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Has anyone ever heard of these weird shortwave transmissions?

gar hi

gar hi

It's called the 'Yosemite Sam' transmissions and apparently it's been going on since 2004.

It's a burst of sound followed by the voice of Yosemite Sam saying "Varmint, I'm going to blow ya to smithereens!"

The exact origin is still unknown but it's supposed to be in New Mexico. It broadcasts on one frequency at a time and they are
3700 kHz, 4300 kHz, 6500 kHz, and 10500 kHz.

http://video.us.msn.com/watch/video/the-mysterious-yosemite-sam-radio-transmission/1fo6132

Has anyone heard these transmissions on their shortwave radio?
 
I haven't heard this particular one but have run across similiar stations in the past. Seems like with the advent of the Internet these stations are less prevalent on SW but still around nonetheless....
 
Don't know. The story in the link was only recently so I assume it's still a mystery.

Speaking of strange noises on shortwave, in the late 60s my older brother listened to a signal from Cuba which sounded exactly like a song being played with bagpipes. This was in New Jersey.

I remember it so clearly still. It was a melody that lasted a few seconds and then would stop for about three seconds and then repeat. The same melody day and night.

I've searched and searched the internet to see if anyone else had mentioned this but no luck so far.
 
gar fla said:
Don't know. The story in the link was only recently so I assume it's still a mystery.

Speaking of strange noises on shortwave, in the late 60s my older brother listened to a signal from Cuba which sounded exactly like a song being played with bagpipes. This was in New Jersey.

I remember it so clearly still. It was a melody that lasted a few seconds and then would stop for about three seconds and then repeat. The same melody day and night.

I've searched and searched the internet to see if anyone else had mentioned this but no luck so far.
Click to expand...

I think I heard that station too back in the '60s. I wish I knew musical notation because I can still remember the tune. Did it sound like one pipe or a full bagpipe drone? The station I remember sounded like someone playing a little melody on one pipe, with no background drone at all. Is this what your brother was listening to?

For some reason, I thought it was a US-based utility station with a musical alternative to the looped "This is a transmission for circuit adjustment purposes ..." announcement that AT&T used to use, rather than a Cuban.
 
It sounded more like a typical bagpipe song, with a background drone.

There was no voice that ever went along with it.
 
It's been kind of frustrating because with the size of the internet, I figured there would be some reference or recording on YouTube of the 'bagpipes' but there's nothing.

If I had a piano handy, I could play the notes and record it because the tune is still fresh in my mind after more than 43 years.
 
I don't think so. LOL That would be embarrassing. I'm way too self conscious to do something like that.

I remember them but thought they had something to do with international telephone communications
Click to expand...

I talked to my older brother last night and asked him everything he remembers about the transmissions and I mentioned that someone on the radio board was familiar with the bagpipes sounds and said it had something to do with international telephone communications. So my brother said yes, it did. And then he said he sometimes heard a voice in English that said "Hello Moscow." He assumed the broadcast originated in Cuba. It was the height of the cold war.

So it looks like we are talking about the same thing here after all and maybe it did originate in the US somewhere.
 
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