Studio Recording: beHAVior Night's Christmas Special

Last Friday, I tried to catch beHAVior Night's Christmas special on 7,490 kHz at 22:00 UTC. Unfortunately, WBCQ was having transmitter problems and the show never aired.

Thankfully, beHAVior Night's "Sir Scratchy" has kindly given me permission to post his studio recording of the entire show. You can listen to the recording below. Please note: this show will be repeated Friday, December 27, 2013 on 7,490 kHz at 22:00 UTC (17:00 EST)--I will attempt to record the broadcast and post it here as well.

Radio Fana: December 15, 2013

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Andy Robins, for this recording of Radio Fana.

Andy recorded this short eight minute clip between 02:55 - 03:00 UTC on December 15, 2013 on 6.110 MHz using an  Icom IC-R75 with a 40-foot PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire. Note that Andy used SSB to tune this very weak AM signal.

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

Voice of the Tigray Revolution: December 16, 2013

(Image source: Austria Remote DX)

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Andy Robins, for this recording of the clandestine station, the Voice of the Tigray Revolution.

Andy recorded this broadcast between 02:55 - 03:18 UTC on December 16, 2013 on 5.950 MHz using an  Icom IC-R75 with a 40-foot PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire.

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

All India Radio, English Language Service: December 19, 2013

Dakshineswar Kali Temple (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

For your listening pleasure: one hour, forty five minutes of All India Radio's English Language Service.

This broadcast was recorded on December 19, 2013, starting at 20:45 UTC on 9,445 kHz. Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Radio Free Whatever, Pearl Harbor Tribute: December 15, 2013

Destroyer USS Shaw exploding after her forward magazine was detonated. (Source: Wikipedia)

For your listening pleasure: one hour, seven minutes of the pirate radio station, Radio Free Whatever. 

I recorded this broadcast on December 15 2013, starting around 2:40 UTC (Dec 14, 9:40 PM EST), on 6,925 kHz AM. This broadcast was a tribute broadcast to WWII/Pearl Harbor and contains news clips and music from the same time period.

Simply click here to download an MP3 of the recording, or listen via the embedded player below:

Channel Z (Andy Walker Special): November 29, 2013

(From the SWLing Post)

On the afternoon of November 29th, while traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday,  I took my wife to an art supply store. While she was inside shopping,  I sat in my truck and remembered that I had my Tecsun PL-660 in tow (after all, never leave home without a radio, right?). I slightly opened the driver’s side window, turned on the PL-660 and extended the telescopic antenna out the window. I instantly I heard a station playing music on 6,925 kHz. What? I couldn’t be hearing a pirate this time of the afternoon, with a portable radio in a crowded parking lot!?!

Then I heard the station ID of Channel Z.

I quickly used my iPhone to log into my home computer (in a different part of the state) and tune my WinRadio Excalibur to record the broadcast. I could clearly see Channel Z’s AM carrier on the spectrum display.

After hearing the station email address, I sent in my signal report using my iPhone. Later, I received an eQSL (see above) and the following about the broadcast and Channel Z:

“You heard the special program, “Before They Were Famous – Part 3” from guest DJ Andy Walker.  I was very lucky to have Andy do this show for Channel Z Radio, as he has been in semi-retirement the past three years, with only occasional guest appearances on Crazy Wave Radio in Germany, and now for the third time on Channel Z radio.  Since Andy’s shows have received such a huge response from the DX community, there is a good chance he will do another show on Channel Z sometime soon.

Andy has been involved in free radio for over 37 years, and got his start at the age of 15 as part of the site crew with Radio Kaleidoscope in London. He was instrumental in bringing long-time land based pirate Radio Free London (RFL) back to the air waves in the mid 1990’s, and was a regular DJ on WNKR (West and North Kent Radio) for over 20 years.  In addition, he was part of the crew on Britain’s first legally licensed offshore station, Offshore Radio 1584 in 1992.

Channel Z has been on the air since November 2004, and started because of my interest in building homemade shortwave transmitters.  To date, Channel Z has been heard in 30 states, Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Newfoundland, Norway, Poland and Venezuela; all on homebrewed transmitters.  This time I was using my favorite transmitter, the Commando, designed by Dave Martin of WNKR.  The Commando does 25 watts carrier on 43 meters with a 14 VDC supply.  The antenna was a horizontal dipole, cut for 6925 kHz, and was approximately 15 meters above ground.

Many thanks to Channel Z for the feedback. I’m amazed that I was able to hear the 25 watt Commando with my PL-660 in the middle of a crowded parking lot. Of course, that’s part of the magic of the shortwaves (and pirate radio listening).

For your listening pleasure, here is 50 minutes of Channel Z, staring around 21:40 UTC on 29 November 2013. This broadcast was recorded via my home SDR. Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Voice of Russia English language service: December 12, 2013

President Vladimir Putin (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

(Adapted from original on SWLing Post)

This morning, I tuned to the Voice of Russia (a.k.a. Radio VR) English language service to hear the state news agency's take on the sweeping changes President Vladimir Putin implemented yesterday.

I expected the story to be somewhat buried amongst international headlines, but instead I heard no mention within the one hour news broadcast.

Here's a recording of the broadcast from today at 13:00 on 12,075 kHz (which begins to fade toward the end):

I then searched through some spectrum recordings I made yesterday and discovered VOR's American Hour broadcast on 9,395 kHz, starting at 23:00 UTC.

Even though this is the American Hour, I would have expected some mention of the news agency changes in the international news selection.

So, don't turn to Voice of Russia broadcasts to learn about the overhaul of Russian state media. Ironically, VOR News prominently featured an article on their website regarding these changes within the state media. Indeed, it was this article I posted yesterday on the SWLing Post.

ZBC Zanzibar, English and Swahili: December 4, 2013

The old fort of Zanzibar, Tanzania (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of the ZBC Zanzibar made from his home in Europe.

This recording  includes Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation's programme in English and Swahili, recorded on December 4, 2013, at 18:00 GMT. ZBC Zanzibar was using their 50 kW transmitter.

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

beHAVior Night: December 8, 2013

For your listening pleasure: beHAVior Night, a shortwave radio show, relayed by WBCQ, dedicated to showcasing music from the first four decades of the 20th Century.

This show was receorded on 7,490 kHz, starting at 22:00 UTC on December 8, 2013.

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

Voice of Nigeria (English/French): December 4, 2013

Enugu, Nigeria (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of the Voice of Nigeria made from his home in Europe. Frank sent some notes with this recording: 

"Voice of Nigeria (250 kW transmitter) in French and in English, but in English only as a very short excerpt (at the start of the recording, when the CRI transmitter of 500 kW went off the air). Another short piece of English is audible at the end of the recording, when apparently transmitter problems caused termination of the transmission (there should be 1 hour of English language broadcast at 08:00 GMT, but the transmitter fell silent after several minutes)."

Frank, many thanks for these notes and the many recordings you contribute to the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive!

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

Radio Havana Cuba, November 24, 2013

(Source: blogspot.com)

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of the Radio Havana Cuba in English and Spanish.

Frank recorded this broadcast from his home in Europe on 24 November 2013, starting around 00:15 UTC on 5,040 kHz.

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

Hamburger Lokal Radio: November 30, 2013

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of the Hamburger Lokal Radio English and German language services.

Frank recorded this broadcast from his home in Europe on November 30, 2013, on 7,265 kHz, starting at 07:00 UTC. 

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

Voice of Greece/Radio Station of Macedonia: November 26, 2013

Crete, Greece (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

I’m not sure what the future holds for the Voice of Greece. In many ways, I feel that the Greek national shortwave broadcaster is already operating on borrowed time–but perhaps I’m wrong. I’ve been recording VOG a lot lately on 9,420 kHz and 7,475 kHz; most broadcasts these days contain very little commentary, only hours of a wide variety of international music with the occasional station ID (which, by the way, has recently changed). I feel like they’re just working to keep their seats warm.

TheGreekRadio.com recently commented on the SWLing Post about the current state of the Voice of Greece:

“After the forceful eviction of the redundant ERT employees from the Radio House in Athens, the shortwave frequencies no longer transmit the normal program of Voice of Greece as there is no such service produced in Athens.  This happened on the 7th of November, when you probably noticed the station ID change.

