Topics

1

Shortwave Broadcast / Indonesia - RRI Nabire Pro 1, 7289.93 kHz., 0757-0920 UT, 21 April 2024

« on: April 21, 2024, 1106 UTC »

RRI Nabire Pro 1, 7289.93 kHz., 0757-0920 UT, 21 April 2024

INDONESIA. 7289.93, RRI Nabire Pro 1, tuned in at 0757 till tuned out at 0920, April 21. Back on the air again
after a brief absence after Ramadan; this is my first post-Ramadan reception and they are back to a pre-Ramadan
format of mostly non-stop songs.

0757-0854 UT: Mostly EZL songs and several announcers.

0854-0900: Now that Ramadan is over, again back to airing the normal Islamic Shalawat Tarhim prayer, before
the call-to-prayer; during Ramadan this prayer was not given.

0900-0905: The distinctive Maghrib (sunset) call-to-prayer. Right on time!

0905+: Switched over to Middle Eastern/Islamic style music/singing.
My three minute musical audio - https://app.box.com/s/3ztco39wsife6np8fusoucq8c5q0rygc .

Nabire Islamic call-to-prayer times for April 21:

Fajr - dawn                 04:40  (1940 UT)
Dhuhr - after midday   12:00  (0300 UT)
Asr - afternoon            15:18  (0618 UT)
Maghrib - sunset          18:00  (0900 UT)
Isha'a - nighttime         19:09  (1009 UT)

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
CommRadio CR-1, external antenna: 100 ft. long wire

2

Clandestine Stations / Shiokaze/Sea Breeze and National Unity Radio

« on: April 17, 2024, 1836 UTC »

KOREA NORTH[non]. 6040 // 6070, Shiokaze/Sea Breeze/JSR, via Japan, *1300, April 17. The usual Wednesday
in English; the normal intro and "Today's News Flash"; announcer's accent makes for challenging understanding of
what is being said.

KOREA SOUTH. 7340, National Unity Radio, broadcasting from Taiwan, 1238-1239, April 17. Very brief English
language lesson; mostly in Korean, but twice saying "Love the moment and the energy of that moment will spread
beyond all boundaries”; fair, with moderate N. Korea jamming. This segment is weekdays only.

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
CommRadio CR-1, external antenna: 100 ft. long wire

3

Shortwave Broadcast / Radio Vanuatu, 7260 kHz., 0630 UT, 12 April 2024 - French service messages!

« on: April 12, 2024, 2112 UTC »

VANUATU. 7260, R. Vanuatu, on April 12, from 0630 to 0640 UT; service messages given totally in French (a language not often used
at this time); distinctive intro and exit with indigenous drums. My audio - https://app.box.com/s/ug8tpinbvexyvezytfhbe53f20llb0ge .

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
CommRadio CR-1, external antenna: 100 ft. long wire

4

Clandestine Stations / Korea

« on: April 07, 2024, 2045 UTC »

KOREA SOUTH. Voice of the People, 3480 (best reception) // 3910 // 3930 // 4450 // 4560 (2nd best, with CODAR)
// 6520 // 6600, on April 7, at 1135.

Echo of Hope VOH, 3985 // 4885 // 5995 // 6250 // 6350 (2nd best) // 7720 (excellent reception), on April 7, at 1130.

Voice of Freedom, 5920, on April 7, at 1140; poor, due to N. Korea super jamming.

National Unity Radio, broadcasting from Taiwan, on new 7340 (ex: 7235), 1215-1250, April 7. In Korean, with
light hearted (often laughing) announcers chatting. No language lesson today (Sunday), which conforms to my
past monitoring; language lessons given only on weekdays, which are aired after 1230 (times vary). Strong signal,
with light N. Korea jamming underneath. My audio - https://app.box.com/s/q3lv7dfnjziz2u2m0zte5p80sb3qqejh .

Website: https://www.uni-media.net/  ("Starting March 31, 2024, the frequency and broadcast time of the National
Unification Broadcasting System [UMG] have changed. Broadcast time [Korean Peninsula time] and frequency:
9-12 PM [3 hours]: 7340khz [200kw]") [1200-1500 UT - Ron]. Email: umg.info@uni-media.net
Address: National Unification Broadcasting
3rd floor, Baeyoung Building, 59 Donggyo-ro,  
Mapo-gu, Seoul, 04018 Republic of Korea

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
CommRadio CR-1, external antenna: 30m long wire

5

Shortwave Broadcast / RRI Nabire and Radio Vanuatu - March 15 & 16

« on: March 16, 2024, 2056 UTC »

INDONESIA. 7289.93, RRI Nabire Pro 1, 0815-0925 UT, March 16. Very slowly fading up towards Nabire's sunset at 0910 UT.

0815-0820: EZL songs.

0820+: Start of Ramadan program; intro with some Middle Eastern/Islamic influenced music/singing; mostly long monologues.
At 0900, the start of the often heard QRN.

0913-0917: Maghrib (sunset) call-to-prayer; another day without the usual Islamic Shalawat Tarhim prayer that is
normally played before the call-to-prayer. So perhaps this absence is due to a feature of Ramadan?

0917 till tuned out at 0925, due to the QRN becoming too strong.

March 15 - RRI Nabire (7289.93), 0800 till cut off 0820* UT; QRN (static); Ramadan program.

VANUATU. 7260, R. Vanuatu, on March 16 (Saturday), from 0648 to 0815 UT; yet another day with nicely readable reception;
here are some highlights:

0648-0702: Public service health program in Bislama.

0702-0713; News/sports in Bislama (interesting to hear a sound bite in English dealing with Tuvalu's newly elected
Prime Minister Feleti Teo, who will critically review a treaty made with Australia [news story -
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/28/tuvalu-to-revisit-deal-that-gives-australia-control-of-island-nations-security-agreements ])

0713: PSA in Bislama regarding the National referendum.
My audio of English sound bite/sports/PSA - https://app.box.com/s/rhxnlted263tv7fel9tnuggvgklvsj2l .

0733-0757: The weekend news segment in Bislama.

0800+: The usual "Saturday night" "Customs and Culture" program in Bislama; intro with nice indigenous music.

March 15 - R. Vanuatu (7260), 0607-0740 UT. Here is one detail from my reception; 0608-0636 UT; family radio drama in
Bislama, with the daughter talking to "Papa"; ending with names of actors and the producer; another day with fair reception.

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
CommRadio CR-1, external antenna: 100 ft. long wire  

6

Shortwave Broadcast / Return of RRI Nabire and Radio Vanuatu with outstanding reception

« on: March 08, 2024, 1240 UTC »

INDONESIA. 7289.93, RRI Nabire Pro 1, on Mar 8; very pleased to find them back on the air again after being
absent for a while; just in time for the start of Ramadan (Mar 10 - Sunday); decent reception, but after 0900 the
usual QRN.

0832-0910 UT: The normal programming of mostly EZL songs and announcers.

0910-0916: Islamic Shalawat Tarhim prayer, before the call-to-prayer.

0916-0920: The distinctive Maghrib (sunset) call-to-prayer. Right on time!

0920 till suddenly cut off 0929*: EZL songs.

My audio of a portion of one minute of the Shalawat Tarhim prayer and one of music -
https://app.box.com/s/l7osk5ajdlh7hveszijffl4whealkx8y .

Nabire Islamic call-to-prayer times for March 8:

Fajr - dawn                  04:49  (1949 UT)
Dhuhr - after midday   12:12  (0312 UT)
Asr - afternoon            15:14  (0614 UT)
Maghrib - sunset        18:16  (0916 UT)
Isha - nighttime            19:24  (1024 UT)

VANUATU. 7260, R. Vanuatu, Mar 8. Unusually good; very enjoyable, very readable reception; 0645-0735 UT.
Here are a few highlights:

0652: Item in Bislama about the upcoming Solomon Islands April 17th general elections
(news story - https://www.sibconline.com.sb/17th-of-april-2024-for-joint-elections/ ).

0700+: Series of PSAs
(UN Commission on the Status of Women [ https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/commission-on-the-status-of-women ],
national referendum, health center, etc.)/ID with frequencies (SW 7-2-6-0)/news (report of "low pressure system" causing rain,
criminal activity report, etc.)/sports/weather. My audio - https://app.box.com/s/br153c1zdibqsfqjc7lnbxdgryc5qtlo .

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
CommRadio CR-1 (very pleased today with the performance of my replacement radio), external antenna: 100 ft. long wire

7

Clandestine Stations / Korea - Voice of Freedom (6045 kHz.) various programs with good reception

« on: February 29, 2024, 2349 UTC »

KOREA SOUTH. now on alternate frequency of 6045, Voice of Freedom; Feb 29, free of jamming, while ex: 5920 still strongly
jammed by N. Korea. When VOF is clear of jamming, it is heard with very good reception.

The following program names are made possible by the generous assistance of pasar malam and Amano, both from Japan!
Thanks very much to these two gentlemen for adding so much to my enjoyment of listening to VOF.

1200-1210 UT single tone; "Jayu-e solibangsong-eseo bam 9 (ahob) sileul allyeodeulibnida" (Voice of Freedom has announced
9pm); singing station jingle - "jinsil-e soli, huimang-e soli, jayu-e soli bangsong!" (Voice of Truth, Voice of Hope, Voice of Freedom
broadcast); followed by "Bodo gwangjang" (News Plaza). My audio https://app.box.com/s/h0kh7bgqw0spihq71jf0nj0uhiqxrtwb .

1215-1220 "Nalssi Jeonmangdae" (Weather Observatory).

1220-1235 “Jeongbogi wa Mang-gilli“ (Jeongbogi and Mangili). This is a new program (drama) that started in 2024.
My fifteen minute audio https://app.box.com/s/imkt0bbru75rk15mogufpersfcodnydj .

1235-1300 "Hanla-eseo Baegdukkaji" (From Halla to Baekdu).
My eight minute audio https://app.box.com/s/zt92mv1mclor6a2wgl8yzn1k657nk4fs .

1300-1320 "Sigan-yeohaeng, yeogsa tamheomdae" (Time travel, history exploration party).
My six minute audio https://app.box.com/s/07ca0jg4djh3dhvvvkww86u3rey692lh .

1320-1330 “Kkumkkuneun cheongchungeug“ (Dreaming youth drama).
My three minute audio https://app.box.com/s/jeoefzimjl6dn3htyed4crob1yogobha .

1330-1400 "Hanminjog tong-illo milaelo"  (Korean people, to unity, to the future).
My three minute audio https://app.box.com/s/0v9swd0ast18v1xfp7w3t0hz5xn9kt2v .

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
Etón E1, external antenna: 100 ft. long wire

8

Clandestine Stations / Sound of Hope (Taiwan) 6214.9 AM 1000 UTC 24 Feb 2024

« on: February 24, 2024, 1937 UTC »

Greetings from California! Here on the West Coast, I'm very fortunate to be able to hear Sound of Hope (Taiwan) with
fairly good reception. Today (Feb 24) recorded the normal ID at the ToH ("Xiwang zhi sheng guoji guangbo diantai"
[Sound of Hope international broadcast station]), given twice (once by OM and once by YL) and often followed
as it was today by the news. A reminder that SOH never has time pips at the top-of-the-hour! 6214.9 kHz. is
SOH's lowest frequency. My recording today is fairly typical reception.

My two minute audio - https://app.box.com/s/4dbbkxaguc7333n7lfynh3unpj4a5p0q .

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
Etón E1, external antenna: 100 ft. long wire

9

Shortwave Broadcast / Indonesia and Myanmar - Feb 16 with outstanding propagation!

« on: February 16, 2024, 2223 UTC »

INDONESIA. 3325, Voice of Indonesia (Channel One) from Palangkaraya, on Feb 16. Extremely rare day with readable audio.
Reception was before my local sunrise (1454 UT). I confess I still very much miss the former local Pro 1 RRI Palangkaraya
programming that was heard here before VOI replaced it back in June, 2018. Some highlights from today:

1305-1315: News in English, along with "International News" about Japan's economy declining into recession.

1315-1318: The usual post-news patriotic song “Bagimu Negeri.”

1318-1321: "Today in History" (this date 1946, the first UN Security Council veto was made by the Soviet Union and in 1971, UN
voted on the One-China policy; this date 1983, major bushfires in Australia; this date 2005, Kyoto climate treaty took effect).

1331: "Indonesian Wonders"; 1344: "Music Corner."

1401-1415: News in Bahasa Indonesia; 1415-1418: The usual post-news patriotic song “Bagimu Negeri.”

My audio of 1415 “Bagimu Negeri” and announcer mentioning "Jakarta EXPO" -
https://app.box.com/s/dybd9k4b2sn9qqoi7szeayvjkxhsxuw4 .

MYANMAR. 5985, Myanmar Radio, 1518+ UT, Feb 16 (Friday). Today with no signal from Turkey (VOT); this is the second,
consecutive Friday that Myanmar has had no English (1530+); audio quality seemed to indicate coverage from some event;
also played music, till tuned-out at 1540. Is this their usual schedule now with no English on Friday? My local sunrise was
at 1454 UT.

10

Shortwave Broadcast / Vanuatu - John Frum Festival (mythical American figure)

« on: February 13, 2024, 1258 UTC »

VANUATU. 7260, Radio Vanuatu, 0650+ UT, Feb 13. Exceptionally good reception; some highlights:

0650 & 0656: The often heard musical ID; "Radio Vanuatu . . Kingdom of Tonga . . Solomon Islands . . Voice of
Papua New Guinea . . Radio Vanuatu, Vois Blong Yumi."

0657: Series of PSA, ads, promos.

0658: Unique promo in English for the "John Frum Festival," held on Tanna Island, in Lamakara Village. On-line search
provides the following interesting info:

"John Frum . . is a mythical figure associated with cargo cults on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu. He is often depicted as
an American World War II serviceman who will bring wealth and prosperity to the people if they follow him. . . Currently,
only the village of Lamakara is faithful to the John Frum faith on the island of Tanna. . . In 1957, a leader of the John Frum
movement, Nakomaha, created the 'Tanna Army', a non-violent ritualistic society that organised military-style parades
of men with faces painted in ritual colours and wearing white T-shirts with the letters 'T-A USA' (Tanna Army USA).
This parade takes place every year on February 15, the date on which followers believe John Frum will return, and
which is observed as "John Frum Day" in Vanuatu. . ." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frum .

My audio promo/weather/promo - https://app.box.com/s/ve0481tae7u4l4dlsvwrp18rgj5f7xsx .

0700-0711: "News bulletin" in Bislama (news/sports/weather).

0712+: Nice Island music.

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
Etón E1, external antenna: 30m long wire

11

Clandestine Stations / Voice of Freedom with some new 2024 programs and program schedule changes

« on: February 03, 2024, 0104 UTC »

KOREA SOUTH. 5920, Voice of Freedom (Jayu-e soli Bangsong). Free from any N. Korea jamming on Feb 2 (ex: 6045
heard with super white noise jamming and also rapid pulsating noise jamming, but no VOF there!). The VOF open carrier
heard at 0720 UT tune-in, long before the start of their Korean programming.

Thanks very much to Amano and pasar malam, both in Japan, for providing the informative 2024 updated VOF info. Certainly
a lot of work went into updating the info! ( https://radio.chobi.net/DX/bbs/?res:5558#5558 )

*0753 UT: Intro music; distinctive gong rung three times; Voice of Freedom ID; Republic of Korea choral National Anthem;
VOF FM frequency announcement ; the usual singing station jingle ("jinsil-e soli, huimang-e soli, jayu-e soli bangsong!" -
Voice of Truth, Voice of Hope, Voice of Freedom broadcast!); "Jayu-e solibangsong-eseo ohu 5 (daseos) sileul allyeodeulibnida"
(Voice of Freedom announces 5pm); 0800-0815 UT: "Bodo Gwangjang" (News Plaza) program (last year aired the "Hamkke
tteonaneun eum-ag-yeohaeng" [Let's go music together] program in this time slot). My twelve minute audio of intro and portion
of "Bodo Gwangjang" today - https://app.box.com/s/f0x76o2qmbx73s7vflvoq0tygtpuu8qr .

0815-0820: "Nalssi Jeonmangdae" (Weather Observatory).

0820-0835: New program for 2024 - “Bughan-e bupae wa jinsil“ (Corruption and truth in North Korea), revealing the inside story
of the most powerful North Korean executives; during the program, they played the singing station jingle.
My nine minute audio - https://app.box.com/s/5cz8jsglqaamu6r4p0x67vo91jhqmt5h .

0835-0840: "Ma-eum-e swimpyo" (Resting heart).

0840-0900: "Sigan-yeohaeng, yeogsa tamheomdae" (Time travel, history exploration party).

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
Etón E1, external antenna: 30m long wire

12

Shortwave Broadcast / India - Republic Day parade coverage

« on: January 26, 2024, 0705 UTC »

>  Please note special transmission of Akashvani with running commentary of Republic Day parade held at New Delhi
> from  0410 UTC / 9.40 am IST, on 26 Jan 2024 on 9950 (Hindi), 11560 (Hindi) via New Delhi 100 kW, and English 15280
> via Bengaluru Gupta 500 kW. (Jose Jacob & Alokesh Gupta)

YouTube live coverage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xi5_OOPM-I (partly in both English and Hindi).

