Radio Australia and 8DR Darwin (Coverage of Cyclone Tracy: December 25, 1974

A picture taken by the ESSA-8 satellite that shows Cyclone Tracy on December 25, 1974 (Source: Wikipedia via NASA)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Rawdon, who shares the following recording and notes:

Announcement explaining the reason for a reduced signal strength. Cyclone Tracy put the Darwin transmitter site off air. News bulletin plus other selected items that were broadcast relating to the evacuation of Darwin. Because the local 8DR MW transmitter was damaged a microwave link was set up between Darwin and Shepparton with the programme transmitted back to Darwin on shortwave.

Date of recording: 12/25/1974

Starting time: 2100 UTC

Frequency: 9.58 MHz

Your location: Lower Hutt, New Zealand, 26 December NZDT

Receiver and antenna: Trio 9R59DSM communications receiver with a random length long wire

ABC Far North, Emergency Broadcast Service: April 11, 2014

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Mark Fahey, who has shared this special recording: a shortwave relay of the ABC Far North radio service. Mark explains:

"ABC Radio (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Far North (Queensland, Australia) Emergency Broadcast Service during the period that Severe Tropical Cyclone was making landfall in Australia's Far North Queensland region. This capture of the shortwave broadcast was made near Sydney, Australia on 6.15MHz at 2119 Queensland Time (1119 UTC) on the 11th April 2014. The broadcast was being transmitted via a re-purposed Radio Australia transmitter in Shepperton, Victoria.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Ita is a tropical cyclone that crossed the coast of Queensland, Australia on 11 April 2014. The system was first identified over the Solomon Islands as a tropical low on 1 April 2014, and gradually moved westward, eventually reaching cyclone intensity on 5 April. On 10 April, Ita intensified rapidly into a powerful Category 5 system on the Australian Scale, but it weakened significantly in the hours immediately precedinglandfall the following day. At the time of landfall at Cape Flattery at 12 April 22:00 (UTC+10), Dvorak intensity was approximately T5.0, consistent with a weak Category 4 system, and considerably lower than T6.5 observed when the system was at maximal intensity. Meteorologists noted the system had, at such time, developed a secondary eyewall which weakened the inner eyewall; as a result, the system was considerably less powerful than various intensity scales predicted. Ita's impact on terrain was attenuated accordingly."

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