Category Archives: Radio Shows

Bouncing off the ionosphere

Posted on by
Reply

Here’s a lovely piece of radio-related graphics which we received the other week thanks to DJ Frederick. It’s a Free Radio Skybird log book designed and produced by the graphic artist NanSea Griggs. It’s an excellent hand-crafted booklet in a folded over card cover which is a collaged, hand stamped, one-off piece which we love here! Have a look at her other work for the cassette label whythetapesplay. Designwise it’s a refreshing breathe of fresh air which makes us shout “Bring back the Prittstick, PVA and the John Bull printing kit to graphic design!”

Just a reminder that Free Radio Skybird will be on the air tomorrow Sunday 29th March at 1100 UTC (1200 UK) on 6070 kHz via Channel 292. The programme will feature Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory (at 10 mins in) and One Deck Pete’s “Radio fanatics of the world unite” mix (at 25 mins in) and other interesting stuff. If you haven’t got a shortwave radio tune in here and enjoy something “a little way different” as they say.

Next weekend, today

Posted on by
Reply

 

https://soundcloud.com/djfrederick/free-radio-skybird-march-29-2020

Here’s a sneak preview of DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird to be transmitted on Sunday 29th March at 1100 UTC (1200 UK) on 6070 kHz via Channel 292. The show will also be rebroadcast on Sunday 5th April at 1100 UTC (1200 UK) on 6070 kHz.

The programme features Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory (at 25 mins in) and One Deck Pete’s “Radio fanatics of the world unite” mix (at 10 mins in) that features tunes from Nadezha Orlova, Duce Haus and Yemanjo and the Monarch Duo. Don’t touch that (internet) dial!

Tune into the world outside

Posted on by
Reply

We may be locked out from the outside world for a short while but don’t worry, that interesting thing called radio will help us through this mad time.

The next episode of DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird will be aired on Sunday 29th March at 1100 UTC (1200 UK) on 6070 kHz via Channel 292. The show will be rebroadcast on Sunday 5th April at 1100 UTC (1200 UK) on 6070 kHz also. If you haven’t got a shortwave radio it can also be heard on the SDR link on Channel 292’s site here.

The programme will feature Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory and One Deck Pete presenting the Skybird Mailbag. There’ll also be an airing of Pete’s “Radio fanatics of the world unite” mix that has tunes from Nadezha Orlova, Duce Haus and Yemanjo and the Monarch Duo. Also in the next couple of months Free Radio Skybird will take to the air a little bit more. We will keep you posted!

And further radio help can be obtained from this week’s instalment of This is a music show available below. As usual there’s a mix of excellent music in a cross genre style, image data and a corker of a dub track. Our kind of radio show!

https://soundcloud.com/thisisamusicshow/this-is-a-music-show-056

This is a blog post about this is a music show

Posted on by
Reply

We’ve just recently discovered on twitter through @StrangeBeacons an excellent shortwave broadcast called This is a music show which is now on our weekly listening rota. It’s put together by someone called “Your host” and originates out of Toronto, Canada and their recent shows are up on their soundcloud page here.

https://soundcloud.com/thisisamusicshow/this-is-a-music-show-055

The show contains a real eclectic mix of music from records founds in thrift shops, lesser known international classics, pitched down disco, easy listening, across the board malarkey and some excellent dub! Added to that, there’s shout outs and even images and text broadcast in MFSK64 digital mode too, all in an hour, how do they fit it all in? Tune in, you’ll like it!

We tried on youtube to find one of the tunes played on the latest show Sanchez’s “One in a million dub” but only found the vocal version but these two related tunes turned up. We never knew that about the Eddie Floyd original that inspired the reggae version. Well you learn something new every day!

Free Radio Skybird coming to you soon…

Posted on by
Reply

It seems like it’s been a while since DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird was last on the shortwaves. Don’t worry, it won’t be long until the next one on Sunday 16th February at 1400 UTC/UK on 6070 kHz via Channel 292. The show will be rebroadcast on Sunday 23rd February at 1100 UTC/UK on 7440 kHz. If you haven’t got a shortwave radio it can also be heard on the SDR link on Channel 292’s site here.

The programme will feature Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory and One Deck Pete (from Weeds up to me knees) presenting the Skybird Mailbag. There’ll also be an airing of Pete’s “Less is more” that has new tunes from Mai, Mohammad-Reza  Shajarian & Seventh Soul and Blanco.

