Final Hours of BBC Four Droitwich Transmitting Station (198kHz): June 26, 2026

Droitwich Transmitting Station (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

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

Broadcaster: BBC4

Date of recording: June 26, 2026

Starting time: 19:58UTC

Frequency: 0.198MHz

Your location: Web-interface wideband software-defined radio at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands

Your receiver and antenna: "Mini-Whip" antenna in AM mode with 9.09 kHz RF filtering

Mode: AM

Safe for children?: Yes

Notes: BBC4 on longwave 198KHz was shutdown on 27 June 2026 at 00:00 UTC.

After the shutdown, the station is repeatedly playing the migration guide for the listeners.

I guess there are still some old electric meters that haven't been replaced, they rely on the longwave signal...

The noise in the recording is probably caused by lightning, the receiving time is in summer.

Final Hours of BBC Four Droitwich Transmitting Station (198kHz): June 26, 2026

Andy Wang

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BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica: June 21, 2026

This is the BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica recorded on June 21, 2026 at 09:30 UTC in Foulden, Scotland, UK. The radio was an Elecraft KX2 connected to a 31-foot 9:1 random wire antenna in the back garden. The broadcast starts on 9460 kHz, but I then move to 12070 kHz because it had slightly less local noise.

BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica: June 21, 2026

Thomas Witherspoon

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Personal note

The BBC Midwinter Broadcast remains one of my favorite SWLing events of the year. I simply love the idea that the BBC would broadcast from two different sites on three different frequencies via shortwave to a relatively small audience of British Antarctic Survey scientists wintering over in Antarctica.

It's always a joy to listen live, knowing that they're celebrating midwinter with parties at their stations and hearing the voices, messages, laughter, and well-wishes of loved ones carried to them over the air by shortwave radio.

In an age of instant communications, there's still something magical about that.

Polish Radio External Service (Via WRN and WRMI): September 26, 2025

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Liam Spencer, who shares the following recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Polish Radio External Service (Via WRN and WRMI)

Date of recording: September 26, 2025

Starting time: 02:59 UTC

Frequency: 9.455 MHz

Reception location: Berthoud, Colorado, USA

Receiver and antenna: Sihuadon D-808 with telescopic antenna

Notes: After the withdrawal of most Overcomer Ministry broadcasts in the Summer of 2025. WRMI began relaying the World Radio Network North American stream to fill the empty hours. While this is great for many shortwave listeners, as we get to hear stations that used to broadcast on shortwave again. WRMI isn't making any money from broadcasting the World Radio Network, and it is unknown how long these will last. On September 26th, I recorded the Polish Radio External Service, as they became part of my daily listening thanks to WRMI. I used a cassette tape to record the broadcast. Sometime during the recording, a few seconds of the broadcast were cut as I had to flip over the tape to continue recording.

Polish Radio External Service (Via WRN and WRMI): September 26, 2025

Liam Spencer

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Radio Netherlands ('Media Network' Program): April 29, 1982

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Paul Harner, who shares the following recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Radio Netherlands 'Media Network' Program

Date of recording: April 29, 1982

Starting time: Unknown

Frequency: unknown

Reception location: St.Louis, MO

Receiver and antenna: Sony ICF-2001

Notes: This is a partial recording of "Media Network," though most of the program is on this recording. My interest in this specific show was the feature on Radio Luxembourg, This program is not in the Jonathan Marks archive of his "Media Network" shows.

Radio Netherlands (Media Network): April 23, 1982

Paul Harner

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Radio Netherlands ('Media Network' Program): April 23, 1987

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Paul Harner, who shares the following recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Radio Netherlands 'Media Network' Program

Date of recording: April 23, 1987

Starting time: Unknown

Frequency: Either 6165 or 9590 kHz

Reception location: St.Louis, MO

Receiver and antenna: Icom IC R-71-A

Notes: I recorded "Media Network" using a timer, and reused these tapes weekly. In this case, it became a time capsule. It is also not a show that is on Jonathan Marks' archive site.

Radio Netherlands ('Media Network' Program): April 23, 1987

Paul Harner

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Voice Of America (Breakfast Show): August 02, 1975

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Paul Harner, who shares the following recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Voice Of America 'Breakfast Show"

Date of recording: August 02, 1975

Starting time: Unknown

Frequency: unknown

Your location: St.Louis, MO

Your receiver and antenna: Multi-Band portable

Voice Of America (Breakfast Show): August 02, 1975

Paul Harner

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BBC World Service: September 28, 2025

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Paul Walker, who shares the following field recording of the BBC World Service on 9410 kHz made on September 28, 2025 at 0603 UTC in McGrath, Alaska. Paul notes that this was an exceptionally strong signal to have been received in McGrath, Alaska.

BBC World Service: September 28, 2025

Paul Walker

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BBC World Service (Carrier and Interval Signal): September 19, 20, and 25, 2025.

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Paul Walker, who shares the following field recordings of the BBC World Service on 9410 kHz made on September 19, 20, and 25, 2025 at 0458 UTC in McGrath, Alaska. Paul notes:

The English feed via Ascension to West Africa operates from 05:00 to 07:00 UTC on several days in late September, featuring something rare: the carrier is switched on, followed by a brief silence and then an interval signal. This sequence occurs every time I hear this transmission sign on, but I have noticed it almost nowhere else on BBC World Service shortwave, which usually just “crash starts” and ends abruptly.

BBC World Service: September 19, 2025.

Paul Walker

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BBC World Service: September 20, 2025.

Paul Walker

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BBC World Service: September 25, 2025.

Paul Walker

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Radio Canada International (SWL Digest with Ian McFarland): April 26, 1986

View from the roof of the RCI Sackville, New Brunswick Transmitting Station (Photo: Thomas Witherspoon)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor William Parmley, who found several cassette tapes with off-air recordings he made in the 1980s. Here are Bill’s notes for this recording:

SWL Digest on Radio Canada International with Ian McFarland, April 26, 1986, plus an excerpt from the same program on the next day, April 27, 1986. Includes a brief telephone interview with me. (40:57)

Radio Canada International (SWL Digest): April 26, 1986

William Parmley

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BBC World Service (Giotto Space Probe): March 13, 1986

An image of the Giotto spacecraft during construction (Source: ESA)

Many thanks to SRAA contributor William Parmley, who found several cassette tapes with off-air recordings he made in the 1980s. Here are Bill’s notes for this recording:

BBC transmission live during the encounter of the Giotto space probe with Haley’s Comet, March 13, 1986. (43:45)

Comet Halley at Giotto spacecraft's closest approach (Source: ESA)

BBC World Service (Giotto Space Probe): March 13, 1986

William Parmley

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Radio Australia: September 12, 1970

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Bob Purse, who shares the following recording and notes from his excellent website Inches Per Second:

Somewhere along the line I managed to acquire a whole bunch of someone's tapes of Australian shortwave broadcasts from the 1960's and 1970's. My un-listened-to tapes in my basement have gotten jumbled around several times over the years, so a lot of collections which were once stacked all in one place are now scattered amongst the stacks down there. And so it is that this week, I found yet another tape of Australian shortwave recordings. The recordings only include the day of the week and the date, not the year, but based on those days and dates, and the contents of the broadcasts, I am surmising the first of these to be from September of 1968 and the other to be from nearly exactly two years later.

The 1970 tape [included here] is considerably clearer in sound quality [than the 1968 recording posted last week].

Radio Australia: September 12, 1970

Bob Purse

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Radio Australia: September 23, 1968

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Bob Purse, who shares the following recording and notes from his excellent website Inches Per Second:

Somewhere along the line I managed to acquire a whole bunch of someone's tapes of Australian shortwave broadcasts from the 1960's and 1970's. My un-listened-to tapes in my basement have gotten jumbled around several times over the years, so a lot of collections which were once stacked all in one place are now scattered amongst the stacks down there. And so it is that this week, I found yet another tape of Australian shortwave recordings. The recordings only include the day of the week and the date, not the year, but based on those days and dates, and the contents of the broadcasts, I am surmising the first of these to be from September of 1968 and the other to be from nearly exactly two years later.

The 1968 recording starts off difficult to hear and grows progressively worse - this is not an easy to listen to tape - such are the vagaries of listening to short wave broadcasts. The 1970 tape is considerably clearer in sound quality.

Radio Australia: September 23, 1968

Bob Purse

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All India Radio: August 20, 2025

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Carlos Latuff, who shares the following field recording of All India Radio on 9620 kHz made on August 20, 2025 at 19:34 UTC in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

All India Radio: August 20, 2025

Carlos Latuff

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Voice of Korea: August 29, 2025

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Paul Walker, who shares the following field recording of the Voice of Korea on 11,910 kHz made on August 29, 2025 at 18:51 UTC in McGrath, Alaska. Paul notes that the recording begins in French then moves to their English language service.

Voice of Korea: August 29, 2025

Paul Walker

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Radio Romania International (DX Mailbag): March 4th, 2024

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Liam Spencer, who shares the following recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Radio Romania International

Date of recording: March 04, 2024

Starting time: 01:40 UTC

Frequency: 7.325 MHz

Reception location: Berthoud, Colorado, USA

Receiver and antenna: Unbranded AM, FM, SW receiver with telescopic antenna

Notes: Recording of Radio Romania's DX Mailbag dated Saturday, March 2nd, 2024. This recording was made the following Monday when they repeat the DX Mailbag.

Radio Romania International (DX Mailbag): March 4th, 2024

Liam Spencer

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WYFR: May 2, 1974

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

Broadcaster: WYFR Scituate MA transmitter

Date of recording: May 02, 1974

Frequency: 17.785 MHz

Reception location: Ancaster, Ontario, Canada

Receiver and antenna: Realistic DX-150A with long wire antenna

Notes: Your Family Radio, WYFR is heard here via their Scituate, Massachusetts transmitter on May 2, 1974 at 2200 hours UTC on 17785 kHz shortwave.

The station has a very colorful history:

W2XAL (1927–1929)

W1XAL (1929–1939)

transmitter moved from Boston to Scituate, MA in 1936

WRUL (1939–1966)

WNYW (1966–1973)

WYFR (1973-2013)

transmitter moved to Okeechobee, FL in 1977

transmitter purchased by WRMI in December 2013

WYFR: May 2, 1974

Dan Greenall

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Vatican Radio (Pope Francis Funeral in French and English): April 26, 2025

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Paul Walker, who shares the following recordings of Vatican Radio made on April 26, 2025.

The first recording, pre-funeral in French, was recorded at 07:36 UTC on 17520 kHz:

Vatican Radio (Pope Francis Pre-Funeral in French): April 26, 2025

Paul Walker

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The second recording, made during the funeral in English, was recorded at 08:18 UTC on 17540 kHz:

Vatican Radio (Pope Francis Funeral in English): April 26, 2025

Paul Walker

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Radio Australia: July 27, 1986

Many thanks to SRAA contributor Tom Laskowski, for sharing the following recording and notes:

Broadcaster: Radio Australia

Date of recording: July 27, 1986

Starting time: 0300

Frequency: 17.795 MHz

RX location: South Bend, Indiana

Receiver and antenna: Sony ICF 2001

Notes: Here is a recording of Radio Australia's DX program called Talkback from July 27, 1986. I believe this was recorded around 0300 UT on 17795 kHz when Australia used to come in well in the evenings here.

Some of the program highlights are:

Review of the 1986 ANARC Convention, which was held in Montreal, Canada. Hosted by Radio Canada International, it attracted over 200 attendees. New Zealand's Arthur Cushen was the Guest of Honor for the event.

Radio Australia: July 27, 1986

Tom Laskowski

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Radio Veritas Asia (Quezon City, Philippines): September 28, 1999

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

Broadcaster: Radio Veritas Asia, Quezon City, Philippines

Date of recording: September 28, 1999

Starting time: 1200 UTC

Frequency: 9.505 MHz

Reception location: Coe Hill, Ontario, Canada

Receiver and antenna: Drake SW-8 and a very long wire antenna

Notes: Here is Radio Veritas Asia in Quezon City, Philippines as recorded at a DX camp in Coe Hill, Ontario, Canada on September 28, 1999. Part of their interval signal is heard along with a station ID in English. They give their frequency as 9505 kHz and the time as 1200 UTC.

Radio Veritas Asia (Quezon City, Philippines): September 28, 1999

Dan Greenall

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KWHR (World Harvest Radio): November 10, 1996

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

KWHR, World Harvest Radio from Naalehu, Hawaii: November 10, 1996 on 9,930 kHz

The station was heard in Thamesford, Ontario, Canada giving out its QSL mailing address in South Bend, Indiana.

KWHR (World Harvest Radio): November 10, 1996

Dan Greenall

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