Tag Archives: LRA36

LRA 36 Test Transmission: Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Photo of portion of the Argentine Antarctic Base (LRA36)

[UPDATE: We’ve corrected the time of the test broadcast to Wednesday February 21, 2024.]

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement:

LRA36 Test Transmission

LRA 36 RADIO NACIONAL ARCÁNGEL SAN GABRIEL will carry out a test transmission on Wednesday, February 21 between 21:00 and 22:00 UTC on its 15476 kHz (USB) frequency.
The new output stage that was installed in the Collins HF80 transmitter will be adjusted.

We welcome your reception reports, as well as audio records and listening videos on the social networks of LRA 36 RADIO NACIONAL ARCÁNGEL SAN GABRIEL and by email to: [email protected]

The dissemination of this information among your fellow radio listeners, die-hards and radio amateurs is appreciated.

Thank you so much

73

Adrian Korol

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LRA 36 Shortwave Broadcasts: Temporarily Off The Air

Many thanks to SWLig Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement from Horacio Nigro:

Dear Colleagues,

Alejandro Petrecca (Chief of the LRA1 Transmitter Plant) and Claudio García (technical operator of Radio Nacional El Bolsón and amateur radio operator with previous experience at LRA 36) finally arrived at Joint Antarctic Base Esperanza today. Their mission is to perform maintenance and optimization work on the audio chain, install a new console, and place the FM antenna and the tower that will be used for the new LRA 36 shortwave transmitter.

Upon arrival, they discovered that the output stage of the Collins HF 80 transmitter, which is used to transmit LRA 36 programs on 15476 kHz, was burned out. They also found that the tower sections for the shortwave antenna and the audio console had not yet arrived at the base.

LRA 36 broadcast regularly until January 13. Then, Juan Benavente, the architect of many if not all of LRA 36’s achievements in recent years, was unfairly recalled. With Benavente’s departure, the radio was left in the hands of unqualified people, which is evident by the fact that the transmitter burned out the day after Benavente returned.

The causes of the fire are being investigated, but it is possible that it was due to the incompetence of those who remained at the base. Juan and Nicole Valdebenito (operator) know the sequences necessary to start up the transmitter by heart, but this was not the case with those who came after them.

There are many issues surrounding this matter, but it would be very important to spread this news among colleagues around the world.

At this time, Petrecca and García are installing the FM antenna for local coverage.

It is estimated that the new Studio Console and audio distributor donated by Trialcom, thanks to a personal effort by Juan Benavente, will arrive at Joint Antarctic Base Esperanza by the end of next week.

The output board of the transmitter is also being sent to replace the burned one and keep it in operation during February.

If Juan Benavente had been coordinating, none of these situations would have occurred. Unfortunately, political favors promoted by the previous administration left LRA 36 abandoned in its most important mission, which is shortwave transmission.

JUAN BENAVENTE must return to LRA 36 as soon as possible to sustain the radio until the arrival of the donated new transmitter.

I estimate that if they agree and the planets align, we could resume LRA 36 shortwave broadcasts before the end of February.

Thank you for spreading the above information.

From Horacio Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay

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Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel receives a new shortwave transmitter

In the Photo: Adrian Korol , RAE Director , Alejandro Pont Lezica , Executive Director of Radio Nacional Argentina, Javier Gratz, donor of shortwave transmitter, Jorge Taiana, Minister of Defense Argentina Republic, and Lic. Rosario Lufrano, head or RTA (Radio and TV Argentina) during the ceremony.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following press release from RAE and LRA 36 [note that this article has been machine-translated into English]:

New Short Wave Transmitter for LRA 36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel

Defense Minister Jorge Taiana, together with the Joint Antarctic Commander, Brigadier General Edgar Calandín, the head of Radio y Televisión Argentina SE (RTA), Rosario Lufrano, and the Executive Director of Radio Nacional, Alejandro Pont Lezica, headed a ceremony on the donation of a shortwave transmitter to radio LRA 36 “Arcángel San Gabriel”, located at the Antarctic Base Esperanza.

This action – which is part of a new collaboration between the Joint Antarctic Command (COCOANTAR) and public media entity RTA – will allow the station to significantly improve its coverage and signal’s quality, thus keeping its international reach and fulfilling the objective of disseminating the work of the Armed Forces and the scientific personnel stationed in Argentina’s Antarctic bases.

“This is an act of generosity, of solidarity with the Argentine people as a whole… it is also an act of patriotism, because it will make it possible for all of us to listen to radio broadcasts from Antarctica”, said Taiana.

For the Minister, “it is important for all Argentine men and women to have present, in their minds and hearts, that there is a part of our territory down there, and that there are Argentine men and women working hard in that continent”.

On his part, Lufrano said: “We have always said that our National Radio and Public TV must be broadcast by land, by sea, by air, and we are fulfilling that mission. It has been an honor to bring this piece of equipment on board of icebreaker ARA “Almirante Irízar” so that they could listen to all our programming, listen to our radio and watch our public television”.

In his turn, Brigadier General Calandín said: “For us it is a joy, an enormous satisfaction, to be able to show all that Radio Nacional and the Ministry of Defense have done to contribute to Argentine sovereignty in Antarctica”.

And he pointed out: “This transmitter will allow us to spread Argentine culture, all that Argentine culture means for Argentine sovereignty in Antarctica…this is essential to us”.

Javier Gratz, the donor of the transmitter, was present at the event and he stressed that the piece is entirely manufactured in Argentina.

The donation was preceded by a technical survey carried out at the Joint Antarctic Base Esperanza by Alejandro Petrecca (Head of Radio Nacional’s Transmission Plant in Pacheco) and Engineer Alejandro Alvarez, and promoted by the relationship they have with RAE (RadioDifusión Argentina al Exterior).

The event was broadcast by AM 870 and the entire public radio network throughout the country. The special program was attended by the director of Radio Nacional, Alejandro Pont Lezica; RAE director Adrián Korol; journalist Marcelo Ayala (who was in Antarctica earlier this year broadcasting from there) and hosts Mario Giorgi and Federica Pais.

LRA36 began transmissions on October 20, 1979 and since then has been operating non-stop from the Esperanza Base in Antarctica, Argentina. It is one of the most sought after stations by shortwave listeners from all over the world, and its signal has been picked up in places as distant as Alaska, Iceland, Japan, most European countries, and Latin America.

It is the only public radio station that broadcasts from Antarctica on shortwave, a characteristic that, added to the fact that it is operated by personnel of the Joint Antarctic Command, makes it unique in relation to the other stations of Radio Nacional, such as RAE.

In 2022, and for the first time, the entire LRA36 team was integrated by women only. The same happens this year and in 2024, as well.

Radio Nacional staff, teachers from the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, RAE and the Antarctic Joint Command, under the coordination of Juan Carlos Benavente, all take part in the training of the station staff as well as in the general coordination.

Being a radio station of international scope, its goal is to disseminate Argentine culture, but above all, the work of our Armed Forces in the Antarctic bases, the scientific research work and, fundamentally, the long-running historical claim of Argentine sovereignty over this portion of Antarctic territory.

The transmitter will have a power of 10 kw and is expected to be working effectively during the Antarctic Campaign 2024.

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Six hour LRA 36 transmission this weekend, April 22, 2023 starting at 22:00 UTC

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, of RAE who shares the following announcement: 

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW THE NEW LRA 36 DREAM TEAM?

The winter 2023 staff arrived to Base Antartica Conjunta Esperanza .

They are all Antarctic women:

    • LORENA DEL CARMEN ALVARADO
    • MARÍA VICTORIA MENENDEZ
    • NOEMÍ DEL VALLE CISNEROS
    • ARIADNA VERÓNICA BERRARDO
    • ADRIANA NOVAKOSKI

OP: Nicole Valdebenito

LISTEN ON SHORTWAVE

Saturday April 22
from 20:00 UTC to
Sunday April 23
02:00 UTC

15476 khz (USB)

Coordination: Juan Carlos Benavente

TC Gustavo Cordero is our LRA 36 Season 2023 Director

Overall Supervision : Adrian Korol (RAE Director)

LRA 36 URL AUDIO STREAM: https://vmf.edge-apps.net/embed/live.php?streamname=sc_rad32-100131&autoplay=true

LRA 36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel

ask for your eQSL
reception reports: [email protected]

www.radionacional.com.ar

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Guest Post: Listening to LRA 36

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, TomL, who shares the following guest post:


Listening to LRA 36

by TomL

I finally had time to go outdoors to listen to LRA 36, Antarctica.  People were gushing about how well it is being received.  My location was a park across the street from the Forest Preserve I usually go to (the Forest Preserves are shutdown and gates locked after sundown).  Even though it was after sunset, this Park has no gate or chain to prevent people from parking there.  In the dark, I setup the trusty amplified Loop-on-Ground antenna, SDR, and laptop.  Solar Flux Index about 179, K index 2.

Started recording and, NOTHING! ARRGH.  But I had just heard it at home in the noise!?!?  Waited about two minutes and all of a sudden music started playing in the middle of a song.  S6 – S7 strength with lots of fading.  Very cool.  20 minutes later, went off the air.  Then 10 minutes later, came back on again in the middle of another song.  They must be tweaking the transmitter.  This feels like the 10 kW transmitter; no way could a 1.5 kW be this loud over 12000 kilometers!  Also, an advantage with IQ recording of a spectrum is I could tune into it later.  Good thing because between their tweaking the transmitter, my SDR, and the crazy propagation, I had to tune to 15475.983 kHz in order to get the USB signal perfectly in pitch.

For your listening enjoyment if you have not had a chance to hear it clearly, I have uploaded both recordings to archive.org where you can listen as long as you want.  Worth listening to, playing music of Argentina music bands.  Happy Listening!  Here is the link to Archive.org and the audio files are also embedded below:

LRA 36 at 00:30 UTC on 05 March 2023:

LRA 36 at 01:00 UTC on 05 March 2023:

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LRA 36 (Arcangel San Gabriel, Antarctica) Test Broadcasts on March 1st and 4th, 2023

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following details for the next two LRA 36 test broadcasts. Note that the first one is later today (Wed, Mar 1):

LRA 36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel.
Next Test Broadcast from Antartica:

      • Wednesday March 1st, 21:00 to 23:00 UTC
      • Saturday March 4th 21:00 to Sunday, March 5th 03:00 UTC

Frequency/Mode: 15476 kHz USB

Correct Reports = eQSL
email : [email protected]

Please upload your LRA36 listening video to YouTube, IG, Twitter, FB, or Tik Tok.

Thank you for the tip and photos, Adrian!

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LRA 36 (Arcangel San Gabriel, Antarctica) Test Broadcast Today at 20:00 UTC

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following tip and schedule for the LRA 36 broadcast today:

LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel from Base Antartica Esperanza:

Saturday, 25 February 2023
From 20:00 to 24:00 UTC
On 15476 kHz (USB)

Thanks for the tip, Adrian!

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