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Old 11th Dec 2019, 6:15 pm   #1
Boho Liz
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Default Strange 1970's radio station?

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. It was near radio Luxemburg on MW and this would be early evening. Has anyone any idea what it could have been please? It used to spook me. Somebody suggested it could be used to keep a channel open maybe for emergency broadcasts.
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Old 11th Dec 2019, 8:30 pm   #2
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Interesting it could of been radio Monte Carlo on 1466 KC/s they had an interval signal sounded like a music box if I remember rightly or possibly it could of been the East German station on 1430 KC/s
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Old 11th Dec 2019, 8:54 pm   #3
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Hi and welcome to the forum

Could be the Radio Tirana signal was it played on a trumpet or cornet. and sounded rather mournful.

Regards RT
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Old 11th Dec 2019, 9:05 pm   #4
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

I used to find the Radio Prague one quite compelling…
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Old 11th Dec 2019, 9:18 pm   #5
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

A good collection here: https://youtu.be/fIbJgRZCzH4
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Old 11th Dec 2019, 9:40 pm   #6
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Thanks all! Found it on the previous thread and then YouTube just after I posted my question, and it was Radio Tirana interval signal. Almost as I remember it but my old tranny wasn't very clear. Apparently it broadcast communist propaganda! Did it only broadcast in the evening? I see it was very near Radio 1 so maybe it was that I was searching for rather than Luxembourg. I found it very spooky
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Old 11th Dec 2019, 11:55 pm   #7
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Seven notes is quite short, I can't off hand think off hand of which interval signal it might be.

If you could play/whistle/hum the tune, and upload a file (You will need to zip it, or link to an external repository), I'm sure we could identify the station.
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 12:03 am   #8
emeritus
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

I remember hearing a station near Luxembourg at that time using a repeated 7 note sequence. I did once keep tuned in until the actual broadcast commenced, but it was a language I didn't recognise. Dum dum dum daah deee duuuum dum.

Last edited by emeritus; 12th Dec 2019 at 12:09 am.
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 1:13 am   #9
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Hi,

I found the Vatican Radio interval signal enjoyable to listen to.

Kind regards
Dave
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 1:22 am   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave757 View Post
Hi,

I found the Vatican Radio interval signal enjoyable to listen to.

Kind regards
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It's always been my favorite interval signal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFzqLTBaIhs
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 1:41 am   #11
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Foreign services of national broadcasters generally used a distinctive interval signal. It filled the gap, of five minutes or so, between one language (or directional) service and another and made it easy for listeners to find the station just before the broadcast started.

Radio Tirana was unusual in that it broadcast with a similar political line to the Chinese, as distinct from the various Eastern European nations which were closely aligned with the Soviet Union.

Listening to international broadcasters gave an interesting insight into how news can be interpreted very differently, according to culture and politics and to how a country wanted to project its view of the world.

And I particularly remember during the Falklands war, how various foreign broadcasters were a day or two ahead of our own news services, especially in reporting naval engagements.
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 10:18 am   #12
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Back around the same time, I used to hear "the Voice Of America" on around 1400kHz or so, when driving home from work after midnight.
Most of the "locals" shut down at midnight in those days, so MF DX-ing on the car radio was quite easy.

Since that time, I have looked up all the information available on VOA, & they deny they ever had a MF outlet.
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 10:44 am   #13
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

The VoA Megawatt tx on Okinawa Island broadcast mostly in Chinese languages but also in English for one or two hours a day. Somewhere around 1180kHz. I only heard them once in 1964, coming over co-channel Sweden at the time
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 10:46 am   #14
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldmadham View Post
Back around the same time, I used to hear "the Voice Of America" on around 1400kHz or so, when driving home from work after midnight.
Most of the "locals" shut down at midnight in those days, so MF DX-ing on the car radio was quite easy.

Since that time, I have looked up all the information available on VOA, & they deny they ever had a MF outlet.
I wonder if maybe this was acrually one of the American Forces Network medium-wave stations in Europe that relayed VOA on occasions? I spent a lot of time in the 60s and 70s listening to AFN during the night - they played Jazz!! And broadcast live boxing-matches from New York, baseball-games etc - all vastly more interesting to us teenagers than anything the BBC had on offer.
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 10:48 am   #15
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boho Liz View Post
Thanks all! Found it on the previous thread and then YouTube just after I posted my question, and it was Radio Tirana interval signal. Almost as I remember it but my old tranny wasn't very clear. Apparently it broadcast communist propaganda! Did it only broadcast in the evening? I see it was very near Radio 1 so maybe it was that I was searching for rather than Luxembourg. I found it very spooky

In my old job I used to fly past Tirana frequently and I often looked down and imagined the old days of Radio Tirana. Isn't it their mad presidents wife who had millions of shoes?

David
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 11:01 am   #16
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

A former colleague has collected a vast number of these interval signals. Have a listen:

http://www.intervalsignals.net/index.htm

Off topic for this thread, but that site also contains many examples of jamming.
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 11:33 am   #17
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Imelda Marcos was obsessed with shoes.
AFRTS used to relay Voice of America on MW.
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 11:34 am   #18
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Hi Ian

I recall hearing wideband jamming on one of the E.I.R.Racal 1792's (it was tuned to a Western democracy-broadcast being sent to the Communist bloc) - selecting 'FM' produced a perfect 'Mayak' programme of near re-broadcast quality.


Back to the topic, it was the description of the int sig having seven notes that's had me counting out the Tirane theme ... I make it eight:


"dah, dah-dee-dah dah de dah ... dah" - ?


Fascinating website, Ian!


Guy
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Last edited by Nymrod121; 12th Dec 2019 at 11:36 am. Reason: add salutation
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 11:40 am   #19
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

R Tirana's interval tune was well know back in the 1970's. If memory serves me well they use to broadcast on:
206m, close to R Luxembourg and caused co channel interference to BBC R4 West, and BBC local stations after 1972
247m which was co channel to Radio 1
276m which was co channel to BBC R4 Midlands then BBC Europe after 1972.
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Old 12th Dec 2019, 11:50 am   #20
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Default Re: Strange 1970's radio station?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldmadham View Post
Back around the same time, I used to hear "the Voice Of America" on around 1400kHz or so, when driving home from work after midnight.
Most of the "locals" shut down at midnight in those days, so MF DX-ing on the car radio was quite easy.

Since that time, I have looked up all the information available on VOA, & they deny they ever had a MF outlet.
VOA had a 100Kw transmitter on 791 kHz located at Salonika in Greece. I believe there may also have been a ship board station, the ship being MV Courier.

Source, Guide to Broadcasting Stations 15th edition 1966.

EDIT.

That's correct. MV Courier was on 1259 kHz:-

http://www.offshoreradiomuseum.co.uk/page595.html
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