Radio Thailand on 9390 kHz: English from Udon Thani for Europe at 19:00 UTC

What you hear

English from Bangkok at 19:00 UTC. Radio Thailand's programme for Europe begins with the station identification and a short interval signal, then news from Thailand and South-East Asia read by the English section, followed by features: tourism, which is never far away, Thai culture and festivals, business and investment, the activities of the royal family, and listener mail. The style is that of a government information service rather than a commercial station, polite and formal. Outside the English programme the same frequency and transmitter carry Radio Thailand in Thai and in other languages at other hours, so an unexpected language on 9390 kHz is still the same station.

Who transmits and why

Radio Thailand is the national radio of Thailand, part of the Government Public Relations Department, and its World Service has broadcast abroad in English and other languages for decades. The purpose is the usual one for a state external service: news from the country's point of view, support for tourism and trade, and a voice for Thais abroad.

The transmitter is at Udon Thani, in the north-east of the country, and the catalogue's coordinates, 17.4° N, 102.8° E, point there. The site was built as a relay station for American international broadcasting and is one of the largest shortwave stations in Asia; Radio Thailand uses part of its capacity for its own services. That is why a Thai programme for Europe comes from the far end of the country rather than from Bangkok.

When and where to listen

9390 kHz is in the 31 metre band, and 19:00 UTC on the path from Thailand to Europe is the right hour: Thailand is in darkness, Europe in evening, and 31 metres carries the signal along the twilight. Reception in Europe is moderate rather than strong. Receivers in Russia, Ukraine, Finland and the Baltics, and in the eastern Mediterranean, do best; central Europe usually gets a readable signal in autumn and winter; western Europe and Britain hear it on good days. Across Asia the signal is loud, and a receiver in India, Japan or Australia gives the programme in full quality if the European path is poor. The 19:00 UTC slot has been the same for years, which is rare and convenient, but the frequency can change with the season, so if 9390 kHz is silent the programme may have moved a few kilohertz.

The 31 metre band is busy at this hour in Europe. If a stronger broadcaster sits 5 kHz away, the sideband facing away from it or a narrower filter will keep the Thai signal readable.

In ShackDeck

Station catalogue → Shortwave broadcast → Radio Thailand. The program picks a public receiver that covers 9390 kHz, tunes it and sets AM; no receiver, antenna or account of your own is needed. Open the entry a little before 19:00 UTC; if the European receiver the program chose gives only noise, an Asian receiver will not.