Category Archives: What’s On Shortwave

A report from Antarctica

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

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

NOVEMBER (2)
7 NCAA Army-Air Force football
26-30 ITF Davis Cup finals

DECEMBER (2)
12 NCAA Army-Navy football
20 FIFA Club World Cup Final

175 Fontainebleau Blvd, Suite 1N4, Miami, Florida 33172 USA
Tel +1-305-559-WRMI Fax +1-305-559-8186 E-mail [email protected] Website

December 13/15: Special RMRC shortwave broadcasts

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(Source: Toshi Ohtake, Japan Short Wave Club, via Sean Gilbert)

RMRC Shortwave broadcasts in December 2014 about the EDXC’14 Conference

The Rhein-Main Radio Club ( RMRC ) of Frankfurt, Germany, plans to broadcast a one-hour program in English about the EDXC 2014 Conference held in September in Nice , France. There will be three separate transmissions:

There will be taped interviews with several well-known DXers who attended the meeting. Thank-you very much to Mr. Toshi Ohtake of the Japan ShortWave Club (JSWC) for taping and providing these interviews.

QSL-verification is <only> via the RMRC and either as electronic or as paper QSL. Reception reports to either:
[email protected] or RMRC, Postfach 70 08 49, 60558 Frankfurt / Main, Germany. Return postage is not required.

See also our web-page www.RMRC.de for details (“QSL-Info”).

Via Sitkunai, Lithuania:
Target Area / Frequency / UTC / Day

J/As / 11690 KHz / 2100 – 2200/ Sat 13 Dec

Via WRMI, Okeechobee, Fl, USA:
Target Area / Frequency / UTC / Day

WNAm. / 7455 KHz / 0000 – 0100 / Mon 15 Dec
ENAm. / 5850 KHz / 0000 – 0100 / Mon 15 Dec
Car/LAm. / 5015 KHz / 0000 – 0100 / Mon 15 Dec
Eu / 15770 KHz / 2100 – 2200 / Mon 15 Dec

Radio Exterior de España will return to shortwave

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A bit hat tip to SWLing Post contributor, London Shortwave who sent a link to this article from the Spanish news site prtelevisión [click here for English translation].

According to prtelevisión and this article from La Opinión A Coruña [English translation], yesterday morning, the Board of Directors of RTVE approved a proposal to broadcast on shortwave four hours a day: from Monday to Friday (between 20:00 and 24:00 hours) and Saturday/Sunday between 16:00 and 24:00.

The following broadcasts will air:”24 Horas”, “Radiogaceta de los deportes“, “Españoles en la Mar” and “Cinco Continentes“. In addition, REE plans to cover sporting events.

It appears that the fisheries industry is to thank for this decision to bring REE back on shortwave as ships had no viable means to listen to REE while at sea. According to these sources, shortwave broadcasts will re-start in the near future.

Readers: please comment when you hear REE back on the air.