Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Clinton Turner, who shares the following recording and notes:
Broadcaster: Radio Nederlands
Date of recording: 4/20/1980
Starting time: 0530
Frequency: 6.165 MHz
Recption location: North Logan, UT
Receiver and antenna: Panasonic RF-1600 with random wire approx. 50' (15M)
Notes: Happy Station Show with Tom Meijer, 20 April, 1980 - off-air recording
Overview of 1980 Eurovision Song Contest, letters
Live, off-air, three-hour excerpt of a recording of the provincial Cuban station Radio Metropolitana, CMBL, Havana, Cuba, on 10 November 2022 beginning at about 20:00 UTC. The station operates on an frequency of 910 kHz from a transmitter in the Villa Maria area of the Distrito de Guanabacoa municipality of Havana with a power of 5 kW and an omnidirectional antenna. The station also transmits on 98.3 MHz in the FM band.
The transmission was received on a Tecsun PL-880 portable receiver with its built-in ferrite-bar-loop antenna in Marathon, Florida, in AM mode with 2.3 kHz RF filtering. Reception was fairly good with some background noise due to the slightly weak signal associated with the over 200 km long-range reception.
Radio Metropolitana is part of the group of stations that make up the Provincial Directorate of Radio in Havana with studios in the FOCSA building in Havana's Vedado district. It is on the air 24 hours a day and offers cultural programming with a strong presence of music aimed at families in the capital city. Its slogan is "La radio de casa" and its theme tune is a fragment of the familiar song "El Manisero" ("The Peanut Vendor") by Cuban composer Moisés Simons. Both can be heard frequently in this recording.
The recording begins with a song by Puerto Rican singer Kany García followed by the program "De Buena Tinta" (literally "of good ink" but an idiomatic expression meaning "on good authority") beginning at 20:00 UTC. This is a news program for residents of Havana including events taking place, weather, and sports. At 20:30 UTC, there is the program "La Novela" (The Novel) with an instalment of "La Flor de los Sueños" (The Flower of Dreams). Next is "Un Amigo Cincero" (A Sincere Friend), a brief program on the literature of José Martí. The program "Por La Habana" (Around Havana) begins at 21:00 UTC. This program is mostly music with Cuban jazz, blues, and funk. Between every few musical items is a discussion of indigenous languages in Latin America and elsewhere and their impact on music. At 22:30 UTC, the program "Para Luego es Tarde" (meaning colloquially "no time like the present") begins. This edition features a discussion about corn (maize), its history and how it is grown, harvested, marketed, prepared for food and other uses. Midway through the program there is a musical interlude with a short discussion about the Bee Gees with excerpts of several of their songs. During some of the programs in the recording, mention is made of the 503rd anniversary of the founding of Havana on 16 November 1519. Public service announcements about health and other matters are also present throughout the recording.
Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty presumably test shortwave transmission on the frequency of 3975 kHz at 22.24 UTC on 8 February 2023. Received using SDR web receiver located in Germany.
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following recording and notes:
Broadcaster: United Arab Emirates Radio from Dubai
Date of recording: circa 1983
Frequency: 21.655 MHz
RX location: Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Receiver and antenna: Panasonic RF-3100 and longwire antenna
Notes: By the 1980's, UAE Radio stations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were using high powered transmitters and could often be heard nice and clear here in Southern Ontario, Canada with English language programs.
Here is an aircheck circa 1983 from United Arab Emirates Radio from Dubai broadcasting on 21655 kHz.
BBC in French broadcasting towards Africa in 13 Meter Band. Recorded in Europe February 5, 2023 at 12.00 UTC, the shortwave frequency of 21500 kHz. Recorded using Kenwood R-5000 receiver and Wellbrook ALA 1530+ antenna placed very close to the building wall (therefore gathering some noise interference).
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Gavaras, who shares the following recording and notes:
Broadcaster: Radio Moscow
Date of recording: Unknown
Starting time: Unknown
Frequency: Unknown
Reception location: Plymouth, MN
Receiver and antenna: Hammarlund HQ-180
Notes: Radio Moscow's Moscow Mailbag hosted by Joe Adamov from 1978. Questions ranged from why a woman asks the questions on Moscow Mailbag and a male (Joe) gets to answer them, why does the Soviet Union ignore positive aspects of Western society, dissidents in the Soviet Union, and more.
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Walker who shares this recording of Radio Romania International’s Hebrew Language Service. This recording was made in McGrath, Alaska, on 7,370 kHz at 17:31 UTC on November 20, 2022. Paul notes. “this is RRI with their once weekly 30 minute broadcast in Hebrew on 7370 from Galbeni, to the Middle East
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Walker, who shares the following recording of VOA made on November 22, 2022 at 20:34 UTC on 11,850 kHz in McGrath, Alaska. Paul notes that this was actually a program feed error because the Kirundi Language Service is normally broadcast at this time and on this frequency.
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following recordings and notes:
Broadcaster: Voice of America Okinawa Rhodes Philippines Greenville Woofferton 1970's
Date of recordings: various
Frequency: various
Reception location: Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
Receiver and antenna: Hallicrafters S-52 using a longwire antenna
Notes: In the 1970's, Voice of America relay transmitter sites often gave their location between programs. Some VOA programs were relayed via the BBC site at Woofferton, England (audio from 1971).
Reception of Rhodes in the 41 metre band was not easy here in Ontario, Canada as evidenced by that recording.
The transmitter at Greenville, North Carolina was their largest operation. That recording is circa 1973.
The Okinawa relay was heard on 7165 kHz, and Philippines relay 15185 kHz, both recorded in 1971.
The Yankee Doodle tune was played during most of these interludes.
Photo by Rich Post
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following recordings and notes:
Broadcaster: ETLF, Radio Voice of the Gospel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Date of recording: 3/23/1971
Frequency: 11.890 MHz
Reception location: Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
Receiver and antenna: Hallicrafters S-52 using a longwire antenna
Notes: Here are two brief recordings from Radio Voice of the Gospel, station ETLF, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In the first one, from 1971, there is significant QSB (fading) but they are in the clear. Listen for their four note drum interval signal, ID in English, and mention of the date Tuesday 23rd of March.
The second recording, also in English, is from the early 1970's during a transmission to West Africa in the 25 metre band where they are heard signing off.
Ioannes Paulus I, by Fotografia Felici, 1978
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Gavaras, who shares the following recording and notes:
Broadcaster: Radio Netherlands
Date of recording: 9/28/1978
Starting time: Unknown
Frequency: Unknown
Reception location: St. Cloud, MN
Receiver and antenna: Sony ICF-5900W using a whip antenna
Notes: Radio Netherland's shortwave transmission announcing the death of Pope John Paul I in 1978. I had tuned in to listen to DX Juke Box and heard that the show was being preempted due to the unexpected passing. Pope John Paul I was head of the Catholic Church for only 33 days, the shortest in papal history.
Live, off-air, three-hour recording of the special annual Gruss an Bord broadcast from German broadcaster NDR, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, on 24 December 2022 beginning at just after 18:00 UTC. The broadcast features music and greetings to and from mariners around the world. The Christmas greetings were recorded at two events on the third Advent Sunday (11 December) in Leer and on the fourth Advent Sunday (18 December) in Hamburg.
Relatives and friends had the opportunity to wish their loved ones at sea a happy holiday and a happy new year. The Leer event featured the Bingumer Shanty Choir and Anne-Fleur Schoch and her band while the Hamburg event featured Beatles experts Stefanie Hempel and The Silver Spoons. The broadcast was primarily in German with some greetings in English, Filipino, and Portuguese as well as German. A number of songs in English, too. A news bulletin (in progress when recording began) precedes the program for a few minutes.
In addition to being carried on the NDR Info and NDR Info Spezial networks, the broadcast was transmitted around the world on shortwave using transmitters in Nauen (NAU), Germany; Issoudun (ISS), France; Tashkent (TAC), Uzbekistan; and Okeechobee, Florida (RMI), U.S.A.; and was organized by Media Broadcast.
The schedule was:
1800-2100 on 6030 ISS 250 kW / 251 deg to North/East Atlantic
1800-2100 on 6080 TAC 100 kW / 301 deg to West/Central Europe
1800-2100 on 9740 NAU 250 kW / 130 deg to Indian Ocean - West
1800-2100 on 11650 ISS 250 kW / 148 deg to Indian Ocean - SoAf
1800-2100 on 13725 NAU 250 kW / 205 deg to Southern Atlantic
1800-2100 on 15770 RMI 100 kW / 044 deg to North/West Atlantic
RMI, Radio Miami International, experienced a power outage and was off the air for about the first two hours of the broadcast.
The recording is primarily of the transmission on the frequency of 11650 kHz for about the first two hours and 6030 kHz for the third hour as the signal degraded on 11650 kHz.
The program was received outdoors on a Tecsun PL-880 receiver with a Tecsun AN-03L 7-metre wire antenna in Hanwell (just outside Fredericton), New Brunswick, Canada, in AM mode with 2.3 kHz filtering. Reception was good for the most part on both recorded frequencies although, as previously mentioned, signal quality on 11650 kHz degraded during the second hour of the broadcast necessitating the switch to 6030 kHz. There was some adjacent channel interference on 11650 kHz at times. Also, there was about a one-minute dropout of the 11650 kHz frequency around the start of the second hour of the broadcast. The last minute or so of the broadcast on 6030 kHz was interfered with by a co-channel digital transmission from Radio Romania International.
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Russ Edmunds, who has kindly shared another collection of mediumwave airchecks (click here to check out all of his contributions).
Russ notes that the reception location was Blue Bell, PA using a Hammarlund modified HQ-150 and a 4' air core amplified loop.
Russ also shares details about each recording in the following table. All recordings have been embedded below:
The following recording of Paul Walker's Christmas Special on KSKO was recorded on a live relay from Space Line Bulgaria on 5900 kHz on Friday, December 24, 2022 starting around 00:10 UTC.
This recording was made on the U Twente WebSDR in the Netherlands.
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Ian Pillar, who shares the following recording and notes:
Notes: Number Station Recording
Location Taiwan
Enigma ID V13
Name New Star Broadcasting Station
Voice Female (Mandarin Chinese)
Mode USB + carrierBroadcaster: New Star Broadcasting Station V13
Date of recording: 11/22/2022
Starting time: 0100
Frequency: 13974
Reception location: NSW Australia
Receiver and antenna: KiwiSDR Loop Antenna
QSL courtesY of The Radio Heritage Foundation
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following recording and notes:
"You are tuned to ABC Radio in Papua New Guinea; 9PA, VLT, and VLK..." This is the announcement from VLT4, the Australian Broadcasting Commission station in Port Moresby on 4890 kHz shortwave, on May 3, 1971 at 1100 hours UTC. A musical request program is ending, then station ID as above and into ABC national news. This was before independence in PNG. The station used a 10 kw transmitter on this frequency and could sometimes be heard in eastern North America with a readable signal.
Broadcaster: VLT4 ABC Radio Port Moresby Papua New Guinea
Date of recording: 5/3/1971
Starting time: 1100
Frequency: 4.890
Recption location: Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
Receiver and antenna: Hallicrafters S-52 using a longwire antenna
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Matt Todd, who shares the following pirate radio recordings and notes:
Audio recordings of numerous Shortwave Radio Pirates recorded around Halloween 2022. This is typically the most active time of the year for Shortwave Radio Pirates.
Location: Hugo, MN
Receiver and antenna: Sdr Play with a wire loop antenna around the perimeter of the attic
Mode: Single Sideband
Please note that pirate radio broadcasts often contain adult language.
Many thanks to SRAA contributor Dan Greenall who shares the following recording and notes:
Broadcaster: The Voice of Christmas (pirate radio)
Date of recording: 12/8/1996
Starting time: 1610 UTC
Frequency: 6955 kHz
Reception location: Thamesford, Ontario, Canada
Receiver and antenna: Panasonic RF-3100 and longwire antenna
Mode: Single Side Band
Notes: Pirate radio station The Voice of Christmas as heard in Thamesford, Ontario, Canada on December 8, 1996 at around 1610 hours UTC. The frequency was 6955 kHz USB.
Here are a few blended airchecks with Christmas music and frequent station ID's by the Pirate Elf stating they are "the only pirate radio station broadcasting from the North Pole." P.O. Box in Providence, Rhode Island given for reception reports. Concludes with their "interval signal" tune.
Esperanza Base seen from Hope Bay (Image source: NOAA)
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, for sharing the following recording and notes:
Notes: After many tries, this one was finally logged while on a "DXpedition" to a cottage near Bancroft, Ontario. Here is LRA36, Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel from Esperanza Base, Antarctica as recorded in Coe Hill, Ontario, Canada on February 20, 1999 at 2257 hours UTC on 15476 kHz shortwave. They are heard giving announcement in Spanish including station ID, frequency used and transmitter power (10 kilowatts). This station was usually not audible at all or too buried under the noise level, however, on this occasion, the signal came up enough to get a clear ID.
Broadcaster: LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel, Base Esperanza, Antarctica
Date of recording: 2/20/1999
Starting time: 2257
Frequency: 15.476 MHz
Reception location: Coe Hill, Ontario, Canada
Receiver and antenna: Panasonic RF-3100 and longwire antenna
Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Bryce Belcher, who shares the following recording and notes:
Broadcaster: XFM
Date of recording: Oct 30, 2022
Starting time: 8:45 EST
Frequency: 6865 MHz
Your location: Columbus, Ohio
Receiver and antenna: Tecsun PL-880 with just the telescopic antenna
Mode: Single Side Band
Safe for children?: No
Notes: Some RF noise—the signal gets stronger but was weaker in the beginning of the recording. Recorded October 30, 2022
Please note that pirate radio recordings often contain adult language.
The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive (SRAA) is a collection of shortwave radio recordings that you can download or listen to as a podcast. The collection grows every day and includes both historic recordings and current recordings from the shortwave radio spectrum.
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