6NR Perth WA 927 kHz QSL and Audio

It was a pleasant surprise to hear and identify 6NR Perth WA on 927 kHz (A South African first) at Leisure Isle, Knysna on the 15th July 1987 via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna.

I was fortunate to receive a verification letter, 6NR stickers and a programme guide from Senior Technician Geoff Rowley in response to my reception report.

6NR has since moved from the mediumwave band to FM and presently broadcasts on a frequency of 101.1 MHz. 

AUDIO CLIP 1

A 6NR "Late Nite" alternative music promo - recorded at 1535 UTC on the 15th July 1987 at Leisure Isle.

AUDIO CLIP 2

A time check followed by "Not Any More" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins during 6NR's "Late Nite" programme - recorded at 1540 UTC on the 15th July 1987 at Leisure Isle.

The T.L. Robertson Library on the Curtin University Bentley campus, Perth WA (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

6WN Perth WA 810 kHz QSL

Perth and the appropriately named Swan River in the foreground

(Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

6WN Perth WA on 810 kHz was heard at Leisure Isle, Knysna on the 15th July 1987 via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna.

I received the above QSL card in response to my reception report.

6PR Perth WA 882 kHz QSL

Leisure Isle, Knysna, situated on the picturesque Garden Route - 

a good location for Australian mediumwave reception in 1987!

6PR Perth WA on 882 kHz was heard at Leisure Isle, Knysna on the 7th July 1987 via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna.

I was fortunate to receive the above verification letter from Operations Manager Dick Heming in response to my reception report.

5CC Port Lincoln SA 765 kHz QSL card and letter

5CC Port Lincoln SA on 765 khz made it through to Leisure Isle, Knysna on the 7th July 1987 via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna.

Technician Jack Martin kindly verified my reception report (the most distant in that direction) with a QSL card and letter.

2BE Bega NSW 765 kHz letter

Back in July 1987, while dxing at Leisure Isle, Knysna, I stumbled across an Australian station on 765 kHz for the first time. The talkback programme which I heard, originated from Sydney and 2BE Bega was the only station from New South Wales listed on 765 kHz at the time.

I sent a tentative reception report to 2BE and received the above letter and bumper sticker from Chief Engineer Peter Carson who indicated that they were unable to confirm reception as their station was off air at the time I heard the signal. He suggested that I contact 5CC, Port Lincoln, the only other Australian station on 765 kHz.

Peter kindly included the address of 5CC and indicated that the SA station obtained a landline feed of the midnight to dawn shift from 2GB Sydney during the time that I heard the broadcast.

I posted a reception report to 5CC and was fortunate to receive a confirmation, the details of which will be included in the next post ...

5AU Port Augusta SA 1242 kHz QSL and Audio

5AU Port Augusta SA on 1242 kHz was heard at Leisure Isle, Knysna on the 7th July 1987 via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna.

I was fortunate to receive the above verification from technician Tonnet Penascoza in response to my reception report.

AUDIO CLIP

5AU is one of the more regular Australian mediumwave stations heard at Fish Hoek. The 2kw signal can get through remakably well at times as was the case during the above recording, made on the 15th April 2009 at Fish Hoek via the Sony SRF-M37V Ultralight and 200 metre BOG.

Google Earth Image of the 5AU transmitter site which is situated just over 2 km from the coast, at Mambray Creek in South Australia.

6WF Perth WA 720 kHz QSL and Audio

A 1937 photograph of ABC Broadcast House, located in the Supreme Court Gardens, Perth, WA - the home of 6WF from 1937 until 1958 (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

6WF Perth WA on 720 kHz was heard during a holiday / dxpedition at Leisure Isle, Knysna on the 6th July 1987 via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna.

I was fortunate to receive the above QSL card in response to my reception report.

Google Earth Image of the 6WF 720 kHz 180 metre mast with a "top hat", located in Hamersley, Perth, Western Australia.

 Another surprise verification ... 

A few years ago, I received an interesting email from an announcer at 720 6WF, in response to the youtube 2008 Jongensgat DXpedition Video :

" ... Hi Gary, A friend sent me a link to your YouTube piece about Dx int. He suggested I listen about 2:00 mins in. To my great surprise I found myself listening to a broadcast I made through 6WF in Perth Western Australia. It was sure strange to sit and watch-and listen- as my words came back to me via youtube and South Africa. Regards, John ... "

AUDIO CLIP

6WF is a regular here in Fish Hoek and does get through remarkably well at times when it seems as if one is listening from downtown Perth instead of over 8 650 kilometers away !

