Category Archives: Music

Shortwave Radio Recordings: The Mighty KBC test transmission

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Last night, I listened to and recorded The Mighty KBC‘s test transmission on 9.4 MHz. The broadcast lasted 2 hours and was quite successful.

They had a little distortion in the signal for the first half-hour or so, but once that issue was resolved, audio was excellent. This was, after all, a test transmission.

Mind you, I was using the WinRadio Excalibur receiver and a rather large horizontal sky loop antenna–not a portable radio. But based on their signal level as compared with the adjacent Voice of Greece transmission (9.42 MHz), I expect they could have been easily heard on a portable radio here in eastern North America.

If you missed the broadcast, click here to download a full recording or listen below.  

Next week: another test broadcast scheduled

Update: Note that The Might KBC will broadcast another test transmission on Sunday 21 September from 00.00 – 02.00 UTC on 9,500 kHz.

Pirate Radio Recordings: Radio Appalachia

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Radio Appalachia is the only pirate I’ve ever heard on the shortwaves which features bluegrass and gospel music. This recording was made Saturday night on 6.9349 MHz (AM).

At 8:28 in the recording below, you’ll hear Radio Appalachia’s station ID :

“Radio Appalachia, you are listening to Radio Appalachia…the free voice of the Ohio Valley. Broadcasting from high above Moundsville, West Virginia, this is Radio Appalachia.”

You then hear their signature Three Stooges audio sample and a repeat of the ID.

Click here to download the MP3, or listen to the entire broadcast below:

Shortwave Radio Recordings: Radio Kuwait and music variety

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Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow” is tossed into this Radio Kuwait mix (Photo: Billboard.com)

Any of you who’ve been following the SWLing Post for a while know how much I love recording music over the shortwaves. Lately, Radio Kuwait has been booming into my part of eastern North America with great vivacity.

Yesterday, I recorded several hours of their broadcast on my WinRadio Excalibur. I couldn’t help but notice, the last time I posted a recording, that their music had a great deal of variety. Their mix yesterday afternoon encompassed hip hop, country, pop, rock, R&B, and even a little Billy Joel and Donovan.

Though the hip-hop and boy bands don’t particularly hold my personal interest, hearing “Mellow Yellow” over 7,000 miles of ether certainly has appeal.

If you’re looking for music variety (well, a lot of variety), with some items of cultural interest thrown in, check out Radio Kuwait:

A little more Saturday Night Country via Radio Australia

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Saturday Night Country host, Felicity Urqhart, receiving CMA’s 2012 International Country Broadcaster Award (Source: RadioInfo)

I’ve mentioned before how much I love this show–you don’t even need to be a fan of country music to have a true appreciation for it.

Saturday Night Country should be on your shortwave listening schedule. If you live in North America, you’ll find the signal out of Shepparton, Australia is so strong that even a mediocre portable radio can receive it with ease.

Here’s a two hour and 50 minute taste of Saturday Night Country for your Monday morning:

Recording Radio History: The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee via BBC World Service

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Diamond Jubilee at Buckingham Palace (photo: BBC)

Ten years ago, my wife–then fiancée–and I lived in the UK, and were fortunate enough to attend The Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebration on the vast lawn at Buckingham Palace. It was without doubt the largest party I’ve ever attended, packed to the gills with the British public–a thoroughly amazing event, featuring a who’s who of past-and-present British musicians and personalities, encouraging attendees to join them in their bit of fun–and, of course, God save the Queen.

Yesterday, I re-lived the energy of that party as I heard (and recorded) the follow-up event these ten years later–The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, on the BBC World Service–as heard from remote Ascension Island.

When hearing live events like this on shortwave–especially ones like this that celebrate national heritage–I know I’m listening to history in the making. The crowds applauding and cheering in a live broadcast over shortwave reminds me of a former era when British Expats across the globe relied on the BBC World Service to connect them with ol’ Blighty.

Ascension Island, marked with an "A" (image: Google Maps)

I recorded these broadcasts from my home in the southeastern US, hearing the BBC World Service relay station on the tiny, isolated Ascension Island in the South Atlantic. The broadcast was heard at first on 15,400 kHz, then moved to 9,915 kHz coinciding with their normal broadcast schedule. The broadcast, while completely intelligible, is weak in the beginning, but gains considerable strength by the end. There are summer static crashes heard as storms moved through the southeast US. I divided the broadcast into two parts, coinciding with my shift from one frequency to the other.

I also included a BBC WS news broadcast in Part 2 which followed the end of the show.

Either use the embedded Archive.org audio player below, or simply click here to download the mp3 files for Part 1 and Part 2.

I used the WinRadio Excalibur to record both of these segments. Its synchronous detection helped deal with fading (QSB) present at the beginning of the recording.

Once again, history is made…and archived on shortwave radio.  Enjoy!