📻 HBradio joins the ETH Zurich archive
This is fine recognition for Swiss amateur radio. Since December 2025, HBradio, the official magazine of the USKA, has been an integral part of E-Periodica, the digital library of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH). The result: more than 90 years of Swiss amateur radio knowledge is now available free of charge to everyone, anywhere in the world.
🔗 About this article: here we share and expand on an announcement published by the USKA (article by Daniel Schindler). Thanks to the USKA and ETH Zurich for this work preserving the memory of Swiss amateur radio.
HBradio, the USKA magazine, joins the ETH Zurich E-Periodica digital library. (Image: USKA)
🎓 A great honour for the USKA
After around two years of preparatory work, ETH Zurich judged that the quality of HBradio met the high standards of the prestigious technical university. It is a remarkable distinction: it recognises the seriousness of the magazine, the depth of knowledge of the USKA and its members, and the documentary value built up over the decades.
In practical terms, this technical and historical knowledge can now be freely consulted by anyone, licensed radio amateur or simply curious, from anywhere in the world.
“Since December 2025, HBradio has been an integral part of E-Periodica at the ETH Library. This knowledge is now available free of charge to everyone around the world.”
Daniel Schindler, USKA
📚 What is E-Periodica?
E-Periodica is the ETH Zurich Library (ETH-Bibliothek) platform dedicated to digitised Swiss journals. All the journals it contains are open access. The collection covers an impressive range of subjects (science, history, architecture, art, culture…), with titles dating back to the early 18th century.
🔍 Full-text search
Built-in optical character recognition (OCR) lets you search for a word, a callsign or a subject across the issues.
⬇️ Free download
You can download a single page or a complete issue, and print it for offline reading.
🤝 Partnerships
The Swiss National Library is a partner of E-Periodica; the collections are also visible through the ETH knowledge portal.
🌍 Longevity
Durable, institutional archiving, a guarantee that these documents will remain accessible to future generations.
The main building of ETH Zurich. Its library (ETH-Bibliothek) runs the E-Periodica platform. (Photo: Nemanja Skoric, CC BY-SA 3.0)
📖 HBradio, the USKA magazine
HBradio has been the official publication of the USKA since 2008. It appears six times a year, in German, French and Italian, and keeps members informed with technical articles, contest reports, features and news from the association.
On E-Periodica, HBradio is available in image format (TIFF) from issue 1/2008 to issue 3/2026. The only delay to be aware of:
⏳ One-month embargo on the latest issue: the most recent issue is reserved for USKA members for one month (access via uska.ch). After that, it joins the public archive. One more good reason to join the USKA and read the magazine first.
📻 And what about “Old Man”, its predecessor (1932-2007)?
Before HBradio, the USKA magazine was called “Old Man”, published from 1932 to 2007. These historical issues are not available on E-Periodica: although every issue has been digitised, the scan quality is considered insufficient for ETH standards.
For history enthusiasts, the USKA offers a solution: the “History” USB stick, sold for CHF 48 in the USKA FanShop (via shop@uska.ch). It contains not only every issue of “Old Man”, but also all the issues of HBradio. It is a genuine reference work covering more than 90 years of USKA history.
💡 Good to know: the history of Swiss amateur radio fits into two titles, “Old Man” (1932-2007) and then HBradio (since 2008). Together they form a continuous chronicle of almost a century of experimentation, technology and camaraderie on the air.
🏛️ A century of the USKA in a few dates
🎯 Why this is excellent news
Beyond the symbolism, this digitisation brings very concrete benefits for the community:
🧠 Knowledge preserved
Decades of technical articles (antennas, propagation, construction, digital modes) are no longer at risk of being lost and remain available.
📡 A goldmine for projects
Builds, practical experience, circuit diagrams: plenty to feed your own projects and rediscover proven solutions.
🎓 Open to the general public
The curious, students, historians of technology: anyone can explore the story of Swiss amateur radio, free of charge.
🔎 Easier searching
Thanks to OCR, finding an article, a callsign or a past event takes just a few seconds.
🇨🇭 A word from HB9V
At HB9V, the Radio Amateurs of Canton Vaud club, we welcome this initiative. Passing on knowledge is at the heart of our hobby: it is exactly the spirit that drives us when we publish our technical guides and tutorials. Seeing ETH Zurich recognise the documentary value of HBradio is a source of pride shared by all HB9 radio amateurs.
We encourage every member and supporter to explore these archives: it is a fascinating way to understand where our hobby comes from, and often a source of inspiration for new projects on the bands.
📚 Explore the HBradio archive
More than 90 years of Swiss amateur radio history await you, freely available on E-Periodica.
Go to the HBradio archive →“Old Man” issues (1932-2007): “History” USB stick for CHF 48 via shop@uska.ch
🤝 Our partners
Phonicom.ch, amateur radio specialist in Switzerland
The HBradio archive is full of ideas for builds and antennas. To move from reading to practice, Phonicom offers HF/VHF/UHF transceivers, antennas and accessories. Yaesu, Icom, Anytone and Diamond equipment, personal advice and delivery within Switzerland.
Visit phonicom.ch →📚 Also on HB9V
- 📡 Guglielmo Marconi, the father of wireless radio: the origins of the radio adventure
- 📻 “Le Monde dans un Casque”: the book by Fred F5OZK: a testimony to the passion for radio
- 📊 Radio Propagation Conditions: Complete Guide: the science behind DX contacts
- 🗺️ Swiss Amateur Radio Band Plan: all the HF, VHF and UHF frequencies
📖 Sources: Original article by the USKA (Daniel Schindler). HBradio archive on E-Periodica (ETH-Bibliothek). History of the USKA (uska.ch, Wikipedia). ETH photo: Nemanja Skoric, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Illustration: USKA.
