Songtan, Korea Chinese FM Radio Log

Total Running Time: 3:12:56   |   April 2018   |   by Chris Kadlec

This log outlines the Chinese tropospheric propagation and Asian E-skip signals on the FM band as heard in Korea. For domestic Korean FM radio from this site, see here. For an FM audio bandscan from this site, see here. For content related to the AM band as heard in Korea, see here.

About This Project

Hello. I’m Chris Kadlec, a US-born radio hobbyist, photographer, and urban explorer and this is my radio log. Arriving in Korea in 2009, I never imagined I’d pass many hundreds of hours of my free time in Korea by standing beside a tree on a wooded hill listening to Chinese radio. In fact, hearing China was unthinkable my first year in Korea, where I lived in inland Icheon, about 30 miles (48 km.) southeast of Seoul. Japan was blocked by high mountains and I was too far from the water for China. I could barely understand Korean at that point, nor was I yet totally familiar with my own local stations because of that language barrier.

However, the spring of 2011 brought a move to Songtan, a former city now part of Pyeongtaek, 30 miles south of Seoul, and I coincidentally lived right beside the perfect little hill, part of a city neighbourhood park that for some time even had lights on after dark. The park’s elevated position just 17 miles (27 km.) from the sea gave line-of-sight to stations from Liaoning to Zhejiang, a total of more than 800 miles (1300 km.) of coastline as well as high inland mountains.

Listening to the radio at this site proved some of my most memorable experiences while living in Korea. Not only did I learn about China’s geography through radio, but also about its music, culture, and people. This log captures that brief window known as Korea’s tropo season from April 15th to June 15th every year, which nearly without fail peaks on Korea’s June 6th Memorial Day holiday with a big opening every year. Paired with the 25+ hours of more than 850 recordings that accompany this log, one can easily explore eastern China’s radio scene from home.

For an introduction with additional information, see page 96 of the radio log.

Station Log Downloads

Download the 123-page station guide (.pdf, available for preview below)
Download the Google Earth tower guide and map (.kmz, paired with full AM log data)

The Best of China Compilations

Listen: There’s a great deal of interesting content on the radio in Asia, whether you understand it or not. Below is the best of this content as recorded over the years from my FM home site in Songtan, Korea. Be sure to download the station guide for each compilation to better understand what you’re hearing.

Recommended: Listen to the Best of China 2013 compilation for the widest variety of content or the Best of E-Skip compilation for a sample of signals (and languages) from across all of eastern Asia from Siberia down to Thailand.

2011-12: When I first encountered Chinese radio, I had no idea what I was hearing, aside from – of course – the fact it was Chinese. Stations were on in-between frequencies like 92.0 and even many of those could only be heard on frequencies such as 90.55, forcing me to question which frequency I was actually hearing. I had just moved into my apartment days before. The very first time I heard radio from China was one of the biggest openings – even still to this day – that I ever experienced at my radio site, lasting for days on end.

This experience started much like my experience in Korea did: no language understanding, little to no knowledge, complete confusion, and total ignorance. These stations would all be identified later and would prove to be regulars I would become very familiar with. But at the time, they weren’t. A lot of the stations heard in this first compilation would never again exceed the incredible reception of that very first week, a memory that is among my best in the radio hobby.

2013: While coastal radio across the Yellow Sea generally occurs only from April through mid-June before the monsoon front arrives for the summer, a rare mid-August opening brought dozens of stations, some in excess of 600 miles from Shanghai and Zhejiang, in a blockbuster opening of solid reception that lasted throughout the day and night. As it was the first and only time Shanghai would be heard here, I decided to stay standing out in the woods in total darkness listening until dawn. That dedication earned me 160 mosquito bites, yet some of the most memorable and impressive reception I’d ever hear.

2014-15: This was a time period of lesser activity and some of that was because I was living a one-hour train ride to the north in Seoul. While that rarely stopped me the year before, I was waking up at 5 in the morning, rushing to the first express train at 6:30 and would arrive at my radio site at promptly 7:30 on days when the maps looked favourable. I had a few hours each morning – until 12:30 at the very latest – to listen before having to head back into the city for work. While Chinese reception was still quite regular, it didn’t always impress. After a while, it all becomes commonplace and weak reception can quickly become a dull experience.

2011-16 E-Skip: E-Skip didn’t really pick up until the later years, my first big opening taking place during a standard bandscan for which I traveled up to Chuncheon for in 2014. The dial was crushed with intensely strong Taiwan signals, then soon again during another bandscan, this one on the east coast, with reception to the same area. Russia was quite common, as well as Taiwan, Inner Mongolia, and mountainous and rural central China. Malaysia and Thailand were received via double-hop, thus ranking as my all-time distance records.

