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Friday 31 May 2013

Skegness Log: 31-05-13

Band 2 Sporadic E:
 87.7 1100 AZR RDP Antena 3 Açores, Pico da Barrosa (RDP) (smg) 8204 Vocal ID and news  2616km


Just the one today.

Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings

Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager

Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator

Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com

Monday 27 May 2013

Skegness Log: 27-05-13

Tropospheric:
100.7 0844  F  France Bleu Cotentin, Cherbourg-Octeville/Digosville (50) A new regular on scatter. Peaks noise free occasionally  413km
 89.2 0854  F  France Culture, Cherbourg-Octeville/Digosville (50) OMs discussion, as web  413km

Sporadic E
 87.6 1639 GRC Laikos 87.6, Thessaloniki/Hortiatis (cmc-tsk) Greek music and ID  2208km

I had an E today! Just the one. Mustn't be greedy.

On the scatter side of things I discovered I have been able to hear the Cherbourg transmitter all day. 100.7 is obviously much better while the much lower powered 800 Watt France Culture on 89.2 was much weaker. Here's how Cotentin 100.7 sounded earlier during a fade-in/out. You will also hear a snippet from their web stream for confirmation: https://www.box.com/s/4q23xtj94o1r1lxpz0hl

Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings

Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic Skegness Log: 27-05-13E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager

Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator

Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com

Skegness Scatter

This is an ongoing project. Page last updated 04-07-13

The following has been put together over a period of time. It is not possible to enjoy this kind of reception on a daily bases due to the amount of noise I often experience.

The following are examples of scatter propagation at home in Skegness, using a Sony XDR-F1HD and rooftop Körner 9.2 antenna. "Scatter" modes includes Aircraft Scatter, Meteor Scatter, Troposcatter, among others. First, a brief explanation of what they are.

Aircraft Scatter
As the name suggests, aircraft scatter is caused by the reflection of radio signals by passing aircraft, usually at the midpoint of the path and so are out of sight. It can be quite localised too with visible planes causing a fluttery effect on semi-local signals. Multiple reflections are often heard and signals can propagate over many hundreds of kilometers with an upper limit said to be around 800 km. There tends to be a more regular pattern of fading with aircraft scatter.

Meteor Scatter
Meteors burn up when they enter the earth's atmosphere and leave a train of ionisation where they do. That ionisation is capable of reflecting signals at VHF frequencies, causing them to travel around 1000 km. Optimum distances range from a few hundred km to around 2000 km, although signal strengths taper off substantially above 1800 km. The meteors need to be near to the visible horizon to be effective for propagation at VHF frequencies. If they are overhead you will hear nothing.

Troposcatter
An often misunderstood form of scatter which is present constantly and varies. I am not entirely sure I fully understand this one as I have read that signals fade in once, peak and then fade out again over 20 - 30 seconds, but other articles say it is fluttery in nature and sounds very much like aircraft scatter. Distances achievable are similar to those of aircraft scatter but perhaps slightly further too. 1000 km seems to be around the upper limit.

Recordings
87.9 Meteor Scatter Burst 1549 29-04-13
In this recording, two stations battle it out to take control of the frequency.

90.2 100%NL, Roosendaal 1310 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Regular daily scatter on the vertical 9.2 at 334 km.

90.6 France Inter, Nantes 1251 03-06-13 (Aircraft Scatter)
This one never gets above weak and the reception tends to be much shorter in duration, only lasting a few seconds. Still not bad going at 675 km.

90.7 Sublime FM, Ijsselstein 1420 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
One of the most consistent stations from Holland. 344 km.

91.4 France Musique, Troyes 1559 20-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
At 643 km, Troyes represents one of my most distant and consistent daily scatter signals.

91.8 France Musique, Bourges 1121 27-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Considering this is 672 km away, the Bourges transmitter can be heard most days. At best it can reach noise free stereo levels. There is also a brief meteor burst six seconds into the recording, presumably from Chaine 2 from Afkadou in Morocco, a distance of 1867 km.

92.8 RTBF Musiq 3, Profondeville 0650 28-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
This classical music station can be quite variable. 441 km.

95.2 BBC Radio Oxford, Oxford 1156 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter?)
I couldn't guess the propagation mode on this. It always sounds so stable, yet I never felt that this station got out well to the north-west, i.e. in the direction of Skegness. This is from experience from frequent trips down the M40 or M5. It can disappear under very poor winter type conditions. Occasionally it even gets swamped by scatter peaks from BBC Radio Cornwall. You will hear a bit of burbling from that on this recording but I will try to catch a better example of this in the coming days. BBC Radio Oxford is 182 km. BBC Radio Cornwall is 439 km.

95.4 France Inter, Brest 1000 17-5-13 (aircraft scatter)
This can easily be separated from co-channel Amiens by beaming south-west. Some good signal levels can be achieved from this high power transmitter in Brittany. 604 km.

96.1 BBC Radio Solent, Rowridge 1027 27-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Rowridge serves Hampshire and the Isle Of Wight. It doesn't do too badly to Skegness either. 298 km

96.6 Pure FM, Anderlues 1520 22-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Anderlues was always one of the more difficult to receive Belgian transmitters. It tends to do better here during spells of warmer weather. 409 km.

97.1 Radio Carmarthenshire, Carmel 1306 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
Covering south-west Wales and Skegness! Well, just. It never gets above very weak. This is 3kW at 332 km.

97.8 NOS2, Westdorpe 1625 26-05-13 (troposcatter)
Formerly the Philippine trasmitter, Westdorpe provides another consistent signal on the east coast. 323 km.

99.0 France Culture, Marseille 0653 12-08-12 (meteor scatter)
The Marseille transmitter is a 400kW powerhouse and can be heard frequently via meteor scatter. It is sometimes capable of producing a full RDS signal. In this recording you will hear me briefly connecting to their web stream to confirm this was indeed Marseille. 1149 km.

99.1 RTBF CLassic 21, Anderlues 1053 26-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This is a long recording of a single multiple peak of aircraft scatter, though some minor tropo could be at play. The signal tries to peak, then drops, then suddenly lifts from nowhere for a peak which lasts almost five minutes. You can hear the flutter from time to time so the signal had peaked above the noise floor, making it sound like stable tropo. More than one aircraft is probably at play here. Anderlues is 409 km from Skegness and this recording represents an above average peak.

100.7 100 Comma 7, Dudelange 0907 21-01-13 (troposcatter)
100 Comma 7 is another regular visitor, often audible all day long and regularly produces RDS. 573 km.

100.7 France Bleu Cotentin, Cherbourg (aircraft scatter)
This 4kW transmitter came as a surprise and is testament to the superbly designed Körner 9.2 antenna. It looks like this is going to be one of my regular scatter stations. You will hear a brief snippet of their web stream which I used to double check that I was receiving Cherbourg. I can also hear their 800 Watt France Culture transmitter on 89.2 via scatter, though much weaker. 413 km.

100.7 Q Music, Ijsselstein 1258 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
A Dutch regular. It can be heard on a car radio while driving around town. 344 km.

101.2 Sky Radio, Hilversum 1351 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Another Dutch regular which can be heard a car radio while driving around town. 342 km.

102.1 Studio Brussel, Egem 1030 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This one used to to be very difficult to hear due to my local station Lincs FM on 102.2 from nearby Belmont, 39 km to the north-west, but the 9.2 effortlessly lifts Belmont out of the equation. 309 km.

102.6 RTBF Musiq' 3, Tournai xf France Bleu Basse Normandie, Caen 1105 24-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
Not the best example, but here's how RTBF Musiq' 3 and France Culture Basse Normandie constantly battle it out together. Often Heart from Oxford tries to break up the fight but usually fails. I am rotating the 9.2 from around 160 degrees to 190 degrees here. Tournai is 351 km and Caen is 469 km.

102.7 Radio 538, Rotterdam 1302 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Heart from Peterborough, a semi-local station 111 km to the south-east, usually takes charge of 102.7. If I beam away to the east I receive this. Rotterdam is 313 km.

103.1 France Bleu Armoriques, Rennes 1015 24-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This transmitter is something of a pest, which is hard to believe when you consider that Rennes is 564 km away. This is a powerful transmitter though at 100kW so the aircraft scatter carries it effortlessly. It is constantly wrestling with Heart Kent from Bluebell Hill, which you can just hear at the beginning of this recording.

103.2 France Bleu Berry Sud, Bourges 1020 16-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This is not a daily station, but it can put in some half decent signals. It is lower power than the national outlets from Bourges so that is probably why it is less frequent here. On this recording you will hear a couple of typical fade-ins, the second one with a web stream accompaniment. 15 kW at 672 km is quite amazing.

103.3 Funkhaus Europa, Langenberg 1020 14-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
The noise was kind today. Langenberg was permitted to poke through very readily today. Not great signals but above the general noise level. 505 km.

103.9 BBC Radio Wales, Wenvoe & BBC Radio Cornwall, Redruth 1235 03-06-13 (Aircraft Scatter)
These two can often be heard scrapping for control of the frequency. Wenvoe usually wins hands down! Wenvoe is 309 km and Redruth is 503 km.

104.1 BBC Radio Berkshire, Hannington 1030 27-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Another BBC local station which propagates well into the Skegness area. 231 km.

104.1 Joe FM, Egem 1435 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
One of my favourite stations from the continent and a regular visitor here at 309 km.

