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Thursday 6 August 2020

Sardinia Scatter in Suffolk?

I was nattering away with Tim Bucknall in the chat room the other day. We were reminiscing about old times and all those wonderful DX trips we had, visiting places like North Wales, Cornwall, the Derbyshire Peak District and the Staffordhire Moorlands, always in search of something different in the way of DX. Happy memories! Then we spoke about Suffolk. In particular, we were wondering if it would be possible to receive Corsica there. Then I remembered that we had already achieved something far greater than that in Suffolk. Something we had almost forgotten about. Sardinia! But there was one slight problem. We couldn't prove it.

I thought that this was already documented in SkywavesDX, but on checking, I see that it isn't, unless I haven't searched correctly. So I thought it would be an opportune moment to document it here. I'll also add it it to my blog in due course.

The best thing about this mystery reception at Suffolk, Aldeburgh and Sizewell Cliffs, to be precise, was that it didn't seem to tie in with any tropo and was always received around the middle of the day or early afternoon and with fluttery scatter-like signals. This didn't sound like tropo at all.

Reception was understandably very weak and signals came up out of the noise only occasionally and not even every day we were at the coast. They would be quite clear for about 30 seconds, then disappear back into the noise. They were never completely noise free.

It was always the same three frequencies too. 88.8, 95.3 and 96.5. It's such a long time ago now that I forget the exact programme content, but we always heard Italian voices. We often spoke about these mystery stations and never knew where the Italian signals could be coming from, never really daring to speculate that they could be from Sardinia. They were probably logged tentatively somewhere and may be documented on the SkywavesDX Yahoo group. Again, my own searching has revealed nothing. Maybe nothing was logged, not even tentatively as I wouldn't have had any idea who I was receiving. (Update: After checking through his own notes, Tim found 13/07/2002 to be one of those dates.) So why the uncertainty? These were pre-FM List days and reliable frequency/transmitter information was often difficult to come by. This reception took place across the late 90s and early 00s. We didn't make detailed loggings of these as we probably assumed they must be something rather more mundane than Sardinia. It wasn't until I took a holiday to Palafrugell in Catalunya in 2005 that I had an inkling of what we may have, and dare I say 'probably' received.

It was a family holiday and I managed to escape for a couple of hours late one evening to do some DXing in the hills. I found a local high spot called Mont Ras, just outside the town. It was a small hill, rather than a mountain, but it provided good reception of all the local stations from in and around the area. I managed to find this bandscan on the Skywaves Yahoo Group archive, posted on 06/06/2005. This is a copy of that report.


Palafrugell (CAT) Bandscan July 30th & 31st, 2005.

 87.6   Catalunya Cultura, Comprodon   CCULTURA
 87.8   Catalunya Musica, Calonge-Castell d'Aro   CATMUSIC
 87.8   Xtra FM, Sant Feliu De Guixols   _XTRAFM_
 88.1   Cadena 40, Rocacorba   40P_____
 88.4   R RM, UNID site   RADIORM_
 88.6   UNID, semi-local station with no RDS.  All talk
 88.6   IB3 R, Monte Toro-Alaior, Balearic Islands   IB3RADIO
 88.7   R RM, Collserola.  Tropo?   RADIORM_
 88.9   Catalunya Cultura, Rocacorba   CCULTURA
 89.1   R Marca Barcelona, Collserola   _MARCA__
 89.2   RFM Provence, Marseille / Grande Etiole (13)   __RFM___
 89.4   Cadena COPE Girona, Rocacorba   __COPE__  _GIRONA_
 89.6   R Dialogue, Marseille (13)   DIALOGUE
 89.9   Onda Rambla Girona, Girona   __ONDA__  _RAMBLA_  _RADIO__  _PUNTO__ A_GIRONA  _89.9_FM
 90.1   Onda Rambla Girona, UNID site   __ONDA__  _RAMBLA_  _RADIO__ _PUNTO__  A_GIRONA  _89.9_FM
 90.4   Onda Cero R, UNID site   ONDACERO
 90.8   UNID.  R Vila? 50 watts from Viladecaballs near Terrassa
 91.1   RNE Clasica, Rocacorba   RNE-CLAS
 91.4   RAC 105 FM, Castell d'Aro   RAC105__
 91.6   RTV Activitat, Santa Coloma De Farnes
 91.9   RAC 105, Banyoles   RAC105__
 92.1   France Inter, UNID site   __INTER_
 92.2   France Musiques, Nice / Mont Chauve (06)   MUSIQUES
 92.3   R Star, Marseille / Petit Sanguin (13) 4kW
 92.5   Catalunya R, Calonge-Castell d'Aro   CATRADIO
 92.7   Frequence Girona, Girona    COMRADIO
 92.9   Catalunya R, Palafrugell   CATRADIO
 93.3   RNE-1 Catalunya, Rocacorba   RNE_1___
 93.6   R Capital, UNID site.  Thought this was Spanish but unsure   CAPITAL_
 93.8   France Culture?  Nothing listed
 94.0   RNE R Cinco, UNID site   RNE_5___
 94.1   Catalunya Informacio, Calonge-Castell d'Aro   CATINFO_
 94.4   SER Girona FM, Girona   __SER___
 94.7   Catalunya R, UNID site
 94.7   Alcudia R, Son Sant Marti, Balearic Islands
 94.8   UNID French classical station, not France Musique
 94.9   France Musique, Toulon / Cap Sicie (83)
 95.1   Ona R Girona, Rocacorba   __ONA___  CATALANA  _GIRONA_  _95.1_FM
 95.3   RAI-2, Monte Limbara, Sardinia!   RADIO2__
 95.4   R Maria, UNID site   R.MARIA_
 95.6   R Club 25 FM, Barcelona   CLUB25FM
 95.9   RNE-3, Rocacorba   RNE_3___
 96.3   R Costa Brava, Palamos   RCBRAVA_  _96.3_FM  __ONA___  _MUSICA_
 96.5`  France Culture, Carcasonne / Pic De Nore (11) `
 96.5   UNID Italian station playing club music 00:15 GMT  31/05
 96.7   Catalunya Musica, Rocacorba   CATMUSIC_
 97.0   Catalunya Cultura, Palafrugell   CCULTURA
 97.2   UNID classical, think France Musique, Perpignan / Pic De Neoulous (66)
 97.4   UNID local station, no RDS.  R Sant Gregori?
 97.7   R Begur La Sintonia, Begur   R,BEGUR_  ___LA___  SINTONIA  DEL_MAR_
 97.9   Catalunya Informacio, UNID site
 98.1   Ona Catalana R Olot, Olot   RADIOLOT  __ONA___  CATALANA
 98.2   RNE-4, UNID site   RADIO_4_
 98.5   Ona Musica Girona, Rocacorba   __ONA___  _MUSICA_  _GIRONA_  _98.5_FM
 98.9   Cadena Dial, UNID site   --DIAL-- 
 99.2   Catalunya Cultura, Calonge-Castell d'Aro   CCULTURA
 99.4   Catalunya Informacio, Macanet De Cabrenys   CATINFO_
 99.6   Flaix FM Girona, Girona   FLAIX_FM
 99.8   France Musiques, Ile d'Elbe / Monte Capanne (20)
 99.9   RAC-1, UNID site   RAC_1___
100.1   RAC-1, Girona   RAC_1___
100.2   "???? FM" ID  Spanish tropo, fading
100.4   Catalunya Musica, Palafrugell   CATMUSIC
100.7   Flaixbac FM, Rocacorba   FLAIXBAC
101.0   R Clasica, UNID site   RNE-CLAS
101.3   R RM, Macanet De Cabrenys
101.6   France Bleu Roussillon, Pepignan / Pic De Neoulous (66)
101.7   Catalunya Informacio, Rocacorba   CATINFO_
101.9   Ona Girona, Girona   _GIRONA_  CATALANA  101,9_FM
102.2   Catalunya R, Rocacorba   CATRADIO
102.5   RNE-1, UNID site
102.7   R Platja d'Aro, Mas Nou   RPA102.7
102.8   Caytalunya Cultura, Macanet De Cabrenys
103.0   RNE-1, UNID site   RNE_1___
103.2   Sud R, Sorede / Pic De Neulos (66)   SUDRADIO
103.3   UNID
103.4   R Estel, Girona   R-ESTEL_
103.5   RNE-1, UNID site
103.6   UNID
103.7   R Santa Cristina, Santa Cristina d'Aro   RADIO___  SANTA___ CRISTINA  100X100_  _MUSICA_
103.9   UNID French
104.0   Ona Emporda, Macanet De Cabrenys
104.2   Maxima FM, Barcelona   MAXIMAFM
104.3   RMC Info, Several sites possible   RMC_INFO
104.4   Ona Emporda, Figueres   __ONA___  CATALANA  EMPORDA_  104.4_FM
104.5   R Cinco, Alfabia perhaps in Balearic Islands
104.8   Catalunya Informacio, Palafrugell   CATINFO_
105.1   R Teletaxi, UNID site   TELETAXI  FM_Y_OLE  ALEGRIA_  24_HORES
105.3   France Info, many sites, perhaps Marseille / Grande Etoile (13) __INFO__
105.5   Catalunya R, Macanet De Cabrenys   CATRADIO
105.7   Flaix FM, Terrassa
105.7   France Info, Nice / Mont Cauve (06) perhaps or Montauban (82) ? __INFO__
105.8   R Dimensione Suono, Cagliari?   *_RDS_*_
105.8   RNE-3, Monte Torro-Alaior, Balearic Islands   RNE_3___
105.9   NRJ Perpignan, Perpignan (66)   __NRJ___
106.1   Flaixbac FM Barcelona, Sant Feliu De Barcelona
106.2   RNE-4, Rocacorba   RNE_4___
106.4   Gum FM, Lloret De Mar   _GUM_FM_
106.5   Riviera R, Menton / Cap Martin (06)   _RADIO__  HOT_HITS  NEWS+FUN ___IN___  ENGLISH_  RIVIERA_
106.6   R Estel, Barcelona
106.8   Europa FM, Girona   EUROPAFM
107.0   R Sant Feliu, Sant Feliu De`Guixols (surely more than 10 Watts?) RSF107.0
107.1   R Montgri, Torroella De Montgri
107.3   Catalunya Cultura, UNID site
107.5   R Palamos, Palamos   _RADIO__  PALAMOS_  A_C_A_R_  107,5_FM LA_RADIO  AL_PUNT_
107.8   R Palafrugell, Palafrugell   RADIO___  PALAFRU-  GELL-24H  107.8_FM


SUMMARY: The holiday was at Palafrugell, near Girona, midway down the Costa Brava coast between Portbou and Barcelona. The lie of the land was hilly but not exceptionally so. The local high spot was the Far Sant Sebastia - a lighthouse which was about a couple of miles away but parking anywhere near it resulted in severe overload due, I suspect, to the local Palafrugell transmitters being up there, so 90% of the above log was made at the village of Mont Ras near the botanical gardens on the opposite side of the Calella de Palafrugell bay or further down the bay. The elevation was minimal but I was hoping other nearby hills slightly further inland would block out the locals.

The 30th and 31st were the only two days I heard DX throughout my two week stay. This was a family holiday so DX was not a priority - in fact I didn't expect to do any at all. Where possible I had a quick scan across FM in the early mornings and at the end of the evenings but nothing other than local Catalunya stations seemed to be audible, despite forecasts of good tropo for most of the period.

During the late evening on the 30th Linda, my wife, said she wouldn't mind if I drove up the local hills and did an hour or two of DXing, so off I
went, leaving at 20:30 GMT with nothing of any note audible on FM.

The next two hours saw a bandscan of local stations. It wasn't until about 00:00 GMT on the 31st that I spotted the first Italian signal on 105.8.
Then things lifted up pretty quickly for an hour but conditions were soon gone again after this.

The following evening saw some different stations coming in during a brief bandscan around 20:00, this time from our location near Palafrugell town.
Stations marked with "UNID sites" are either unlisted or possibly more distant sites being received via tropo.

I would appreciate any thoughts on the UNID Italian station on 96.5. I am wondering if this and RAI-2 were the two stations received in Suffolk in
2002 via tropo? This would appear to make some sense. Hmm, I feel a Suffolk DXpedition coming on. :o)

Good DX!

John



Following my post to Skywaves, Ruud Brand responded with the following:

"Hi John,

All the French stations except Perpignan was tropo (note that 92.1 Inter and 97.2 Musiques are from Perpignan Pic de Neoulous).

The 94.8 unid F with classical music could have been Bleu Azur from Menton.

Which RX and type of aerial did you use?

Ruud (who will stay some km's to the north coming summer holiday)"



Pedro Moñino also responded:

Some help. Most of the UNID sites must be spurious signals, I think

Pedro


... Which may well be right, given the overload I had at the Far Sant Sebastia at the opposite end of town. It was probably less than 5km away.



Finally, Fabrizio Carnevalini commented:

> 96.5 UNID Italian station playing club music 00:15 GMT 31/05. I think is RIN - Radio Italia Network, Sennori - Su Lotto (Sassari, Sardinia)

> 105.8 R Dimensione Suono, Cagliari? *_RDS_*_ is from Monte Limbara, Sardinia



I remember some further correspondence about the unidentified Italian stations we regularly received on Suffolk DX trips. These too concluded that these sites in north-east Sardinia got out very well and that these were very likely to have been what we received. It all bodes very well for this reception being from Sardinia. If so, the distance would be in excess of 1300 km - not impossible for tropo, but quite exceptional for any kind of scatter.