Songtan, Korea: Complete FM Station Log 2011-16

Log User’s Guide: The following log is colour-coded for easier comprehension. For stations, three colours are utilized for those received via tropospheric propagation indicating how common they are, while another two colours are used for E-skip stations, dark red for regular E-skip and dark blue for double-hop E-skip. In addition (applies only to the full station guide), in the daily text logs, reception time is shown in red, IDs are shown in green, while songs are shown in light blue. ” * ” indicates the station was received on seek.

100.0  Station is most common and is easily received with little effort
100.0  Station is less common but not especially rare and can be strong
100.0  Station is not common due to either adjacent locals or distance

Tropospheric Propagation Log  |  Stations Received: 100 Total
Location: 37°03’30.54″N 127°03’51.80″E (188 feet / 57 meters)

83.75 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / Shandong Satellite TV 山东卫视 (380 mi. / 612 km.)
83.75 ZJ Hangzhou 浙江 杭州 / Zhejiang Satellite TV 浙江卫视 (617 mi. / 993 km.)
87.5 JS Huai’an 江苏 淮安 / CNR-2 Business Radio 中央人民广播电台经济之声 (512 mi. / 824 km.)
87.6 LN Dalian 辽宁 大连 / Liaoning Economic R. 辽宁广播电视台经济广播 (323 mi. / 520 km.)
87.7 SD Wendeng 山东 文登 / Wendeng Music Story Ch. 文登音乐故事频道 (276 mi. / 444 km.)
*87.9 SH Shanghai 上海 上海 / HitFM 劲曲调频 (514 mi. / 827 km.)
*88.1 SD Rizhao 山东 日照 / Rizhao Traffic Life R. 日照交通生活广播 (442 mi. / 711 km.)
*88.2 JS Yancheng 江苏 盐城 / Yancheng Classical FM 盐城广播电视台经典调频 (467 mi. / 752 km.)
*89.4 SD Rizhao 山东 日照 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (442 mi. / 711 km.)
89.9 SH Shanghai 上海 上海 / Shanghai East City R. 东方都市广播 (512 mi. / 824 km.)
*90.2 JS Lianyungang 江苏 连云港 / Lianyungang New Rural R. 连云港人民广播电台新农村广播 (478 mi. / 769 km.)
90.3 SD Yishan 山东 沂山 / Shandong Comprehensive R. 山东广播电视台综合广播 (473 mi. / 761 km.)
90.4 ZJ Ningbo 浙江 宁波 / Ningbo Everyone R. 宁波人民广播电台老年与少儿广播 (608 mi. / 978 km.)
90.6 LN Dalian 辽宁 大连 / Liaoning Information R. 辽宁广播电视台资讯广播 (323 mi. / 520 km.)
90.7 SD Weihai 山东 威海 / Weihai Music Fashion Channel 威海音乐时尚频道 (275 mi. / 443 km.)
*91.5 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / Qingdao Simul R. 青岛人民广播电台音乐体育广播 (380 mi. / 612 km.)
92.0 SD Changle 山东 昌乐 / Changle Voice of the City 昌乐广播电台都市之声 (455 mi. / 732 km.)
92.6 SD Huangdao 山东 黄岛 / Qingdao City Life R. 青岛西海岸城市生活广播 (390 mi. / 628 km.)
*92.7 JS Lianyungang 江苏 连云港 / Lianyungang Traffic R. 连云港交通电台 (478 mi. / 769 km.)
92.8 SD Yantai 山东 烟台 / Yantai Economic Radio 烟台经济广播 (313 mi. / 504 km.)
92.8 SD Mengshan 山东 蒙山 / Shandong Arts iRadio 山东广播电视台文艺广播 (524 mi. / 844 km.)
*92.9 SD Changle 山东 昌乐 / Shandong CityFM 城市之音 山东广播音乐频道 (455 mi. / 732 km.)
93.4 SD Kunyushan 山东 昆嵛山 / Shandong Comprehensive R. 山东广播电视台综合广播 (292 mi. / 470 km.)
93.4 SH Shanghai 上海 上海 / Shanghai People’s Radio 上海人民广播电台 (512 mi. / 824 km.)
*93.6 JS Lianyungang 江苏 连云港 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (478 mi. / 769 km.)
93.7 JS Nanjing 江蘇 南京 / Jiangsu News Radio 江苏新闻广播 (586 mi. / 943 km.)
94.8 SD Haiyang 山东 海阳 / Yantai Music Radio 烟台音乐广播 (327 mi. / 526 km.)
94.9 BU Busan 부산 부산 / HLDN-FM / TBN Gyotong Busan 부산교통방송 (173 mi. / 278 km.)
94.9 SD Dongying 山東 東營 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (463 mi. / 745 km.)
95.0 SD Rizhao 山东 日照 / Rizhao News Comprehensive R. 日照新闻综合广播 (442 mi. / 711 km.)
95.2 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / Qingdao Story Radio 青岛电台故事广播 (380 mi. / 612 km.)
95.3 SD Zhaoyuan 山东 招远 / Yantai Traffic Radio 烟台交通广播 (363 mi. / 584 km.)
95.3 JS Wuxi 江苏 无锡 / Jiangsu Traffic Radio 江苏交通广播 (542 mi. / 872 km.)
95.6 SD Huangdao 山东 黄岛 / West Coast Wealth Music R. 青岛西海岸财富音乐广播 (406 mi. / 653 km.)
95.6 LN Dalian 辽宁 大连 / Dalian New Town Radio 大连新城乡广播 (340 mi. / 547 km.)
96.0 JS Lianyungang 江苏 连云港 / Jiangsu News Radio 江苏新闻广播 (478 mi. / 769 km.)
*96.1 SD Weihai 山东 威海 / Weihai Story Radio 威海广播故事广播 (275 mi. / 443 km.)
96.4 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / Qingdao Private Car Radio 青岛私家车广播 (380 mi. / 612 km.)
96.7 SD Yishan 山东 沂山 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (473 mi. / 761 km.)
96.9 SD Yantai 山东 烟台 / Shandong Rural R. 山东广播电视台乡村广播 (314 mi. / 505 km.)
96.9 JS Sheyang 江苏 射阳 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (449 mi. / 723 km.)
*97.1 SD Changle 山东 昌乐 / Shandong Comprehensive R. 山东广播电视台综合广播 (455 mi. / 732 km.)
97.1 SD Qixia 山东 栖霞 / Qixia People’s Radio 栖霞人民广播电台 (339 mi. / 546 km.)
97.2 JS Lianyungang 江苏 连云港 / CNR-2 Business Radio 中央人民广播电台经济之声 (478 mi. / 769 km.)
97.5 SD Yantai 山东 烟台 / Shandong Life Info R. 山东广播电视台生活信息广播 (314 mi. / 505 km.)
97.7 SH Shanghai 上海 上海 / First Financial R. 东广第一财经广播 (512 mi. / 824 km.)
97.9 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / Shandong Economic R. 山东广播电视台经济广播 (363 mi. / 584 km.)
97.9 SD Dazeshan 山东 大泽山 / Shandong Economic R. 山东广播电视台经济广播 (390 mi. / 628 km.)
98.2 SD Taishan 山东 泰山 / Shandong Economic R. 山东广播电视台经济广播 (556 mi. / 895 km.)
*98.3 JS Rugao 江苏 如皋 / Rugao Car Radio 如皋汽车广播 (491 mi. / 790 km.)
*98.6 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / Shandong Comprehensive R. 山东广播电视台综合广播 (380 mi. / 612 km.)
98.6 SD Zhaoyuan 山东 招远 / Yantai News Comprehensive Radio 烟台新闻综合广播 (363 mi. / 584 km.)
98.8 SD Kunyushan 山东 昆嵛山 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (292 mi. / 470 km.)
98.9 SD Rizhao 山东 日照 / Shandong Life Info R. 山东广播电视台生活信息广播 (442 mi. / 711 km.)
99.0 SH Shanghai 上海 上海 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (512 mi. / 824 km.)
99.5 SD Huangdao 山东 黄岛 / Qingdao Economic Happy 603 青岛经济广播 快乐603 (406 mi. / 653 km.)
*99.6 SD Changle 山东 昌乐 / Shandong Economic R. 山东广播电视台经济广播 (455 mi. / 732 km.)
99.6 JS Yancheng 江蘇 盐城 / Yancheng News Radio 盐城广播新闻台 (467 mi. / 752 km.)
*100.1 SD Kunyushan 山东 昆嵛山 / Shandong Economic R. 山东广播电视台经济广播 (292 mi. / 470 km.)
*100.1 SH Shanghai 上海 上海 / CRI EZFM 轻松调频 (514 mi. / 827 km.)
100.7 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / Qingdao Economic Happy 603 青岛经济广播 快乐603 (380 mi. / 612 km.)
100.7 SD Laixi 山东 莱西 / Laixi People’s R. 莱西人民广播电台 (363 mi. / 584 km.)
100.8 LN Dalian 辽宁 大连 / Dalian Traffic Radio 大连交通广播 (323 mi. / 520 km.)
*101.1 JS Lianyungang 江苏 连云港 / Jiangsu Traffic Radio 江苏交通广播 (478 mi. / 769 km.)
*101.3 SD Yishan 山东 沂山 / Shandong Arts iRadio 山东广播电视台文艺广播 (473 mi. / 761 km.)
101.4 SD Haiyang 山东 海阳 / Yantai News Comprehensive R. 烟台新闻综合广播 (327 mi. / 526 km.)
*101.7 SD Jimo 山东 即墨 / Jimo News Traffic Radio 即墨新闻交通广播 (371 mi. / 597 km.)
101.7 SH Shanghai 上海 上海 / Dynamic 101 上海动感101 (512 mi. / 824 km.)
*102.1 JS Lianyungang 江苏 连云港 / Lianyungang Comprehensive R. 连云港综合广播 (478 mi. / 769 km.)
102.4 SD Yantai 山东 烟台 / Yantai Traffic Art Radio 烟台交通文艺广播 (313 mi. / 504 km.)
102.5 SH Shanghai 上海 崇明岛 / CRI News Radio 环球资讯广播 (489 mi. / 787 km.)
*102.9 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / Qingdao Economic Radio 青岛经济广播 (380 mi. / 612 km.)
103.0 SD Yantai 山东 烟台 / Yantai Traffic Radio 烟台交通广播 (314 mi. / 505 km.)
103.0 SD Changle 山东 昌乐 / Shandong Rural R. 山东广播电视台乡村广播 (455 mi. / 732 km.)
*103.3 LN Dalian 辽宁 大连 / Dalian News Radio 大连电台新闻广播 (323 mi. / 520 km.)
103.3 JS Xuzhou 江苏 徐州 / Xuzhou Traffic Radio 徐州交通广播 (589 mi. / 948 km.)
*103.8 SD Kunyushan 山东 昆嵛山 / Shandong Arts iRadio 山东广播电视台文艺广播 (292 mi. / 470 km.)
104.0 SD Rizhao 山东 日照 / Rizhao Art Sports R. 日照文艺体育广播 (442 mi. / 711 km.)
*104.1 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / CNR-2 Business Radio 中央人民广播电台经济之声 [RDS] (380 mi. / 612 km.)
104.1 SD Haiyang 山东 海阳 / Yantai Economic Radio 烟台经济广播 (327 mi. / 526 km.)
104.3 JS Nanjing 江蘇 南京 / Nanjing Sports Radio 南京体育广播 (591 mi. / 951 km.)
*104.4 SD Dazeshan 山东 大泽山 / Shandong Comprehensive R. 山东广播电视台综合广播 (390 mi. / 628 km.)
104.7 SD Yishan 山东 沂山 / Shandong Life Info R. 山东广播电视台生活信息广播 (473 mi. / 761 km.)
*104.8 JS Lianyungang 江苏 连云港 / Lianyungang Story R. 山东生活信息广播 (478 mi. / 769 km.)
*105.1 SD Kunyushan 山东 昆嵛山 / Weihai News Comprehensive R. 威海广播新闻综合广播 (292 mi. / 470 km.)
105.1 SD Huangdao 山东 黄岛 / Shandong Life Info R. 山东广播电视台生活信息广播 (390 mi. / 628 km.)
105.2 PY Pyongyang 평양 모란봉 / Pyongyang FM 평양FM방송 (155 mi. / 249 km.)
*105.5 SD Rizhao 山东 日照 / Shandong Arts iRadio 山东广播电视台文艺广播 (442 mi. / 711 km.)
*105.7 SH Shanghai 上海 上海 / Shanghai Traffic Radio 上海交通广播 (512 mi. / 824 km.)
105.9 SD Yantai 山东 烟台 / Yantai Economic Radio 烟台经济广播 (314 mi. / 505 km.)
*105.9 JS Lianyungang 江苏 连云港 / Jiangsu Health R. 江苏健康广播 (478 mi. / 769 km.)
*106.6 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / Shandong CityFM 城市之音 山东广播音乐频道 (363 mi. / 584 km.)
*106.6 SD Dazeshan 山东 大泽山 / Shandong CityFM 城市之音 山东广播音乐频道 (390 mi. / 628 km.)
106.7 LN Dalian 辽宁 大连 / Dalian Children’s Radio 大连少儿广播 (323 mi. / 520 km.)
106.7 SD Zibo 山东 淄博 / Zibo Private Car Radio 淄博私家车广播 (503 mi. / 810 km.)
106.8 SD Jiaozhou 山东 胶州 / Jiaozhou Private Car Radio 胶州汽车广播 (398 mi. / 641 km.)
106.8 SD Wendeng 山东 文登 / Wendeng People’s Radio 文登人民广播电台 (276 mi. / 444 km.)
*107.3 SD Weihai 山东 威海 / Weihai News Comprehensive R. 威海广播新闻综合广播 (275 mi. / 443 km.)
107.5 SD Rongcheng 山东 榮成 / Rongcheng People’s R. 荣成人民广播电台 (256 mi. / 412 km.)
*107.6 SD Qingdao 山东 青岛 / Qingdao News Radio 青岛广播新闻频率 (380 mi. / 612 km.)

E-Skip Propagation Log  |  Stations Received: 79 Total

67.82 AMU Belogorsk Амурская Белогорск / R. Rossii Радио России Амур (957 mi. / 1540 km.)
67.88 YEV Birobidzhan Еврейская Биробиджан / R. Rossii Радио России Бира (862 mi. / 1387 km.)
69.32 AMU Skovorodino Аму. Сковородино / R. Rossii Радио России Сковородино (1176 mi. / 1893 km.)
69.92 AMU Svobodny Амурская Свободный / R. Rossii Радио России Амур (990 mi. / 1593 km.)
69.92 SAK Poronaysk Сахалинская Поронайск / R. Rossii Радио России Сахалин (1116 mi. / 1796 km.) (3)
70.07 ZAB Aginskoye Забайкальский Агинское / R. Rossii Радио России Чита (1148 mi. / 1848 km.)
70.16 KHA Chegdomyn Хаб. Чегдомын / R. Rossii Радио России Дальневосточная (1016 mi. / 1635 km.)
70.4 SAK Uglegorsk Сахалинская Углегорск / R. Rossii Радио России Сахалин (1071 mi. / 1724 km.) (3)
70.67 ZAB Krasnokamensk Забайкальский Краснокаменск / R. Rossii Радио России Чита (1004 mi. / 1616 km.)
72.8 KHA Khabarovsk Хаб. Хабаровск / R. Rossii Радио России Дальневосточная (889 mi. / 1431 km.)
76.1 IW Shiwa 岩手 紫波 / JOQU-FM / FM Iwate エフエム岩手 (780 mi. / 1255 km.)
77.1 MG Sendai 宮城 仙台 / JOJU-FM / Date FM デイトエフエム (761 mi. / 1225 km.)
83.75 SN Xi’an 陕西 西安 / Shaanxi Satellite TV 陕西卫视 (1037 mi. / 1669 km.)
87.5 ZJ Linhai 浙江 临海 / Taizhou News Radio FM98.7 台州新闻综合频道 (671 mi. / 1080 km.)
87.5 FJ Xiamen 福建 厦门 / CNR-2 Business Radio 中央人民广播电台经济之声 (1016 mi. 1635 km. / 1084 mi. 1745 km.) (4)
87.5 NM Bayan Nur 内蒙古 巴彦淖尔 / Inner Mongolia Music R. 内蒙古人民广播电台音乐之声 (1087 mi. / 1749 km.)
87.7 HL Suihua 黑龙江 绥化 / Suihua Storytelling Radio 绥化评书广播 (659 mi. / 1061 km.)
87.7 NM Sonid Youqi 内蒙古 苏尼特右旗 / Inner Mongolia Mong. Compreh. R. 内蒙古电台蒙古语综合广播 (859 mi. / 1382 km.)
87.7 AMU Blagoveshchensk Амурская Благовещенск / Autoradio Авторадио (912 mi. / 1468 km.)
87.8 NM Hanggin 内蒙古 杭锦 / Inner Mongolia Compreh. Chinese R. 内蒙古电台汉语综合广播 (1012 mi. / 1629 km.)
87.8 NM Xilinhot 内蒙古 锡林浩特 / Inner Mongolia Rural Pastoral R. 内蒙古人民广播电台农村牧区广播 (747 mi. / 1202 km.)
88.1 HN Yiyang 湖南 益阳 / Yiyang Traffic R. Car 881 益阳交通频道 汽车881 (1036 mi. / 1667 km.)
*88.1 FJ Quanzhou 福建 泉州 / Quanzhou Music Radio 泉州电台音乐之声 (1079 mi. / 1736 km.) (1)
88.5 FJ Xiamen 福建 厦门 / Fujian Economic R. 福建经济电台 (1116 mi. / 1796 km.) (1)
88.75 SRN Surin สุรินทร์ สุรินทร์ / New Life Radio Surin / 2x Es (2104 mi. / 3386 km.)
88.9 HL Mohe 黑龙江 漠河 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (1116 mi. / 1796 km.)
*89.3 HN Lengshuijiang 湖南 冷水江 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (1107 mi. / 1782 km.)
89.3 TW Pingtung 台灣 屏東 / Voice of the South 南方之音 (1125 mi. / 1811 km.) (2)
89.7 TW Taitung 台灣 臺東 / Voice of Taitung 台東之聲廣播電台 (1113 mi. / 1791 km.) (2)
90.1 GX Wuming 广西 武鸣 / Guangxi Private Car 930 广西教育广播 私家车930 (1450 mi. / 2334 km.)
90.4 NM Liangcheng 内蒙古 凉城 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (798 mi. / 1284 km.)
90.4 FJ Quanzhou 福建 泉州 / Quanzhou Traffic Radio 泉州交通广播 (1040 mi. / 1674 km.) (2)
90.5 SB Lahad Datu / RTM TraXX FM / 2x Es (2344 mi. / 3772 km.) (2)
90.9 FJ Xiamen 福建 厦门 / Xiamen Music Radio 厦门音乐广播 (1085 mi. / 1746 km.) (2)
92.5 SX Hongtong 山西 洪洞 / Shanxi Economic Radio 山西经济广播 (844 mi. / 1358 km.)
92.7 FJ Zhangzhou 福建 漳州 / Zhangzhou Traffic Arts R. 漳州交通文艺广播 (1028 mi. / 1654 km.)
92.7 TW Tainan 台湾 台南 / Voice of Tainan R. 台南之聲廣播電台 (1050 mi. / 1690 km.)
*92.8 HN Shaoyang 湖南 邵阳 / Shaoyang Music Ch. Flying 928 邵阳音乐频道 飞扬928 (1131 mi. / 1820 km.)
*92.9 TW Kinmen 台灣 金門 / Yes Radio 金門太武之春廣播電台 (1076 mi. / 1732 km.) (2)
*92.9 TW Taichung 台灣 彰化 / City FM 城市广播网 (1042 mi. / 1677 km.) (2)
94.0 FJ Xiamen 福建 厦门 / Xiamen Private Car Radio 厦门电台私家车调频 (1085 mi. / 1746 km.) (2)
94.3 TW Kaohsiung 台湾 高雄 / Kaohsiung Radio 高雄廣播電臺 (1057 mi. / 1701 km.)
94.8 GD Meizhou 广东 梅州 / Meizhou Compreh. News R. 梅州电台综合广播 (1196 mi. / 1925 km.) (2)
94.9 FJ Xiamen 福建 厦门 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (1016 mi. / 1635 km.)
95.3 GD Guangzhou 广东 广州 / Guangdong Financial R. 广东广播电视台股市广播 (1329 mi. / 2139 km.) (2)
95.5 FJ Quanzhou 福建 泉州 / Fujian Economic R. 福建经济电台 (972 mi. / 1564 km.)
96.2 FJ Zhangzhou 福建 漳州 / Zhangzhou Comprehensive R. 漳州综合广播 (1028 mi. / 1654 km.)
96.2 GX Wuming 广西 武鸣 / Guangxi Comprehensive R. 广西综合广播 新闻 910 (1450 mi. / 2334 km.)
96.9 FJ Quanzhou 福建 泉州 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (972 mi. / 1564 km.)
*97.5 TW Kaohsiung 台灣 高雄 / Happy Radio 快樂電臺 (1140 mi. / 1835 km.) (2)
*97.5 TW Taoyuan 台灣 桃園 / Voice of IC IC之音竹科廣播 (976 mi. / 1571 km.) (2)
97.8 HN Xiangtan 湖南 湘潭 / Xiangtan Music Life FM 乐生活调频 (1040 mi. / 1674 km.)
*98.1 HE Shijiazhuang 河北 石家庄 / Hebei Rural Radio 河北电台农村广播 (751 mi. / 1209 km.) (5)
98.3 HE Baoding 河北 保定 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (675 mi. / 1086 km.) (5)
98.3 FJ Quanzhou 福建 泉州 / CNR-2 Business Radio 中央人民广播电台经济之声 (972 mi. / 1564 km.)
98.3 GD Chaoan 广东 潮安 / Chaoan People’s R. Happy 98.3 潮安电台快乐 98.3 (1122 mi. / 1806 km.)
98.8 GD Huizhou 广东 惠州 / Huizhou Traffic Radio 惠州交通广播 (1212 mi. / 1951 km.)
99.3 GD Shantou 广东 汕头 / Shantou News Radio 汕头电台新闻资讯之声 (1127 mi. / 1814 km.)
99.6 SX Datong 山西 大同 / Datong Traffic Radio 大同交通广播 (787 mi. / 1267 km.) (5)
100.2 GD Jieyang 广东 揭阳 / Jiedong Radio 揭东广播电台 (1124 mi. / 1809 km.)
100.2 GD Jiangmen 广东 江门 / Jiangmen News Comprehensive R. 江门新闻综合广播 (1304 mi. / 2099 km.)
101.5 FJ Quanzhou 福建 泉州 / Fujian Private Car Radio 987 私家车广播 (1040 mi. / 1674 km.) (2)
*101.5 TW Miaoli 台灣 苗栗 / BCC Formosa 中廣寶島網 (1017 mi. / 1637 km.) (2)
101.7 TW Kaohsiung 台灣 高雄 / National Education Radio 國立教育廣播電臺 (1140 mi. / 1835 km.) (2)
101.7 TW Taipei 台灣 臺北 / National Education Radio 國立教育廣播電臺 (949 mi. / 1527 km.) (2)
*102.1 TW Taichung 台灣 彰化 / BCC I Like Radio 中廣流行網 (1047 mi. / 1685 km.) (2)
102.1 TW Taitung 台灣 臺東 / BCC I Like Radio 中廣流行網 (1114 mi. / 1793 km.) (2)
*102.3 FJ Fuzhou 福建 福州 / CNR-1 Voice of China 中央人民广播电台中国之声 (952 mi. / 1532 km.) (2)
102.3 TW Miaoli 台灣 苗栗 / Ai Miao Radio 愛苗廣播 (1003 mi. / 1614 km.) (2)
*102.5 TW Tainan 台灣 臺南 / Ancient Capital Radio 古都廣播電台 (1119 mi. / 1801 km.) (2)
102.5 GD Shantou 广东 汕头 / Shantou Music Radio 汕头电台音乐广播 (1127 mi. / 1814 km.)
102.5 SB Kota Belud / RTM TraXX FM / 2x Es (2288 mi. / 3682 km.) (2)
102.6 HB Wuhan 湖北 武汉 / Hubei Fashion Radio 湖北时尚女性广播 (860 mi. / 1384 km.)
*105.5 TW Nantou 台灣 南投 / Happy Radio 歡喜之聲 (1048 mi. / 1687 km.) (2)
105.5 TW Yilan 台灣 宜蘭 / Dongshan River Radio 冬山河廣播電台 (974 mi. / 1568 km.) (2)
107.0 NM Sonid Zuoqi 内蒙古 苏尼特左旗 / Xilin Gol Mongolian R. 锡林郭勒盟蒙语综合广播 (870 mi. / 1400 km.) (5)
*107.1 GD Zhongshan 广东 中山 / CRI News Radio 国际广播电台环球资讯广播 (1362 mi. / 2192 km.) (2)
*107.1 TW Chiayi 台灣 嘉義 / Chiayi Global Radio 嘉義環球廣播電台 (1074 mi. / 1728 km.) (2)
*107.3 TW Kaohsiung 台灣 高雄 / Voice of Han 漢聲廣播電台 (RDS) (1124 mi. / 1809 km.) (2)

