Radio Kudirat Nigeria (Clandestine): March 22, 1998

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

Some blended audio clips from pro democracy clandestine station Radio Kudirat Nigeria (The Voice of Democracy) operating on 11540 kHz. This recording was made on March 22, 1998 in Thamesford, Ontario, Canada. The station says they are getting reports of poor reception on their other frequency of 6205 kHz, and recommends tuning to 11540 kHz.

Date of recording: 3/22/1998

Frequency: 11.540

Reception location: Thamesford, Ontario, Canada

Receiver and antenna: Panasonic RF-3100 and longwire antenna

The Voice Of Free China: Circa 1971

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

During my early years of SWLing, The Voice of Free China from Taipei, Taiwan was an exciting catch for me. The signal came direct from Taiwan (no relay) and was often subject to "polar flutter" as it found it's path to Southern Ontario, Canada. My receiver was a Hallicrafters S-52 hooked up to a long wire antenna. This recording is from early 1971 and the frequency used was 15125 kHz. Their interval signal is heard followed by presumed ID in local Chinese dialect and ID in English

Broadcaster: The Voice of Free China, Taipei, Taiwan

Starting time: 0200

Frequency: 15.125 MHz

Reception location: Ancaster, Ontario, Canada

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

Dimtsi Weyane (Tigrinya language, Clandestine): October 21, 2021

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following short recording and translation, along with his artwork above:

Dimtsi Weyane, 17750 kHz, broadcasting in Tigrinya language to Tigray region in Ethiopia, from Issoudun, France.

Region is facing a civil war since November 2020.

Signal received at Catacumba Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 21, 2021, 16h57 (UTC).

This recording was translated my Saba Tsen'at Mah'deromt via Twitter:

VOA "Talk to America" show by Doug Bernard discussing clandestine radio (Internet Recording): June 14, 2005

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Tom Gavaras, who shares the following recording.

Note that we occasionally post recordings that are not airchecks or off-air recordings when they relate to the shortwave radio listening hobby. This is one such recording. Tom shares the following notes:

Notes: Voice of America (VOA) "Talk to America" show from 2005 hosted by Doug Bernard discussing clandestine radio. Guests included Nick Grace, Clandestine Radio Watch and Richard Lafayette, Global Crisis Watch.

The Voice of Free Sahara: February 11, 2002

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Enrique Fernandez, who shares the following recording and notes:

The Voice of Free Sahara, 32 kpbs mp3 ripped from a cassette recording. Received with a Sony 2010 and a 40 meter long wire from the France-Switzerland border in 2002.

There is a clear ID at 1”33”.

Frequency: 7.46 MHz

Date/Time: 11 February 2002 at 2333 UTC

Note that the quality of this recording is rather poor due to tape degradation:

The Voice of Free Sahara: February 24, 2002

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Enrique Fernandez, who shares the following recording and notes:

The Voice of Free Sahara, 32 kpbs mp3 ripped from a cassette recording. Received with a Sony 2010 and a 40 meter long wire from the France-Switzerland border in 2002. After the news bulletin in Spanish, there is a clear ID at 5”45.

Frequency: 7.46 MHz

Date/Time: 24 February 2002 at 2300UTC

Voice of the Malayan Revolution: Circa 1979

Image: Universal Radio

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Nigel Thornbury, who shares the following recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Voice of the Malayan Revolution

Date of recording: 1979

Starting time: 0930

Frequency: 15.790

RX location: Singapore

Receiver and antenna: Sony ICF-5900W, random wire

Mode: AM

If SRAA subscribers can ID the exact date of this recording, please comment.

Radio Clandestine: 1980's

Radio Clandestine was one of the main U.S. pirates on shortwave in the 1970s and 1980s — this recording was made in Washington, DC on a Hammarlund HQ-180A. I do not recall the frequency. This recording includes the famous spoof of Radio Moscow…and sign off with the equally famous R.F. Burns. At another link here in the archives, Andy Robins provides a separate recording of Radio Clandestine recorded in 1980 and notes that the station was known for using frequencies inside the regular shortwave broadcasting bands, unlike other pirates that tended to use frequencies just above or below the 40-meter amateur radio band.

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Robinson, who shares the following recording:

La Voz de Alpha 66: January 20, 1988

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Andy Robins, who shares the following recording and comments:

La Voz de Alpha 66 recorded in Kalamazoo, Michigan, from 0206 hours to 0237 hours UTC on 20 January 1988 on 6,668 MHz. The clandestine station opposed the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The transmitter was reportedly located in the Miami, Florida, area.

Receiver: Sony ICF-2020

Radio Liberacion SRRN: January 20, 1988

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Andy Robins, for the following recording and notes:

Radio Liberación-Sistema Radial de la Resistencia Nicaragüense recorded in Kalamazoo, Michigan, from 0240 hours to 0330 hours UTC on 20 January 1988 on frequency 5,929.3 kHz. The clandestine station opposed the Sandinista regime in Managua. The transmitter may have been in Honduras.

