Category Archives: Music

“Requiem For Radio” shortwave schedule

View of the western cluster of curtain antennas from the roof of RCI Sackville’s transmissions building. (Photo: The SWLing Post) –Click to enlarge

(Source: Mauno Ritola via the WRTH Facebook Group)

From Christian Milling: A classical piece for 5 voices will be also sung where bass comes eg. from Nauen, alto from Moosbrunn, tenor from WRMI etc…
The European tx antennas are directed towards Canada / NAm.

Airtimes:

25th May 2017 2300-2400 UTC
26th May 2017 2300-2400 UTC
27th May 2017 2300-2400 UTC

Schedule:

WRMI : Radio Miami International 11580 kHz
WBCQ : Free Speech Radio 5130 kHz
Nauen: Shortwaveservice 9690 kHz
Moosbrunn: Shortwaveservice 9620 kHz
Boston Pirate Radio 6850 kHz

The content is identically on all three days. A QSL is planned.

Click here to learn more about Requiem for Radio.

Jazz from the Left on two more frequencies

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Many thanks to Raoul van Hall, producer of Jazz from the Left, who shares the following news:

WRMI is adding two more weekly frequencies for Jazz from the Left starting this week on 9395 kHz at 0000 UTC Saturday. For the moment, they are simulcasting the 0000 UTC hour on 9455 kHz, so the program would be on both frequencies.

So that’s a total of four weekly broadcasts on four different frequencies. Thought you and your readers would find that interesting.

Comments can be sent to: [email protected]

Great news, Raoul!

Pirates playing Chuck

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Chuck Berry (1926-2017)

If you’re a fan of rock’n’roll, you no doubt heard the sad news of Chuck Berry’s passing today after 90 years at full throttle.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mike Hansgen (K8RAT), who notes that a number of pirate stations have been playing Chuck Berry tributes tonight; these will, no doubt, continue into tomorrow night, as well.

Mike’s message prompted me to trigger a spectrum recording, as I’m currently on the road. I’ll pull out a portable tonight and listen live, but it’ll be nice to catch up with Chuck later as I play back my spectrum recordings. (This is why I love SDRs.)

Many thanks to the pirates who are paying tribute to the legend.

Rest in peace, Chuck. A toast to the grandfather of rock’n’roll.

Reminder: “Afternoon On The River” via WRMI Friday at 2200 UTC

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who shares the following reminder:

On Friday February 24th (today) starting at 2200 UTC and going until 0100 UTC on Saturday February 25th, the local afternoon program “Afternoon On The River” From KIYU 88.1 Galena, Alaska will be broadcast via the WRMI transmitter on 15770 kHz for the east coast of North America and western Europe. We’ll also be on 6855 kHz at the same time, beamed to the SW USA!

I’ve footed the bill for this personally and am doing this just for fun. No QSL’s being offered for this broadcast.

Just listen in and enjoy. A phone number is given out from time to time during the show for requests.

Many thanks, Paul!

“Afternoon On The River” via WRMI: February 24, 2017

The Tecsun S-8800 tuned to Radio Guinea

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Yesterday, while comparing the new Tecsun S-8800 with the PL-880 and ICF-SW7600GR (on the tail gate of my truck) I tuned to Radio Guinea and was instantly reminded why I love music over shortwave.

Here’s a clip I kept rather short for fear that YouTube might note the off-air music and pull the video for copyright infringement (happens all the time). I shot this with my mobile phone, so you can’t hear the bass notes:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Some of my favorite stations for music over the shortwaves are the Voice of Greece, Radio Guinea, Radio Havana Cuba, All India Radio, Radio Romania International, Medi 1 and Zanzibar Broadcasting Corp. Not to mention all of the private broadcasters like WRMI, The Mighty KBC and Bill Tilford’s productions!

Of course, there are so many more stations that play wonderful music! I keep a copy of Alan Roe’s music guide handy!

Though it’s still early days with the S-8800, I can say that it does a fine job reproducing music in full fidelity. Receiver-wise, it mops the floor with my S350DL.

UPDATE: Click here to read our full Tecsun S-8800 review.

Music copyright issue sends Bulgarian National Radio back to 1945

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(Source: BBC via Mike Terry on the WRTH Facebook Page)

Bulgaria’s public radio broadcaster has been banned from playing millions of contemporary songs because of a row over copyright payments.

Since 1 January, state-funded Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) has been filling its airwaves with classical pieces, jazz and traditional folk music instead, the Novinite news agency reports. It’s locked in a dispute with the non-profit Musicautor organisation, which manages the rights to work by both local and international artists – 14 million pieces of music in total.

Even the traditional version of the national anthem is off-limits. Listeners tuning in on New Year’s Eve instead heard the BNR symphony orchestra and choir’s take on the tune, Balkan Insight reports, adding that the copyright row means only music made before 1945 can be played. BNR itself says it cannot play “95% of today’s modern music repertoire”.

Musicautor wants BNR to pay more in royalties – triple the amount it pays at the moment – to bring it more into line with national radio in other EU countries. But radio director Aleksander Velev says that’s impossible unless it gets more funding or drops a regional broadcast, which would “tarnish the radio’s public mission”.[…]

Read the full article on the BBC website.