Welcome

When I first started listening to shortwave at the end of the 1970s, it was a very different place. Many countries maintained an international service broadcasting to all corners of the world.

You could tune the dial and travel the world. But over the years these stations have disappeared with only a handful still running international services.

I recorded many of these now long disappeared sounds onto cassette tapes.

I have now downloaded these recordings and can share some of them with you. All these recordings were made in the early years of the 1980s.

So sit back and enjoy the sounds of shortwave from the past.

Shortwave stations from 1980s: The Americas

Argentina: RAE (0)
Bonaire: Trans World Radio (3.31)
Brazil: Radio Nacional do Brasil (4.32)
Canada: Radio Canada Int (6.58)
Chile: Voice of Chile (8.48)
Colombia: Radio Nacional (11.06)
Radio Sutatenza (12.00)
Cuba: Radio Havana (12.48)
Dominican Republic: La Voz del CID (14.20)
Radio Clarin (15.01)
Ecuador: HCJB (15.43)
Grenada: Radio Free Grenada (17.36)
Nicaragua: Voice of Nicaragua (18.42)
USA: Voice of America (19.54)
Radio Earth (20.33)
KCBI (21.39)
WHRI (22.13)
WRNO (22.38)
WYFR (22.49)

UN Radio (23.22)
Venezuela: Radio Turismo 24.48)
Radio Tachira (25.31)
YVTO (26.06)

Total running time: 26.33

Shortwave stations from 1980s: Asia and the Pacific

Afghanistan: Radio Afghanistan (0)
Australia: Radio Australia (1.55)
Bangladesh: Radio Bangladesh (3.18)
China: Radio Peking (4.23)
India: All India Radio (6.16)
Japan: Radio Japan (7.29)
Korea (North): Radio Pyongyang (9.02)
Korea (South): Radio Korea (12.26)
Malaysia: Voice of Malaysia (14.22)
New Zealand: Radio New Zealand (15.49)
Pakistan: Radio Pakistan (16.13)
Saipan: KFBS & KYOI (16.44)
Taiwan: Voice of the Free China (18.14)
Tajikistan: Radio Dushanbe (19.01)
Uzbekistan: Radio Tashkent (19.22)
Vietnam: Voice of Vietnam (20.16)

Total running time 20.47 minutes

https://archive.org/details/swstations-asia-pacific

Shortwave stations from 1980s: Africa & Middle East

ALGERIA: Radio Algiers  (0)
EGYPT: Radio Cairo (1.03)
IRAN: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran (2.33)
IRAQ: Radio Baghdad (4.17)
ISRAEL: Kol Israel (6.33)
KUWAIT: Radio Kuwait (8.00)
LEBANON: Voice of Lebanon (9.29)
LIBYA: Radio Jamariyah (10.18)
NIGERIA: Radio Nigeria (12.15)
QATAR: Qatar Broadcasting Service (13.53)
SAUDI ARABIA: Broadcasting Service of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (14.21)
SOUTH AFRICA: Radio RSA (15.45)
SYRIA: Radio Damascus (17.37)
TURKEY: Voice of Turkey (18.40)
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: UAE Radio (19.50)

Total running time 20.18 minutes

https://archive.org/details/swstations-africa-middle-east

Shortwave stations from 1980s: Western Europe

Tuning around on shortwave in the 1980s here are some the stations you might have heard. This is a
collection of interval signals and IDs from some of Western Europe's broadcasters.

AUSTRIA: Radio Austria International (0)
CYPRUS: Cyprus Broadcasting Company (1.40)
DENMARK: Radio Denmark (3.09)
FINLAND: Radio Finland (4.29)
FRANCE: Radio France Internationale (5.30)
GERMANY (WEST): Deutsche Welle (6.30)
GREECE: Voice of Greece (7.53)
ITALY: RAI (9.24)
MALTA: Radio Mediterranean (11.00)
NETHERLANDS: Radio Netherlands (12.21)
NORWAY: Radio Norway (13.34)
PORTUGAL: Radio Portugal (15.34)
SPAIN: Spanish Foreign Radio (16.32)
SWEDEN: Radio Sweden (18.17)
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Radio International (19.53)
Red Cross Broadcasting Service (20.38)
UNITED KINGDOM: BBC World Service (21.49)

Total running time 22.32 minutes

https://archive.org/details/swstations-weurope

Shortwave stations from 1980s : Eastern Europe

Here is a collection of interval signals and IDs from stations commonly heard during the 1980s from
Eastern Europe and the USSR:

ALBANIA: Radio Tirana (0)
BELARUS: Radio Minsk (1.18)
BULGARIA: Radio Sofia (1.41)
CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Radio Prague (2.29)
ESTONIA: Radio Tallin (2.50)
GERMANY (EAST): Radio Berlin Int (3.49)
HUNGARY: Radio Budapest (5.22)
LATVIA: Radio Riga (6.31)
LITHUANIA: Radio Vilnius (7.14)
POLAND: Radio Polonia (8.30)
ROMANIA: Radio Bucharest (9.37)
UKRAINE: Radio Kiev (10.41)
USSR: Radio Moscow World Service (12.17)
Radio Station Peace & Progress (13.35)
Radio Station Rodina (13.59)
YUGOSLAVIA: Radio Yugoslavia (14.21)

Total running time 15.19 minutes

 

https://archive.org/details/swstations-eeurope

1980s shortwave sounds - part 13

Here is another collection of recordings from the 1980s including the Voice of Nicaragua in English, a mysterious anti-Castro clandestine called Radio Caiman and American shortwave stations WRNO, WHRI  and KCBI.

Voice of Nicaragua English service - IDs
Christian Science Monitor - sign off
Radio Australia - interval signal, ID
Radio Bangladesh - sign on
Radio Japan - sign off
RAE, Argentina - sign on
WRNO, USA - ID
Radio Tachira, Venezuela - IDs
Voice of Free China, Taiwan - address
Voice of Nicaragua - sign off
Voice of Free China - sign off
KCBI, USA - IDs
Radio Caiman - IDs
AWR Forli, Italy - sign off
WHRI, USA - sign off
WINS, New York, USA - IDs
CJYQ, Newfoundland, Canada - IDs

(18:10 mins)

Here is the link: 
https://www.mixcloud.com/shortwave_listener/shortwave-radio-in-the-1980s-part-13/

I hope you enjoyed this nostalgic trip  back to the shortwave sounds from the 1980s. That's it for these recordings, unless I come across any more old cassette tapes.

1980s shortwave sounds - part 12

Welcome to another collection of shortwave radio clips from the 1980s. Among the stations featured are Radio Earth in the USA, the English service of Radio Damascus and IDs (and propaganda) from Gadaffi-era Radio Jamahriyah.

Radio Nacional, Colombia - IDs
Radio Earth, USA - address, sign off
Radio Sweden - interval signal, sign on
Radio Jamahriyah, Libya  - IDs
Radio National, Chad - ID
Radio Renascenca, Portugal - interval signal, sign on
Radio Nacional de Brasil - sign on

Radio Ljubljana, Yugoslavia - ID
Radio Damascus, Syria - sign on
Radio Uganda - sign off
Radio Norway - sign off
Radio Monte Carlo, Monaco - IDs
Radio Damascus, Syria - ID
BRT, Belgium - ID
Radio Damascus, Syria - sign off
Radio Bangladesh - address, sign off

(13:45 mins)

Here is the link: https://www.mixcloud.com/shortwave_listener/shortwave-radio-in-the-1980s-12/

1980s shortwave sounds - part 11

Here are some more archive recordings from the 80s, including a clip of Radio Nigeria being broadcast via the Voice of Nigeria's external service following a coup in 1983,  Radio Jamihiriyah in Libya and Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation's weekly programme to Cypriots in Britain via the BBC's transmitters on the island.


KYOI, Saipan - ID
United Nations Radio - sign on, IDs, sign off
Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran - sign off
Radio Luxembourg - ID
Radio Nigeria, Lagos - interval signal, military announcements after coup
Radio Korea, South Korea - interval signal, ID
Radio Lara, Venezuela - ID
Radio Sutatenza, Colombia  - IDs
Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation - sign on
Voice of Hope, Lebanon - IDs, address
Voice of Lebanon - sign on, sign off
KFBS, Saipan - test announcement
KYOI, Saipan - IDs
Radio Japan - announcement about Gabon relay station, sign off
Radio Jamihiriyah, Libya - sign on, address, sign off

(19:23 mins)

Here is the link: https://www.mixcloud.com/shortwave_listener/shortwave-radio-in-the-1980s-11/

1980s shortwave sounds - part 10

This collection has quite a Latin American feel with archive recordings from Venezuela, Argentina, Nicaragua and La Voz del CID (Cuba Independentiente y Democratica) broadcast from Radio Clarin in the Dominican Republican aimed at Cuba. There's also a clip of Radio Luxembourg's English service signing on 1440 kHz (208m) with their "station of the 80s" jingle.