Receiver: Sony ICF-2010

Voice of Peace from Baghdad: December 29, 1990

Live, off-air, approximately twenty-minute recording of the Voice of Peace from Baghdad on 29 December 1990 beginning at 21:40 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 11860 kHz. This broadcast originated from a transmitter either in Iraq or Kuwait.

Iraq's Voice of Peace was established in August 1990 to beam programs to American servicemen stationed in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait at the beginning of the month. Programming consisted of music, initially easy-listening music but subsequently changing to a "Top 40" mix, news and commentary in a failed effort to try to demoralize the American troops. Beginning in September 1990, the broadcasts used a female announcer dubbed "Baghdad Betty" by the Americans. Reportedly, Baghdad Betty was replaced by a team of announcers sometime in December 1990. The recording is an example of the news and music programming. It is not known if the female announcer is the famous Baghdad Betty or someone else.

Reception of the broadcast was poor to fair with slight interference and fading. At 21:58 UTC, there is interference splash from WYFR starting up on 11855 kHz. The initial frequency recorded may have been 21675 kHz before switching after a minute or so to 11860 kHz as the radio teletype interference abruptly stops at this point. The recording includes frequent station identifications such as "You are tuned to the Voice of Peace from Baghdad."

The broadcast was received in Hanwell, New Brunswick, Canada, using a Sony ICF-7600D receiver and supplied wire antenna draped around the listening room.

Nicaraguan clandestine radio station, Radio Sandino: July 17, 1979

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

Radio Sandino, Nicaraguan clandestine radio station, voice of the Sandinista National Liberation Front. Recorded the day Anastasio Somoza DeBayle resigned the presidency and fled to Miami.

The following is a translation of the first two minutes of the announcement:

"Somoza is leaving. During these moments, [inaudible]. No one shall act freely. Everyone should act under orders of the one responsible [over them], under instruction of the national joint leadership, FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front). We must prevent, at all costs, the individual energy and [inaudible]. The FSLN guarantees publicly and emphatically to respect life and physical integrity of all military and their families once this fight is over. Nicaraguan brothers, abiding by the provisions of the new government, FSLN, reaffirms publicly that executions will not be allowed, nor physical violence against those military members who comply with the orders to ceasefire. Denying disseminated malicious versions by the Somoza [government], the new government of national reconstruction guarantees that the death penalty shall not apply to any military member guilty or not of a crime. The ordinary courts of justice will be the ones who will recognize [inaudible] and judgement. We alert all of the honest officers of the national guard that the Somoza Security Office has initiated a fierce persecution against all honest officers. We call upon you to not let them, and to trust in the guarantee the new government of national reconstruction offers you. We reiterate that every honest officer can integrate to the new patriotic military. We know that many military members have not had the opportunity to get out of the Somoza military. To those, we ask to have confidence in the imminent victory."

This recording was made on July 17, 1979 at 0500 UTC in Plymouth, MN (USA) using a Hammarlund HQ-180 and longwire antenna.

Voice of Biafra: September 8, 1969

Many thanks to both Dan Robinson and Jerry Berg who made me aware of this excellent--extremely rare--recording of the Voice of Biafra.

This broadcast was recorded by Al Sizer in North Haven, CT, on September 8, 1969 on 6,145 kHz starting at 2140 GMT. The receiver used was a Realistic DX-150. Mr. Sizer introduces the recording:

Radio Biafra: September 4, 2015

On September 4, 2015, I received a tip from SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson: Radio Biafra, a new clandestine station, was audible on 15,560 kHz via the Universite Twente Web SDR.

Despite miserable propagation conditions, I tuned my receiver to 15,560 kHz and was surprised to hear a weak signal from Radio Biafra, here in the eastern US. I recorded a few minutes before conditions changed and Biafra’s signal began to fade.

This was the first time I had logged Radio Biafra, so I was amazed to have copy clear enough to understand.

Wikipedia has a short entry for Radio Biafra:

Radio Biafra also known as Voice of Biafra, is a radio station that was originally founded by the government of the Republic of Biafra but is currently operated by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Believed to have had its first transmission before the Nigeria-Biafra war, the radio station was instrumental in the broadcast of speeches and propaganda by Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu to the people of the Republic of Biafra.

[…]Radio Biafra currently transmits via the internet and shortwave broadcast targeted majorly around Eastern Nigeria. Radio Biafra claims to be broadcasting the ideology of Biafra –”Freedom of the Biafra people”.

[…]Radio Biafra has been met with mixed reactions. While some critics have criticized the station for “inciting war” through its programmes and “preaching hate messages” against Nigeria which it refers to as a “zoo”, an editor for Sahara Reporters wrote in defence of the radio station after he compared Radio Biafra with the British Broadcasting Corporation Hausa service.

On 14 July 2015, it was reported in the media that the radio station had been jammed because it did not have a broadcast license from the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission. However, the radio station in a swift reaction labelled such claims as “lies” and went on to release its new frequency details to the public.

Note that the Wikipedia entry for Radio Biafra is rather new, having only been created in August, 2015.

The following short recording was made using my WinRadio Excalibur hooked up to a large skyloop antenna:

This two hour recording, by Dan Robinson, was made via the Universite Twente Web SDR in the Netherlands: