For your listening pleasure: 32 minutes of pirate radio station, WMPR.
I recorded this broadcast of WMPR on 6.925MHz AM on February 17th, 2013 at 10:00 UTC. You'll note that this recording sounds a little "brighter" than a typical shortwave radio recording. This is due to the fact that I widened the AM filter to match the bandwidth of WMPR's signal (about 17 kHz!).
Click here to download the MP3 of the recording of WMPR, or simply listen below:
The Mighty KBC broadcast again early this morning (from 00:00-02:00 UTC) on 9,450 kHz. Their signal was quite strong into North America and there was very little interference of any sort. As we've come to expect, the KBC's Giant Jukebox of music has a lot of rock-n-roll variety, spanning the decades.
And as I've mentioned before, perhaps what I love most about The Mighty KBC is their format; it harkens back to the day when my local radio stations had professional DJ's behind the mic, people who loved music and loved their job. Thanks to Eric and The Mighty KBC for blasting the Giant Jukebox across the planet! I look forward to their broadcast every weekend.
You can listen to the full recording below in the embedded player, or simply right click this link and save the MP3 file to your computer:
You'll notice that Kim Elliott has another installation of digital text modes in this broadcast. At about 01:30 UTC, Olivia 8-2000 will be centered on 1500 Hertz, and PSKR125 centered on 2800 Hertz. At just before 02:00 UTC, images in MFSK32 will be at 1000 and 2000 Hertz, with another image in MFSK16 at 2600 Hertz.
Decode these digital modes using Fldigi from www.w1hkj.com.
Wolverine Radio was the strongest of the pirate radio stations I heard last night.
Wolverine was broadcasting on 6.935 MHz in the upper side band. Very good signal and excellent fidelity for SSB. Typical of Wolverine, lots of music variety and no commentary other than station ID throughout.
Wolverine Radio–at least each time I’ve heard them–sends an SSTV image at the end of the broadcast. Last night was no exception, though I had a difficult time decoding, and no time to tinker.
UPDATE: Thanks, Ragnar of Pirates Week, for both of the Wolverine images.
Ragnar decoded both SSTV graphics using using MMSTV in Scottie1 mode.
Click here to download an MP3 of Wolverine Radio's broadcast, or stream via the embedded player below:
Numbers stations have always been a dark oddity that pop up from time-to-time in the course of shortwave radio listening. There is unquestionably an air of mystery and intrigue which surrounds them. With the release of the movie The Numbers Station, many non-SWLers may be enticed to explore the HF bands. A good thing, as it may draw fresh interest to this classic radio hobby. I have heard numbers stations since I first started listening to shortwave radio broadcasts some thirty years ago, and I find that I often pause to listen (and to wonder) when I come across one on the bands. The numbers station I hear most often, though the country of origin cannot be confirmed, is in Cuba--well, at least, we're pretty certain of that. The same female voice, reading numbers in Spanish, has been Cuba's calling card in the spy numbers world for some time.
Two weeks ago, on a Sunday morning between 10:00-11:00 UTC, I captured the Cuban spy numbers station widely recognized as HM01 (Hybrid Mode Number 01) on 5,855 kHz. HM01 broadcasts a mixture of AM voice and digital file transfer modes intermixed within the same transmission. The voice heard is the familiar Spanish female voice described above; the digital portion of the broadcast uses a mode called RDFT, a differential phase shift keying mode that has never become popular or standard in the ham radio world. If you're feeling adventurous, the Windows software DIGTRX (download here) can decode RDFT. Let us know what, if anything, you discover...
You can click here to download the entire HM01 broadcast as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:
For your listening pleasure: 28 minutes of pirate radio fun, courtesy of Radio GaGa.
Recorded on Saturday, February 2nd, 2013–starting around 00:10 UTC–on 6.925 MHz (USB).
Click here to download the MP3 of the recording, or simply listen below: Standard Pirate Radio Disclaimer:This is a recording of a real pirate radio broadcast, and as such, may include strong or colorful language or lyrics. In general, if you are easily offended by the words, ideas, music lyrics, or music herein, you should slowly...back... away...
One Radio Australia music program I make a point of listening to each week-- besides Saturday Night Country--is a wonderful show called Jazz Notes.
Jazz Notes showcases the best in Australian jazz, often featuring new and original recordings made in ABC's studios. The show is hosted by Ivan Lloyd and has been offered on Radio Australia for several years. I listen to the show every Wednesday morning at 8:30 am EST. If you've never heard of Jazz Notes, I can understand why, since it's only a 30 minute show and begins at the half hour--but it's certainly worth hearing.
Next week, make a point to tune your shortwave radio to 5940, 9580 or 11945 kHz on Wednesday at 13:30 UTC. As you will hear in the following recording, listeners in North America will be most impressed by the strong signal out of Shepparton, Australia, on 9,580 kHz. Even an inexpensive portable receiver can pick up this robust broadcast.
