"1962 Shortwave Listening Revisited" Mix Tape

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Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Lee Herterich, who shares the following recording and notes:

1962 shortwave listening revisited.

Shortwave listening tape recordings from 1962. Included are the BBC, Montreal, Italy, Radio Moscow, Austria and the voice of America. The recording begins and ends with the BBC's Holiday Music Hall.

Receiver location: Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts USA

Receiver and antenna: Lafayette KT-200 receiver and folded dipole antenna

Radio Tawantinsuyo (Peru): 1970s

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Old QSL from Radio Tawantinsuyo, Cuzco, Peru

Old QSL from Radio Tawantinsuyo, Cuzco, Peru

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

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.

Radio Uganda: 1979

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There are other recordings of Radio Uganda on the archive — this is another, made in Washington, DC by famed DX’er Taylor McNeil. This was made on March 31, 1979 on 15,325 khz which was the frequency many listeners heard Uganda on, with 250 kw of power. Hearing Uganda on the 60 meter band, however, was far more challenging.

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Dan Robinson, who processed and posted this audio recording by Taylor McNeil:

WRNO: Early 1980s

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WRNO was the U.S. shortwave station founded by Joseph Costello III as described here and went on the air in February 1982 as a commercial international broadcaster. Another recording can be found in the archive but this is one of the earliest recordings of the station after it first went on the air.

As described by Wikipedia, WRNO was the first privately owned shortwave station licensed in several years at the time of its approval by the FCC: “Before Costello's efforts, there were only three non-governmental American shortwave broadcasters on the air; by the end of the decade, that number had increased to sixteen.[2]  WRNO shortwave had a rock music format, branded as the "World Rock of New Orleans" and operating from noon to midnight (GMT-6) daily. Originally a separate broadcast from the FM station, eventually WRNO turned to simulcasting WRNO-FM, which also had a rock music format. During the early 1990s WRNO turned to leasing airtime to religious and political commentators (for a time, it was the shortwave home of Rush Limbaugh's program) until a damaged transmitter forced the station off the air for several years.” In 2001 the station was purchased by Good News World Outreach, a non-profit religious broadcaster.” This article in SWLing Post shows the transmitter of WRNO as of 2009.

A bit of shortwave trivia not widely known — Joseph Costello appeared in the first pilot of “Communications World” the VOA program for shortwave listeners originated by Dan Robinson, who went on to be a foreign correspondent, congressional reporter, and chief White House correspondent for VOA through the 1980’s, 1990s and 2000s.

Bizim Radio (Turkish Communist Party): 1970s

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As detailed in this article, Bizim Radio was one of the oldest clandestine stations and represented the Turkish Communist Party (Bizim means “our” radio). Bizim Radio started broadcasting in 1958 and lasted until 1989 when it was reported that the station would close after more than 30 years in operation. Bizim Radio was one of many clandestines audible on the east coast of North America and was a regular along with Radio Espana Independiente, Radio Euzkadi, and other stations often using odd frequency ranges such as the 10 and 13 mHz bands.

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

Emisora Regional dos Azores: 1970s

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In the 1970’s shortwave listeners were surprised by the appearance in the 60 meter band of a station that seemed to be a re-activation of Portugal’s station in the Azores islands. The frequency was 4,865 khz and the signal was quite strong as heard on the east coast of North America. What everyone thought was actually a broadcast from the Azores turned out to be — NOT. According to Jerry Berg, in his On the Shortwaves 1945 to turned out to be none other than Radiodifusao Portuguesa with transmissions on the old frequency of Azores from years before. What a disappointment for country hunters! Anyway, here is a recording of what we all thought was Azores direct, made in the 1970s. You can hear the full ID by the announcer toward the end followed by the Portuguese national anthem.

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

80th Birthday of Rudolf Hess (1974)

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Mystery still surrounds the 1941 flight from Germany to Britain by Nazi Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess. After the Nuremberg Trials, Hess finished his days as the only inmate of Spandau Prison in West Berlin.

BBC World Service (26 April 1974).

Information-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hess

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/will-we-ever-know-why-nazi-leader-rudolf-hess-flew-scotland-middle-world-war-ii-180959040/

Recorded off-air by Ian Holder, Australia

Spiro Agnew (31 Oct. 1970)

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Comment of American VP Spiro Agnew from the Armed Forces Radio Network (AFRTS).

AFRTS began during WW2 to bring network shows to US troops in various parts of the world via shortwave and recordings. Later TV shows were added and the service continues-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Forces_Network

Recorded from shortwave by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia

Spiro Agnew information-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiro_Agnew

 

Soviet October Revolution Parade (1970)

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Shortwave coverage from Radio Moscow of the Soviet October Revolution Parade (7 November 1970). The military parade celebrated the October Revolution beginning in 1918 and continued until 1990 (the year before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991).

Recorded off-air by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia

Sound- fair

More information-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution

German- Soviet Treaty (1970)

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Shortwave broadcast from Deutsche Welle (13 August 1970)- German-Soviet Treaty.(aka The Treaty of Moscow 1970)

Recorded off-air by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia

Information on the German- Soviet Treaty-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Moscow_(1970)

https://diplomacy.state.gov/berlinwall/www/archive/IMG025.html

 

 

 

Palastinian Highjackings in Jordan (1970)

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01 Armed Forces Radio & Television Service(AFRTS 8 Sept.1970)- The highjacking situation
02 Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) (8 Sept.1970)
03 Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) (11 Sept.1970)
04 VOA Evacuation announcement (25 Sept.1970)- Ian Holder:"It was a coincidence that I happened to have the recorder running while I was tuned to the Voice of America when this "evacuation from Jordan" announcement was made".

Recorded off-air by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia.

Information on the 1970 highjackings in Jordon-
http://middleeast.about.com/od/terrorism/a/dawson-field-hijackings.htm

Indo-Pakistan War (1971)

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Indo-Pakistan War (1971)

Shortwave transmissions from All India Radio during the Indo-Pakistan War (1971)

01 All India Radio (Thursday 16 Dec. 1971) 20-00 GMT

02 All India Radio (Friday 17 Dec. 1971) 20-00 GMT

03 All India Radio (Saturday 18 Dec. 1971) 20-00 GMT

Information on the Indo-Pakistan War (1971)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Pakistani_War_of_1971

Off-air recordings by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia

Voice of Vietnam (27 Jan. 1969)

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Voice of Vietnam (27 Jan. 1969)

Shortwave broadcast from the Voice of Vietnam in Hanoi
(Monday 27 Jan. 1969).

- Music
- Woman announcer reads names of captured American GI’s
- Music
- Announcer talks of conditions of captured GI’s
- Music
- Comments from captured American GI’s
- Announcer reads out the names of captured GI’s and comments
  from GI’s themselves
- Music
- Announcer reads out names of GI casualties

Sound quality- fair

Recorded off-air by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia

Japan- China Treaty (1972)

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THE SIGNING OF THE JAPAN- CHINA TREATY
(Fri. Sept. 29, 1972)

01. Radio Peking 08-30 GMT 19 metres
02. Radio Japan 09-30 GMT 25 metres

Recorded off-air by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia

Information on the Japan- China Treaty-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Peace_and_Friendship_between_Japan_and_China