Skywaves DX Forum

The Skywaves DX Forum closed on 14 October 2026. The board is no longer available, and it is no longer possible to register, read or post.

Thank you

To every member, moderator, contributor and lurker who has been part of Skywaves over the last 31 years: THANK YOU!

THANK YOU to everyone who posted an Es alert at the first sign of a lift, a tropo log from a hilltop, a rare MW catch at 3 a.m., a receiver review, an antenna idea, or simply a friendly answer to a newcomer's first question. You made this a place worth coming back to, from every corner of the world.

THANK YOU to the volunteers who kept the lights on, through changing technology, domain headaches and more than one hacking attempt, so that the rest of us could keep sharing.

The forum has closed. The hobby, and the friendships, have not.

Skywaves by the numbers

31years on the air, 1995 to 2026

18founding members in the very first month

100+members within just a few months

7,800+topics started (topic numbers passed 7,800 by Oct 2020)

~28,000views on a single MW & LW "QSL!" thread

6+bands and services covered, from LW to Band II FM

50,252total posts

11,012topics

490registered members

A little history

1995 — "Skywaves" begins as the monthly bulletin of the British FM & TV Circle, a hobby radio club started at the end of the year. The first month: 18 members.

Late 1990s — Editors send their columns in on floppy disc. Cutting-edge stuff at the time. Membership passes 100 within months.

2000s — The printed bulletin gives way to online logbooks and Yahoo groups, and the club drops its British-only name in favour of simply "Skywaves", with its members being welcomed from around the globe.

Today — An active forum covering Band II FM, TV DX, OIRT, low VHF utilities, DAB, long, medium and short wave, NDBs, pirate radio and ham radio.

14 Oct 2026 — After 31 years, the forum closes its doors.

Radios through the years

From glowing valves to digital displays, the receivers have changed enormously, but the thrill of tuning in something distant never has.

Valve radio1930s mains set

Transistor portable1960s pocket-money DXing

Communications receiverThe DXer's workhorse

Digital radioToday's DAB+ set

What we listened for

Band II FMTV DXOIRTLow VHF utilitiesDABLong waveMedium waveShort waveNDBsPirate radioHam radioSporadic ETropo

Over three decades the forum followed the hobby through enormous change: the end of printed bulletins, the rise of online loggings and DX alerts, the closure of long-established MW and LW transmitters, and the arrival of digital broadcasting. Along the way it recorded openings, rarities and station histories that are now part of the story of listening in Europe and beyond.

Where we are now

Times change. Our live chat on Discord has grown over the last few years. There are always many active DXers sharing DX news and loggings there. It really has come into its own as the new home for SkywavesDX, so we are still around, still strong and still sharing our wonderful hobby.

Keep in touch

Please keep tuning, keep logging and keep sharing. The bands will keep doing what they do, and there will always be someone, somewhere, waiting for the next DX opening. Find us on Discord at: (Link to follow soon)

73, and good DX to you all.
from the SkywavesDX team