Tag Archives: Pirate Radio Recordings

Pirate Radio Recordings: UNID (percussion)

AlwaysBeAPirateOn New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2013), while band scanning, I tuned to 6,955 kHz around 22:15 UTC, and  heard a relatively strong pirate station.

For at least 51 minutes, this unidentified pirate played various percussion music, much of which sounded like recordings of live drum circles. I never heard an ID during the broadcast, nor did anyone on the HF Underground board.

Listen for yourself: click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below.

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Pirate Radio Recordings: Radio Free Whatever, Pearl Harbor Tribute

960px-USS_SHAW_exploding_Pearl_Harbor_Nara_80-G-16871_2

For your listening pleasure: one hour, seven minutes of the pirate radio station, Radio Free Whatever.

I recorded this broadcast on December 15 2013, starting around 2:40 UTC, on 6,925 kHz AM. This broadcast was a tribute to WWII and Pearl Harbor and contains news clips and music from the same time period. I believe my recording begins about five or so minutes into their broadcast.

Simply click here to download an MP3 of the recording, or listen via the embedded player below:

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Pirate Radio Recordings: Channel Z (chasing pirates in a pickup truck)

QSL247On the afternoon of November 29th, while traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday,  I took my wife to an art supply store who was having a “Black Friday” sale. While she was inside shopping,  I sat in my truck and remembered that I had my Tecsun PL-660 in tow (after all, never leave home without a radio, right?). I slightly opened the driver’s side window, turned on the PL-660 and extended the telescopic antenna out the window. I instantly I heard a station playing music on 6,925 kHz. What? I couldn’t be hearing a pirate this time of the afternoon, with a portable radio in a crowded parking lot!?!

Then I heard the station ID of Channel Z.

I quickly used my iPhone to log into my home computer (in a different part of the state) and tune my WinRadio Excalibur to record the broadcast. I could clearly see Channel Z’s AM carrier on the spectrum display.

After hearing the station email address, I sent in my signal report using my iPhone. Later, I received an eQSL (see above) and the following about the broadcast and Channel Z:

“You heard the special program, “Before They Were Famous – Part 3” from guest DJ Andy Walker.  I was very lucky to have Andy do this show for Channel Z Radio, as he has been in semi-retirement the past three years, with only occasional guest appearances on Crazy Wave Radio in Germany, and now for the third time on Channel Z radio.  Since Andy’s shows have received such a huge response from the DX community, there is a good chance he will do another show on Channel Z sometime soon.

(Source: DXArchive.com)

(Source: DXArchive.com)

Andy has been involved in free radio for over 37 years, and got his start at the age of 15 as part of the site crew with Radio Kaleidoscope in London. He was instrumental in bringing long-time land based pirate Radio Free London (RFL) back to the air waves in the mid 1990’s, and was a regular DJ on WNKR (West and North Kent Radio) for over 20 years.  In addition, he was part of the crew on Britain’s first legally licensed offshore station, Offshore Radio 1584 in 1992.

Channel Z has been on the air since November 2004, and started because of my interest in building homemade shortwave transmitters.  To date, Channel Z has been heard in 30 states, Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Newfoundland, Norway, Poland and Venezuela; all on homebrewed transmitters.  This time I was using my favorite transmitter, the Commando, designed by Dave Martin of WNKR.  The Commando does 25 watts carrier on 43 meters with a 14 VDC supply.  The antenna was a horizontal dipole, cut for 6925 kHz, and was approximately 15 meters above ground.

Many thanks to Channel Z for the feedback. I’m amazed that I was able to hear the 25 watt Commando with my PL-660 in the middle of a crowded parking lot. Of course, that’s part of the magic of the shortwaves (and pirate radio listening).

For your listening pleasure, here is 50 minutes of Channel Z, staring around 21:40 UTC on 29 November 2013. This broadcast was recorded via my home SDR. Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

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Pirate Radio Recordings: JFK Shortwave

JFK Shortwave QSL-Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of US President, John F. Kennedy.

Last night, I tuned in and recorded the pirate radio station, JFK Shortwave: a tribute broadcast inspired by the late President Kennedy, filled with an array of music, sound clips and even parody.

JFK Shortwave‘s upper side band broadcast lasted for a little over half of an hour, starting around 00:07 UTC (23 November 2013) on 6,930 kHz.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

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Pirate Radio Recordings: Radio Paisano

RadioListening

For your listening pleasure: fifty minutes of the pirate radio station, Radio Paisano.

I recorded this broadcast on Oct 11, 2013, starting around 23:30 UTC, on 6,925 kHz AM. This was the first time I had heard Radio Paisano on the air, though they do seem to broadcast around the same weekend every year.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

2013PaisanoQSL-Witherspoon112

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Pirate Radio Recordings: Wolverine Radio

I decoded this Wolverine Radio SSTV QSL on the SSTV iOS App

I decoded this Wolverine Radio SSTV QSL with the SSTV iOS App–you can also decode this eQSL at the end of the recording

For your listening pleasure: 1 hour and 44 minutes of pirate radio station, Wolverine Radio–recorded Saturday, October 12, 2013 starting around 1:15 UTC.

Wolverine was broadcasting on 6.945 MHz in the upper side band. Typical of Wolverine, lots of music variety which spans the decades–staring in the 30s and 40s, ending with present day tunes–and no commentary other than station ID throughout.

Wolverine Radio typically has a blowtorch signal which makes for great audio fidelity, especially for an upper side band broadcast. This broadcast was no exception.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3 or simply listen via the embedded player below:

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Pirate Radio Recordings: Radio Gallifrey Intergalactic

BeatlesWhile recording Radio Casablanca Thursday night, I was also fortunate to capture Radio Gallifrey Intergalactic.

Gallifrey started the broadcast with their customary audio sweeps and Dr. Who theme, then straight into the Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Brilliant!
[I know my buddy, BJ, will enjoy this combo.]

Radio Gallifrey Intergalactic was on the air for almost 27 minutes with a mix including the Beatles, Bowie, Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and more.

Click here to download an MP3 recording of the full show, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Enjoy:

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