Category Archives: What’s On Shortwave

Shortwave Radio Recordings: Helliniki Radiophonia

It’s been a while now since 9,420 kHz–a former Voice of Greece frequency–should have gone off the air. Fortunately, it has not.

The station is no longer referred to as the Voice of Greece; it’s now a relay of ERT Open, otherwise known as the Helliniki Radiophonia (you’ll hear this name in the station ID).

Friday evening, I recorded nearly four hours of Helliniki Radiophonia because I love the music programming they air during weekends, yet I rarely stay up late enough to listen live. With this recording, I’ll enjoy Greek music most of my working day today–and you can, too!

Simply click here to download an MP3 of the full recording, or simply listen via the embedded player below.

The music begins, in earnest, a little after 17:00–enjoy:

Chris reviews HF pirate radio activity in 2014

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Chris Smolinski has just posted an amazing overview of 2014 pirate radio activity. His post includes statistics based on loggings from the HF Underground discussion forum. This is the most comprehensive analysis of pirate radio activity I’ve ever seen. I can only imagine how much time Chris spent putting all of this together (and creating the script that parsed the loggings).

Click here to view Chris’ post, Shortwave Pirate Radio 2014 – A Year In Review, at the HF Underground.

Shortwave Radio Recordings: A Tale of Two Cities via Global 24

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Tuesday morning, I tuned my WWII era BC-348-Q to Global 24 on 9395 kHz. The signal, via WRMI’s transmitter, was quite strong.

The company rehearses Treasure Island, the second program in The Mercury Theatre on the Air series, presented July 18, 1938 (Source: Wikipedia)

At 2:00 UTC, I heard an announcement that The Mercury Theatre on the Air radio play of A Tale of Two Cities was about to begin.

Not wanting to miss an opportunity to record this timeless Dicken’s classic, I quickly switched over to the Elad FDM-S2 SDR to record the broadcast live. Fortunately, I captured the full broadcast and the fidelity is almost as good as a local station.

For your listening pleasure this New Year’s Day, please enjoy A Tale of Two Cities by The Mercury Theatre on the Air courtesy of Global 24:

Click here to download the recording as an MP3.

Happy New Year, everyone!

A report from Antarctica

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McMurdo Station, Antarctica. (Source: USAP.gov)

Regarding our post about Christmas carols in Antarctica, Nathaniel Frissel (KC4/W2NAF) at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica writes:

Hi, everyone! Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful time singing over the radio from Antarctica this year on 7995 kHz. We heard carols not only from McMurdo Station, but many of the other bases and remote field camps as well. This includes South Pole Station (American), Mario Zuchelli Station (Italian), Siple Dome Station (Italian), Grounding Station (American), Diamond Hills Field Camp (We think!) (American), and Science Event I-196 (American).

I have already received SWL reports from a number of listeners, and am very happy to report that a number of operators reported that they heard Hark the Herald Angels

Sing come through the static for about 30 seconds. This transmission originated from South Pole Station. So far, these reports have come from the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia. A few US stations believe they heard the transmission as well. Many reported using the University of Twente Web SDR.

Here are some recordings you can listen to:
Hark the Herald Angels Sing transmitted from South Pole Station recorded on 7995 kHz USB with U of Twente Web SDR (Netherlands):
http://youtu.be/KY7Qhhd6C3w

Hark the Herald Angels Sing transmitted from South Pole Station recorded on 7995 kHz USB from MacOps (McMurdo):
http://youtu.be/0q4gFNWdBK0

We Wish You a Merry Christmas transmitted from McMurdo Station (Recorded live in McMurdo): http://youtu.be/TAaWGlwq4B0

Your e-mail reports made everyone very happy down here. We are all very excited to receive Christmas greetings from around the world!

Merry Christmas, and VY 73 from the Ice,
Nathaniel, KC4/W2NAF

——————————————–
McMurdo Station – Deck the Halls
Mario Zuchelli (Italian Base) – Italian Christmas Carol
McMurdo Station – Let It Snow
Siple Dome – Anges We Have Heard On High (in Italian)
McMurdo Station – Little Drummer Boy
South Pole Station – Jingle Bells
Grounding Station – Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
Diamond Hills Field Camp – Silent Night (with Ukelele Accompaniment)
Mario Zuchelli Station – Adeste Fideles
South Pole Station – Joy to the World
Siple Dome – Silent Night (in Italian)
McMurdo Station – 12 McMurdo Days of Christmas
Science Event I-196 -Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
Siple Dome – Adeste Fideles
McMurdo Station – We Wish You a Merry Christmas
South Pole Station – Hark the Herald Angels Sing (Reported heard by SWL Stations)

Nathaniel, I’m so happy to hear your signal was heard around the world. I listened, but never heard your carols break through the static; in truth, conditions were less than favorable here. I did make a spectrum recording, and will go back through it again.

Here’s wishing you and all of your colleagues and family a very Merry Christmas!

Weak signal DX challenge: Christmas carols in Antarctica

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McMurdo Station, Antarctica. (Source: USAP.gov)

UPDATE: Check out Nathaniel’s message with recordings.

Many thanks to Mark Phillips (via the SWL Fest group) and Sheldon Harvey (via the International Radio Report) for sharing the following message from Nathaniel Frissell (KC4/W2NAF) who is stationed at the McMurdo Station, Antarctica:

Hi, everyone. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and any other holidaysyou may celebrate!

Things are going well down here (Antarctica), and I’m glad to have worked some of you on the air. I apologize for any weak signals, but there has been a lot of space weather activity recently and the station here is rather modest.

Each year, the residents of McMurdo Station, Antarctica celebrate Christmas by singing Christmas Carols to the remote, Antarctic field camps on the HF radio. This year, we are asking ham radio operators (and shortwave listeners) around the world to listen in and e-mail short wave listening reports telling us how far away the carols are heard. Listen on 7995 kHz USB on 24 December 2014 2300z and e-mail reports to [email protected].

For a Christmas in Antarctica SWL QSL card, please send an SASE to my Blacksburg address. NATHANIEL A FRISSELL, 1412 North Main Street, Blacksburg, VA 24060 United States Special cards will be made for this event.

Please share this information with as many hams and SWLs as possible. It would be really interesting to know how far we are heard. I believe we will be running about 1000 W for this.

Merry Christmas!
73,
Nathaniel, KC4/W2NAF

Christmas specials on WRMI

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Radio Miami International

(Source: WRMI)

Many of our regular programs on WRMI will have special Christmas features in the coming days, including Radio Prague, Radio Slovakia International, Viva Miami, Wavescan and of course most of our Christian religious programs.

We want to make special mention of a Christmas Cantata that we are presenting from the Killian Pines United Methodist Church in Miami on Wednesday, Christmas Eve (Dec 24) at 8:00 am and again at 8:00 pm Eastern Time (1300 UTC Wednesday and 0000 UTC Thursday) on 9955 kHz and simulcast on www.wrmi.net.

Wavescan from Dec 21 to 27 will have a special feature on Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean.

WRMI to cover 2015 sporting events

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(Source: WRMI press release)

OKEECHOBEE, FLORIDA, USA – America’s most powerful radio signal will carry previews and highlights of some of the world’s top sporting events throughout 2015. WRMI (Radio Miami International) will provide exclusive shortwave coverage from the USA for more than two dozen leading events in sports, including hockey’s Stanley Cup finals, baseball’s World Series, football’s Super Bowl and international tournaments involving soccer, cricket and rugby.

WRMI sports director Bruce Baskin provided daily reports on last weekend’s Army-Navy football game (won by Navy, 17-7) and is presently providing updates on soccer’s Club World Cup, which features seven of the globe’s top sides converging in Morocco. “This will be different from our WRMI Scoreboard,” says Baskin. “Rather than giving scores and short stories from several sports per day, we’re going to focus on specific events for days at a time. In essence, we’re going from a ‘miles-wide, inches-deep’ approach to the opposite.”

After purchasing and moving to the former Family Radio broadcasting site in central Florida one year ago, WRMI now possesses twelve 100,000-watt transmitters (with a 50,000-watt backup) along with 23 antenna systems on a 660-acre complex, making it America’s farthest-reaching radio station. WRMI first signed on in 1994 and has been managed throughout its duration by Jeff White, a past president of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters.

175 Fontainebleau Blvd, Suite 1N4, Miami, Florida 33172 USA
Tel +1-305-559-WRMI Fax +1-863-467-0185 E-mail [email protected] Website www.wrmi.net

WRMI 2015 Sports Coverage Calendar

JANUARY (2)
12 NCAA Football Playoff Championship
18 NFL AFC/NFC Championships

FEBRUARY (2)
2 NFL Super Bowl
22 NASCAR Daytona 500

MARCH (2)
12 F1 Miami E-Prix
23-29 ICC Cricket World Cup

APRIL (2)
4-6 NCAA Final Four
9-12 PGA The Masters

MAY (3)
2 TRA Kentucky Derby
16 TRA Preakness Stakes
24 IRL Indianapolis 500

JUNE (3)
6 TRA Belmont Stakes
8-18 NHL Stanley Cup Finals
18-21 PGA U.S. Open

JULY (2)
10-13 ITF Wimbledon Finals
16-19 PGA British Open

AUGUST (2)
13-16 PGA PGA Championship
22-24 LLB Little League World Series

SEPTEMBER (2)
13-14 ITF U.S. Open Finals
18-31 IRB Rugby World Cup

OCTOBER (2)
3 NCAA Air Force-Navy football
21-31 MLB World Series