105.2 France Info, Lille 1440 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
What used to be the most regular of regular continentals is not always so lately. Lille can sometimes be down in the noise, but it is usually something of a pest and peaks with full RDS. Lille outlets at the higher end of the band tend to be easier to hear because there tends to be less QRN above 105 MHz. At 343 km though Lille can be a pain and a channel blocker at times.

105.5 Topradio Staden, Staden 0945 04-07-13 (aircraft scatter)
Regular Belgian locals have only been possible since installing the 9.2. This is a 100 watt transmitter at 299 km, which categorises this as a "Local" according to FM List. It is one of my closest continental stations. At 100 watts you won't expect a strong signal, but this one peaks noise free quite easily during tropospheric conditions.

105.6 SWR4, Donnersberg 1115 14-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
I would like to say this one is a regular. It used to be but conditions maybe aren't quite so good lately. I can hear this one every day but it's not usually much better than on this recording. At 657 km it's one of the more distant regulars, but you wouldn't say reception was anything but very poor.

105.7 Hit Radio Antenna, Steinkimmen 1510 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
I was debating whether to include this, but it demonstrates how bad my noise problem is. Even the top of the band will suffer if I beam close to the east, as I have to in order to hear Steinkimmen. This would have been completely noise free had the noise not been present. 543 km.

107.0 Reading 107, Tilehurst Water Tower 1115 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
A big surprise for me is this low powered local station. I have been told that this doesn't get out too well in the local area, yet it seems to be almost on demand here. It uses just 200 watts. 210 km.

107.2 Radio Bingo, Roeselare 0939 04-07-13 (aircraft scatter)
I have only been able to receive top-of-the-band Belgian locals on a daily basis since having the 9.2 installed.  Reception is not great of course with the transmitter only putting out 100 watts, but it's pretty good going considering this station is 313 km away. Radio Bingo is consistently the most regular and stronger of any Dutch local from Belgium or Holland.

Good DX!

John

Sunday 26 May 2013

Skegness Log: 26-05-13

Tropospheric:
100.6 1215  F  France Bleu Picardie, Abbeville/Limeux (80) OMs talking, as web  364km
100.6 1215 BEL VRT Studio Brussel, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Fighting with Abbeville  376km
100.7 1216 HOL Q-music, Ijsselstein/Gerbrandytoren-Alticom (utr) Full RDS on XDR  344km
102.5 1218 HOL 538, Tjerkgaast/Alticom Toren (fri) Phone in competition, as 102.7  361km
102.7 1219 HOL 538, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Phone in comp, as 102.5  313km
100.4 1220 HOL Q-music, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Presumed site, co-ch QRM  408km
104.6 1222 HOL 100% NL, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Dutch song, as web  313km
 96.3 1223 HOL Radio Veronica, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Phone caller, as web  366km
 99.8 1224 HOL 3FM, Goes/Alticom Toren (zee) Phone caller, as 96.8  303km
 88.9 1302 HOL Radio Noord-Holland, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Ads, as web  321km
 89.0 1308 BEL VRT MNM, Schoten (vlg-ant) Pops, as web  354km
 90.2 1311 HOL 100% NL, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) Pops and jingle ID  334km
 90.0 1316 HOL 100% NL, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Dutch song, as web  366km
 88.6 1336 BEL Q-Music, Gent/Opgeëistenlaan (vlg-ovl) Dance beats, as web  328km
 88.4 1340 HOL Slam!FM, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) Otto Knows track, as web  334km
 88.3 1342 BEL Q-Music, Oostvleteren/Elzendamme (vlg-wvl) Awful DesRee song,  103.1  295km
 97.0 1346 HOL Mannus Met JB, Twente area pirate Dutch song, as web **
 99.6 1349 HOL Slam!FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Dance music, jingle ID  408km **
 99.4 1350 BEL Topradio, Gent/IVAGO Proeftuinstraat 43 (vlg-ovl) Dance beats, as web  333km
100.2 1351 BEL FG DJ Radio, Antwerpen/Antwerp Tower (vlg-ant) Drum  Bass, as web  352km **
100.3 1352 HOL L1 Radio, Roermond/Alticom Toren (lim) Sports, as web  443km
105.5 1401 BEL Topradio, Staden/Stadenberg (vlg-wvl) Club music, as 99.4  299km
 90.7 1413 BEL VRT Radio 2, Brussegem (vlg-vbr) OM talks, as 98.6 on Sublime FM fade  367km
 89.3 1620 HOL 89,3 Radio West, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Dutch version of Jambalaya, as web  313km
 91.6 1651 HOL Radio Veronica, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Pops, and two OM, as web  321km
 93.8 1858 HOL Slam!FM, Megen/Alticom Toren (nbr) Live female singer, as web. Sudden troposcatter  387km
 98.2 1902 HOL Radio 4, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) OM, as 94.8, etc.  366km

** Personal Skegness 'First'

The above were received due to a small enhancement. Conditions were often stable but scatter played a part too. I presume it was just a case of things being 'up' with the warmer weather, more northerly placement of the jet stream.

In contrast, it was another day without Es. We have been truly spoilt lately. I'm sure the recent bombardment of solar activity has killed off a lot of propagation.

Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings

Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager

Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator

Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com

Skegness Log: 25-05-13

Tropospheric:
101.8 0829  D  Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Aurich (nds) GM OM  rousing classical music, as web  479km
102.1 0829 DNK R.24/7, Rangstrup/Gammel Tøndervej 28 (sdk-sjy) Live piano concerto, as web  617km
101.6 0831  D  Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) Classical, as 101.8  571km
101.4 0832  D  R.SH, Flensburg/Freienwill (shs) Bruno Mars, as web  626km
100.8 0834  D  Bremen Vier, Schiffdorf [nds] (Bremerhaven) (bre) One Republic song, as web  554km
100.6 0836  D  Radio ffn, Rosengarten/Langenrehm (nds) Green Day song,as web  635km
 99.8 0839  D  NDR 2, Steinkimmen (nds) ID and phone caller  543km
100.4 0839  D  delta radio, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Rock music, as web  599km
 99.4 0840  D  NDR Kultur, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Classical discussion  599km
 96.7 0842  D  Funkhaus Europa, Bremen-Walle (bre) Music, as web  565km
 96.1 0843  D  NDR Kultur, Flensburg-Engelsby (shs) Piano solo, as web  627km
 96.3 0843  D  NDR 2, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Pops, as 99.8  599km
 93.2 0846  D  NDR 2, Flensburg-Engelsby (shs) Jingle ID between pops  627km
 93.8 0846  D  bremen eins, Bremen-Walle (bre) OMs, as web  565km
 90.5 0847  D  NDR 1 Welle Nord, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Melodic pops, as web  599km
 89.6 0848  D  NDR 1 Welle Nord, Flensburg-Engelsby (shs) Melodic pops, as 90.5  627km
 88.3 0849  D  Nordwestradio, Bremen-Walle (bre) Gentle song, as web  565km
 87.9 0850  D  NDR Info, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Weather report, as web  599km
102.3 0850  D  Radio ffn, Steinkimmen (nds) ID drop over Culture Beat song  543km
102.6 0851  D  Radio ffn, Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) Pops, as 102.3  571km
103.3 0851  D  Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Flensburg/Freienwill (shs) YL, as web  626km
103.8 0852  D  R.SH, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Ad break, as web  599km
104.6 0853  D  Hit-R. Antenne Niedersachsen, Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) Rock, as 105.7  571km
105.6 0854  D  delta radio, Flensburg/Freienwill (shs) Pops, as web  626km
105.7 0854  D  Hit-R. Antenne Niedersachsen, Steinkimmen (nds) Rock, as web  543km
107.1 0855  D  Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Bremen-Walle (bre) YL, as web  565km
107.7 0856  D  Deutschlandradio Kultur, Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) YL, as 107.1  571km
103.8 0936  D  R.SH, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) ID jingle  599km
 91.1 0941  D  NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Steinkimmen (nds) OM on phone then pop, as web  543km
 94.4 0954  D  NDR Kultur, Steinkimmen (nds) Operatics, as web  543km
101.2 0958  D  Bremen Vier, Bremen-Walle (bre) Ad break, as 100.8  565km


Tropo was a struggle here yesterday morning due to having to beam straight into the noise.

Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings

Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager

Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator

Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com

Friday 24 May 2013

Will There Be Any Weather Today?

Today I was asked if I had seen the weather forecast for the bank holiday period, to which I replied "which one?" To say I am disappointed with the forecasting of the Met office (I usually refer to them as the "met orifice") is an understatement. Many people seem to have the same opinion. People who know me will appreciate that this is a pet hate of mine.

The forecasting we have on British television has long been an insulting image of some unqualified young bimbo giving what cannot possibly qualify as a 'weather forecast'. Occasionally we do actually see a qualified meteorologist adding a little extra weight to the forecast and sometimes they even dare to predict what the weather might do the following day. More often, it's a quick few sentences giving the most basic of basic detail, finishing off with lines like "If you want more detail tune in later" or "you can find out more weather information on our website". Why would I want to check on a website when I have just tuned in to the TV station to find out? Ah yes, maybe those "apps" and all that advertising, etc. Don't forget to tick the box which says "Please spam me to death with endless ads for debt collectors and dating agencies".

When I go abroad, I occasionally get to see another country's national weather forecast. Overseas, they seem to approach the weather with more respect, giving a far more detailed account. I have seen weather bulletins last as long as 20 minutes! There are even dedicated weather channels which are constantly updated, unlike our own BBC weather bulletins, which tends to be repeated, particularly throughout the night. "Updates"? Try "Repeats"! I remember once being told that weather forecasting abroad is so precise that they can actually predict which Swiss valleys will have a shower and which will not. Maybe their weather is more predictable than ours, I don't know, but I do understand that our climate can throw up some challenging situations which can present even the most experienced forecasters with many challenges. But I still fail to understand how they can get things wrong with such regularity.

