VOA Communications World: June 24, 1995

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

VOA's Communications World with Kim Andrew Elliott from 6-24-1995, Topics discussed included:

- International radio news
- Discussion about VOA budget and possible consolidation of VOA into the State Department
- Underwriting messages on VOA
- Weather reports on VOA broadcasts to Africa
- Interview with Radio Prague about their innovative use of the internet

Broadcaster: Voice of America

Date of recording: 6/24/1995

Starting time: Unknown

Frequency: Unknown

Receiver location: Orono, MN

Receiver and antenna: ICOM R71A, Longwire

Twin Cities Radio Compilation Capitol Insurrection: January 6, 2021

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

This is a compilation of radio broadcast from Twin Cities, Minnesota radio stations when the news of the January 6 US Capitol storming was first mentioned.

Time stamps for the following stations and their time of broadcast:

00:00 WCCO 1:07 CST

01:24 KTLK 1:08 CST

02:08 KYCR 1:20 CST

03:31 WLOL 2:04 CST

06:43 WWTC 2:08 CST

09:39 KDIZ 3:06 CST

First 10 Minutes Of Amateur Radio Field Day 2021 (20M Band Scan): June 26, 2021

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

Notes: A scan of the phone portion of the 20 Meter Amateur Radio band during the first ten minutes of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field day June 26, 2021. Field day is the biggest Amateur Radio operating event of the year.

Broadcaster: Amateur Radio

Date of recording: 6/26/2021

Starting time: 1800

Frequency: 20 Meters

Reception location: Hugo, MN

Receiver and antenna: SDRplay RSPdx with wire loop around perimeter of attic

Mode: Single Side Band

VOA Communications World: July 1, 1995

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

VOA Communications World 7/1/1995

VOA's Communications World presented by Kim Andrew Elliott. Topics discussed included:

- Report on WCCO-TV (Minneapolis, MN) running a modified newscast on another local TV station (KLGT-TV) at the same time and interviews Brian Lambert of the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper. Plus, discussion on radio competition in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN area.
- Plans of America's public radio broadcasters to distribute programming in Europe
- Radio of-demand and its potential for domestic and international broadcasting
- Interview with VOA's Southeast Asia correspondent, Dan Robinson, about broadcasting in Thailand

Broadcaster: Voice of America

Date of recording: 7/1/1995

Starting time: Unknown

Frequency: Unknown

Receiver location: Orono, MN

Receiver and antenna: ICOM R71A, Longwire

WWV Ionospheric Scientific Modulation Test: March 10. 2022

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Matt Todd, who shares the following short clip of the Ham Sci Ionospheric Scientific Modulation Test:

Date of recording: 3/10/2022

Starting time: 1908

Frequency: 15

Your location: Hu

Your receiver and antenna: SDRplay RSPdx with wire loop around perimeter of attic

Mode: AM

Notes: Ionospheric Scientific Modulation Test on WWV recorded March 10, 2022 at 1908UTC on 15Mhz in Hugo, MN.

Information about the signal from the Hamsci website: HamSCI's WWV/H Scientific Modulation Working Group is exploring possibilities for additions to WWV and WWVH's modulation that can be used for science purposes.

https://hamsci.org/wwv

Radio Difusora do Maranhao: circa 1970s

Photo of Hallicrafters S-52 by Rich (KB8TAD)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following short recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Radio Difusora do Maranhao, Sao Luiz, Brazil

Starting time: believe it was around 0000 UTC

Frequency: 4.755

Reception location: Ancaster, Ontario, Canada

Receiver and antenna: Hallicrafters S-52 using a longwire antenna

Notes: This recording was made sometime in 1970 using a Panasonic cassette recorder with an open mike next to the speaker of the Hallicrafters S-52. The familiar tune of Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head can be heard followed by the closing announcements in Portuguese. Lots of QRM and possible het due to station being not exactly on 4755, het disappears when station carrier goes off. Lots of fun on the 60 metre band in those days!

