Cairo Communication Tower - 1961

UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC (EGYPT) on 11 April 1961 issued a commemorative First Day Cover  stamp of The Cairo Tower that was designed by architect Naoum Chebib and inaugurated on this date. 

It remains one of the modern icons of the Egyptian capital, with its stylised appearance and lattice covering intended to mimic the image of a lotus flower.  It was built with granite from Aswan, a material noted for its nobility and very symbolic in Egypt because it is the same material used in the construction of the pyramids.

It measures 187 meters and was for 10 years the tallest tower in all of Africa, until 1971 when it was surpassed by the Hillbrow Tower in South Africa.

Radio and Che Guevara Stamp from Cuba

CUBA CORREOS in 1988 issued a commemorative First Day Cover stamp of Ernesto Che Guevara on the 30th anniversary of revolutionary communications in Cuba. This stamp later appeared on a 15 June 2008 maxim card to mark his 80th birth anniversary. It was designed to illustrate Cuba's history in radio and telecommunications. It should be noted that Che was instrumental in organising the operation of Radio Rebelde. 

This radio station, as well as Radio Habana Cuba, occasionally has been received in Malaysia throughout the 2020s. The radio receiver in the background of the stamp is a 1954 Zenith Trans-Oceanic H-500. This American-made radio was one of the best in its day. I owned a similar Zenith H-500 in the early 1970s and I can vouch for its quality as a sensitive receiver.

NHK World Radio Japan (via Yamata)

NHK World Radio Japan, transmitting from Yamata, was logged on 4 August 2024. A Japanese language broadcast of music was monitored from 17.09 till 18.05 UTC.  Reception on 7.375 kHz rated a SINPO of 45454. 

Reception report was submitted on the following day. QSL card arrived in the mail on 3 September 2024.

RX: Tecsun S-2000-R8T EXT ANT:  3 meter random wire QTH: Central West Malaysia

Berlin Radio Tower and Exhibition Hall 1954

NHK World Radio Japan (via Issoudun)

NHK World Radio Japan, transmitting from Issoudun, France, was logged on 2 July 2014. A Japanese language broadcast was monitored from 17.25 till 18.05 UTC. Jazz music of Louis Armstrong, hosted by male announcer,  included "Sunny Side of Life", "Hello Dolly", "Chim Chim Cher-ee", "What a Wonderful World" and possibly a duet with Ella Fitzgerald. Reception on 17.680 kHz rated a SINPO of 34433 -- fair signal, clear content.

Reception report was submitted online on the following day. QSL card arrived on 20 August 2024.

RX: Tecsun S-2000-R8T EXT ANT:  3 meter random wire QTH: Central West Malaysia

Saigon VHF Radio Station "Dai Vi-Ba Saigon" First Day Cover 1966

VIETNAM CONG HOA  (Republic of South Vietnam) issued on 24 April 1966 two First Day Cover stamps commemorating the installation of the Saigon VHF Radio Station "Dai Vi-Ba Saigon". 

With gradual American escalation of troops from around 200,000 in the beginning of 1966 to over 500,000 by the end of 1967, South Vietnam required improvements to their communication system including the Saigon microwave station. Hence, the 1966 stamps were released for the anniversary of the inauguration of microwave radio, which facilitated better analog television and radio transmissions nationwide.

Radio Hanoi - Me-Tri site and stamps 1959

NORTH VIETNAM issued on 10 August 1959 a set of stamps commemorating Me-Tri Radio Station, transmission site for Radio Hanoi during the Vietnam War. That said, these block sets were postmarked Hanoi, Viet Nam, 2 September 1959. Bùi Trang Chước designed the stamps. Tien Bo Printing House used an offset bicoloured printing method to print these ungummed stamps.

For twelve days in December 1972 the U.S. bombarded Hanoi, Haipong and elsewhere. The Me Tri radio signal transmitter station of  Radio Hanoi (now The Radio Voice of Vietnam) was hit on the night of 18 December. Despite heavy property damage, Radio Hanoi broadcasts resumed after nine minutes in silence.

Declassified CIA files revealed equipment was initially received from Communist as well as Western nations, and the influx of equipment continued during the Vietnam War. The CIA viewed the increased communication system as a viable propaganda threat.

In recent years the transmitter site has undergone much upgrading. New equipment and an office tower for The Radio Voice of Vietnam occupies the site.

Source: The Voice of Vietnam and CIA documents from 1969