Category Archives: AM

Introducing The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive

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I used a photo I took of the large slewable curtain antenna at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitter Site for the iTunes cover art of the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

I transformed this photo I took of the large slewable curtain antenna at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitter Site into the iTunes cover art for the new Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

SWLing Post Readers,

I am very happy to announce a project to share and archive our shortwave radio recordings: The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

Many of you probably already know that I believe archiving our shortwave radio broadcasts is vital now.  Many broadcasters are leaving the air, and many target areas are being removed altogether. Meanwhile, over the past two years there have been new broadcasters coming on the air, often doing test transmissions before beginning broadcasting in earnest. These, too, are significant in radio history.

I have already populated the site with more than eighty recordings, most of which I’ve posted here over the past two years. I still have thirty or more to add. Already in the archive: Radio Bulgaria (now silent), Radio Netherlands Worldwide, The BBC WS special broadcast of the Diamond Jubilee, and a very interesting Vatican Radio broadcast announcing the selection of the new pope.

If you subscribe to the SW Radio Audio Archive’s podcast, you’ll be able to see and download the entire existing collection and new recordings as they are added.

To make this project work, we need your participation!   You can help in two ways:

  1. Share your shortwave radio recordings! Simply create an Archive.org account, upload your recording, and share the link with us (we have a nifty web form for submissions). Full details are available on this page.
  2. Simply subscribe to the podcast, download the recordings…and save them.  By doing this, you’ll be making an archived copy of all of the recordings. Here are two ways to subscribe to the podcast:

Donations and radio-related, commercial sponsorships are also welcome.

On the site, we state that “Multiple archives in multiple storage locations ensure the integrity of this collection over time.”  This is very true of all archives: the more forms of back up, the better. Especially since archive-quality digital storage does not yet exist. Safety and integrity come with redundancy.

Remember, this project is a collective, community effort, so I hope you will consider sharing your recordings with the rest of the world!

Feel free to share this post and the site http://shortwavearchive.com via social media, your radio groups and message boards. Thank you!

Secret Wars exhibition features shortwave radio artist David Goren

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DG-Performance-Shortwave

David Goren, performing at the 2010 Megapolis Audio Festival

For readers living near Brooklyn, New York, make a point to visit the Secret Wars exhibition at the interdisciplinary gallery, Proteus Gowanus.

Radio producer, sound artist, and die-hard shortwaveologist, David Goren, will host a talk/listening session about numbers stations, clandestines, propaganda stations, rebel takeovers of stations and all things radio obscure on Saturday, January 19th at 4:30 pm.

Goren is not only a good friend but a rare talent with an exceptional mastery of radio sound texture. I hear he’ll even be signing napkins (possibly babies). You really can’t miss this opportunity. His numbers station-inspired installation is titled: “Atencion! Seis Siete Tres Siete Cero”: The Mystery of the Shortwave Numbers Stations

Details:

Proteus Gowanus
543 Union Street (at Nevins)
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Opening: Saturday, January 12th at 7:00 pm

Talk/Listening session: Saturday, January 19th at 4:30 pm

Gallery Hours

Thursday & Friday, 3–6 pm
Saturday & Sunday, 12–6 pm

718.243.1572

Click here for a map and directions

The SWLing Post Podcast

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podcasticonThanks to SWLing Post reader, Michael, I have set up our RSS feed for podcasts.

This means that if you enjoy listening to our shortwave radio recordings, you can now easily subscribe and download all of our audio automatically. This is not edited material–no introductions, nor host–simple shortwave radio recordings.

If you would like to subscribe to the SWLing Post Podcast, point your favorite podcasting application to our RSS feed:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheSwlingPost

In iTunes, for example, go to the “File” menu and select “Subscribe to podcast”–then, simply paste our RSS feed address in the url field.  Other podcast applications will have a similar approach.

Thanks, Michael!

Severe Weather: Are you prepared?

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As I was listening to reports of tropical storm (now hurricane) Isaac this morning on the radio and a lot of emphasis was placed on preparedness for those who lie in his path.

Of course, it’s difficult to prepare this close to a weather event as supplies are typically low and demand is high. We radio enthusiasts are well aware of the importance of radio supplies, but there’s so much more to include to have preparedness basics in place.

Isaac may or may not pan out to be a memorable weather event, but we can take this opportunity as a reminder to be prepared. Indeed, the US National Weather Service predicts that we will have an active hurricane season in here in the states. If weather in Europe follows the same course, it could be bitterly cold and snowy. Typhoons in Asia have also been active most recently.

No matter where you live, spend some time preparing for natural disasters or interruptions to public utilities. We have several helpful posts on the SWLing Post which can help you with this very thing.  Take a look at the following in our archives:

2+ Hours of Voice of Greece Jazz

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If you need a little jazz music in your life today, you’re in luck. Saturday, I recorded over 2 hours of jazz programming from Voice of Greece (see update below) on 9,420 kHz starting around 20:00 UTC on a Microtelecom Perseus. Propagation was good, and other than an occasional static crash, fidelity excellent for the SW bands.

You can listen via the player below, or simply download the MP3 by clicking here.

UPDATE: Once again, this long stretch of music with VOG was due to a strike. SWLing Post reader, Christos, comments below:

Another strike-day of ERT, so another non-stop recording for you. On Saturday they played jazz and on Sunday they continued with Greek music. Doing an exception this time, because of the coming general elections on 6th of May, they provided short news bulletins every hour, along with the usual announcements “we are on strike for our rights”. I enjoyed the same program from local FM. It was the only program transmitted from all national networks in both FM and medium waves. I visited the ERT Radio House, (Radiomegaron), the day before your recording was made, to attend a concert and I took a photo of a banner of VOG, in Greek.

Christos kindly sent me the following ERT image with the Voice of Greece in Greek:

ABC video highlights the Dooen transmitter on World Radio Day

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The Dooen tower "hat" (photo: ABC)

(Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Standing 201-metres tall with a 19-metre wide capacitive ‘top hat’, the 3WV mast in western Victoria stands out in the vast flat landscape that stretches below it.
Celebrating 75th years of service, the occasion of World Radio Day seemed a worthy time to pay tribute to this impressive technological structure.

“It really meant a lot to us. It must’ve been a big undertaking in 1936 to build it because cranes and things that are about today weren’t even heard of,” says long time Horsham resident James Heard.

And while the locals are proud of the trusty Dooen mast, its power reaches far wider than just this wide brown land.

In fact 594 AM has even been heard as far as Canada, Japan and South Africa.

The staggering reach is aided by the distinctive ‘top hat’ and the low frequency of the AM band. While obviously a success, the antenna was the first of its kind in Australia and acted as a prototype for other services.

“It’s the first solid-state 50-kilowatt broadcast transmitter installed for the ABC and it was the test bed for the installations across the rest of the country,” says Tim Hughes, Transmission Coordinator for ABC Victoria.

So whether you’re tuning in from snowy Canada or just down the road, thanks be to the 3WV transmitter.

I’m sure many an ultralight DXer would like to snag this transmitter! Watch the 3+ minute video on the ABC website.

John Allen keeps radio history alive

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(Source: Delmarva Now)

A fat and sassy black cat purrs in John Allen’s lap. Relaxing in his favorite chair, Allen’s fingers vanished into the silky fur as he stroked his cat while listening to the Big Band sounds coming through a 1930s radio.

With its warm wood finish and the soft yellow glow of light from the dial, the vintage radio is as soothing as the thin shadows in the room.

[…]Stacked neatly in his living room are a dozen or so radios from the past. The sets are piled several deep. Other are stored in his shop, tucked tightly on shelves.

[…]”Maybe if you count the regular radios, the military radios, and the spy radios, I might have a little more than 200,” he said.

That’s right, he said “spy radios.”

Click hear to read the full story on Delmarva Now. If you like this sort of article, you have to check out the BBC radio documentary on Gerry Wells.