Voice of Russia

Syria is one of the biggest international news items at the moment. If you want to hear Russia’s side of the story, there’s no better place than via the Voice of Russia.

Many thanks to Frank for submitting this recording of the Voice of Russia English language service. Frank recorded this broadcast on September 14, 2013 starting at 22:00 on 9,465 kHz with his Kenwood R-5000 receiver.

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

BBC World Service

The BBC World Service English language service recorded on 9,735 kHz on September 14, 2013, starting at 15:00 UTC. This BBC WS broadcast originated from a 100 kW transmitter located at the Tashkent transmitter site, in Uzbekistan, Asia.

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

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording.

China Radio International English Service

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of China Radio International's (CRI) English Service.

Recorded on 17,490 kHz on September 13, 2013, starting at 07:00 UTC. This CRI broadcast originated from a 500 kW transmitter located at the Kashi transmitter site in China.

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

Voice of Greece

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this three hour recording of the Voice of Greece. 

Recorded in Europe on September, 12 2013 starting at 05:00 UTC on 11,645 kHz.

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

Radio Thailand World Service

Ayutthaya, Thailand  (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of Radio Thailand World Service. 

Recorded in Europe on September, 13 2013 starting at 19:00 UTC on 9,390 kHz.

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

Pirate Radio Recordings: Radio Casablanca

Confession time: one of my favorite pirate radio stations is Radio Casablanca.

Why?   

For one thing the format is WWII-era music. When I hear Radio Casablanca, I close my eyes and imagine what it must have been like to hear the great bands of the era over the shortwaves...

Radio nostalgia at its best. 

The signal strength is always sufficient to be heard in relatively good fidelity here in my radio room, but not so strong as to detract from the perceived distance. I believe the recording you'll hear below could very well mimic broadcasts over shortwave, heard across borders during WWII as well as listened to on classic console radios in people's living rooms and front parlors.

When my buddy Mark Coady posted that he was listening to Radio Casablanca last night on 6940 kHz AM, I immediately rushed outside to hook up my antenna, and started rolling.  I didn't want to miss even one more minute (I came across Mark's post about twenty minutes into the broadcast). Though regional storms produced some static pops and crashes, overall fidelity is decent. You will hear the filter and side-band sync being adjusted at times as I attempted to eliminate adjacent noises--which, in the end, are all a part of the listening experience.

Click here to download an MP3 of the recording, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Either way, prepare to go (or at least, send your ears) back in time... 

Deutsche Welle: September 3, 2013

For your listening pleasure: a recording of the Deutsche Welle English service made this morning, September 3rd, starting at 04:00 UTC.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below (note about 40 seconds of carrier prior to the beginning of the broadcast):

Voice of Greece: September 1, 2013

Lately, the Voice of Greece has been playing very long sets of music; and not all of it Greek. I assume the break in format has to do with the reorganization of Greek national broadcasting.

I believe VoG could be cut on a moment's notice. With heavy cuts being dealt to national broadcasting, I doubt they'll keep investing in shortwave radio since they no longer even have an English language service. This is one of the reasons I've devoted a lot of recording time to VoG as of late.

I certainly hope I'm wrong about my prediction.

On September 1st, I recorded over five hours of VoG, starting around 22:00 UTC. After about an hour of Greek commentary, you'll hear music ranging from contemporary to classical.

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

BOCHF (Boards of Canada HF) Pirate Radio

Friday night (30 August 2013), I came across a new shortwave pirate radio station: BOCHF.

BOCHF started broadcasting around 23:10 UTC on 6,925 kHz USB, and after about a twenty-five minute set, took a five minute break, then returned with a  forty-two minute set, ending with an SSTV QSL. The signal, as you can hear below, is fairly strong, but interference was also strong at times; especially from SSB pescadores (fishermen) and the usual summer static crashes.

The entire mix consisted of Boards of Canada music from Tomorrow’s Harvest. There were no vocal ID’s, but there were messages in CW (Morse code) which clearly identifies this pirate as BOCHF.

The artists Boards of Canada have always had an affinity with shortwave radio, so I find a shortwave pirate station playing their music to be an appropriate tribute. Due to sound card problems, I was unable to decode the SSTV QSL, but thankfully a great copy was posted on HF Underground’s pirate radio forum (see above) by forum contributor, Chris Smolinski.

