Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel LRA36 Base Esperanza Antarctica: February 20, 1999

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

Qatar Broadcasting Service (Interval Signal): February 21, 1999

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following recording and notes:

Recorded on February 21, 1999, this is the Qatar Broadcasting Service from Doha signing on with their interval signal and announcement in Arabic. They were using 7210 kHz and a little amateur radio interference can be heard as one might expect. Receiver location was Coe Hill, Ontario, Canada.

Broadcaster: Qatar Broadcasting Service

Date of recording: 2/21/1999

Starting time: 0245 UTC

Frequency: 7.210 MHz

Reception location: Coe Hill, Ontario, Canada

Receiver and antenna: Drake SW-8 and a long wire antenna

Radio Pyongyang (Mandarin Service): April 25, 1999

Kim Jong Il Voice of Korea Propaganda - 1.jpeg

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Andy Wang, who shares the following recording and notes:

DPRK's international radio service was named "Radio Pyongyang" until year 2002. Now it is called "Voice of Korea".

In Chinese, Korean and Japanese languages, there are different words to distinguish the north and south.

In English language, word "Korea" may stand for both.

I think the name "Radio Pyongyang" is clear, does not have ambiguity. The name "Voice of Korea", we cannot guess which side it is from.

The radio recording was on the Military Foundation Day in DPRK, 25 April 1999. Its content is the celebration of the festival.

The programmes are political promotion news, editorials, songs and music.

The distance from receiving place Shenyang to Pyongyang is about 374.3KM, to Seoul is about 565.4KM, and to Beijing is about 660.5KM.

The two distances are shorter than to China's capital, it is easier to receive the radio programmes from the Korean Peninsula, and no special equipment is required.

Sometimes in the night, in the mid wave band, the radio transmission from North Korea can "mix" with Shenyang local radio signal, unintentionally interferes the local broadcast.

Broadcaster: Radio Pyongyang

Date of recording: 4/25/1999

Starting time: 11:00

Frequency: 9.445 MHz

Reception location: Shenyang China

Receiver and antenna: Philips Radio Receiver and Casette Recorder AW7509 with antenna on it

BBC World Service - New Year's Eve, Millennium Celebration: December 31, 1999

Big-Ben-Clock-Tower-BBC.jpg

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Laskowski, who shares the following recording and notes:

New Year's Eve has always been a good night to stay home and play radio. This recording is one I won't ever have the chance to hear live again. Here are the last four minutes and forty seconds of the GMT year 1999 and the first 25 minutes twenty seconds of the year 2000. As a tradition I would always welcome the GMT New Year by tuning in to the BBC to hear the chimes from Big Ben (which I believe were heard live).
Date of recording: 12/31/1999
Starting time: 23:55:20
Frequency: 6.175 MHz
Receiver location: South Bend, Indiana
Receiver and antenna: Icon IC-725 transceiver