My Short Wave Archive: May - November 2015

 JOURNALS should not be neglected, which sadly, this one has been. That's myself reprimanded, so let's move on with today's post, continuing the thread of my logbooks of broadcasts heard via Short Wave radio.

The previous post of the thread, My Short Wave Archive: March 2015, can be found here.

Housekeeping notes: Times in UTC (GMT), frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz). Transmission power in watts or kiloWatts (kW). Logs transcribed from the original notes.

Receiver used: Roberts R881.

Note: This post takes us through 2015, from May to November, as some logs later in the year contained little detail, or broadcasts were not heard on the selected listening days.

May 2015 : Short Wave

• [Thursday] 7 May [2015]* : 1540 UTC: 15825 kHz: WWCR Nashville TN [USA]  Male speech, reciting a conversation between Jesus and Pilate. This is a Baptist Church / CBC NYC broadcast, also trailers for Words of Hope and Bible Hour.
  This is WWCR Nashville TN, good to fair reception, English language broadcast to Europe, Middle East, Americas via WWCR-1 Nashville TN.
  Male speech regarding Saul and passages from the Bible. Interference at 1546 UTC from another broadcast, possible overspill from 15820 kHz.
  WWCR programming was Tell It From Calvery (David Epstein), on air from 1530 UTC, followed by Radio Bible Hour, on air from 1545 UTC. ID for Radio Bible Hour with their contact details.
  ID for WWCR Nashville.
  Logged to 1555 UTC.
• 7 May* : 1617 UTC: 17790 kHz: Radio Africa (Pan American Broadcasting)  Music: Female vocalist with piano accompaniment. Vocals in English.
  Fair reception, English language broadcast to Africa via Okeechobee FL (WRMI transmission site) [USA].
  Logged to 1626 UTC.

*Thursday 7 May 2015 : UK General Election day.

July 2015 : Short Wave

• [Saturday] 11 July [2015]: 1922 UTC: 17855 kHz: Radio Exterior de Espana  Music on the 16 metre Band, female speech.
  Fair to poor reception, this is Radio Exterior de Espana [Spain] broadcasting to the USA.
  Speech in both Spanish and English.
  Logged to 1934 UTC.

Screenshot of BBC News Hausa, 30 June 2024.

• 11 July: 1945 UTC: 17885 kHz: BBC World Service  Two males in discussion, studio and telephone. Fair to poor reception, this is BBC World Service, on air 1930 - 2000 UTC, 7 days a week, Hausa language broadcast, 250 kW transmission, 55° via Ascension Island to Africa.
  Males continue speaking for a number of minutes. Female speech, music to end of broadcast.
  Logged to 2000 UTC.

September 2015 : Short Wave

• [Monday] 14 September [2015]: 1455 UTC: 25000 kHz: Tentative reception of a time signal broadcast on this frequency: MIKES [Finland] or WWV [USA]. To 1459 UTC.

November 2015 : Short Wave [Tropical Bands]

• [Tuesday] 24 November [2015]: 2011 UTC: 3415 kHz: Shannon Volmet [Ireland]  Continuous weather reports for the airport in Shannon. Female speech.
  Logged to 2022 UTC.
• 24 November: 2044 UTC: 3955 kHz: KBS World Radio [Seoul, South Korea]  Speech from males and females in the German language - This is KBS World Radio, fair to poor reception, German language broadcast to Europe via Woofferton transmission site [UK].
  Music, sport update: boxing. Music, male speech.
  Logged to 2051 UTC.
• 24 November: 2123 UTC: 5000 kHz: WWV [Time signal station, USA]  Fluttery signal.
  Fair to poor reception. To 2125 UTC.
• 24 November: 2128 UTC: 5050 kHz [Spurious broadcast] China Radio International  'Roundtable' programme, English language. Fair to poor reception. To 2137 UTC.

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My Short Wave Archive: March 2013

 CONTINUING the thread of memories of radio broadcasts, heard via Short Wave Radio, takes us back to March 2013. Coincidentally, this post, bringing the first logs of 2013, is composed on the first day of 2024.

The previous post of the thread, My Short Wave Archive: September 2012, can be found here.

This post brings memories of Short Wave radio broadcasts heard Saturday, March 16, 2013.

Housekeeping notes: Times in UTC (GMT), frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz). Transmission power in watts or kiloWatts (kW). Logs transcribed from the original notes.

Receiver used: Roberts R881.

March 2013 : Short Wave

• [Saturday] 16 March [2013]: 2057 UTC: 2325 kHz: Australian Domestic Radio Services  Flute and whistle music, very low reception [Presumed].
  Logged to 2100 UTC.
• 16 March: 2207 UTC: 3415 kHz: Shannon Volmet, Ireland.  Female voice with weather reports: wind and visibility reports.(Based at Shannon airport, I believe).
  Good reception (Off channel: 3413 kHz).
  Logged to 2215 UTC.

