MEMORIAL(Virtual) HOSPITALITY SUITE will open online at 2000 EDT on Thursday, April 24, sponsored and anchored by the Canadian International DX Club (CIDX) and remain open throughout the weekend as participatory demand dictates.
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Final Forum Schedule as of April 18, 2025 (Times listed are North American EDT)
All sessions except the “Shindig” nominally one-hour except where noted, but may run longer or shorter at the option of the presenter.
FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 (All times North American Eastern Daylight)
0900 – THE OTHER DIGITAL MODES — Tom Swisher — Yes, there’s P25, but what about the other two common digital modes, DMR and NXDN? Let’s talk about them…
Tom has been a ham radio operator and scannist for over 45 years, and spent his working career in public safety communications and emergency management. He’s now retired and is able to play radio whenever he wants.
[1300 UTC /0600 PDT/1500 CET /2300 AET)]
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SPECIAL SIMULTANEOUS IN-PERSON EVENT (LIMITED SPACE, INVOLVES TRAVEL FROM HOTEL)
0930 – TOUR OF SHORTWAVE STATION & TRANSMITTER WINB — Mark Phillips – Mark has arranged for a facility tour of this shortwave broadcaster based in Red Lion, PA. Group will car pool to station from Fort Washington, with an 0700 expected departure. You’ll be back in Fort Washington approximately 12 noon. Space will be limited to accommodate the facility.
NOTE: NOT available via ZOOM, NOT a Forum Session.
[1330 UTC]
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1030 – WHEN THE INTERNET FAILS: HOW RADIO BECAME OUR LIFELINE AFTER HURRICANE HELENE – Thomas Witherspoon — When Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina, it left communities without power, internet, or cellular/mobile service. This session shares firsthand how local AM/FM radio and amateur radio became essential tools for communication and recovery. From relaying emergency updates via a local broadcaster to using ham radio for resource coordination, Thomas provides practical lessons on radio’s enduring role in disaster preparedness.
Thomas Witherspoon (K4SWL) has been a shortwave listener since age eight and is the founder of SWLing Post, a blog dedicated to shortwave and international broadcasting. He also runs QRPer.com and a popular field radio YouTube channel. An avid advocate for low-power amateur radio, he was inducted into the QRP Hall of Fame in 2023. After personally experiencing Hurricane Helene, Thomas saw firsthand how both amateur and broadcast radio play a crucial role in disaster recovery.
[1430 UTC /0730 PDT/1630 CEST /0030 (Sat) AET)]
1130 – Break [1530 UTC /0830 PDT/1730 CEST /0130 (Sat) AET)]
1330 – MEDIUM WAVE DXing — Carl Dabelstein
An overview of Medium Wave DXing from someone who has done it for more than 60 years. Given what has happened to SW, TV, FM and LW DXing over the years, the Medium Wave may now be where the best DXing opportunities lie. Carl will talk about what BCB DXing is, the parameters of the band, the propagation affecting the band, typical receivers and antennas, evolution of the band to the present, and current day challenges and resources available to DXers.
Carl’s CV:
Licensed ham since 1958
BCB DXer since 1959
DXed from Nebraska 1959-1976 – 1,750 stations, 50 states, and 40 countries verified on the BCB
Built BCB logs > 1,000 stations each from KC, Tucson, and Minneapolis
Member of National Radio Club, Canadian International DX Club, and Minnesota DX Club
Co-hosted 6 National Radio Club Conventions
Arranged > 100 DX Tests from AM stations
[1730 UTC /1030 PDT/1930 CEST /0330 (Sat) AET)]
1500 – INTRODUCTION TO SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIOS (SDRs) – Ralph Brandi
Feeling envious of your friends who can DX an entire band rather than just one frequency at a time? SDR-curious but don’t know where to start? Our expert has some advice for those considering dipping their toes into the SDR pond. C’mon in, the water’s fine!
Ralph Brandi has been melding computers with radios for 30 years, starting with controlling his Drake R-8 from his Apple Macintosh. He has been using SDRs for something like 15 years, and he has a lot of opinions about them.
[1900 UTC /1200 PDT/2100 CEST /0500 (Sat) AET)]
1630 – THE CHAOS IN US INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING – Events affecting the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Marti and the United States Agency for Government Media (USAGM) and its outlets in general are — to say the least — “fluid”. Plans are to have an intelligent, calm but freewheeling discussion of this topic.
[2030 UTC /1330 PDT/2230 CEST /0630 (Sat) AET)]
1730 – Break [2130 UTC /1430 PDT/2330 CEST /0730 (Sat) AET)]
1930 – IN MEMORIAM — Sheldon Harvey — A respectful consideration and recognition of those in the radio and DXing community who have left us over the preceding year.
[2330 UTC /1630 PDT/0130 (Sat) CEST/0930 (Sat) AET)]
2000 – THE FEST’S ANNUAL SHORTWAVE SHINDIG — David Goren, Producer and Presenter
Come join our informal late night hang as David Goren and friends celebrate the short wavelengths with stories, interviews, songs, and vintage sounds.
David is a radio producer, a sonic mixologist, field recordist, sound collector, pirate radio maven, swl/dx’er, and is always listening to the radio.
[0000 (Sat) UTC /1700 PDT/0200 (Sat) CEST /1000 (Sat) AET)]
SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2025
0900 – THE DX HOBBY (MW/SW/FM) AS “VIEWED” FROM EUROPE – Risto Vähäkainu –
The session will focus on the current status of the DXing hobby in Finland and Europe. In addition, a small tribute to the Fest history of the Finnish attendees (which has been considerable) will be included. Finally, Risto will talk about some of the international DX and SW hobby meetings all over the world.
