Category Archives: Music

Encore: Classical music over shortwave

Many thanks to Brice Avery who writes:

Hi Thomas,
Thanks for all the quality work at the SWLing Post.

I have recently started a weekly programme on SW playing Classical Western Music.
There is hardly any now and there used to be a lot more.

The show is called Encore and goes out on 6070 kHz from Channel 292 at 15:00 UTC on Sundays with a repeat on Friday at 19:00 UTC.

WBCQ broadcast Encore in US between 00:00 and 01:00 UTC Monday (Early Sunday evening in the US).

We are now at Programme 6 and the feedback is excellent.

[…]Please visit the website for more information (If you click on the valve LOGO you get the ‘story’ page).

www.tumbril.co.uk

Thank you for sharing this, Brice. I’ll certainly tune into your new show as I’m a massive fan of music over shortwave and, as you say, there are few outlets these days for classical music.  Good luck with the new show!

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Shortwave Radio Recordings: Radio Educación (XEPPM-OC)

Thanks to a tip from SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, I spent some air time with an old friend last night: Radio Educación broadcasting from Mexico City on 6,185 kHz.

Like a lot of small Central and South American shortwave stations, I believe XEPPM only broadcasts at 1,000 watts–though in the past, I believe they were allowed 10,000 watts. Still, their signal often makes it into eastern North America with relative ease, although it’s rare that it’s so clear. As summer approaches here in the northern hemisphere, QRN (noise from natural sources, like thunder storms) will rise on the 49 meter band. Even last night, there were some mild static crashes.

I tuned in around 01:25 UTC (April 1, 2019) with the WinRadio Excalibur and heard some amazing jazz, so I had to hit the record button.

For your listening pleasure, here’s the one hour ten minute recording I made:

Click here to download audio.


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Radio Mi Amigo to go offshore May 30 – June 2, 2019

(Source: Southgate ARC via Mike Hansgen)

Radio Mi Amigo to go offshore 30 May to 2 June

Five years after their success with  Mi Amigo 40 in Ostend, the Mi Amigo team set their sails for the beautiful Belgian seaside resort of   Blankenberge, to organise a week of transmissions, “live from the ship CASTOR”.

This will happen from Thursday 30 May to Sunday 2 June during the Blankenberg Havenfeesten”MI AMIGO 45″.

The Mi Amigo40 ship being used in 2019 is the  Castor,  an identical sister ship of Radio Caroline’s Ross Revenge tender,  ‘Bellatrix’ and of the Greenpeace ship the ‘Sirius’.

Details here:  https://worldofradio.co.uk/MiAmigo.html

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“This Is A Music Show”: Thursdays at 0100 UTC on WRMI

Many thanks to “Your Host” who writes with an announcement about his new weekly radio show via WRMI:

Just wanted to give you (and your readers) a heads-up about a new show I’ve started called “This Is A Music Show” which can be heard Thursdays 0100-0200 UTC (Wednesday evenings in the Americas) on 5850 kHz via WRMI. It’s an hour-long music program playing a variety of tunes sourced from thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, and sometimes curbside. I also include some digital modes in the latter half of the show.

The first broadcast went out last [Wednesday] night, and reception was quite good at my QTH in Toronto. I recorded the show on a couple different radios/antennas and have merged the recordings into a different type of AM Stereo. It sounds pretty cool, IMO. 🙂 It can be heard here:

https://soundcloud.com/thisisamusicshow/this-is-a-music-show-001-offair-2019-02-20

I hope you’ll check it out each week!

Thank you–I’ve listened to the off-air recording of episode #001 (above) and am certainly hooked. Great show!

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Randy Bachman features Radio Caroline music on the CBC

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bruce Atchison, who writes:

Randy Bachman featured the music played on Radio Caroline in two shows
broadcast on CBC during the spring of this year. Check out both on
www.randybachman.com and scroll down until you find the pirate radio
shows.

Both programs of Randy’s Vinyl Tap brought back so many good
memories.

Thanks for the tip, Bruce!

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Alan Roe’s updated B18 season guide to music on shortwave

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who notes:

I have now compiled my Music on Shortwave listing for the B-18 broadcast
period.

Alan, thanks so much for keeping this brilliant guide updated each broadcast season and for sharing it here with the community!

Click here to download a PDF copy of Alan Roe’s Music on Shortwave B-18.

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WAIF interview and Madtone’s amazing shortwave-infused music

Earlier this month, I had the honor of being interviewed by both the Radio Survivor podcast and WAIF’s radio show Trash Flow Radio, hosted by Justin Moore.

It was great fun to spend time with the Radio Survivor crew who are massive supporters of community radio and then the very next day be interviewed on a dynamic community radio station like WAIF.

The first hour of Trash Flow Radio featured recordings from the Shortwave Radio Audio ArchiveMadtone’s amazing shortwave inspired music (more on that below) and other radio-inspired selections. A fantastic sonic journey.

I spent the second hour of the show talking shortwave with Justin and our mutual friend Robert Gulley. No doubt you might recognize both host names as Robert is a regular Post contributor and Justin is the author of recently-posted items exploring the intersection of radio and music here on the SWLing Post.

In other words, I was in the company of true kindred spirits and friends.

Justin has posted an article about the show on his blog and includes a link to stream or download a recording of the full two hour show.

Do yourself a favor and at least listen to the first hour of the show which showcases some amazing shortwave sounds and Pete Madtone’s excellent compositions. You won’t regret it.

Justin introduces Pete on his blog:

Madtone, “One Deck” Pete Polanyk (Source: Justin Moore)

Also in this episode I was pleased to present the North American radio premiere of Madtone’s “Interval Signal Jazz”, from his Shortwave Radio Shorts EP. For over a decade “One Deck” Pete Polanyk has been making music as Madtone combining a love of electronica and dub withrecordings of noises and interval signals culled off shortwave radio (he’s had a fascination with radio since childhood).

Just as Thomas said during the show, his Shortwave Listening Post has really built up a community around the SWLing & Amateur Radio hobbies. Madtone got into contact with me about an article of mine Thomas had posted on the blog there, and since then Pete and I have become fast friends. It’s truly a testament to the way radio can sprout the shoots of friendship around the globe. Pete is also a brilliant plant man and gardener, and writes a wonderful blog on music, gardening and life at Weeds up to my knees! Check it out. From our conversations it turns out that Pete also used to play in a band back in the day with none other than Karl Blake.  I’d be real curious to hear any recordings of that group he was in if any cassettes or such exist! Now, if I can only get him to get his amateur radio license over there in England…

It pleases me to no end to know that Justin and Pete formed a friendship via the SWLing Post. It’s the community here that makes the Post a true labor of love for me.

Many of you know I’ve had an incredibly hectic schedule the past few months and am quite far behind on planned posts and correspondence. I’ve been meaning to plug Pete’s work for some time.

I encourage you to check out his music on Bandcamp and, again, listen to some of his Interval Signal Jazz via the WAIF recording.

Click here to listen to samples of Pete’s work on the Madtone Bandcamp page!

Thanks again, Justin and Robert (and Dan KE8AWT who helped sort out some technical problems) for such a fun on-air conversation about the world of shortwave!

Click here to read Justin’s post about the show.

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