Please share your recording of the 70th Anniversary BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica here!

22 Replies

Halley VI Antarctic Research Station

In the comments section of this post, I’d like you to share your recording of the 2025 BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica!

Time and frequencies

Our intrepid contributor, Richard Langley, reports the following message from the British DX Club:

Shortwave schedule 2130-2200 UTC on 5960 UAE, 9575 Ascension Island, 12065 Woofferton (UK), 13810 Woofferton (UK).

Please comment with your recording on this post!

Listening to the 2017 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast from the back of my vehicle in Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec, Canada.

I’ve created this dedicated post where you can comment and include links to audio and video of your 2024 Midwinter Broadcast recordings. This will allow you to post your logs and recordings at your convenience without my availability becoming the bottleneck.

Here’s the format I’d like you to leave in your comment of this post:

Name:

Listening location:

Notes: (Include frequencies and any details about your receiver and antenna.)

Link to audio or video: (YouTube, Vimeo, Internet Archive, SoundCloud, etc.)

Video and Audio Recordings

There is no way to directly upload audio in your comments, however, you can link to the recordings if you upload them to the Internet Archive (which I’d highly recommend) or any of the video streaming services like YouTube and Vimeo–or audio services like SoundCloud.

To be clear: I will not have the ability to upload your videos for you–so please don’t email me your video files–you’ll simply need to upload them to a service above and share them here with a link in the comments. 🙂

As with each year, I’ll make sure the BAS team and the BBC receive a link with all of your recordings!

22 thoughts on “Please share your recording of the 70th Anniversary BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica here!”

  1. Jos Gurdebeke

    From S.W. Listener: To Radio:

    Jos Gurdebeke BBC Antartic Midwinter Broadcast
    Rubenslaan 21 Spec Transmission to Antartic
    8370 Blankenberge 70 year of broadcast to Antartic Base
    Belgium-Europe
    e-mail: [email protected]

    Dear Sirs,

    I have much pleasure in informing you of hearing your station on short-wave, and I hope you will be interested in
    the following reception report.
    On attachment: MP-3 file with a piece from the monitored program:
    Or via DROPBOX:
    https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/y04tvs9ivsa4mk42f7cwf/BBC-Mid-Winter-Broadcast.mp3?rlkey=g3jyajkqw8qjzcewwg9jfr2s8&st=q6zo9fu7&dl=0

    I can gave the following data about my receiving your station:

    Data: 21 Juni 2025
    Time UTC: 21:31 UTC to 22:00 UTC
    Language: English
    Frequency: 12.065 Khz
    SINPO: 5 4 4 4 4

    Detail of programme heard:
    21:30 utc: -Special broadcast 70 years of Antarctic broadcasts, With a brief history.
    and with short pieces of music.
    – Greetings from several families at the Atartic base
    21:46 utc: – Special speech by King Charles
    21:49 utc: – Further messages and greetings from families at the Antarctic base
    and short pieces of music.
    21:56 utc: – Best wishes to everyone…

    Remaks:
    – Good reception here on the Belgian coast, with some local disturbances;

    Will you please compare this report to your stations log, and if its is correct,please confirm
    this by your (E)-QSL-card or confermation letter?

    I’m very interested in history of your station.
    If you at any moment, want more information about the reception over-here,I will be glad to supply it.

    My receiving equipment: Kenwood R5000 Communication Receiver and Audacity to mp3 file
    My Antenna: EndFed (5 band), 9 meter High
    My reception area: Rural seaside
    My age: 73 years

    Thanks to read my report and also thanks in advance for your replay.

    Greetings from Belgium,

    Jos Gurdebeke

    Reply ↓
  2. Richard Langley

    I was travelling on 21 June so couldn’t record the broadcast at home in New Brunswick, Canada. So, I used the U. Twente SDR receiver and recorded 9575 and 12065 kHz from my hotel room in Toronto. Signals were good with peaks of S9+10 on 9575 and S9+20 on 12065. 9575 had to be tuned in USB due to a utility (RTTY?) transmission on about 9574 (source?) and still had a bit of interference. Like usual, the Ascension transmission started a bit late. Why? They started the sender at 21:25 and transmitted a carrier for a minute or so and then again at 21:27. But then they had a crash start after 21:30 and missed a sentence or two or three of the broadcast. 12065 was o.k. and started on time. My recording of the 12065 kHz transmission can be found here:
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lmlj_G7X-VwmW1O7_YGt2oNrSgGGLto5/view?usp=sharing
    I hope to get around to putting it in the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

    Reply ↓
  3. Graeme Stoker

    A short recording of an early part of the programme from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Over the past few years my wife (who has zero interest in radio) and I have tried to sit outdoors on our midsummer evening with a glass of wine to listen to the BBC Midwinter Broadcast. This year reception was best from Wooferton on 12065kHz, and whilst of course the researchers in Antarctiva will have much easier ways to keep in touch with folks back home, there is a certain special romance in keeping traditions like this alive. Long may it continue. Radio was a TEF6686 hooked up to a 40m end fed long wire.

    73, Graeme M0EUK

    https://youtube.com/shorts/F4UPST1BZoc?si=p-AvStKKR97xTUZI

    Reply ↓
  4. Nick B.

    Nick B.
    Near Melton Mowbray, UK. I went to a local hilltop to record the transmission.
    For 12065kHz I was using a Lowe HF-125 with a Datong AD370 active dipole, all running off a 7AH SLA battery.

    5960 had strong QRM from 5955 (pres. R. Veronica). Checked on DX286 portable.
    9575 had QRM from one, possibly two RTTY signals. DX286 Portable.
    Very strong signal from Woofferton on 12065 with noticeable fading between S and S9+10 as well as some multipath distortion.

    Link to my 12065 recording:
    https://archive.org/details/0621-213035-bbc-antarctica-midwinter-broadcast-2025-12065k-hz

    73
    Nick

    Reply ↓
  5. David

    Name: David
    Location: East Coast UK
    Notes:
    12065 kHz was a good strength with a little fading.
    9575 kHz was a good strength but had interference from a teleprinter station.
    5960 kHz was unreadable due to adjacent channel interference from Radio Veronica on 5955 kHz.
    YouTube link to my video recording:
    https://youtu.be/LwOGW687zek

    Reply ↓
  6. Sergio

    Good morning, yesterday several members of our 30DIG radio group went out into the countryside for a radio listening activity. Led by our youngest member, Erik, just 10 years old, we had a wonderful evening of radio. We’re sharing the recording with you. We listened to all frequencies using a Qodosesn DX-286 receiver and a random-wire antenna wound around a fishing rod. on grid locator IN91lp Zaragoza Spain
    Long live shortwave and have a great summer of radio!

    https://archive.org/details/bbc-9575

    Reply ↓
  7. Mauri

    Hello !
    This my listening of BBC Midwinter Antartica 2025 with my 3 radios near Venice (Italy) I covered all frequencies availables. With 5960 khz from Uae was not good as signal very weak . And quite good from Ascension . I had alternate telescopic and a wire antenna Tecsun An5

    https://youtu.be/5h2zHorI2Xg

    Reply ↓
  8. Thomas Post author

    From Giuseppe Morlè:

    https://youtu.be/2wT-j1OETrw?si=4MQ1rafXeIk3zOVj

    Dear Thomas,
    I am Giuseppe Morlè iz0gzw from Formia in central Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea…

    The reception was fair on the 3 frequencies…I used a Sony tr 1300 receiver and a Tecsun 660 with my Filare Bobina on the balcony of the house while the renovation work is underway…
    Thanks again dear Friend and I wish you all the best…
    Giuseppe Morlè iz0gzw.

    Reply ↓
  10. Antonio

    Name: Antonio

    Listening location: Canary Islands, Spain

    Notes: 5960 and 9575 were recorded with an XHDATA D-808 with a 7 meter wire each. 12065MHz recorded with a Tecsun PL-330 with the receiver’s whip antenna.

    The following recordings are from the first 40 seconds of the broadcast. It could be heard much better in 12065MHz.

    Link to audio or video: https://archive.org/details/bbc-midwinter-2025-recordings

    Reply ↓
  11. Andreas (DK2AX)

    Hi! I recorded the broadcast from Aachen (western Germany). The receiver was the Belka with short telescopic whip. I switched between all 4 frequencies, but 12065 and 9575 kHz worked best. On 13810 kHz I couldnt hear anything. Signal strength was fine, but there was a lot of noise, making it difficult to understand the messages. On 9575 kHz, there was interference from some (digital?) signal on LSB.

    https://youtu.be/2IIlW3COqCw

    Best,
    Andreas

    Reply ↓
  12. TomL

    Well, King Charles went there, and so will I. See this chart of actual Antarctic Ice Core information. The article from NASA clearly shows that over 800,000 years, Temperature spikes, and then CO2 follows. What the King forgot to tell you is that there is a regular Periodicity to these Temperature spikes. And guess where we are now? Right in the sweet-spot for a Temperature spike. I do NOT see a causation regarding CO2. In fact, CO2 never leads, it always follows. What the king also forgot to tell you is that we are still cooler than the 1930’s, the Roman Warm Period (2000 years ago), and cooler still to the Minoan Warm Period (3300 years ago). http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle/page4.php

    12065 kHz. Using Loop-On-Ground amplified antenna, Airspy HF+ SDR and laptop. Audio modified with 2x compression, some EQ, and Normalized with Audacity to enhance intelligibility. Location is a County park in Northern Illinois. Signal was varying frequently from S6-S9, had to use ECSS-U because of local noise on the lower sideband.

    http://www.archive.org/details/250621-bbc-2025-antarctic-midwinter-broadcast-2130-utc-12065-k-hz

    Enjoy the Summer!

    Reply ↓
  14. William, KR8L, WPE9FON

    William, KR8L, WPE9FON

    Southern Illinois

    12065 kHz, Eton Elite Executive with Sony ICD-UX570 Digital Voice Recorder connected to the Line Out jack. External wire antenna, about 35 to 40 feet long, running through a window and up into a maple tree. My recording is the full 30 minutes but not very intelligible except for a few minutes around the 14 minute mark. Could get the gist of some of it, particularly the greetings from friends and family. Glad I was able to listen!

    Link to the recording on my Google Drive, can be played directly from there or downloaded:

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qKappbzV-8ORmQ-LCdkVlwehFxdfwtNH/view?usp=drive_link

    Reply ↓
  17. Thomas Post author

    And here is my recording using both the Qodosen DX-286 and the Elecraft KX2 on 12065 kHz (Woofferton, UK) in Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Québec, Canada.

    Reply ↓
  18. Marcel Jacobs

    Marcel Jacobs
    Pertisau, Achensee Austria
    Belka with small donut loop

    12065 – most of the time good reception. Also very deep fading and static noise.
    Hearing a lot of people sending their best Midwinter wishes to family at the Antartic station. Last 10 minutes too much fading, signal went down.
    5960 and 9575 – sometimes a very faint signal. You know there must be something, but is was not realy audible.

    Glad I took my Belka with me on vacation.

    Reply ↓
  20. Jock Elliott

    Jock Elliott
    Brunswick NY USA
    Grundig Satellit 800, MFJ 1886 loop

    9575 — Heard male, female, children’s voices with British accents, lots of static, hard to copy what was actually being said; nothing heard on other frequencies
    Around 21:44 UTC, heard brief blast of music “Cotton-eyed Joe”
    Gave up after about 20 minutes

    Reply ↓
    1. Roger Fitzharris

      Hello Jock,
      Thought you might have used your newly acquired Tecsun S-2200x.
      I tried mine using only the telescopic whip on 12065 kHz. Intelligibility was a really challenge with copious amounts of QRM and QSB.
      After 15 minutes, I clipped my 7-m long wire antenna to the whip and Voila — reception was greatly improved — went from a 33 to a 47 signal.

      Reply ↓

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