Latin American Pirate Radio Stations

From HFUnderground

Jump to: navigation, search

There are many pirate radio stations operating in Latin America, although information is sparsely available online. The vast majority of shortwave pirates in Latin America are from Brazil. They prefer to operate during the daytime, but some do operate at night. The reason for daytime operation on nighttime DX frequencies is uncertain, perhaps to try and limit range to avoid detection by authorities? It is not uncommon to hear relays of MW/FM stations on shortwave from Brazil. These are likely unofficial relays by hobbyists, although their purpose is unknown. Hobby stations sometimes run automated programming and maintain a specific schedule, while the majority produce each program individually and operate irregularly (Like North American or European pirates). Transmitting equipment is usually homebrew and output is about 10 watts AM mode. There are no publications or websites (such as The ACE or HFUderground.com) pertaining to pirate radio in Latin America. Very little information is communicated between stations or listeners. Decades ago, there were many regular broadcast stations on shortwave from Latin America (mostly Peru & Bolivia) that were unlicensed, making them pirates. This was mostly caused by a difficult and lengthy licensing process, which could take as long as two years. These stations have almost completely disappeared from shortwave, with the exception of two stations. Such stations still exist on Mediumwave (AM) and FM. Currently all Latin American pirates on shortwave but those two stations are hobby operations. Below are the most commonly used bands, although stations frequently operate outside them. All broadcasts are in AM mode.

6200-6400 kHz

Popular for Brazilian stations trying to reach a domestic audience. Often relays of legal stations.

6900-7000 kHz

Not as popular as the other bands, mostly used by nighttime stations trying to reach North American listeners. Most popular frequency is 6925 kHz.

7450-8100 kHz

Most used band, popular for Brazilian stations trying to reach a domestic audience during the day. Most popular frequency is 7560 kHz.

9200-9300 kHz & 9900-9990 kHz

Sometimes used by Brazilian stations trying to reach a domestic audience during the day. Near the 31 meter band.


Below is a list of Latin American Pirates active as of 2022.

Reception in North America

Due to the use of low power and AM mode, reception of Latin American pirates is difficult in North America. Often carrier signals are detected during the winter, but that is often as good as it gets. Reception does vary, a few put strong enough signals into North America to produce useful audio.

QSL's

Obtaining QSL's from Latin American pirates is of a similar difficulty to that of North American stations. Email addresses can be difficult to find, and not all stations have one. Reply rates are variable, although average lower than North America. It is always a good idea to write in the language used in the country of the station's origin.

Links



This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Some links may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.