Radio Netherlands (Death of Pope John Paul I): September 28, 1978

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.

Radio Netherlands: January 1, 1975

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

Radio Nethlerlands shortwave broadcast to Africa recorded in 1975 on 17.810 MHz at 1830 UTC. Transmission opens with a unique trumpet/drums interval signal, singing station identification/jingle, and announcements in the French language.

Rough translation: "This is Radio Netherlands, Hilversum, Holland broadcasting on 16 meters, 17810 kHz." [Singing jingle] "You are listening to the Netherlands Global Radio Network, Radio Netherlands, Hilversum, Holland. Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, according to where you are receiving our signal right now. We are going to spend the next 80 minutes together, and we invite you to listen to our show in the French language."

Starting time: 1830 UTC

Frequency: 17.810

RX location: Plymouth, Minnesota

Receiver and antenna: Hammarlund HQ-180, longwire

Radio Netherlands service to Biak: circa 1980s

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tony King, who shares the following recording Radio Nederland Biak made in the 1980s on 7190 kHz and notes:

Biak was Dutch East Indies. It became part of Indonesia. The announcement is :" radio Omroep New Guinea" (new gin ear) and the content I think originated in the Netherlands as transcriptions and shipped to the colony.

Radio Netherlands service to Surinam: circa 1980s

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tony King, who shares the following recording of Radio Nederland’s Surinam service made in the 1980s on 4850 kHz:

Radio Netherlands Worldwide (Amsterdam Forum): September 4, 2007

The following recording comes from the aircheck archives of The Professor—the late Michael Pool.

According to Michael’s notes, the following recording of RNW was made on September 4, 2007 at 0100 UTC on 9845 kHz. The reception location was likely New York City. No other notes were included with this recording.

After Amsterdam Forum, Michael does do some band-scanning on the shortwave bands, so there are a number of other broadcasters represented here.

Please note as well that the date was marked “04-09-07”. I believe this to be September 4 instead of April 9. If you can confirm otherwise, please comment!

Radio Nederland's 25th Jubilee: April 15, 1972

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

This is a very enjoyable review of the first 25 years of Radio Nederland, hosted by Jerry Cowan. It is the complete broadcast with the news, which at the time was feed via HF from Hilversum to Bonaire. The panel of guests include Bruce Parsons, Neville Gray, as well as the head of the English Department of Radio Nederland, Van Dulken.

It was recorded off air in Queens, NY on 11,730 kHz between 0200-0320 GMT (April 16 GMT). It came from the relay site in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles where RNW had a powerful relay transmitter site. There is some interference but not enough to diminish your enjoyment.

Radio Netherlands (Media Network): April 9, 1982

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

Along with RCI's Shortwave Listener's Digest, Radio Netherlands Media Network was another favorite DX program of mine. Here is a recording of an episode from April 9, 1982 which is the first recording of this program from my archive. The show highlights are: media coverage of the Falklands War from the British and Argentinian sides, Pete Meyers with a report that Radio New Zealand did not shut down, the US-Cuban media war, Richard Ginbey with African media news and John Campbell with a clandestine radio report. Audio quality is only fair for this recording. I will try not to post recordings of Media Network which are already available on Jonathan Marks' Media Network Vintage Vault website.

Date of recording: 4/9/1982

Starting time: 0230

Frequency: 9.590 MHz

Receiver location: South Bend, IN

Receiver: Realistic DX-302

Radio Nederland's "What's New": November 6, 1976

Paul's reel tape containing this Radio Netherland's recording

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

Radio Nederland's "What's New" was a Saturday night program that featured hits from the weekly Dutch Top 30.  The show was co-hosted by American Bruce Parsons and Australian Graham GIll.  Based on the charts from that week, this show aired on 6 November 1976.  Shows like "What's New" introduced me to pop/rock artists that didn't receive airplay in the USA.  It also introduced me to other shows on Radio Nederland later on, such as "His And Hers," "Happy Station," and especially "Media Network."

Radio Netherlands, Happy Station Show: November 16, 1980

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Richard Collings, who notes:

Surprises galore for host Tom Meijer on his 42nd birthday: includes Tom being caught out by the technical team who play a recording of him trying to sing the classic Perry Como song 'It's impossible' as a send-up. Also birthday wishes in song from several members of the foreign language teams at Radio Nederland (as it was then known) in 1980.

This recording was made on Sunday 16th November 1980 from 0930 to 1020 GMT. Recorded off-air on 9,895Khz in Plymouth, Devon, UK. Tom Meyer also makes reference to the date being the 52nd anniversary of the 'Happy Station Show'.

Radio Netherlands, Happy Station Show: December 23, 1979

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Richard Collings, who notes:

The Happy Station Show of Sunday 23rd December 1979. A pre-recorded special Christmas show with Tom Meijer. Broadcast from 0930 to 1020GMT [on 9895 kHz and received in Plymouth, Devon, UK].

Special Radio Netherlands broadcast via WRMI: January 18, 2015

Last week, I received a message from Peter De Groot, who announced a special broadcast of Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW).

RNW has been off the air for more than 2.5 years, so we can assume this was not sponsored by RNW.

Though scheduling (and the fact I forgot to start a spectrum recording–!) interfered with my ability to listen to the first broadcast on January 17, I was able to catch the January 18 broadcast at 01:00 UTC on 7,570 kHz. The show was relayed by WRMI.

The broadcast came in so strong, when I heard the interval signal, it instantly transported me back to the days when Hilversum targeted eastern North America. Gave me chill bumps.

I was able to record the entire program but did not include the WRMI station ID before and after the special.

For your listening pleasure, one full hour of Radio Netherlands Worldwide via WRMI in Florida USA–click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Enjoy:

Shortwave Radio Interval Signals 1976-77

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Greg Shoom, who shares this recording of interval signals from 1976-1977. He has kindly logged the interval signals as:

• Deutsche Welle

• R. Nederland

• Voice Mirror of the PTT Habana, Cuba

• Voice of Spain

• History of R. Nederland's interval signal

• R. Nederland Arabic service

• Unidentified interval signal 2

• R. Canada International

• R. Nacional de Brasilia

• Interval signal history from R. Nederland

• R. RSA

• Voice of Iran

• R. Habana Cuba

• BBC Spanish Service

• Voice of Turkey

Recorded 1976 and 1977 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3 or simply listen via the embedded player below. Please subscribe to our podcast to receive future recordings automatically.

Shortwave Compilation, circa 1977

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Greg Shoom, who submits this recording: a compilation of clips from various shortwave stations, circa 1977. Greg didn't note specific dates, times, nor frequencies when he originally made the recording, but he has notes some details of the clips included:

Shortwave Compilation, Early 1977

• Transworld Radio - Interval signal and ID.
• Radio Veritas ID, as heard on Radio Nederland.
• Radio Nederland - The story of Radio Nederland's French language service interval signal (in English).
• Radio Nederland - Clip about interference in Scandinavia from Soviet over-the-horizon radar on shortwave.
• Radio Santa Fe ID. Probably from Radio Santa Fe, HJAF, Bogota, Colombia, which used to operate on 4965 kHz. I don't know if this was my recording of this ID, or one I heard on a DX program.
• Radio Nederland - French language service interval signal and ID.
• Unidentified utility interval signal.
• Radio Alvorada da Londrina, Brazil ID - heard on Radio Nederland.
• BBC World Service - Interval signal and ID in Portuguese.
• Radio Nederland - Story of Radio Nederland's official tune.
• Disturbing trends in DXing - From HCJB's DX Partyline show.

Greg made these recordings with either a Sony CRF-5090 or Realistic DX-160. All recordings were made in early 1977 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Radio Nederland ("Happy Station Show"), "Why Join a DX Club?", LW Beacons: December 27, 1976

Greg Shoom used a Sony CRF-5090. (Photo courtesy of Universal Radio)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Greg Shoom, who submits this recording which includes Radio Nederland's Happy Station Show from December 27, 1976.  Greg writes:

"This is the first of a set of DX cassette tapes I made back in the late 1970s. Most of it is a recording of the broadcast of the Christmas 1976 edition of the Happy Station program on Radio Nederland.

Following that is a short segment "Why join a DX club?" (broadcaster, date, and frequency of recording unknown), and a few minutes of longwave beacons."

He also includes the playlist/log with notes:

DX Tape 01

1. "Happy Station" - R. Nederland English language show, Host: Tom Meyer, Dec. 27, 1976, 6165 kHz, 0200-0320 UTC,  SINPO 44444 
2. "Why Join a DX Club?" 
3. IDs: Q, Y, P, W, M, YGK (Longwave beacons) 

Greg made these recordings from 1976-1977 with his Sony CRF-5090 portable radio in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Remember, you can download all of the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive as a podcast by subscribing to our iTunes or RSS feed. 

If you can help ID the broadcast, "Why Join a DX Club?" please comment!

RNW: The Happy Station Show, 26 July 1992

 (Source: happystationshow.blogspot.com)

Jan Oversteen sends us this recording of the Happy Station Show and comments:

"Part of the Happy Station Show from July 26, 1992. This is the broadcast in where Tom Meijer announced that Pete Meijers is going to take over the program."

Thank you for sharing this recording, Jan!  If you would like to share recordings, simply submit a recording with this form.

Trevor Baylis in the Vintage Vault

Earlier this week, I posted an article about wind-up (clockwork) radio inventor, Trevor Baylis. I recently discovered a 1995 episode of RNW's Media Network, which featured Baylis--and the clockwork radio--in the context of inventions that would carry us beyond the new millenium:

(Source: Media Network Vintage Vault)

Remember Trevor Baylis and the wind-up radio? I organised a conference for Radio Netherlands at the International Broadcasting Convention IBC between September 11-14th 1995. We decided to celebrate the fact that we were 5 years away from a new Millennium by looking at the technologies that would carry us forward. That included a look at different codings for DAB, a reality check on radio by Sri Lankan broadcaster Victor Goonetilleke and a special performance about the Clockwork Radio from Trevor Baylis, the British inventor who turned up in Amsterdam and charmed the audience with his frank, funny and brilliant introduction to the concept of wind-up radios. A few weeks after the conference we produced a special CD for those who took part. This is a copy for those who missed it. It's double the length of a normal Media Network, just over an hour.

You can download this archive episode of Media Network on the Vintage Vault website.

By the way, Jonathan Mark's Media Network Vintage Vault has many, many audio treasures from the radio past. Certainly worth bookmarking!

Audio clip: My tribute to Radio Netherlands Worldwide

In a previous post, I mentioned a short audio piece--a tribute to Radio Netherlands Worldwide--I recorded for the NRC DX Audio service. Here is a SoundCloud copy of the clip:

Tribute to Radio Netherlands Worldwide on the NRC's DX Audio Service

The National Radio Club requested that I read and record my tribute to Radio Netherlands Worldwide for their audio service intended to benefit their visually-impaired readers. The broadcast is divided into sides A and B (of a cassette tape). My narration begins about midway through side B.

Click to download:

• Side A
• Side B

Radio Netherlands says farewell in style

Thursday night, by the light of an oil lamp, I tuned my trusty Sony portable shortwave to 6,165 kHz. At 2:00 UTC, I was rewarded with a rich, full signal from Radio Netherlands Worldwide’s transmission site in Bonaire. Here in this off-grid cabin, on sixty rural acres, I bask in the freedom from electrical noise that might otherwise interfere with my shortwave radio listening—at least in this respect, this is the perfect DXpedition cabin. The signal coming out of Bonaire, however, would have overcome any interference: Radio Netherlands, my dear friend of some 32 years, had opened a special frequency for those of us in eastern North America…in order to say their good-byes to the airwaves.

I can only describe the experience of listening as radio bliss…pure radio bliss…marred only by the bittersweet realization that these were RNW’s final days on the air. The experience harkened back to the day when the big broadcasters had booming signals directed toward us.

But, alas. All too brief.

The broadcast was simply entitled Farewell and Thank You. You can hear it just as I heard it—through my recording--here (actual broadcast starts at 1:15):

Then, all day Friday, for nearly 24 hours straight, RNW bid good-bye and farewell to various parts of the world via shortwave, satellite and the internet. I was lucky enough to catch two more broadcasts.

This time of day (19:00 UTC), however, I needed bigger ears than the Sony could provide. I was listening to broadcasts targeting west and east Africa, not North America. Having already charged my laptop battery, I plugged in the Bonito Radiojet (an SDR that I’m currently reviewing) and, just before 1900 UTC, directed her towards 17,605 kHz. Though my Sony found the signal barely audible, the RadioJet produced beautiful fidelity.

This RNW broadcast, entitled The First 50 Years, took listeners through the highlights and history of the Dutch radio service. Here’s the recording I made with the RadioJet:

A final sign-off

RNW headquarters in Hilversum, Netherlands (photo coutesty: RNW)

At 20:00 UTC, RNW broadcast their very final show—a repeat of Farewell and Thank You (above) appropriately targeting Africa once more. I tuned the dial to 11615 kHz and listened again to the full broadcast. This time, however, as the program drew to its close, the broadcast crew added a personal message.

Jonathan Groubert, the talented host of The State We’re In, broadcasted live from Hilversum’s Studio 4 for a deeply touching adieu. Tears were shed, and I’m not ashamed to confess that I, too, listened through a haze of them as these capable and dedicated journalists, whom I’ve grown to trust, signed off the RNW airwaves for the last time.

But listen for yourself:

Jonathan Marks, RNW’s host of MediaNetwork, also featured in the farewell broadcast, recorded the final sign-off from within Studio 4. You can listen to this and read the description on his excellent website.

Dank je wel, Radio Nederland

RNW--my dear radio friends—I’m going to miss you. Your personalities--and the collective personality of RNW itself--your award-winning content, news, reporting, and your integrity stood out amongst all those Cold War broadcasters I listened to growing up—who, as you so well put it, were merely mouthpieces for their respective governments.

Radio Nederland, I loved your broadcasting because you were fearless: you marched to the beat of your own drummer, were not afraid to turn a critical eye even upon yourself, and as a result--in a world of sham journalism, of compromise and hypocrisy—you earned my trust. You had nothing to hide, and you had so many stories to tell.

RNW: I listened.

I wish you (and your intrepid creators) the very best in all that you do. I trust your new incarnation(s), whatever form they take, will do much good in this world which so sorely needs it, and sincerely believe that your integrity will live on.