Join the Observers

Help radio and TV stations hear what you hear. Observers share what they notice about a station’s signal privately with the station, through DX Lookup, and get credit when a station says thanks.

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Who we're looking for

Good men and women who love radio and TV: casual listeners, DXers, hams and engineers who want to help the industry. No qualifications needed: if you listen, you can help.

What Observers do

  • Log catches and send reception reports (and get QSL cards back).
  • When you notice something about a station's signal (off the air, dead air, distorted audio, still on day power after sunset, splatter onto other channels, no legal ID), share a listener observation from the station's page.
  • We know who to reach at every station, so you don't have to. Jim Offerdahl reviews each observation and passes it to the station privately.

Why it matters

Stations would rather hear it from you first, privately, than read about it on social media. Observers are on the station's side: a second pair of ears for an engineer who can't listen from 500 miles away at 2 a.m.

What you get

  • QSL cards for confirmed reception reports.
  • Word from us when a station thanks you for an observation, and credit toward your Observer standing.
  • Your DX log, Heard now and tonight's predictions, all in one place.

What to expect

We pass on every observation we approve. Stations aren't required to respond, and we never ask them to say more than "thank you". When one does, we tell you.

Observer guidelines

  1. Describe what you heard; don't accuse. "Strong signal from the northeast at 1 a.m." helps more than "they're breaking the rules".
  2. Give the time, and a recording if you can (the page makes a 30-second clip).
  3. Keep it private: please don't post what you've shared with us. That's the point.
  4. Be courteous. A station that hears from you kindly will listen next time.