Risto Vähäkainu started in the hobby in 1968. He is still a board member of the Finnish DX Association and also has an active role in the European DX Council.
[1300 UTC/0600 PDT/1500 CET/2300 AET)]
1030 – UTILITY LISTENING FOR BEGINNERS — Gilles Letourneau
The shortwave spectrum is full of interesting signals that can be monitored from Aeronautical to Maritime and Spy number stations. If you want to learn how to tap in on these signals, called “utilities” from all over the world, and find online resources to know what you are listening to, this session is for you!
[1430 UTC/0700 PDT /1600 CET/0030 (Sun) AET)]
1130 – Break [1530 UTC/0830 PDT/1730 CET/0130 (Sun.) AET)]
1330 – “PIRATE” AND UNLICENSED SHORTWAVE BROADCASTING REPORT – Larry Will
The fest’s annual examination of the state of unlicensed radio in North America, primarily on shortwave. This scene is very active and has a dedicated fan base. We may also profile some classic free radio broadcasters from days gone by and play some notable recordings of free radio transmissions. We welcome participation from all fest participants!
Larry Will is a software engineer from Mount Airy, Maryland. In his spare time, he listens to the radio, and does a weekly music show with his wife Jane on WBCQ shortwave and WKHS. He’s been active in the shortwave free radio scene since 2003, and is one of the editors of the Free Radio Weekly electronic newsletter.
[1730 UTC/1030 PDT/1930 CET/ 0330 (Sun.) AET)]
1500 – THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF KiwiSDR’s – Eric Johnson
Web-based SDRs (software defined radios) allow you to do a DXpedition from your home. Focusing on the KiwiSDR, Eric will introduce people to the SDR, its operation, and some of its capabilities, since these are the same whether you are using your own Kiwi, or using one somewhere the web. He will introduce you to how to access the worldwide network of KiwiSDRs.
Returning to the hobby after a few decades, Eric says SDRs presented him with the ability to do things that he had only imagined, and give him an excuse to combine his computer knowledge with listening skills and experiences from the past.
[1900 UTC/1200 PDT/2100 CET/ 0500 (Sun.) AET)]
1630 – THE DUMMIES’ GUIDE TO TUNING THE WORLD (2025 EDITION) — – Live from Bali via Zoom, it’s Mark Fahey!
Shortwave radio reached its peak popularity during the Cold War, roughly between the 1960s and 1990s, when it was the primary way for people to access international news and broadcasts due to its ability to transmit across long distances.
This era of international broadcasting is fondly remembered by radio hobbyists. However, the broadcasters of that time were just that – broadcasters, not radio zealots. They simply used the best available technology at the time to deliver programming to listeners who had invested in a universal listening device: the shortwave radio.
If, like me, you are a broadcasting enthusiast rather than an RF hobbyist, there has never been a better time than today. Present-day broadcast enthusiasts access radio and television from virtually every country on a low-cost universal device. We also maintain an open-source directory, updated daily, to help us receive these signals.
I’m not talking about surfing the web and visiting broadcasters’ websites, downloading podcasts, setting up a satellite dish, buying expensive equipment, or even using VPNs.
Today’s broadcasting signal enthusiasts far outnumber the declining SWL and DXing community. With that in mind, let me introduce “The Dummies’ Guide to Tuning the World” (2025 Edition).
Mark Fahey’s career in biomedical engineering has allowed him to pursue his passion for travel, adventure, and finding himself in the wrong places at the wrong times. He specialized in the automated collection of clinical vital signs, working with NASA human spaceflight and developing telemetry systems for real-time data analysis by expert software systems.
Mark’s dedication to this field led him to spend many years on U.S. government projects in remote regions of the developing world, particularly in conflict zones across South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
A global communications enthusiast, Mark is fascinated by how mass media shapes societal beliefs, norms, and desires. He has an equal passion for newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, and their role in people’s daily lives.
[2030 UTC/1330 PDT/2230 CET/ 0630 (Sun.) AET)]
1730 – Break [2130 UTC /1430 PDT/2330 CEST /0730 (Sat) AET)]
1930 – THE IMPORTANCE OF RADIO, INCLUDING SHORTWAVE, IN AFRICA – David Smith
David will discuss his experiences in creating, consulting, managing and working in radio stations, including shortwave stations, in various parts of Africa. He will provide examples of the important role that radio plays in remote and isolated regions of the continent and many war-torn areas where radio is the only reliable means of reach the people; places such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Chad and Somalia. He will also discuss his most recent undertaking, his pioneering radio station, Radio Ndarason International, a station that is attempting to build peace in the Lake Chad Region.Time permitting he will also reminisce about his previous work with Radio Canada International and Radio Nederlands. David is currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
David Smith is executive and founding director of Okapi consulting and Okapi Net, working in the domain of communications in conflict zones and fragile states. David is of the firm belief that getting parties to any conflict to talk to each other is a vital step towards securing stability, without which lasting peace is unlikely.
Current projects include the four-country regional radio network in the Lake Chad Basin, targeting areas affected by Boko Haram. Radio Ndarason Internationale, broadcasting in Kanuri, Kanembu, and Buduma, has studios in N’Djamena, Maiduguri, Diffa and Maroua.
David is the founder of Radio Okapi in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and as Radio MINURCA, the precursor to Radio Ndeke Luka in the Central African Republic, as well as Bar Kulan in Somalia, an operation linked to the African Union mission.
Prior to peacekeeping radio, David was a current affairs producer at the international radio services of the Netherlands and Canada. His entry into media was in South Africa, where he worked as a journalist at Capital Radio and later as Head of Programmes and Station Manager, during the transition from apartheid to democracy.