Category Archives: What’s On Shortwave

Voice of Guyana back on the air

Many thanks to David Goren who shares this dialog between Jamie Labadia and Glenn Hauser via the DX Listening Digest:

** GUYANA. Hi Glenn, I have the Voice of Guyana on the air at, don’t laugh, 400 watts. 3.290 MHz is the freq. I am going to repair a few more amplifiers and get them up to about a kilowatt for now. Have to reconfigure the combiner though. The antenna is in rough shape, but surprisingly being heard well down into interior Guyana, which is the main purpose. (On a portable no less!!) I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going. It’s 80 degrees and very “tropical” here now. Best Regards (Jamie Labadia, visiting Guyana, 0147 UT Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Checking around 0300 UT Feb 2, I do have a JBA carrier on 3290- via the DX-398 but not the PL-880 – could be it. Slightly on the lo side; much weaker than 3320 S Africa, 3330 Canada. Will it be on all-night?

After local noise sources diminish, Feb 2 at 0629 I try again, and now a very poor signal on 3290- in English sounds like BBCWS, but not // or not synchro with 9460.

Meanwhile after I post this news ASAP on the DXLDyg, reports come in: Brandon Jordan in TN had it at 0333 on 3289.973, 0359 switching to BBC overnight feed just like they used to do. Bruce Portzer in Seattle also had a carrier around 0500. Daniel Wyllyans in Brasil was already hearing it as an unID. Forwarded these reports to Jamie and he replies at 1127 UT Feb 2:

“Yes, That’s us!! That was a repeat of the Sunday afternoon program. Made for great listening while working on the amplifiers — Nat King Cole, Glenn Miller, Woody Herman. Thanks to all of the great DXers out there. I will be working on the transmitter until just after local sundown, then leave it on the air until the next morning. Glenn, thank you very much for this great resource. Surprised more engineers aren’t using it as their “remote S meter”!! Jamie“

He said he planned to put V of Guyana on a higher frequency for better domestic coverage. 5950 used to be the daytime channel on the originally 10-kW transmitter, and it might be OK in the daytime now with possible het from Bolivia on 5952+, but at night there would be clashes from Germany, Iran, Ethiopia; and R. Pio XII until it closes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

If you like to follow DX news closely, consider joining the DX Listening Digest email list and make sure you listen to World of Radio with Glenn Hauser. Many thanks to GH for permission to re-post this.

Additional note (06 Feb 2015): SWLing Post reader, Harald DL1ABJ, writes:

Dear Thomas,

Guyana was active on 3290 kHz till June 2012 when the transmitter went faulty. It was a new 10 kW unit installed only in April 2010.

Before 2010 the station was inactive on shortwave for a longer period.

Reception on 3290 kHz was quite ok during good dx conditions here in Central Europe. I even managed to catch their signal on 5950 kHz once during the 1980s or 1990s.

Kind regards

Harald DL1ABJ

Radio Australia silent on 9,580 kHz this morning

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Fullscreen capture 1312015 25334 PM This morning, when I tuned to Radio Australia on 9,580 kHz, they were not transmitting–or, at least, I couldn’t hear them.

I hope this is merely a transmitter glitch (they do happen).

You see, Radio Australia recently issued their new shortwave broadcast schedule which included cuts to the Pacific broadcast footprint. The changes take effect today. 9,580 kHz, however, should still be on the air between 09:00-21:00 UTC–this morning, I was listening at 15:00 UTC.

I can’t think of the last time I couldn’t hear Radio Australia on 9,580 kHz in the morning hours here in the eastern USA. Indeed, some of my earliest memories of listening to shortwave radio include RA on 9,580 kHz.

I need to look further into the changes to the broadcast plan. I’m beginning to wonder if the transmitter output and orientation have been changed. As you can see in the screenshot from my Elad FDM-S2 (above), there is a faint carrier on 9,580, but it’s much too weak to hear. I’ve no clue if it’s Radio Australia or not.

Fortunately, Radio Australia is quite loud on 12,065 kHz and very audible on 12,085 kHz (see below), which means I still get my Saturday morning dose of Saturday Night Country.