Click here to download MP3s of Part One and Part Two from the full broadcast last night or simply listen via the embedded audio players below:

Again this morning (1 September 2013) at 2:20 UTC–and last night, during a very active night of pirate radio activity–BOCHF crept onto the airwaves, this time on 6,920 kHz USB.

Yesterday, BOCHF played the Boards of Canada album Tomorrow’s Harvest; this morning, they played their album In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country.

And how did it sound?  Combining the music of the Boards of Canada with the sonic texture of the shortwave ether is a winning combination, in my opinion. But don’t take my word for it: take a listen yourself.

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

BOCHF also sent me this hi-resolution QSL card (below) after hearing the off-air recordings.

Many thanks, BOCHF! 

Radio Australia: Saturday Night Country

As on many Saturdays, this morning, I sipped my coffee while listening to ABC’s Saturday Night Country from Radio Australia’s Shepparton shortwave transmission site on 9.58 MHz…some 9,800 miles from my home.

In this program, Catherin Britt continues to fill in for Felicity Urquhart (who is on maternity leave).

I captured a two hour broadcast which you can download by clicking here or simply listening via the embedded player below. 

Saturday Night Country Host, Catherine Britt (Photo: ABC)

Voice of Greece

For your listening pleasure: a recording of the Voice of Greece made Tuesday night, August 20th, starting at 23:00 UTC.

This broadcast begins with my favorite Voice of Greece station ID, then, following a little Greek commentary, resumes with an eclectic mix of music.

This is one of the few broadcasts I've heard with a substantial dose of non-Greek music. Click here to download the full recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below: 

All India Radio: a welcome voice

Also published on The SWLing Post:

Many afternoons, I'm drawn to All India Radio on 9,445 kHz. I love what the ether does to their Bengaluru transmitting station's signal as it travels at the speed of light over 8,700 miles to my home here in the southeastern US.

Pressing hands together with a smile to greet Namaste/Namaskar – a common cultural practice in India. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

I enjoy, too, the way All India Radio announcers speak the news, in slow cadence, honoring the fine tradition of radio: "This is the general overseas service of All India Radio. It's time now for the news.  Please stand by..." I also delight in their English language news bulletins, which begin with "Namaskar."  I appreciate this--it makes it much easier for me to identify the station when listening on an analog radio like my BC-348-Q. I'm sure this makes a difference for many other listeners seeking their station, too.

I also love All India Radio--like I do the Voice of Greece--for their superb music. Where else on the shortwave dial will I hear the sitar sing, as on AIR?

But don't take my word for it. If you live in North America and Europe, when conditions are favorable, All India Radio is a favorite listening experience for many--myself obviously included.

For your listening enjoyment, here is a 30 minute recording I made of All India Radio only an hour ago on 9,445 kHz, starting at 22:00 UTC. Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Voice of America: French service to Africa

For your listening pleasure: a thirty minute show of Voice of America's French service to Africa. Recorded August 13, 2013 on 9.885 MHz starting at 21:00 UTC.

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

Radio Australia: Download This Show

[Note: I originally posted this article, along with the recording, on The SWLing Post]

While I'm passionate about shortwave radio--a technology that has, of course, been around for many decades--I also love to hear about emerging digital technologies, especially those that make our world a better place.

These days, I listen to several shows about technology, many of which are only available as a live stream or podcast (like TWIT, for example).

There are two shows, however, that I like to listen to on shortwave radio when my schedule allows.

One such show is the BBC World Service technology show, Click (formerly Digital Planet). I've listened to Click for years, and have even been interviewed on the show by its marvelous host Gareth Mitchell (click here to listen). I especially love the show's focus on technologies that have a positive impact in developing countries (hence my interview, about my non-profit, ETOW). Mitchell, I'm delighted to add, is quite the fan of shortwave radio as well, and is not afraid of reporting on technologies that are not exclusively tied to smart phones and the like.

Another show I've been listening to for a few months is Download This Show on Radio Australia. It's a fun and informative technology program and always has a great panel discussion on technology news. What I really love about this show is its take on Australian technology in particular, and how this compares with technology in the rest of the world.

Since Download This Show is broadcast via Radio Australia's Shepparton transmitting site, the signal is quite strong here in North America and easily received on portable shortwave radios.

Click here to download over two hours of Radio Australia, including Download this Show, or listen via the embedded player below. This broadcast was recorded on August 2, 2013, on 9,580 kHz, starting around 13:00 UTC.

You'll find Download This Show in the second hour of the recording, following the news headlines at 1:05.

Radio Australia's "Club Forum" 1973

 (Source: Rob Wagner)

Rob Wagner, VK3BVW, shares this historic recording of Radio Australia's Club Forum, from February 4th, 1973.

Below is Bob's description, taken from his blog the Mount Evelyn DX Report, with recording following:

Here's something I found a few days ago! An old cassette tape of part of Radio Australia's Club Forum program, hosted by the legendary Keith Glover. The program went to air on February 4th, 1973 (over 40 years ago). It's only the first 6 minutes of the show, with Keith reporting on the Australian Radio DX Club'sConvention '73, held in Melbourne.

Keith had been invited to the convention as a guest speaker, delivering a wonderful talk on Radio Australia's devoted listeners around the world and the role that the station played in presenting an Australian Voice internationally. For many years, the station was very popular, particularly in Asia.

Keith's Club Forum report on his visit to the convention mentions many names of enthusiastic Melbourne and Sydney DXers from that era. Keith's programs were always well-prepared, but he was able to communicate with listeners with a relaxed and very personal style......with a feeling that he was almost face-to-face with you in the same room! You can hear that style come out in this recording. Indeed for many years, Keith was one of the best-known voices on shortwave. He died in 2006.

Club Forum was a weekly program, connected to the Radio Australia Listeners Club. A special listeners certificate was available, each individual certificate having it's own membership number.

I'm making this recording public after all these years because:

1)  It may bring back memories to the "Old Folks" amongst us, of a fascinating era when the DX hobby and shortwave listening was blooming, and

2)  Just this last month, Radio Australia discontinued their Mandarin and Indonesian shortwave services - what were formerly their two biggest audiences with literally millions of listeners.

How times have changed!!

I hope you enjoy this brief glimpse into the Radio Australia of a bygone age.

Rob Wagner VK3BVW

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.

Voice of Greece

For your listening pleasure: over three hours of mostly music and commentary from the Voice of Greece. Recorded Sunday, June 23, 2013 on 9.42 MHz starting around 23:00 UTC.

Click here to download the full recording, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

BBC World Service's broadcast to the 2013 British Antarctic Survey

Halley VI: The British Antarctic Survey's new base (Source: BBC)

Every year, the BBC broadcasts a special program to the forty one scientists and support staff in the British Antarctic Survey Team; the show containsmusic requests and, most notably, personal messages from back home to the team of forty one. 

The British Antarctic Survey celebrates today (their longest, darkest winter day) with the same enthusiasm as Christmas. The BBC noted:

The base commanders rise early to cook breakfast for their staff, presents are exchanged, there are sports and even, weather permitting, a mad streak in the snow! Feasting continues before they gather round a shortwave set to listen to the traditional broadcast packed with greetings from their family and friends back home together with music requests and messages from the British Antarctic Survey and a few celebrities. Finally the Antarctic horror movie The Thing is screened. For those who know the plot, perhaps it is just as well there are no longer sledge dogs in Antarctica...

Here is the recording of the BBC World Service's thirty minute broadcast to the British Antarctic Survey. I was able to receive a relatively strong signal at 21:30 UTC on 9,890 kHz from the World Service's Wooferton transmission site.

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

The Voice of Greece returns

On Tuesday, June 11, 2013, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras called for the complete closure of the Greek National TV and Radio broadcaster, ERT.

The Voice of Greece went off the air, just like its national radio and TV counterparts, well before the announced midnight deadline. But around 22:44 UTC, the VoG came back on the air–at first with a few audio/technical glitches–and broadcast ERT protest coverage throughout the night.

The following recording was made on June 11, 2013 on 9.42 MHz, around 22:44 UTC, the moment when the Voice of Greece began transmitting audio again. Here’s a four hour recording beginning only a few seconds beforehand:

Voice of Turkey

A few days ago, I posted a recording of the Voice of Turkey that noticeably lacked coverage of the Gezi Park protests.

Friday, I recorded VOT’s English language broadcast and was surprised to find that they actually mentioned the protests (admittedly, without it’s due weight) in several news items. I’m very curious how future VOT broadcasts will cover news of yesterday’s riots in Istanbul as police cleared crowds of protesters with water cannons and tear gas.

Click here to download the full recording, or simply listen via the embedded player below: