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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Purse, owner and curator of the excellent Inches Per Second audio archive and blog, who recently posted a 1968 recording of Radio Australia. This recording is in the queue to be published on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, but I thought I’d share it here first since I know there are so many Post readers who are fans of Radio Australia.
Bob shares the following notes with his recording on Inches Per Second:
Periodically, I have shared parts of the large collection of shortwave recordings, most of them of Australian programming, which I picked up… somewhere, at some point. I’ve shared most of it, at this point, but have a few tapes left. I held off on this because the quality is fairly poor, then near the end becomes abysmal, but I thought I should share it, since there is an audience for these recordings. The newscast heard here makes it clear (specifically, the golf results, among other stories) that at least part of this tape is from the second week of March, 1968.
Note that this recording will also be available on the SRAA on August 16, 2024. Thanks again for sharing this, Bob!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following guest post:
Listening In Brazil ZP-30 Radio Station, “The Voice Of Paraguayan Chaco”, AM 610 kHz.
by Carlos Latuff
The first time I tuned on to ZP30 “The Voice of Paraguayan Chaco”, a Christian radio station from Paraguay, was during tests with Innova KV-12002. It was 7 p.m. Brasilia time, and when I turned on the receiver, I came across a medium-wave broadcast with an announcer speaking in German. This surprised me because the medium-wave stations I usually receive at night in Porto Alegre, Brazil, are from Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and none typically broadcast in a language other than Spanish.
I listened to the news bulletin, entirely in German, and throughout the transmission, I noticed the word “Paraguay” mentioned a few times. I concluded that it must be a Paraguayan radio station broadcasting in German. A quick Google search for radio stations in Paraguay broadcasting in German led me to ZP-30. I found their website, tuned in to the streaming audio, and confirmed I was listening to the same station on my radio.
At that moment I recorded a video of the radio station playing German songs. I wanted the news bulletin, but I found it quite difficult, either due to problems with propagation, other kinds of interference, or due to a station that operates on the same frequency and that sometimes overpowers the Paraguayan broadcaster.
It took me almost a week to record the news bulletin with decent audio quality, using a ferrite rod AM antenna and my good ol’ XHDATA D-808 receiver.
This station, in addition to German and Spanish, broadcasts news and Christian preaching in languages ??spoken by indigenous communities from the Chaco region in Paraguay.
In Brazil, there was a migration of AM stations to FM, which left the medium-wave spectrum vacant. I believe that, from now on, it will be possible to listen to stations that I had never heard before. Stay tuned!
Some Christian preaching in German:
(Attached a video I made of ZP-30 radio station broadcasting news in German. Porto Alegre, June 4, 2024)
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares his radio log art of a recent NHK (Japan) broadcast noting the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Carlos notes:
Part of NHK news bulletin, in Japanese, about Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in helicopter crash in Iran.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares his radio log art of a recent broadcast of Radio Zorrilla de San Martin, covering the extensive flooding in Brazil and Uruguay.
Carlos notes:
Extract from the news bulletin of Radio Zorrilla de San Martin, AM 1400 kHz, about the floods in Brazil and Uruguay.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares this special dive into the world of radio both in and targeting the Korean peninsula. His report includes off-air recordings along with his own original artwork.
Koreas’ Radio War
by Carlos Latuff, a special for the SWLing Post
The war that divided Korea in two began in 1950. A truce was signed by both sides in 1953, but a peace agreement never came to fruition. Therefore, North Korea and South Korea remain at war. And this war is not just happening on the ground, but also over the airwaves.
Every day, a battle for hearts and minds takes place on AM, FM and shortwave. Whether the DPRK broadcasts are directed to South Korea, or South Korean broadcasters (including clandestine ones) broadcast to the DPRK.
I bring here a small collection of radio listenings made between February 29th and March 17th, all of them happened in Porto Alegre, Brazil, using a XHDATA D-808 receiver, with long wire antenna (outdoor), except for Radio Free Asia, listened with a Toshiba TR 486 receiver, using a telescopic antenna (indoor). Translations from Korean to English were made using transcription and translation apps.
KBS World
KBS World Radio was created in 1953, the year the truce was signed between the two warring Koreas, under the name “The Voice of Free Korea”, and today, as a public radio station, it broadcasts to several countries in different languages. Its programming includes news, music, variety, and of course, opposition to the DPRK government.
As part of the effort to promote “regime change” in the DPRK, the Seoul government, through its intelligence service, maintains clandestine radio stations (“Echo of Hope” and “Voice of the People”) whose role is basically broadcast 24 hours a day anti-Communist propaganda to North Korea, along South Korean and American pop music.
Echo of Hope
Voice of the People
Radio Free Asia
Created by the CIA in 1951, at the height of the Cold War and the conflict in Korea, Radio Free Asia has undergone changes throughout its history, but continues to be operated by the United States government and aims, in its own words, to “provide independent, uncensored and accurate local news” for countries like China, Vietnam and, of course, North Korea. Content directed at the DPRK follows the same principle as South Korean clandestine broadcasters: basically anti-Communist orientation, in order to achieve a “regime change”. The articles broadcasted on the radio are the same as those published on the Radio Free Asia’s website.
KCBS Pyongyang
Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) Pyongyang is the DPRK’s domestic radio station, whose programming reaches North and South Korea, even being heard in Japan. News about the achievements of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, music and attacks on Seoul government, seen by Pyongyang as a puppet regime.
Voice of Korea
On October 14, 1945, the year Japan was defeated in World War II, KCBS Pyongyang and Voice of Korea were founded (domestic and international radio stations respectively). Voice of Korea broadcasts programming in several languages ??to the world via shortwave. The content is not much different from KCBS Pyongyang: achievements of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, attacks on Seoul government and the United States, and traditional/patriotic music.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Jamet, who writes:
Hi Thomas,
Near my home, there’s a small pond where shortwave reception is often very good…
Receiver: XHDATA SIHUADON R-108 with single telescopic antenna (No external antenna)
Recording with a smartphone placed close to the receiver, which explains the ambient noise, especially the wind noise in the microphone.
Here are two recordings:
1 – The Voice of Korea in English; at the end of the recording, the frequencies are announced. Note that the Voice of Korea broadcasts to Europe in English from 3 pm to 4 pm UTC on 12015 kHz … But I got the best reception on 12020 kHz; this is not due to a defect in the receiver. At the same time, I also received 5/5
2 – RFA (Radio Free Asia) in Tibetan from the island of Tinian precisely on 12125 kHz; Cf. attached file; very strong signal
[…]Voice of Korea is becoming commonplace, but what’s interesting is to be able to pick up these distant stations with a little 45€ receiver! I’m very happy with this little receiver for listening to shortwave.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who writes:
Hey Thomas, just got a broadcast (Nov 5, 2023) on 21640 kHz, from 15h30 to 16h00 UTC here in Rio de Janeiro. A potpourri of pop rock songs and then a female voice says ‘this is the end, have a nice day’.
Both Carlos and I assume this could be a shortwave pirate. If you can help Carlos identify this station, please comment!
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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bob Purse, owner and curator of the excellent Inches Per Second audio archive and blog, who recently posted a 1968 recording of Radio Australia. This recording is in the queue to be published on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, but I thought I’d share it here first since I know there are so many Post readers who are fans of Radio Australia.
