Cities and Memory - remixing the world

""Twin Cities at Night" interviews by Bill Diehl on Sputnik 1 with calls from listeners including one listener playing audio from Sputnik 1 as heard on his shortwave on 20005 kHz. Sputnik 1 audio can be heard about 4:20 into the recording. FYI ... Bill Diehl was very well known for being a columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper, a rock-and-roll disc jockey on WDGY-AM in the 1960s, and a popular announcer on WCCO-AM afterwards. Bill passed away in 2017. WTCN-AM is known today as WWTC-AM. Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite. The Soviet Union launched it into an elliptical low Earth orbit on 4 October 1957, orbiting for three weeks before its batteries died, then silently for two more months before falling back into the atmosphere."

Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave

"DPRK's international radio service was named "Radio Pyongyang" until year 2002. Now it is called "Voice of Korea".

In Chinese, Korean and Japanese languages, there are different words to distinguish the north and south.

In English language, word "Korea" may stand for both.

I think the name "Radio Pyongyang" is clear, does not have ambiguity. The name "Voice of Korea", we cannot guess which side it is from.

The radio recording was on the Military Foundation Day in DPRK, 25 April 1999. Its content is the celebration of the festival.

The programmes are political promotion news, editorials, songs and music.

The distance from receiving place Shenyang to Pyongyang is about 374.3KM, to Seoul is about 565.4KM, and to Beijing is about 660.5KM.

The two distances are shorter than to China's capital, it is easier to receive the radio programmes from the Korean Peninsula, and no special equipment is required.

Sometimes in the night, in the mid wave band, the radio transmission from North Korea can "mix" with Shenyang local radio signal, unintentionally interferes the local broadcast.

Broadcaster: Radio Pyongyang

Date of recording: 4/25/1999

Frequency: 9.445 MHz

Reception location: Shenyang China"

Recorded by Andy Wang, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave

"This was recorded on 11,885 kHz, July 24, 2021 at 19:00 UTC in McGrath, Alaska."

Recorded by Paul Walker, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave

A Russian language numbers station. Paul recorded this on April 26, 2021 at 0218 UTC in McGrath, Alaska, on 11,615 kHz.

Recorded by Paul Walker, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave

"“Across the Ether” features a ham radio recording (from The Shortwave Radio Archive) made in 1974 with the operator from the Argentine Antarctica Station. This radio contact conversation was the inspiration for this electronic piece, because it really brings to life the personal aspects of history. It has a timeless quality about it that allows the listener to drift along with the shortwave transmissions. This project really does help us understand that all of humanity is truly out there to be listened to at the turn of a dial."

Composition by Jeff Dungfelder.

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave

"There aren't really any instruments in this track at all... I used the busy signal, and some other phone operator sounds, I used feedback from different Hz frequencies and some toned down pulsing. I cut and pasted the clips that repeat, and some volume and effect work on the actual clip. I figured since it is a shortwave clip that the track is based around, anything too clean or processed just wouldn't fit all that well. I wanted to keep the sounds behind the speech a little more like switching through radio waves trying to find the footage. I figured the Nixon resignation was a great clip to use considering our opinions of our former and our present presidents we have had. I am personally not one to concern myself with any of that stuff...but I do feel like there are some very strong opinions being based one way or the other...this is another time where scandal and rumors are running around all over and everyone is on point with their opinions being heard one way or the other."

Composition by Mike Benoit. 

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave

"It is January 17, 1991, this is the appeal launched on Israeli radio. In the span of a month, 39 scud missiles launched from Saddam Hussein's Iraq fell on Israel. 17 fell in inhabited areas, two civilians died from the explosions and 11 were seriously injured, but 7 died from gas masks, 71 died from heart attack and respiratory problems, four from reaction to the injection of atropine. 

In the piece “Who is playing with my terror?Nixon ” I wanted to describe a world where nuclear, chemical and biological weapons exist,  and can be used to terrify civilians. The recording of the Israeli radio announcement inspired me to imagine what would it be like to listen to someone telling you that the air that you breathe could kill you. And thinking about it, I just realize that we too were told  just that because of the pandemic."

Composition by Gianfranco Bitti.

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave

"These recordings were originally made in 1974 by the late Jim Hayward (W2PVF) in Absecon, New Jersey (USA) with two different ham radio stations in Antarctica.

This recording is between W2PVF and LU1ZE of the Argentine Antarctica Station. The operator at the microphone is W1PV. The recording even includes a phone patch."

Recorded by Bill Hemphill, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave

"Radio Australia shortwave broadcast with coverage of President Nixon's resignation speech on August 8, 1974."

Recorded by Tom Gavaras, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave

"Recording of the North American Service of Kol Yisrael, the Voice of Israel, on the second night of the combat phase (Operation Desert Storm) of the First Gulf War, 17/18 January 1991. 

The recording is of the 01:00 UTC broadcast on 18 January on 11605 kHz. The signals originated from 300 or 500 kW transmitters at Yavne, Israel. 

At the beginning of the 01:00 UTC broadcast, an announcement is made of a missile attack (from Iraq) and Israeli residents are instructed to move to their prepared closed rooms and to don their gas masks. An extended news bulletin follows. The civil defence instruction is repeated several times during the broadcast. The broadcast, from Jerusalem, included live reports from Tel Aviv. Subsequently, residents are told they can remove their gas masks but should stay in their sealed rooms. The 02:00 UTC broadcast continues the special report including live commentary from both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, including the civil defence information telephone numbers around the country. There is a brief gap in the recording at about the 19m:40s mark due to a tape change. The broadcast concludes with a brief piece of music and the concluding announcement and interval signal.   

Reception of the broadcasts was quite good. The 11605 kHz signal was strong with slight radio teletype interference. The 9435 and 7465 kHz frequencies also provided good signals although there was slight hum on one of the frequencies."

Recorded by Richard Langley, courtesy of the Shortwave Radio Archive.

Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave