Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who recently shared this recording of an unidentified numbers station in Russian.
Paul recorded this on April 26, 2021 at 0218 UTC in McGrath, Alaska, on 11,615 kHz:
I’m not an expert on numbers station identification–if you can ID this station, please comment!
Update: Many thanks to a number of readers who have suggested that this is the “S06 Russian Man” station.
Hi everyone! Paul Walker here, some of you may know me through various hobby circles via email and Facebook groups. I used to post quite regularly when I lived in Galena Alaska back in 2016 and 2017. I’m back in Alaska again, working as the Program Director for KSKO 89.5 and it’s half a dozen or so repeaters in the interior.
Back on Monday May 10th at 0601UTC here in McGrath, Alaska I ran across an unknown station on 15220kHz. The man was talking in African accented English but would randomly start talking in another language, which I at the time thought may have been French but very well could’ve been Swahili or some other language spoken in Uganda, I’m not a language expert. (audio below)
The man was going on and on about Uganda, “our brothers, our struggle, the government”. The audio cut out a few times for several seconds a time, seemingly because this was a live broadcast being fed live over the internet from whatever studio location he was at to whatever transmitter site was being used.
Around 0623UTC, the host sounded like he put his phone up to the microphone and played a Ugandan song of some sort from his phone. After that was over, two studio quality songs played.. The Spice Girls “2 Become 1” and Gabriel Kelly’s “Faith”. Those songs sounded like they were being played out from the transmitter site, not from a computer over the internet. They were clear with no audio hiccups. The transmitter went off around 0629/0630UTC.
A friend I was chatting with as we tried to figure out what this was said he had a decent signal on a Kuwaiti SDR and based on some triangulation work using other SDR, it seemed this was coming from Europe, suggesting Nauen or Lampertheim.
The man reappeared on 15170kHz at 1500UTC on Friday May 14th. I haven’t even been able to try and figure out a schedule. Evenings one day and mornings the next. I pretty regularly scan the dials and have only noticed him these two times, with thanks to Mauno Ritola in the WRTH Facebook group for the spotting of him on 15170khz.
I do have audio of the 15220 broadcast at this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J54RGCb00mIAHQ96O86f31T0l0GH0wNG/view?usp=sharing
I would love to know who this is, what transmitter site they’re broadcasting from and any contact information. A google search using the phrase “Uganda Clandestine Shortwave” came up with one hit, Radio Lead Africa and someone in the ODXA email group suggested Radio Munansi.
For anyone wondering, I’m using a Tecsun PL880 with a 8D battery powered DXE PreAmp and 2 Doxytronics tunable loops.. The cross that supports the antenna is sitting a few inches into 5 foot tall 2 inch wide PVC pipe which is then put in a trash can and tote container and filled with sand. Gotta use what I have on hand here in rural Alaska.
Our friend and contributor here on the SWLing Post and the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, Paul Walker, has been interviewed and featured on the ABC Newcastle program Drive with Paul Turton. It’s a great segment! (Congrats, Paul!)
I’ve embedded the audio from this segment below, but you can also listen via the ABC Newcastle website:
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who shares the following announcement:
Tune into WRMI for “The LIVE Friday Night Virtual Dance Party Request Party Thingy” from community station 89.5 KSKO McGrath, Alaska.
The broadcast will take place on Saturday, March 20th 2021 from 0300 to 0500 UTC on 7570 kHz for the west coast and 7780 kHz for the east coast. KSKO Program Director Paul Walker is going to be hosting the show and WILL take requests by phone at (907) 524-3001 DURING the show!
It’ll be all kinds of music from the 60s to today from all genres, so there’s probably going to be something for everyone. Paul says, “I’m funding the WRMI airtime costs from my own personal pocket, not the stations bank account. I’m doing it just because, for fun.. because I can.. because why not?”
Thanks, Paul! I’ll certainly tune in and perhaps even call in!
I’ve just heard from SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who now works at KSKO in McGrath, Alaska. He’s paid to broadcast KSKO 89.5’s special 2 hour all-Christmas music show on shortwave via WRMI’s 100,000 Watt 5950 kHz transmitter in Okechobee, Florida. The broadcast will take place from 2300 UTC on Thurs. Dec 24th to 0100UTC Fri. Dec. 25th (6-8PM EST). Paul mentioned that he’s doing this for fun and to share a little Christmas cheer from Alaska.
Thanks, Paul, and Merry Christmas!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who writes:
I’ve been asked by a ham radio club to do a presentation on DXing in rural central Alaska. I spent about 16 months in Galena, back in 2016 and 2017 while working as the program director for a public/community radio station.
It was a very unique situation with some special considerations one might not have to deal with elsewhere. I spent a lot of time and money experimenting there and had some pretty amazing results.
I will also briefly discuss what it was like as a radio broadcaster in Alaska and the technical challenges we faced in the course of doing business every day.
The presentation will be done using the Zoom smartphone app and website. You don’t need to have or enable the camera on your phone or computer to participate and there will also be options to simply dial in and listen by phone as well for those who don’t want to use the computer or have a smart phone.
The presentation will be on Friday October 30th at 8pm eastern time. Pre registration is required but its very simple and easy. I’d love to have you there. Please spread the word to any ham clubs, dxing clubs, email lists, facebook groups or messages boards.
Register in advance for the meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItcuGhpz8tEtHwAmriwdCX7Sv-coWdSNt2
Longtime Post readers might recall Paul’s photos and recordings from Galena, Alaska–click here to read through the archives.