South Africa's voice on shortwave goes silent

by Hans van de Groenendaal, features editor, EngineerIT

Shortwave is where radio communication began. Once a powerful voice to tell the story of South Africa to the world, this voice has gone silent as Sentech closed down its shortwave broadcasting facility at Bloemendal near Meyerton on 30 March 2019.

Sentech inherited South Africa’s Bloemendal shortwave radio station near Meyerton when Radio RSA was closed down. Radio RSA started its broadcast on 1 May 1966 and by 1976 the station transmitted for 36 hours a week in twelve languages including English, French, Portuguese, and Afrikaans. The service was discontinued in 1992. The only transmission that survived the close down was a broadcast into Africa, renamed Channel Africa which has daily programmes in Chinyanja, Silozi, Portuguese, Swahili, and English. The SABC also transmits Radio Sonder Grense (RSG) on shortwave to the Northern Cape.

Additional story at: https://www.ee.co.za/article/south-africas-voice-on-shortwave-goes-silent.html

South African stations winter schedules

All times UTC

South Africa

B-13 schedule of Channel Africa
0300-0355  3345 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF   English Mon-Fri
0300-0355  6155 MEY 250 kW 019 deg to EaCeAF English Mon-Fri
0400-0700  7230 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF   English Mon-Fri
0600-0655 15255 MEY 250 kW 328 deg to WeAF   English Mon-Fri
0700-1200  9625 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF   English Mon-Fri
1200-1300  9625 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF   Nyanja Mon-Fri
1300-1400  9625 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF   Lozi Mon-Fri
1400-1500  9625 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF   Portuguese Mon-Fri
1500-1600  9625 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF   English Mon-Fri
1500-1555 17770 MEY 250 kW 019 deg to EaCeAF Swahili Mon-Fri
1600-1655 15235 MEY 250 kW 340 deg to WeAF   French Mon-Fri
1700-1755 15235 MEY 250 kW 340 deg to WeAF   English Mon-Fri

B-13 schedule of South African Radio League
0800-0900  7205 MEY 100 kW non-dir to SoAF English Sun
0800-0900 17760 MEY 250 kW 019 deg to EaAF English Sun
1630-1730  4895 MEY 100 kW non-dir to SoAF English Mon

B-13 schedule of Radio Sonder Grense
0400-0700  7285 MEY 100 kW 275 deg to SoAF Afrikaans
0700-1800  9650 MEY 100 kW 275 deg to SoAF Afrikaans
1800-0400  3320 MEY 100 kW 275 deg to SoAF Afrikaans
(DX MIX News, Ivo Ivanov-BUL, via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Nov 25)
(WWDXC/Top Nx 1139)

South Africa summer schedule updates

South Africa

Channel Africa A13 summer schedule 
0300-0355  5980 MEY 250 kW 019 deg to EaCeAF English Mon-Fri
0300-0455  3345 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF English Mon-Fri
0500-0655  7230 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF English Mon-Fri
0600-0655 15255 MEY 250 kW 328 deg to WeAF English Mon-Fri
0700-1200  9625 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF English Mon-Fri
1200-1300  9625 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF Nyanja Mon-Fri
1300-1400  9625 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF Lozi Mon-Fri
1400-1500  9625 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF Portuguese Mon-Fri
1500-1600  9625 MEY 100 kW 005 deg to SoAF English Mon-Fri
1500-1555 15660 MEY 250 kW 005 deg to EaCeAF Swahili Mon-Fri
1600-1655 15235 MEY 250 kW 340 deg to WeAF French Mon-Fri
1700-1755 15235 MEY 250 kW 340 deg to WeAF English Mon-Fri

SA Radio League A-13 summer schedule 
0800-0900  7205 MEY 100 kW non-dir to SoAF English Sun
0800-0900 17660 MEY 250 kW 019 deg to EaAF English Sun, not 17570
1630-1730  3230 MEY 100 kW non-dir to SoAF English Mon

Radio Sonder Grense A-13 summer schedule
0500-0755  7285 MEY 100 kW 275 deg to SoAF Afrikaans
0800-1755  9650 MEY 100 kW 275 deg to SoAF Afrikaans
1800-0455  3320 MEY 100 kW 275 deg to SoAF Afrikaans
(DX MIX News, Ivo Ivanov-BUL, via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 3)

(WWDXC/Top News 1122)

Radio Sonder Grense Summer Schedule

South Africa

Effective: 25 March - 28 October 1012

All times UTC

broadcast daily unless otherwise indicated
programming targeted to domestic audience

Afrikaans
0000-0100 3320
0100-0200 3320
0200-0300 3320
0300-0400 3320
0400-0500 3320
0500-0600 3320 7285
0600-0700 3320 7285
0700-0800 3320 7285
0800-0900 3320 9650
0900-1000 3320 9650
1000-1100 3320 9650
1100-1200 3320 9650
1200-1300 3320 9650
1300-1400 3320 9650
1400-1500 3320 9650
1500-1600 3320 9650
1600-1700 3320 9650
1700-1800 3320
1800-1900 3320
1900-2000 3320
2000-2100 3320
2100-2200 3320
2200-2300 3320
2300-0000 3320
(BCDX Top News 1059)

Streaming audio at: http://www.rsg.co.za/

*************************************************
kHz time zones loc kW degr
3320 1700-0500 57NW MEY 100 275 Afr AFS SAB SNT
7285 0500-0800 57NW MEY 100 275 Afr AFS SAB SNT
9650 0800-1700 57NW MEY 100 275 Afr AFS SAB SNT
(Andreas Tschauder-D, A-DX March 28)
(BCDX Top News 1059/Wolfgang Bueschel)