The present ABC studio and office building, located on the corner of Fielder and Royal Streets in East Perth (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

6PM Perth WA 990 kHz QSL

6PM Perth WA on 990 kHz was heard at Sandbaai on the 28th June 1987 via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna.

I was fortunate to receive the above QSL card in response to my reception report.

On the 31st Deceember 1990, the station obtained a license to convert to the FM band.

The studio building at 283 Rokeby Road, Subiaco (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

5AA Adelaide SA 1386 kHz QSL and Video

5AA Adelaide, South Australia on 1386 kHz made it through to Fish Hoek on the 24th June 1987 via the FRG7 and 25 metre longwire antenna.

I received a detailed form letter QSL, signed by Chief Engineer John Ferguson, in response to my reception report.

A brief history

5AA commenced broadcasting on the 14th March 1976 on 1390 kHz. The station moved to 1386 kHz with the introduction of 9 kHz spacing on the mediumwave band in 1978. 5AA presently broadcasts on 1395 kHz and is one of the more regular Australian mediumwave stations heard at Fish Hoek.

1991 5AA Video Promo

A 1991 5AA "Radio That Still Talks To You" 30 sec TV Commercial.

4QD Emerald QLD 1548 kHz QSL

4QD on 1548 kHz was the first Australian mediumwave station that I was fortunate to hear at Fish Hoek. A memorable catch at the time, the station made it through on the 10th June 1987 via the FRG7 and 25 metre longwire antenna.

I received the 4QD QSL card in response to my reception report.

The station has been heard at Fish Hoek on many occasions since - at times with astonishing local quality peaks !

The historic Emerald Railway Station opened on the 18th December 1900 (Photograph Wikimedia Commons).

PANAMA Southern Command Network Canal Zone 1420 kHz QSL and Audio

SCN building 209 at Fort Clayton (Photographed in November 2007 by Alan Hawkins - with kind permission from Thom Whetston).

It was a surprise to hear the Southern Command Network from the Canal Zone in Panama on 1420 kHz for the first time on the 11th June 1987 (The station was received on a few previous occasions on 790 kHz).

The 5 kw signal made it through across the Atlantic to Fish Hoek over a distance of 11 290 km and was heard with the FRG7 and 25 metre longwire antenna.

Inside the SCN radio studio at Fort Clayton (Photograph with kind permission from Thom Whetston).

A glance at my radio logbook confirms that SCN was noted with fair to good peaks at 0445 UTC that morning with the "East Of Midnite" show. Station identification was announced as " SCN AM Radio 7-90 Pacific and 14-20 Atlantic ".

Senior Broadcaster Sergeant Kenneth Fries kindly verified my reception report with a letter and SCN sticker (Click onto the image of the verification letter for a higher resolution).

AUDIO CLIP

SCN Canal Zone station identification announcement and jingle.

Another view of SCN building 209 (Photographed in November 2007 by Alan Hawkins - with kind permission from Thom Whetston whose interesting website is available here).

THE END OF A BROADCASTING ERA

The official closing ceremonies for SCN occurred on July 1st, 1999. The station continued to broadcast from a mobile van on top of Ancon hill until the last of the American forces departed on December 31st, 1999.

WLW Cincinnati OH 700 kHz QSL

WLW Cincinnatin Ohio on 700 kHz made it through over a distance of 13 295 km to Pinelands on the 23rd January 1987. The station was received on the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna.

I was fortunate to receive the above QSL card in response to my reception report.

Google Earth image of the WLW transmitter site at Mason, Ohio, showing the diamond shaped Blaw-Knox tower.

The WLW 739 ft Blaw-Knox tower (Photographs with kind permission from Barry Mishkind whose Broadcasters' Desktop Resource website is available here ).

Another view of the WLW tower (Photograph with kind permission from Dan Stiver).

WGY Schenectady NY 810 kHz QSL

The first QSL card to arrive in the mailbox back in 1987 was from WGY Schenectady on 810 kHz. The station made it through on the 8th January 1987 via the FRG7 and 30 metre longwire antenna at Pinelands.

I was fortunate to receive the QSL card from Chief Engineer Louis Correia in response to my reception report.

An impressive composite image of the WGY Antenna Tower (Photograph with kind permission from Peter Barvoets whose original image is available here).