[professor1036]

When I was considerably younger…I used to carry out short and medium wave DX and the interval signals were always a big part of any DX. So I’ve put together a brief montage of some of the more familiar interval signals…including the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio Tirana, Radio Moscow, Radio Netherlands, RTE, Radio Berlin International, Vatican Radio, YLE, BRT and of course Radio Sweden International. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this montage!

Enjoy!

Embedded at home.recnet.com/soundcloud

[IainJohnston]

And there lies a whole fascinating world of “station identification” well away from the beaten track of the sung ID jingle!

As mentioned on the “Atlantic 93.5” thread, the old World Radio TV Handbooks used to publish descriptions of stations’ “int sigs”. As The Prof knows, these would usually be in loops which would run (often for quite some time…) between programmes to allow listeners, often far far away DXing, to identify if the station was what they were searching for in the often-static (…or even jamming…) filled SW world or remote MW TX bouncing off the ionosphere etc.

“When I was considerably younger”
(… ditto…) I used to write off to WRTH-listed stations, hunting for jingle/ID audio, and away back then “bagged” tapes from two such “exotic location” stations … RJR Radio Jamaica (a xylophone thing), and Radio Tarawa in what was then called the Gilbert & Ellis Islands but is now known as Kiribati.

(Its all too easy today for you youngsters doing these things via the internet! )

[professor1036]

Ah yes…the WRTH certainly came in handy, I used to wonder at the sheer amount of stations in some parts of the world…especially the US, Canada and even France in comparison to what we could listen to. That’s why DXing seemed to appeal to me…there was long distance UK MW DXing, after dark European MW DXing, transatlantic and short wave…including the number stations. Seems a shame that with modern technology and budget cuts to state broadcasters…a lot of those external broadcasters have disappeared now.

[IainJohnston]

What “got to me” with the WRTH was that USA stations under 1kW daytime hours, or 5kW unlimited (24/7 in today’s gobbledegook) weren’t listed by call/location! (Just x number of lower power stations on a frequency)

Very frustrating for a newbie jingle collector armed with station calls / frequencies jingle info but often no “City of Licence” details. And of course, actual postal addresses were only given for 10kW and above. Later on, zip codes at least DID start to appear on the “main lists”.

Many a “hot” Top 40 US station would only be 1kW day / 250w night, rather than a “50kW blowtorch” – for every WKBW there were many WNORs…

(PS – for those under the age of 40, we’re talking MW/AM here – FM listings were a LONG time coming in the WRTH for the USA, Canada, etc but at least Oz, NZ, and quite a few other “far away places” had much more detailed information (which was usually yonks out-of-date by the time the Swedish (?) compilers of WRTH caught up with reality. No “look-it-up-on-the-web” – indeed, NO PCs – a computer was still the size of a living room, and programmed by stacks of those good old punched-hole cards – Fortran IV anyone? )

[jonnoMember]

the old World Radio TV Handbooks used to publish descriptions of stations’ “int sigs”.

often including a stave for the benefit of those who could read music.

I picked up a 1970 copy of WRTH at a jumble sale in the very early 80s when I started SWLing, and purchased copies from about ’86 to ’90 when I was most actively listening to SW.

I remember writing to (I think) Jonathan Marks’ Media Network programme on Radio Netherlands asking about their interval sig. I did have a recording of the broadcast when it was read out and answered. Sadly another tape long since lost

[IainJohnston]

First WRTH I got was circa ’71 or ’72 – the only one I’ve still got is the 1999 edition…

Those early 1970s ones “got” me an awful lot of original jingle tapes from stations back then, at at time when the “same old, same old” stuff kept constantly rotating in diminishing “generation dub” quality – there had to be a way of getting “new, unheard of jingle dubs” and that was what I did … all being well a montage of such creaking old audio may well appear on this Forum before long …

[professor1036]

Sweden Calling was a good DX programme…I always tried to listen to that. I seem to remember it being on a Sunday night?

I was in my teens in the eighties, so I managed to only get hold of the WRTH via the main library (yes they had it in there) and I used to photocopy pages out of it. Yes…I picked one up at a jumble sale as well, it was well worn by this stage, with notes all over it!

[jonnoMember]

I picked up a 1970 copy of WRTH at a jumble sale

that should have read 1979.

[GrahamCollins]

Interesting, but could someone please explain what DX’ing is and why so many of these IDs sound virtually the same? Need some context to understand what I’m hearing.

Thanks

GC

[ratnobMember]

Wow – something very haunting about all of this. Is there one with a 77-WABC logo?!

[Walkerbroadcasting]

http://www.onairdj.com/atlanticfm1.mp3 here’s an “interval signal” of sorts… It’s Tristan Da Cunah’s Atlantic FM 93.5, 25W oerating for 2 hours every sunday morning..

[jonnoMember]

Interesting, but could someone please explain what DX’ing is

DX in ‘radio parlance’ means Long Distance, hence DXing is listening to, or in the case of ham radio communicating with, a station a long distance away. This wikipedia entry sums it up nicely http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DXing

and why so many of these IDs sound virtually the same? Need some context to understand what I’m hearing.

Thanks

GC

The interval signals used by international broadcasters on short wave (and medium wave) were to assist the listener to tune in before programmes commenced. International broadcasters schedules could typically be divided into 30 minute or 1 hour blocks, where each block would contain programmes in a given language. Also, on short wave the frequency (or frequencies) in use would change at different times of the day to suit geographical target audience areas or the time of day to cater for changing propagation conditions.

Short segments (looped) of familiar tunes, most often with some significance to the country of the broadcaster would be used as the interval signal.

eg. Radio Polonia’s interval signal was an excerpt from Chopin’s Étude Op. 10, No. 12 (known as the Revolutionary Étude or the Étude on the Bombardment of Warsaw). This Youtube clip contains a few repetitions of the interval signal, followed by the étude.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2qAktWfKeM

As for why many sound virtually the same? If you’re referring to the way many of them have a ‘chimey bell’ sound to them.. not so sure on this, but my guess is the sound is simple and clear so as to be more easily heard amidst all the other signals and static etc. esp. if the signal isn’t particularly strong.

hth?

[simon_t123Member]

There’s also the clandestine sideline to some of these interval signals, especially where the DX’er might pick up so called ‘numbers stations’ … the state run SW/LW stations whether running programming or just repeated blocks of numbers were actively involved with the delivery of secret one way messages to their governments ‘overseas agents’, spys in their simplest terms … sometimes coded keywords were delivered within conventional radio programming, and for the numbers stations automated blocks of numbers were read to be deciphered by the intended listener … the UK forces to this day use an electronic ‘jingle’ of the Lincolnshire Poacher tune to assist their intended listeners with tuning in to the station … there are photos of such tunes being played from cart machines …

[professor1036]

There’s also the clandestine sideline to some of these interval signals, especially where the DX’er might pick up so called ‘numbers stations’ … the state run SW/LW stations whether running programming or just repeated blocks of numbers were actively involved with the delivery of secret one way messages to their governments ‘overseas agents’, spys in their simplest terms … sometimes coded keywords were delivered within conventional radio programming, and for the numbers stations automated blocks of numbers were read to be deciphered by the intended listener … the UK forces to this day use an electronic ‘jingle’ of the Lincolnshire Poacher tune to assist their intended listeners with tuning in to the station … there are photos of such tunes being played from cart machines …

“The Lincolnshire Poacher” and “Cherry Ripe” broadcasts have ceased a few years ago.

http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/page14.html

I think it is one of the enduring mystery of number stations, very few people in authority have ever acknowledged their existence…so it is easy to draw conclusions to what they are/were. The ‘overseas agent’ story does seem to carry some weight, purely because it is so straightforward and hidden in plain sight. The little evidence out there about numbers stations does seem to point to this fact.

As for the relationship between number stations, clandestine and even state broadcasters? Not sure to be honest…

[GrahamCollins]

Thanks chaps. Makes much more sense now. Simon’s comments remind me of the coded messages read out by the BBC in normal programming during WW2 for resistance groups in Europe to mobilise when they heard the second lines of famous poems….. The 1962 movie ‘The Longest Day’ makes much of this.

[Radiolove]

And theres also the familiar R-a-d-i-o-T-e-l-e-L-u-x-e-m-b-o-u-r-g musical box interval signal that opens up 1440kHz MW every morning at 03.50UK (04.50CET).

[Prometheus]

A fascinating thread. Have been fascinated by the Numbers Stations for many years – stations that governments “neither confirm nor deny” their existence.

For those who are still a little unsure about these radio phenomena, it might be worth listening to this little Radio 4 programme from some years ago, by Simon Fanshawe which features one of the most recognisable interval signals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvr6o7fBcTY

It’s interesting to note that since the start of Russia’s annexing of Crimea, one “Numbers Station” has re-appeared on the SW dial: UVB76.

Separately, Walkerbroadcasting, I had a lengthy conversation about the British Overseas territory Tristan da Cunha (pop. 264) recently. A good friend of mine (a UK radio pioneer) takes over as their representative to the rest of the world’s government next year. Interesting to hear their “jingle”.

D

[Walkerbroadcasting]

It took me like 3 years to get that Atlantic FM 93.5n aircheck from Tristan Da Cunha

[loujosephs]

Radio Netherlands is done on a Carilion. Radio Sweden final was to the whole world an electronic piece. Orf used the Vienna waltz. If you enjoy these rcis former 42dd show host Ian McFarland has a lot of these which I purchased on cassette and cleaned them up to CD. Wnyw radio new york worldwide used a package of tracks from Robert hall productions plus the heller cbs logos and the nab 60s radio cuts which are in the kenr archives. Plus the Pam’s les marshak acapella from wabc and Dan Ingram brass blast plus a lot of general mor sounding things as I’d sort of breakers out of news

[professor1036]

Thanks for all the responses to the thread…it is greatly appreciated and as Iain has mentioned, it is a” whole fascinating world of “station identification” well away from the beaten track of the sung ID jingle!”

It’s interesting to note that since the start of Russia’s annexing of Crimea, one “Numbers Station” has re-appeared on the SW dial: UVB76.

Hiya Dave…from what I gather UVB-76 has been broadcasting pretty much non-stop since the late seventies/early eighties, along with it’s alledged sisters “The Pip” and “The Squeaky Wheel”. Although a few of the Number Stations have been in overdrive since ‘events’ have happened in the Ukraine and a couple of new stations/variations have popped up this year according to Enigma 2000 and Priyom.

The BBC (as well as other outlets) seem to be jumping on Numbers Stations again…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24910397

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24916774

What surprises me is that the BBC have wheeled out the old “Conet Project” recording of G03 “The Gong Station”, which sounds a lot more sinister than how I remember it and a lot of the other audio out there!

It took me like 3 years to get that Atlantic FM 93.5n aircheck from Tristan Da Cunha

Thank you for sharing that recording…always good to hear different sorts of identification from differing parts of the world, not forgetting the remaining British Territories.

[professor1036]

Just as a quick aside…this will be familiar to short wave listeners around the world!

[Prometheus]

Interesting thread on Interval Signals. Numbers Stations still fascinate me. If you have chance to watch the John Cusack film “Numbers Station”, don’t – it’s not great.

Regardless, as Lou mentioned “Carillon” (or Chimes) for Radio Netherlands, I thought I would share these pieces.

The Carillon on French national station “Europe 1” has been on-air since 1955. Even if you don’t speak French, I think the short videos (below) are easy to follow.

The first part shows you the original Europe 1 chimes, in the second part you see how it’s made into the Top of Hour used today.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZd-XoUUY9k
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYx8dYzulVY

David x

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