Click here to download the full recording of Jazz Notes as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:
While Rave On Radio's upper side band signal was fairly weak, at least in my part of the world, on Friday night, I managed to record it just the same. The broadcast started around 23:15 UTC (February 1st) on 6,925 kHz.
I believe I recorded the entire broadcast; if not, I at least captured the majority of it. This is not "armchair" copy, of course, but it doesn't take seasoned ears to hear the IDs and music through the static, either. (Indeed, I rather appreciate this skill-dependent aspect of the listening hobby).
Click here to download an MP3 of the entire show, or simply listen in the embedded Archive.org player below:
Note:This is a recording of a real pirate radio broadcast. Though I don't think this broadcast applies, if you are easily offended by strong lyrics and offensive music, you should slowly back away.
The Mighty KBC's broadcast from Bulgaria was mighty strong last night into North America. I recorded the full 2 hour show of The Giant Jukebox on 9,450 kHz beginning at 00:00 UTC. As I've come to expect from The Mighty KBC, this show has an marvelous mix of rock-n-roll through the decades along with Eric's professional DJing. The Mighty KBC has real people behind the music mix, a refreshing alternative to the iHeart Radio and Pandoras of the world.
Click here to download an MP3 of the entire show, or simply listen via the embedded Archive.org player below:
Of course, this recording includes Kim Elliott's digital text modes. For those of you who would like to decode it, here are the details:
At about 01:30 into the recording, 4xPSK63R is centered on 1000 Hz and MFSK64 centered on 2000 Hz. (For 4XPSK63R, use Fldigi 3.21.65 or newer: OpMode > PSKR > MultiCarrier > 4XPSK63R.)
At just before the end of the transmission, an image will be transmitted in the MFSK16 mode. Also, MT63-2000 (long interleave) will be centered on 1500 Hz. This will be an Flmsg formatted transmission, with html. Fldigi and Flmsg can be downloaded from www.w1hkj.com.
Please comment if you were able to decode.
Last Saturday night, I caught the shortwave radio pirate, Red Mercury Labs, on 6.9251 MHz in the upper side band. This broadcast, which started around 1:57 UTC, contains a great mix of rock music with some commentary throughout.
You can download the full recording as an MP3 file by clicking here, or listen via the embedded player below. Enjoy:
Ravi Shankar passed away December 11, 2012. Like many people, Shankar was a complicated fellow, but no one can deny his talent on the Sitar. His music will live with us forever, not to mention through the musical talents of his children, Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones. I recorded this clip of him on All India Radio some weeks ago. Click here to download or enjoy below:
I've noticed a broadcaster that routinely transmits weekends at 11:00 UTC on 6,970 kHz. Some mornings, it's much stronger than others. Saturday morning, my time, I managed to record it in its typical format: music. Specifically, Chinese folk music, at least so it sounds to my untrained ear.
I searched through logs and in the WRTH, and I could find no mention of a broadcaster on 6970 kHz. It doesn't help that the 27 minute broadcast contained no audible IDs.
So, I've come to the conclusion that my initial hunch is correct--that this is the Chinese jamming service, Firedrake. Using Firedrake, the Chinese government transmits music on top of broadcasts they wish to block. It's fairly effective (and annoying). While I've heard Firedrake a number of times over the bands, I can't say I've ever tried to listen to the one-hour production.
The following recording contains a 27 minute broadcast of what I believe may be Firedrake on 6,970 kHz, starting around 11:00 UTC, Saturday January 26, 2013. Click here to download the MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Note that the first two minutes have some digital noises (in the lower side band) that affected my receiver's AGC.
If you can confirm or correct my supposition, please comment!
If you live in the Americas and you regularly listen to a shortwave radio, you have no doubt heard Radio Havana Cuba across the shortwave spectrum. When I travel in North or Central America, I can easily hear RHC, often without even extending the telescopic antenna on my portable. A long-running program on RHC's English hour is Arnie Coro's DXers Unlimited.
Tuesday night, I recorded the DXers Unlimited segment from RHC's The English Hour on 6 MHz, and offer it here for your listening pleasure. If the recording doesn't sound typical of shortwave radio, it's because: a) RHC's signal is exceptionally strong into North America, and b) I recorded this with an AM filter 24 kHz wide. In other words, I widened my DSP filter to match RHC's bandwidth on my spectrum display--and to put this in perspective, I regularly record between 7-9 kHz wide. (This results in the crisp, high-fidelity audio you hear in this recording, though unfortunately at the compromise of any adjacent stations abiding by HF broadcasting etiquette.)
You can download the MP3 directly by clicking here, or simply listen in the embedded player below:
I was travelling Saturday night, but had the foresight to set my WinRadio Excalibur to record the pirate spectrum. There were few pirates on the band--less than I would have expected to hear on a holiday weekend in the US--and some of them were plagued by a local broadcaster whose spurious emissions wiped out the whole band at times.
