ORF has Austria's 500-kilowatt short-wave transmitter blown up

A true monster of a shortwave antenna has been standing near Moosbrunn south of Vienna since 1983. The curtain antenna weighs 320 tons, produces up to 500 kilowatts and has two towers, each 76 meters high. The system runs on rails so that it can be rotated 180 degrees. This is unique, at least in Europe, and makes it possible to broadcast to the furthest corners of the earth. Nevertheless, owner ORS, a majority subsidiary of ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation), would like to demolish the facility.

Perhaps as early as Thursday, or a week later if the weather is unfavorable. This can be seen from a brief communication from the mayor of the municipality of Moosbrunn, according to which “the striking rotating antenna on Prügelweg – will be blown up on January 23 or 30, 2025, depending on the weather. Experts from the blasting company assure the public that no special precautions need to be taken. A loud bang will be heard and traffic on the Prügelweg will be stopped for about five minutes shortly before the blasting.”

The rapid death of the industrial monument comes as a surprise. Radio operators are dismayed. “The demolition is extremely regrettable,” said Michael Kastelic, President of the Austrian Experimental Transmitter Association (ÖVSV) and himself a radio amateur (OE1MCU) to heise online, “Relying only on digital and the Internet makes us completely dependent on other service providers, providers and political influences. Online transmission can be manipulated or blocked in the target area. In Russia, you can no longer listen to many stations via the Internet, but you can via shortwave. The discussion about net neutrality also has an influence here.”

A long history

ORF broadcast international programs from Moosbrunn from 1959 to 2024. During the Cold War, Radio Österreich International (RÖI) produced 80 hours of programming daily in three languages, which were broadcast via different frequencies. Later, operations were gradually scaled back until Austria's government under Wolfgang Schüssel (ÖVP) closed RÖI in 2003.

Since then, ORS has mainly used its facility in Moosbrunn as a relay transmitter for other broadcasters. ORF owns 60 percent of ORS, while 40 percent is owned by the Austrian Raiffeisen Group, which has had to worry about its subsidiary bank in Russia since Russia's attack on Ukraine. Active operation of Moosbrunn's giant rotating antenna was discontinued in 2022, with the last program coming from SM-Radio Dessau. In addition to the rotating antenna, Moosbrunn also has smaller but still impressive antenna systems. With Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, ORF even used Moosbrunn for its shortwave broadcasts again. One of the less gigantic, steeper antennas was used to broadcast news to Ukraine three times a day, much to Moscow's annoyance. As the ORF radio station FM4 reported, there were probably a particularly large number of soldiers among the listeners, as they were equipped with short-wave devices.

However, the operation of the entire Moosbrunn facility was closed at the end of 2024. The largest customer, Trans World Radio, has terminated the contract to the current extent. Rumor has it that operation would have continued to cover costs. However, maintenance and spare parts are becoming increasingly expensive as the equipment is rare. When the Jülich shortwave center was demolished, Moosbrunn was still able to stock up on components, but even these do not last forever. And rising energy costs are increasing transmission tariffs, which is dampening demand.

Poorly built electronics and powerline interfere

”At the same time, shortwave reception is limited by the many poorly built electronic components in all kinds of devices,” says Kastelic, “Their emissions interfere with the shortwave frequencies. And Powerline is really bad.”

Since the closure of Moosbrunn, former employees and radio amateurs have been trying to find a new use for the building, or at least to preserve it as a museum. But the material value of hundreds of tons of steel and considerable quantities of copper cable can only be raised by dismantling.

Former ORF editor Erich Moechel believes this is short-sighted: “A communication’s monument is being blown up in Moosbrunn, probably the last of its kind in the world,” he told heise online, “This antenna is a symbol of how the ORF General Directorate has bid farewell to the world over the years. In the 90s, programs in six languages were broadcast via this powerful antenna, which were heard from Australia to South America.” And Moechel already fears the next cut: “Now Austria's only English-language radio station, ORF FM4, is up for discussion in coalition negotiations.”

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