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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RAI - Bollettino del Mare (Maritime Weather Forecast): 1997

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Andrea Borgnino, who shares this studio recording from RAI (Radiotelevisione italiana) of their maritime weather forecast. This recording was originally made in 1997:

RAI - Bollettino del Mare (Maritime Weather Forecast): 1997

Andrea Borgnino

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RAI - Bollettino del Mare (Maritime Weather Forecast): 1977

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Andrea Borgnino, who shares this studio recording from RAI (Radiotelevisione italiana) of their maritime weather forecast. This recording was originally made in 1977:

Bollettino del Mare (Italian): 1977

Andrea Borgnino

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BBC Radio 4, The Shipping Forecast: September 29, 2015

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Richard Langley, who notes:

Live recording of the Shipping Forecast broadcast by BBC Radio 4 Longwave on 29 September 2015 beginning at 23:46 UTC on a frequency of 198 kHz from the 500 kW transmitter at Droitwich, near Worcester, England. 

Reception was fairly good with slight co-channel interference and some static. The recording includes "Sailing By," the introductory music for the late-night version of the Shipping Forecast. The recording ends with the national anthem ("God Save the Queen") signalling the end of the broadcast day for Radio 4, and the Greenwich Time Signal (the Six Pips). 

The broadcast was received by the Web-interface wideband software-defined radio at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, with a "Mini-Whip" antenna in AM mode with 8.09 kHz RF filtering.

BBC Radio 4, The Shipping Forecast: September 29, 2015

Richard Langley

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