Radio Baghdad: September 26, 1990

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

This is an off-the-air recording of shortwave radio station Radio Baghdad made on September 26, 1990. The political situation was about to lead to the first Iraq war. This was the European service on a frequency of 13,660 khz. which was aired between 20-22 UTC. It was recorded in the Boston USA area. Receiver was a Yaesu FRG-8800 with an indoor wire antenna. Direct recording into a cassette recorder.

Date of recording: 9/26/1990

Starting time: 21:15 UTC

Frequency: 13,660 kHz

Reception location: Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts USA

Receiver and antenna: Yaesu FRG-8800 with an indoor wire antenna. Direct recording into a cassette recorder.

Radio Baghdad: January 16, 1991

Live, off-air, approximately twenty-seven-minute recording of Radio Baghdad, the Broadcasting Service of the Iraqi Republic, in English on 16 January 1991 beginning at about 21:35 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 13660 kHz. The recording is a segment of the 21:00 to 23:00 UTC broadcast to Europe. It likely originated from a 500 kW transmitter at Salah el Deen, Iraq.

This broadcast took place just a few hours before the start of the bombing campaign of Operation Desert Storm. The broadcast was not heard the following day. Programming consists of news, commentary including discussion of the "American Monster," the program "Iraq Today," and Iraqi music.

Reception of the broadcast was fairly good although the audio is somewhat "muddy."

The broadcast was received in Hanwell, New Brunswick, Canada, using a Sony ICF-7600D receiver and supplied wire antenna draped around the listening room.