Strange 1970's radio station?

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
I think VoA was relayed via Woofferton Tx station near Ludlow at times?
Pete.

['LIVEWIRE?']

Whilst I remember, and often listened to, many of the offshore stations of the 60s & 70s, I never knew that the VOA had used ships from which to broadcast. Interesting to read that the 'Courier', when anchored near Rhodes, wasn't allowed to be in international waters, but had to be within Greek waters, exactly the opposite to the 'pirate' radio situation of course. Maybe there was some truth in the statement put out, IIRC, by the UK Government about 'International Radio Regulations prohibiting broadcasting from 'outside national territories'?

[Boho Liz]

Thanks, it was Radio Tirana, found it on the previous post re strange stations like this then checked on YouTube

Yes, found it on YouTube thanks. I didn't hear the first note on my old tranny or the fact it was played on a trumpet. Apparently it was on the same frequency as Radio 1 and used to interfere with it a lot. It must have been Radio 1 I was trying to listen to, not Luxembourg. Lots of other people must have heard it then. . . . .

Interesting! I looked on Wikipedia re Albania and their unusual politics

[Skywave]

Originally Posted by Boho Liz

Hi. I am new to this site and really only joined as I found a thread re strange radio stations. In the early 1970s I found a station broadcasting a continuous 7 note sound.

First, welcome to this Forum.
Second, during the late 1960s / early 1970s I was an avid SWL and I recall that signature tune of Radio Tirana very well. So much so, that even now I can still here it clearly in my head! But there were eight distinct notes*, not seven, that, overall, had a distinct military air - which considering the communist association, is not surprising.

* Like this: dah - dah - di - dah - dah - di - dah - dah.

Al.

[Boho Liz]

You're right - it is 8, couldn't hear the first one on m y old tranny. Yep, I could hear it too (minus the 1st note which I only just realise existed). Seems there were a lot of strange stations during the cold war. Only just read about numbers stations in last 2 or 3 weeks, spooky

[Radio Wrangler]

I recall the Tirana 8-note dirge was an extract from something with a name like 'with pickaxe and with rifle' I suppose sickles and hammers had already been taken.

I too still have it appear in my head at any mention of radio Tirana.

THere were some strange things to be heard on HF

David

[Station X]

This is how I remember it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2mBP40w_hU

Brings back memories of SWLing on the shortwave bands. Many broadcast stations, Amateurs using AM and the FishFone.

[G6Tanuki]

Another Eastern European transmitter that I often heard was the Bulgarian "Stara Zagora" which hung around on frequencies close to Luxembourg. I remember it playing 'patriotic' music and having an English news-bulletin at midnight Bulgarian-time.

[Boho Liz]

That's it yes! Says old interval signal. When did they replace it please?

[russell_w_b]

Originally Posted by Tractorfan

Hi,
I think VoA was relayed via Woofferton Tx station near Ludlow at times?

Woofferton was the principal station in the UK for broadcasting VoA, but that was on the HF bands. Quite reasonable, given that the Woofferton transmitting station was part-funded by the U.S. to broadcast it!

[Nymrod121]

Originally Posted by russell_w_b

Woofferton was the principal station in the UK for broadcasting VoA, but that was on the HF bands. Quite reasonable, given that the Woofferton transmitting station was part-funded by the U.S. to broadcast it!

You can see photos of the BBC Crowsley Park Receiving Station's VoA/RCI Relays Room here:


http://bbceng.info/Operations/Receiv...wsley_park.htm



Pics 14 - 20 refer.


Happy days, eh, Ian?


Guy

[russell_w_b]

Nice pics, Guy. You made good use of that rest room!

[Sparks]

I remember hearing what sounded like test tones on radio decades ago. Four, five or six consecutive notes, continuously, probably on shortwave. Unfortunately I can't upload the file of my electric piano reproduction but the notes are I think C F E D C, or G C B A G, or
G C B F A G.

Obscure, I know. I'd be amazed if anyone could hint at an identity.

[m0cemdave]

One way of tracing that may be to look in a World Radio & TV Handbook from the period. Older editions of the WRTH usually gave the interval signals, in musical notation, alongside the other information in their station listings.

[Sparks]

Thankyou for the pointer. Unfortunately, I have no idea if those notes are really the ones but the tonic and semi-tonic intervals are accurate, as far as I can remember, even if the key isn't !

[russell_w_b]

We used to do performance testing (into aerial) of the Skelton HF transmitters at 250 and 300kW. Part of these tests consisted of radiating audio sine-wave from 60Hz to 10kHz as well as two-tone intermod testing.

These tests were undertaken on night shift, usually between the hours of 23:00 - 04:00 GMT, and would last maybe thirty minutes. Schedule test-frequencies and time-slots were allocated twice yearly with the broadcasting schedules. But someone, somewhere must've heard them!

We wouldn't be the only shortwave broadcast station to do this.

[Oldmadham]

Originally Posted by Sparks

I remember hearing what sounded like test tones on radio decades ago. Four, five or six consecutive notes, continuously, probably on shortwave. Unfortunately I can't upload the file of my electric piano reproduction but the notes are I think C F E D C, or G C B A G, or
G C B F A G.

Obscure, I know. I'd be amazed if anyone could hint at an identity.

As russell_w_b mentioned, it could have been some site doing routine performance testing.
Testing 6WF, 6WN, & the (then) shortwave stations VLX & VLW, back in the day, we used General Radio audio generators in which the frequencies were changed by a switch, so when doing a frequency response run, the change between frequencies would sound very much like what you describe.

Later, we had audio generators with continuously variable tuning, & would unplug their output when changing from one test frequency to the next, so there would be distinct "gaps" between frequencies.

[Sparks]

Thankyou russell and old. Glad I wasn't imagining things !

[russell_w_b]

Originally Posted by Oldmadham

Testing 6WF, 6WN, & the (then) shortwave stations VLX & VLW, back in the day, we used General Radio audio generators in which the frequencies were changed by a switch, so when doing a frequency response run, the change between frequencies would sound very much like what you describe.

Later, we had audio generators with continuously variable tuning, & would unplug their output when changing from one test frequency to the next, so there would be distinct "gaps" between frequencies.

At Skelton A and B (OSE8 and OSE9) the audio sweeps were tested in sections, glissando-style, pausing at the tabulated frequencies for measurement, using a BBC-designed test-set ME2/4/A. The intermod tests were done on a BBC-designed test-set ME15M at discrete positions: 80/100Hz; 400/500Hz; 1000/1250Hz and 4000/5000Hz.

At Skelton C on the 300kW TXs the tests were usually done into test-load but on very rare occasions may have gone to aerial if the load was unavailable. Testing was normally done with an automated discrete-frequency step test set over the range hitherto described, and the results printed out automatically.

[boxdoctor]

There is a good collection of interval signals here :http://www.intervalsignals.net/

I wonder if the O.P. was hearing one of the many outlets of Radio Berlin Intenational?
Their interval signal, the first few bars of "Auferstanden Aus Ruinen" was sevsn notes long, and played on a Glockenspiel. Tony.