Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares his radio log art of a recent Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriell (LRA 36) test transmission.
Carlos notes:
Part of experimental shortwave transmission of Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel, Base Esperanza, Antartica: Argentine rock and article on plastic/microplastic contamination in Antartica.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement:
In full progress of the adjustment and improvement works in the audio chain of LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel, test broadcasts are being carried out (even on USB) with excellent signal reports which helps us to continue working together with the valuable testimony of DXers, SWLs and radio amateurs. Special recognition to the technical team : Alejandro Petrecca, Alejnandro Alvarez and Juan Benavente.
We want invite you to tune us on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023 between 20:00 and 23:00 UTC on 15476 khZ (USB). Reception reports: [email protected] WhatsApp messages +549 297 624 0137.
In the next week we will receive a transmitter of 1 kW modulated amplitude that has been calibrated for our new frequency at 15.475 KHZ. We will be announcing the test broadcasts of the new equipment in due course.
Likewise, once the improvements and survey of the complete audio and transmission system have been completed, a technical report will be carried out that will be taken into account for the acquisition during this year of a 10 KW transmitter equipment that will be destined for LRA36 to be put into service.
Likewise, the CCA 10 kw transmitter that was out of service has been completely disassembled, which will be transferred to the Radio Nacional transmission site in General Pacheco so that, once repaired, it will remain at the service of RAE Argentina al Mundo , thus recovering RAE’s shortwave output from our own transmission site, a possibility that will be realized thanks to RAE’s technical and human team and especially Jeff White, who, by strongly supporting RAE’s continuity in SW all these years via WRMI relay, it was really great argument for the authorities to understand that despite all the technological advances, shortwave is still necessary, and that a true public meda today must be able to be heard both on a Zenith Transoceanic, on a Sony ICF5900W , in a TECSUN, as in Radiogarden or in the latest radio app for iOS.
We´ll wait for all of you on Saturday 18 test broadcast from Antarctica from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Argentine time (8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. UTC) frequency 15476 khz USB
We await your reception reports and if you get good listening, register and upload those videos on YOUTUBE, IG or FB.
We appreciate sharing this information among radio listeners, DXers and radio amateurs around the world.
73 & DX
Adrian Korol, RAE Director
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement. Please note that this announcement has been machine translated–click here to read the original announcement in Spanish (PDF):
Last Saturday, January 21, at 12:15 (15:15 UTC) Argentine time, the Antarctic shortwave radio station LRA 36 “Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel”, located at Base Esperanza, began the program “Uniendo Voces”, from the cycle 2023 summer special of the RAE service, Radio Argentina abroad POR 15476 kHz (usb)
The program was carried out by Juan C. Benavente, a member of the Joint Antarctic Command and a professor at the National University of Quilmes; Marcelo Ayala, a journalist from LRA 1 Radio Nacional Buenos Aires, and Principal Corporal Nicole Valdebenito in the technical operation, a member of the Antarctic staff of that Argentine base. The proposal and general coordination is in charge of the director of RAE, the journalist and host Adrián Korol, who for years has coordinated the annual broadcasts of LRA 36.
In this first program, the Antarctic Joint Commander, Brigadier General Edgar Fernando Calandín; the head of the Esperanza base and current director of LRA 36, Lieutenant Colonel Gustavo Cordero Scandolo. For his part, the director of RAE spoke by telephone on the air before the closing of the program, emphasizing the importance and international repercussions of these wave broadcasts.
The broadcast was followed by diexers, radio listeners and radio amateurs from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, the United States, Spain, Germany, Japan, Ukraine, Belgium and France. Online SDR receivers (kiwisdr and websdr) in Latin America were active during the transmission with all their channels occupied and tuned almost entirely to the LRA36 frequency.
In addition, the Antarctic station LRA 36 is the only one that transmits on shortwave from Antarctica and also does so on FM for local coverage on the 96.7 MHz frequency, and on the Internet, from the site www.radionacional.com.ar/emisoras/Antarctica.
With the broadcast on Saturday, the start of the radio programming of the Special Summer Cycle is completed, which is part of the Antarctic Culture Agenda 2023 “Culture is Sovereignty”, an initiative for the sixth continent developed between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Defense, through the Joint Antarctic Command (COCOANTAR).
The other radio activities in the cycle include the broadcast of “Panorama de Noticias”, hosted by journalist Marcelo Ayala, which is broadcast on LRA 1 in Buenos Aires, and the activation of station LU1ZV from Base Esperanza on amateur radio bands.
The airing was in charge of Nicole Valdebenito and Esteban Romero, members of the Navy and Air Force respectively.
ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, a new 90-minute broadcast will be made on short wave on 15476 kHz (USB) at 12 local time (15 UTC) with repetition at 4 local time (19 UTC)
Source: Base Esperanza – Antártida
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement:
LRA 36 RADIO NACIONAL ARCANGEL SAN GABRIEL presents UNIENDO VOCES, a special production made together with RAE (Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior) and dedicated to shortwave listeners, DXers and ham radio amateurs from all over the world.
The transmission will take place on SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 at 15 UTC with repetition at 19 UTC on the frequency of 15476 kHz (USB) 19-meter band and will include the participation of Adrian Korol, Director of RAE and Juan Benavente, member of the Joint Antarctic Command, together with Marcelo Ayala, a journalist from Radio Nacional who hosts the morning Panorama Informativo for all Public Radio stations during January from LRA36.
The contents include live interviews, interesting material from the LRA36 sound archive such as audio from its first transmission, different IDs, audio from listeners of right-wingers at different times, and material from LA ROSA DE TOKIO, the program by Omar Somma and Arnaldo Slaen, who is RAE’s DX Editor.
This year is very important for LRA36. During the month of February, evaluation and measurement tasks of the irradiating system and short wave transmission will be carried out with the aim of providing A NEW SHORT WAVE TRANSMITTER to the beloved Antarctic station, the CCA 10 KW transmitter will also be withdrawn to the continent For your repair.
A new antenna will also be installed for the FM signal at 96.7 Mhz that will start to emit with a power of 250 watts (currently it does so with 25).
As always, we await your comments and reception reports at [email protected]
FB: Arcangel San Gabriel – Antarctida
Thank you for the tip, Adrian. LRA 36 is one of my favorite stations to DX! I hope the broadcast is a successful one!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement from LRA 36:
This year the radio team is all female–the host, producer and technicians are all women: Romina Zabalza, Mariela Churquina, Claudia Albarracín, and María Eugenia Rodríguez.
FIRST 2022 TRANSMISSION:
SATURDAY MAY 7, 2022 AT 15:00 UTC ON 15.476 KHZ USB
REPORTS TO: [email protected]
Thank you so much for sharing this, Adrian! LRA 36 is one of my favorite stations to DX!
Many thanks to Esperanza San Gabriel who share the announcement above for a broadcast taking place today. Translated:
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 from 11:00-13:00 (14:00 UTC) on 15,476 kHz upper sideband.
I believe their time suggests a start time of 14:00 UTC, which would be three hours ahead of Argentina time. Even though that’ll be pretty early for an opening to North America, I will certainly tune in!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Christoph Ratzer (OE2CRM), who is well aware that I’m a fan of LRA36, so sent me a tip Saturday (September 26, 2020) at 19:40 UTC that LRA36 was being received in Europe.
I had been working a few POTA stations that afternoon, so simply tuned the IC-756 to 15476 kHz USB–the ‘656 Pro was connected to my large horizontal delta loop antenna. I was rewarded with excellent weak-signal reception from the Argentine Antarctic research station. The signal was surprisingly clear even though the signal was still near noise level.
Here’s a short video (hoping YouTube won’t remove it since there’s music involved–!):
Since the LRA36 signal was in upper sideband mode, the IC-756 Pro was exceptionally well suited to the task! The more I use this transceiver, the more I love it.
Thanks again for the tip, Christoph!