Radio Exterior de España: Circa 1984-1985

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Bruce MacDonald, who shares the following recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Radio Exterior de Espana

Date of recording: Unknown

Starting time: Unknown

Frequency: not recorded

Recorded in Hounslow, west London

Receiver and antenna: Sony portable stereo radio cassette player with built-in whip antenna

Notes: Recording from late 1984 or early 1985 of the DX programme transmitted by the English section of Radio Exterior de Esapana (REE). This was broadcast to Europe on a Sunday, but I did not record the time of transmission. I did not record the frequency, at a guess I think it would be either on the 49 or 41 metre bands.

A typical DX programme of the era, comprising mainly listening tips for hobbyist listeners and radio-related news. For example there's a short mention of the then-upcoming 1985 European DX Council conference which was held in Madrid. There is also a request for news and tips from listeners and an address for reception reports. At the end there's a very plummy English station ID.

This may be a bit of a hard listen for some due to intrusive QRM but I think accurately reflects the crowded bands back then, especially if your receiver didn't have a narrow filter.

Radio Exterior de España: Circa 1984-1985
Bruce MacDonald

Radio Sofia, Bulgaria: Circa 1984-1985

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Bruce MacDonald, who shares the following recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Radio Sofia, Bulgaria

Date of recording: Unknown

Starting time: Unknown

Frequency: not recorded

Recorded in Hounslow, west London

Receiver and antenna: Sony portable stereo radio cassette player

Notes: A snippet from an old-school DX programme from the English service of Radio Sofia, Bulgaria. This comprises mainly listening tips for rare stations as heard in Europe. Some mention made of the time of year and solar cycle conditions as Solar Cycle 21 was drawing down to minimum, and the need for a good antenna.

I was a teenager when I made this recording, still new to the geeky hobby of shortwave listening, so I didn't log the time, frequency or date of the recording. I recorded this on a Sony radio-cassette player which had a shortwave band on the radio and had yet to save up for a Sony ICF-SW7600D.

Radio Sofia, Bulgaria: Circa 1984-1985
Bruce MacDonald