Category Archives: What’s On Shortwave

ITU Monitoring Programme: 2.85 to 28 MHz

A PARI DXpedition update

Mark Fahey, scanning the bands with his WinRadio Excalibur/Surface Pro 2 combo

The SWLing Post DXpedition at PARI is going very well. We started yesterday around noon with beautiful fall weather; late last night, it started raining but that hasn’t dampened our spirits today.

Despite the wet, chilly weather, Gary Donnelly (above) has been logging numerous shortwave stations during the day and mediumwave stations at night via his assortment of ultralight radios. Bill Boyd, another DXpeditioner, has been travelling the 200 acre PARI campus and listening via his Tecsun PL-880.

DXpeditioner, Mark Fahey, has traveled here from his home in Australia, thus he’s particularly enjoyed hearing South American stations which are somewhat rare in his corner of the world. Today alone, Mark snagged two other firsts: the time station CHU Canada, and a perfect two hour recording of the Voice of Nigeria in DRM. Mark says that his listening expectations are turned upside down, because day/night band openings are nearly opposite of what he’s used to. This is the great thing about SWLing during travels: exotic stations become much lower hanging fruit.

Screenshot of the Elad FDM-S2 on part of the 19 meter band

Mark and I have set up a table full of SDRs and have been actively recording spectrum while listening. We have a WinRadio Excalibur, Elad FDM-S2 and the SDRplay RSP.

We also have the CommRadio CR-1 hooked up: it has been a fantastic receiver for visitors to use and a brilliant auxiliary receiver while both SDRs have been recording spectrum simultaneously.

The SDRplay RSP via the HDSDR app

A few samples from the logs

Despite mediocre band conditions, we’ve managed to hear a lot of stations.

Here is our band scan at 1500 UTC on the 19 meter band:

15140 Radio Sultanate Oman Arabic
15255 Radio Free Europe Turkmen
15265 Adventist World Radio Hindi
15290 Adventist World Radio Punjabi (vy weak)
15300 Radio Romania International Arabic
15395 Athmeeya Yatra Radio Sindhi (vy weak)
15410 Radio Liberty (faint)
15420 BBC English
15435 Radio Riyadh Arabic
15460 Radio Free Europe Tajik
15490 Radio Exterior de Espana Spanish
15535 Radio Cairo Arabic
15550 Radio Dabanga Sudanese Arabic
15580 Voice of America English
15595 Vatican Radio Arabic
15610 EWTN (WEWN) English
15620 Radio Veritas (?) Filipino (?)
15670 Adventist World Radio English
15700 China Radio International English
15770 WRMI English

1600 UTC on the 25 meter band:

11435 HM01 Cuban Numbers Station Spanish
11550 EWTN (WEWN) Spanish
11600 Bible Voice BCN Persian (faint)
11620 All India Radio Russian (faint)
11715 Vatican Radio Russian (faint)
11775 Caribbean Beacon English
11825 WRMI (Overcomer) English
11950 Radio Habana Cuba Spanish
12050 EWTN (WEWN) Spanish (vy weak)
12055 Voice of America Somali
12160 WWCR English

2000 UTC on the 25 meter band:

11600 Denge Kurdistan Kurdish
11670 All India Radio Hindi
11700 All India Radio GOS
11735 Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation Swahili
11760 Radio Habana Cuba French
11775 Caribbean Beacon English
11810 BBC English
11825 WRMI (Overcomer) English
1900 Voice of America French
11930 Radio Marti Spanish (being jammed by Cuba)
11955 Adventist World Radio Dyula
11995 Radio France International French
12050 EWTN (WEWN) Spanish
12060 Radio Algerienne Chaine 1 Arabic
12095 BBC English
12105 WTWW Portuguese

Could radio be a catalyst for revolution in North Korea?

1 Reply

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley for sharing this article from The Guardian. The following is an excerpt:

Kim Cheol-su, who was born in Pyongsong City and defected from North Korea last year, says that up to 30-40% of DPRK citizens now listen to pirate radio, and that listening to the broadcasts made him realise the true nature of Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion on the implications of the broadcasts in Seoul – and of the North’s thundering reaction – he said: “Children know that Kim Jong-un weighs more than 100kg. It’s because they are repeating what they hear from their parents, who listen to these foreign programmes.”

He added that the majority of North Korean citizens, desperate for news of the outside world, listen to the propaganda broadcasts which fan the flames of their doubt about the regime. The majority of those who flee to the South do so after hearing the broadcasts, he claimed.

“Before listening to the broadcasts, the citizens have no idea. But after they hear them, they realise the fact that the regime is deceiving people. They share what they have heard with their neighbours and friends.”

Kim also highlighted the fact that he heard about the Arab Spring movement through the broadcasts, and learned of the death of Libya’s former president, Muammar Gaddafi. “If the UN were to guarantee for us, as they did for Libya, help in opposing the regime, I believe that we would revolt as well,” he said.

Kim said lot of people listen to Radio Free Asia, as it comes in the clearest. “Personally, there were some programmes I liked on Open Radio for North Korea, so I used to tune in to those as well. However, short, one-hour programs were easy to miss. They were often finished by the time I found the frequency they were on.”

As for the contents of the broadcasts, Kim said having defectors talk freely about their lives was the best approach, and that programmes should include information on how to defect, offering examples of the kind of support and policies that exist for defectors in the South.

Read the full article at The Guardian online.

Shortwave Radio Recordings: Radio Spaceshuttle International

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SWLing Post and SRAA contributor, Jim Clary (ND9M/VQ9JC), recorded the following final broadcast of Radio Spaceshuttle International while on board a US Navy ship off the coast of Rota, Spain. Jim notes:

I was packing up to leave my ship and return to the USA this week when the latest SWLing Post e-mail showed up with info about SSR’s final broadcast literally seven minutes before he was to come on the air. I’d already broken down the receiving gear, but it came back together in record time, and I was able to get the recorder going with a minute before the transmission started.

Click here to download Jim’s recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Note that Jim’s recording starts a few minutes before the broadcast begins:

Jim, thanks so much for putting all of your receiver and recording kit back together to make this recording!

The Mighty KBC test broadcast September 27

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DJ Eric van Willegen, “Uncle Eric” hosts The Giant Jukebox on the Mighty KBC.

(Source: The Mighty KBC)

For our listeners across the pond:

Uncle Eric is testing Saturday September 26th on 7395 kHz between 23:00 – 24:00 UTC.

Our normal broadcast on 7375 kHz is on Sunday September 27th 00:00 – 03:00 UTC.

Please spread the word and send your reports for 7395 kHz.

Radio Spaceshuttle International final broadcast tomorrow

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill F., who shares this message from Dick (DJ Spacewalker) at Radio Spaceshuttle International:

Dear listeners,

Special announcement! Wish you all to be ready to listen very last transmission of Radio Spaceshuttle on 13600 kHz Sunday 13th of September 2015 [19:00-20:00 UTC].

Sad goodbye px with…

1. Results of 2015 Radio Spaceshuttle contest
2. Listeners corner- with musical requests
3. Special announcement from Radio Spaceshuttle International
4. Best ever Spaceshuttle music- worth of listening and recording.

This will be your “Once in Lifetime” change to hear Radio Spaceshuttle and sent reception report. Special e-mail QSL is ready to sent to you-you will got yours very soon after this transmission- if getting your report during Sunday- your QSL is on your post during Monday 7th of September.

Also reports wanted to our Herten Box- will be verified with printed QSL.

All older reports are under work for QSLs….

Many thanks for all regular listeners as well to new ones…. It has been so fun with you.

Your letters/reception reports are very welcome to our address in Herten:

Radio Spaceshuttle International
P.O.Box 2702
NL: 6049 ZG Herten
The Netherlands A little fee (2 euros) for return postage (for full
info printed QSLs) is needed!

I’m not sure if propagation will favor me here in eastern North America, so I’m hoping an SWLing Post reader or SRAA contributor can make an off-air recording of the show. (Hint, hint!)

RTÉ broadcasts the 2015 GAA finals via shortwave