by Carlos Latuff

I bring to the brothers-in-radio of SWLing Post a short report on my recent listening sessions of the BBC’s emergency radio service, which broadcasts half an hour of Arabic-language programming from Sunday to Thursday to Sudan and Gaza on the frequency of 15280 kHz. The programming consists of a podcast entitled “Middle East Diaries,” which can be accessed on the BBC Arabic website. Basically, it consists of news about Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Sudan, and other regions of the Middle East, and in one specific case, a public service announcement teaching water purification techniques, vital information for those who live (or try to survive) in regions whose civilian infrastructure has been destroyed by bombings.

These listening sessions were conducted between April 20th and May 21st of this year, in front of the Guaiba River in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The receiver was the reliable Xhdata D-808, and a 3-meter long wire antenna. Transmissions always begin at 12:00 PM Brasília time (3:00 PM UTC), the worst time since the sun is at its zenith, which negatively impacts shortwave reception. The signal is weak; most of the time, it was only possible to save a few audible fragments, and in some cases, it wasn’t possible to record anything; it was almost all noise. Reception usually improves slightly after 12:30 PM. Now, the transmitter, located in Talata Volonondry, Madagascar (about 9800 km from Porto Alegre), is directed towards Sudan and Gaza, so receiving this signal in Brazil is already a stroke of luck!

(Listening session held on May 1st, one of the days with better reception)

One problem I detected was on April 30th, when the Radio Romania interval signal interrupted the end of the programming. Radio Romania broadcasts in Arabic on the same frequency, but at 12:30 PM. The interval signal started at 12:27 PM, when the BBC program had not yet finished.

I also noticed interruptions that seemed to stem from technical problems and/or power outages, as happened on May 4th, when I missed the first three minutes of the broadcast due to a signal interruption.

Four days ago, I was in another city in southern Brazil, Florianopolis, 463 km from Porto Alegre, and there, on the campus of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, I tried to listen to the BBC broadcast but noticed strong interference from a Chinese radio station (CNR ?) on the same frequency. I imagined it was something related to my geographical location. However, today, May 21st, back to Porto Alegre, I found the same problem, which practically made listening impossible. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to listen to those broadcasts again.

Too bad, ’cause I was really enjoying listening to the BBC’s emergency radio service, as it became the only time BBC broadcasts in Arabic, since the station ended its regular service in that language in January 2023. I’m making available here a PDF with all the illustrated radio listening reports I produced during this period.

Click here to download the PDF.

P.S.: I have tried to contact the BBC several times, either by email or through their social media.

All in vain.