(1) Received from Jeongdongjin, Gangneung / 37°41’23.6″N 129°02’02.1″E
(2) Received from Bonguisan, Chuncheon / 37°53’17.4″N 127°43’58.6″E
(3) Received from Soyosan, Dongducheon / 37°56’17.8″N 127°04’43.3″E
(4) Received from both the main site in Songtan and Chuncheon
(5) Received from other sites between Gangneung and Seoul (see detailed log)

Fun Radio Facts!

Selected excerpts from the Songtan, Korea FM Radio Log (embedded immediately above):

What I learned from tuning in Chinese radio

Listening to radio stations from another country, especially a country of which you don’t speak the language, can be very challenging. In having to identify the stations, I learned the local geography, including some valuable history. I learned a fair bit of Mandarin as well as how to recognize many words in Chinese characters simply out of necessity. Dozens of new songs and artists were added to my playlists courtesy of the 300+ songs that appear in this log. Numerous Chinese and Taiwanese people helped me with translations, explanations, and station identification, thus further enhancing my understanding of the culture and language(s) along with others such as Matthew Tye (C-Milk, laowhy86) and Winston Sterzel (SerpentZA), long-time residents of China and famous YouTube personalities that served as educational background commentary in the more than two months of editing audio and constructing this log full-time. Chinese E-skip was a lesson in the dialects of Taiwan, Fujian, and Guangdong, and a great learning experience of Mongolian and Buryat culture and language.

Which formats do Chinese stations broadcast?

Chinese radio stations have a rather wide selection of formats or genres. There are stations for news (xinwen 新闻), traffic (jiaotong 交通), stories (gushi 故事), business (jingji 经济), music (yinyue 音乐), art and literature (wenyi 文艺), lifestyle (shenghuo 生活), rural programming, such as traditional music and agriculture reports (nongcun 农村 or xiangcun 乡村), car (qiche 汽车) and private car (sijiache 私家车) for China’s first generation of car owners, sports (tiyu 体育), and health (jiankang 健康), among others. Most communities with only a single station use the name people’s radio (renmin 人民), while stations that play a variety of programming refer to themselves as comprehensive radio (zonghe 综合). Stations in large cities are more likely to have a wider variety of names, while the government-run networks such as CNR-1 (news) and CNR-2 (business) are nationwide. Almost all stations play music whether they are news, sports, or story stations, so telling stations apart based solely on station format can often be challenging.

Taking Advantage of Coastal Propagation

The best way to take advantage of coastal propagation is to position yourself just shy of the top of a hillside facing the water. This weakens local inland signals but preserves the height necessary to make the most of openings. The main listening site, Banjisan Neighbourhood Park in Songtan, was utilized in a fashion similar to this. Local Seoul stations 27 mi. (43 km.) behind the hill could be overcome by Chinese signals.

From Start to Finish: Logging Chinese Stations

It took only two weeks before China made its first appearance after moving to Songtan and it held little back. On the holiday evening of June 4, 2011, Chinese stations were noted across the dial with strong distorted signals between local frequencies. I had a crash course in Chinese radio and the Mandarin language in a real hurry and that first multi-day opening still ranks as one of the two most intense openings of my five years at that site. While I had no idea what I was hearing at that time for lack of resources and understanding, as my experience improved, my recordings and logs would later make it very easy to determine many of the now-common stations I had heard the very first day. Over time, listening to these Chinese signals would become quite effortless. By the time my final tropo season arrived, my Mandarin had improved as a result of my radio listening and I was well-aware of the available resources at hand to find the information needed, from station names to tower locations. The smartphone became a popular tool, which brought apps such as Shazam, which could quickly identify songs with mere snippets of audio, and by 2015, I had upgraded my radio from an MP3 player with earphone wires as my antenna to a portable radio, which would eventually lead to my Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide documentary, released in January 2017.

Some Log Statistics to Consider

– Countries heard: South Korea, North Korea, China, Taiwan, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand, but it seemed Mongolia was too sparse to make the list

– Languages heard: Korean, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, Amoy, Teochew, Hokkien, Hakka), English, Japanese, Mongolian, Russian, Buryat, and Thai

– Audio recorded: Post-editing, 850+ recordings totaling in excess of 25 hours are associated with the loggings seen here, not including domestic recordings

– Number of times Es ruined my bandscans: Twice; once in Chuncheon and again in Jeongdongjin, local bandscans were crushed by massive Es openings

The following file is embedded. Use controls at the bottom to navigate through the pages.

Songtan-FM-Radio-Log

Most Distant Catches

Tropospheric Propagation | 10 most distant stations

83.75 ZJ Hangzhou 浙江 杭州 / Zhejiang Satellite TV 浙江卫视 (617 mi. / 993 km.)
90.4 ZJ Ningbo 浙江 宁波 / Ningbo Everyone R. 宁波人民广播电台老年与少儿广播 (608 mi. / 978 km.)
104.3 JS Nanjing 江蘇 南京 / Nanjing Sports Radio 南京体育广播 (591 mi. / 951 km.)
103.3 JS Xuzhou 江苏 徐州 / Xuzhou Traffic Radio 徐州交通广播 (589 mi. / 948 km.)
93.7 JS Nanjing 江蘇 南京 / Jiangsu News Radio 江苏新闻广播 (586 mi. / 943 km.)
98.2 SD Taishan 山东 泰山 / Shandong Economic R. 山东广播电视台经济广播 (556 mi. / 895 km.)
95.3 JS Wuxi 江苏 无锡 / Jiangsu Traffic Radio 江苏交通广播 (542 mi. / 872 km.)
92.8 SD Mengshan 山东 蒙山 / Shandong Arts iRadio 山东广播电视台文艺广播 (524 mi. / 844 km.)
*87.9 SH Shanghai 上海 上海 / HitFM 劲曲调频 (514 mi. / 827 km.)
*100.1 SH Shanghai 上海 上海 / CRI EZFM 轻松调频 (514 mi. / 827 km.)

E-Skip Propagation | 10 most distant stations

90.5 SB Lahad Datu (Malaysia) / RTM TraXX FM / 2x Es (2344 mi. / 3772 km.)
102.5 SB Kota Belud (Malaysia) / RTM TraXX FM / 2x Es (2288 mi. / 3682 km.)
88.75 SRN Surin สุรินทร์ สุรินทร์ (Thailand) / New Life Radio Surin / 2x Es (2104 mi. / 3386 km.)
90.1 GX Wuming 广西 武鸣 / Guangxi Private Car 930 广西教育广播 私家车930 (1450 mi. / 2334 km.)
96.2 GX Wuming 广西 武鸣 / Guangxi Comprehensive R. 广西综合广播 新闻 910 (1450 mi. / 2334 km.)
*107.1 GD Zhongshan 广东 中山 / CRI News Radio 国际广播电台环球资讯广播 (1362 mi. / 2192 km.)
95.3 GD Guangzhou 广东 广州 / Guangdong Financial R. 广东广播电视台股市广播 (1329 mi. / 2139 km.)
100.2 GD Jiangmen 广东 江门 / Jiangmen News Comprehensive R. 江门新闻综合广播 (1304 mi. / 2099 km.)
98.8 GD Huizhou 广东 惠州 / Huizhou Traffic Radio 惠州交通广播 (1212 mi. / 1951 km.)
94.8 GD Meizhou 广东 梅州 / Meizhou Compreh. News R. 梅州电台综合广播 (1196 mi. / 1925 km.)

Much thanks to Taipei DXer (2011-13) and Jingshen Liu / 刘敬深 (2013-16) for their assistance with identifying stations and details that made this log possible.