Radio Ronin Shortwave's AM signal came in loud and clear again last Friday night on 6925 kHz. Another great set of music--all pirate radio themed. You'll even hear KYAR Pirate Radio from Pirates R Us.
This time, Ronin starts out with a Stones interval signal. You can download the MP3 or simply listen below:
Again, listener discretion is advised! This is pirate radio after all.
For your listening pleasure: five full hours of music, and a little Greek commentary, from the Voice of Greece. Recorded on Saturday, October 6th, on 9.42 MHz. Click here to download the MP3 of the recording, or listen below:
Last night, I listened to and recorded The Mighty KBC's test transmission on 9.4 MHz. The broadcast lasted 2 hours and was quite successful. They had a little distortion in the signal for the first half-hour or so, but once that issue was resolved, audio was excellent. This was, after all, a test transmission.
Mind you, I was using the WinRadio Excalibur receiver and a rather large horizontal sky loop antenna--not a portable radio. But based on their signal level as compared with the adjacent Voice of Greece transmission (9.42 MHz), I expect they could have been easily heard on a portable radio here in eastern North America.
If you missed the broadcast, click here to download a full recording or listen below.
Next week: another test broadcast scheduled
Update: Note that The Might KBC will broadcast another test transmission on Sunday 21 September from 00.00 - 02.00 UTC on 9,500 kHz.
Wolverine Radio was yet another pirate station I recorded last Saturday night (along with Radio Ronin and Radio Appalachia).
Wolverine Radio was broadcasting on 6.95 MHz in the upper side band. Their signal was very good and fidelity excellent for SSB. Lots of variety and a common "radio" theme throughout WR's music mix.
Wolverine Radio--at least each time I've heard them--sends an SSTV image at the end of the broadcast. I decoded the one in their Satuday night broadcast (see image on right) using RX-SSTV, a very intuitive and simple freeware PC application. Make sure you use the "Scottie 1" mode.
Click here to download an MP3 of the broadcast, or stream from the embedded player below:
Radio Appalachia is the only pirate I've ever heard on the shortwaves which features bluegrass and gospel music. This recording was made Saturday night on 6.9349 MHz (AM). At 8:28 in the recording below, you'll hear Radio Appalachia's station ID :
"Radio Appalachia, you are listening to Radio Appalachia...the free voice of the Ohio Valley. Broadcasting from high above Moundsville, West Virginia, this is Radio Appalachia."
You then hear their signature Three Stooges audio sample and a repeat of the ID.
Click here to download the MP3, or listen to the entire broadcast below:
Saturday night was one of the most active nights for pirate radio I've heard in some time. No doubt, pirates were taking advantage of the quiet atmospheric conditions.
Radio Ronin was the first station I heard Saturday evening. His AM signal was very strong with only slight fading on 6,955 kHz. The mix includes mostly classic rock, starting things off with groups like Steppenwolf, the Steve Miller Band, and Pink Floyd, then moving into rock music of the 80s and beyond. I also included a few minutes of his interval signal (yep, even pirates have interval signals).
Enjoy below, or download the MP3 here:
Listening conditions Saturday night were pretty good--we had clear skies and though propagation wasn't excellent, I did manage to record a full broadcast (over 3 hours) of X-FM. X-FM typically features a wide variety of music spanning trance/electronica to varieties of rock/metal. This broadcast was no exception--hear for yourself:
PLEASE NOTE: While most of the music in this broadcast is perfectly safe, parents should note that some songs contain explicit lyrics. If you're easily offended, you might want to slowly back away. After all, this is pirate radio!
UPDATE: Check out the QSL card I received for this broadcast:
Though listening conditions were tough Saturday night, as we were wedged between two lines of thunderstorms (both of which were no more than 60 miles away) I did manage to capture North Woods Radio's full broadcast. This broadcast featured some noted drum solos. As you can hear for yourself, their AM signal was strong at times on 6,935 kHz, but occasionally the percussion was augmented by natural forces, in the form of static crashes:
For your listening enjoyment: Voice of Greece (9,420 kHz), Radio Croatia (9,925 kHz) and Voice of Turkey (9,830 kHz). The Voice of Greece, in particular, broadcasts an extensive mix of music. These stations were recorded simultaneously, Saturday August 25th, 2012. In total, there are more than 8 hours of shortwave radio recordings in this set--enough to make it through your work day:
Though summer conditions can be tough--with regional storms generating HF static crashes--I did manage to capture about thirty minutes of Wolverine Radio. As you can hear for yourself, their upper side band signal was strong on 6,950 kHz:
In a previous post, I mentioned a short audio piece--a tribute to Radio Netherlands Worldwide--I recorded for the NRC DX Audio service. Here is a SoundCloud copy of the clip:
For your listening enjoyment: Voice of Greece (9,420 kHz), Radio Croatia (9,925 kHz) and Radio Romania International (9,700 kHz). The Voice of Greece and Radio Croatia broadcast an extensive mix of music; while Radio Romania International offers their English and French hours.
I recorded these broadcasts simultaneously via my WinRadio Excalibur, yesterday at 00:00 UTC.
Any of you who've been following the SWLing Post for a while know how much I love recording music over the shortwaves. Lately, Radio Kuwait has been booming into my part of eastern North America with great vivacity.
Yesterday, I recorded several hours of their broadcast on my WinRadio Excalibur. I couldn't help but notice, the last time I posted a recording, that their music had a great deal of variety. Their mix yesterday afternoon encompassed hip hop, country, pop, rock, R&B, and even a little Billy Joel and Donovan.
Though the hip-hop and boy bands don't particularly hold my personal interest, hearing "Mellow Yellow" over 7,000 miles of ether certainly has appeal.
If you're looking for music variety (well, a lot of variety), with some items of cultural interest thrown in, check out Radio Kuwait:
The National Radio Club requested that I read and record my tribute to Radio Netherlands Worldwide for their audio service intended to benefit their visually-impaired readers. The broadcast is divided into sides A and B (of a cassette tape). My narration begins about midway through side B.
While playing with the Bonito 1102S RadioJet the other day, I received a strong signal from Radio Kuwait. I thought I'd record the music they were playing, as the fidely was impressive for a signal traveling nearly 7000 miles. Instead of recording the actual audio of the broadcast with the RadioJet's AF recorder, I decided to use the IF recorder, which saves and records 24 kHz of actual spectrum. This is an excellent way to record while leaving it unattended. Later, when you review the material, you can refine and shape your recording of an individual broadcast. Then, if an adjacent signal or some other condition requires you to adjust filters, you can do so just as you would when recording a live broadcast.
Though the file sizes are marginally larger than those the AF recorder produces, it's not a hard drive-eater like broad spectrum recordings on an SDR.
One more (very cool) RadioJet feature: while making an IF recording, the RadioJet embeds UTC time code in the recording. This way, should you make a recording and forget to note the time you begin it, the time code shows up in the display. The Perseus also does this, and I think it's a brilliant addition.
If you want to hear the 30+ minute recording I made of Radio Kuwait, simply listen to the file embedded below, or click here to download the mp3:
I am asked this question, or a variation of it, almost every week:
"I've been thinking about buying a shortwave radio, but have heard that shortwave is dying out. Is there actually anything to listen to on shortwave? Should I even bother?"
It's no wonder I get asked this question so much. First of all, the root website for the SWLing Post is SWLing.com, which is dedicated to teaching people the basics of using a shortwave radio. Indeed, if you search the internet for shortwave radio reviews or how to use a shortwave radio, you'll most likely see this site somewhere near the top of the search results. So it makes sense that many of our readers are just starting out in shortwave.
But the primary reason people wonder about shortwave's vitality and want to check its pulse, is due to recent news about shortwave broadcasters leaving the spectrum. Most recently, Radio Canada International, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Radio Bulgaria have all closed up shop, and broadcasters like the BBC World Service and Vatican Radio have trimmed down their shortwave offerings. It's unfortunate, and does make the continuation of shortwave seem doubtful to those who know less about it.
Question: So is there anything to listen to? Answer: Absolutely!
Regular shortwave radio listeners already know the answer to this question. Sure, the landscape of the shortwaves is changing, but it's such a vast landscape that, even with a few major players dropping out, there is still so much to hear and appreciate. In fact, we've only been talking about governmental international broadcasters, in the main--which doesn't even include pirate radio, clandestine stations, utility stations, religious networks, spy numbers stations, digital modes, and ham radio communications. Among others.
Doubt me? Well, then--check this out:
Last Friday, I spent a pleasant afternoon reviewing the WinRadio Excalibur software defined receiver (SDR). Perhaps my favorite feature of many modern software defined receivers is their ability to record not only individual shortwave radio broadcasts, but also record radio spectrum. In other words, instead of recording a single station on 9,555 kHz, the WinRadio Excalibur (and similar SDRs) could easily record everything between, say, 9,410 and 9,635 kHz. Later, you can play back the spectrum to listen to and record individual broadcasts as if they were live. At least, this is exactly what I did last Friday at 20:00 UTC.
Fast forward to yesterday: While listening and tuning through the Friday spectrum, I once again realized how many stations are crammed into this relatively small chunk of the shortwave spectrum. Yet I only captured about 250 kHz, or .25 MHz of shortwave spectrum. To put this in perspective, this is a chunk of spectrum so small, you could fit four of them between 95 and 96 MHz on your car's FM dial.
And what did I find? A lot of stations--and a lot of variety! In fact, I then went through and recorded 8 samples of the stronger broadcasts.
Here is some of what I heard just in that wee swatch of spectrum:
Voice of Greece - 9,240 kHz
Voice of Iran - 9,460 kHz
WWTW - 9,478 kHz
Deutsche Welle - 9,490 kHz
Radio Riyadh - 9,555 kHz
Radio Marti - 9,565 kHz
North Quebec Service - 9,625 kHz
Voice of Turkey - 9,635 kHz
Here is how the actual spectrum chunk appeared on the Excalibur's display:
Note from the DDC spectrum window (the one immediately below the tuning knob and S Meter) that there are many, many other stations--indicated as spikes in the spectrum, above--that I did not bother to record.
I didn't set out to find the most active piece of shortwave spectrum--I chose this one pretty much by chance.
Perhaps the real fascination I find in listening to recorded spectrum, as I did above, is that each time I go back through a recording, listening carefully, I find so many other items that I would have otherwise missed. In other words, the better your ears, the more you will hear. And there's lots to hear.
So, what are you waiting for?
Prove it to yourself. Pull out your portable radio, your tabletop, your SDR or your general coverage ham radio transceiver, and just listen. There's still a vast, informative, oftentimes mysterious world out there on the shortwaves, simply waiting for your ears.
Join me in the Shortwave Radio Archive Project: post coming soon!
I've mentioned before how much I love this show--you don't even need to be a fan of country music to have a true appreciation for it.
Saturday Night Country should be on your shortwave listening schedule. If you live in North America, you'll find the signal out of Shepparton, Australia is so strong that even a mediocre portable radio can receive it with ease.
Here's a two hour and 50 minute taste of Saturday Night Country for your Monday morning:
Thursday night, by the light of an oil lamp, I tuned my trusty Sony portable shortwave to 6,165 kHz. At 2:00 UTC, I was rewarded with a rich, full signal from Radio Netherlands Worldwide’s transmission site in Bonaire. Here in this off-grid cabin, on sixty rural acres, I bask in the freedom from electrical noise that might otherwise interfere with my shortwave radio listening—at least in this respect, this is the perfect DXpedition cabin. The signal coming out of Bonaire, however, would have overcome any interference: Radio Netherlands, my dear friend of some 32 years, had opened a special frequency for those of us in eastern North America…in order to say their good-byes to the airwaves.
I can only describe the experience of listening as radio bliss…pure radio bliss…marred only by the bittersweet realization that these were RNW’s final days on the air. The experience harkened back to the day when the big broadcasters had booming signals directed toward us.
But, alas. All too brief.
The broadcast was simply entitled Farewell and Thank You. You can hear it just as I heard it—through my recording--here (actual broadcast starts at 1:15):
Then, all day Friday, for nearly 24 hours straight, RNW bid good-bye and farewell to various parts of the world via shortwave, satellite and the internet. I was lucky enough to catch two more broadcasts.
This time of day (19:00 UTC), however, I needed bigger ears than the Sony could provide. I was listening to broadcasts targeting west and east Africa, not North America. Having already charged my laptop battery, I plugged in the Bonito Radiojet (an SDR that I’m currently reviewing) and, just before 1900 UTC, directed her towards 17,605 kHz. Though my Sony found the signal barely audible, the RadioJet produced beautiful fidelity.
This RNW broadcast, entitled The First 50 Years, took listeners through the highlights and history of the Dutch radio service. Here’s the recording I made with the RadioJet:
A final sign-off
RNW headquarters in Hilversum, Netherlands (photo coutesty: RNW)
At 20:00 UTC, RNW broadcast their very final show—a repeat of Farewell and Thank You (above) appropriately targeting Africa once more. I tuned the dial to 11615 kHz and listened again to the full broadcast. This time, however, as the program drew to its close, the broadcast crew added a personal message.
Jonathan Groubert, the talented host of The State We’re In, broadcasted live from Hilversum’s Studio 4 for a deeply touching adieu. Tears were shed, and I’m not ashamed to confess that I, too, listened through a haze of them as these capable and dedicated journalists, whom I’ve grown to trust, signed off the RNW airwaves for the last time.
But listen for yourself:
Jonathan Marks, RNW’s host of MediaNetwork, also featured in the farewell broadcast, recorded the final sign-off from within Studio 4. You can listen to this and read the description on his excellent website.
Dank je wel, Radio Nederland
RNW--my dear radio friends—I’m going to miss you. Your personalities--and the collective personality of RNW itself--your award-winning content, news, reporting, and your integrity stood out amongst all those Cold War broadcasters I listened to growing up—who, as you so well put it, were merely mouthpieces for their respective governments.
Radio Nederland, I loved your broadcasting because you were fearless: you marched to the beat of your own drummer, were not afraid to turn a critical eye even upon yourself, and as a result--in a world of sham journalism, of compromise and hypocrisy—you earned my trust. You had nothing to hide, and you had so many stories to tell.
RNW: I listened.
I wish you (and your intrepid creators) the very best in all that you do. I trust your new incarnation(s), whatever form they take, will do much good in this world which so sorely needs it, and sincerely believe that your integrity will live on.
On Facebook, Wojtek Gwiazda kindly shared the following message from Terry Haig (who has been subbing for Ian Jones on the MLMB):
Dear Friends, I am distraught that the final edition of the MLMB did not go out properly this past weekend because of technical glitches. The show can be heard on line by clicking on the search button on the RCI website and writing in "Maple Leaf Mailbag." Then hit "programs" and click "listen."My apologies that we could not spend our final hour together as planned. Once again, I thank you all for your undying love, support, insight, graciousness and generosity. You are wonderful and magical.
I shall never forget you. Be well, everyone. Au Revoir and peace! Terry H.
--------------------------------------------------------- To hear the programme just click here: http://www.rcinet.ca/english/archives/program/the-maple-leaf-mailbag/home/
I should note that, the Maple Leaf Mailbag was one of my favorite RCI shows to catch on shortwave. It was informal, quirky, interactive and always fun. It also had a very strong international listenership. Terry has been an excellent sub, but admittedly, I've really missed hearing my good friend Ian Jones on the show.
Two weeks ago this Friday, I caught and recorded the numbers station often referred to as the English Man. He was found in the pirate radio watering hole (of 6,925-6,990 kHz) on 6,949 kHz. After sifting through more spectrum recordings taken the following evening by the Microtelecom Perseus, I realized that I caught him once again at the exact same time and frequency. I have his full transmission in the recording below.
Note: The English Man was broadcast in AM, but I had to dig the signal out of the noise. I used a tuning technique I referred to last year in a post--click here for more info.
The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive (SRAA) is a collection of shortwave radio recordings that you can download or listen to as a podcast. The collection grows every day and includes both historic recordings and current recordings from the shortwave radio spectrum.
The goal of this site is for shortwave radio enthusiast to have a place to store, archive and share their radio recordings with the world.
Click here to learn how to contribute and archive recordings.
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