Radio Belarus (Russian): March 31, 2016

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Radio Belarus in Russian recorded outdoors in London, UK on March 31, 2016 at 1439 UTC, on the frequency of 11730 kHz using a Tecsun PL-680 radio and the supplied external antenna. The transmitter has a power rating of 150 kW and is located in Minsk, Belarus. The characteristic hum and low modulation typical of Radio Belarus are present in this recording.

Radio Belarus (Belorussian): March 31, 2016

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Radio Belarus in Belorussian recorded outdoors in London, UK on March 31, 2016 at 1256 UTC, on the frequency of 11730 kHz using a Tecsun PL-680 radio and the supplied external antenna. The transmitter has a power rating of 150 kW and is located in Minsk, Belarus. The characteristic hum and low modulation typical of Radio Belarus are present in this recording. At 1330 UTC, BBC Bangla started broadcasting on the same frequency.

Radio Rumbos, Caracas, Venezuela: Winter 1980

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Harner, who notes:

In 1980, I purchased my first serious shortwave radio, a Panasonic RF-2200.  While I enjoyed listening to the international broadcasters, it was the smaller domestic broadcasters that I grew to enjoy more.  Especially the Latin American stations on 49 and 60 meters.  Stations from Colombia and Venezuela were prevalent throughout the evening hours.  Two of the most reliable stations were Venezuelans Radio Rumbos from Caracas (4970 kHz), and Ecos del Torbes from San Cristobal (4980 kHz).  
These stations would broadcast in the evenings and sign-off at 0300 or 0400 UTC. Another was Radio Reloj de Costa Rica on 4832 kHz, which would be heard in the evenings and overnight hours. 
I enjoyed the music and the style of programming these stations had, and over the years these stations became longtime friends on the airwaves to me.
Here is a brief recording of Radio Rumbos from the winter of 1980 on 4970 kHz:

Ecos Del Torbes, San Cristobal, Venezuela: Winter 1980

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Many thanks to SRAA contributoe, Paul Harner who notes:

In 1980, I purchased my first serious shortwave radio, a Panasonic RF-2200.  While I enjoyed listening to the international broadcasters, it was the smaller domestic broadcasters that I grew to enjoy more.  Especially the Latin American stations on 49 and 60 meters.  Stations from Colombia and Venezuela were prevalent throughout the evening hours.  Two of the most reliable stations were Venezuelans Radio Rumbos from Caracas (4970 kHz), and Ecos del Torbes from San Cristobal (4980 kHz).  
These stations would broadcast in the evenings and sign-off at 0300 or 0400 UTC. Another was Radio Reloj de Costa Rica on 4832 kHz, which would be heard in the evenings and overnight hours. 
I enjoyed the music and the style of programming these stations had, and over the years these stations became longtime friends on the airwaves to me.
Here is a snippet of Ecos del Torbes from the winter of 1980 on 4980 kHz:

Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran: March 20, 2016

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Live, off-air, one-hour recording of the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the external service of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, in English on 20 March 2016 beginning at 19:19 UTC on shortwave frequencies of 6040 and 7425 kHz. According to registrations with the High Frequency Coordination Conference, this broadcast, aired daily, is beamed to Europe and southern Africa. The 6040 kHz signal originates from a 500 kW transmitter at Sirjan, Iran, with an antenna beam azimuth of 313° while the 7425 kHz signal originates from a 500 kW transmitter at Kamalabad, Iran, with an antenna beam azimuth of 298°. Additional frequencies are used for southern Africa. The recording initially used 7425 kHz but switched to 6040 kHz at about 19:29:29 UTC.     

This broadcast celebrates, in part, Nowruz (نوروز -- literally, New Day), the Persian New Year, which coincides with the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. 20 March 2016 is the first day of the Persian calendar year 1395.