I’ll post an update about 9,580 kHz as soon as I have more details.

Radio Australia propagation map and revised schedule

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Speaking of the Radio Australia shortwave service reductions, I just received RA’s new propagation map (above) and schedule (below). Click images to enlarge.

My source also sent a few RA internal notes/points regarding services, feeds and transmitters:

Radio Australia

Babcock ended 14th January.
Brandon last broadcast 31st January.
Shepparton reduced schedule from 1st February. 3 transmitters only.

RAS 1 is Pacific Satellite Feed
RAS 2 is Asia Satellite Feed
RAW 5 is Asia Web Feed
RAW 6 is Pacific Web Feed

Reminder – preferred backup domestic source is Classic FM, not Radio National.
[…]Radio Australia News ex N05 will be the SERN bed news 0600-1800 Monday-Friday.

Shortwave Radio Recordings: Radio Österreich International

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Rotating high performance directional antenna of the ORF (Image: "Drehbare Hochleistungsrichtantenne ORF Moosbrunn“ von Daniel Csiky - selbst fotografiert. Lizenziert unter Bild-frei über Wikipedia - http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Drehbare_Hochleistungsrichtantenne_ORF_Moosbrunn.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Drehbare_Hochleistungsrichtantenne_ORF_Moosbrunn.JPG

Rotating high performance directional antenna of the ORF (“Drehbare Hochleistungsrichtantenne ORF Moosbrunn“ von Daniel Csiky)

For your listening pleasure: Radio Österreich International.

This recording was made on 6,155 kHz on January 29, 2015 starting about 05:59 UTC.

Only recently, SWLing Post reader, Eric asked about orchestral music on shortwave–as you’ll hear, Radio Oesterreich International is certainly a good source!

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Enjoy:

Helliniki Radiophonia on 9,420 kHz or 9,415 kHz?

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SWLing Post reader, Mark Clark writes:

“Tuned [to Helliniki Radiophonia] during band scan at 0110 UT. It was playing 1970s rock music like Love is Like Oxygen by Sweet and Evil Woman by ELO. Male announcer speaking in Greek between each song. Initial signal strength was weak SIO 233 on PL-880 and PL-380. Also weak and noisy on University of Twente Websdr. Switched to local Perseus with Wellbrook antenna. Reception improved from SIO 443 to SIO 555 during recording of 100 kHz wide RF from 0126 to 0140.

Observation showed carrier on 9415 with nothing on assigned 9420 kHz as per Aoki and EiBi. Switched back to PL-880 as signal had improved to SIO 555. PL-880 with internal whip provided easy copy from 0140 to 0145 when signal suddenly dropped out. Signal returned several seconds later but decidedly not on 9415. Tuning to 9420 restored clear strong signal. Verified via local Perseus receiver that carrier was now on 9420 with no carrier at 9415. Same male announcer was noted between songs at 0153. University of Twente Websdr also showed same shift. Ended reception at 0154 UT.”

Many thanks for this detailed listener report, Mark. Indeed, several of us have noted Helliniki Radiophonia on 9,415 occasionally. Last year, I made all-night recordings where RH remained on 9,415 the entire time.

I have no idea why RH is hopping between 9,415 and 9,420 kHz. Initially, I thought this may be due to the fact that they were silent on 9,420 for an extended perios of time last year and Voice Of Islamic Republic of Iran, who shares the same frequency, seemed to take its place. I even had a few readers note that when Helliniki Radiophonia returned to 9,420 kHz, interference from Iran was substantial and the occasional move to 9,415 kHz was, perhaps, to obtain a clear frequency.

In truth, though, this is speculation; is this frequency shift deliberate or accidental? Do any SWLing Post readers have a definitive answer?

Shortwave Radio Recordings: Voice of Nigeria

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For your listening pleasure: the Voice of Nigeria–recorded on January 28, 2015, starting at 10:00 UTC on 9,690 kHz.

The past few days, the signal out of Ikorodu has been much stronger than normal, so I’ve spent several afternoons listening to the wonderful sounds and music from the Voice of Nigeria.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below: