Tag Archives: Radio Exterior de Espana

Changes to Radio Exterior de España shortwave frequencies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who notes that Radio Exterior de España’s has announced winter frequency changes on their website.

David passed along an English (Google) translation of the REE notice:

Due to the winter time change, from October 29, Radio Exterior of Spain changes its emission frequencies in Short Wave.

From Monday to Friday, between 19 and 23 hours, universal time coordinated, Radio Exterior of Spain will offer its emissions in 11,685 kilohertz for West Africa and the South Atlantic. At 15,390 kilohertz for South America and the Pacific Ocean. At 9,690 kilohertz for North America and Greenland. And at 15,500 kilohertz for the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Great Sun.

On weekends, for West Africa and the South Atlantic, between 15 and 19 hours, universal time coordinated, at 17,755 kilohertz; and between 19 and 23 hours at 11,685 kilohertz.

On Saturdays and Sundays, between 15 and 23 hours, at 15,390 kilohertz for South America and the Pacific Oceans; at 9,690 kilohertz for North America and Greenland; and 15,500 kilohertz for the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Great Sun.

These are the frequency changes of the Spanish Foreign Radio Broadcast Wave emissions that will come into effect on October 30 due to the time shift to the winter.

Radio Exterior of Spain can be followed through satellite radio in all parts of the planet 24 hours a day uninterruptedly:

SES Astra 1M: frequency 11,626.5 MHz. Vertical polarization.
Hispasat 30W-5: frequency 12,015 Mhz. Vertical polarization.
Asiasat 5: frequency 3,960 Mhz. Horizontal polarization.
Eutelsat 5 West A: frequency 3,727 Mhz. Circular polarization.
Intelsat Galaxy 23: Frequency 4,191.35 Mhz. Vertical polarization.
Radio Exterior of Spain is heard on the Internet, in streaming or in the podcast of all its programming.

There are also mobile applications (link for Apple app or Android) for mobile applications, such as phones and tablets. And from any municipality and province of Spain you can enjoy, through television, Radio Exterior of Spain by DTT.

Click here to read the original notice in Spanish.

Thanks for the tip, David!

Radio Time Travel: Brian’s 1974 shortwave radio recording

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Many thanks to SWLing Post and SRAA contributor, Brian D. Smith (W9IND), for the following guest post and recording.

Note that Brian could use your help to ID a few unidentified broadcasters in this recording. If you can help, please comment:

Shortwave Radio 1974: Canada, Argentina, Spain, West Germany, Albania, utility stations

Want to know what shortwave radio sounded like in 1974?

This 55-minute recording, recovered from a cassette, was never intended to be anything but “audio notes”: I was an 18-year-old shortwave listener who collected QSL cards from international stations, and I was tired of using a pen and a notepad to copy down details of the broadcasts. I wanted an easier way to record what I heard, and my cassette tape recorder seemed like the perfect means to accomplish that goal.

But it wasn’t. I soon discovered that it was simpler to just edit my notes as I was jotting them down — not spend time on endless searches for specific information located all over the tape. To make a long story shorter, I abandoned my “audio notes” plan after a single shortwave recording: This one.

Hallicrafters S-108 (Image: DXing.com)

Still, for those who want to experience the feel of sitting at a shortwave radio in the mid-1970s and slowly spinning the dial, this tape delivers. Nothing great in terms of sound quality; I was using a Hallicrafters S-108 that was outdated even at the time. And my recording “technique” involved placing the cassette microphone next to the radio speaker.
Thus, what you’ll hear is a grab bag of randomness: Major shortwave broadcasting stations from Canada, Argentina, Spain, Germany and Albania; maritime CW and other utility stations; and even a one-sided conversation involving a mobile phone, apparently located at sea. There are lengthy (even boring) programs, theme songs and interval signals, and brief IDs, one in Morse code from an Italian Navy station and another from a Department of Energy station used to track shipments of nuclear materials. And I can’t even identify the station behind every recording, including several Spanish broadcasts (I don’t speak the language) and an interview in English with a UFO book author.

The following is a guide, with approximate Windows Media Player starting times, of the signals on this recording. (Incidentally, the CBC recording was from July 11, 1974 — a date I deduced by researching the Major League Baseball scores of the previous day.)

Guide to the Recording

0:00 — CBC (Radio Canada) Northern and Armed Forces Service: News and sports.
7:51 — RAE (Radio Argentina): Sign-off with closing theme
9:14 — Department of Energy station in Belton, Missouri: “This is KRF-265 clear.”
9:17 — Interval signal: Radio Spain.
9:40 — New York Radio, WSY-70 (aviation weather broadcast)
10:22 — Unidentified station (Spanish?): Music.
10:51— Unidentified station (English): Historic drama with mention of Vice President John Adams, plus bell-heavy closing theme.
14:12 — RAI (Italy), male announcer, poor signal strength.
14:20 — Unidentified station (Spanish): Theme music and apparent ID, good signal strength.
15:16 — Unidentified station (foreign-speaking, possibly Spanish): Song, “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep.”
17:00 — Deutsche Welle (The Voice of West Germany): Announcement of frequencies, theme song.
17:39 — Unidentified station (English): Interview with the Rev. Barry Downing, author of “The Bible and Flying Saucers.”
24:36 — One side of mobile telephone conversation in SSB, possibly from maritime location.
30:37 — Radio Tirana (Albania): Lengthy economic and geopolitical talk (female announcer); bad audio. Theme and ID at 36:23, sign-off at 55:03.
55:11 — Italian Navy, Rome: “VVV IDR3 (and long tone)” in Morse code.

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

Wow–what an amazing trip back in time, Brian! Thank you for taking the time to digitize and share your recording with us.

Post Readers: If you can help Brian ID the few unidentified stations in his recording, please comment!

Note that Brian is a frequent contributor to the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. Click here to listen to his contributions.

Andrea’s photo tour of Radio Nacional de España

Andrea takes us inside Radio Exterior de España studios

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RadioExteriorDeEspana-Studios-AndreaBorgnino Andrea Borgnino–journalist and Internet Content Manager for RAI (RadioTelevisione Italiana)–posted a couple of photos of the Radio Exterior de España studios on Twitter this morning, so I thought I’d share them here on the SWLing Post:

Radio Exterior de España radio studios in Madrid @SWLingDotCom @LondonShortwave @rne @shortwaveology pic.twitter.com/8wBeAKr9WR

— Andrea Borgnino IW0HK (@aborgnino) January 21, 2016

Very cool, Andrea! I would love to visit the REE studios some day!

It’s so amazing to still hear REE’s booming signal on the shortwaves. They’re one of the only shortwave broadcasters I know of (other than the Voice of Greece) which was taken off the air, only to return later.

Radio Exterior de España: updated shortwave broadcast schedule

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Radio Exterior de España has posted an updated broadcast schedule (in Spanish) on their website. I have translated and pasted the shortwave schedules below:

Radio Exterior de España transmits its programming from 18:00 to 22:00 hours, Coordinated Universal Time, Monday through Friday. Broadcast frequencies and coverage areas are:

Africa and South Atlantic, 15,450 Khz , 19 meter band.

South America, 17,715 Khz , 16 meter band.

North America, 17,855 Khz , 16 meter band.

Middle East and Indian, 15,490 Khz , 19 meter band.

And on Saturdays and Sundays:

Africa and South Atlantic, 21,620 Khz band of 13 meters (14 to 18 hours), and 15,450 kHz band of 19 meters (18 to 22 hours).

South America, 17,715 Khz band of 16 meters (14 to 18 hours).

North America, 17,855 Khz band of 16 meters (14 to 18 hours).

Middle East and Indian, 15,490 Khz band of 19 meters (14 to 18 hours).

(In case you’re keeping tabs: yes, REE is still on the air, though basically as a relay of RNE.)

Radio Exterior de España will return to shortwave

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A bit hat tip to SWLing Post contributor, London Shortwave who sent a link to this article from the Spanish news site prtelevisión [click here for English translation].

According to prtelevisión and this article from La Opinión A Coruña [English translation], yesterday morning, the Board of Directors of RTVE approved a proposal to broadcast on shortwave four hours a day: from Monday to Friday (between 20:00 and 24:00 hours) and Saturday/Sunday between 16:00 and 24:00.

The following broadcasts will air:”24 Horas”, “Radiogaceta de los deportes“, “Españoles en la Mar” and “Cinco Continentes“. In addition, REE plans to cover sporting events.

It appears that the fisheries industry is to thank for this decision to bring REE back on shortwave as ships had no viable means to listen to REE while at sea. According to these sources, shortwave broadcasts will re-start in the near future.

Readers: please comment when you hear REE back on the air.

Radio Exterior de España petition

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SWLing Post reader, David, comments:

Please, sign the petition to save Radio Exterior de España
Thank you !!!!

Click here to sign the petition.

Many thanks, David. As I post this, I’m listening to the final mailbag show of REE’s English broadcast on 6,055 kHz. The hosts have actually mentioned this petition twice. Apologies to everyone as I meant to post a link to the petition this past weekend.

I will miss hearing REE on the shortwaves, I’ve always enjoyed their English language broadcasts.