Radio Australia, 17840 kHz, 30 Jan 2017, 2339 UTC

[MDK2]

As I type this it's 1/31 and 0020z, the sun has set in Denver and the signal is very degraded. But about 40 minutes ago it was really good.

It's being reported that ABC Northern Territories is going permanently QRT at 0230 UTC, and it's presumed that RA will follow suit.

Farewell, Radio Australia. I'm still fairly new to the hobby and haven't listened to you much as some very long time listeners, but you were an instant favorite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQqoOS2vbaI

[skeezix]

I tuned in this morning (31 Jan 2016 UTC 1300) on 9580 which is usually a strong signal here, only to hear static.

I started listening to them back in 1988. Used to work 3rd shift and had the whole office to myself. Strung a 50' wire along the windows and had a fantastic signal on the Sony ICF-2010.

Will never forget the IS:
http://www.intervalsignals.net/Files/aus-radio_australia_061104.m3u

Farewell R Australia.

[MDK2]

Will never forget the IS:
http://www.intervalsignals.net/Files/aus-radio_australia_061104.m3u

They went QRT at 0100z rather than 0230 (which was 12:00 noon Eastern Australian Daylight Time), and they signed off with that interval.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZx7K_A6tgQ

[Looking-Glass]

Appears that Radio Australia had the plug pulled on it very swiftly.  Would had least thought they would run transmissions up until midnight local time on Jan 31st or at the very least at the turn of the UTC date and time but it was not to be.  

I tuned for the Northern Territory relays on 2MHz in the early evening and surprised to see that they were terminated so quickly, a quick tune to 15.240MHz proved that they didn't waste any time on throwing the big switch.

I wonder if there was a special QSL card issued for those submitting final reception reports?  It would have been a nice gesture and surely a collectors item within the worldwide SWL community.  

However, I think it would be too much to expect as the government more or less run down Radio Australia in the past few years and it became a virtual clone of Australian domestic/national relay of ABC News Radio or Radio National.  

The same is happening with Radio National, at night local content on both MW and FM gets the toss in favour of a relay from BBC World Service in the UK, although I don't mind the old "Beeb".  Local content gets switched back in around 0500 hours local in the morning.

Remember the song "Video killed the radio star?"  Well it sure looks like "Internet & streaming killed the shortwave star"...

All well and good, at least we can all lay back and listen to Chinese shortwave, now no shortage of that!

[sat_dxer]

The most memorable Radio Australia listening moments across 50 years:
1967: Disappearance of PM Harold Holt
1997: Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong
2011: Japan earthquake and tsunami
2017: Disappearance of RA on 9580KHz