Yearly Archives: 2013

Pirate Radio Recordings: X-FM

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"Turn up the radio, I hear Stereophonics!"

“Turn up the radio Jim, I think I hear Stereophonics!”

For your listening pleasure: three hours of the pirate radio station X-FM.

This broadcast was recorded this morning, starting around 2:00 UTC, on 6,950 kHz AM. X-FM can even be received in C-Quam stereo–something I have yet to try.

This is a 10 year anniversary broadcast of X-FM and has an excellent mix of music (everything from Indie rock to trance) and Redhat’s live commentary. Superb signal strength, too.

You can download the recording of X-FM by clicking here, or simply listen via the embedded player below (note that I included X-FM’s full seven minute interval signal/leader):

Standard Pirate Radio Disclaimer: Though X-FM is quite a professional pirate (is there such a thing?), this is a recording of a real pirate radio broadcast, and as such, may include colorful language. In general, if you are easily offended by the words, ideas, music lyrics, or music herein, you should slowly…back… away…

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Listen to The Giant Jukebox this weekend on 7,375 kHz

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Nauen Transmitter Station (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Nauen Transmitter Station (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The Mighty KBC will be broadcasting the Giant Jukebox this weekend, Sunday (00:00 to 02:00 UTC) on their new 7,375 kHz frequency.

For those of us in North America, this broadcast will be Saturday evening (tonight!) from 19:00-21:00 EST. Last Sunday, March 3rd, 2013, was the KBC’s first broadcast from Nauen, Germany, packing 125 kW.

More of Kim Elliott’s digital text in this broadcast, too–faster modes this time. At about 0130 UTC, MFSK64 will be centered on 1000 Hertz, and PSKR250 on 2000 hertz. At just before 0200 UTC, MFSK32 images will be centered on 800, 1500 and 2300 Hz.

Decode using Fldigi from www.w1hkj.com.

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Australia Network News: Broadcast group condemns China over radio jamming

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OHtower(Source: Australia News Network)

An international broadcast association has condemned the deliberate jamming of shortwave broadcasts, including those from the ABC’s Radio Australia service, into Asia.

The Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) says English-language broadcasts from Radio Australia, the BBC World Service and the Voice of America are being jammed.

Chief Executive Simon Spanswick has told Radio Australia’s Connect Asia program research has indicated the jamming signals appear to be coming from within China.

“It appears to be quite wide,” he said.

“We’ve been talking to some monitors who keep ears on the shortwave bands around Asia and they say that it’s certainly audible well outside China.

“So, one imagines, even with the geographic scale of China itself, that this is right across the region.” […]

“What the Chinese have done for a long time is actually broadcast Chinese folk music [see our previous posts on Firedrake]…what’s happening in this case is that they’re transmitting a different sort of noise.

“The aim is to simply make it so uncomfortable to listen to that people switch off and don’t bother trying to listen to the program that they wanted to get.”

The AIB has lodged protests over the jamming with the Chinese embassies in Washington, London and Canberra.

[Continue reading…]

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The 2013 SWL Fest: another good one!

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The SWL Fest Saturday dinner banquet and raffle draws a large crowd. This year, yours truly even had a bit of luck in the raffle!

The SWL Fest Saturday dinner banquet and raffle draws a large crowd. This year, yours truly (not pictured) even had a bit of luck in the raffle! (Click to enlarge)

I’m back from a week of travelling which happily included three nights in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, at the NASWA Winter SWL Fest.

As I’ve mentioned before, I look forward to the SWL Fest every year. Not only am I able to spend time with friends and radio “family,” but I have the opportunity to attend fascinating presentations and demonstrations that both explore and expand the very meaning of radio.

Next year, the Winter SWL Fest will be held between February 28-March 1, 2014; location to be determined. Do yourself a favor, and earmark those dates in your calendar. If you enjoy reading the topics here on the SWLing Post, I assure you, you’ll enjoy the content–and the company–offered by the SWL Fest.

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Shortwave Radio Recordings: Jazz Notes

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Jazz Notes presenter, Ivan Lloyd (Photo: Radio Australia)

Jazz Notes presenter, Ivan Lloyd (Photo: Radio Australia)

For your listening pleasure: thirty minutes of Radio Australia’s Jazz Notes.

This broadcast was recorded yesterday at 1:30 UTC on 11,945 kHz.  You will note a little noise that bleeds over from jamming of Radio Marti on an adjacent frequency.

You can download this recording of Jazz Notes by clicking here, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

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Zimbabwe: door-to-door search for radios

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FR160(Source: SW Radio Africa)

On Friday police in Rusape went door-to-door to houses belonging to known MDC-T supporters, in search of shortwave radios. But the MP for Makoni South said they found nothing.

Pishai Muchauraya said the morning raids saw police officers go in groups of three to MDC-T homes in Gandanzara, ‘demanding radios distributed by Pishai.’

[…]Last week the police ordered a ban on the possession of shortwave radios, saying they are being used to communicate hate speech ahead of next month’s constitutional referendum and elections set to be held later this year.

Wind-up, solar-powered radios sets have been distributed by some NGOs to rural communities, where villagers have established listening clubs to tune in to popular independent stations such as Studio 7 and SW Radio Africa. The broadcasts are produced by experienced exiled Zimbabwean journalists based in Europe and the US.

Read the full report on the website of clandestine radio station, SW Radio Africa.

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