Last Sunday, I tuned to The Mighty KBC on 7,375 kHz, starting at 0000 UTC. The KBC signal out of Europe was blow-torch strength.
The Mighty KBC’s Giant Jukebox is chock-full of rock-n-roll and Euro-pop variety, spanning the decades. DJ “Uncle Eric” never disappoints.
If band conditions are as good as last night, you should be able to hear The Mighty KBC quite easily tonight.
In the meantime, here’s a recording from last week to wet your appetite:
Waterfall display of the 31 meter band last night.
Last night, band conditions were superb above 7 MHz. Both the 31 and 25 meter bands seemed crowded with stations; for a moment, it felt like a true solar peak.
This morning, solar flares have dampened down the excitement but I imagine conditions could favorably change at times this weekend, so stay tuned!
I recorded the entire 25M band for a couple of hours yesterday evening and a large portion of the 31 meter band throughout the night. Fortunately, I had just invested in another Western Digital Caviar Green 3 TB SATA drive, so there was ample space to make these (very) large recordings. I think this brings my overall spectrum storage up to 12 TB!?!
I love the fact that these SDR band captures will make for good listening sometime this winter when the sun isn’t being so cooperative. I liken it to radio time travel, but I believe David Goren (of shortwaveology.net) said it best in a comment he posted in “Confessions of an SDRaholic: when 4.5 terabytes is not enough“:
“My approach to recording SDR band captures is like assembling a collection of fine wines. I tend to record captures when there are unusual propagational openings…and while recording a whole swath of frequencies for an hour or so you can still tune around and make discoveries and even record them singly.. And then once the capture is done, you have it as long as you want to keep it.. So, on a static-y summers day I can go to the shelf and pull down “Ye Olde Auroral MW Opening 10/15/11? or “Hot Bolivian evening on 60 meters.” and I can make discoveries to my heart’s content. Since I can listen to an hour’s worth of each frequency it will take a long time to exhaust the potential of any particular capture, esp. with the ability to refilter and change. multiple parameters of reception.”
See? (I tell my wife) I’m simply building my collection of fine wines!
Below, you’ll find some of the stations I logged last night (actually, this morning in UTC).
31 meter band beginning 00:00 UTC, 25 OCT 2014
25 meter band beginning 0100 UTC, 25 OCT 2014
View from the town of Litochoro, in the foothills of Mount Olympus, Greece. (Source: Public Domain via Wikimedia)
Many listeners have noticed that the former Voice of Greece (ERT Open) has moved from 9,420 kHz to 9,415 kHz. This must be due to interference from the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) who has been transmitting on 9420 kHz as well.
Here in North America, even when IRIB was broadcasting simultaneously on 9420 kHz, VOG always overpowered their signal. In other parts of the world, though, it was not the same case.
I’m happy VOG/ERT is still on shortwave and broadcasting to the world–though no one really knows for how much longer.
I recorded about one hour of VOG on 9,415 kHz, starting around 0045 UTC today. Enjoy:
This is one of the most exciting developments I’ve seen in international broadcasting in ages: an around-the-clock, fixed-frequency, commercial shortwave radio broadcaster, transmitting via WRMI.
The new Global24 will begin broadcasting on Friday, October 31, 2014 at 7:00 PM EDT (2300 UTC November 1st) on 9395 kHz.
Below, you’ll find Global24’s first press release:
(Source: Global24Radio.com)
(Hollywood, FL) Oct. 21, 2014 – Global 24 Radio LLC announced today that its inaugural broadcast will go live at 7:00 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31 (0000 UTC November 1), with a line-up of new and well-known programs and around-the-clock English language programming. The broadcast can be heard 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 9395 kHz on WRMI broadcasting from Okeechobee, Florida.
“We’re very excited about launching Global 24 and the important contributions it will make to shortwave radio listening – as both a medium worth preserving and a vital part of the modern media mix for so many listeners around the world,” said Phil Workman, general manager of Global 24. “Our broadcast will appeal to dedicated shortwave listeners (SWL) all over the world looking for breaking news, opinion and music.”
Global 24 aims to revitalize the shortwave medium by bringing general interest news and entertainment into sharper focus for listeners looking for high quality programming on a daily basis. Regular listeners will be informed, entertained and engaged in an ever more complex world.
According to Jeff White, general manager of WRMI, “Global 24 represents another step in the long overdue commercialization of shortwave radio. We are excited to be working with them on their ambitious program to engage and entertain a global audience.”
Additional press releases in coming days will announce our broadcast schedule, our Listeners’ Club, contests, sponsors, our web store, staff and much more. Follow us on Twitter at @Global24Radio or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/global24radio. Visit our website: http://www.global24radio.com to join our email newsletter for the most current updates.
I’m in contact with Global24 and will continue to post updates as they become available.
Simply follow the tag: Global24
For your listening pleasure: 30 minutes of The Talking Machine Show via WWCR. This broadcast was recorded October 18, 2014 at 2300 UTC, on the shortwave frequency of 9350 kHz.
A big hat tip to SWLing Post reader, Thomas Ally, who first informed me about The Talking Machine Show via WWCR. As many of you may know, I’m a sucker for early recordings and radio nostalgia!
This recording was made with the Elad FDM-S2 SDR and horizontal delta loop antenna. Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:
beHAVior Night’s host “Sir Scratchy” writes:
“This coming Friday marks the 8th anniversary of beHAVior Night on WBCQ! We will celebrate with an encore presentation of episode number one! Yes the first progamme to air on WBCQ. A blast from the past this Friday at 5:00pm Eastern on WBCQ The Planet. On the NEW WAVE at 7490 kHz or on the internet at WBCQ.com…”
I hope the propagation path to my home will open this Friday, as I would love to hear and record the show live (click here to listen to past recordings). WBCQ is an easy catch for me after daylight savings time ends in November.
We’ve received some brilliant, creative entries in the Virtual Radio Challenge II: your opportunity to piece together the best $1200 (US) radio kit you might pack for two years in the remote off-grid village of Laya, Bhutan.
To participate in this challenge, simply comment on our original post with your suggested set-up, any links, and a brief explanation for your choices. You’re also welcome to email me directly with your response on or before Friday, October 3rd, 2014. I plan to post a selection of diverse entries shortly thereafter.