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:

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:

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. 

Voice of Greece: January 30, 2016

TitanSDR Pro Spectrum Display of the Voice of Greece signal on 9420 kHzPro.

The Voice of Greece--recorded on January 30, 2016 at 0145 UTC on 9420 kHz. Receiver used was a TitanSDR Pro connected to a large skyloop antenna. Reception location: North Carolina, USA.

Radio Netherlands, Happy Station Show: November 16, 1980

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Richard Collings, who notes:

Surprises galore for host Tom Meijer on his 42nd birthday: includes Tom being caught out by the technical team who play a recording of him trying to sing the classic Perry Como song 'It's impossible' as a send-up. Also birthday wishes in song from several members of the foreign language teams at Radio Nederland (as it was then known) in 1980.

This recording was made on Sunday 16th November 1980 from 0930 to 1020 GMT. Recorded off-air on 9,895Khz in Plymouth, Devon, UK. Tom Meyer also makes reference to the date being the 52nd anniversary of the 'Happy Station Show'.

Radio Netherlands, Happy Station Show: December 23, 1979

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Richard Collings, who notes:

The Happy Station Show of Sunday 23rd December 1979. A pre-recorded special Christmas show with Tom Meijer. Broadcast from 0930 to 1020GMT [on 9895 kHz and received in Plymouth, Devon, UK].

All India Radio, November 30, 2015

All India Radio programming in Telugu.  Broadcast at 500 kw from Bangalore to SEA.  Received in Sydney, Australia, using a Nooelec RTL-SDR (an early one with the R820T tuner), a newly homebrewed planar disk antenna, and SDR-Radio Console. 

The Mighty KBC: October 17, 2015

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Richard Langley, who notes:

Live three-hour-long recording of a transmission from the The Mighty KBC on 17 October 2015 beginning at 23:00 UTC on a frequency of 7395 kHz from a transmitter at Nauen, Germany, operating at 125 kW and beamed to North America. This was the first regular Saturday night transmission by KBC using this new frequency following a test on 26 September 2015.

Reception was good with negligible interference and only occasional fading. The recording starts with "It's Radio, But Not As We know It" presented by Dave Mason followed by "The Giant Jukebox" presented by Eric van Willegen ("Uncle Eric"). Both programs feature mostly "oldies" pop music with commentary and announcements in English with some announcements and commercials in Dutch.

The broadcast was 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. 

Radio Spaceshuttle International: September 20, 2015

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Richard Langley, who notes:

Live hour-long recording of the "last" Radio Spaceshuttle International broadcast on 20 September 2015 beginning at 19:00 UTC on a frequency of 13600 kHz. The broadcast was from the Kostinbrod (near Sofia), Bulgaria, transmitter site. The transmitter power announced during the broadcast was 100 kW. This is consistent with the HFCC (High Frequency Coordination Conference) registration of the 13600 kHz frequency by Spaceline, Ltd., the airtime broker for shortwave transmissions from Kostinbrod, between 10:00 and 20:00 UTC. The registered antenna beam direction is 195 degrees.

Reception was poor to fair with some interference from Radio Martí on 13605 kHz and the Cuban jammer aimed at it. The broadcast, compered by "Dick Spacewalker" and originating in Finland, consisted of pop music and acknowledgements of listeners' reports. The language used is mostly English with some Finnish and Japanese announcements. The broadcast begins anomalously at 19:00:11 UTC with a sign-on announcement from the Overcomer Ministry (also a user of the Kostinbrod facility) and a wrong announced frequency. The Radio Spaceshuttle International program begins about 1m:20s later. 

The broadcast was received on a Tecsun PL-880 receiver with a Tecsun AN-03L 7-metre wire antenna outdoors in Hanwell (just outside Fredericton), New Brunswick, Canada, in AM mode with 3.5 kHz RF filtering. 

The Mighty KBC: September 26, 2015

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Richard Langley, who notes:

Live hour-long recording of a test transmission from the The Mighty KBC on 26 September 2015 beginning at 23:00 UTC on a frequency of 7395 kHz, likely from a transmitter site in Europe. The Mighty KBC uses a transmitter at Nauen, Germany, operating at 125 kW for its regular Sunday UTC broadcast.

Reception was very good with negligible interference and only slight fading. The program ("The Giant Jukebox"), produced and announced by Eric van Willegen ("Uncle Eric") originated from Ede, The Netherlands, and consisted of pop music and announcements including requests for reception reports.

The broadcast was 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. 

Radio Progreso: August 31, 2015

(Image Source: konstriktio)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Richard Langley, who notes:

Live recording of Radio Progreso, Havana, Cuba, on 31 August 2015 beginning at about 01:10 UTC on a frequency of 4765 kHz. The signal originates from a 50 kW transmitter at Bauta, near Havana, with a non-directional antenna. 

The recording, in Spanish, begins with the program "Nocturno / Domingo de Selecciones de la Actualidad," a program of current music. At 13m:05s in the recording, there is a brief station identification ("RP") followed by a short news report and announcements of current cultural events in Havana. There is a full musical station identification at 18m:55s ("Radio Progreso, cadena nacional, la onda de la alegría, transmitiendo desde La Habana, Cuba, primera territorio libre en America"). At 19m:45s, the program "Ritmos Dominical" begins, an eclectic music program featuring selections by, among others, Nirvana and Ace of Base as well as traditional Cuban rhythms. The recording ends with the program still in progress.

The broadcast was received on a Tecsun PL-880 receiver with its built-in telescopic whip antenna in Key West, Florida, using an RF bandwidth of 5 kHz. Signal quality is generally good. Occasionally, there is slight interference from what is believed to be a radar signal.

Voice of Greece: November 15, 2013

I never know what to expect when I tune around on one of my shortwave radios.  Perhaps that's one of the things I find captivating about the medium; there's no playlist, no app, no content controls, other than the tuning knob.

Sometimes, I tune to a station, and it's as though I've just opened a door and walked in on a party--one in full swing, with dancing and incredible live music.

That's exactly what I felt when I tuned to the Voice of Greece on the night of November 15, 2013. I walked in on a party.  And I needed no invitation; I was welcomed there.

Hear it, just as I did, starting right in the middle of this party:

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

SRAA contributor, Brian Smith, writes:

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 on 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

00:00 — CBC (Radio Canada) Northern and Armed Forces Service: News and sports.
07:51 — RAE (Radio Argentina): Sign-off with closing theme
09:14 — Department of Energy station in Belton, Missouri: "This is KRF-265 clear."
09:17 — Interval signal: Radio Spain.
09:40 — 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 — Unidentified station (Spanish?): 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.

Voice of Greece: August 5, 2015

For your listening pleasure: the Voice of Greece.

Recorded on August 5, 2015 starting around 04:20 UTC on 9,420 kHz. Receiver used was a WinRadio Excalibur, hooked up to a large horizontal delta loop antenna. Reception location is North Carolina, USA.

Radio Cook Islands (Recording #2 Mediumwave): circa 1993

Two engineers from Radio Cook Islands, photographed during my visit in April, 1993. (Photo: Guy Atkins)

The following is the second recording of Radio Cook Islands by SRAA contributor, Guy Atkins. Click here to read the recording description and original post.

Recording 2: Radio Cook Islands

Notes: “Party Time” music request show; weather; local ads; more music.

Radio Cook Islands (Recording #1 Mediumwave): circa 1993

A view from the driveway entrance to the Radio Cook Islands studio in 1993. Insulators on an antenna (T2FD or multiband dipole) can be seen as dark spots against the cloudy sky. A feedline is also seen rising above the left side of the building. (Photo: Guy Atkins)

SRAA contributor, Guy Atkins, writes:

In 1993 I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Rarotonga with my wife, courtesy of a nice award through my company which afforded me an all-expenses-paid trip anywhere we’d like to go.

I chose the South Pacific island of Rarotonga, partly because I wanted to visit Radio Cook Islands after listening to their “island music” on 11760 and 15170 kHz through my teenage years.

During our visit to the island I recorded 90+ minutes of RCI on 630 kHz with a local quality signal using a Grundig Satellit 500 and a Marantz PMD-221 recorder.

Sadly, RCI will likely never be on shortwave again; a fire in the local tele-comm building a few months before my 1993 visit destroyed RCI’s transmitter. I had an amusing exchange with the secretary when I visited; she insisted that their station was still on shortwave. Of COURSE we’re on the air she said, because “the frequencies are published right here in the newspaper!” The engineer and announcer confirmed, though, that the silence on their former frequencies was for real. They indicated they were covering the outer islands just fine with FM translators and had no intention of restarting shortwave.

Recordings

The programming of Radio Cook Islands is bilingual, and announcers are fluent in both English and Cook Islands Maori. Music selections on RCI encompass all styles, to appeal to many age groups. These recordings was scheduled to include as much local music as possible.

RCI programming includes all the hallmarks of a small, non-professional station: stuck records & tape carts, dead air, poor modulation, and other miscues.

However, that’s part of the flavor of local radio, and these errors are heard throughout this recording. Particularly noticeable is the bassy, over-modulation of the studio announcer during sign-on announcements.

Recording 1

Notes: National anthem & hymn; sign-on announcements & music.
Music; weather; sign-off announcements & national anthem.
Local & regional news; weather; ads; music.

Recording 2 follows in the next post....

Voice of Greece: June 29, 2015

For your listening pleasure: the Voice of Greece.

Recorded on 29 June 2015 starting around 01:50 UTC on  9,420 kHz using a WinRadio Excalibur and a horizontal delta loop external wire antenna. Location of reception is North Carolina, USA. 

Notes: In the last 15 minutes of this recording there are a number of multi-language station IDs for the Voice of Greece and ERT.

All India Radio: November 20, 2008

The following recording of All India Radio was made on November 20, 2008 beginning around 1458 UTC on 9870 kHz.

This off air recording comes from a collection of archived recordings by SWAA contributor, Terry Wilson. 

Terry made this and all of his recordings in the Midwestern US on either the Ten-Tec RX-320D or Eton E1XM receivers. He used the recording facility of the Shortwave Log software.  Terry notes that any "QRM includes city power lines, street lights with bad ballasts, household electronics, and interference from Radio Havana Cuba."

Many thanks for sharing these recordings, Terry! For more recordings from this collection, simply follow this tag: Terry Wilson.

You can listen to the full recording below, or download as an MP3 with the link provided:

The Mighty KBC: May 24, 2015

The Mighty KBC broadcast via the TitanSDR Pro

For your listening pleasure: three hours of The Mighty KBC.

This broadcast was recorded on May 24, 2015 starting around 00:00 UTC on 9,925 kHz. I used the TitanSDR Pro hooked up to my large skyloop antenna to capture this recording; in truth, the signal was so strong it could've been easily received on a portable here in eastern North America.

Use the embedded player below to listen to the recording. A download link has also been provided for your convenience: