"AWR Historical" (Cassette Recordings, Parts 1 & 2): Circa 1980

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Antonio Ribeiro da Motta, who shares the following recordings and notes:

In 1980 I participated in the AWR Asia DX Contest promoted by the Radio Monitors International program produced by Mr. Adrian Petersen. The program was produced at the AWR Asia studios in Poona (India) and broadcast through the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Company via transmitters in Ekala and Colombo. Despite the reception being very difficult in South America, I managed to participate in the contest and got eighth place. As a prize, I got a cassette called AWR Historical. And it is this material that I would like to share with my friends at Shortwave Archive.

Radio Nederland (Happy Station Show): April 20, 1980

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Clinton Turner, who shares the following recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Radio Nederlands

Date of recording: 4/20/1980

Starting time: 0530

Frequency: 6.165 MHz

Recption location: North Logan, UT

Receiver and antenna: Panasonic RF-1600 with random wire approx. 50' (15M)

Notes: Happy Station Show with Tom Meijer, 20 April, 1980 - off-air recording
Overview of 1980 Eurovision Song Contest, letters

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:

1980 ANARC Convention Broadcasters Forum (Live Recording): July 20, 1980

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

Broadcasters forum at the 1980 ANARC (Association of North American Radio Clubs) convention held in Irving, CA. Panelists included George Wood, Radio Sweden; Tony King, Radio New Zealand; David Monson, Belgian Radio and TV; Alfonso Montelegre, Radio Netherlands; Ian McFarland, Radio Canada International; Bob Zonati, Swiss Radio International; and Clayton Howard, HCJB. Also participation from Glenn Hauser, World of Radio.

Please note this is not an off-air/aircheck recording, rather a live recording from the convention floor in Irvine, California, USA.

Radio Moscow (Joe Adamov Impressions from visit to the US--Studio Recording): December 1980

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

Tom notes that Kim Andrew Elliott, formerly of VOA, is also mentioned in this recording.

Radio Clandestine: November 23, 1980

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

U.S. pirate station Radio Clandestine broadcast recorded on 11.835 MHz (25-meter band) from 1720 to 1742 hours UTC on 23 November 1980 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Radio Clandestine, hosted by DJ "R.F. Burns," was a legendary parody pirate station of the late 1970's into the 1980's and beyond. Its programs are still occasionally rebroadcast by other pirate stations decades later. Radio Clandestine 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. In this case, 11.835 MHz was a main frequency for legal station 4VEH in Haiti during this time.

Receiver and antenna: Panasonic RF-2900 portable with built-in whip

KVHF: November 9, 1980

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

U.S. pirate radio station KVHF recorded on 6.420 MHz (42-meter band) beginning at 0615 UTC on 9 November 1980 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Only a few minutes of the recording could be recovered because of the poor physical condition of the original cassette tape. This station was later "busted" by the Federal Communication Commission, at which time its location was revealed to have been in California. This made KVHF one of only a relative handful of "free radio" stations that have operated on shortwave from the U.S. West Coast.

Receiver and antenna: Collins R390A and random end-fed wire antenna

Radio Confusion: October 20, 1980

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

North American pirate Radio Confusion recorded on 13.992 MHz (20-meter band) beginning at 0100 GMT on 20 October 1980 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Unfortunately, the complete recording could not be recovered because of the poor physical condition of the original cassette tape. Radio Confusion was among the first North American pirates to routinely use frequencies above 7.5 MHz, as I recall.

Receiver: Collins R390A

Jolly Roger Radio: November 9, 1980

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

This is a recording of U.S. pirate radio station "Jolly Roger Radio" from my location in Kalamazoo, Michigan, beginning at 2300 UTC on 9 November 1980. At that time I was using a Collins R390A receiver and a random-length, end-fed wire antenna. The station was about the only U.S. pirate at that time that specialized in Bluegrass, folk, and Americana music. This was part of a marathon, multi-hour broadcast that led directly to the FCC "busting" the station and putting it off the air. It was revealed that Jolly Roger Radio operated from Bloomington, Indiana, with a transmitter power of around 50 watts.

Radio Free Grenada: March 1980

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Jim Nall, who shares the following recording of Radio Free Grenada made in 1980.

Receiver: Kenwood R-1000

Antenna: Vertical

Reception location: Louisville, KY

Interval Signals: BBC World Service 1980/1981

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Jerry Johnston, who shares the following recording from his extensive collection off interval signals.