Jan 26 - Tuned to 15280 kHz. (9950 & 11560 not heard). At times sounded like possibly some CNR1 jamming QRM?

0350-0400 UT: Subcontinent music/singing.

0400: AIR IS (or should I now say Akashvani IS?) and today also with the patriotic song "Vande Mataram" (YouTube -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfqMmypbACg ), both of which I had not heard for a very long time on SW!

0404: Filler EZL songs.

0410+: OM and YL with what seemed to be pre-parade commentary; by 0420, was able to confirm it was in English,
but sadly mostly unusable/unreadable. Never made out the ID.

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
Etón E1, external antenna: 100 ft. long wire

13

Shortwave Broadcast / Indonesia - RRI Nabire (7289.93 kHz.) with Xmas songs

« on: December 02, 2023, 0955 UTC »

INDONESIA. 7289.93, RRI Nabire Pro 1, from 0745 till suddenly cut off in mid-song at 0820* UT, Dec 2. Seeing as
Christianity is a major religion in this area, they have already started playing some Xmas songs ("Jingle Bells" and
"Joy To The World"). My music audio is at - https://app.box.com/s/1vumzt35he346hgkb4pbvyqbmss36b91 .

14

Clandestine Stations / Korea - Voice of Freedom audio

« on: December 02, 2023, 0458 UTC »

KOREA SOUTH. 5920, Voice of Freedom (Jayu-e soli Bangsong). Free from any N. Korea jamming on Dec 1
(ex: 6045 heard with super white noise jamming and also rapid pulsating noise jamming, but no VOF there!).

The VOF open carrier heard at least an hour before the start of their Korean programming.

*0753 UT: Intro music; distinctive gong rung three times; Voice of Freedom ID; Republic of Korea choral National Anthem;
enjoyable singing station jingle ("jinsil-e soli, huimang-e soli, jayu-e soli bangsong!" - Voice of Truth, Voice of Hope, Voice
of Freedom broadcast!); 0500 PM KST announcement/time pips; 0800 UT, program "Hamkke tteonaneun eum-ag-yeohaeng"
(Let's go music together). My eleven minute audio - https://app.box.com/s/d9eiioxzxbcwlbc76onhdscztat4qz1v .

0900: A single tone; "Jayu-e solibangsong-eseo ohu 6 (yeoseos) sileul allyeodeulibnida" (In English - Voice of Freedom has
announced 6pm); station jingle - "jinsil-e soli, huimang-e soli, jayu-e soli bangsong!" (Voice of Truth, Voice of Hope, Voice of
Freedom broadcast!); then the "Bodo gwangjang" (News Plaza) segment, with an item about "Australia."
My three minute audio - https://app.box.com/s/uu7gyvesd67tyt1mrojwdomoehxwimfw .

0910: Segment "Nalssi Jeonmangdae" (Weather Observatory).
My three minute audio - https://app.box.com/s/g057kupalg5bhy3q2w7z4yhgue8ty0xb .

0915: Program "Ma-eum-e swimpyo" (Resting heart).
My five minute audio - https://app.box.com/s/c3trvjnopz2a9ekk5wzgm1vkc4ff6hhz .

0920: Program “Kkumkkuneun cheongchungeug“ (Dreaming youth drama).
My seven minute audio - https://app.box.com/s/nvhtqnurmh2974z8z4qmntqvw7nvy40t .

0930: Program "Hanminjog tong-illo milaelo" (Korean people, to unity, to the future);
start of QRN/OTH radar (not NK jamming!)

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
Etón E1, external antenna: 30m long wire

15

Shortwave Broadcast / Indonesia - RRI Nabire with special coverage of the first anniversary of HKJM

« on: October 27, 2023, 1113 UTC »

INDONESIA. 7289.93, RRI Nabire Pro 1, 0757-0825 UT, Oct 27. Interesting anomaly; preempted all regular programming;
coverage of the recent event at the Bumi Wonorejo Nabire soccer field; impassioned speeches and musical performances
for the first anniversary celebration of HKJM (Madurese Javanese Harmony Association [Himpunan Kerukunan Jawa
Madura]); Madurese are an ethnic group originally from the island of Madura, but now found in many parts of Indonesia;
very nice YouTube coverage of the event - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9BoFh11hd8 .

Ron
Asilomar State Beach, Calif. (near Monterey)
Etón E1, external antenna: 100 ft. long wire