NHK World - Radio Japan, English: February 8, 2014

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For your listening pleasure: NHK World English language service. This broadcast was recorded on February 8, 2014 starting around 05:00 UTC on 9,770 kHz. This broadcast originated from the Issoudun transmitter site (500 kW).

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

Voice Of Islamic Republic Of Iran, Hebrew: February 8, 2014

IRIB's northeast gate along Valiasr Ave. (Source: Wikipedia)

IRIB's northeast gate along Valiasr Ave. (Source: Wikipedia)

For your listening pleasure: Voice Of Islamic Republic Of Iran Hebrew language service. This broadcast was recorded on February 8, 2014 starting at 4:23 UTC on 9,755 kHz.

Though this recording was made with a filter width of 9 kHz, the audio sounds narrow and "tinny." 

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

Radio France International: February 8, 2014

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For your listening pleasure: Radio France International. This broadcast was recorded on February 8, 2014 around 07:00 UTC on 9,790 kHz. This broadcast originates from the Issoudun transmitter site (500 kW).

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

Afia Darfur/Hello Darfur: February 8, 2014

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For your listening pleasure: Afia Darfur/Hello Darfur. This broadcast was recorded on February 8, 2014 starting around 03:00 UTC on 9,845 kHz. While Afia Darfurt was scheduled for the Selebria-Phikwe transmitter site, I believe this particular broadcast may have been relayed by the Voice of America in Greenville, North Carolina, based on signal strength and the VOA interval signal.

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

Voice of Indonesia, French language service: February 5, 2014

RRI-VoiceOfIndonesia.JPG

For your listening pleasure: one hour of the Voice of Indonesia's French language service. This broadcast was recorded on February 5, 2014 by SRAA contributor, Frank, in Europe around 20:00 UTC on 9,526 kHz. Frank was using his Kenwood R-5000 and Wellbrook ALA 1530+ antenna.

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

Radio Thailand World Service, English: February 4, 2014

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For your listening pleasure: one hour of Radio Thailand's English Language service. This broadcast was recorded on February 4, 2014 by SRAA contributor, Frank, in Europe around 19:00 UTC on 9,965 kHz.

Note that the interval signal begins about one minute into the recording. This broadcast was transmitted from Udon Thani (250 kW).

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

Radio Liberty, Russian Language Service: February 2, 2014

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For your listening pleasure: two hours of Radio Liberty's Russian Language Service. This broadcast was recorded on February 2, 2014 by SRAA contributor, Frank, in Europe around 15:00 UTC on 11,890 kHz. This broadcast was relayed through the Woofferton site in the United Kingdom (300 kW).

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

China Radio International, English: January 31, 2014

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For your listening pleasure: over 6 hours of China Radio International's English language service. This broadcast was recorded on January 31, 2014 by SRAA contributor, Frank, in Europe around 7:00 UTC on 17490 kHz.

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

Radio New Zealand International: January 17, 2014

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One of my favorite shortwave radio broadcasters is Radio New Zealand International. RNZI has authoritative news--with a focus on NZ and the Pacific islands--music, sports and their own unique character, though they operate on a very modest budget by international broadcasting standards.

The RNZI interval signal is charming and unmistakable: the call of the New Zealand Bellbird.

For your listening pleasure: two full hours of Radio New Zealand International, recorded on January 17, 2014 starting around 7:59 UTC on 9,765 kHz.

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

NHK Radio Japan: January 7, 2014

Skyscrapers_of_Shinjuku_2009_January.jpg

This Radio Japan (Japanese language) broadcast was recorded on January 7, 2014 starting a little before 02:00 UTC on 5,960 kHz. The broadcast begins with a few seconds of Radio Japan's interval signal.

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

VOA Learning English: January 4, 2014

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For your listening enjoyment:  The Voice of America's Learning English service (formerly VOA Special English).

This VOA broadcast was recorded on January 4, 2014 starting a little before 01:30 UTC on 7,465 kHz. It begins with a few seconds of VOA’s interval signal.

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

Radio Romania International English language service: January 4, 2013

Victory Avenue (Calea Victoriei), a major avenue in central Bucharest, Romania (Source: Wikipedia, Mihai Petre)

Victory Avenue (Calea Victoriei), a major avenue in central Bucharest, Romania (Source: Wikipedia, Mihai Petre)

For your listening enjoyment:  Radio Romania International‘s English language service.

This RRI broadcast was recorded on January 4, 2013 starting a little before 01:00 UTC on 7,325 kHz. It begins with a few seconds of RRI’s interval signal.

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

Radio Romania International: January 4, 2014

The Palace of Culture in IaÈ™i, built on the ruins of the Royal Court of Moldavia, hosts the largest art collection in Romania. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Palace of Culture in IaÈ™i, built on the ruins of the Royal Court of Moldavia, hosts the largest art collection in Romania. (Source: Wikipedia)

For your listening pleasure: two hours of Radio Romania International's Romanian language service.

This broadcast was recorded on January 4, 2014, on 7,340 kHz, starting at 01:00 UTC. 