The broadcast had a crash start and the recording begins with a religious program in progress. At 7m:43s, there is a complete station ID with times and frequencies. This is followed by the news bulletin theme music loop until the clock chimes at about 10m:47s (19:30 UTC) and then the World News. The news included items on Nowruz including reports from different cities celebrating the New Year. The news is followed by the Listeners Special program, which also features a discussion of Nowruz. The broadcast ends with a special item on Nowruz. Unfortunately, it ends abruptly in mid-sentence when the 6040 kHz transmitter left the air at about 10 seconds after 20:20 UTC.

The broadcast was received by the Web-interface wideband software-defined radio at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, with a "Mini-Whip" antenna in AM mode with 5.09 kHz total bandwidth RF filtering. Reception was good on 7425 kHz but with some adjacent frequency interference while it was excellent with a strong interference-free signal on 6040 kHz.

Recording 3 -The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt (BBC reports): August 19, 1991

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Jack Widner, who shares this third (and final) recording which includes coverage of the August 19, 1991 Soviet Coup Attempt from the BBC. Jack shares the following recording notes:

BBC news & reports.  Starts with battle at Parliament building (known as the White House)
   03:32 Kevin Connaly's on the scene report after the battle started

Recording 2 -The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt (BBC reports): August 19, 1991

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Jack Widner, who shares this second recording which includes coverage of the August 19, 1991 Soviet Coup Attempt from the BBC. Jack shares the following recording notes:

BBC reports
  • 03:35 plays R. Moscow reading TASS bulletin of Gorbachev unable to fulfill duties
  • 43:00 comments from Frank Gaffney; Gaffney was an ardent supporter of SDI under Weinberger & as late as 1996 was attempting to get new House leader Gingrich to get it going again.
  • 43:45 a clip about Gorbachev's (?) attempt to quash Lithuanian independence (report says it was not clear that Gorbachev authorised this).
The majority of this audio assumes Gorbachev will be replaced

Recording 1 -The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt (BBC/Radio Moscow): August 19, 1991

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Poster of the putsch of August 1991. The confrontation between the Republican Russian Government and the Union State Government the USSR (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Poster of the putsch of August 1991. The confrontation between the Republican Russian Government and the Union State Government the USSR (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Jack Widner, who shares this recording that includes coverage of the August 19, 1991 Soviet Coup Attempt. Jack shares the following recording notes:

  • Reports from BBC, radio Moscow, and a snip at the end of Czech Radio announcing the end of the state of emergency
  • Radio Moscow--Slight interruption at 5:15-30
  • BBC 05:30 - 12:46
  • Radio Moscow 12:47 -- note the news item on Yugoslavia of Slovenia's independence moves 18:25.  This was the beginning of the dissolution of Yugoslavia
  • BBC 20:08
  • Radio Moscow 26:16 "News & Views"
  • BBC 27:10
  • Radio Moscow World service 28:11
  • Their interval signal at 38:03 the news that Gorbachev is back in control
  • BBC 40:24
  • Moscow 46:33
  • Radio Prague (?) 46:56 announces end of state of emergency

Radio Havana Cuba, Barack Obama and Raúl Castro Press Conference in Cuba: March 21, 2016

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The following off-air recording of Radio Havana Cuba was made on March 21, 2016, starting a couple of minutes prior to 1800 UTC on 11,670 kHz (at an AM bandwidth of 12.5 kHz). This was a historic event: the first time a US president has visited Cuba in over 8 decades. The following recording includes the live coverage of the Obama/Casto press conference, followed by one hour of RHC's English language service and a part of RHC's French language service.

The receiver used was a WinRadio Excalibur connected to a Pixel Loop Pro magnetic loop antenna. Location received was North Carolina.

Radio Vaticana: March 12, 2016

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Live, off-air, approximately twenty-minute recording of Radio Vaticana (Vatican Radio) on 12 March 2016 beginning at 19:39 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 6070 kHz. According to a registration with the High Frequency Coordination Conference, this broadcast, aired daily, originates from a 100 kW transmitter at Santa Maria di Galevia, north of Rome, and is beamed to western Europe with antenna beam azimuths of 326° and 4°.    