I did catch a couple of interesting unidentified broadcasts, most likely transmitter tests as both were very short. The first broadcast came on around 3:10 UTC (Jan 20) and consisted of two songs, ending with the Tardis sound effect from Dr. Who. Click here to download the MP3 file, or listen in the player below:
The second broadcast came on just after 7:00 UTC and consisted of only one song--no IDs at all. I would suspect this was the same pirate; however, the first broadcast had a tinny sound that this broadcast lacked. Indeed, their USB signal was quite amazing (wish s/he would have broadcast a full show). Click here to download the recording, or listen via the player below:
Please comment if you think you can ID these broadcasts.
For your listening pleasure: 193 minutes of music, and a little Greek commentary, from the Voice of Greece. Recorded on Friday, January 18th–starting around 22:30 UTC–on 9.42 MHz. Click here to download the MP3 of the recording, or simply listen below:
Radio Romania International is on of my favorite international broadcasters. I routinely listen to their broadcasts in English and French. With the demise of Radio Bulgaria in 2012, I turn to RRI for news not only about Romania, but Eastern Europe in general. I do fear for the future of Radio Romania International on the shortwaves as so many broadcasters are pulling out of the spectrum and putting all of their faith into online "broadcasting." If you enjoy RRI as much as I do, consider submitting a reception report and letting them know that you're listening.
Tuesday, I recorded RRI's English broadcast from Tiganesti on 9.435 MHZ (21:30 UTC)--quite an easy and reliable catch in eastern North America. You can click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:
After posting my latestAll India Radio recording, SWLing Post reader, Pete, suggested that I check out their broadcasts starting around 21:00 UTC on 11,670 and 9,445 kHz, as they are quite strong into North America. He was right.
On Thursday afternoon, I tuned the Bonito RadioJet to 9,445 kHz, where I was greeted with a strong signal from AIR's Bengaluru, India, transmitter site (over 8,500 miles from my home). I compared the signal on the RadioJet with that of my trusty WinRadio Excalibur to find that the RadioJet's audio was somewhat fuller and richer. In situations where AM sync detection is not needed, I may start using the RadioJet for recordings. I've been using it strategically over the past few months for DRM reception and digging weak stations out of the static--something I typically don't record, but probably should, as the RadioJet deserves even more air and recording time!
I recorded this AIR broadcast on Thursday January 10th–around 21:30 UTC–on 9.445 MHz. This particular broadcast features news, commentary and the wonderful music I've come to expect from All India Radio. You can download the MP3 by clicking here, or simply listen in the embedded player below. Enjoy!
This past weekend, I recorded several stations on the 25 meter band, including (recently posted) All India Radio and Radio Nacional da Amazonia. Though I noted Radio Nacional's booming signal into North America, Radio Japan's audio fidelity was simply amazing; very clear, no sign of transmitter hum nor distortion, and only the slightest QSB. Their signal emanated from the Montsinery site in French Guiana--a mere stone's throw away in the shortwave world. I recorded a little over an hour of their broadcast on 11.935 MHz, January 6th, 2013 starting around 02:30 UTC. The recording features Japanese commentary and a variety of music--it starts with the show tune Memory from the 1981 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats.
Click here to download the MP3 of the recording, or listen below:
On of my favorite shortwave stations for music, besides Voice of Greece, is All India Radio (AIR). Since their broadcasts originate on the other side of the planet (from my location), their signal bounces off the ionosphere many times before I ever hear it. I actually like the result of this; the static of space makes their already beautiful music sound even more textured, enhancing the distance of its source, and heightening the music's sense of mystery and nostalgia. I recorded this AIR broadcast on Sunday, January 6th–around 02:30 UTC–on 11.74 MHz. You can download the MP3 by clicking here, or simply listen in the embedded player below. Enjoy!
This past weekend, Radio Nacional da Amazonia had a booming signal into North America on 11,780 kHz. I recorded their broadcast throughout the night, assuming it would eventually fade; however, it did not. So, if you're in the mood for some Brazilian music and commentary today, this eight-hour recording of Radio Nacional da Amazonia should satisfy.
This was recorded on Sunday, January 6th–starting around 02:30 UTC–on 11.78 MHz. Click here to download the full recording as an MP3 file (276 MB!), or listen in the embedded player below:
Note to those subscribed to our podcast: I was a bit reluctant to include a link to the podcast feed as this file is so large; I rarely make eight-hour recordings. I did offer it up, however, based on the fact that there are so many other podcasters who regularly serve up files in excess of 250 MB. If you believe this file is too large to be included as a podcast, please comment; I certainly don't want to choke up your bandwidth or overwhelm your iPod! But it's wonderful listening.
Last night, the 25 and 19 meter bands were alive with signals from across the globe into the early morning hours. I recorded several broadcasters, including Radio Nacional da Amazonia, Radio Japan, All India Radio and Radio Nacional Agentina who had a strong signals into North America. In this recording of Radio Nacional Argentina you'll hear Spanish commentary and a variety of music (including The Beatles). Recorded on Sunday, January 6th–around 02:30 UTC–on 15.345 MHz.
Click here to download the MP3 of the recording, or listen below:
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