Category Archives: Schedules and Frequencies

Alexa can now look up broadcast schedules with the Shortwave Signals skill!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, who writes:

I’m pleased to announce that my Alexa skill has been approved by Amazon and is now available in the following countries:

Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Because single word skills are reserved for organisations and brand names, the skill name had to change and is now called ‘Shortwave Signals‘.

I’ve uploaded a video this morning with the finished skill in action:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Amazing, Mark! Thank you for developing this Alexa skill!

I’ve been beta testing Mark’s Alexa skill and have been very happy with the results. It makes for a nice hands-free way of checking broadcast schedules while in the shack. And it seems like only yesterday when Mark was tinkering around with the idea to create this skill.

Bravo for making Shortwave Signals a reality, Mark!

If you own an Echo or Alexa-enabled device, simply open the Alexa App and search for the Shortwave Signals skill to activate it.

We only have one Amazon Echo device in our house–the one I evaluated for my WiFi radio primer a couple years ago. As Black Friday approaches, I’m going to keep my eye on the Amazon Echo Dot for my radio room–the 2nd generation units are quite inexpensive (as low as $29.99 for a certified refurbished unit).

Click here to search Amazon for an Echo device (affiliate link).

Vatican Radio notes shortwave frequency changes

1 Reply

Vintage Vatican Radio QSL

(Source: Vatican Radio via Mike Hansgen)

Shortwave Frequency Changes for the English Africa Service starting on 28 October 2018 to March/April 2019

Daylight saving time in Rome
We wish to inform listeners that with the end of Daylight Saving Time in Rome on Sunday 28th October, there will be changes in the time and broadcast frequencies of the English Africa Service.

The programme will be going on air one hour earlier at 16.30 UTC (GMT) on the following shortwave frequencies: 11625 kHz (25mb) and 13830 kHz (21mb)

It will be repeated at 20.00 hours UTC on 6010 kHz (49mb) and the 7365 kHz (40 mb).

Listeners in Rome
For listeners in Rome and the Vatican who have a digital radio receiver, the ‘English Africa Programme’ can be heard on Vatican News’ World Channel on digital radio DAB+ at 17.30 Rome time and the repeat broadcast at 21.00 hours Rome time.

Listen to and download our daily Podcast from anywhere in the world
To listen to the Podcast of our programme throughout the day, just log on to our websitewww.vaticannews.va, click on English and then from right hand side of the page; click on “listen to our podcasts” and choose ‘English for Africa’.

Catholic Radio Stations in Africa retransmit our daily programme
On the continent, the main outlet for our daily English Africa programmes will continue to be through the re-transmission of our daily broadcasts by several Catholic radio stations.

Most of these radio stations are owned by various African Catholic dioceses, parishes, religious congregations and some by the Radio Maria network.

We thank you all for this important collaboration.

For further information kindly contact the English Africa Service through email: [email protected] or by phone: (+39) 06 69883892.

Radio Exterior de España expands shortwave broadcasts

11 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed (K4CWM), who notes that Radio Exterior de España have announced they’re expanding their shortwave broadcast schedule. Ed has kindly translated the press release into English (click here to read the original in Spanish):

Radio Exterior de España to increase its short wave broadcast schedule

Radio Exterior de España, the international channel of RNE will broadcast eight hours a day from Monday to Sunday on short wave starting on October 28th . It is an increase of four hours in the transmission that was previously made from Monday to Friday.

With this increase, Radio Exterior of Spain sets a new stage that reinforces its programming with new features of its own production. This will augment public service and promote and disseminate Spanish culture and language. In short, it strives to place Spain on the global horizon of the time in which we live.

“En clave turismo“, “A golpe de bit“, “Without a doubt“, “Said with music” and “Tiempo flamenco” are incorporated into a consolidated program along with features such as “Españoles en la mar“, “Marca España” , “Punto de enlace“, “Mundo solidario“, “Artesfera“, “Open Europe“, “America today“, “Africa today” and “Asia today“. Programs to which is added the emblematic “A language without borders”, in-keeping with its mission to take Spanish culture to all corners of the world.

From a technical point of view, Radio Exterior de España will broadcast its programming from Monday to Friday, for West Africa and the South Atlantic, the Middle East, the Indian Ocean and Gran Sol, from 16:00 to 24:00 UTC.

The emission frequencies:

West Africa and South Atlantic, 11,685 KHz, 25 meter band.

Middle East, Indian Ocean and Gran Sol, 12,030 KHz, 25 meter band .

For North and South America, Radio Exterior de España will broadcast short-wave, from Monday to Friday, from 19:00 to 03:00 UTC.

The emission frequencies:

South America, 11,940 KHz, 25 meter band.

North America and Greenland, 9,690 KHz, 31 meter band .

