RETRO RECEIVER REVIEW # 21 - The Kenwood R-5000

4885   BRAZIL. R. Difusora Acreana, Rio Branco.  Beautiful signal into Mount Evelyn at 0950 with a religious program. No time pips or ID at 1000. But at 1002 there was a full ID for Radio Difusora Acreana, A Voz das Selvas, and frequencies quoted as 1400 kHz MW and 4885 kHz "banda tropical". Unusually strong reception for the mid-summer non-Latin season in Melbourne. There were a couple of other Brazilian carriers noted this night but nothing intelligible, and nothing from other Latin stations, except for R. Rebelde 5025 which was blasting out the strongest it has been for several months.

Radio Difusora Acreana began broadcasting in August 1944 and is a pioneer broadcaster in Brazil, responsible for communicating news and important information to the region. The local community has relied on the station for 68 years now, serving the far western part of Brazil. It has proven particularly important because for many people deep in the Amazon region, Difusora Acreana is the only source of information and entertainment, giving true meaning to the station's motto "A Voz das Selvas" (The Voice of the Jungle)

There is a lovely little video on Vimeo which pays a visit to the station and provides a visual understanding of the region in which it broadcasts. It's all in Portuguese but you'll get the idea! Check it out at:

http://vimeo.com/10053168

Rob VK3BVW