Duration: 0:34

Filename: BBC_England_(Bow-Bells).mp3 (319.35 kB)

Bitrate Mode: vbr Channel Mode: mono Sample Rate: 44100 Hz

Received By: Jerry Johnston

Receiving Location: Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Duration: 0:33

Filename: BBC_England_(Four-notes-B-B-B-E).mp3 (317.23 kB)

Bitrate Mode: vbr Channel Mode: mono Sample Rate: 44100 Hz

Received By: Jerry Johnston

Receiving Location: Lexington, Kentucky, USA

The Russian Invasion of Afghanistan (1980)

01.U.N.Radio-Security Council (Jan7,1980)
United Nations Radio- Security Council. 15410 khz.
20-30 GMT (i.e. 6-30 am Jan 8, 1980 East Australian Time)

02.Radio Peking (Jan 8,1980)
Commentary from Radio Peking. 20-30 GMT. 25 Metre Band.
(i.e. 6-30 am. 9 Jan 1980 East Australian Time)

03.U.N.Radio-General Assembly (January 14,1980)
U.N. Radio- Debate in the General Assembly. 15410 khz.
20-25 GMT (i.e. 6-25 am. 15 Jan 1980 East Australian Time)

Off-air recordings and intros by Ian Holder, Brisbane, Australia

Information on the history of United Nations Radio-

http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/history/

Other broadcasts on this topic-

https://archive.org/details/RussianInvasionOfAfghanistan1980

Radio Colosal: April 16, 1980

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Paul Harner for the following recordings. Paul notes:

Radio Colosal de Neiva (Colombia) was one of the more reliable signals to be found on 60 meters where I live.  The station was an affiliate of the TODELAR network, and broadcast on 4945 kHz.  Within a year of this recording, Radio Colosal disappeared and the frequency became part of the Caracol network.

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.

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:

Radio Reloj, San Jose, Costa Rica: Winter 1980

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

In 1980, I purchased my first serious shortwave radio, a Panasonic RF-2200.  While I enjoyed listening to the international broadcasters, it was the smaller domestic broadcasters that I grew to enjoy more.  Especially the Latin American stations on 49 and 60 meters.  Stations from Colombia and Venezuela were prevalent throughout the evening hours.  Two of the most reliable stations were Venezuelans Radio Rumbos from Caracas (4970 kHz), and Ecos del Torbes from San Cristobal (4980 kHz).  

These stations would broadcast in the evenings and sign-off at 0300 or 0400 UTC. Another was Radio Reloj de Costa Rica on 4832 kHz, which would be heard in the evenings and overnight hours. 

I enjoyed the music and the style of programming these stations had, and over the years these stations became longtime friends on the airwaves to me.

Here is a 30 minute recording of Radio Reloj de Costa Rica from the winter of 1980:

Radio Rumbos, Caracas, Venezuela: Winter 1980

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

In 1980, I purchased my first serious shortwave radio, a Panasonic RF-2200.  While I enjoyed listening to the international broadcasters, it was the smaller domestic broadcasters that I grew to enjoy more.  Especially the Latin American stations on 49 and 60 meters.  Stations from Colombia and Venezuela were prevalent throughout the evening hours.  Two of the most reliable stations were Venezuelans Radio Rumbos from Caracas (4970 kHz), and Ecos del Torbes from San Cristobal (4980 kHz).  

These stations would broadcast in the evenings and sign-off at 0300 or 0400 UTC. Another was Radio Reloj de Costa Rica on 4832 kHz, which would be heard in the evenings and overnight hours. 

I enjoyed the music and the style of programming these stations had, and over the years these stations became longtime friends on the airwaves to me.

Here is a brief recording of Radio Rumbos from the winter of 1980 on 4970 kHz:

Ecos Del Torbes, San Cristobal, Venezuela: Winter 1980

Many thanks to SRAA contributoe, Paul Harner who notes:

In 1980, I purchased my first serious shortwave radio, a Panasonic RF-2200.  While I enjoyed listening to the international broadcasters, it was the smaller domestic broadcasters that I grew to enjoy more.  Especially the Latin American stations on 49 and 60 meters.  Stations from Colombia and Venezuela were prevalent throughout the evening hours.  Two of the most reliable stations were Venezuelans Radio Rumbos from Caracas (4970 kHz), and Ecos del Torbes from San Cristobal (4980 kHz).  
These stations would broadcast in the evenings and sign-off at 0300 or 0400 UTC. Another was Radio Reloj de Costa Rica on 4832 kHz, which would be heard in the evenings and overnight hours. 

I enjoyed the music and the style of programming these stations had, and over the years these stations became longtime friends on the airwaves to me.

Here is a snippet of Ecos del Torbes from the winter of 1980 on 4980 kHz: