DX from Saudi Arabia

Status
Not open for further replies.

GB46

Active Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
820
I just heard BSKSA's religious broadcast direct from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 13710 at 1545 UTC. According to EiBiView, that's at a distance of 11672 km. over the polar route. It wasn't the strongest signal, and I can't understand Arabic, but at least I was able to identify the station. This was on my ATS-909X with 23 ft. of wire indoors. On my R75 using the same wire antenna the signal was about the same strength, approx. S7. I could still hear it on the portable with the just the whip antenna, but much weaker, of course.

I think I'll stop looking for broadcasts that are only in a language I can understand (English or German), and start listening to every kind of foreign broadcast I can find (other than those raging evangelists). At least it's something to do during these days of bad propagation. If there's interesting music, so much the better, because that's what I've always liked the best about shortwave listening ever since I discovered it during my teen years.
 
Last edited:

vagrant

ker-muhj-uhn
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 19, 2005
Messages
3,141
Location
California
I have it fading from S5 - S7 here at 1730 UTC. The azimuth is 295, over the pole, for myself as well. They are pushing 500 kW.

I am remotely connecting to a 590S at home. The antenna on that radio is an OCF.

I do not mind news broadcasts from different countries, but I particularly enjoy music over the air. If I had plenty of cash to spare, I would have a station and push classical music out with 50 or 100 kW.
 

GB46

Active Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
820
I have it fading from S5 - S7 here at 1730 UTC. The azimuth is 295, over the pole, for myself as well. They are pushing 500 kW.

I am remotely connecting to a 590S at home. The antenna on that radio is an OCF.

I do not mind news broadcasts from different countries, but I particularly enjoy music over the air. If I had plenty of cash to spare, I would have a station and push classical music out with 50 or 100 kW.

I've been a fan of classical music most of my life, but it's sadly neglected by radio stations these days. They push anything that sells, especially to the younger crowd. CBC FM used to have really nice classical music programs, on which I was introduced to some composers I had never heard of before. Many of their works are now among my favorites, and in my permanent collection.

I also like to listen to traditional music from various cultures. Radio Havana Cuba often plays some really nice Cuban popular and folk music. It's the only reason I tune to RHC. HCJB in Ecuador used to play a lot of traditional Andean music, but I haven't heard them for years now. During my teens I used to listen to Radio Portugal (aka "The Voice of the West"), and heard a lot of their traditional music. Cultural exchange was always the best thing about shortwave radio, for me, anyway.

As for news, I get most of my news -- fake and otherwise :roll: -- over the internet. Frankly, I'm sick of reading about Trump and Brexit. :(
 

GB46

Active Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
820
Remember Voice Of Russia? I caught this way back in 2011. They played some nice music too.
https://youtu.be/i6Vdre3zBKg
Nice and clear! Yes, I certainly remember the Voice of Russia. I remember them even better when they were Radio Moscow.

In 2005 I was staying in our RV at a campground. We were up on a mountain, but my only antenna was a piece of wire stretched out across the ground next to the RV, and reception wasn't the greatest. At that time I e-mailed Joe Adamov on Moscow Mailbag to ask where they got the signature tune for his show. He answered me on the air, explaining that the song had been improvised during a practice session with their studio orchestra, and that the name of that jaunty little piece was "The Merry Postman". I wanted to record his response, but the background noise and weak signal spoiled the recording.

We were situated at the end of the campground. It was a dead end, and one day someone drove through our rather large site to turn his motorhome around. He ran right over the antenna wire and broke it. He could easily have backed out of his own site, instead.
 

ridgescan

Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
4,778
Location
San Francisco, Ca.
I dig your stories:) some cool stuff. VOR was just a hop across the pond and man did they bang in here. Those were the days.
Offhand, am I the only one who enjoys WTWW on 5085 every damn night? They play my music from when I was a kid-some songs I literally haven't heard since I was a kid-they go that deep into one-hits and B-sides.
And WRMI on 9395 does the same! We have two BC stations right here every night who do this. Granted it aint classical but I digress.
 

GB46

Active Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
820
Offhand, am I the only one who enjoys WTWW on 5085 every damn night? They play my music from when I was a kid-some songs I literally haven't heard since I was a kid-they go that deep into one-hits and B-sides.
That frequency is a bad one for me, due to the noise level here. Broadcasters in the 60m band are generally weak here, anyway. I can't even pull out RHC on 5040; I can hear it in there, but there's no making it out at all.

I hear WRMI pretty often, especially their relays of foreign broadcasts. Oldies are not what I'm looking for, but an AM station in my town plays lots of them. In fact, they're the only AM station in town. We also have three FM stations, one of them plays recent pop music, another plays country. The third is mostly talk; it's a CBC repeater, and the only local station I listen to, but not very frequently, at that.
 

ridgescan

Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
4,778
Location
San Francisco, Ca.
That frequency is a bad one for me, due to the noise level here. Broadcasters in the 60m band are generally weak here, anyway. I can't even pull out RHC on 5040; I can hear it in there, but there's no making it out at all.

I hear WRMI pretty often, especially their relays of foreign broadcasts. Oldies are not what I'm looking for, but an AM station in my town plays lots of them. In fact, they're the only AM station in town. We also have three FM stations, one of them plays recent pop music, another plays country. The third is mostly talk; it's a CBC repeater, and the only local station I listen to, but not very frequently, at that.
See, that's why shortwave is so great for me! Here in San Fran, FM is replete with rap, hip hop, throwback jams (soul), ONE classic rock station, and a few "lite" listening stations. The only FM station that plays stuff I like is an HD2 and I only get that one in my Lexus. AM is entirely talk, news, other languages and one country station in San Jose.
My music ears came up in the late 60s through full-70s. At night I DX three MW stations for my music, but the reliable signals I can get in SW with WTWW and WRMI are much better-only thing is, I can only listen at night. But that's ok as that's the time to enjoy music on a shortwave DX:)
 
Last edited:

GB46

Active Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
820
My music ears came up in the late 60s through full-70s.
Oldies for me go back to the 1950s hit parade stuff. I even used to try singing those songs in duets with my brother, who sang lead, while pounding out chords on our home piano (he never learned to read music). He had a good singing voice, but I was 4 years younger, and my voice hadn't changed yet, so you can imagine what it must have sounded like. My first experience of international broadcasts was hearing the BBC, and they were playing American hits that had already left the charts in the U.S.

By the time the Beatles rose to popularity in the 60s I had already started listening to classical music, plus lots of folk music during the big folk music revival while I was in university from '64 to '68. That's what prompted me to learn to read music and to play the guitar; I wanted to write folk songs, but then I got sidetracked into classical guitar, and the rest is -- well, you know: history! :lol:
 

Boombox

Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
1,365
I grew up with most classic rock and grunge era stuff, but the music I miss the most on the radio is nu-metal era, the turn of the century. The stations don't play much of it. The one local rock station that played a lot of it got flipped to country about a year ago. :-(

That aside, I also agree with the notion of forgetting about searching for English SW broadcasts, which are few and far between (BBC Singapore in the morning, BBC Africa in the evening -- when it is coming in, and RNZI seem to be about it around here). I try to hear Asia and Africa and learn to ID the languages. And the music is often fascinating, even the religious music from TWR in Africa is cool.

But for music, the Voice of Greece is probably the best -- that is, whenever they are coming in.
 

Boombox

Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
1,365
See, that's why shortwave is so great for me! Here in San Fran, FM is replete with rap, hip hop, throwback jams (soul), ONE classic rock station, and a few "lite" listening stations. The only FM station that plays stuff I like is an HD2 and I only get that one in my Lexus. AM is entirely talk, news, other languages and one country station in San Jose.
My music ears came up in the late 60s through full-70s. At night I DX three MW stations for my music, but the reliable signals I can get in SW with WTWW and WRMI are much better-only thing is, I can only listen at night. But that's ok as that's the time to enjoy music on a shortwave DX:)

Do you ever DX KBRE 1660 the Bear? They play a decent mix of new, 80s-00s and classic rock. Out of Merced. Should be a straight shot for you.
 

GB46

Active Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
820
... for music, the Voice of Greece is probably the best -- that is, whenever they are coming in.
They used to be easily heard years ago on 9420, but lately they're missing in action. I thought I heard them one night with a very weak signal, but I couldn't be sure. Greek traditional music with those bouzoukis has always fascinated me. The only way I can hear it now is in audio streams from domestic stations in Greece. While browsing listenlive.eu I found a link to the station Penies in Athens. They play non-stop traditional music, with very few announcements -- but what they're announcing is Greek to me. ;)

I point my media player to that URL, because if I enter it in a web browser I get redirected to a Shoutcast page, and clicking the "Listen" link there makes the browser download a playlist file.
 

vagrant

ker-muhj-uhn
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 19, 2005
Messages
3,141
Location
California
I only occasionally listen to 5085 and 9395. I pull them in using a small portable loop when remote and listen when music is going. Not so much on the talking segments. I do enjoy various cultural/regional music as well. I enjoy the variation. Even China's seven megahertz blast in the mornings here with the cacophony of cymbals.

Still, I'm a fool for baroque, in particular the harpsichord. The Internet satiates that desire for me, but I am without Internet at times due to geographic location.
 

GB46

Active Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
820
I do enjoy various cultural/regional music as well. I enjoy the variation. Even China's seven megahertz blast in the mornings here with the cacophony of cymbals.
China Radio International comes in pretty strong here in the morning on 7410. When I tune them in they're in Japanese, and direct, for a change, not relayed through Cuba like their North American services. Then there are the so-called "Firedrake" jammer stations on 41 and 31 meters during the morning hours, usually playing traditional Chinese music non-stop. You may be referring to those broadcasts.

Still, I'm a fool for baroque, in particular the harpsichord. The Internet satiates that desire for me, but I am without Internet at times due to geographic location.
I have quite a few MP3s of baroque music in my collection, and it was hearing Bach's music that sparked my interest in classical music a long time ago. It's not easy to find baroque harpsichord pieces, as they are often arranged for piano, which is disappointing. You can get more harpsichord than you bargained for by listening to Bach's Concerto for Four Harpsichords and Strings in A Minor. He actually stole that music from a Vivaldi concerto for four violins and arranged it for harpsichord. Other than the change of instrumentation and key it sounds identical. Even musical geniuses cheat occasionally. :)
 

Boombox

Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
1,365
I love hearing Firedrake. I used to tune in a long time ago before I knew what it was. I thought it was a legit broadcast -- I was unaware that it was a jammer. There's nothing like doing last minute overnight cramming for University finals with Chinese traditional music blasting from an FRG-7 to get the juices rolling.
 

GB46

Active Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2017
Messages
820
I love hearing Firedrake. I used to tune in a long time ago before I knew what it was. I thought it was a legit broadcast -- I was unaware that it was a jammer. There's nothing like doing last minute overnight cramming for University finals with Chinese traditional music blasting from an FRG-7 to get the juices rolling.
Man, did I ever have to cram, having spent far too little time on my university curriculum and far too much on music, which wasn't part of it. However, I did manage to pass the finals.

There was no shortwave radio available then, as I was living in a dorm, and all my radio gear was back home. What I did have was an FM table radio and a record player turntable without an amp. I mounted a little FM transmitter designed for use as a wireless mike inside the turntable's enclosure, connected the phono cartridge to the mike input, and played my Bach LPs that way. The signal could be heard at the bottom of the FM broadcast band on all the FM radios throughout all seven floors of the building. The transmitter's circuit was sealed in a little black epoxy cube, with just a pigtail lead for the antenna. The only way to change the frequency was by trimming the antenna -- a hit or miss proposition.
 

K5MPH

Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2003
Messages
1,620
Location
Brownsville Texas,On The Border By The Sea.
Nice and clear! Yes, I certainly remember the Voice of Russia. I remember them even better when they were Radio Moscow.

In 2005 I was staying in our RV at a campground. We were up on a mountain, but my only antenna was a piece of wire stretched out across the ground next to the RV, and reception wasn't the greatest. At that time I e-mailed Joe Adamov on Moscow Mailbag to ask where they got the signature tune for his show. He answered me on the air, explaining that the song had been improvised during a practice session with their studio orchestra, and that the name of that jaunty little piece was "The Merry Postman". I wanted to record his response, but the background noise and weak signal spoiled the recording.

We were situated at the end of the campground. It was a dead end, and one day someone drove through our rather large site to turn his motorhome around. He ran right over the antenna wire and broke it. He could easily have backed out of his own site, instead.
I remember Radio Moscow great music wounder why they changed to Voice of Russia....
 

ka3jjz

Wiki Admin Emeritus
Joined
Jul 22, 2002
Messages
25,354
Location
Bowie, Md.
I would imagine it had to do with reflecting a more nationalistic view of trying to portray the Soviet Union, instead of just one entity. Remember these days the Soviet Union still existed, with all the crazy rhetoric that went on....

OK we're wandering a bit afield here. Let's get back on topic, folks...

Mike
 

pjxii

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2017
Messages
210
Location
Naples Florida USA
I think I'll stop looking for broadcasts that are only in a language I can understand (English or German), and start listening to every kind of foreign broadcast I can find (other than those raging evangelists). At least it's something to do during these days of bad propagation. If there's interesting music, so much the better, because that's what I've always liked the best about shortwave listening ever since I discovered it during my teen years.

I really enjoy the music found on shortwave when propagation is good. AIR doesn't have to broadcast in english for me to listen, and when it was coming in earlier this year Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corp on 11905 has an hour at 0130 UTC with wonderful, very different for us music. The Arab stations are also high on my list, Saudi Arabia Oman etc Stuff you certainly won't hear domestically.
 

ridgescan

Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
4,778
Location
San Francisco, Ca.
Do you ever DX KBRE 1660 the Bear? They play a decent mix of new, 80s-00s and classic rock. Out of Merced. Should be a straight shot for you.
(Sorry Mike for OT but to quickly answer this) I get 1660kHz very well here but the music doesn't do it for me:) they're up in Redding I think... not too far for me.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top