Tag Archives: Interval Signals

Finding the Kookaburra on Shortwave—Past and Present

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Photo by Matthew Willimott via Unsplash

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Greenall, who writes:

Hi Thomas

I still have warm memories of tuning into Radio Australia on 9580 kHz at sunrise during my early days of shortwave listening. They would sign on with their Waltzing Matilda interval signal and the sound of the kookaburra bird.

While doing some listening on the SDR of my friend Ken (VE3HLS) who has retired to northern Thailand, I have discovered you can still hear the kookaburra on shortwave by tuning into Reach Beyond Australia. Their broadcast to Myanmar in Burmese from 1500 to 1530 UTC on 11900 kHz can be very well heard on this Kiwi. There is a brief English announcement at sign and sign off, as well as a few seconds of “kookaburra chatter.”

Attached are two recordings, the first at sign on (March 7, 2025) and the second at sign off (December 1, 2024).

Audio Player Audio Player

Also I’ve included a link to Interval Signals Online where you can find the old Radio Australia sign on.

https://www.intervalsignals.net/

73

Dan Greenall VE3HLC, London, Ontario, Canada

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Can you help Dan identify this mystery interval signal?

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Photo by Sai Harish on UnsplashMany thanks to Dan Greenall, one of our dedicated Shortwave Radio Audio Archive contributors, who writes:

Hi Thomas

I was going over a few of my old cassettes today and discovered what seems to be an interval signal, but I cannot seem to place it.

Recording:

Audio Player

Unfortunately, all I can tell you is that it was made sometime in 1971.

I’ve done a little checking with Interval Signals Online but no luck so far. The recording is right at the end of a cassette and you can hear the tape run out abruptly, so no ID, language or frequency info is available.

[…]Any ideas about the mystery IS?

73

Readers: If you can help Dan positively identify this interval signal, please comment!

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Radio Botswana barnyard sounds mystery

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Many thanks to SWLing Post and SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following off-air shortwave radio recording and writes:

In all of the recordings of Radio Botswana’s famous barnyard interval signal I can find, the barnyard sounds are accompanied by the sound of cowbells. There is usually a rooster crowing and cows mooing too.

Today, while revisiting some raw tape from an old cassette dated 1973, I came across a short [off-air] recording of some similar barnyard sounds, chickens clucking and cows mooing. No sign of the cow bells here, but perhaps they started up farther into the interval signal?

Audio Player

If this recording is from Radio Botswana, perhaps they were only using the animal sounds in 1973? Maybe someone out there can help with this? Sorry but I have no other info. Many thanks!

Dan Greenall

London, Ontario Canada

Thanks for sharing this, Dan.

If you can shed some light on this recording and if Radio Botswana’s interval signal has changed over the years, please comment with details! Thank you!

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Video: “The Glory Days of Shortwave Radio”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adi, who writes:

Hi Thomas, this video just popped for me on YouTube. I searched the SWLing Post and didn’t find it, it’s not new so maybe you missed it.

Thank you, Adi. I’m almost positive I’ve posted this one before–but if I have it’s been so long it should be re-posted! A wonderful nostalgia trip! Thanks for sharing.

Click here to view on YouTube.

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David shares a recording of the RTE longwave interval signal

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Shannon, who writes:

Hi Thomas

A little treat for my fellow readers of your blog (is that the right word?). The RTE interval signal, a rendition of O’Donnell Abú (“O’Donnell Forever”), that is played at 0529 daily, apart from the weekend when it’s played at 0629 (even interval signals need a lie in) and received on longwave here in Scotland.

I know that longwave broadcasting is a very European thing with the exception of the likes of Mongolia (holy grail stuff for me) but it’s where my fascination for the bands started way back in 1978/9.

Sláinte mhaith gach duine
(Irish Gaelic for good health everyone)

Audio Player

That’s a beautiful interval signal, David. Thank you so much for sharing it with your fellow Post readers! There are few things in this world that make me feel more nostalgic than an off-air recording of an interval signal. Go Raibh Maith Agat!

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Reading an interval signal in the waterfall

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I’ve been doing a lot of SWLing with the new Icom IC-705. I suppose I’ve not much to post here other than to simply say: I think Radio Exterior de España‘s interval signal looks brilliant on the ‘705 waterfall. I captured this at the end of their scheduled broadcast around 22:02 UTC today.

Of course, the audio was pretty nice, too. Their interval signal is unmistakable:

Audio Player

I’ll admit: I’m loving the native recording capabilities of the IC-705. This came straight off of the MicroSD card. Bandwidth was set to 9 kHz.

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CPRM Lisboa: Another mystery signal solved

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In response to our latest mystery utility signal challenge, SWLing Post contributor, Dean Bianco replies:

This is the musical marker for CPRM Lisboa, a radiotelephone terminal that provided overseas telephone and telegraph communications in the days prior to satellites.

I remembered the non-broadcast HF frequencies being loaded to bursting with many of these radio services. When not scrambled for privacy, one could hear a telephone call in progress. Instead of a musical IS such as this one, most were loop tape voice ID’s in several languages (almost always including English). So naturally these musical loops made it quite difficult to know what exactly one was hearing, to say the least!

To verify check out the following embedded audio file made by Willi Passmann  (via the excellent UtilityRadio.com website):

Audio Player

Once again, thanks to Dean Bianco for solving yet another mystery! Obviously, Dean is a Black Belt SWL and DXer!

FYI: I’ve received a number of emails from readers who really enjoy these mystery signals. Since we all seem to have more time at home these days, I’ll plan to keep them coming!

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