Radio Liberty, Belorussian language service: February 5, 2014

RFElogoFC.jpg

For your listening pleasure: Radio Liberty's Belorussian language service. This broadcast was recorded by SRAA contributor, Frank, on February 5, 2014 starting around 04:00UTC on 6,075 kHz. This broadcast originated from Radio Liberty's Germany transmitter/relay site (100 kW).

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

Radio Moscow: circa 1968

Radio_Moscow_logo.png

Many thanks to David Firth, who is kindly sharing shortwave radio recordings he made on his reel-to-reel recording equipment in the late 1960's. Firth is uncovering and digitizing these recordings as time allows.

We are grateful for this recording of Radio Moscow, which Firth recorded in 1968. 

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

RadioLiberty.jpg

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:

Radio Station of Macedonia (Voice of Greece): January 28, 2014

Greece-Flag.jpg

For your listening pleasure: 1 hour 29 minutes of The Radio Station of Macedonia (formerly Voice of Greece). This broadcast was recorded on January 28, 2014 around 1:50 UTC on 9,420 kHz.

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

Wolverine Radio: January 19, 2014

SSTV-19Jan2014-WolverineRadio.png

For your listening pleasure: 1 hour and 17 minutes of pirate radio station, Wolverine Radio–recorded Sunday, January 19, 2014 starting around 1:40 UTC.

Wolverine was broadcasting on 6,94o kHz in the upper side band. Typical of Wolverine, lots of music variety which spans the decades and no commentary other than station ID throughout.

While reception was waning when I decoded Wolverine’s SSTV QSL (see right), signal strength and audio fidelity were excellent as always.

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

Tibet People's Broadcasting Station: January 20, 2004 (Station ID)

(Source: xinhuanet.com)

(Source: xinhuanet.com)

Many thanks to Brett Saylor, who contributed this recording of the Tibet People's Broadcasting Station from Lhasa, Tibet. This is a short recording of the station ID with time pips at the top of the hour (12:00 UTC) and identification including English.

Recorded in Pennsylvania in the eastern United States on January 20, 2004 using a Drake R8 with a longwire external antenna.

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

VOA Learning English: January 4, 2014

USCapitolBuilding.jpg

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:

UNID Shortwave Pirate: December 31, 2013

AlwaysBeAPirate.jpg

On New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2013), while band scanning, I tuned to 6,955 kHz around 22:15 UTC, and  heard a relatively strong pirate station.

For at least 51 minutes, this unidentified pirate played various percussion music, much of which sounded like recordings of live drum circles. I never heard an ID during the broadcast, nor did anyone on the HF Underground board.

Listen for yourself: click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below.

WG2XFQ: December 26, 2013 (Longwave)

Reginald Fessenden: “The Father of Radio Broadcasting” (Source: Wikipedia)

Reginald Fessenden: “The Father of Radio Broadcasting” (Source: Wikipedia)

A few weeks ago, on The SWLing Post, I published an article about Brian Justin’s holiday longwave broadcasts commemorating Reginald Fessenden’s Christmas Eve 1906 AM voice transmission. Click here to read the full article.

I don't spend a lot of time in the longwave portion of the radio spectrum, so this special event station gave me an excuse to venture a little lower on the radio dial.  Fortunately, LW propagation was in my favor, and Justin's signal made it the 215 miles to my home. While it's not armchair listening, it's most impressive, especially considering the transmitter used is "home-brewed" with modest output power.

This recording of WG2XFG was made when the signal seemed to be at its strongest on December 26th, 2013 starting around 12:40 UTC (Christmas evening, EST). Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Studio Recording: beHAVior Night's Christmas Special

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Last Friday, I tried to catch beHAVior Night's Christmas special on 7,490 kHz at 22:00 UTC. Unfortunately, WBCQ was having transmitter problems and the show never aired.

Thankfully, beHAVior Night's "Sir Scratchy" has kindly given me permission to post his studio recording of the entire show. You can listen to the recording below. Please note: this show will be repeated Friday, December 27, 2013 on 7,490 kHz at 22:00 UTC (17:00 EST)--I will attempt to record the broadcast and post it here as well.

Radio Fana: December 15, 2013

Ethiopia-Map.png

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Andy Robins, for this recording of Radio Fana.

Andy recorded this short eight minute clip between 02:55 - 03:00 UTC on December 15, 2013 on 6.110 MHz using an  Icom IC-R75 with a 40-foot PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire. Note that Andy used SSB to tune this very weak AM signal.

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

Voice of the Tigray Revolution: December 16, 2013

(Image source: Austria Remote DX)

(Image source: Austria Remote DX)

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Andy Robins, for this recording of the clandestine station, the Voice of the Tigray Revolution.

Andy recorded this broadcast between 02:55 - 03:18 UTC on December 16, 2013 on 5.950 MHz using an  Icom IC-R75 with a 40-foot PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire.

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

Radio Free Whatever, Pearl Harbor Tribute: December 15, 2013

Destroyer USS Shaw exploding after her forward magazine was detonated. (Source: Wikipedia)

Destroyer USS Shaw exploding after her forward magazine was detonated. (Source: Wikipedia)

For your listening pleasure: one hour, seven minutes of the pirate radio station, Radio Free Whatever. 

I recorded this broadcast on December 15 2013, starting around 2:40 UTC (Dec 14, 9:40 PM EST), on 6,925 kHz AM. This broadcast was a tribute broadcast to WWII/Pearl Harbor and contains news clips and music from the same time period.

Simply click here to download an MP3 of the recording, or listen via the embedded player 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.

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:

Voice of Greece/Radio Station of Macedonia: November 26, 2013

Crete, Greece (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Crete, Greece (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

I’m not sure what the future holds for the Voice of Greece. In many ways, I feel that the Greek national shortwave broadcaster is already operating on borrowed time–but perhaps I’m wrong. I’ve been recording VOG a lot lately on 9,420 kHz and 7,475 kHz; most broadcasts these days contain very little commentary, only hours of a wide variety of international music with the occasional station ID (which, by the way, has recently changed). I feel like they’re just working to keep their seats warm.

TheGreekRadio.com recently commented on the SWLing Post about the current state of the Voice of Greece:

“After the forceful eviction of the redundant ERT employees from the Radio House in Athens, the shortwave frequencies no longer transmit the normal program of Voice of Greece as there is no such service produced in Athens.  This happened on the 7th of November, when you probably noticed the station ID change.

Mediumwave and shortwave frequencies have been now set to relay the radio program of “Radio Station of Macedonia” by the redundant employees of ERT3, from Thessaloniki. (This used to be the independent program relayed for a few hours before midnight on 7,450 until June’s ERT switch-off, when phone lines were cut and the “guerilla” program started). They keep doing a full program during the day, but being unemployed, it seems that they cannot carry on overnight.

The official interim public radio (one single service for entire Greece) so far does not care for [the take] over [of] the shortwave and mediumwave resources in Athens. Probably they do not have the staff to operate them, as only the necessary personnel was hired to keep the single radio service running on FM.”

Thus it looks like VOG’s shortwave service might be easily cut–and without warning. We already know that the Greek government is considering dismantling the Alvis transmitting site.

 With that said, I hope you’ll enjoy a bit of this Voice of Greece (or Radio Station of Macedonia) recording this weekend.  I say “a bit,” as it is nearly five hours long. I started this recording around 20:30 UTC on November 26th, 2013 (9,420 kHz).

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

BeHAVior Night (WBCQ): November 22, 2013

Source: Sir Scratchy Facebook

Source: Sir Scratchy Facebook

For your listening pleasure: beHAVior Night, a shortwave radio show, relayed by WBCQ, dedicated to showcasing music from the first four decades of the 20th Century.

If you’re as nostalgic as I am, you’ll love the sonic combination of early records with the shortwave ether hosted by the inimitable “Sir Scratchy.” Relax, close your eyes, and indulge in a little radio time travel…

You can tune in beHAVior Night on Fridays at 17:00 EST or 22:00 UTC on 7,490 kHZ.

Though I could not find an official website for beHAVior Night, I would encourage you to “like” both Sir Scratchy and the beHAVior Night Facebook pages where show updates are often posted.

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:

BBC World Service: November 16, 2013

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of the BBC World Service English language service.

Frank recorded this broadcast from his home in Europe on November 16, 2013, on 6,005 kHz, starting at 05:00 UTC. This broadcast originates from the BBC relay site on Ascension Island which has a power output 250 kW.

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

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)