NASWA SWL FEST 2026

NASWA SWL FEST

2026 Fest dates — May 1, 2 2026 — Holiday Inn Express & Guest Suites, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania and via Zoom

The NASWA SWL Fest is a conference of radio hobbyists of all stripes, from DC to daylight. Historically, every year scores of hobbyists have descended on the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania suburbs for a weekend of camaraderie. The Fest is sponsored by NASWA, the North American Shortwave Association, but it covers much more than just shortwave; mediumwave (AM), scanning, satellite TV, and pirate broadcasting are among the other topics that the Fest covers. Whether you've been to every Fest (all 38, starting with the first year at the fabled Pink & Purple Room of the Fiesta Motor Inn) or this year's will be your first, you're sure to find a welcome from your fellow hobbyists, even if it's a "virtual" welcome!.

The 39th Annual (!) NASWA SWL Fest will have two days of sessions where you can learn about the latest developments in the radio listening hobbies. In addition, there's the Hospitality Suite, where attendees partake of tuning oil and other treats and engage in spirited conversations. And of course, the infamous midnight ride of Pancho Villa that traditionally closes things out every year is likely to make a return appearance.

The 2026 Fest will be the third in-person event since 2020 and the CoVID-19 Pandemic, and it will again be limited to 65 in-person participants due to meeting space considerations. However, we also offer the option of participating via Zoom, as we have the past four years.

Find below link to register for the event & reserve your hotel room : https://www.swlfest.com/

If you have questions please contact the Fest organizers at swlfest [at] naswa [dot] net

If you are not attending in person, please use this link to register for zoom event :

https://www.swlfest.com/online-registration-zoom-event/

Radio Free Asia commemorates 30th winter SWL Fest March 2017

Radio Free Asia commemorates the 30th anniversary of the NASWA Winter SWL Fest held every year near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. In a combined design with our Year of the Rooster QSL card, this will be our 64th design since we issued our first QSL card in 2002.

The Winter SWL Fest is a conference of radio hobbyists of all stripes, from DC to daylight. Every year scores of hobbyists descend on the SWL Fest for a weekend of radio and camaraderie. At the fest, attendees finds sessions and presentations on everything from shortwave; mediumwave (AM), FM, scanning, satellite TV, pirate broadcasting and more are among the topics the Fest covers. 

This QSL is used to confirm all valid RFA reception reports from March 3-9 2017 only. Created by Congress in 1994 and incorporated in 1996, RFA broadcasts in Burmese, Cantonese, Khmer, Korean to North Korea, Lao, Mandarin (including the Wu dialect), Vietnamese, Tibetan (Uke, Amdo, and Kham), and Uyghur. RFA strives for accuracy, balance, and fairness in its editorial content. As a 'surrogate' broadcaster, RFA provides news and commentary specific to each of its target countries, acting as the free press these countries lack. RFA broadcasts only in local languages and dialects, and most of its broadcasts comprise news of specific local interest. More information about Radio Free Asia, including our current broadcast frequency schedule, is available at www.rfa.org.

RFA encourages listeners to submit reception reports. Reception reports are valuable to RFA as they help us evaluate the signal strength and quality of our transmissions. RFA confirms all accurate reception reports by mailing a QSL card to the listener. RFA welcomes all reception report submissions at http://techweb.rfa.org (follow the QSL REPORTS link) not only from DXers, but also from its general listening audience Reception reports are also accepted by email at qsl@rfa.org and by mail to: 

Reception Reports 

Radio Free Asia 

2025 M. Street NW, 

Suite 300 

Washington DC 20036 

United States of America.