So, I was then asked where do I get my weather forecasts if I don't trust the Met Office? And could I put this information on my blog for future reference.

Well, I occasionally mention to people that the US military offer very good general synopses for UK weather. I have a friend who is a pilot and has a small plane and has long relied on their forecasts because, time and time again, they have proven to be vastly more reliable than our own met Office forecasts. Can you believe that? You have to wonder why our Met Office, with their millions of £s worth of high tech forecasting equipment, can get it so disastrously wrong.

Here are a few online sites I check if I want to know what's going to happen.

To begin with, check the current situation at the Meteox page. You'll need to adjust the coordinates in the URL. I have this centered on the east coast. You can zoom in and out, move the map, etc. and it shows you what's just around the corner. Bear in mind it may be a few minutes behind real-time.

For studying the general trends, look at the Netweather Jetstream Forecast. You have a sliding scale which shows the position of the jet stream over the coming days and weeks. It should give you a general idea of whether we will be moving into a zone of warmer or cooler air, etc.

ESTOFEX is the European Storm Forecast Experiment, in which the UK now have a presence. You will find a pretty accurate and very detailed forecast of the chances of having and the severity of potential thunder storms. I have found this to be very accurate.

There's a page showing humidity levels over the United Kingdom via Weatherforce.

If you want to see where the lightning is, the following website show the more intense activity:

Netweather
EUCLID
Blitzortung
Meteorcentre

Triangulation methods are used which help in pinpointing the activity with a good level of precision. I have found that the smaller storms won't necessarily show on the above sites. For something more detailed or and closer to home you will need to locate a weather station near you. There are many amateur weather stations spread across the UK but be aware that triangulation is not always used or is not necessarily as accurate, depending on the methods used. They should give a fair idea of storm activity in the areas close to the individual weather stations though. I have bookmarked some of the more reliable ones for the following areas:

Cambridge
Ipswich
Burton-on-Trent
North London
Isle Of Wight
Morecambe Bay

You may need to give permission for a Java app to run for some of the above. It's quite safe!

Other useful sites:

The UK GFS Forecast
The Michael Fish Forecast (don't worry, there won't be any hurricanes today)
Infrared Image

and if you are really desperate, there's always ...

The BBC / Met Office forecast

... but I don't think there's any harm in simply wetting your index finger and sticking it in the air.

Happy forecasting!

No Noise Is Good Noise (continued)

I had to involve OFCOM, the noise got so bad. Here is a recording of an empty channel in the FM broadcast band. 99.0 MHz to be precise, though it doesn't matter too much which part of the band you tune to.

Click to hear the Interference

          0:00 - 1:25:  Beaming east on 99.0 MHz. From 0:15 I rotate my beam from east
                             to south-west and back again.
          1:26 - 1:46:  S9 of noise on the 4m band. I am tuning from 68 to 74 MHz at the
                             beginning of this part.
          1:47 - 2:05:  The hashy effect of the noise when it's at its quietest. The fluctuation is
                             caused by the AGC of the Sony XDR-F1HD tuner.

Even with the noise at its weakest it is strong enough to block out continental signals which would otherwise be noise free. It will also create a hashy sound in the background of BBC local stations. It's a silent killer in a sense because it doesn't always show up on the signal meter, depending on which tuner I use. Tuning the same range on my Icom IC7000 with the same my rooftop band 2 antenna reveals this is an S9 noise level - no preamp used.

The noise signal can be stronger, creating as much as "two bars" on my Sony XDR-F1HD tuner - equal to a fully quieting stereo signal and S9+ on the IC7000.

OFCOM say there is little they can do for me because the noise "isn't severe enough". How "severe" does it need to be? It is already obliterating the 4m band and probably the 6m band too (I don't have an aerial installed for 6m at the moment).

Thanks OFCOM for nothing!

Thursday 23 May 2013

Skegness Log: 23-05-13

Sporadic E:
 87.6 0849 ALG Radio Laghouat, Aflou (3) Arabic rhythms, as web  2120km
 87.8 0856 TUN RTT Radio Gafsa, Kebili=Qibili (keb) Phone in, as web  2265km
 87.9 0858 ALG Radio Tébessa, Doukhane (12) Presumed. Opening towards this area  2071km
 88.3 0900 ALG Radio El Tarf, Oum Ali (36) Time pips and ID  1934km
 90.7 0901 ALG Chaîne 1, Kef El Akhal (25) OM news, as web  1927km
 88.0 0903 TUN Radio Zitouna FM, Djebel Zaghouan (zag) Arabic chants, as web  2016km
 89.3 0910  I  Radio Italia Anni 60, Monte Erice vetta/Piana delle Forche (tp) 5495  vocal ID  1927km **
 88.1 0931 ALG Radio Batna, Metlili (5) Echoey OM, as web  2033km
 90.4 0932 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) Arabic song, as web  1911km
 91.2 0934 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) YL, as web  2033km
 94.4 0936 ALG Chaîne 1, Metlili (5) Phone in, as web  2033km
101.2 0939 ALG Chaîne 2, Metlili (5) Depressed Arabic OM, as web  2033km
 87.6 0944 TUN RTT Radio Tataouine, Zarzis (med) 7205 TATAOUIN  2342km
 87.7 0948 TUN RTT Radio Culture, Djebel Trozza (kai) Sombre Arabic OM, as web  2086km
 89.0 0950 TUN Radio Sabra FM, Djebel Trozza (kai) OMs, as web  2086km
 **
 93.9 1019 ALG Chaîne 2, Aflou (3) Discussion, as web  2120km
 97.3 1021 ALG Chaîne 3, Aïn N'sour (48) Talk and music, as web  1913km
 87.6 1045  E  Candil Radio, Huércal de Almería (AND-AL) EB02 Candil__  1821km
 87.7 1045  E  Radio Torre-Pacheco, Torre-Pacheco (MUR-MU) E079 ______O_  1717km
 88.4 1049 ALG Chaîne 2, Nador (13) OM, as web  2045km
 87.9 1052 MRC SNRT Chaîne Inter, Rabat (SNRT) (rsz) 1002 _____I__ Arabic music, ID  2212km
 **
 89.2 1057  E  Bay Radio, Denia/Segaria (VAL-A) Vocal ID, also as Black Tower FM  1594km
 **
 94.7 1103 ALG Radio Tlemcen, Nador (13) Presumed. Algerian news  2045km
107.1 1108  E  Radio Sol, Puerto Real (AND-CA) E022 SOLRADIO  1916km
 **
106.9 1113  E  Rock FM, Murcia/Pico del Relojero (MUR-MU) E2CF _ROCK_FM  1698km
 **
105.3 1116  E  RNE Radio 3, Melilla (MEL-ML) E213  2001km
 **
 95.3 1120 MRC Médi 1, Tanger/Jebel Es Slokia (ttn) 1281 ME___1__  1990km
 91.8 1121  E  Cadena Dial, Pozo Alcón (AND-J) E274  1749km
 93.8 1121  E  Europa FM, Almería (AND-AL) E2ED EUROPAFM  1825km
 89.0 1122  E  Cadena Luna, Granada (AND-GR) 9030 __LUNA__  1800km
 **
 89.6 1122 MRC Médi 1, Nador (otl) 1281  2016km
 **
 89.0 1125 MRC SNRT R.Al Hoceïma/R.Coran, Al Hoceïma/Palomas (tht) Coranic chants  2022km
 **
 88.4 1126 MRC MFM, Unlisted site. 1283
 88.2 1127  E  Cadena 100, Granada (AND-GR) E2CE  1796km
 90.3 1129 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al Amazighia, Boukhouali (otl) Arabic song, as web  2104km
 **
 88.0 1131  E  RNE Radio 5, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA  1879km
 90.6 1131  E  Cadena Dial Andalucía-Villacarillo, Villacarrillo (AND-J) E274 Local ID  1804km
 89.4 1133  E  Cadena 100, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E2CE CAD-100_  1879km
 87.5 1459  I  Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana, Ercolano-Vesuvio/Area Osservatorio (na) 5220 R_ITALIA  1731km
 87.6 1512  I  Radio 24, Segni (rm) 5245  1587km
 88.1 1513  I  Elleradio, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo (rm) 54A5 __ELLE__  1568km
 **
 88.3 1517 GRC Radiofono Xiromerou, Agrinio/Kouvaras (wgr-ait) 1088. Greek music  2332km
 **
 94.4 1524  I  Radionorba, Taranto/Piazza Dante (ta) 5B53 R-NORBA_ Taranto ads  1901km
 **
 94.7 1525  I  Radio Selene, Statte/Salita Montello (ta) 5A49 _SELENE_  1890km
 88.5 1526  I  m2o, Bari/Via Principe Amedeo (ba) 5233 M_DUE_O_  1823km
 88.2 1527  I  Radio 24, Bari/Viale Luigi Einaudi, 25 (ba) OM, as 88.3  1826km
 88.3 1527  I  Radio 24, Martina Franca/Monte Trazzonara-Strada Carbonico Zona H (ta) 5245  1894km
 89.1 1528  I  RAI Radio1, Martina Franca/Masseria Trasconi (ta) 5201  1883km
 87.8 1534 LBY Radio Makmadas, Sirte=Sirt=Surt (srt) Tentative. Arabic OM talking about Tehran and Sabha. Not TUN or ALG (tnx Mike F for help)  2785km
 **
 92.5 1613 ALG Radio Tiaret, Tiaret - Gzoul (14) YLs, as web  1976km
 94.0 1618 ALG Chaîne 1, Aïn N'sour (48) OMs  YL, as web. 30 seconds or so stream lag  1913km
 88.0 1643  I  Radio 105 Network, Alcamo/Monte Bonifato (tp) 5211 _105_FM_  1950km
 89.5 1644  I  RTL 102.5, Cammarata/Monte Cammarata (ag) 5218  2008km
 87.9 1645  I  R101, Cammarata/Monte Cammarata (ag) 5215 _R_101__  2008km
 90.3 1647  I  RAI GR Parlamento, Palermo/Monte Pellegrino (RAI) (pa) 5206 RAI-GRPR  1944km
 **
 87.7 1701 SRB Radio Beograd 1, Deli Jovan (Srb) ID on the hour  1878km
 **
 87.9 1814 GRC Dimotiko Radiofono Prevesas, Prevesa/Aidonia-Valanidoussa (epi-pre) 1234  2187km
 **

** Personal Skegness 'First'

Unidentified:

107.2 1106  E  UNID, ? 6000 _CADENIA NO__ENA_ 
107.9 1115  E  Antena FM, ? Vocal ID. Listed as Tele Yecla Radio ex Antena FM 
107.0 1118  E  UNID, ? E000 __PUIO__ 
 88.4 1126 MRC UNID, ? 1283 
 89.0 1133  E  UNID, ? E811 
 88.5 1516  I  UNID, ? 5107  


Highlight of the day was a tentative Libya on 87.8. I am still awaiting confirmation that this was 100% Libya but I can confirm this definitely was not Radio Gafsa from Tunisia or Chaine 1 from Algeria.

A possible TRT FM appeared on 89.0 around 1734 but it did not last sufficiently long enough to confirm a parallel with their web stream. It sounded possible, but Turkey still remains on my list of wants for now.

I am submitting my log now as I am frankly in need of a rest from DXing. It can be quite exhausting at times. So, unless something exotic pops up, that's me done for the day!

Hopefully somebody may be able to throw some light on to my tentative Libyan station: 87.8 unid 1534 23-05-13: https://www.box.com/s/z0cqzkpuz0mxsbwsssox


Recordings:

  90.6 Radio Villacarillo. Villacarrillo 1131 23-05-13
107.9 Antena FM, unlisted 1115 23-05-13
  94.7 Radio Tlecmen, Nador 1100 23-05-13
  89.2 Bay Radio, Denia 1056 23-05-13
  87.9 Chaine Inter, Rabat 1053 23-05-13
  89.3 Radio Italia, Monte Erice Vetta 0910 23-05-13
  87.7 Radio Chlef, Ain N'sour 23-05-13


Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings

Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager

Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator

Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com

Skegness Log: 22-05-13

Sporadic E:
 87.8 1727  E  Si Ràdio, Torrent/Perentxissa=Calicanto (VAL-V) Pops  1527km
 87.7 1729 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) YLs, as web  1913km
 87.6 2221 ALG Chaîne 3, Kef El Akhal (25) Presumed. As Chaine 3 web stream  1927km
 88.1 2221 ALG Radio Batna, Metlili (5) Presumed. Arabic  2033km
 90.4 2222 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) YL, as web  1911km
 91.2 2223 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) Arabic YL and music, as web  2033km
 90.7 2224 ALG Chaîne 1, Kef El Akhal (25) Presumed. As web  1927km
 93.9 2224 ALG Radio Constantine, Kef El Akhal (25) Presumed. As web  1927km
 98.7 2226 ALG Radio Bordj Bou Arreridj, Tafartas (34) OM, as web  1919km **
101.8 2226 ALG Chaîne 1, Akfadou (6) OM, as web  1867km
102.1 2227 ALG Radio M'sila, Zarga (28) Presumed. Carrying Chaine 1 programme  2034km **
105.4 2228 ALG Chaîne 3, Akfadou (6) Arabic music, as web  1867km
 88.7 2234 ALG Radio Soummam, Akfadou (6) Presumed. Arabic music and OM  1867km
 91.8 2235 ALG Chaîne 2, Akfadou (6) Phone in, as web  1867km
 93.5 2236 ALG Chaîne 1, Meghriss (19) Arabic YL and OM, as web  1911km
 94.4 2236 ALG Chaîne 1, Metlili (5) Arabic OM and YL, as web  2033km
 96.7 2237 ALG Chaîne 2, Meghriss (19) Phone in, as web  1911km
 97.7 2238 ALG Radio Setif, Aghouf (19) Arabic YL and OM, as web  1892km **
 98.0 2238 ALG Chaîne 1, Chréa (9) Arabic YL and OM, as web  1872km
100.0 2239 ALG Chaîne 3, Meghriss (19) YLs, as web  1911km
101.2 2239 ALG Chaîne 2, Metlili (5) Phone in, as web  2033km


** Personal Skegness 'First'

Not a lot to report today but I wasn't at home much either so won't know what I missed, if anything of course.

Come the evening things sounded like they might have been about to get interesting. Balkan music appeared at the bottom of the band, closely swamped by Spain, unfortunately I was just about to go out for the evening. But it was a nice surprise to have a decent Algerian opening late in the evening.

This season has been very good so far, but with an increasing tendancy to produce more than one opening simultaneously. Sporadic E openings are becoming embedded in other Es events, so it is becoming slightly frustrating to know which way to beam the aerial. Now I have the Körner 9.2 antenna I find I can separate an opening towards Spain from one towards Italy, not being aware that the other exists. It's one thing I was slightly concerned about before having the 9.2. There is an increasing need to view propagation maps, such as those on dxmaps.com, to see if I might be missing an opening elsewhere.

Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings

Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager

Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator

Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Skegness Log: 21-05-13

Sporadic E:
 88.0 0921  E  RNE Radio 5, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA  1879km
 88.2 0922  E  RNE Radio Nacional, Madrid/Torrespaña (MAD-M) E211  1447km
 88.3 0929  E  SER, Ronda/Cerro del Turco (AND-MA) E439  1877km
 87.7 0930  E  Europa FM, Priego de Cordoba (AND-CO) E2ED EUROPAFM  1778km
 89.3 0931  E  M 80, Granada/Cerro de San Miguel (AND-GR) E230 __0R____ Vocal ID  1800km **
 87.6 0933  E  Canal Sur Radio, Santo Pitar (AND-MA) E332  1853km
 87.9 0934  E  RNE Radio 5, Cambil/Sierra de Almadén (AND-J) E215 RNE_5-J_  1740km
 88.2 0935  S  SR P4, Tåsjö/Hoting-Tåsjöberget TM (jm) ED24  1519km
 92.2 0937 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Kolari/Ylläs-Tunturintie 84 (la) YL in traffic, as web  2046km
 87.7 0938  S  SR P1, Ramsele/Skavåsen TM (vn) E201 SR_P1___  1485km **
 87.6 0940  S  SR P1, Storuman/Norrberg TM (vb) E201 SR_P1___  1619km **
 91.2 0942  S  SR P2, Storuman/Norrberg TM (vb) E402  1619km **
 87.8 0949 ALG Chaîne 1, Mecheria (45) OMs, as web  2176km
 88.3 0952  S  SR P1, Gällivare/Dundret RM (no) E201 SR_P1___  1896km **
 94.9 1007  S  SR P2, Gällivare/Dundret RM (no) Opera, as web, destroying Belmont!   1896km **
 66.5 1927 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Slonim/RTPS Novaja Straga (HR) OM talk, as web  1671km **
 68.0 1929 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) Bryan Ferry track, as web  1891km
 70.2 1929 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) OM and piano music, as web  1891km **
 67.3 1931 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Bragin/RTPS (GO) YL, as web  2019km **
 87.7 1950 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) OMs, as web  1913km
 90.8 1952 ALG Radio Relizane, Aïn N'sour (48) YL, then silence, as web  1913km

** Personal Skegness 'First'

The Es teased the bottom of the FM band for much of the day. There was a brief opening in the OIRT range, but the most interesting part of the day was around 09:30 when three separate Es clouds were apparent. One to Andalucia, one further east to Algeria (which seemed to be different to the Andalucian Es) and another to Sweden and Finland!

Highlight of the day for me was hearing my local BBC Radio Lincolnshire getting smashed to pieces by the Gällivare transmitter from northern Sweden. Recording here, which includes a brief web parallel insert: www.box.com/s/uhl2kuw5cgpluaz4g5v5

Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings

Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager

Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator

Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com

Sunday 19 May 2013

Skegness Log: 19-05-13

Sporadic E Band 2:
 88.5 0754  I  m2o, Bari/Via Principe Amedeo (ba) 5233  1823km **
 87.5 0756  I  Radio Radicale, Villa Castelli/Monte Fellone (ta) 5210  1901km
 87.8 0757  I  Ritmo 80, Corato/Monte Ripanno (ba) 5A72  1796km
 88.1 0759 ALG Radio Batna, Metlili (5) Arabic beats, as web  2033km
 87.8 0802 ALG Chaîne 1, Mecheria (45) YL news, as web  2176km
 90.4 0804 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) OM news, as web  1911km
 90.5 0804  E  SER, Orihuela/Cabezo Hurchillo (VAL-A) E0FE  1682km
 88.3 0806  E  COPE, Santomera/Cabezos Ásperos (MUR-MU) E486  1676km **
100.0 0811 ALG Chaîne 3, Meghriss (19) OM, as web  1911km
 94.4 0814  E  RNE Radio 5, Almansa (CAM-AB) E515  1592km
 94.4 0814 ALG Chaîne 1, Metlili (5) YLs, as web  2033km
 92.9 0815  E  Onda Cero, Murcia/Pico del Relojero (MUR-MU) E2EE ONDACERO  1698km
 93.3 0815  E  Sensación FM, Molina de Segura (MUR-MU) A000 MURCIA__  1683km
 92.1 0816  E  RNE Radio 5, Sierra de Carrascoy (MUR-MU) E215 Vocal ID  1706km
 92.8 0816  E  Radio Castilla La Mancha, Bogarra (CAM-AB) E396 RCMANCHA  1632km **
 91.2 0818 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) OM, as web  2033km
 90.5 0819  E  Radio Andalucía Información, Pechina/Sierra Alhamilla (AND-AL) E333 __R.A.I.  1809km
107.2 0821  E  Radio Montealegre, Montealegre del Castillo (CAM-AB) E02D _ALEGRE_  1602km
101.0 0827 ALG Radio Médéa, Mihoub (26) OM, as web  1882km **
100.9 0828  E  RNE Radio Nacional, Pechina/Sierra Alhamilla (AND-AL) E211  1809km **
100.8 0830 POR Rádio MEOsw, Almada (set) 8006  1766km **
 87.6 0831 POR RDS, Seixal (set) 8042  ___RDS__  1769km
107.1 0831  E  ACL Radio, Almería (AND-AL) E38A   1827km **
 88.7 0833 POR RDP Antena 2, Serra de Montejunto (lis) 8202 ANTENA_2  1710km
 90.4 0834 POR Rádio Nostalgia, Lisboa/Monsanto (lis) 8059 NSTALGIA  1760km
 90.9 0836 ALG Radio Naama, Mecheria (45) OM in noisy background, as web  2176km **
 91.0 0837 POR RLO-Rádio Litoral Oeste, Óbidos (lei) 8091 __RLO___  1695km
 88.1 0838 POR Radio Regional Sanjoanense, São João da Madeira (avo) 809F REGIONLA  1511km
 87.5 0842  E  Dynamis Radio, Alcorcón/Poligono Urtinsa (MAD-M) 7878 DYNAMIS_  1458km **
 87.6 0842  E  RNE Radio 5, Marbella/Castillejos (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA  1884km
 97.8 0843  E  Cadena Digital, Santo Pitar (AND-MA) EC9D DIGITAL_  1853km **
 87.9 0845  E  Éxito Radio, Madrid/Torre de Valencia (MAD-M) E273 EXITO_R_  1447km
 87.9 0845  E  RNE Radio 5, Cambil/Sierra de Almadén (AND-J) E215 RNE_5-J_  1740km
 95.7 0846  E  Radio Lucena, Lucena (AND-CO) E0FF 95.7_FM. ______NA  1792km **
 88.0 0848  E  RNE Radio 5, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA  1879km **
 88.0 0851  E  Onda Cero, Arévalo (CAL-AV) E2EE ONDACERO  1396km **
 91.1 0853  E  Canal Sur Radio, Vejer de la Frontera (AND-CA) E334  1942km **
 87.7 0854  E  Hit FM, Jerez de la Frontera/San Cristóbal (AND-CA) E200 HIT_FM__  1904km
 87.5 0855  E  esRadio, Dos Hermanas/Montequinto (AND-SE) CAFA esRadio  1824km
 87.6 0903  E  Canal Sur Radio, Santo Pitar (AND-MA) Vocal ID  1853km
 87.6 0909 POR Rádio Popular Afifense, Viana do Castelo (vcs) 80AB AFIFENSE  1446km
 87.7 0910  E  Europa FM, Priego de Cordoba (AND-CO) E2ED EUROPAFM  1778km
 87.8 0912  E  COPE, Moaña/Monte Faro Domaio (GAL-PO) E2CA __COPE__  1378km
 88.0 0945  E  Radio Sant Esteve, Sant Esteve Sesrovire (CAT-B) 7012 __SANT__   1301km
 88.5 0946  E  Radio Tele Taxi, Montserrat (CAT-B) E2DD 24ADOR__  1288km **
 87.7 0950 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) Phone in, as web  1913km **
 89.9 0953  E  Open Lab Radio, Ibiza (BAL-IB) E000 OPENLAB_  1587km
 87.9 1007  E  RNE Ràdio 4, Alpicat (CAT-L) E314 ID  1277km
 87.7 1340 ISL RÚV Rás 2, Gagnheidi (au) A202. Antenna beamed NW. Unattended. Presumed site  1570km
 88.1 1700 FIN YLE Puhe, Kuopio/Vehmasmäki-Möykkylänmäentie (ps) 6207  1906km
 90.2 1702 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Lieksa/Koli-Verkkovaara (pk) 6201  2025km
 91.6 1703 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Kuopio/Vehmasmäki-Möykkylänmäentie (ps) 6201  1906km
 93.4 1704 FIN YleX, Lieksa/Koli-Verkkovaara (pk) 6202   2025km
 92.7 1705 FIN Iskelmä, Varkaus/Könönpelto-Pitkälänniementie (ps) Finnish rock song, as web  1908km

Sporadic E Unidentifieds Department:
 93.8 0808  E  UNID, ? E45E _PULSA__
102.9 0825 MRC Medi 1, site? 1281 _MEDI_1_ Presume this is Oujda/Meghrez (otl)
 88.3 0840  E  UNID, ? 1025 __TROP__
 87.7 0944  E  Catalunya Musica, site? E232 CATMUSIC

** Personal Skegness 'First'


Recordings:
  87.5 esRadio, Dos Hermanas 0900 19-05-13
  87.7 Hit FM, Jerez de la Frontera 0856 19-05-13
  87.5 RNE5, Cambil 0845 19-05-13
  97.8 Cadena Digital, Santo Pitar 0843 19-05-13
107.2 Radio Montealegre, Montealegre del Castillo 0820 19-05-13
  92.1 RNE5, Sierra de Carrascoy 0816 19-05-13
100.7 RNE4, Alpicat 1007 19-05-13


Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings

Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager

Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator

Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com

Band 1 TV Offset Measurement Using The Icom PCR1000

The following is an original article which appeared on the Skywaves website in the 2000s. I have just been asked if I still had this article. Thankfully, the wonderful archive.org Wayback Machine is still able to time travel back into the past to look at historical information on the web.

Some of the links below may be dead and images are missing, though I may try to find some suitable replacements along the way.

Just bear in mind that most of the band one TV transmitters in Europe are now silent, including many of those referred to in the article below, thanks to the wonderful digital revolution which has killed our enjoyment of many aspects of traditional radio.
_________________________________________________________________________________________


Band 1 TV Offset Measurement Using The Icom PCR1000

The Skywaves Magazine for August & September 2002 carried my article "Band 1 Video Offsets" in which I described the techniques needed to identify many TV transmitters from precise measurement of the carrier frequencies. The TV-DX community has had more experience of the technique in the past two years, and interest in the technique is growing, so I felt it was time to bring this article up to date, and also make it available for newcomers to the technique.
Using Video Carrier Offsets
Some TV DXers have used this method of precision video carrier measurement as an aid to identifying band 1 television signals. 
When there is a DX opening on band 1 television you may find there are several signals fighting to take control of a particular channel. While there may be one individual signal that dominates, there could be half a dozen others that don’t get through and you’ll probably never know they were even there. Many of the signals are very weak and may only be detectable on a scanner. But wouldn’t it be interesting to be able to discover the identity of these signals? How do we go about doing so?
TV video carriers transmit in the AM mode, so by listening in SSB you can hear the carriers, even when they are very weak. Scanners have a distinct advantage here as they have much narrower bandwidth than a TV receiver, so the weaker signals may be received relatively easily, however you usually need quite a strong signal in order for the actual picture to be seen on the television.  Furthermore, there are various software “spectrum analysers” freely available from the internet which you can install on your PC and these can play a very important role in the measurement and consequently the identification of these carriers.

If you take an audio feed from your scanner into your computer sound card, the software can “see” and display carriers that are so weak that they are not audible to the human ear. Now this is getting quite far removed from the more traditional methods of our DXing hobby as we are no longer listening to the audio or watching the video from a TV station.  But just how accurate is this method of carrier detection when using a scanner?  This is one of the questions I have been asked recently.
Personally, I don’t think there can be any replacement for the traditional spoken or visual identification, but do not rule out other methods which can enable you to narrow down the possibilities. The system of measuring TV carriers is simply an aid to discovering the location of some of those weaker and otherwise unidentifiable pictures.  By recognizing the carriers we are usually able to get a good idea of the area or even the actual which is being received.  Whichever way you look at it you have to admit this does provide an interesting slant on the hobby and gives you useful information that would not otherwise be available.  So how much guesswork is involved? 
Fortunately for us, video carriers on band 1 are not always bang on frequency. Given that channel E2 video is 48.250 MHz, and R2 is 49.750, etc. you might expect to find all the stations on that precise frequency, but in practice a system of frequency offsets are used by broadcasters to minimise the subjective effect of co-channel interference.  It has been found that offsets which are integer multiples of 1/12th of the line frequency give less objectionable interference when propagation opens up than when carriers are more closely synchronised. Hence the offsets are agreed among neighbouring transmitting authorities. This disperses the nominal frequencies around each channel frequency, and when the frequency errors of individual transmitters can be distinguished, we have a possible means of identifying the transmitter without ever having to resolve the video.
That's the theory. In reality, some transmitters are inclined to drift around a little but this is not usually a problem due to the wide spacing of the carriers.  In fact the occasional drift can be a positive boon!  Not only can we now 'see' these carriers with computer software, but we can watch them fade in and out, see how clean they are, and analyse any other properties that they might exhibit.
As you may know, there are two standards for line and field frequencies in use globally.  The spacing between video and audio carriers is also different.  So the moment a carrier becomes available it may not be difficult to work out what you are receiving.  The offsets are only one clue. You can also check the sound and vision spacing, assuming of course that you are receiving the sound.