Irish Aviation Authority Shannon Aeradio [Shannon Volmet] QSL card.
Photographer: John Power.

• 16 March: 2237 UTC: 3905 kHz: Radio Alice, Netherlands.  Music: The Clash 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go'. Iggy Pop 'Lust For Life'. ID: "On short wave, this is Radio Alice from the Netherlands". AC/DC 'Whole Lotta Rosie'. ID. Van Halen 'Jump'. Strong to good reception.
  Logged to 2250 UTC.
• 16 March: 2322 UTC: 5000 kHz: WWV Boulder CO [USA]  Rapid-fire 'ticks' from the Time Signal station.
• 16 March: 2329 UTC: 5050 kHz: WWRB Manchester TN [USA]  'DX Corner' The history of IRRS, broadcasting from Milan, which relaunched as Nexus-IBA in 1990. Content regarding BBC, CRI [China Radio International], VOA [Voice of America], UN Radio, UNESCO Radio.
  Strong to good reception, via Global-II transmitter-antenna, serving Australia.
  China has been condemned for jamming shortwave broadcasts. Australian Broadcasting Corporation has launched a new news-based website. 'DX Corner' broadcast closes - 'Back in 2 weeks time'.
  Logged to 2350 UTC.

Thank you for visiting Reporting From The Fox Tower!

Short Wave on the Sangean ATS-405, May 2018

ANOTHER sunny, Sunday afternoon, the day after Harry and Meghan's Royal Wedding at Windsor, which was followed by Chelsea Football Club's FA Cup victory over Manchavster United at Wembley later in the day.

Before all that took place, I spent the evening of Friday 11 May 2018 tuning the Sangean ATS-405 on the Short Wave band. The logs in a moment, but first, housekeeping notes: Times in UTC (GMT), frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz). Transmission power in watts or kiloWatts (kW).

Short Wave: May 2018

• [Friday] 11 May [2018]: 1841 UTC: 3320 kHz: Radio Sonder Grense, Afrikaans language via South Africa. Speech / vocals, female. Poor reception. To 1845 UTC.
• 11 May: 1849 UTC: 3330 kHz: CHU Canada, male voice, Time Signal broadcast. Poor reception. To 1853 UTC.
• 11 May: 1905 UTC: 3975 kHz: Shortwave Radio, broadcasting to Europe via Winsen, Germany. Good to Moderate reception. 'Stafford's World': Music from Bob Dylan; Bee Gees 'Nights On Broadway'. Male host [Mark Stafford] speaking about the history of the Bee Gees in the USA and UK up to Saturday Night Fever. Music: Talking Heads 'Take Me To The River'; Ray Stevens 'Get Down To Business, Mr Businessman; Agnetha Fältskog; Deep Purple. To 1922 UTC.
• 11 May: 1924 UTC: 3985 kHz: Radio Slovakia International, music, female speech. Moderate reception. ID for Slovakia, contact details including email, listen via shortwave, also listen online. Radio Slovakia International to Europe [English service] via Kall-krekel, Germany (Shortwave Service). To 1930 UTC.

• 11 May: 1932 UTC: 3985 kHz: ID in German for Shortwave Service; Radio Tirana International in German. Male speech, soft music. Web address. Good to Moderate reception. ID, music. Radio Tirana via Kall-Krekel, Germany. To 1953 UTC.
• 11 May: 1958 UTC: 3995 kHz: HCJB Germany, 1.5 kW transmission. Music from clarinet and piano; Female and male speech in German. HCJB via Weenermoor, Germany. Music and speech. Moderate reception. To 2009 UTC.
• 11 May: 2034 UTC: 4653 kHz: Presumably Air Traffic - Speech between males, with details of numbers - 3, 5, 2, with references to the phonetic alphabet 'Romeo' and numbers '3, 7, 5, 0' and various sounds on the transmissions. Male voice sending transmissions with frequencies - Sometimes other voice is heard. Could be Shannon Aeradio, Ballygirreen, Co Clare, Ireland. Moderate reception. To 2056 UTC.
• 11 May: 2113 UTC: 4800 kHz: Music, followed by female speech, Chinese? Possibly CNR-1, Golmud, China. Female Chinese speech over a music bed, into a song. Strong to good reception. Music with female speech in Chinese. To 2122 UTC.
• 11 May: 2125 UTC: 4820 kHz: Music, Good to Moderate reception, continuous music. Possibly PBS Xizang, Chinese, 20-2230 UTC, 100 kW via Lhasa-Baiding, Tibet; - or - Voz Evangelica, Spanish, 10-05 UTC, 5 kW via Honduras.
• 11 May: 2216 UTC: Unlisted frequency of 5845 kHz carrying BBC World Service - Spurious broadcast? 'News Room' with news stories including Donald Trump and John McCain, British citizens taken hostage in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eurovision Song Contest takes place this weekend. Sport: Nadal knocked out of latest tennis tournament. Good to moderate reception. Sport: Tennis, golf: Report by Ian Carter at the golf. To 2225 UTC.