Mixes from previous shows are available at our audio podcast page here. The programme will be available on DJ Frederick’s Soundcloud page a day or so before transmission date if you want to hear it in true stereo but we here prefer the show with added noises from the ionosphere. Tune in and turn on! #shortwavesnotdead #madtone #freeradioskybird

Free Radio Skybird’s last flight of 2019

Posted on by
Reply

The last transmission of 2019 from DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird will be on Tuesday December 31st at 0900 UTC on 6070 kHz shortwave via Channel 292. The show will be rebroadcast on Sunday 5th January at 1100 UTC/UK on 7440 kHz. If you haven’t got a suitable shortwave set it can also be heard on the SDR link on Channel 292’s site here.

The programme will feature Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory and One Deck Pete (from Weeds up to me knees) presenting the Skybird Mailbag. There’ll also be an airing of Pete’s “Nine and a half minutes at ninety BPM” that has new tunes from: Frapp, Blundetto, Lama’s Dream and Mario Pinosa Trio. Mixes from previous shows are available at our audio podcast page here.

The programme will be available on DJ Frederick’s Soundcloud page a day or so before transmission date if you want to hear it in true stereo but we here prefer the show via the ionosphere. Tune in and turn on! #shortwavesnotdead #madtone #freeradioskybird

By the way we’re always looking for decent tunes to play on our spot on Free Radio Skybird. If you know of anything “up our street” so to speak, do contact us via the blog or at onedeckpete (at) gmail (dot) com and if we like it we’ll play it. Free Radio Skybird is now available via 5 FM stations in the USA WSCS, WMNB, KBOG, KOWS and WEJP as well as good old shortwave via Channel 292 and the above is the transmission zone when the conditions are good.

Weekending and chilled

Posted on by
Reply

An excellent instrumental (the vocal side from Kahina Quali is top too!) from the great Blundetto with Booker Gee out of Paris, France to wind you down for the working week ahead.

If all goes well this one will be aired alongside other quality tunes from Frapp, Lama’s Dream and Mario Pinosa Trio in a mix called “Nine and a half minutes at ninety bpm” broadcast on the next transmission of Free Radio Skybird on New Years Eve at 09:00 UTC on 6070 kHz which will be repeated on Sunday January 5th at 12:00 UTC on 7440 kHz. Get your set set.

Here’s a random pic from the blog to remind ourselves of how things are in the garden when the weather is nice as it’s been a while since we’ve set foot in out there let alone stick a fork in the ground!

Channel 292, Where are you?

Posted on by
Reply

Today One Deck Pete‘s “Bouncing off the ionosphere” mix was broadcast on Free Radio Skybird in the 49 meter band on shortwave. Due to interference and unfavourable conditions there was no recording off the airwaves today so here’s the studio version for your listening pleasure. #shortwavesnotdead #shortwavesnotdead

Festive free radio fun

Posted on by
Reply

Next Sunday 8th December at 1700 UTC/UK will be a new transmission from DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird on 6070 kHz shortwave via Channel 292 and if you haven’t got a suitable radio it can also be heard on the SDR link on their site here. The show will be rebroadcast the week after on Sunday 15th December at 1100 UTC/UK also on 6070 kHz.

This month’s programme will feature: Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory, Steve with Indie Science Radio and our very own One Deck Pete presenting the Skybird Mailbag. Also there’ll be an airing of Pete’s “Bouncing off the ionosphere” that has new tunes from: UK DD, Koko, Maxime Tisne-Versailles, Amy Root and Ernest Freeman.

The programme will be available on DJ Frederick’s Soundcloud page a day or so before transmission date if you want to hear it in true stereo but we here prefer the show via the ionosphere. Tune in and turn on! #shortwavesnotdead #madtone #freeradioskybird

We don’t want no more co-channel interference

Posted on by
Reply

Here’s the studio recording of One Deck Pete’s “Sunspot minimum but the music’s maximum mix” which was transmitted on Free Radio Skybird on the 5th October 2019. (No recording off the airwaves this time due to poor quality signal and co-channel interference.)

Tracklistings:
Froth Whitlam – “Sheeba”
Dasya – “Tango on the Street”
Andre J Kwenda – “Umbali”
Madtone – “Diamond in the sky” first worldwide play on shortwave radio.

And if you’re longing to hear a bit of distorted audio here’s what Madtone’s “Diamond in the sky” sounded like recorded off an online SDR in Carlow, Ireland. Additional percussion thanks to co-channel interference from Radio China International and fades and noise courtesy of the E and F layers of the Ionosphere.