The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive

The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive

The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive is a podcast that contains off-air recordings from the shortwaves. These recordings represent the wide variety of stations found on the shortwave, long wave and medium wave radio spectrums (30-30,000 kHz)

  1. 4d ago

    BBC World Service Annual Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast: June 21, 2026

    photo by derek oven on unsplash A live, off-air, half-hour recording of the BBC World Service special Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast on 21 June 2026 beginning at 21:30 UTC. The broadcast, hosted by Cerys Matthews, featured messages and music for the members of the staff of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) overwintering in Antarctica at the Rothera (Antarctic Peninsula), King Edward Point, and Bird Island (South Georgia) research stations. In addition to personal messages from family and friends, there were interviews with Professor Dame Jane Francis, Director of BAS; and Lousiane Ferlier, an archivist at the Royal Society in London who is digitizing the photographs of the first midwinter celebration during Robert Scott's discovery expedition of 1901-04. As sometimes happens, the first few words of the introduction were not transmitted: "This is the BBC World Service calling Antarctica ...". The recording is of the transmission on 12070 kHz from the BBC's Woofferton, England, transmitting station. The sender had a registered power of 300 kW with antenna beam 182 degrees. The transmission was received on a Belka-DX receiver with a Sangean ANT-60 7-metre wire antenna outdoors in Hanwell (just outside Fredericton), New Brunswick, Canada, in pseudo-synchronous (AM2) mode with 50 Hz - 2.7 kHz bandwidth. Reception was quite good with excellent signal strength but with occasional lightning burst noise and digital utility station interference. The additional parallel frequencies of 9510 kHz from Woofferton and 9460 kHz from Ascension were heard but not as well as 12070 kHz. A studio quality, slightly longer, podcast version is available on the BBC World Service website. BBC World Service Annual Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast: June 21, 2026 Richard Langley Download

  2. Aug 7

    Radio Exterior de España: Circa 1984-1985

    Many thanks to SRAA contributor Bruce MacDonald, who shares the following recording and notes: Broadcaster: Radio Exterior de Espana Date of recording: Unknown Starting time: Unknown Frequency: not recorded Recorded in Hounslow, west London Receiver and antenna: Sony portable stereo radio cassette player with built-in whip antenna Notes: Recording from late 1984 or early 1985 of the DX programme transmitted by the English section of Radio Exterior de Esapana (REE). This was broadcast to Europe on a Sunday, but I did not record the time of transmission. I did not record the frequency, at a guess I think it would be either on the 49 or 41 metre bands. A typical DX programme of the era, comprising mainly listening tips for hobbyist listeners and radio-related news. For example there's a short mention of the then-upcoming 1985 European DX Council conference which was held in Madrid. There is also a request for news and tips from listeners and an address for reception reports. At the end there's a very plummy English station ID. This may be a bit of a hard listen for some due to intrusive QRM but I think accurately reflects the crowded bands back then, especially if your receiver didn't have a narrow filter. Radio Exterior de España: Circa 1984-1985 Bruce MacDonald Download

  3. Jul 31

    Deutsche Welle (Interval Signal): Circa 1971

    Many thanks to SRAA contributor Dan Greenall, who shares the following recording and notes: Broadcaster: Deutsche Welle and Radio Berlin International 1970's Date of recording: Circa 1971 Reception location: Ancaster, Ontario, Canada Receiver and antenna: Hallicrafters S-52 using a longwire antenna Notes: During the height of the Cold War, shortwave broadcasts from both West and East Germany could be heard here in southern Ontario, Canada. Deutsche Welle, the Voice of Germany from Cologne in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). Heard here with their familiar interval signal and sign on in English circa 1971. Deutsche Welle (Interval Signal): Circa 1971 Dan Greenall Download