On Saturdays and Sundays, the RNE International Channel will transmit its signal from 15:00 to 23:00 UTC. The emission frequencies and the coverage areas are the following:

West Africa and South Atlantic, 11,685 KHz, 25 meter band .

South America, 11,940 KHz, 25 meter band .

North America and Greenland, 9,690 KHz, 31-meter band.

Middle East, Indian Ocean and Gran Sol, 12,030 KHz, 25 meter band.

In addition to eight hours per day of shortwave transmission, Radio Exterior de España broadcasts its 24 hour uninterrupted programming through the Internet, DTT, mobile applications and satellite:

Ses Astras 1M: frequency 11.626.5 MHz. Vertical polarization.

Hispasat 1E: frequency 12,052 MHz. Vertical polarization.

Asiasat 5: frequency 3,700 MHz. Vertical polarization.

Eutelsat 5 West A: frequency 3,727 MHz. Right circular polarization.

Intelsat Galaxy-23: frequency 4,191.35 MHz. Vertical polarization.

The changes in programming and frequencies are effective from October 28, 2018 to March 31, 2019.

Many thanks for the tip, Ed!

Mark is developing an Alexa skill to search shortwave broadcast schedules

4 Replies

I’ve been an owner of the Amazon Echo smart speaker since it was first released and even reviewed it here on the SWLing Post a couple years ago. Although it’s not a perfect device–and many feel IOT products like this invade their privacy (rightfully so)–it is a nice hands-free way to call up a radio station, set a timer, get the weather, set reminders and even do a little light research.

SWLing Post contributor, Mark Hirst, decided he wanted to develop an Alexa skill to help him with shortwave radio listening. Mark writes:

I’m excited to share my ‘work-in-progress’ Alexa skill for searching shortwave broadcast schedules!

I’ve often stumbled over a station tuning the dial and have had to step away from the radio, grab a computer, go to a web site, type in a frequency… what a fuss – what if I could just ask my Echo dot….?

Since my day job involves chat bots, machine learning, and AI, I was recently asked to look into Alexa and suddenly I had a new home project!

Like they say, “the last 10% takes 90% of the time,” but it’s already functional enough to demo:

Click here to watch demo video.

That’s brilliant, Mark! I’m sure I’m not the only SWL who would love to add this Alexa skill to their Echo device.

Mark did add that this is very much in prototype development and he hasn’t sorted out a way to host it affordably, or better yet, for free if he publishes it publicly. If you have any suggestions about a host server, please comment.

I’m sure Mark would love any early constructive feedback readers might have. Please comment if this is an Alexa skill you would value.

Mark, please keep us apprised of your progress!

Alex’s updated frequency charts

VORW Radio International updated schedule

Help record the 2018 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast

3 Replies

Every year, the BBC broadcasts a special program to the scientists and support staff in the British Antarctic Survey Team. The BBC plays music requests and sends special messages to the small team of 40+ located at various Antarctic research stations. Each year, the thirty minute show is guaranteed to be quirky, nostalgic, and certainly a DX-worthy catch!

After successful listener events from years past, I’m calling on all SWLing Post readers and shortwave radio listeners to make a short recording (say, 30-60 seconds) of the BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast today and share it here at the Post (frequencies and time below).

Halley VI: The British Antarctic Survey’s new base (Source: British Antarctic Survey)

The recording can be audio-only, or even a video taken from any recording device or smart phone. It would be helpful to have a description and/or photo of your listening environment and location, if possible.

Audio should be in the MP3 format and videos either hosted on YouTube or Vimeo so that I can easily embed them without having to convert and upload myself.

If you submit your recording to me, I will post it here on the SWLing Post–and insure that the British Antarctic Survey receives the post, too. The recordings will be arranged by geographic location.

Frequencies

This year, there have been few details about the broadcast announced in advance–I’ve seen no test broadcast announcements as in years past–so my fingers are crossed that it’ll take place on the air, on schedule.

Please note that the broadcast begins at 2130 UTC on (Thursday) June 21, 2018. The following frequencies were provided by Mauno Ritola who sourced them from a German SWL list serve:

From ASCENSION

7360 kHz

From DHABAYYA

6035 kHz

From WOOFFERTON

7230 and possibly 5985 kHz

I’m sure there will be live reports in the SWLing Post chat room during the broadcast. Please sign in and share your report as well!

I hope I’ll be able to receive the broadcast this year–I’m traveling again, but will have a receiver in tow. Worse case, I’ll snag the broadcast from a WebSDR in Europe (which is a pretty easy catch).

Listening for the Midwinter test transmissions last week with the Elecraft KX2.

The Midwinter broadcast is one of my favorite programs of the year. I suppose, in part, this is because it happens on June 21–the Summer/Winter solstice–which also happens to be my birthday! Woo hoo!