Paul Walker Jr is a self-confessed 'radio nerd' who has made a hobby out of trying to hear distant transmissions from his home in the small village of McGrath, Alaska.
But recently he heard a station further away than ever before — in Hobart, Tasmania.
Paul Walker isn't your typical ABC Radio Hobart listener. For starters, he's on the other side of the world.
"I am actually 13,000 kilometres away in Alaska, USA, in a small village called McGrath. We're a community of 300 people about 370km northwest of Anchorage," Mr Walker said.
While it might sound far away from Hobart, there are some similarities.
Last month, while playing around with his at-home radio setup, Mr Walker got a shock when he heard the distinct sound of Australian accents.
"I have a hobby of listening to far away radio stations," he told ABC Radio Hobart's Ryk Goddard.
It was a surprise to Mr Walker, 13,000 kilometres away, who said he could hear ABC Radio Hobart's broadcast and news bulletins.
"It's the farthest away AM signal I've ever picked up," he said.
Not only could Mr Walker hear which station he was listening to, he was also impressed with the ABC radio news bulletin's fanfare music.
"The top of the hour news intro fanfare music really cuts through the muck and slop of a noisy AM dial," he said.
But how does Mr Walker manage to hear the Hobart station from so far away? Well, with some creativity.
"The key is going outside when it's dark in both locations," he said.
"I just scan the dial while wearing really good headphones, and listen out for something to pop out of the ether that may not be the usual thing I hear on that frequency.
"Honestly, I just got lucky really."
Radio memories as a toddler
Not only is Mr Walker a radio enthusiast, but he's made it his career.
Mr Walker is a program director at the community radio station KSKO 89.5 FM in McGrath, Alaska, and as he explains, it's a small operation for a place with a population of less than 400 people.
"I'm one of only two staff members here [at the radio station] and the other staff member is part-time and the village mayor," he said.
His passion for radio began as a child, when he would listen to what his parent's would put on in the family home.
"I can vaguely remember as a toddler my parents listening to a radio station that played lots of upbeat music, held contests, and the presenters — or DJs as we call them in the United States — and they sounded like they were having fun," he said.
It isn't the first time Mr Walker has managed to hear the ABC's local radio broadcast.
Earlier this year he also managed to tune into ABC Radio Newcastle and spoke to their Drive show presenter Paul Turton.
Worlds away become closer
His hobby, he explains, shows us how powerful the AM frequency signal can be.
He has also tuned into ABC Radio Brisbane as well as many other stations from around the world. He records them and saves them to prove what he has achieved.
"I've heard a few New Zealand AM stations, many from Japan, China, South Korea, Romania, Hungary, the UK, Lithuania and Norway," he said.
"Some of them are so high-powered they sound like they're just down the road."