Radio Ukraine International: March 3, 2022

Image by Marjan Blan | @marjanblan

The following recording of Radio Ukraine International was broadcast via WRMI on 5010 kHz. This recording was made via a KiwiSDR in Bakersville, NC on March 3, 2022 starting at 12:02 UTC.

Note: The first two minutes of the broadcast are missing due to a glitch in recording.

Radio Ukraine International: February 24, 2022

Kiev, Ukraine (Photo by Volodymyr)

The following recording of Radio Ukraine International was made on February 24, 2022 at 12:00 UTC on 5010 kHz via WRMI. The recording was made with an Icom IC-705 connected to a large skyloop antenna.

This is the first broadcast of the English language after the following February 23, 2022 announcement by WRMI:

Due to the increased interest in the current situation in Ukraine, WRMI has resumed its relays of the daily English language broadcast of Radio Ukraine International, the official overseas service of Ukrainian Radio. RUI can be heard daily, except Friday, at 1200-1230 UTC on 5010 kHz.

Note that the first half of this broadcast (Part 1) was made in AM mode. The second part was recorded in lower sideband in order to mitigate fading as conditions changed.

Cities and Memory Shortwave Transmissions released to mark World Radio Day!

We at the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive are truly honored to have been a resource for this incredible and diverse sound project organized by Cities and Memory.

We encourage you to explore the creative work from over 120 artists and composers.

A great many of these remarkable dynamic works draw on a wide array of recordings from the SRAA; the resulting compositions and soundscapes are rich with sonic textures, evocative collages of sound and memory, which emerge into further sources of inspiration.

Our profound thanks to Cities and Memory––and all of the participating artists––for this truly brilliant collection:

13 February 2022

UNIQUE ARCHIVE OF SHORTWAVE RADIO COMPOSITIONS LAUNCHED TO MARK UNESCO WORLD RADIO DAY

To mark UNESCO World Radio Day on 13 February, a unique collection of compositions built from eight decades of shortwave radio recordings is being released.

Shortwave Transmissions, a project by one of the world’s biggest sound projects Cities and Memory in collaboration with the Shortwave Radio Archive (), sees more than 120 artists remix and recompose iconic shortwave recordings to create brand new compositions reflecting on and celebrating our relationship with radio.

The project can be explored in full at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave and features:

• Recordings from the mysterious spy radio and “numbers stations” around the world

• Coverage of world-changing events such as 9/11, the invasion of Kuwait, Kennedy’s assassination, Tiananmen Square protests, the death of Fidel Castro and many more

• Rare international recordings from North Korea, Saudi Arabia, St. Helena, the Falkland Islands and Antarctica

• Recordings covering a huge period of time from 1934 through to the present day

• Space travel documented including the Sputnik, Apollo and Challenger missions

• Recordings of famous voices such as Winston Churchill and King George V

• Station IDs, interval signals and final broadcasts from radio stations

• Stuart Fowkes, founder of Cities and Memory, said:

“Shortwave radio is one of the most fascinating sonic worlds - each recording is a unique time capsule capturing vital moments in world history as well as the thrill of pirate radio, clandestine radio stations, secretive number stations and military and spy radio.

These are sounds to be treasured: all of humanity is truly out there to be listened to at the turn of a dial - and is source material for some extraordinary compositions.”

Taking the world of shortwave radio to an entirely different place, each recording has been reshaped and reimagined as a creative recomposed sound by more than 120 musicians and sound artists, in turn reflecting on current concerns covering everything from climate change to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shortwave Transmissions is the latest project from Cities and Memory, a global, collaborative network of sound recordists and artists based in Oxford, UK. Previous global sound projects have included #StayHomeSounds (a global mapping of the sounds of the Covid-19 lockdown), Protest and Politics (the biggest ever collection of the sounds of protest) and Sacred Spaces, the first global survey of the sounds of churches, temples, prayer and worship.

