Tag Archives: Radio Exterior de Espana

Discrepancies in REE published and announced 2022 summer schedules

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley, who shares the following in reply to our recent post about the REE 2020 summer broadcast schedule:

Thomas:
I heard this schedule announced on Wednesday evening myself and my iPhone translated it. But it is at odds with the schedule posted on Glenn Hauser’s WoR io group site a couple of days ago:

De lunes a viernes, para África Occidental y Atlántico sur, Oriente Medio e Índico, desde las 15 horas hasta las 23 horas UTC (Tiempo Universal Coordinado), 17 a 01 hora oficial española.

Las frecuencias de emisión:

– África Occidental y Atlántico sur, 11.670 Khz., banda de 25 metros.

– Oriente Medio e Índico, 15.520 Khz, banda de 19 metros.

Hacia América del norte y sur, Radio Exterior de España transmite en onda corta, de lunes a viernes, de 18 a 02 horas UTC, 20 a 04 hora oficial española.

Las frecuencias de emisión:

– América del sur, 11.940 Khz, banda de 25 metros.

– América del norte, 17.855 Khz, banda de 16 metros.

Los sábados y domingos, transmite su señal de 14 a 22 horas UTC, 16 a 24 hora oficial española. Frecuencias de emisión y las zonas de cobertura :

– África Occidental y Atlántico sur, 11.670 Khz, banda de 25 metros.

– América del sur, 11.940 Khz, banda de 25 metros.

– América del norte, 17.855 Khz, banda de 16 metros.

– Oriente Medio e Índico, 15.520 Khz, banda de 19 metros.

Los cambios de programación y frecuencias son efectivos desde el 27de marzo de 2022 hasta el 30 de octubre de 2022.

This is a more typical summer schedule for REE when they switch from 9690 kHz for NA, which gives excellent reception in NB, for a much higher frequency, which is not as good especially later in the evening.

As I mentioned in the group:

“I guess the REE announcers didn’t get the memo about this schedule.” 😉

All the best
— Richard

Thank you so much for sharing this, Richard! I bet you’re right: someone simply didn’t get the most updated memo! 🙂

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New 2022 summer schedule for Radio Exterior de España

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Many thanks to to SWLing Post contributor, Mad Radio DXer UK, who writes:

Hello Thomas,

I want to let you & your followers know of the shortwave summer schedule for Radio Exterior de España which they have announced on their recent transmissions.

I have a link below to a recording which I did a translation of, but I have provided a breakdown of their summer schedule…

Mon to Fri – 1500 to 2300 hrs UTC:

11685 kHz – for West Africa & South Atlantic
12030 kHz – for Middle East & Indian Ocean
——————————————————–

Mon to Fri – 1800 to 0200 hrs UTC:

9690 kHz – for North America
11940 kHz – for South America
———————————————————

Weekends:

Same frequencies & target areas as Mon to Fri, instead transmission times are from 1400 to 2200 hrs UTC.

Just something to note of REE on shortwave. Myself & others have noticed that they sometimes transmit on frequencies not listed. I don’t know why this happens. My guess is that they sometimes have transmitter issues. I know that after the bad weather events which have affected the Madrid regions over the past year or so, some of their shortwave transmissions were absent for a while until they were restored. A couple of weeks ago, I was listening to their 12030 kHz & it suddenly went off the air. 9690 kHz was also off. The only frequency I could still receive was 11685 kHz, so maybe they are still having transmitter issues every now & again even though there have not been any recent weather related incidents affecting the Noblejas area. Maybe this might clear some doubt as to any confusion for unlisted transmissions.

Link to video…

Click here to view on YouTube.

Regards,

Mad Radio DXer UK

Great info! Thank you so much for sharing this info and recording! 

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Radio Exterior de España broadcasts to Ukraine and Russia via shortwave

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mangosman, for sharing the following press release from Radio Exterior de España. Please note that the original press release was in Spanish and can be viewed at RTVE Comunicación. What follows is a machine translation:

Radio Exterior de España transmits its programming on Short Wave from its broadcasting center in Noblejas (Toledo). Source: RTVE

Radio Exterior de España: The Short Wave service of REE reaches Ukraine and Russia

Radio Exterior de España, the international channel of Radio Nacional de España, offers an open window to truthful information in times of war through Short Wave. The Russian attack on the Kiev communications tower has silenced several television channels. The Internet and social networks are easily controllable, and the telecommunications infrastructure that provides Internet service is highly vulnerable to attack.

True to its commitment to public service, the Short Wave broadcasts of Radio Exterior de España, in Spanish and Russian, are the only Spanish ones that can publicize the reality of the invasion, its repercussions, the testimonies and the demonstrations of solidarity to the Ukrainian population directly. They can be easily received with affordable receivers and you cannot control who is listening to them, unlike online radio broadcasts.

Radio Exterior de España transmits its programming on Short Wave from its broadcasting center in Noblejas (Toledo) to Ukraine and Russia, thus preventing any type of control or censorship by the Russian army. Any citizen from the war zone can access a proven, serious, truthful and honest source of information.

With broadcasts in English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Sephardic and Russian, Radio Exterior de España offers its listeners the transmission of all the national and international events that arouse the interest of world public opinion regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its global consequences. A work that is enriched by the live testimony of the correspondents and special envoys of Radio Nacional de España to the conflict zone and its area of ??influence.

Radio Exterior de España’s short wave broadcasts for Ukraine and Russia are broadcast in Spanish from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Spanish time (4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. UTC) and in Russian from 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Spanish time (6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. UTC time).

Click here to read the original press release in Spanish.

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REE Noblejas Site Celebrates 50 Years

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tracy Wood, who shares the following article and translation:

REE Noblejas Site celebrates 50 years.

Radio Exterior de España’s “Amigos de la Onda Corta” latest show marks the history of the 50 years of the Noblejas Broadcast Center.

Program Summary (loose translation)

Noblejas is the voice of Spain in the world, the only shortwave site that Radio Exterior de España currently has to broadcast the country’s events.

The RNE Shortwave Broadcast Center No. 2 was inaugurated on July 21, 1971. It is the largest space in dimensions that the Spanish Radio Television Corporation currently has. For half a century, Noblejas has been the voice of Spain to the world, the only transmission site that Radio Exterior de España currently has after the closure of the centers in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1982, Arganda del Rey (Madrid) in 1985 and Cariari de Pococí (Costa Rica) in 2013. It occupies 144 hectares (355 acres) and has a main building with three floors offering 8,000 square meters of useful area, housing four transmitters with which the REE signal is transmitted to all of the Americas, West Africa, the South Atlantic, the Middle East, and the Indian Ocean. The antenna field consists of 27 directional curtain arrays that encompass some three kilometers in length. The Noblejas transmission center has been operating for 50 years. It was only absent for two months (from October to December 2014) when the government wanted to halt REE shortwave broadcasts (ed. – RTVE budget cuts.) Fortunately, the broadcasts returned, and listeners still can enjoy eight hours of daily broadcasting on that band.

(The “Amigos” program notes the station still has available four 100 kilowatt units capable of 6-26 Mhz. REE broadcasts in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Russian, English and Sefardí.)

Spanish Audio is here:
https://www.rtve.es/play/audios/amigos-de-la-onda-corta/amigos-onda-corta-50-anos-del-centro-emisor-noblejas-15-07-21/5987840/

Documentary film clip of Francisco Franco at the station’s inauguration is here starting at the 50-second mark:
https://www.rtve.es/filmoteca/no-do/not-1490/1486589/

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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:

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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Guest Post: Spanish TV series “El Ministerio del Tiempo” prominently features Arganda del Rey transmitter site

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tracy Wood (K7OU), who shares the following guest post:

Arganda del Rey Transmitter Building

SWLing.com now takes “Spot the shortwave radio set in the movie or show” to new heights –

“Spot the shortwave radio station in the TV series”

The former Radio Exterior de España (REE) shortwave transmitter site at Arganda del Rey forms the backdrop for the fourth season of the hit Spanish TV series “El Ministerio del Tiempo” (the Ministry of Time).  The show’s premise – unlike today’s superpowers with their high-tech kinetic weaponry, Spain’s 21st century advantage lies in the nation’s time-traveling skills.

Grand Entrance looking down on actor

The show’s producers tip their hat to the “Centro Emisor de Onda Corta” facility as the Ministry of Time’s “headquarters” relocates this season to this historic broadcast complex.  The large engineering library, old shortwave transmitters, electric rectification hardware and even antenna field form a ready-made stage.

Power rectification units

Up into the early 1990’s Arganda del Rey served as a shortwave and medium wave site.  When all the shortwave services finally migrated over to Noblejas (40 km SE) the Arganda del Rey center continued as the long-standing medium wave location for Radio Nacional de España’s Radio 1 (585 kHz 600kw) and Radio 5 (657 kHz 50kw).  Arganda is now completely inactive with the last transmissions being DRM tests on 1359 kHz with 10 kilowatts. The facility was replaced by Madrid’s Majadahonda site.

