Voice of America (Studio Recording): July 20, 1969

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Gavaras, for sharing the following recording and notes:

Voice of America studio quality recording of shortwave coverage of Apollo 11. Starts with newscast on the status of Soviet Luna 2 orbiter that was also sent to the moon, Egyptian-Israel conflict at the Suez Canal, Organization of American States call for a cease fire between El Salvador and Honduras, entire cabinet in South Vietnam resigns, American air attacks against the Viet Cong, etc. Followed by latest updates on Apollo 11 (lunar module is on the moon), international reaction to landing on the moon, etc.

Date of recording: 7/20/1969

Starting time: 1730 UTC

KGEI: June 26, 1941

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Gavaras, who shares the following recording and notes:

KGEI General Electric shortwave station in San Francisco, CO. Recording consists of end of Musical Rambling from the National Broadcasting Company, KGEI identification, newscast including extensive war reports including news on German attack on Russia, British offensive in Africa, American government moving cautiously in supporting the USSR, German attacks on merchant ships, Sweden allows Russian troops to cross their territory, British aircrafts shot down over Italy, etc. Plus stock market reports and commodity quotations, KGEI sign off.

Recording provided by broadcast historian, Todd Kosovich.

Starting time: 1700 UTC

Frequency: 9.530 MHz

KCBS (mediumwave): January 8, 2021

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Walker who shares the following recording of KCBS made on January 8, 2021 starting at 1747 UTC in McGrath, Alaska, on 873 kHz.

Radio Tawantinsuyo (Peru): 1970s

Old QSL from Radio Tawantinsuyo, Cuzco, Peru

Thanks to SRAA contributor Dan Robinson for these notes and audio of Radio Tawantinsuyo, Cuzco, Peru

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Rising early in the morning was a regular activity of DX’ers who wanted to hear the more difficult stations from Latin America that used to fill the shortwave bands. One of those was Radio Tawantinsuyo, located in Cuzco, Peru. The station was on 6,175 khz in the 49 meter band but was more often heard on variable frequencies as low as 6,173 khz. This recording of the station sign on brings back so many memories for DX’ers who focused on South America.

BBC World Service (Death of Fidel Castro): November 26, 2016

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Scott G., for the following recording and notes:

BBC World Service Reporting on the death of Fidel Castro. Believe these broadcasts were targeted to Africa, but reception was good into Europe that morning. I was listening to these using my home receiver in East Anglia, England, but due to local interference, started recording them using the Twente SDR.

Broadcaster: BBC

Date of recording: 11/26/2016

Starting time: 0700 UTC

Frequency: 11.770 & 12.095

Location: University of Twente, Netherlands

Receiver and antenna: SDR, Mini-Whip antenna

Radio Thailand (Thai Language Service): Jan1, 2020

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Walker who shares the following recording of Radio Thailand’s English language service made on January 1, 2021 starting at 0100 UTC in McGrath, Alaska, on 13750 kHz:

Voice of Korea: December 27, 2020

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Walker who shares the following recording of the Voice of Korea made on December 27, 2020 starting at 2251 UTC in McGrath, Alaska, on 9650 kHz. Paul notes:

This also includes the dead air when once service ends and another begins.

Radio Thailand (English): December 28, 2020

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Walker who shares the following recording of Radio Thailand made on December 28, 2020 starting at 0000 UTC in McGrath, Alaska, on 13,750 kHz. Paul notes:

An entire hour including sign on, interval signal/station song and it includes the azimuth change they make at 0030UTC and the abrupt sign off for the 0100 service on 13750 in Thai at another azimuth.

Radio Clube de Mozambique (Lorenzo Marques Radio): January 1, 1965

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Sarah Boucher, who shares the following recording and notes:

Portuguese language recording of the sign off. The national anthem was probably played before or after the announcement of I don’t know.

Broadcaster: Radio Clube de Mozambique (Lorenzo Marques Radio)

Date of recording: 1/1/1965

Starting time: 22:00

Radio Havana Cuba: December 18, 2014

Many thanks to SRA contributor, Matt Todd, who shares the following recording and notes:

On December 17, 2014 it was announced that diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba would be restored and an exchange of prisoners between the two countries would occur. This is the Radio Havana Cuba broadcast from that day. It was recorded December 18, 2014 at 0159 UTC on 6000khz using a Yaesu FT-857 in Hugo, MN.

Program Details:

00:00 Sign-on

01:25 News - Prisioners released in exchange, US and Cuba announced discussion to normalize relations, Complaint filed in relation to Bush era torture programs, Talaban attack in Afghanastan, Jeb Bush running for US President

12:00 Address from Cuban President Raul Castro

18:50 Commentary on ISIS

24:10 Sports

29:45 Cuban Music

34:25 News

39:00 Mailbag

51:15 Arts Roundup

Starting time: 0159 UTC

Frequency: 6 MHz

RX location: Hugo, MN

Receiver and antenna: Yaesu FT-857 and wire loop around the perimeter of the attic

Voice of America covering assassination of President John F. Kennedy: November 22, 1963

US President, John F. Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Gavaras, who shares the following recording and notes:

Voice of America shortwave broadcast from Greenville, NC with English language coverage of the shooting of President John F. Kennedy as they struggle with CBS Television saying President Kennedy is dead and NBC Television saying that he is still alive. Transmission switches to a VOA Polish language broadcast near the end of the recording. Recording provided to me by broadcast historian, Todd Kosovich.

Broadcaster: Voice of America

Date of recording: 11/22/1963

Starting time: Approximately 1300

Radio Thailand (English Language Service) and Interval Signal : Jan 1, 2021

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Walker who shares the following recording of Radio Thailand’s English language service made on January 1, 2021 starting at 0000 UTC in McGrath, Alaska, on 13750 kHz:

Paul also has included a separate recording with the Radio Thailand interval signal, time pips, and broadcast intro:

KCBS (Korean): Jan 1, 2021

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Walker who shares the following recording of KCBS made on January 1, 2021 starting at 2313 UTC in McGrath, Alaska, on 9665 kHz:

Welle370 Special Celebrating 100 years of radio in Germany: December 22, 2020

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Steffen Schultz, who shares the following recording and notes:

This is a recording of the Welle370 special program to celebrate 100 years of radio broadcasting in Germany. In 1920, test transmissions began from the "Funkerberg" in Königs Wusterhausen, resulting in a Christmas broadcast on December 22. To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of this broadcast, Königs Wusterhausen based Welle370 aired this show on their own low-power 810 kHz mediumwave tx as well as on a local FM station. For international listeners the program was broadcasted via the Moosbrunn shortwave facilities in Austria.

Date of recording: 12/22/2020

Starting time: 1259

Frequency: 5.960

RX location: Wittstock, Brandenburg, Germany

Receiver and antenna: Tecsun S8800E with telescopic antenna

Radio Moscow NYE Show with Joe Adamov (Studio Recording): January 1, 1980

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Gavaras, who shares this studio recording of Radio Moscow featuring Joe Adamov’s New Year’s Eve show:

NDR - Gruss an Bord: December 24, 2020

A map of the world with the locations of the participants in the program. © NDR, photo: Joachim Hagen

Two live, off-air, two-hour recordings of the special annual Gruss an Bord broadcast from German broadcaster NDR, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, on 24 December 2020 beginning at 19:00 UTC. The broadcast features Christmas music and greetings to and from mariners around the world and a church service. Unlike in previous years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the programming did not feature the usual live events in Leer and Hamburg.

Relatives and friends had the opportunity to wish their loved ones at sea a happy holiday and a happy new year. At about 21:00, there was a church service from the Evangelical (Lutheran) Peace Church in Hamburg-Altona. The broadcast was primarily in German with some greetings in English and Filipino as well as German. Several songs in English, too. News bulletins preceded the first program segment and the second hour of the second program segment for a few minutes.

In addition to being carried on the NDR Info and NDR Info Spezial networks, the broadcast was transmitted around the world on shortwave using transmitters in Nauen (NAU), Germany; Moosbrunn (MOS), Austria; Issoudun (ISS), France; and Gavar (ERV), Armenia; and was organized by Media Broadcast.

The schedule for 1900-2100 UTC was:
6030 kHz ERV 100 kW / 305 deg to West/Central Europe
6080 kHz NAU 125 kW / 250 deg to Northern Atlantic
9570 kHz MOS 100 kW / 115 deg to Indian Ocean East
9740 kHz NAU 125 kW / 130 deg to Indian Ocean West
9800 kHz ISS 250 kW / 148 deg to Waters near South Africa
11650 kHz ISS 250 kW / 195 deg to Southern Atlantic
and for 2100-2300 UTC:
6145 kHz NAU 125 kW / 250 deg to Northern Atlantic
6155 kHz ERV 100 kW / 305 deg to West/Central Europe
9590 kHz ISS 250 kW / 148 deg to Waters near South Africa
9675 kHz MOS 100 kW / 115 deg to Indian Ocean East
9740 kHz NAU 125 kW / 130 deg to Indian Ocean West
9830 kHz ISS 250 kW / 195 deg to Southern Atlantic

The first recording is primarily of the transmission on the frequency of 6030 kHz between about 19:00 and 21:00 UTC although for the first minute or so the weaker frequency of 11650 kHz was used and for the couple of minutes or so, 6080 kHz was used. The frequency of 6080 kHz could not be used for most of the two hours due to strong co-channel interference from a special Vatican Radio broadcast. The second recording is of the transmission between about 21:00 and 23:00 UTC on the frequency of 6145 kHz.

The transmissions were received outdoors on a Tecsun PL-880 receiver with a Tecsun AN-03L 7-metre wire antenna in Hanwell (just outside Fredericton), New Brunswick, Canada, in AM mode with 2.3 kHz RF filtering. Reception was quite good for the most part for both two-hour segments although there was co-channel interference from a digital broadcast of Radio Romania International for the last few minutes of the first two-hour segment necessitating the switch to 6080 kHz.

Radio Slovakia International (Three-Part Christmas Show): December 25-27, 2020

Cabin near Liptovska Mara, Slovakia (Photo by Ostap Senyuk)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Matt Todd, who shares the following recordings and notes:

This is a collection of the 2020 Christmas Broadcasts of Radio Slovakia International. They were all recorded in Hugo, MN on 5850 kHz via WRMI at 0030UTC on December 25, 26, and 27, 2020

Christmas Eve broadcast Program Information: The origin of the word for Christmas in Slovak, baking a Christmas cake, and some music

Christmas Broadcast Program Information: Advent eco calendar, visit to an animal shelter, vegan Christmas foods, and some music. The signal got kind of rough towards the end.

Boxing Day Broadcast Program Information: Performance of Slovak fairy tale "A Tale of Twelve Months", Music

King George V's third Christmas Message over Shortwave: December 1934

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Fred Waterer, who shares the following recording as King George V addresses the British Empire during Christmas 1934.

Alfons and the Magic Christmas Tree read by Clayton Howard: December 1974

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Paul Rawdon, for the following recording and notes:

[This is] a recording of a story featured on HCJB’s DX Party Line hosted by Clayton Howard. As far as I remember it was recorded in December 1974. It’s a short story from SPEEDX about the reception of Tristan Da Cunha and St Helena.

SPEEDX ran from 1971 until a declining membership forced its closure in 1995 archived copies of its monthly bulletin can be found here: https://worldradiohistory.com/Speedx.htm

Hobart Radio International Christmas & New Year Special: December 20, 2020

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Matt Todd, who shares the following recording and notes:

Hobart Radio International Christmas and New Years Special for 2020. This was recorded December 20, 2020 at 0030UTC on WRMI 7730 kHz in Hugo, MN using an SDRPlay SDR.

Program Information:

Music: Donald Trump (mash up) - Elton John - Boney M - Kate Bush - Band Aid Comedy: Santa Is Indian! / Jack Dee hates Christmas shopping.