It has more than 5,000 sounds on its global sound map covering more than 100 countries and territories, and more than 1,000 worldwide contributing artists since its launch in 2015.

https://youtu.be/v3oVWUUxOOg

Rhodesia Broadcasting Corporation

In 1974, I was an exchange student with AFS (then known as the American Field Service) in Swaziland, southern Africa. I had taken a Drake SPR-4 with me for the months I lived in Swaziland, and I used the receiver to hear a range of stations in Africa and Asia. Stations using shortwave that were a challenge for listeners in North America and other locations were heard at local levels and one of those was the RBC, in what was then called Rhodesia. These recordings on one of the RBC shortwave frequencies were made in Mbabane, Swaziland. Elsewhere on the SW Archive, there are other recordings including one of RBC heard in the United States on shortwave. The QSL card shown here was the older style with an image of an impala, a photo of Salisbury (later Harare). On the back, under a white sticker, an even older name of the radio station, The Broadcasting Corporation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, can still be seen.

Nelson Mandela Release - Radio RSA (February 11th, 1990

Nelson Mandela was released from prison in South Africa on February 11th, 1990. At the time, Radio RSA was still broadcasting to the world on shortwave radio, and provided live coverage of the event which was heard by many shortwave listeners. It will be recalled that Radio RSA had one of the most powerful shortwave transmission systems of any country for many years — with its familiar interval signal it was a regular for SWLs.

This recording of Radio RSA was made on a SONY ICF-2010 receiver in Silver Spring, Maryland. The first recording is of the full Radio RSA coverage, and the second is the Mandela speech itself, a portion that begins at about the 1 hour 10 mark. Mandela said: “A democratic and non-racial South Africa is the only way to peace and racial harmony.” Radio RSA was so strong, in fact, that it could be heard on my SONY AM-FM-SW Cassette Deck using only a short piece of wire as an antenna. At end end of the Mandela speech recording, can be heard a VOA newscast from the previous day covering the announcement by then President DeKlerk that Mandela would be released.

MARS Radio Phone Patch: January 24, 2022

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

Audio recording of a MARS (Military Auxiliary Radio Service) of the establishment of a phone patch between a service member and their family member. This was recorded January 24, 2022 at 2148UTC on 13.927 MHz. It was recorded with an SRDplay RSPdx using a wire loop antenna.

Broadcaster: MARS

Date of recording: 1/24/2022

Starting time: 2148

Frequency: 13927

RX location: Hugo, MN

Receiver and antenna: SDRplay RSPdx with wire loop around perimeter of attic

Mode: Single Side Band

Syrian Radio & Television (1970's Recording)

In the early 1970’s, Syria was among the major shortwave broadcasters from the Middle East. The Broadcasting Service of the Syrian Arab Republic, as it was called back then, put in fairly strong signals on 15,165 khz in the 19 meter band, though not as powerful as other stations such as Radio Kuwait and Radio Cairo. In this recording from 1971, we hear a political commentary on the Palestinians, followed by station identification: “You are tuned to Damascus, the broadcasting service of the Syrian Arab Republic. The time is exactly 23 hours and 10 minutes.” While Damascus was still using shortwave, including its old 12,085 khz frequency and 9,330 khz in the first decade of the 2000s, the civil war in Syria along with decisions made to end shortwave, removed this once familiar Middle East voice from the shortwave bands.

Radio Kuwait (1970's recording)

In 2022, it is quite astounding that we still have, at least as of now, two Middle East broadcasters still on the air on shortwave: Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Radio Cairo was making attempts to return as of early 2022 but having great difficulties resolving its longstanding modulation and distortion problems. Jordan is now gone, as is Bahrain it seems. Oman which was still on shortwave as of 2019 is now either gone or intermittent. Radio Kuwait, which returned to shortwave some years ago, began shifting to DRM transmissions though is still being heard on regular AM shortwave, though with some highly variable shifts of frequency.

Which brings us back to the good old days when Radio Kuwait was the new powerhouse in shortwave broadcasting from the Middle East, having taken delivery of 250 kilowatt transmitters. Radio Kuwait was a daily presence on shortwave for decades, with its familiar musical interval before English newscasts, and music programs. As a young SWL, I used to listen to Radio Kuwait almost on a daily basis, usually in the 19 meter band. The signal was so strong and clear that it was easy to tune in on the 1940’s T-133 receiver I used at the time. Here is a recording of Radio Kuwait from 1970. The station was also a superb reliable verifier of reception reports and sent out beautiful folder QSLs.

Radio New Zealand (Early 1970's)

In 2022, one station in the South Pacific remains on shortwave, to the great delight of shortwave listeners. That station is Radio New Zealand, which as of early 2022 could still be heard with good signals. Back in the 1970’s Radio New Zealand was a prime DX target. Its sign on at 0600 UTC required staying up until 2:00 AM in summer months. For signs of good Pacific propagation, DX’ers often used VNG, the former time signal station in Australia, as a marker. If VNG was coming in well, then New Zealand and Tahiti were likely to be coming in well. It’s hard to explain the feeling a new SWL got hearing Radio New Zealand in those days. At a power of 7.5 kilowatts, the station listed on its QSL card (shown here) 9 frequencies, including 9.54 mHz and 11.780 mHz where I used to hear them. Other frequencies in 1971 were 15.280, 17.770, 6.080, 9.620, 15.220, 6.020, and 15.110 mHz for ZL2/3/4/5/7/8/10/20 and 21 call letters. The verification signer was H. Taylor-Smith at NZBC Broadcasting House in Wellington. Hearing this 7.5 kilowatt signal, with its characteristic fading as the signal made its way the many thousands of miles to Pennsylvania, was a real thrill. Here is the 1971 recording of Radio New Zealand, from sign on with its “Bellbird” interval signal and BBC news relay.

LV de Mosquitia (Honduras) 1981

In 1981, a small U.S.- supported station called La Voz de Mosquitia (HRXK) went on air from Puerto Lempira, Honduras. The frequency was 4,910 khz — and it was plagued by interference from other Latin American stations in the 60 meter band. A good write up about the station can be found here. This recording was made in Washington, DC using a Hammarlund HQ-180A receiver. The plain QSL card shown here was signed by Reverend Landon Wilkerson, an independent Baptist Missionary, who spent seventeen years in Honduras with his wife and family helping the Miskito Indians.

HCVG-8 La Voz de Galapagos

The shortwave listening community was stunned some 40 years ago by the sudden appearance of a new station in the Galapagos Islands. It was Radiodifusora La Voz de Galapagos HCVG-8 and broadcast on 4,810 khz in the 60 meter band. Not only did LV de Galapagos put in an excellent signal in the evening in eastern North America, but it was an excellent QSLer, sending out beautiful photo cards showing wildlife in the islands. On the back were wonderful colorful stamps. This recording was made in Washington, DC in 1980.

Bermuda PTT (Cable & Wireless)

The Cable & Wireless Ltd point to point station at St. George’s, Bermuda was a regular signal on the shortwave frequencies in the 1960s and 1970s. This recording was made in Levittown, Pennsylvania using a Hammarlund HQ-180A receiver: “This is a test transmission for station adjustment purposes of a radio telephone terminal owned and operated by Cable & Wireless, Ltd. This transmitter is located at St. George’s Bermuda.”

U.S. Army Radio Utility / Panama

Among the many point to point / utility stations on the shortwave bands was this one, ACA (Alpha Charlie Alpha) located in the Panama Canal Zone. This recording was made in the early 1970s in Levittown, PA: “This is United States Army radio station, Alpha Charlie Alpha, located in the Panama Canal Zone. We are testing for receive alignment and station identification”

French Guiana (Utility)

In the 1960’s and 1970s, and likely earlier in the 1950s, point to point utility stations were an enjoyable part of the shortwave listening hobby. These stations, run by Cable & Wireless, Ltd, Republique Francois Post et Telecommunications, and companies, and broadcast by transmitters in many of the former colonial territories, were heard on frequencies outside of the main shortwave broadcast bands. Because they were not meant for general consumption, verifications from these stations, usually from the PTT office in the countries concerned, usually were not verifications as such but recognition of reception. Nevertheless, they offered an interesting way for hobbyists to hear countries, including some locations that had no shortwave broadcast stations. The QSL shown here was for my reception in the 1970’s of the PTT station at Cayenne, French Guiana.