Radio Polonia: post martial law declaration 1981 (Part 1)

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Jim Jordan, who shares this three part recording of Radio Polonia and notes:

After the declaration of martial law in Poland on December 13, 1981 Radio Polonia ceased broadcasting. Broadcasts in English instead continued from a military base near Warsaw Airport. The staff of Radio Polonia returned to the air soon afterwards and here are three broadcasts from that period in Poland's history. Of some of the presenters that you will hear, Konrad Gocman is in retirement and works as a translator. However Benny Ludkiewicz (aka "Bengt Scotland") unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago. Anyone who is interested in the old North American service from Warsaw may like to read have a read of this. The writer used to work with the late Sol Flapan and his wife Anna, who used to deal with the English section's correspondence right up until the 1990s http://www.tc.umn.edu/~marqu002/Chap10.pdf

Jim made the following recording in South Shields, UK, using a National Panasonic RF2200 and a random long wire on 6.135 MHz:

Ecos Del Torbes, San Cristobal, Venezuela: Winter 1980

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Many thanks to SRAA contributoe, Paul Harner who notes:

In 1980, I purchased my first serious shortwave radio, a Panasonic RF-2200.  While I enjoyed listening to the international broadcasters, it was the smaller domestic broadcasters that I grew to enjoy more.  Especially the Latin American stations on 49 and 60 meters.  Stations from Colombia and Venezuela were prevalent throughout the evening hours.  Two of the most reliable stations were Venezuelans Radio Rumbos from Caracas (4970 kHz), and Ecos del Torbes from San Cristobal (4980 kHz).  
These stations would broadcast in the evenings and sign-off at 0300 or 0400 UTC. Another was Radio Reloj de Costa Rica on 4832 kHz, which would be heard in the evenings and overnight hours. 
I enjoyed the music and the style of programming these stations had, and over the years these stations became longtime friends on the airwaves to me.
Here is a snippet of Ecos del Torbes from the winter of 1980 on 4980 kHz:

Recording 3 -The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt (BBC reports): August 19, 1991

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Jack Widner, who shares this third (and final) recording which includes coverage of the August 19, 1991 Soviet Coup Attempt from the BBC. Jack shares the following recording notes:

BBC news & reports.  Starts with battle at Parliament building (known as the White House)
   03:32 Kevin Connaly's on the scene report after the battle started

Recording 2 -The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt (BBC reports): August 19, 1991

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Jack Widner, who shares this second recording which includes coverage of the August 19, 1991 Soviet Coup Attempt from the BBC. Jack shares the following recording notes:

BBC reports
  • 03:35 plays R. Moscow reading TASS bulletin of Gorbachev unable to fulfill duties
  • 43:00 comments from Frank Gaffney; Gaffney was an ardent supporter of SDI under Weinberger & as late as 1996 was attempting to get new House leader Gingrich to get it going again.
  • 43:45 a clip about Gorbachev's (?) attempt to quash Lithuanian independence (report says it was not clear that Gorbachev authorised this).
The majority of this audio assumes Gorbachev will be replaced

Radio Havana Cuba, Barack Obama and Raúl Castro Press Conference in Cuba: March 21, 2016

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The following off-air recording of Radio Havana Cuba was made on March 21, 2016, starting a couple of minutes prior to 1800 UTC on 11,670 kHz (at an AM bandwidth of 12.5 kHz). This was a historic event: the first time a US president has visited Cuba in over 8 decades. The following recording includes the live coverage of the Obama/Casto press conference, followed by one hour of RHC's English language service and a part of RHC's French language service.

The receiver used was a WinRadio Excalibur connected to a Pixel Loop Pro magnetic loop antenna. Location received was North Carolina.

Radio St. Helena, The final hour (sign-off) with Tony Leo: December 25, 2012

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Sarah Boucher, who submits this final sign-off of Radio St. Helena on 1548 kHz and notes:

Closedown begins with the last few seconds of love is everywhere by caught in the act (1995).

Shortwave Radio 1974: Canada, Argentina, Spain, West Germany, Albania, utility stations

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Many thanks to SRAA Contributor, Brian D. Smith (W9IND), who notes:

Want to know what shortwave radio sounded like in 1974? This 55-minute recording, recovered from a cassette, was never intended to be anything but "audio notes": I was an 18-year-old shortwave listener who collected QSL cards from international stations, and I was tired of using a pen and a notepad to copy down details of the broadcasts. I wanted an easier way to record what I heard, and my cassette tape recorder seemed like the perfect means to accomplish that goal. 
But it wasn't. I soon discovered that it was simpler to just edit my notes as I was jotting them down — not spend time on endless searches for specific information located all over the tape. To make a long story shorter, I abandoned my "audio notes" plan after a single shortwave recording: This one.  
Still, for those who want to experience the feel of sitting at a shortwave radio in the mid-1970s and slowly spinning the dial, this tape delivers. Nothing great in terms of sound quality; I was using a Hallicrafters S-108 that was outdated even at the time. And my recording "technique" involved placing the cassette microphone next to the radio speaker.
Thus, what you'll hear is a grab bag of randomness: Major shortwave broadcasting stations from Canada, Argentina, Spain, Germany and Albania; maritime CW and other utility stations; and even a one-sided conversation involving a mobile phone, apparently located at sea. There are lengthy (even boring) programs, theme songs and interval signals, and brief IDs, one in Morse code from an Italian Navy station and another from a Department of Energy station used to track shipments of nuclear materials. And I can't even identify the station behind every recording, including several Spanish broadcasts (I don't speak the language) and an interview in English with a UFO book author. 
The following is a guide, with approximate Windows Media Player starting times, of the signals on this recording. (Incidentally, the CBC recording was from July 11, 1974 — a date I deduced by researching the Major League Baseball scores of the previous day.)
GUIDE TO THE RECORDING
0:00 — CBC (Radio Canada) Northern and Armed Forces Service: News and sports. 
7:51 — RAE (Radio Argentina): Sign-off with closing theme
9:14 — Department of Energy station in Belton, Missouri: "This is KRF-265 clear."
9:17  — Interval signal: Radio Spain.
9:40 —  New York Radio, WSY-70 (aviation weather broadcast)
10:22 — Unidentified station (Spanish?): Music.
10:51— Unidentified station (English): Historic drama with mention of Vice President John Adams, plus bell-heavy closing theme.
14:12 — RAI (Italy), male announcer, poor signal strength.
14:20 — Unidentified station (Spanish): Theme music and apparent ID, good signal strength.
15:16 — Unidentified station (foreign-speaking, possibly Spanish): Song, "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep."  
17:00 — Deutsche Welle (The Voice of West Germany): Announcement of frequencies, theme song. 
17:39 — Unidentified station (English): Interview with the Rev. Barry Downing, author of “The Bible and Flying Saucers.” 
24:36 — One side of mobile telephone conversation in SSB, possibly from maritime location.
30:37 — Radio Tirana (Albania): Lengthy economic and geopolitical talk (female announcer); bad audio. Theme and ID at 36:23, sign-off at 55:03.
55:11 — Italian Navy, Rome: “VVV IDR3 (and long tone)” in Morse code.

Papua New Guinea: December 4, 1978

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Colin Newell, who notes:

December 4, 1978 0800 UTC - one of my most cherished recordings - anything from PNG was a treat and this was at a time (clearly) when their transmitters were running properly.

Colin recorded this broadcast from his home in British Columbia, Canada. It is, indeed, a treat to hear PNG once again:

BBC World Service report of Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster: January 28, 1986

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Laskowski, who submits these notes with his timely off-air recording of the BBC World Service from January 28, 1986:

Thirty years ago today the US Space program came crashing down with the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
I was a student at Purdue University at the time, living in a dormitory.
I decided to make some recordings knowing this would be a historic event.
This is a recording I made of the BBC on the evening of Jan 28 (0200 UTC on January 29). The frequency was most likely 5975 kHz or 9590 kHz.  The dorm environment didn't make a great place for SWL reception and the recording is noisy but still of decent quality.
Recorded using a Sony ICF-2001 with a wire attached to a window screen for an antenna.

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

Radio Canada International: November 2, 1981

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Laskowski, who notes:

Radio Canada International recorded on November 2, 1981. This is another from my archive of old recordings of Radio Canada International's Shortwave Listeners Digest. This contains part three of Larry Magne's interview with Perry Ferrel from Gilfer Shortwave, Glenn Hauser's DX tips and an item from Jonathan Marks about HAP. Recorded using my Sony ICF-2001 likely on 15.325 MHz around 2100 UTC. Again, the audio quality isn't the greatest. Enjoy!