Shipboard Radio Stations

by

Dr. Adrian Peterson researching the early days of Offshore Radio

“Wavescan” is a weekly program for long distance radio hobbyists produced by Dr. Adrian M. Peterson, Coordinator of International Relations for Adventist World Radio. AWR carries the program over many of its stations (including shortwave).

Dr. Adrian Peterson is a highly regarded DXer and radio historian. For more than two decades, he has concentrated on researching the early days of radio and has an extraordinary knowledge of the very first shipboard radio broadcasts.

We are reproducing those features below, with Dr. Peterson’s permission and assistance.

Wavescan 333, May 13th, 2001Early Wireless
Wavescan 336, June 3, 2001The Great White Fleet
Wavescan 343, July 22, 2001Radio Broadcasting from Ships: Europe and the Atlantic
Wavescan 347, August 19, 2001Radio Broadcasting from Ships – The Americas
Wavescan 351, September 16, 2001Radio Broadcasting from Ships 5 – Americas in Recent Years
Wavescan 362, December 2, 2001Ship Broadcasting in the Pacific, Part I
Wavescan 376, March 10, 2002Ship Broadcasting in the Pacific, Part II
Wavescan 381, April 14, 2002Ship Broadcasting in Australian Waters
Wavescan 384, May 5, 2002The Australian “Kanimbla” – A unique and remarkable radio broadcasting station
Wavescan 387, May 26, 2002A listener story regarding his part in a historic radio broadcast from a ship
Wavescan 395, July 21, 2002America’s First Floating Broadcaster – A 78 Year Old Story
Wavescan 396, July 28, 2002First Music Broadcast from a Ship
Wavescan 397, August 4, 2002Kanimbla Update – What happened to this ship afterwards?
Wavescan 405 – Sept. 29, 2002Radio Broadcasting from Ships in New Zealand Waters and The Story of the Wandering “Apache”
Wavescan 407, October 13, 2002The Story of the Little Radio Ship, the FP47
Wavescan 408, October 20, 2002The famous “I Will Return” broadcast by General Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines
Wavescan 411, November 10, 2002Radio Broadcasting from Ships – Radio ZMBJ on the “Awatea” (The Eye of the Dawn), in New Zealand Waters
Wavescan 417, December 22, 2002BBC Radio Station on Board Ship?
Wavescan 425, February 16, 2003The Good Ship KKOL: An American Radio Station on Board a Ship and We Didn’t Know About It!
Wavescan 429, March 16, 2003VOA Relay Station on board the Battleship Texas
Wavescan 434, April 27, 2003Marconi’s Birthday – The Story of the “Elettra”
Wavescan 438, May 25, 2003Historic Radio Broadcast from the Statue of Liberty
Wavescan 440, June 8, 2003The Story of a Burning Passenger Liner
Wavescan 442, June 22, 2003Shortwave Broadcast from a Ship in Florida [WLW 1930]
Wavescan 450, August 17, 2003The Story of Another Radio Ship – The VOA Phoenix
Wavescan 452, August 31, 2003On the Air in Tokyo Bay
Wavescan 453, September 7, 2003Two Ships and a Hotel [Australia]
Wavescan 456, September 28, 2003The Ship that Never Sailed!
Wavescan 466 – Dec. 7, 2003The Boat Under the Bridge [Awatea]
Wavescan 467, December 14, 2003VLC – Another Recycled Callsign
Wavescan N38 – Nov. 15, 2009The Bermuda Story – Ship Broadcasting
Wavescan N51 – Feb. 14, 2010The Story of the Good Ship Seth Parker
Wavescan N64 – May 16, 2010Radio Broadcasting from Japanese Ships
Wavescan N72 – July 11, 2010Early Ship QSLs
Wavescan N76 – Aug. 8, 2010Deception on the High Seas
Wavescan N129 – Aug. 14, 2011The Voice of America – Shipboard Radio Stations – Ship No. 1: The Story of the USS Texas
Wavescan N131 – Aug. 28, 2011The Voice of America: Shipboard Relay Stations – VOA Ship No. 2: The Story of the Historic KSL Transmitter in Salt Lake City, Pt. 1
Wavescan N133 – Sept. 11, 2011The Voice of America: Shipboard Relay Stations – VOA Ship No. 2: The Mystery Story of the Radio Ship Phoenix
Wavescan N135 – Sept. 25, 2011The Voice of America: Shipboard Relay Stations – VOA Ship No. 3: The Apache – The American Ship with its Australian Cargo
Wavescan N140 – Oct. 30, 2011The Voice of America: Shipboard Relay Stations – VOA Ship No. 4: The Spindle Eye, Another American Radio Ship in the Pacific
Wavescan N144 – Nov. 27, 2011Voice of America: Shipboard Relay Stations – Three More American Radio Ships in the Pacific
Wavescan N150 – Jan. 8, 2012Voice of America: Shipboard Relay Stations – 8: This Time in the Mediterranean – The Vagabond A “Courier”
Wavescan N169 – May 20, 2012Voice of America: Shipboard Relay Stations – 9: The Vagabond Series
Wavescan N192 – Oct. 28, 2012Other American Radio Ships in the Pacific
Wavescan N194 – Nov. 11, 2012Australian Radio Ships in the Pacific
Wavescan N302 – Dec. 7, 2014The Story of the Good Ship Radio Scotland
Wavescan N676, Feb. 6, 2022Voice of America Relay Station in a Submarine
Wavescan N681, March 13, 2022The Second VOA Relay Station in the Philippines
Wavescan N696, June 26, 2022Another Radio Wedding
Wavescan N709, September 25, 2022The Saga of Radio Antwerp in Belgium
Wavescan N752, July 23, 2023Special report about the 50th anniversary of the radio ship Voice of Peace (Podcast)
Wavescan N787, March 24, 2024Radio in Libya, part 3 – the story of the Mebo II