The program is the Rosary in Latin and is one of several liturgical programs broadcast by Radio Vaticana. The recording begins with the Radio Vaticana interval signal followed by an excerpt of Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." In particular, the Rosary is the "Mysteria Gaudiorum" (Mysteries of Joy) version of the "Rosarium Beatae Mariae Virginis Corona" (The Crown of the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary). Different versions of the Rosary are broadcast on different days of the week. The recording ends with the excerpt of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and the interval signal.  

The broadcast was received by the Web-interface wideband software-defined radio at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, with a "Mini-Whip" antenna in AM mode with 8.09 kHz total bandwidth RF filtering. Reception was excellent with a strong interference-free signal capturing almost all of the transmitted audio bandwidth.

Radio St. Helena, The final hour (sign-off) with Tony Leo: December 25, 2012

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Sarah Boucher, who submits this final sign-off of Radio St. Helena on 1548 kHz and notes:

Closedown begins with the last few seconds of love is everywhere by caught in the act (1995).

Radio Lead Africa: March 5, 2016

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Live, off-air, approximately two-hour recording of the clandestine station Radio Lead Africa on 5 March 2016 beginning at about 05:02:30 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 15310 kHz. According to a registration at the High Frequency Coordination Conference, this broadcast, aired on Saturdays in the time slot 05:00-07:00 UTC, originates from a Sentech 100 kW transmitter at Meyerton, South Africa, and is beamed in the direction of Uganda with an antenna beam azimuth of 5°.    

The anti-Museveni program, a production of the Uganda Federal Democratic Organisation based in Australia (www.ugandafdo.com) and Radio Lead Africa Media, is one of several broadcast through the week using the Sentech facilities.

The recorded broadcast starts in Luganda, a principal language of Uganda. An English segment runs from about the 59m:31s mark to 1h:29m:05s. The broadcast switched back to the vernacular and sign-off occurred at about 06:59 UTC. 

The broadcast was received by the Web-interface wideband software-defined radio at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, with a "Mini-Whip" antenna in AM mode with 5.09 kHz RF filtering. Reception was initially only fair with some noise but it improved to a good level during the broadcast. The broadcast is mostly interference-free but there is a brief period of digital interference starting around 1h:40m:30s.

Shortwave Radio 1974: Canada, Argentina, Spain, West Germany, Albania, utility stations

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Many thanks to SRAA Contributor, Brian D. Smith (W9IND), who notes:

Want to know what shortwave radio sounded like in 1974? This 55-minute recording, recovered from a cassette, was never intended to be anything but "audio notes": I was an 18-year-old shortwave listener who collected QSL cards from international stations, and I was tired of using a pen and a notepad to copy down details of the broadcasts. I wanted an easier way to record what I heard, and my cassette tape recorder seemed like the perfect means to accomplish that goal. 
But it wasn't. I soon discovered that it was simpler to just edit my notes as I was jotting them down — not spend time on endless searches for specific information located all over the tape. To make a long story shorter, I abandoned my "audio notes" plan after a single shortwave recording: This one.  
Still, for those who want to experience the feel of sitting at a shortwave radio in the mid-1970s and slowly spinning the dial, this tape delivers. Nothing great in terms of sound quality; I was using a Hallicrafters S-108 that was outdated even at the time. And my recording "technique" involved placing the cassette microphone next to the radio speaker.
Thus, what you'll hear is a grab bag of randomness: Major shortwave broadcasting stations from Canada, Argentina, Spain, Germany and Albania; maritime CW and other utility stations; and even a one-sided conversation involving a mobile phone, apparently located at sea. There are lengthy (even boring) programs, theme songs and interval signals, and brief IDs, one in Morse code from an Italian Navy station and another from a Department of Energy station used to track shipments of nuclear materials. And I can't even identify the station behind every recording, including several Spanish broadcasts (I don't speak the language) and an interview in English with a UFO book author. 
The following is a guide, with approximate Windows Media Player starting times, of the signals on this recording. (Incidentally, the CBC recording was from July 11, 1974 — a date I deduced by researching the Major League Baseball scores of the previous day.)
GUIDE TO THE RECORDING
0:00 — CBC (Radio Canada) Northern and Armed Forces Service: News and sports. 
7:51 — RAE (Radio Argentina): Sign-off with closing theme
9:14 — Department of Energy station in Belton, Missouri: "This is KRF-265 clear."
9:17  — Interval signal: Radio Spain.
9:40 —  New York Radio, WSY-70 (aviation weather broadcast)
10:22 — Unidentified station (Spanish?): Music.
10:51— Unidentified station (English): Historic drama with mention of Vice President John Adams, plus bell-heavy closing theme.
14:12 — RAI (Italy), male announcer, poor signal strength.
14:20 — Unidentified station (Spanish): Theme music and apparent ID, good signal strength.
15:16 — Unidentified station (foreign-speaking, possibly Spanish): Song, "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep."  
17:00 — Deutsche Welle (The Voice of West Germany): Announcement of frequencies, theme song. 
17:39 — Unidentified station (English): Interview with the Rev. Barry Downing, author of “The Bible and Flying Saucers.” 
24:36 — One side of mobile telephone conversation in SSB, possibly from maritime location.
30:37 — Radio Tirana (Albania): Lengthy economic and geopolitical talk (female announcer); bad audio. Theme and ID at 36:23, sign-off at 55:03.
55:11 — Italian Navy, Rome: “VVV IDR3 (and long tone)” in Morse code.

Uganda Diaspora P10 Radio: February 18, 2016

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Live, off-air, approximately three-hour-long recording of clandestine station Uganda Diaspora P10 Radio on 18 February 2016 beginning at 13:00 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 17840 kHz. This was one of four scheduled special election-day broadcasts from Uganda Diaspora P10 Radio. It was transmitted using a 250 kW sender at Nauen, Germany, with an antenna beam azimuth of 155°.   

The station is an outlet of Uganda Diaspora P10, an organization working for political change in Uganda and which supports the opposition politician Dr. Kizza Besigye. "P10" refers to the organizational power of each person enlisting 10 other people ("power to the power 10"). The recorded broadcast, in Swahili and English, was on election day in Uganda and included news about the election; voter instructions to ensure "no ... messing around with the vote"; and items, with music, about Dr. Besigye and the P10 movement. Much of the material was repeated in the three-hour broadcast. 

The broadcast was received by the Web-interface wideband software-defined radio at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, with a "Mini-Whip" antenna in AM mode with 5.09 kHz RF filtering. Reception was fair with some noise. At around the 2h:30m mark in the recording, there is an audio feed problem at the transmitter site with a temporary switch to a broadcast from Adventist World Radio in Hindi. The problem was rectified a little over one minute later.

Voice of America (and other broadcasters): May 1976

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Brian D. Smith, W9IND, who notes:

This recording of shortwave radio broadcasts by Voice of America and other stations was made in mid-May 1976. A newscast reference to a Nebraska presidential primary several days earlier (May 11) provides a solid clue to the approximate recording date.
I recovered this recording from a cassette. At the time I was a 19-year-old shortwave radio enthusiast living near Indianapolis, and most likely I made this recording in hopes of preserving information that would help me obtain a QSL (verification) card from the station.
The longest story on this Voice of America broadcast focuses on the 1976 presidential primary elections and whether they're worth the time and cost. Shorter recordings of other shortwave stations appear before and after the VOA broadcast -- I was obviously doing some dial spinning on my Hallicrafters S-108 receiver. And my recording "technique" was nothing more than setting the cassette microphone next to the radio speaker.
The 40-year-old cassette broke when I first tried to transfer the recording to my computer, so I fixed it with my tried-and-true "broke teenager" method: Scotch tape, scissors and a blank cassette that I cut and spliced to the old tape.