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

Radio Australia rings in the millennium: December 31, 1999

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Yesterday–New Year's Eve, 2014–I spent some time listening to a few broadcasters as the new year passed through their time zones. While I missed hearing Radio New Zealand International (the first to welcome the New Year on the air), I did manage to catch Radio Australia, and the New Year was celebrated with no fanfare; one program merely ran into the next, and there was a brief mention of 2014's arrival in the headline news.

Oh, but it wasn't that way when we moved into the year 2000...

Rewind 14 years

Back in December of 1999, before setting off to visit family for the New Year, I had a sudden notion: I decided it would be fun–and a bit novel–to record radio broadcasters as each moved into the new millennium. As we were packing the car to travel, I changed my mind about using my Grundig Yacht Boy 400 to accomplish this fairly ambitious, round-the-world listening/recording endeavor; instead, I grabbed my ham radio transceiver, an Icom IC-735, and packed it, along with a hefty 12-volt power supply. While my IC-735 lacked AM filters (at the time) it had much better sensitivity than the YB400, especially when hooked up to a decent antenna. I also had the foresight to take along a few odds and ends, including a mechanical antenna tuner and a spool of long wire.

To record the broadcast, I used my trusty Aiwa AM F70 MiniDisk recorder–remember those? Upon arrival at our extended family's home, they kindly permitted me to erect a long wire antenna in a sloping configuration in their yard. It did a fine job netting the airwaves. The MiniDisk recorder recorded brilliantly, allowing me to monitor levels and even edit afterward.

As a result, I spent New Year's Eve 2000 recording station after station as the earth turned.  It was great fun, and meanwhile had very little impact on our family celebrations as I simply left the recorder running for long periods of time.

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While I have yet to dissect the many hours of recordings, if memory serves, I think I managed to record Radio New Zealand International, Voice of Russia, Radio France International, NHK, Voice of America, and Radio Canada International as each rang in 2000. The IC-735 performed quite well, save a lack of bandwidth filters, as I only really had two–very wide, and very narrow.

So, for your New Year's Day listening pleasure:  I hope you'll enjoy, as much as I did,  listening to Radio Australia ring in the new millennium yet again. In the news items, you'll hear that Russian President Boris Yeltson has handed the reigns over to Vladimir Putin, and remarks about the (lack of) problems resulting from the infamous Y2K threat.

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

Voice of Russia English language service: December 12, 2013

President Vladimir Putin (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

President Vladimir Putin (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

(Adapted from original on SWLing Post)

This morning, I tuned to the Voice of Russia (a.k.a. Radio VR) English language service to hear the state news agency's take on the sweeping changes President Vladimir Putin implemented yesterday.

I expected the story to be somewhat buried amongst international headlines, but instead I heard no mention within the one hour news broadcast.

Here's a recording of the broadcast from today at 13:00 on 12,075 kHz (which begins to fade toward the end):

I then searched through some spectrum recordings I made yesterday and discovered VOR's American Hour broadcast on 9,395 kHz, starting at 23:00 UTC.

Even though this is the American Hour, I would have expected some mention of the news agency changes in the international news selection.

So, don't turn to Voice of Russia broadcasts to learn about the overhaul of Russian state media. Ironically, VOR News prominently featured an article on their website regarding these changes within the state media. Indeed, it was this article I posted yesterday on the SWLing Post.

Voice of Nigeria (English/French): December 4, 2013

Enugu, Nigeria (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Enugu, Nigeria (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of the Voice of Nigeria made from his home in Europe. Frank sent some notes with this recording: 

"Voice of Nigeria (250 kW transmitter) in French and in English, but in English only as a very short excerpt (at the start of the recording, when the CRI transmitter of 500 kW went off the air). Another short piece of English is audible at the end of the recording, when apparently transmitter problems caused termination of the transmission (there should be 1 hour of English language broadcast at 08:00 GMT, but the transmitter fell silent after several minutes)."

Frank, many thanks for these notes and the many recordings you contribute to the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive!

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

Radio Havana Cuba, November 24, 2013

(Source: blogspot.com)

(Source: blogspot.com)

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of the Radio Havana Cuba in English and Spanish.

Frank recorded this broadcast from his home in Europe on 24 November 2013, starting around 00:15 UTC on 5,040 kHz.

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

Hamburger Lokal Radio: November 30, 2013

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of the Hamburger Lokal Radio English and German language services.

Frank recorded this broadcast from his home in Europe on November 30, 2013, on 7,265 kHz, starting at 07:00 UTC. 

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

Radio New Zealand International: November 22, 2013

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For your listening pleasure: two full hours of Radio New Zealand International, recorded on November 22, 2013 starting around 7:59 UTC on 9,765 kHz.

This recording begins with the The RNZI interval signal: the charming and unmistakable call of the New Zealand Bellbird.

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

BBC World Service, DRM broadcast: November 13, 2013

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to an SWAA contributor, who submitted this recording of the BBC World Service in DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale).

This broadcast was recorded on Novermber 13, 2013 at 7:00 UTC on 7.355 MHz from Moosbrunn, Austria.

The receiver used was a Globe Wireless RX321 with a custom DRM modification; a custom built commercial version of the Ten-Tec RX320.

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