The use of the 6m propagation maps which can be found on the internet can point you in the right direction too, as can actually listening to the Tv audio on your scanner if the signal is strong enough.  Usually with a sporadic E opening on band 1 you are able to work out a “footprint” or general area of reception.  Now you begin to see that there is probably less guesswork in this than you might have thought.
Scanners can give you the possibility to receive some very low power outlets of TV stations.  In the UK we may be able to receive double hop E signals which tend to be weaker.  As an example, countries like Syria, Iran and Jordan and the UAE are often received here in the North Midlands. Transatlantic TV has also been possible on many occasions – from north and south America and the Caribbean!
I will explain the method I use to calculate the offsets and show you some screen grabs of stations received using Spectrum Laboratory software which is available to download, free of charge by clicking here.
Precision
As we are looking at precise frequency measurement here you will find that some band 1 video carriers drift a little, but usually only by a few Hz.  However, a few transmitters like the E2 transmitters at Grunten in Bavaria – 48.260.422.0 and Bantiger in Switzerland – 48.250.000.0 are precisely “locked” on a set frequency which never alters so you can use these transmitters as reference frequencies to help you calibrate your receiver.  Another one is the Austrian transmitter at St Polten on E2a – 49.750.000.0.
Offsets
Offsets are sometimes referred to as being ~p or ~m (i.e. an "8p" offset or a "5m" offset, etc.) which again indicates roughly how far plus or minus the offset is.
Reference Frequency
In order to measure a carrier frequency accurately, it is necessary to calibrate the receiver to the required degree of accuracy. We are fortunate in western Europe in having several standard frequency transmissions easily available, which can be used in various ways to calibrate the receiver.
Spectrum Laboratory
I use a software spectrum analyzer called Spectrum Laboratory, or SpectrumLab for short.  This is packed with useful features and lets you zoom in close on the carrier so you can take very precise measurements to accuracies of less than 1 Hz.
Method
I feed the audio from my Icom PCR1000 receiver into the computer's sound card.  I use the Buxton amateur radio beacons on 50.000.000.0 & 70.000.000.0 MHz as my markers because these have a precise and stable frequency as stated on their website.  However, it may be necessary to find an alternative reference frequency if you cannot receive Buxton.  It seems that Buxton has a coverage area of roughly 100 miles radius, judging by reports from DXers. The Band I TV transmitters at Bantiger, Switzerland and Grunten, Germany are derived from atomic standards and can also be used as references for our purposes.  Using the narrow-band techniques we are discussing, these can normally be 'seen' constantly in the English Midlands, and are probably available throughout much of Western Europe. If received at a distance, it will be necessary to ignore any spectral 'streaking' due to aircraft or meteor scatter. Western Europe also has available a wealth of LF & MF Standard Frequency transmissions, and while these are unsuitable for direct calibration of the PCR1000, they can be effectively multiplied up by the use of an off-air frequency standard. We used an off-air standard locked to Droitwich 198kHz, and observed the harmonics of the 10MHz output; these were easily visible up to 200MHz. This way it would be easy to calibrate within 20Hz at 200MHz , whereas direct measurement of the 198kHz carrier would require resolution better than 0.02Hz, which is not really feasible.
Elsewhere in the world, it may be necessary to look to the few remaining HF Time & Frequency Standard transmissions. WWV is still available on 10,000 and 15,000kHz, and the Moscow station RWM is on 9,996 and 14,996kHz, between them probably covering half the globe. You need to set your rx within 1Hz at 10MHz to be within 5Hz at Band I. GPS-conditioned frequency standards are the current method of choice in the scientific community, and if you can borrow one, use the harmonics to calibrate at VHF. Unfortunately, the use of standard frequencies via TV line synchronising pulses is obsolescent, as digital distribution protocols remove the need to transmit real-time sync pulses. It is no longer useable in the UK.
Calibrating the PCR1000
By tuning the PCR1000 to 49.999.000 in USB I get an audible tone from my 50MHz Buxton reference.  This can be seen clearly on SpectrumLab, and should be at 1.000kHz. If the SpectrumLab frequency offset is set to “0” Hz, this will compensate for the 1kHz offset of the receiver tuning, and the received tone should be at the 1000Hz mark.  A setting of -500 to +500Hz for the SpectrumLab display width should allow you to see the initial error, and you can zoom in closer as you calibrate.
To calibrate the PCR1000 it is necessary to use the engineering mode software “EX2099 for IC-PCR!1000” current revision 1.0, which might still be available here.  This software is not easy to obtain so you may need to Google for this or join one of the PCR1000 forums.  Beware with this software though as improper use may cause damage to your PCR1000.
Firstly, you will need to close any PCR1000 controlling software that may be in use, then run EX2099. Switch the “power on”, and input the required frequency (49.999 MHz USB in this example) making sure you turn up the AF gain as this may be too quiet by default.  In the “Adjustment panel” select “EEPROM” and click “START”. Then select “Xtal”.  Adjust the “Ref Adjustment” up or down while monitoring the (Buxton) carrier.  Making note what happens to the positioning of the carrier in Spectrum Lab.  Once you have got the carrier as close to zero offset as possible click on “Rx Set”. Mission accomplished!
When making adjustments to the “Ref Adjustment” you will see that, although you are adjusting the oscillator frequency in roughly 1Hz steps, the carrier at 50MHz will appear to move by around 4Hz at a time as the receive frequency is controlled entirely by the 10.250MHz reference oscillator, and the steps are scaled pro rata.  But you can compensate for this in Spectrum Lab by adjusting the frequency bar in order to get the carrier spot on to 0Hz.  Don’t worry if you are unable to get the initial carrier adjustment spot on to 0Hz, simply adjust the frequency bar. You can be safe in the knowledge that, at 50MHz the calibration will be accurate to 1Hz right across band 1. This can be demonstrated here with Buxton’s transmitters at 50MHz and 70MHz.
Note that this software is not particularly user friendly and has a tendency to revert back to a default frequency in mid-adjustment, so you may need to reset the frequency, mode and AF levels all over again.
Also make sure your receiver has warmed up sufficiently before making these adjustments. My own PCR1000 takes several hours to stabilise though about three hours should be sufficient to make adjustments with the EX2099 software - the longer the better.
By using the reference oscillator adjustment dialog box, it is possible to alter the receiver frequency in steps of approximately 4Hz at 50MHz, or pro-rata at other receive frequencies, until the tone moves to the 0Hz mark. It appears that one can generally set a PCR1000 freq. calibration to better than 5×10e-8. It should therefore be possible to reduce the calibration error to within ±2.5Hz at 50MHz or ±10Hz at 200MHz (short-term).
In use, add 1000Hz to the indicated receive frequency and add the SpectrumLab frequency scale reading (plus or minus) to get the received carrier frequency.
But don’t just take my method as THE only way to measure offsets.  The alternative is to use a locally-generated reference frequency source, for example a spectrum of harmonics derived from an accurate oscillator, and make corrections to the indicated receive frequency at each frequency.  Read the methods of Ian Roberts and Todd Emslie at their website.
More Information about Offsets
Offsets are nominally arranged in units of 1/12th of the line frequency so in the case of 625 line pictures 1 offset unit is 1.302 kHz thus giving us:
Offsets for E2 transmitters:
8m 48.239.584
7m 48.240.866
6m 48.242.188
5m 48.243.490
4m 48.244.792
3m 48.246.094
2m 48.247.396
1m 48.248.698
zero offset 48.250.000
1p 48.251.302
2p 48.252.604
5p 48.256.510
6p 48.258.812
7p 48.259.114
8p 48.260.416
9p 48.261.718
Offsets for R1 / E2a transmitters
8m 49.739.584
7m 49.740.886
6m 49.742.188
5m 49.743.490
4m 49.744.792
3m 49.746.094
2m 49.747.396
1m 49.748.698
zero offset 49.750.000
1p 49.751.302
2p 49.752.604
3p 49.753.906
4p 49.755.208
5p 49.756.510
6p 49.757.812
7p 49.759.114
8p 49.760.416
9p 49.761.718
Offsets for A2 [nom. 55.250MHz] with 525-line 60Hz field video:
Negative 55.240.000
zero offset 55.250.000
Positive 55.260.000
Although these are the listed offset frequencies you may find there is slight variation (a couple of hundred Hz at the very most from personal experience and usually within 50Hz) but you shouldn’t find anything in between these. There are no m’s and p’s as used in Europe.
Thankfully, in practice transmitters are only "nominally" on these offsets, which makes it possible to separate and identify individual transmitters.
For instance, the EBU list gives Kuldiga in Latvia as R1 with an "8p" offset, which gives us a nominal frequency of 49.760.416. The transmitter is in fact on 49.760.459 (most recent readings) but the "8p" figure gives us a rough idea of where to look.  The "actual" frequency can be lower or higher than the nominal offset. Or, on E3 both 55.273440 and 55.247.552 count as "2m" which is nominally 55.247396.  Note that the quoted frequencies are not immutable, but will be subject to the same sort of drift-with-time as your receiver. If the transmitter is subject to periodic maintenance, it is quite likely that the transmitter frequency may occasionally be altered, so that we are dependent on updates from those who are able to identify and measure the carrier frequencies. All of us may be able to contribute to the updating of the databases, if we can achieve the required measurement accuracy.
In conclusion, it is clear that users of scanning software have a big advantage when DXing during the E season, etc:- the ability to detect signals at lower levels which may result in a greater number of loggings; a possible extension of the E season either side as a result; being able to measure offsets during the F2 season on otherwise smeary and unwatchable pictures; the ability to tune into the audio and thus work out the sound and vision spacing.
Here are some screen grabs of video carriers
Above:  Two wide, smeary auroral carriers on E3.  John Faulkner.
Above:  Jet scatter on Liege, E3, measured at 55.250.034.5 (on the right of the image).  The smeary traces which surround it are doppler effect caused by reflections from aircraft.  The carrier itself is in the centre of the doppler smears.  You can also see other weak carriers at 55.249.984.5 (this appears at -15.5 on the frequency reference bar) and a broad mess of meteor scatter can be seen just below that (-15 to -25).  This is rather difficult to see due to the low resolution of the images.
Above:  Warm-up drift of the PCR1000 nicely captured by SpectrumLab software.  The signal is that of the amateur radio repeater GB3BUX in Buxton, Derbyshire on 50.000MHz.
For the club's complete listing of band 1 offsets, please click here.
John Faulkner, with thanks to Julian Hardstone for checking the techie stuff!

Skegness Log: 18-05-13

Sporadic E OIRT:
 66.20 1610 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Hrodna/RTPS Vul. Gorkogo (HR) Classical, as web  1551km
 66.74 1611 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Ushachy/RTPS Astravenec (VI) Classical, as web  1844km

Sporadic E Band 2:
 89.5 0816 SRB Radio Vladimirci, Vladimirci/Skupljen (Srb) 0000 VLRCI  1701km
 89.5 0817 BUL Radio Energy, Sofia/bul. Peyo K. Yavorov-TV kula (sfg) Energy Jingle  2059km **
 88.3 0820 HRV HRT-HR 1, Vinkovci/Borinci (vu) C201 HRT-HR_1  1590km
 88.1 0826 SRB Radio Beograd 1, Ovcar (Srb) D2FF   1779km
 88.6 0846  E  IB 3 Ràdio, Es Mercadal/El Toro (BAL-MN) E2A0  1492km
 87.7 0850  E  RAC 1, Barcelona/Collserola (CAT-B) E251  1311km
107.5 0852  E  Radio Palamós, Palamós (CAT-GI) E0D4 _______OS  1274km **
106.6 0853  E  Radio Estel, Barcelona/Collserola (CAT-B) E243 R_ESTE__  1311km **
107.6 0854  E  Radio 7 Vallès, Granollers (CAT-B) E0F2 __DI____  1295km **
107.9 0855  E  Radio Amistad, Barcelona/Turó d'en Fotjà (CAT-B) 1234 AMISTAD_  1308km **
106.9 0857  E  Radio Kanal Musical, Barcelona (CAT-B) Phone in, as web  1316km **
106.9 0858  F  Skyrock, Ax-les-Thermes/Bois des Planes (09) Vocal ID  1166km **
106.6 0859  E  Flaix FM, Tossa d'Alp (CAT-GI) Vocal ID  1209km **
107.1 0900  E  Radio El Vendrell, El Vendrell (CAT-T) E107 RADIO___ VENDRELL  1330km **
107.2 0902  F  BFM Business, Toulouse/Bonhoure (31) F227 __B_F_M_  1065km **
 91.0 0905  E  ABC Punto Radio, Tarragona (CAT-T) E1E2 COPE (Not ABC Punto Radio) Local ID  1338km **
 91.0 0906  F  Nostalgie, Fleurance/la Bourdette (32) F218  1035km **
 92.5 0907  F  France Bleu Limousin, Châteauponsac/Fournachaux (87) F405 BL______  788km **
 88.4 0909  E  Catalunya Ràdio, Montcaro (CAT-T) E231 CATRADIO  1373km
 88.1 0910  F  France Culture, Saint-Astier/Chanteroudilles (24) F202 ______RE  891km **
 87.6 0912  F  Orion 87,6 La Voix de la vallée, Bergerac/Marsol (24) FD47  930km **
 88.6 0912  E  RNE Radio Clásica, Confrides/Aitana (VAL-A) E212 RNE-CLAS  1613km
107.7 0914  E  Radio Fraga, Fraga (ARA-HU) E061 R.FRAGA_  1293km **
107.9 0914  E  Ràdio Gandesa, Gandesa (CAT-T) E258 GANDESA_  1344km
107.0 0915  F  100% Radio, Tarbes/Ibos (65) F692 100/100_ 0 % BER!  1102km **
107.4 0915  E  Radio Somontano, Peraltilla (ARA-HU) EEEE SOMATANO  1235km **
107.0 0917  E  Dial Rótova, Oliva/Tossal Gros (VAL-V) E231 __DIAL__ _ROTOVA_ 0% BER!  1584km
106.6 0920  E  RNE Radio Clásica, Sagunt/Monte Picayo (VAL-V) E212 RNE-CLAS  1502km
 89.2 0923  F  Radio Oloron, Oloron-Sainte-Marie/Boumayou (64) FD96  1115km **
 91.4 0926  E  Radio Surco, Tomelloso (CAM-CR) E206 R.SURCO_  1579km
 92.7 0926  E  Kiss FM, Albacete (CAM-AB) E2EC KISS_FM_  1584km
 87.6 0931  F  Skyrock, Castres/Peyrous Petit (81) F214 SKYROCK_ Local ID  1071km **
 87.7 0938  E  Euskadi Irratia, Azkoitia (PVA-SS) E301  1129km
 88.2 0945  E  RNE Radio Nacional, Pont de Suert/Fallada de Malpas (CAT-L) E211 RNE_1___  1199km
 88.0 0946  E  Radio Nervión, Laredo (CNT-S) E343 RNERVION  1118km
 88.0 0959 TUN Radio Zitouna FM, Djebel Zaghouan (zag) 7211  2016km
 87.6 1002 TUN RTT Radio Tataouine, Zarzis (med) 7205 TATAOUIN  2342km
 87.8 1004  I  Ritmo 80, Corato/Monte Ripanno (ba) Vocal ID  1796km
 90.7 1005 TUN RTT Radio Culture, Zarzis (med) Arabic music, as web  2342km
 89.9 1007  I  Radio Venere (Sardegna), Sassari/Monte Oro (ss) 561E  1513km **
 88.6 1010  I  RDS - Radio Dimensione Suono, Tempio Pausania/Monte Limbara (ot) 5264  1521km
 88.2 1011  I  Radio Deejay, Tempio Pausania/Monte Limbara (ot) 5214  1521km
 92.0 1014 TUN RTT R.Tunis Chaîne Int., Djebel Zaghouan (zag) 7202  2016km
 92.5 1015 TUN RTT Radio Jeunes, Two low power sites 7201
 92.5 1016  I  Radio Sant'Anna, Lettere (na) 50E0 Vocal ID  1749km
 92.4 1017  I  Radio Sintony, Sant’Antioco/Monte Cresia (ci) 54A4  1684km
 92.7 1018 POR ERA FM, Amarante (prt) 80A1 _ERA_FM_  1466km
107.4 1019 POR TSF Rádio Notícias, Lousã/Trevim (coi) 8343 _T_S_F__  1588km
107.6 1020 POR TSF Rádio Notícias, Serra de Marão (vrl) 8343 _T_S_F__  1459km
107.8 1020 POR Rádio No Ar, Santo Tirso (prt) 8076 ___NOA__  1448km
106.7 1021 POR TSF Rádio Notícias, Minhéu (vrl) 8343  1422km
107.9 1024  E  Si Ràdio, A Cañiza (GAL-PO) E250 SI_RADIO  1375km **
106.9 1026 POR TSF Rádio Notícias, Braga (bra) OM, as others  1448km
 87.5 1028  I  Radio Maria, Sant’Antioco/Monte Cresia (ci) 51CC R.MARIA_  1684km
 87.7 1029 TUN RTT Radio Culture, Djebel Trozza (kai) 7212  2086km
101.3 1031  I  Radio Super Sound, Fluminimaggiore/Monte Argentu (ci) 5659 ______ND  1647km **
101.3 1032 TUN RTT Radio Culture, Maktar/Souk Jomaa (kas) 7212 CULTURE_  2039km
103.2 1035  I  Radio Maria, Arbus/Conca 'e su Monti (md) 51CC R.MARIA_  1640km
103.2 1036  F  France Bleu Corse Frequenza Mora, Vivario (20B) Vocal ID  1381km **
 89.4 1038  F  Radio Orient, Toulon/Cap Sicié (83) F22B _ORIENT_  1195km
 91.3 1039  F  France Inter, Marseille/Grande Etoile (13) F201  1149km **
 90.2 1040  F  Radio Star, Toulon/Cap Sicié (83) F440 __ST____  1195km
 88.8 1041 ALG Radio Annaba, M'cid (41) YLs, as web. (Where did Belmont go?)  1957km
 88.3 1042 ALG Radio El Tarf, Oum Ali (36) YLs, as web  1934km
 96.0 1043 ALG Radio El Tarf, Bouzizi (23) YLs, as web  1894km **
 96.8 1044  F  Le Mouv', Marseille/Petite Etoile (13) F208  1148km **
 97.2 1045 ALG Chaîne 2, Kef El Akhal (25) OM  YL, as 97.5  1927km
 97.5 1045 ALG Chaîne 2, Doukhane (12) OM  YL, as web  2071km
 97.8 1048 TUN Radio Zitouna FM, Maktar/Souk Jomaa (kas) 7211 ZITOUNA_  2039km
 87.9 1049  F  Radio Maritima, Martigues/la Couronne (13) F436  1144km **
 88.5 1054  I  RAI Radio1 Lombardia, Four lp sites listed 5701 **
 90.2 1059  F  France Bleu Gard Lozère, Nîmes/les Capitelles (30) F207 Vocal ID  1073km **
 87.6 1104 ALG Chaîne 3, Kef El Akhal (25) ID by correspondent  1927km
 90.4 1106 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) OMs, as web  1911km
 87.8 1112 BIH BH Radio 1, Capljina/Crno Brdo (hgn) Vocal ID  1694km
 94.5 1119 ALB Radio Eurostar, Tiranë (Tirana)/Fushë Dajt (tir) 9004 Scrolling RDS  1965km
 90.0 1124 TUN Oxygène FM, Bizerte/Djebel Kochbata (biz) 7220 OXYGENE_  1933km
 90.3 1124  I  Virgin Radio, Villacidro/Loc. Giarranas (md) 5241 _VIRGIN_  1652km
 92.7 1125  I  RAI Radio2, Sinnai/Monte Serpeddi (RAI) (ca) 5202 _RADIO2_  1678km
 93.0 1125  I  Radio 105 Network, Sinnai/Monte Serpeddi (ca) 5211 _105_FM_  1678km
 93.3 1126  I  RAI Radio2, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (RAI) (or) 5202 _RADIO2_  1575km
 93.8 1126  I  Radio Internazionale, Sinnai/Monte Serpeddi (ca) 56D7 INTERNAZ  1678km
 94.2 1127  I  RDS - Radio Dimensione Suono, Porto Torres/Monte Alvaro (ss) 5264 RDS Jingle ID  1501km
 88.4 1128  I  Radio Internazionale, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (or) 56D7 INTERNAZ  1576km
 89.2 1129  I  RTL 102.5, Sassari/Monte Oro (ss) 5218 RT_____5  1513km
 89.4 1130  F  France Inter, Vivario (20B) F201 ________  1381km **
 90.7 1131  I  RAI Radio1, Sinnai/Monte Serpeddi (RAI) (ca) 5201  1678km
 91.3 1131  I  RAI Radio1, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (RAI) (or) 5201 __RAI___ _RADIO1_  1575km
 91.7 1131  I  Radio Margherita, Sassari/Monte Oro (ss) 5242 MA__HR__  1513km
 92.4 1132  I  RTL 102.5, Sinnai/Monte Serpeddi (ca) 5218 RTL102.5  1678km
 94.7 1135  I  Radio Deejay, Sant’Antioco/Monte Cresia (ci) 5214 _DEEJAY_  1684km
 95.3 1136  I  Radio Luna, Cagliari/Palazzo Griffa (ca) 6DFF __NA____  1688km **
 96.9 1137  I  RAI Radio2, Palermo/Monte Pellegrino (RAI) (pa) 5202  1944km
100.1 1139  I  Radio 24, Sant’Antioco/Monte Cresia (ci) 5245 RADIO_24  1684km
 87.7 1141  I  RDS - Radio Dimensione Suono, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (or) 5264  1576km
 89.6 1142  I  Radio Planargia, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (or) 56F9  1576km
 89.9 1142  I  Radio Studio One, Cagliari/Palazzo Griffa (ca) 5495 STUDIONE  1688km **
 90.5 1144  I  Radio Studio 2000, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (or) 5499  1576km
 92.0 1146  I  RTL 102.5, Sant’Antioco/Monte Cresia (ci) 5218 RTL102.5  1684km **
 87.6 1605 POL PR Radio dla Ciebie - RDC, Ostrów Mazowiecka/Podborze (MW) 3B3B __AD_C__  1441km
 89.3 1613 LVA Radio SWH, Dundaga (Tal) 9258 __SWH___  1466km **
 91.1 1615 LVA LR 1, Dundaga (Tal) OM, as web  1466km **
 88.2 1618 LTU ZIP FM, Bubiai (Sia) CA94 _ZIP_FM_  1497km **
 89.0 1619 EST Tartu Pereraadio, Tartu - Röömu (Tar) Finnish rock music, as web  1742km **
 89.7 1626 EST Tele 2 Power Hit Radio, Tartu - Röömu (Tar) Pops, as web  1742km **
 88.0 1630 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Joutseno/Pappilankangas-Valtatie no 6 (ek) 6201 YLE_YKSI  1899km
 87.9 1631 RUS City FM, Moskva/Balashikha (MOW) 7712 Vocal ID  2415km
 87.5 1633 RUS Biznes FM, Moskva/Ostankino (MOW) Nasal OM, as web  2397km
 95.1 1638 EST Sky Plus, Rapla - Kehtna (Rap) 22EE SKYPLUS_  1643km **
 91.7 1641 EST Raadio Elmar, Koeru (Jae) 2232 ELMAR___  1709km
 94.8 1642 EST Raadio 4, Pärnu - Tammiste (Pae) 22E4  1615km
 89.4 1648 POL PR 1, Kraków/Choragwica (MP) 3211 z_______  1407km
 88.0 1651 POL PR 1, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3211  1530km
 90.5 1652 POL PR Radio Rzeszów, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3417  1530km
 88.5 1653 SVK Rádio Viva, Snina/Scobík (PO) 5341  1587km
 88.6 1653 POL PR 2, Tarnów/Lichwin (MP) 3222 Dwojka__  1466km **
 88.3 1654 POL PR 1, Opole/Chrzelice (OP) 3211 JEDYNKA_  1229km **
 90.3 1655 POL PR 3, Opole/Chrzelice (OP) 3233 _Polskie  1229km
 90.5 1656 POL PR 3, Siedlce/Losice (MW) 3233 _TROJKA_  1512km
 90.7 1657 POL PR 1, Solina/G.Jawor II (PK) 3211  1591km
 91.1 1658 POL PR 1, Tarnów/Lichwin (MP) Polish song, as others  1466km **
 92.0 1658 POL PR 3, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3233  1530km
 93.9 1659 POL Radio Park FM, Kedzierzyn-Kozle/Komin E Blachownia (OP) 37DE PARK_FM_  1272km
 96.3 1701 POL PR 3, Solina/G.Jawor II (PK) 3233  1591km **
 87.8 1703 POL PR 1, Przemysl/Tatarska Góra (PK) 3211  1593km
 88.4 1713 POL PR 2, Lubaczów/Boble (PK) Radio play, as web  1607km **
 87.6 1714 POL PR 2, Zamosc/Tarnawatka (LB) 3222 Radio play, as 88.4  1605km
 88.2 1724 POL RMF FM, Kielce/Swiety Krzyz (SK) 3F44 Presumed site  1436km **

