Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel LRA36 Base Esperanza Antarctica: February 20, 1999

Esperanza Base seen from Hope Bay (Image source: NOAA)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, for sharing the following recording and notes:

Notes: After many tries, this one was finally logged while on a "DXpedition" to a cottage near Bancroft, Ontario. Here is LRA36, Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel from Esperanza Base, Antarctica as recorded in Coe Hill, Ontario, Canada on February 20, 1999 at 2257 hours UTC on 15476 kHz shortwave. They are heard giving announcement in Spanish including station ID, frequency used and transmitter power (10 kilowatts). This station was usually not audible at all or too buried under the noise level, however, on this occasion, the signal came up enough to get a clear ID.

Broadcaster: LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel, Base Esperanza, Antarctica

Date of recording: 2/20/1999

Starting time: 2257

Frequency: 15.476 MHz

Reception location: Coe Hill, Ontario, Canada

Receiver and antenna: Panasonic RF-3100 and longwire antenna

Ham radio contact between W2PVF and Argentine Antarctic Station LU1ZE: circa 1974

Many thanks to one of our newest SRAA contributors, Bill Hemphill (WD9EQD), who approached me at the Winter SWL Fest this year noting that he has a wide variety of radio-related audio recordings to share with the SRAA. While many of his recordings are of broadcasts, he also has a number that are of ham radio communications.

This week, Bill shared two fascinating tape recordings he originally acquired from an estate sale.  These recordings were originally made in 1974 by the late Jim Hayward (W2PVF) in Absecon, New Jersey (USA) with two different ham radio stations in Antarctica.

The first recording was posted yesterday. The second recording (below) is between W2PVF and LU1ZE of the Argentine Antarctica Station. The operator at the microphone is W1PV. The recording even includes a phone patch: