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AFRTS Thule Greenland
- Thread starter MWDXER
- Start date
When I was in the Air Force, Thule and Johnson Island (atoll) is were where they "threatened" to send you if you screwed up.
Johnston Island is now totally empty, they closed it down about 2000 and nothing is left. We used to pull in there when I was in the Coast Guard on a buoy tender based out of Honolulu from 1982-84.. They had 2 FM AFRTS stations there on FM, one relayed the AFRTS Shortwave service, and the other was actually connected to KSSK 590 Honolulu.
Johnston Island is now under the NWR and off-limits. It's last big "mission" was a place to burn old chemical munitions.
As far as I can tell, AFRTS-TV is gone from over-the-air transmission in all countries - now replaced by on-base cable TV and encrypted DTH services. FM stations operate in all the theatres. High-power AM still remains in Japan (810) with lower power signals elsewhere in Japan (and perhaps still in South Korea.) Other small footprint AM stations are in Diego Garcia, Turkey, and Gitmo. AFN radio is completely off shortwave. I do not know if AFN still has any presence in our 49th state.
If you travel overseas you can download the "AFN go" app and listen to the AFN outlets. It's geo-blocked in the US.
As far as I can tell, AFRTS-TV is gone from over-the-air transmission in all countries - now replaced by on-base cable TV and encrypted DTH services. FM stations operate in all the theatres. High-power AM still remains in Japan (810) with lower power signals elsewhere in Japan (and perhaps still in South Korea.) Other small footprint AM stations are in Diego Garcia, Turkey, and Gitmo. AFN radio is completely off shortwave. I do not know if AFN still has any presence in our 49th state.
If you travel overseas you can download the "AFN go" app and listen to the AFN outlets. It's geo-blocked in the US.
If you use a VPN can you listen to it?
I imagine so regarding VPNs. When I was in Europe I used the app, even in a country that did not have an AFN station. You're not just limited to stations in your geographic zone. You can listen to AFN "The Eagle 810" Tokyo and be in London. Per the AFN website the DTH satellite subscriptions are only for military and DOD civilians deployed overseas as well as military overseas retirees.
There are plenty of online SDRs in Japan that can receive the 810 signal in Tokyo, so another way to listen.
Used to be easy to listen to AFRTS on shortwave, but that was decades ago.
810 can often be audible here.
And as to AFRTS here... i am not sure. one of the branches has an unlicensed station in colorado springs and has for years, i seem to recall
Yes, but it's not an AFRTS operation. "KAFA" is run by students at the Air Force Academy.
97.7 The Academy • United States Air Force Academy
Broadcasting live from the United States Air Force Academy, 97.7 The Academy is a cadet run radio station. Tune in to never miss a beat.
www.usafa.edu
In the past, there were student stations at the Naval Academy in Annapolis and at West Point, but they've been pushed off the dial by FCC-licensed stations.
Thanks for the link, never knew about this station before but I’m listening and like itYes, but it's not an AFRTS operation. "KAFA" is run by students at the Air Force Academy.
97.7 The Academy • United States Air Force Academy
Broadcasting live from the United States Air Force Academy, 97.7 The Academy is a cadet run radio station. Tune in to never miss a beat.
In the past, there were student stations at the Naval Academy in Annapolis and at West Point, but they've been pushed off the dial by FCC-licensed stations.
There still seems to be a small amount of AM in Greenland - a few 5-10kW stations on 570, 650 and 720. I've never received any of them. Most radio there is very low-power FM in the settlements.
Greenland actually shut down all of its government run AMs many years ago in favor of all-FM, but eventually reinstated the AM transmitters after fishing interests and other remote listeners complained they had no reception of the FM signals. Can’t recall specific years on that.
Greenland Radio also used to have a shortwave outlet on 3999 kHz. Long gone.
There's still a 1485 AM on Svalbard (Norway) for similar reasons, even after mainland Norway phased out FM in favor of DAB. Longyearbyen is north of the northernmost AM and FM transmitters in Greenland, so it may be the northernmost radio station in the world! Unless there are any Forces stations in the far north of Canada.
This is the tower for 1kw 1485kHz NRK P1 Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway. This picture was taken by Håvard Wien, Head of Radiodistribution for national broadcaster NRK and sent to me after I reported reception of the 1485kHz transmitter in Alaska.
From what I was told, this sounds like it's the only analog transmitter left in the country and everything else is DAB/online.
Here's audio of some of what I heard from NRK P1 1485kHz:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_PeVGkCUxGfnuymT_QVrgANxL9QZD1_S/view?usp=sharing
That's a great pic!
I'm going for a few days' break in Tromsø in Arctic Norway in the New Year (it's only a 3-hour flight from here) - from what I gather from online sources, there is one local station still on FM but the vast majority of radio there is DAB. I'm taking my trusty FM/DAB radio with me, so I'll see!
Before it was turned off, I was able to receive NRK FM programming from Bergen and Ålesund on a car radio in Shetland, to the north of Scotland, about 200 miles away.
Pituffik, Greenland is the home to Thule Space Base. (Remember, the US Space Force was established and picked up space-related elements of the other US Armed Forces' branches. )
simpleflying.com
Yes, it's "smurf-cold" there as everyone turns blue from the temperatures . (Spanish speakers would get the joke. "Pituffik" sounds too much like "pitufo" which is the Spanish name for "smurf.")
The 5 Most Remote US Military Air Bases & Their Strategic Roles
Discover the strategic might of the 5 most remote US military air bases, securing global defense from the Arctic Circle to the Pacific Rim.
simpleflying.com
Yes, it's "smurf-cold" there as everyone turns blue from the temperatures . (Spanish speakers would get the joke. "Pituffik" sounds too much like "pitufo" which is the Spanish name for "smurf.")
That's the noise I make when I get out of my chair too fast.
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