ILG History – How It All Began
The Hobby Time
During my school years, from 1974 to 1980, I compiled station tables (listening guides) for the hobby magazine "Weltweit Hören" (Listening Worldwide) for German and English shortwave broadcasts.
I worked with the editors Wolf Harranth, Nils Schiffhauer, Michael Haun, Rainer Pinkau, Wolfgang Scheunemann, and Walter Eibl.
I ended this voluntary work because, towards the end, some tables were not published, and I was suddenly expected to submit almost monthly reports.
Later, I began publishing my own listening guide and the International Listening Guide (ILG) using simple means.
At first, everything was typed, and from 1984 onwards, a second-hand PC was used.
These booklets started with just a few pages, and the tables were improved and expanded year after year.
Unfortunately, I hadn't invested much money in technology, and disaster struck in 1999 when my old computer, which managed all the addresses, broke down, and I could no longer continue operations. I destroyed stacks of incoming checks since I could no longer deliver.
That was a mistake, because some subscribers claimed I hadn't returned their money. Shit happens...
A year later, I started distributing the databases on floppy disks. First with 5.25-inch disks and later 3.5-inch disks in various formats. All the disks were always completely full.
In the 1990s, we switched to the internet, and finally, the databases could be expanded to include much more data.
The data was offered free of charge for many years, but after copyright infringements, there was a hiatus for most hobbyists for a few years.
The release will initially be available for a low price of €5, later increasing to €10 and then €15.
In 2016, the price was raised to €17, but it remains a low-cost hobby product.
From the current price of €19, I am left with approximately €10 after deducting all fees, taxes, and operating costs.
This payment method allows me also to prevent access by authorities and state institutions from "rogue states" or dictatorships such as
China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Belarus.
Professional Experience in HF Frequency Management
1986 - 1989: Experience in frequency planning while assisting Radio Norway International
Aug. 1996 - Feb. 2004: Frequency planning/coordination for Iceland Radio
Feb. 1997: Coordination as proxy for HCJB Quito
Aug. 1998 - Aug. 2016: Frequency planning/coordination for ABC Radio Australia
Aug. 1998 - Feb. 2004: Frequency planning/coordination for HRT Radio Croatia
Aug. 1999 - Aug. 2016: Frequency planning/coordination for RNZ Radio New Zealand International
Aug. 2000 - Aug. 2008: Frequency planning/coordination for WMLK Bethel, USA
Feb. 2002: Coordination as proxy for SENTECH Johannesburg
Feb. 2003 - Aug. 2016: Frequency planning/coordination for AFRTS Iceland, serving US Navy ships In the Atlantic
Aug. 2009 Coordination as proxy for WINB Red Lion, USA
The Professional Work of BFM Consulting
Year 1999 Marketplace for Short Wave transmitter site equipment (e.g., LPH ALGON antennas, BBC 53K transmitter, Marconi H1141 transmitters, Funkwerk Köpenik KSG 1300 transmitters, and many other transmitter site parts).
By the way, the BBC 53K transmitter of Adventist World Radio (formerly Swiss Telecom) was sold to WMLK Bethel, USA, but there were installation problems, and later the entire unit burned down in March 2017.
The insurance company paid for the damage, and the new Continental Electronics transmitter is still in operation today.
The information on the WMLK website regarding the seller of the BBC-53K transmitter is completely incorrect, as I was the one who sold the transmitter from AWR to WMLK!
From 1999 to 2019, I also ran a well-known online shop for satellite reception equipment, offering a full range of accessories as well as local installation services.