Sporadic E Unidentified/Unlisted, etc.: 106.9 1027  ?  UNID, ? 3000 ROCK_FM_
107.2 0903  E  UNID, ? E0C9
107.5 0916  E  UNID, ? E3C0
107.8 0919  E  UNID, ? E06F
107.8 0928  E  UNID, ? EC57 ONDA____ SOLERO(?)
 88.6 0935  E  Radio Euskadi 1, site? E301 EUSKADI1. Euskadi Irratia ID
 91.7 0942  E  Los Cuarenta Principales, site? EC35 CUARENTA. Is this Sant Jeroni de Montserrat  with new PI?
 89.4 1013  I  UNID, ? 56F9 Radio Planargia PI? Nothing listed
107.0 1022  E  UNID, ? E0E4 ASNOGAIS
 96.3 1148 TUN Radio Zitouna, site? 7211 __TO____
 91.4 1623 LVA UNID, ? (Rez) 9140 RADIOJAHz ??
 88.2 1634 RUS Retro FM, site? Jingle ID between pops  


** Personal Skegness 'First'

The middle of the sporadic E season has come at the beginning this year! Nineteen countries were logged today and 47 personal firsts logged in what was my most productive day of Es so far this season. Can it really get any better than this?


Recordings:

  88.2 Retro FM, unlisted site 1522 18-05-13
  87.8 Polskie Radio 1, Przemysl 1702 18-05-13
  93.9 Radio Park, Kedzierzyn-Kozle 1659 18-05-13
  87.9 City FM, Moscow 1622 18-05-13
106.9 Skyrock, Ax-les-Thermes (09) 0856 18-05-13
106.6 Flaix FM, Tossa d'Alp 0858 18-05-13
  91.0 COPE Catalunya & Andorra, unlisted site 0905 18-05-13
107.0 Cadena DIAL Rotova, Oliva 0917 18-05-13
  88.6 Euskadi Irratia, unlisted site 0932 18-05-13
  87.6 Skyrock, Castres 0931 18-05-13
  92.5 Radio Sant'Anna, Lettere 1016 18-05-13
101.3 Radio Super Sound, Fluminimaggiore 1030 18-05-13
103.2 France Bleu Corse Frequenza Mora, Vivario 1036 18-05-13
  90.2 France Bleu Gard Lozère, Nîmes 1059 18-05-13
  95.3 Radio Luna, Cagliari 1136 18-05-13
  92.4 Radio Sintony, Sant’Antioco 1146 18-05-13


Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings

Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager

Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator

Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com