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"Wavescan" is a weekly program for long distance radio hobbyists produced by Dr. Adrian M. Peterson, Coordinator of International Relations for Adventist World Radio. AWR carries the program over many of its stations (including shortwave). Adrian Peterson is a highly regarded DXer and radio historian, and often includes features on radio history in his program. We are reproducing those features below, with Dr. Peterson's permission and assistance.

Wavescan N550, September 8, 2019

Small Country, Two Large Radio Stations: Radio Andorra Relay Services

As we mentioned here in Wavescan two weeks ago, Radio Andorra was closed abruptly by the police soon after 1900 UTC on Thursday, April 9, 1981, amidst a scene of intense political wrangling. Six months later, the Chief Engineer stated that he was conducting transmitter tests twice each week, no doubt with the hope that the station would be reactivated again, a hope that was never fulfilled.

At the time of its closure, Radio Andorra was on the air from its Studio Building on Pena de les Anelletes, using its famous castle-like transmitter building nearby, with feed lines up to its mediumwave towers on the shore line of the mountain top Lake Engolasters. The transmitter building housed a total of six transmitters for use on mediumwave and shortwave.  These were:

After Radio Andorra exited the radio scene, the castle-like transmitter building lay abandoned for many years, though we understand that attempts are currently underway for the conversion of the building into a radio museum. In addition to transmitting the programming of Radio Andorra itself, this station was used at times to broadcast programming from other organizations as well.

Radio Caroline

One famous usage of Radio Andorra was for the revival in 1969 of the British offshore station Radio Caroline. A single test broadcast on 428 metres (701 kHz) medium wave was made on March 2nd, 1969, one year to the day after the two Caroline ships had been forcibly towed away from their anchorages.

In the 1969 edition of the WRTH, the Radio Andorra medium wave transmitter is listed as operating with 280 kW on 701 kHz. But, although Caroline DJ "Daffy" Don Allen enthusiastically presented the "Caroline Revival Hour" at midnight UK time, reception in the British Isles was just not good enough to justify continued broadcasts.

Here is the intro to that one test broadcast.

Radio 428

Then in early 1970 a group of progressive rock music enthusiasts also rented time on the Radio Andorra transmitter, and produced a test broadcast as "Radio 428" (701 kHz). However, they experienced the same results as Caroline, and ended up launching instead as "Radio Geronimo" via the more powerful transmitter of Radio Monte Carlo on 205 metres (1463 kHz).

Here is a clip from the Radio 428 broadcast.

World Music Radio

Some six years later, Radio Andorra acted as a relay station for World Music Radio in Amsterdam in Holland. World Music Radio began as an unlicensed land-based pirate radio station that was on the air from different locations in Holland with music and DX programs on Sundays. On August 19, 1973, World Music Radio was detected and closed by the Dutch authorities.

From that time onwards, World Music Radio endeavored to be completely legal, and they were granted authorization as a commercial radio station three years later, in June 1976. Two months later again they were granted air time on the international shortwave service of Radio Andorra, and their initial program schedule showed six hours of programming on Saturdays, beginning on August 28 (1976). At that stage, Radio Andorra was on the air shortwave via its 3.5 kW transmitter on 6220 kHz.

The programming schedule for World Music Radio via Andorra was generally rather irregular, though at the latter stages of these broadcasts from Andorra, Andy Sennitt at the WRTVHB provided support with programming and DX information.

Radio Andorra activated a 10 kW shortwave transmitter in the summer of the year 1980. However, the increased cost of broadcasting over this unit was more than World Music Radio could afford, and their last broadcast from Radio Andorra took place on Sunday, October 19, 1980.  

World Music Radio issued an attractive QSL card in color (green) from their postal address at Box 4078 in Amsterdam, Holland.  This card was printed with the identification of Radio Andorra as the shortwave relay station.

Radio Scandinavia

Next on the list was Radio Scandinavia, which took out a relay from Radio Andorra beginning on Thursday, September 21, 1978, just two years after World Music Radio began their Andorran relay. Likewise, the programming from Radio Scandinavia was also rather irregular, and sometimes they were off the air for quite some time. Their time slot was generally on the first and third Sunday in each month, with programming in English and Swedish.

It seems that Radio Scandinavia was relayed via Radio Andorra for just a couple of years, and only via the small 3.5 kW transmitter, on approximately 6220 kHz. Their postal address for QSL cards was Box 14006, Malmo, in Sweden.

Adventist Word Radio

Last on the list was Adventist World Radio; and in those days, Ron Myers was the manager for AWR Europe in Lisbon, Portugal. Ron Myers states that the first AWR broadcast via Radio Andorra was on Saturday, September 8, 1979, just one year after the first broadcast began on behalf of Radio Scandinavia.

At the time, Radio Andorra was on the air shortwave with their 3.5 kW transmitter in the ornate castle-like building in the valley, quite close to the four story studio and office building. In use was a simple antenna just above the tree tops, a three element horizontal co-linear with a single reflector. A regular relay of AWR programming began in February of the following year, 1980.

However at that stage, as AWR Frequency Coordinator Claudius Dedio stated, AWR procured two Collins transmitters at 10 kW each (apparently both Model No. 208U) from Radio Free Europe in Holzkirchen in Germany. The first test broadcast from the first transmitter took place on July 22 (1980), and regular scheduling with two transmitters in parallel, 10 kW and 3.5 kW, began ten days later on August 1. Then six weeks later again, AWR was noted on the air with only one transmitter at a time. Their DX program was noted on Sundays on 15028 kHz.  

However, due to the aforementioned political wrangling in Andorra, France and Spain, Radio Andorra was ordered off the air on April 2, 1981, and thus ended also the relay of AWR programming. At the time, the 3.5 kW transmitter was still active, as was the newly installed 10 kW Collins. The second Collins transmitter was already installed, though it was never activated.

AWR via Andorra: Station ID, theme music

And thus ended the 42 year old saga of Radio Andorra, and its relay services on behalf of other radio organizations. Numerous QSL cards were issued by the radio units that participated in a relay venture with Radio Andorra, including the cards from Radio Andorra itself and from AWR that showed a photograph of the historic castle-like transmitter building in the valley.

Next time: The Story of Sud Radio in Andorra.