CLANDESTINE STATIONS
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
Part 1

(This post is an edited version of an article I wrote for "The World of Shortwave Listening" column of The Spectrum Monitor magazine - December 2022 issue. Further details on this excellent publication are available at www.thespectrummonitor.com)

In August 2016, I wrote in this blog about clandestine broadcasting with a two-part series called Clandestine Stations Alive and Well - Part 1 and Part 2. We discussed how shortwave is an ideal medium for stations wanting to have their voices heard in countries where there may be severe opposition to their political or religious views. At one time, covert operations were restricted to very small transmitter setups, often in the jungles or remote mountainous regions of Asia, Central and South America, and parts of Africa.

These days, opposition broadcasting organizations now have access to modern high-powered transmitting facilities and vast antenna arrays provided by sympathetic governments or global brokers of HF transmitter sites with spare capacity in their operating schedules. Air time can be on-sold for a few dollars per hour, making it affordable for any fledgling political movement to get its voice heard relatively easily while providing additional income for the transmitter owners.

It is interesting to observe how some clandestine stations have come and gone while others have managed to stay on the air over many years. Indeed, from the small list of stations I focused on back in 2016, two have disappeared from the airwaves, but quite a few new broadcasters have emerged. So, let’s spend some time this month putting a few recent additions under the microscope.

NOTE: All times listed here are in UTC, and frequencies are in kHz.

Radio Iran International

Volant Media UK Ltd is based in London, a privately-owned broadcasting organization focused on reaching global audiences in “frontier markets”. The company stresses its independence from mainstream media by providing factual content and impartial analysis for what they term “unique audiences” - regions where it believes traditional media underserve specific countries’ populations. Utilising 11 satellites, radio and digital platforms (Internet, apps, podcasts), Volant Media boasts it has a global audience of 30 million.

One of Volant’s brands is Iran International TV, a satellite television station. The belief behind the product is that Iranian listeners should have access to a fair and balanced perspective on the world beyond that country’s borders. In November 2019, the satellite’s audio feed began appearing on the shortwave bands. This proved to be an interesting concept because, as its programme content seems to be primarily verbal rather than visual, consisting of news, current affairs, commentaries, sport, education and the like, no other radio-specific content needs to be developed. Just streaming the satellite feed via shortwave provides the station with an additional media platform without much extra cost.

Radio Iran International broadcasts daily in Farsi (Persian) via 100 kW transmitters in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on the following schedule:

0430 to 1330 UTC on 15630 kHz

1330-0430 UTC on 5830 kHz

Afghanistan International

Prior to the completion of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last year, Volant Media extended its operations with a new service called Afghanistan International TV. Using a similar formula to its Iranian service, the station points to the need for news, information and analysis to help the Afghan people make informed decisions about their destiny.

On its website, the station describes Afghanistan as one of the youngest countries in the world with an expanding population, quoting that 63 per cent of its 28 million people are under the age of 25. As a result, programming from the 24-hour news channel is targeted at that sector of the population.

The station has found a permanent spot on the shortwave dial for the entire 24-hour period. Using 100 kW transmitters, programs are in the Pashto and Dari languages on the following schedule:

0300 to 1300 UTC on 7600 kHz via Tashkent, Uzbekistan

1300 to 0300 UTC on 7600 kHz via Gavar, Armenia

Mizzima Radio

The start of 2022 saw the first broadcasts from a new clandestine broadcaster. Mizzima Radio is on the air in Burmese with a daily schedule via the relay stations at Tamsui, Taiwan and Dhabayya, United Arab Emirates.

However, the agency behind Mizzima Radio is not new! It has existed since 1998, founded by veteran journalists of Myanmar's 1988 pro-democracy uprising. Mizzima has separate websites in Burmese and English, a free-to-air TV channel, a YouTube channel, satellite broadcasting, smartphone apps, social media presence, and a digital publications unit. Such is the nature of modern “covert” media these days!

But, I find it fascinating that an organization boasting such an array of multi-media platforms should also choose to utilize an "old school" medium such as shortwave radio!

Although the company began life in India as an exiled media enterprise, it was registered in 2012 in Myanmar as the Mizzima Media Co. Ltd. However, the company's website indicates that although it still operates inside Myanmar, there are difficulties in carrying on its day-to-day business.

Since the military junta returned to power last year, Mizzima journalists have been subjected to a life-or-death daily existence in pursuit of independent media for the people of Myanmar. Their offices are regularly ransacked, while staff have been rounded up and subjected to detention and torture. Over the years, the company has had considerable experience working covertly and circumventing attempts by the military to impede its activities.

Mizzima Media believes that its adoption of multiple media platforms places it in a solid position to still get the word out to its Myanmar citizens and the world. If the military tries to close down one media outlet, other platforms and Mizzima offices inside and outside the country can still publish and broadcast to the people. And so, it would appear that the company has chosen shortwave radio as another avenue to reinforce its operations. Who said shortwave radio was out-of-date technology?

The schedule for Mizzima Radio in Burmese beamed to South East Asia is as follows:

0130 to 0200 UTC on 17755 kHz via Tamsui, Taiwan

0300 to 0430 UTC on 17755 kHz via Tamsui, Taiwan

1130 to 1300 UTC on 17730 kHz via Dhabayya, U.A.E.