  4. Jul 24

    Radio Berlin International (Interval Signal): Circa 1970

    Many thanks to SRAA contributor Dan Greenall, who shares the following recording and notes: Broadcaster: Deutsche Welle and Radio Berlin International 1970's Date of recording: Circa 1970 Reception location: Ancaster, Ontario, Canada Receiver and antenna: Hallicrafters S-52 using a longwire antenna Notes: During the height of the Cold War, shortwave broadcasts from both West and East Germany could be heard here in southern Ontario, Canada. Radio Berlin International, the Voice of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) signing on with their interval signal and ID for their English language program to Great Britain and Ireland circa 1970. Radio Berlin International (Interval Signal): Circa 1970 Dan Greenall Download

  5. Jul 17

    ABC Melbourne (3AR & 3LO) Closedowns: Circa 1950s & November 23, 1978

    Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Sarah Boucher, who shares the following recordings of two ABC Melbourne radio closedowns, captured via the ABC's domestic inland shortwave relays: Recording 1Broadcaster: 3AR Melbourne (ABC) Date of recording: Circa 1950s Shortwave relay: VLH-9 on 9.68 MHz (30.99 metres) Notes: This is a 3AR Melbourne closedown announcement, relayed on shortwave via VLH-9 (9.68 MHz) as part of what the announcer describes as the ABC's "Northern Australian Service." During the sign-off, 3AR identifies itself as also transmitting through the regional stations 2CO Riverina, 3GI Gippsland, and 3WV Western Victoria, alongside the VLH-9 shortwave relay. The announcer then previews the following morning's shortwave frequencies: VLR-6 (6.15 MHz), VLH-11 (11.88 MHz), and VLG-15 (15.21 MHz). The real highlight is the use of the ABC's network chimes (or "gongs") immediately before the sign-off — a once-familiar feature of ABC presentation that is rarely preserved in surviving recordings. The recording concludes with the national anthem (God Save the Queen) and a formal station closedown. 3AR Melbourne (ABC) closedown with network gongs: circa 1950s Australian Broadcasting Commission Download Recording 2Broadcaster: 3LO Melbourne (ABC) Date of recording: 23 November 1978 Shortwave relay: VLR-6 on 6.15 MHz (48.78 metres) Mode: AM Notes: This 3LO Melbourne closedown, relayed on shortwave via VLR-6 (6.15 MHz), is historically significant because it captures the night of Australia's nationwide AM frequency realignment to the new 9 kHz channel spacing plan, on 23 November 1978. The announcer — identified as Don Smire — advises listeners of the frequency changes taking effect that day: Station Old frequency New frequency 3LO 770 kHz 774 kHz 3AR 620 kHz 621 kHz 3WV 590 kHz 594 kHz 3GI 830 kHz 828 kHz The announcement also notes that the shortwave relay VLR-6 on 6.15 MHz is closing down with the network. Unlike the earlier recording, this closedown ends with Advance Australia Fair rather than God Save the Queen — reflecting the gradual transition in Australian broadcasting practice through the 1970s. 3LO Melbourne (ABC) closedown: 23 November 1978 Download A little background: what were VLH-9 and VLR-6?These callsigns belonged to the ABC's domestic inland shortwave network. Before satellite distribution and widespread FM coverage, the ABC used shortwave transmitters to relay its state radio services to remote parts of Australia. Victoria's network used the VLR, VLH, and VLG callsign families to rebroadcast Melbourne programming for listeners in rural and remote areas. Contemporary shortwave enthusiasts often refer to these collectively as the ABC's "Inland Shortwave Services." A note to readersVery little context came with these recordings, so the details above have been pieced together from the announcements themselves and what we know of ABC history. If you can add any further detail — or spot something that needs correcting — please leave a comment below. Corrections and recollections are very welcome.

  6. Jul 10

    Radio Sofia, Bulgaria: Circa 1984-1985

    Image: vintageradio.nl Many thanks to SRAA contributor Bruce MacDonald, who shares the following recording and notes: Broadcaster: Radio Sofia, Bulgaria Date of recording: Unknown Starting time: Unknown Frequency: not recorded Recorded in Hounslow, west London Receiver and antenna: Sony portable stereo radio cassette player Notes: A snippet from an old-school DX programme from the English service of Radio Sofia, Bulgaria. This comprises mainly listening tips for rare stations as heard in Europe. Some mention made of the time of year and solar cycle conditions as Solar Cycle 21 was drawing down to minimum, and the need for a good antenna. I was a teenager when I made this recording, still new to the geeky hobby of shortwave listening, so I didn't log the time, frequency or date of the recording. I recorded this on a Sony radio-cassette player which had a shortwave band on the radio and had yet to save up for a Sony ICF-SW7600D. Radio Sofia, Bulgaria: Circa 1984-1985 Bruce MacDonald Download

  7. Jul 4

    Final Hours of BBC Four Droitwich Transmitting Station (198kHz): June 26, 2026

    Droitwich Transmitting Station (Source: Wikimedia Commons) Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Andy Wang, who shares the following recording and notes: Broadcaster: BBC4 Date of recording: June 26, 2026 Starting time: 19:58UTC Frequency: 0.198MHz Your location: Web-interface wideband software-defined radio at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands Your receiver and antenna: "Mini-Whip" antenna in AM mode with 9.09 kHz RF filtering Mode: AM Safe for children?: Yes Notes: BBC4 on longwave 198KHz was shutdown on 27 June 2026 at 00:00 UTC. After the shutdown, the station is repeatedly playing the migration guide for the listeners. I guess there are still some old electric meters that haven't been replaced, they rely on the longwave signal... The noise in the recording is probably caused by lightning, the receiving time is in summer. Final Hours of BBC Four Droitwich Transmitting Station (198kHz): June 26, 2026 Andy Wang Download

  8. Jun 27

    BBC Radio 4: "The Sound of Soft Power" (May 23, 2026)

    Many thanks to SRAA contributor Andrew, who shares the following recording from Radio 4. “I chose to record the programme on one of my old radios received on the soon-to-be-discontinued Droitwich 198kHz transmitter. The radio is a Pye Mistral (picture attached) which was (almost) the first radio that I even had around 1972. It might even be tuned to the right place on the dial ("Radio 2", 1500m). That was the station that was broadcast on that wavelength back then. It is not a well-performing radio, but it has a wide-ish audio bandwidth and the recording is probably as nice-sounding as it can be on LW - that warm AM sound that you refer to in the programme. Reception was on the radio's internal ferrite rod aerial in one of the rooms of the house here on the South Coast of the UK.” This recording captures a special edition of BBC Radio 4’s The Sound of Soft Power, a documentary exploring the cultural, political, and emotional legacy of international broadcasting and shortwave radio. The programme weaves together archival recordings, listener memories, and contemporary reflections on a medium that once connected the world across borders and ideologies. The documentary also makes extensive use of recordings preserved in the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, highlighting the importance of preserving off-air recordings as historical documents. In addition, SRAA curator Thomas Witherspoon is interviewed during the programme, discussing both the archive itself and the enduring fascination many listeners still have with shortwave broadcasting. While this is not an off-air shortwave recording in the traditional sense, it is very much connected to the history and culture of shortwave listening. Andrew’s decision to record the programme from BBC Radio 4 Longwave using a vintage Pye Mistral receiver adds another layer of radio history to the experience — capturing the broadcast with the characteristic warmth and ambience of longwave AM reception just as the Droitwich 198 kHz transmitter approaches the end of its service life. For those interested in radio history, international broadcasting, and the sounds of the shortwave era, this programme is well worth hearing. This recording is being published on 27 June 2026 to mark the closure of the BBC Radio 4 Long Wave service from Droitwich on 198 kHz, bringing to a close one of the United Kingdom’s longest-running and most historically significant AM broadcast transmissions. BBC Radio 4: "The Sound of Soft Power" (May 23, 2026) Josephine McDermott Download

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The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive is a podcast that contains off-air recordings from the shortwaves. These recordings represent the wide variety of stations found on the shortwave, long wave and medium wave radio spectrums (30-30,000 kHz)

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