Radio Mediterranean Int, Malta - sign on, sign off
Radio Turismo, Venezuela - IDs
Radio Tachira, Venezuela - IDs
YVTO time signal station, Venezuela - ID
La Voz del CID, Dominican Republican - IDs
Radio Clarin, Dominican Republic - ID
RAE, Argentina - IDs
Radio Tallinn, Estonia - Interval signal, ID
Radio Tashkent, Uzbekistan - sign on
Broadcasting Service of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Interval signal, sign on
La Voz de Nicaragua - IDs
Radio Cameroon - IDs
Radio Luxembourg English service - sign on

(16:51 mins)

Here's the link:  https://www.mixcloud.com/shortwave_listener/shortwave-stations-in-the-1980s-10/

1980s shortwave sounds - part 9

There a few domestic services included in this latest batch, including recordings from Radio Illimani, Bolivia; Radio Nigeria; Radio Rivadavia, Argentina; Radio Nacional, Paraguay, and CJYQ, Canada. 

Voice of Free China, Taiwan - ID, sign off
United Arab Emirates Radio, Dubai - ID, sign off
Radio New Zealand - sign off
Blue Danube Radio, Austria - sign on, ID
Voice of Hope, Lebanon - sign off
Qatar Broadcasting Service - address

Radio Illimani, Bolivia - ID
Radio Nigeria Home Service - interval signal, ID
Radio Jordan - ID
Radio Rivadavia, Argentina - ID
Radio Free Europe - interval signal, sign on
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation - ID, address
International Christian Radio - sign off
Radio Nacional, Paraguay - ID
Radio Australia - sign off
Radio Mediterranean, Malta - sign off
RAE, Argentina - sign on
CJYQ, Canada - ID
Radio Jamariyah, Libya - sign off

Here's the link: https://www.mixcloud.com/shortwave_listener/shortwave-stations-in-the-1980s-9/

(18:59 mins)

1980s shortwave sounds - part 8

Here are some more shortwave (plus a medium wave station) stations from the past including Radio
Pyongyang, Deutschlandfunk and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which used SWiss Radio Int's transmitters. Bizim Radio was a Turkish clandestine.

Radio Pyongyang, North Korea - sign on, sign off
WWVH, Hawaii - address
Deutschlandfunk English service, West Germany - sign on, sign off
Italian Radio & Television Service - sign on
Radio Japan - sign on
Voice of Malaysia - sign off
Radio Afghanistan - sign off
United Arab Emirates Radio - test transmission
Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran - sign off
Red Cross Broadcasting Service, Switzerland - sign on, address
Radio Prague, Czechoslovakia - interprogramme IDs
Voice of Nigeria - ID
Bizim Radio (clandestine) - sign on
Radio New Zealand - sign off

(18:36 mins)

Here's the link: https://www.mixcloud.com/shortwave_listener/shortwave-stations-in-the-1980s-8/

1980s shortwave sounds - part 7

This collection of shortwave sounds from the past includes World Music Radio, relayed by Radio Andorra - WMR recently returned to the shortwave with non-stop music programmes via a transmitter in Denmark; Radio Australia signing on its broadcasts to the UK, Radio Denmark - which was no longer broadcasting in English but still made English announcements.

Radio Clarin, Dominican Republic - ID
World Music Radio via Radio Andorra - sign off
Trans World Radio, Guam  - sign on
Radio Australia - frequency announcements
Radio Pakistan - sign on and sign off
Radio Lebanon - sign off
Adventist World Radio - sign off
World Music Radio - sign on
Radio Minsk, Belarus - sign on, address
Radio Riga, Latvia - sign on
Radio Denmark - interval signal and English announcements

(14:33 minutes)

Here's the link
https://www.mixcloud.com/shortwave_listener/shortwave-in-the-1980s-7/

1980s shortwave sounds - part 6

Welcome to some more shortwave radio recordings from the 80s. Among the clips featured include HCJB and the theme music for their popular DX Party Line show, Radio Afghanistan - putting in a good signal thanks to relays from the USSR (which had invaded the country in 1979) - and Radio Moscow asking for listeners to get involved in their programmes.

Tracklisting
Radio Algiers: Sign off
Radio Sweden: Sign on and off
Radio Habana Cuba: Address
HCJB, Ecuador: Address, ID, DX Party Line theme
Radio Moscow North American service: Sign on (using 14 frequencies!)
Voice of Turkey: Sign on and off
Radio Afghanistan: Sign on to Europe
Voice of Free China, Taiwan: ID, address
Radio Dushanbe, Tajikistan: Sign on
Radio France Int English service: Address, sign off
Voice of Vietnam - sign on, address, sign off
Radio Moscow World Service: Listener participation request
Radio Nacional Brasil: Sign on

(22:43 mins)

Here is the link:
https://www.mixcloud.com/shortwave_listener/shortwave-radio-in-the-1980s-6/