Mediumwave and shortwave frequencies have been now set to relay the radio program of “Radio Station of Macedonia” by the redundant employees of ERT3, from Thessaloniki. (This used to be the independent program relayed for a few hours before midnight on 7,450 until June’s ERT switch-off, when phone lines were cut and the “guerilla” program started). They keep doing a full program during the day, but being unemployed, it seems that they cannot carry on overnight.

The official interim public radio (one single service for entire Greece) so far does not care for [the take] over [of] the shortwave and mediumwave resources in Athens. Probably they do not have the staff to operate them, as only the necessary personnel was hired to keep the single radio service running on FM.”

Thus it looks like VOG’s shortwave service might be easily cut–and without warning. We already know that the Greek government is considering dismantling the Alvis transmitting site.

 With that said, I hope you’ll enjoy a bit of this Voice of Greece (or Radio Station of Macedonia) recording this weekend.  I say “a bit,” as it is nearly five hours long. I started this recording around 20:30 UTC on November 26th, 2013 (9,420 kHz).

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

BeHAVior Night (WBCQ): November 22, 2013

Source: Sir Scratchy Facebook

For your listening pleasure: beHAVior Night, a shortwave radio show, relayed by WBCQ, dedicated to showcasing music from the first four decades of the 20th Century.

If you’re as nostalgic as I am, you’ll love the sonic combination of early records with the shortwave ether hosted by the inimitable “Sir Scratchy.” Relax, close your eyes, and indulge in a little radio time travel…

You can tune in beHAVior Night on Fridays at 17:00 EST or 22:00 UTC on 7,490 kHZ.

Though I could not find an official website for beHAVior Night, I would encourage you to “like” both Sir Scratchy and the beHAVior Night Facebook pages where show updates are often posted.

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

Radio New Zealand International: November 22, 2013

For your listening pleasure: two full hours of Radio New Zealand International, recorded on November 22, 2013 starting around 7:59 UTC on 9,765 kHz.

This recording begins with the The RNZI interval signal: the charming and unmistakable call of the New Zealand Bellbird.

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

BBC World Service, DRM broadcast: November 13, 2013

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to an SWAA contributor, who submitted this recording of the BBC World Service in DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale).

This broadcast was recorded on Novermber 13, 2013 at 7:00 UTC on 7.355 MHz from Moosbrunn, Austria.

The receiver used was a Globe Wireless RX321 with a custom DRM modification; a custom built commercial version of the Ten-Tec RX320.

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

BBC World Service: November 16, 2013

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of the BBC World Service English language service.

Frank recorded this broadcast from his home in Europe on November 16, 2013, on 6,005 kHz, starting at 05:00 UTC. This broadcast originates from the BBC relay site on Ascension Island which has a power output 250 kW.

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

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Voice of Greece: November 15, 2013, "Walking in on a party"

This Voice of Greece broadcast begins with a piece by Burhan Öcal, with the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble (Photo: National Geographic)

I never know what to expect when I tune around on one of my shortwave radios.  Perhaps that’s one of the things I find captivating about the medium; there’s no playlist, no app, no content controls, other than the tuning knob.

Sometimes, I tune to a station, and it’s as though I’ve just opened a door and walked in on a party–one in full swing, with dancing and incredible live music.

That’s exactly what I felt when I tuned to the Voice of Greece last night. I walked in on a party.  And I needed no invitation; I was welcomed there.

Hear it, just as I did, starting right in the middle of this party:

Listen above, or click here to download three hours and 31 minutes of musical bliss (until they turned the transmitter off).

Voice of Korea: November 13, 2013

Pyongyang Metro Station (Original Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of theVoice of Korea's English language service.

Frank recorded this broadcast from his home in Europe on November 13, 2013, on 11,645 kHz, starting at 16:00 UTC, using a Kenwood R-5000 receiver and a Wellbrook ALA 1530+ antenna.

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

Voice of Indonesia (English/French): November 10, 2013

Jakarta, Indonesia (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWAA contributor, Frank, for this recording of the Voice of Indonesia's English and French language services.

Recorded in Europe on November 10, 2013, on 9,526 kHz, starting at 19:00 UTC. 

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