Oh, and what you saw was a post I’m working on in draft form. I clicked the wrong “save” button before I went to bed and I accidentally published a half-written unedited mess. It should be finished and up in a day or two.

O did you pull a post about a religious station on AM-1710 ? I thought I read something about that here but maybe it was another blog. Thought I’d ask …

But seriously… I suppose the studios over there in Moscow might have a little more a “live” sound in some way Richard but there’s some fat warmth and/or compression that I hear in the transmitted voices that makes me think of tube equipment and some kind of electronics magic. Maybe it’s an old state secret, and the “wood paneling” idea is just a red herring to throw us off the trail!

Speaking of that, I remember that when I was a kid I sent away for a program schedule from Radio Moscow. And not only did they send the schedule, but they continued to send me stuff like that for a while. And I recall there was often some odd smearing and wrinkling around the seal of those envelopes, as if the contents were “inspected” before they were sent along to my suburban mailbox.

Regarding the Voice of Russia and their “sound”, I remember reading one time that they claim it’s their wood-paneled studios that provide their distinctive character – if you listen carefully, there’s a characteristic decay component in the sound that suggests the walls aren’t the typical sound absorbing material that might be used.

Richard C. in Allentown, PA

Enjoyed this blog, and your last one too. Although I’m a DX’er first (and second), I find myself listening a lot these days when I get the rare chance to even tune the dials. Interestingly, we seem to listen to the same stations, possibly because those are the most readily heard non-religious, non-militia stations available. RDF Portugal is a Sunday morning favorite, and I’ve always loved AIR. I agree with you about the clarity (or lack of) of the announcers compared to the music.

73′s

Ross Comeau