Ministerio de Tiempo viewers first get a hint of the radio connection as the character “Alonso de Entrerríos“ (played by José Ignacio “Nacho” Fresneda García) drives towards the new headquarters.  In the background we see the old Radio 5 antenna array.    As the character Alonso approaches the building he looks up and sees the historic “Radio Nacional de España” lettering above the building entrance thus confirming the “Headquarters” original purpose.

Cross Dipole Antenna

A DXer might mistake the Radio 5 array for a shortwave NVIS antenna but instead it is a rare medium-wave cross-dipole arrangement; it was also this antenna that RTVE used for the DRM tests.  The only remaining shortwave antennae at Arganda del Rey are some abandoned log-periodics which support a growing stork colony.

Satellite TVRO hobbyists also may recognize the “Arganda del Rey” municipality.   HISPASAT has established its main uplink facility in a nearby industrial park in this same Madrid suburb.

Radio textbooks and HF transmitter in background…

Many thanks to DXer Pedro Sedano, General Coordinator of the Asociación Española de Radioescuchas (aer.org.es), for confirming the complete abandonment of Arganda del Rey from an RF-perspective.  Also contributing is Ulis Fleming, K3LU, who several months earlier identified a NO-DO newsreel that helped tie the pieces together.

Links

An English-language description of the facility is here:

https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/centro-emisor-onda-corta-rne-arganda-rey

“ Located on the Chinchón road, alongside the Arganda Bridge, this former  Radio Nacional de España building, opened in 1954, is today popular for being the new headquarters of The Ministry of Time in its fourth season, the successful TVE series, as well as having appeared in other productions, such as a post office in Velvet Collection (Movistar +), and as the Medical Research Centre in La Valla (Antena 3).”

“The building, now abandoned, forms part of a set of buildings located on both sides of the road  in which RNE had the headquarters of the medium and short-wave radio stations, houses and warehouses, whereby the most representative is this monumental property that was home to the short-wave radio station. “

“The building was designed by the architect, Diego Méndez, following the guidelines of classic architecture from the Franco era. Inside, the entrance hall stands out, a square room decorated with polychromatic marbles, presided by an impressive staircase with two flights of stairs, which is also in marble.  On the first floor, there is all of the machinery for generating the necessary voltage and current for the short-wave transmitters, and the third floor has a library with important telecommunications books and articles.”

LAT-LON:    40°18’47.09″N     3°30’34.95″W

Show Wikipedia URL (in English):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_ministerio_del_tiempo

Additional URLs  (all in Spanish)

  1. Series Website:  https://www.rtve.es/television/ministerio-del-tiempo/
  2. A “NO-DO” newsreel showing the 1954 inauguration of two 100-kw shortwave transmitters and the building interior in context. https://www.rtve.es/filmoteca/no-do/not-604/1481595/
  3. Site overview with links to a four-part video tour. https://historiatelefonia.com/2019/07/12/centro-emisor-de-onda-corta-radio-nacional-de-espana-en-arganda-del-rey/
  4. RTVE publicity photos showing building and interior set (with shortwave transmitter in background) https://www.panoramaaudiovisual.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/MdT_EdificioRNE_DavidHerranz.jpg https://www.panoramaaudiovisual.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/MdT_RNE-archivo1_DavidHerranz.jpg
  5. RTVE press release about the Centro Emisor https://www.rtve.es/rtve/20200401/ministerio-del-tiempo-rueda-integramente-escenarios-naturales-su-cuarta-temporada/2010843.shtml
  6. Site Description (Historic) with Interior/Exterior Views http://archivo.ayto-arganda.es/patrimonio/fp.aspx?id=23
    http://archivo.ayto-arganda.es/patrimonio/BusquedaPatrimonio.aspx?id=23#

— Tracy Wood (K7OU)

Thank you so much, Tracy, for putting this post together!

Now I wish my Spanish comprehension was better as I’d love to watch this show–sounds like a fascinating story line! And the transmitter site is pure radio eye candy! Brilliant!

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Video: 1954 Inauguration of REE/RNE Shortwave Radio Transmitters

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ulis Fleming (K3LU), who shares the following video via Twitter and notes:

Spain: Must see newsreel video of the 1954 inauguration of REE/RNE shortwave radio transmitters:

Click here to watch video at the RTVE archives.

Many thanks for sharing this excellent bit of radio history, Ulis. I was just telling a friend that Radio Exterior de España still has one of the biggest signals out of Europe into North America these days on 9690 kHz.

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