Unbelievable Radio Phenomenon: How a Local Broadcast in Venlo Reached Lapland

The broadcast was heard in the town of Ivalo, in northern Finland. As the crow flies, that’s about 2,300 kilometers from Venlo. How is it possible that the broadcast, which is usually only heard in the Venlo region, was received on the other side of the world?

The news came in through an email received by Thijs Pennings, a reporter at Omroep Venlo. “Someone from Lapland emailed us and sent us an audio file. The date was correct and what we had broadcast was also on schedule,” said Pennings. “We are a broadcaster for the town of Venlo, so we usually only reach about 40 kilometers. So this was very special. We often get messages from listeners from Australia, for example, but then they listen online, not via FM. You can really hear that on the FM.”

The sun and the ionosphere

According to experts, this phenomenon is the result of a special combination of conditions in the atmosphere. “Sometimes the ionosphere, a layer full of charged particles, can behave like a mirror for radio waves, especially under the influence of increased solar activity,” explained an expert.

This year, for example, the sun is more active and emits more particles and radiation than usual, making the ionosphere temporarily more reflective. This also ensures that the aurora borealis, which is now seen regularly, is seen more often at this time.

Radio waves can travel much further than normal thanks to the ionosphere, depending on their wavelength and frequency. Light passes through the ionosphere, but sometimes radio waves bounce back to the ground so they can shoot ‘over the horizon’. This allowed Radio Venlo – usually heard only in the town – to have a range of thousands of kilometers for a time.

Nature and technology work together

Although this exclusive access may not have lasted long for Radio Venlo, it still inspires interest in radio technology. Pennings concludes: “Moments like this make our work very special. It’s great to see how nature and technology work together unexpectedly to connect people from so far away.”