• 11 May: 2230 UTC: 5860 kHz: Music: Toni Braxton 'Unbreak My Heart' to time pips (Time Signal) at 2230 UTC, male speech, audio 'stab', two males speaking, male speech continues. Female speech. Good to Moderate reception. Male speech. This broadcast could possibly be Radio Farda, Persian, 15-00 UTC, 250 kW via Kuwait. To 2236 UTC.
• 11 May: 2244 UTC: 5930 kHz: Strong, clear, male speech, in what I believe to be Arabic - Predominantly speech broadcast, music at 2253 UTC. Strong to good reception. Speech and music up to 2259 UTC - Off air at 2300 UTC. Possibly Radio Algerienne Chaine 1, Algeria, 2211-23 UTC, Arabic, 500 kW via Issoudun, France. To 2300 UTC.

📻

DX Extra: Friday 11 May 2018: 2314 UTC: 107.5 FM: Eden FM, Penrith. 25 watts via Penrith. ID: 'This is your community radio station, Eden FM'. Music: Bryan Adams (+ Chicane?) 'Don't Give Up'; Richard Ashcroft 'Fill The Night With Colour'. ID: 'Your community radio station, your 107.5 Eden FM'. Music: 'Never Can Say Goodbye'. Moderate to poor reception. 25 watts via Penrith. Music: Tim McGraw & Faith Hill 'The Rest of Our Life'. To 2324 UTC.

All for now.

Springtime Sunday...?

WELCOME along to the latest update here on RFTFT, on what is quite a warm, almost humid Sunday lunchtime, in mid May. Saying that, the previous day and the night before that gave us some of the heaviest rain seen since, well, last summer! Thoughts are with those in West Cumbria who are coping with flooded roads this weekend! The weather forecast shows a brighter outlook for the next few days, so let's hope the forecast is correct!

I have been neglecting my radio listening over winter and early 2013, but did spend a couple of weekend evenings in March and April listening to short wave and medium wave respectively, so here are the broadcasts I heard:

Saturday 16 March 2013 - Short wave (Tropical bands):

• 2200 UTC (GMT), 3415 kHz : Shannon Volmet, Ireland. Female voice with weather reports: wind and visibility reports.(Based at Shannon airport, I believe).
• 2235 UTC, 3905 kHz : Radio Alice, Netherlands. Music: The Clash - Should I Stay Or Should I Go. Iggy Pop - Lust For Life. ID: "On short wave, this is Radio Alice from the Netherlands". AC/DC - Whole Lotta Rosie. ID. Van Halen - Jump. Good quality.

Sunday 7 April 2013 - Medium wave:

• 1830 UTC, 549 kHz : Spirit Radio, Ireland. Male voice with chart countdown. Fair quality.
• 1855 UTC, 585 kHz : BBC Scotland via Dumfries. Oh dear. Bagpipes. Male voice - "Enjoy your piping!". 1900 UTC news: Grand National winning jockey Ryan Mania injured at Hexham racecourse. Other stories: NATO in Iraq. Mick Philpott. Perthshire accident. Youth Crime Commissioner resigns. Scottish independence campaign. Sport: Football, tennis, curling. Weather report. Country music programme highlighting the sixtieth anniversary of the passing of Hank Williams.
• 1920 UTC, 603 kHz : BBC Radio 4 via Wrekenton, Newcastle - upon - Tyne. 'Feedback': Historical look at The Third Programme, which became BBC Radio 3. Also discussing BBC Radio 3 'Live in Concert' and their handling of the concert interval.
• 1955 UTC, 621 kHz : RTBF International, Belgium. 'Viva Sports' to 2000 UTC - football. 'Viva Musique' on 'Viva Cite'' - Music: Bruno Mars - Locked Out Of Heaven. ID. Michael Jackson - Human Nature.French language.
• 2100 UTC, 639 kHz : Czech Radio 2, Prague, Czech Republic. Top of the hour ID, Female voice. Czech language.
• 2115 UTC, 639 kHz : RNE 1, Spain. Male and female voices, Spanish language. Music: The Equals - Baby Come Back.

And that concludes the logs for March and April. I haven't tuned the bands yet in May, hopefully very soon!

I shall conclude with a picture, you could call it 'wallpaper of the week' if you like, a feature I should get back to posting here on the blog on a weekly basis, but this picture ties in with the previous post below.

Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Britney Jean Spears.