Radio Polonia: post martial law declaration 1981 (Part 2)

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:

AIR National Channel: May 1, 2016

All India Radio's National Channel recorded in London, UK on May 1, 2016 at 1802 UTC, on the frequency of 9380 kHz using AirSpy, SpyVerter, SDR# software and a 2 x 6m long wire dipole antenna. The transmitter has a power rating of 250 kW and is located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. 

Firedrake Jammer: May 1, 2016

"ACCELERATE SCIENCE AND MODERNISATION" (1978)

Firedrake Jammer on top of Radio Free Asia recorded in London, UK on May 1, 2016 at 1759 UTC, on the frequency of 9965 kHz using AirSpy, SpyVerter, SDR# software and a 2 x 6m long wire dipole antenna. The transmitter power and location are unknown.

La Voz de Huila: April 27, 1980 (2 parts)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Harner, who notes:

In 1980, Daylight Saving Time began on the 27'th of April.  When I was in high school, the Saturday night overnight hours were a favorite time for me to listen to shortwave signals.  Especially the domestic Latin American stations on 49 and 60 meters.

On that night, two stations from Colombia were coming in reasonably well, and I decided to record an hour of each of them.

Based in the city of Neiva, "La Voz de Huila" was an affiliate of the TODELAR network ('Primeros en sintonia').  One could easily identify stations from this network through their top of the hour ID's (they used chimes similar to the NBC network in the USA).  The station's frequency was 6150 kHz.

Here is a recording of "La Voz de Huila," taken during the 4 AM hour (local time) on 27 April 1980

La Voz del Llano: April 27, 1980 (2 parts)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Harner, who notes:

In 1980, Daylight Saving Time began on the 27th of April.  When I was in high school, the Saturday night overnight hours were a favorite time for me to listen to shortwave signals.  Especially the domestic Latin American stations on 49 and 60 meters.

On that night, two stations from Colombia were coming in reasonably well, and I decided to record an hour of each of them.

It was the first time I ever listened to "La Voz del Llano" in VIllavicencio.  Over the years that station became a favorite of mine.  The station introduced me to music from Colombia.  The music was fast paced, and fun, and so were the promos.  La Voz del Llano was an affiliate of La Cadena Super ('Orgullosamente Colombiana'), and it's 10 kW signal could be heard well most nights.  Their frequency was 6115 kHz, but they tended to vary from that frequency.

Here is a recording of "La Voz del Llano," during the 3 AM hour (local time) on 27 April 1980.

Paul also noted that these recordings were transferred from magnetic tape (pictured above) which had become somewhat damaged over time. We appreciate the effort he has put into transferring this audio and sharing it with us here on the SRAA:

Voice of Vietnam: September 2, 2015

Voice of Vietnam recorded in London, UK on September 2, 2015 at 2030 UTC on the frequency of 9730 kHz using a Lowe HF-150 radio with the Lowe PR-150 preselector, DX Engineering NCC-1 phaser connected to two Wellbrook ALA1530S+ antennas (positioned indoors) to mitigate severe local man-made interference. This was a special broadcast dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Vietnam's declaration of independence.

The transmitter has a power rating of 100 kW and is located in Hanoi, Vietnam. Due to a malfunctioning of the recorder, there were several short gaps in the recording, which were filled in using an earlier (weaker) recording of same broadcast on 7280 kHz at 1900 UTC on the same day. The gaps were as follows:

01:30.619s - 6.415 seconds long
02:08.512s - 1.486 seconds long
02:44.216s - 3.366 seconds long
03:02.060s - 28.847 seconds long

Voice of Nigeria (DRM): May 29, 2015

Voice of Nigeria in DRM mode recorded in London, UK on May 29, 2015 at 1859 UTC on the frequency of 15120 kHz using a NewStar DR111 radio with the Lowe PR-150 preselector, DX Engineering NCC-1 phaser connected to two Wellbrook ALA1530S+ antennas (positioned indoors) to mitigate severe local man-made interference. The transmitter is located in Abuja, Nigeria and has a power rating of 250 kW. The recording is of the news bulletin announcing the first peaceful transition of power to the new democratically elected president of Nigeria. 

Radio Nacional de España: February 25, 2016

Radio Nacional de España 1992 logo

Radio Nacional de España recorded in London, UK on February 25, 2016 at 0600 UTC on the frequency of 585 kHz using a Lowe HF-150 radio with the Lowe PR-150 preselector, DX Engineering NCC-1 phaser connected to two Wellbrook ALA1530S+ antennas (positioned indoors) to mitigate severe local man-made interference. The transmitter is located in Madrid, Spain and has a power rating of 500 kW. This is a local service targeted at the domestic audience.

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

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:

Radio Riyadh: April 24, 2016

Radio Riyadh recorded in London, UK on April 24, 2016 at 2100 UTC on the frequency of 9555 kHz using a FunCube Dongle Pro+ SDR, SDR# software, Lowe PR-150 preselector and a DX Engineering NCC-1 phaser connected to two Wellbrook ALA1530S+ antennas (positioned indoors) to mitigate severe local man-made interference. The transmitter has a power rating of 500 kW and is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The transmission is directed north-westwards (295°) towards the Maghreb region of Africa.

Brief programme summary kindly provided by @K7al_L3afta:

• Start of the recording: News, followed by music
• 22m 00s: a program called "Arabic Aether" that compiles segments from Arabic radio stations
• 51m 15s: the signal is interrupted when the presenter announces the next program's name
• 57m 40s: later, at the end of it, the program's title is repeated: "A Heart's Swing". A romantic Arabic poetry program.
• 60m 00s: Weekly Sunday program called "Najdi Air" or "The Air of Najd" (Najd is a Saudi city). Talk and music show discussing various topics each week and people call to give their opinion and insight. The topic in the recording is "Organising work priorities".

Radio Canada International (SWL Digest): November 22, 1981

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

Radio Canada International recorded on November 22, 1981. This is another from my archive of old recordings of Radio Canada International's Shortwave Listeners Digest. This episode contains Larry Magne's first installment of shortwave equipment reviews this time looking at variables used in evaluating equipment; Harold Sellers with a report from the ANARC DX Equipment Information Committee; Glenn Hauser's DX news.

Date of recording: 11/22/1981

Starting time: 2100

Frequency: 15.325

Location: South Bend, IN

Receiver used: Sony ICF-2001

Radio Casablanca: April 19, 2016

Last night at about 00:10 UTC, I was pleased to hear the interval signal of one of my favorite pirate radio stations: Radio Casablanca.

“Rick Blaine” fired up his AM transmitter and pumped out some amazing WWII era music on 6,940 kHz for about one hour and a half. Radio Casablanca only pops up a few times a year, so I always feel fortunate to grab the broadcast (click here to listen to previous recordings).

Signal strength varied over the course of the broadcast and the bands were quite noisy–still, the Casablanca signal punched through quite well at times.

Close your eyes and imagine what it must have been like to hear the great bands of the era over the shortwaves…

Click here to download an MP3 of the full recording, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Note that the interval signal starts around 01:25:

All India Radio (GOS): December 4, 2015

All India Radio's General Overseas Service recorded in London, UK on December 4, 2015 at 2053 UTC on the frequency of 9445 kHz using a Lowe HF-150 radio with the Lowe PR-150 preselector and DX Engineering NCC-1 phaser connected to two Wellbrook ALA1530S+ antennas (positioned indoors) to mitigate severe local man-made interference. Despite these RFI reduction efforts, the initial recording was badly damaged by the noise from several nearby powerline networking adapters (before the correct phasing settings in the NCC-1 unit could be identified, which ultimately nulled this noise) and by degraded propagation towards the end of the transmission. Fortunately, post-processing the recording in SDR# using its noise reduction plugins made the audio listenable once again.

Radio Habana Cuba: March 22, 23, and 27, 2016

Live, off-air, recordings of three broadcasts in English from Radio Habana Cuba acquired during the week of the visits to Cuba of Barack Obama and the Rolling Stones. These broadcasts were received on the shortwave frequency of 6000 kHz on 22 March 2016 beginning at about 01:00 UTC, 23 March beginning at about 02:00 UTC, and 27 March beginning at about 05:00 UTC. These broadcasts were beamed to North America from a 250 kW transmitter at Quivicán, near La Habana, with an antenna beam azimuth of 10°.

Radio Habana Cuba transmits to North America in English between 01:00 and 07:00 UTC on 6000 kHz (as well as on some other frequencies for various periods of time). The daily broadcast is only one-hour long, so there are six repeats one after the other during the evening and overnight. There is a brief interval signal (IS) just before the first broadcast but no IS between the broadcast repeats. On 22 March, the transmitter came up on 6000 kHz at least a couple of minutes before 01:00 UTC with the IS beginning just a few seconds before 01:00 UTC. For the Monday (21st) and Tuesday (22nd) local-time broadcasts, the news bulletins had extended reports on the activities associated with the visit of Barak Obama and there were additional special items on the visit although the regular features like "Focus on Africa," "Arts Roundup," and "DXers Unlimited" were still aired. The Saturday (26th) local-time broadcast had extensive reports on the concert by the Rolling Stones on Friday, the 25th, along with the regular programs "Breakthrough" and "Music with a Message."

Signal quality was fairly good for all three broadcasts although there was a slight bit of transmitter hum and modulation wasn't always perfect. At times during the broadcast of 22 March (UTC), co-channel interference (QRM) from Turkey was noted despite their signal being beamed towards the east. 

The broadcasts were received on a Tecsun PL-880 receiver with its built-in telescopic whip antenna indoors in Hanwell (just outside Fredericton), New Brunswick, Canada, in AM mode with 5.0 kHz RF filtering.

KBS World Radio (English): April 6, 2016

KBS World Radio recorded in London, UK on April 6, 2016 at 1559 UTC, on the frequency of 9515 kHz using AirSpy, SpyVerter, SDR# software and a 2 x 6m long wire dipole antenna. The transmitter has a power rating of 250 kW and is located in Kimjae, South Korea.

Voice of Korea: April 9, 2016

Voice of Korea, DPRK recorded in London, UK on April 9, 2016 at 1638 UTC, on the frequency of 11645 kHz using AirSpy, SpyVerter, SDR# software and a 2 x 6m long wire dipole antenna. SDR#'s IF noise reduction plugin was used to mitigate the severe levels of static arising from poor propagation conditions. The transmitter has a power rating of 200 kW and is located in Kujang, DPRK. In this recording, the testing of a new intercontinental ballistic missile component is announced, possibly making this broadcast historically significant. 

KCBS Pyongyang: April 9, 2016

Korean Central Broadcasting Station, Pyongyang recorded in London, UK on April 9, 2016 at 1601 UTC, on the frequency of 11680 kHz using AirSpy, SpyVerter, SDR# software and a 2 x 6m long wire dipole antenna. SDR#'s IF noise reduction plugin was used to mitigate the severe levels of static arising from poor propagation conditions. The non-directional transmitter has a power rating of 50 kW and is located in Kanggye, DPRK.

The Voice of Greece: April 8, 2016

For your listening pleasure: The Voice of Greece recorded on 08 April 2016 on 9,420 kHz starting around 00:26 UTC. This recording was made using the TitanSDR Pro and a large sky loop antenna. Location of reception: North Carolina. 

The Sound of Hope: April 6, 2016

The Sound of Hope (Xi Wang Zhi Sheng) recorded in London, UK on April 6, 2016 at 1600 UTC, on the frequency of 9155 kHz using AirSpy, SpyVerter, SDR# software and a 2 x 6m long wire dipole antenna. The transmitter has a power rating of 100W and is located in Taiwan. This transmission is usually a difficult catch in Europe due to its low power rating and non-directional nature. SDR#'s IF noise reduction plugin was used to make speech more intelligible.

Belaruskaje Radyjo 1 Final Broadcast on Shortwave: 31 March 2016

Live, off-air, recording of the last half-hour of Belaruskaje Radyjo 1, the First National Channel of Belarusian Radio, on the shortwave frequency of 6080 kHz on 31 March 2016 beginning at about 20:30 UTC. According to a registration with the High Frequency Coordination Conference, this broadcast in Belarusian, was beamed to Russia and Ukraine from a 150 kW transmitter at Kalodzišcy, near Minsk, operated by Belaruski Radyjotelevizijny Peradajučy Centr (BRPC), with an antenna beam azimuth of 127°.

This was the last transmission of Belaruskaje Radyjo 1 on shortwave and longwave due to termination of these services by the state broadcaster. The Radio Belarus external service also stopped using the BRPC mediumwave and shortwave transmitters on 31 March 2016.     

The broadcast was received by the Web-interface wideband software-defined radio at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, with a "Mini-Whip" antenna in AM mode with 5.09 kHz total bandwidth RF filtering. Reception was fair with some co-channel interference from the First Program of China National Radio.