Republic of Yemen Radio: February 15/April 9, 2025

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

Broadcaster: Republic of Yemen Radio via Jeddah, Saudi Arabia transmitter

Frequency: 11.935 MHz

Reception location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Receiver and antenna: remote Kiwi SDR

Notes: Two recordings of Republic of Yemen Radio broadcasting in Arabic on 11935 kHz shortwave from a transmitter located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Reported transmitter power is 50 kw.

February 15, 2025 at 1959 UTC, good signal, no hum, received using SDR located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

April 9, 2025 at 1658 UTC, bad hum or buzz on their signal, received using SDR located in Riyadh, Saudi, Arabia

This station has not been heard more recently.

Radio Sana'a: January 22, 2016

Live off-air four-hour recording of the clandestine station Radio Sana'a* on 22 January 2016 beginning at 13:30 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 11860 kHz. Programming consists of talk in Arabic and music. Vocal pieces are typically accompanied by instruments including drums. The tune "Breath and Life" by audiomachine is frequently used during the music segments. The call (adhan) to sunset (Maghrib = west) prayer starts at about 14:54 UTC. There is a news report starting at about 16:00 UTC for 7 or 8 minutes read by a woman. And there is a possible station identification at about 16:37 UTC.    

The identity of the transmitter(s) used by Radio Sana'a has not been positively established.

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 USB mode with 2.49 kHz RF filtering to avoid initial interference from Radio Romania International on 11855 kHz. Reception quality varied during the four hours. Between 14:30 and 16:30 UTC, there was co-channel interference from the Voice of America's Radio Ashna Afghanistan service. At times, Radio Sana'a is difficult to hear due to the interference. The recording ends just before Adventist World Radio begins transmitting on the frequency, overpowering Radio Sana'a.

* Added 9 March 2016: The station apparently has not used this identity on air. It has announced itself in Arabic as "Yemen Channel, the channel of all Yemenis." It is also referred to by the shortwave listening community as Republic of Yemen Radio.

Yemen Radio (Aden): circa 1970s

Many thanks to Shortwave Radio Audio Archive contributor, Dan Robinson, who submits this short recording of Yemen Radio, Aden.

Dan comments:

Yemen was once two countries -- North and South -- with separate shortwave stations in Sanaa, and in Aden.   The country united in 1990, but before that for many years the separate capitals were represented on shortwave, with Aden using the 60 meter frequency of 5.060 MHz.  It was tough to hear.   This recording was made in the 1970's -- you will hear the station ID by a male announcer.

Click here to download this recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below: