Radio Tashkent: November 11, 1982 (death of Leonid Brezhnev)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Jack Widner, who notes:

The announcement by Radio Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, of the death of Leonid Brezhnev. It includes funerary music between two annoiuncements of the passing of Brezhnev, followed by an English news broadcast, and a commentary later.

This broadcast started around 1200 UTC on 5,985 kHz on November 11, 1982. It was recorded in Indianapolis, IN USA with a Hammarlund HQ-180 connected to a 100 ft v-shaped longwire.

KNLS Russian: 26 May 2016

KNLS Alaska Nowaja Zizn in Russian language recorded in Europe on 26 May 2016 at 1800 UTC on shortwave frequency of 9570 kHz

Radio IRIB Voice of Iran in English: May 27, 2016

IRIB – Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran in English recorded in Europe at 1930 GMT on May 27, 2016, the shortwave frequency of 9665 kHz (transmitter power of 500 KW beamed towards South Africa; transmitter site: Sirjan, Iran)

Radio Free Gambia: April 22, 2016

Live, off-air, approximately one-hour recording of the clandestine station Radio Free Gambia on 22 April 2016 beginning at about 19:00 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 15465 kHz. According to a registration at the High Frequency Coordination Conference, this broadcast, aired on Fridays in the time slot 19:00-20:00 UTC, originates from a 100 kW transmitter of TDF in Issoudun, France. The antenna beam direction is 207 degrees towards the western part of west Africa.    

The broadcast begins with the Gambian national anthem, "For The Gambia Our Homeland," followed by a recorded political monologue in English. The program ends in mid-sentence at about 19:56 UTC.

Radio Free Gambia is associated with the Gambia Broadcasting Project (www.facebook.com/GBroadcastProject), "[s]haring facts and truth about Gambia over Short Wave Radio." 

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 RF filtering. Reception was fair with some noise, improving slightly towards the end of the broadcast. 

Medi1: May 26, 2016

Medi1 Radio, Morocco recorded in London, UK on May 26, 2016 at 0249 UTC on the frequency of 9575 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. The transmitter has a power rating of 250 kW and is located in Nador, Morocco. 

Radio Tirana in English: May 18, 2016

Radio Tirana, Albania in English recorded in Europe at 2000 GMT on May 18, 2016, shortwave frequency of 7465 kHz (transmitter location Shijak, Albania, transmitter power: 100 kW)

All India Radio (Urdu): May 23, 2016

All India Radio Urdu service recorded in London, UK on May 23, 2016 at 0055 UTC on the frequency of 11620 kHz using FunCube Dongle Pro+ and SDR# 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 has a power rating of 500 kW and is located in Bengaluru, India. 

Voice of Greece: May 16, 2016

I Foní tis Elládas : Elliniki Radiofonia/ The Voice of Greece : Hellenic Radio

Voice of Greece recorded in London, UK on May 16, 2016 at 2300 UTC on the frequency of 9420 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 has a power rating of 170 kW and is located in Avlis, Greece. 

Voice of Mongolia via Shortwave Service: May 1, 2016

Live, off-air, half-hour recording of the Voice of Mongolia in English as transmitted by Shortwave Service (shortwaveservice.com) in Euskirchen, near Bonn, Germany, using a transmitter at Kall-Krekel, Germany, on 1 May 2016 from 15:00 to about 15:30 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 6005 kHz. The transmitter power is 1 kW with an essentially non-directional antenna.

The recording begins with the interval signal of Shortwave Service and an introduction to the Voice of Mongolia program in German. This is followed by the interval signal of the Voice of Mongolia and an edition of the "Sunday Music Program." The frequencies of the shortwave transmitters announced are only those of the Voice of Mongolia itself. The relay by Shortwave Service is not mentioned. The recording ends with the interval signal of Shortwave Service.

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 reasonably good with some noise and fading.

Swiss Broadcasting Corporation's "Swissinfo" via Shortwave Service: May 1, 2016

Live, off-air recording of the inaugural weekly broadcast of the "Swissinfo" program in English from the international service of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), swissinfo.ch (SWI), and formerly known as Swiss Radio International and before that, the Swiss Shortwave Service. The program was transmitted by Shortwave Service (shortwaveservice.com) in Euskirchen, near Bonn, Germany, using a transmitter at Kall-Krekel, Germany, on 1 May 2016 from 14:45 to about 15:00 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 6005 kHz. The transmitter power is 1 kW with an essentially non-directional antenna. The program begins and ends with the familiar music box interval signal formerly used by SBC for its own shortwave transmissions and the recording concludes with the interval signal of Shortwave Service. The edition of "Swissinfo" that was broadcast on 1 May 2016 (on fruit fly research and the science of smell) was the one posted on line on 24 April 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 to good with some noise and fading.

Radio Canada International's "The Link" via Shortwave Service: May 1, 2016

Live, off-air recording of the weekly Radio Canada International (RCI) program "The Link" transmitted by Shortwave Service (shortwaveservice.com) in Euskirchen, near Bonn, Germany, using a transmitter at Kall-Krekel, Germany, on 1 May 2016 from 14:00 to about 14:30 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 6005 kHz. The transmitter power is 1 kW with an essentially non-directional antenna. The recording begins with the interval signal of Shortwave Service. The edition of "The Link" that was broadcast was the one posted on line on 16 April 2016.

The RCI broadcasts over Shortwave Service began on Saturday, 2 April 2016, with "The Link" being transmitted at 14:00 UTC on 7310 kHz, while the equivalent French-language program "Tam-Tam Canada" is transmitted at the same time on 6005 kHz. Beginning 1 May 2016, a second airing of "The Link" occurs on Sundays at 14:00 UTC on 6005 kHz. The program has also been known as "The Link: Online" since the demise of RCI's own shortwave broadcast facility.

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 noise and fading.

Rádio Nacional da Amazônia: May 12, 2016 from TwenteSDR in the Netherlands

Wideband online SDR receiver at the University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

Following Thomas Witherspoon's excellent recording of the special presidential impeachment coverage on Rádio Nacional da Amazônia, below is another recording of the same transmission as heard via the TwenteSDR online shortwave receiver located in Enschede, The Netherlands. The receiver was tuned to 6180 kHz at 0047 UTC on May 12, 2016. Propagation from the western hemisphere was weak, with heavy static crashes at the start of the recording that subsided towards the middle part. There are several seconds of co-channel QRM from Vatican Radio on 6185 kHz, 1 hour and 22 minutes into the recording, before the passband filter was adjusted to exclude it. A narrow audio filter was used to reduce the risk of subsequent interference from adjacent stations, as the recording was left unattended most of the time. The recording ends when the propagation path becomes completely broken (shortly before 0600 UTC).

P.S. Although I normally only upload recordings I make with my own equipment and the intelligibility of the above capture leaves a lot to be desired at times, I decided to upload it because of the historical significance of this event (combined with RNA's recent return on 6180 kHz after being out of service on that frequency for more than one year, enabling stable reception in Europe in the early hours of the morning).

Rádio Nacional da Amazônia: May 12, 2016 (breaking news of Dilma Rousseff facing impeachment trial)

Last night, my buddy John Figliozzi shared the following tip regarding Rádio Nacional da Amazônia:

Both frequencies active tonight — 6180 and 11780 — with lots of discussion as well as excerpts from speeches in the Brazilian Senate on the impeachment of the President.  All in Portuguese of course.  ID around 0155 with announcement of shortwave frequencies.  Excellent armchair quality signal on 6180; audible with considerable QRN on 11780.

After reading John's message, I immediately tuned to 6180 kHz where Rádio Nacional da Amazônia was quite strong. I recorded almost two hours of their broadcast which includes news about the impeachment and music as well. This recording was made in North Carolina using a WinRadio Excalibur receiver and a Pixel Loop Pro magnetic loop antenna, starting around 02:20 UTC on May 12, 2016:

Ecos del Torbes: March 1980 (2 Parts)

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

Broadcasting from San Cristobal, Venezuela on 4980 kHz, Ecos del Torbes was well heard in midwestern North America in the evenings and early mornings.  Here is a recording of the station from the 11 PM hour (local time) in the spring of 1980.

There is a pleasant mix of English and Spanish language pop, featuring several Venezuelan artists in this aircheck.  There is also a brief newscast in the second half of the recording.  If anyone out there has a better understanding of Spanish than myself, I would like to know the specific headlines, as it would help me get the precise date this recording was made.

Radio Polonia: post martial law declaration 1981 (Part 3)

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 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: