Weekend 10m Activity

I spent the weekend DXing on 10m, using only 10 watts into a 5/8 wave vertical, two metres off the ground. 

Most of the hams I worked were using high power in the order of 1 kW to 1.5 kW. Funny how my signal report was only a couple of S points behind theirs. Who needs high power to work the world? 

Date        GMT    Callsign  Locator  Their sig  My sig    Mode   Props  Distance
30/09/2012  17:49  EA9BW     IM75JM   5/9        5/5       SSB    F2      2006 km
30/09/2012  17:45  M0HAZ     JO03DD   5/9 +10    5/9 +10   SSB    F2         2 km
30/09/2012  16:32  FM5WD     FK94MP   5/9        5/5       SSB    F2      6805 km
30/09/2012  16:18  LA2HA     KN33WN   5/9        5/7       SSB    F2      2279 km
30/09/2012  13:25  RX6DC     LN04NX   5/9        5/9       SSB    F2      3063 km
30/09/2012  13:13  K3RA      FM19PF   5/9        5/5       SSB    F2      5821 km
30/09/2012  11:34  TA3GO     KM38KG   5/9        5/7       SSB    F2      2618 km
30/09/2012  10:47  RT4RO     LO65ER   5/9 +10    5/7       SSB    F2      3299 km
30/09/2012  09:56  EC8AQQ    IL27GW   5/8        5/1       SSB    F2      3086 km
30/09/2012  09:31  R9XV      LP63XO   5/9        5/7       SSB    F2      3222 km
30/09/2012  09:12  LZ2AVA    KN43EK   5/9        5/8       SSB    F2      2320 km
29/09/2012  11:18  RV9YP     NO22NL   5/9 +10    5/5       SSB    F2      5017 km
29/09/2012  11:45  UR9MC     KN98JL   5/9 +10    5/9       SSB    F2      2719 km
29/09/2012  12:26  5B/G8DX   Paphos   5/7        5/2       SSB    F2      3429 km
29/09/2012  14:02  K3LU      FM19PB   5/7        5/6       SSB    F2      5834 km
29/09/2012  17:02  7X4AN     IM94GU   5/9        5/9       SSB    F2      2038 km
29/09/2012  18:52  WX3B      FM19KQ   5/9 +10    5/9       SSB    F2      5814 km
28/09/2012  17:40  KC4TVZ    EM84BE   5/7        5/9       SSB    F2      6669 km
28/09/2012  16:10  UT7EW     KN78MM   5/9 +10    5/7       SSB    F2      2467 km

Treen Bandscan, Cornwall, September 2012

Cornwall never disappoints! Be it for the spectacular natural beauty of its countryside or for its excellent DX possibilities!

We spent seven days at Treen Farm camp site and experienced a good tropo event between September 13th and 16th.

It was our first visit to the Treen Farm camp site and it immediately became our firm favourite. The Sea View and Lower Treave campsites have also been good for Spanish DX and are worth considering if Treen Farm is full, but there are some big advantages Treen Farm. The location is on a cliff top in the extreme south-west of Cornwall. There are sea views from the south-east to the south-west and there is a spectacular beach immediately below the site with almost white sands and the kind of azure/turquoise seas you expect to see around the Cornish peninsula. At night, the skies are so clear you can easily see the Milky Way above you. It doesn't seem to be the kind of camp site where noise is tolerated too. While children and dogs are allowed, there are notices on the site which state that noise will NOT be tolerated after 10pm!

Now, this is what we heard:

Thursday 13th September 2012

106.5 TSF R Noticias, Muro (vcs)
107.7 R Estrada, Unlisted site
 87.5 RKM R, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-C)
 87.6 OM & YL talk 08:25 
 87.8 Cadena COPE Vigo, Moana (GAL-PO) __COPE__
 88.2 RNE R Clasica, Monte Paramo (GAL-LU) RNE-CLAS
 88.9 Euskadi Irratia, Bilbao (PVA-BL) EUSKADI1
 89.1 Los 40 Principales, Monte Castrove (GAL-PO)
 90.1 RNE R Nacional Galicia, Moana (GAL-PO)
 91.2 RNE R Clasica, Monte Meda (GAL-OU) RNE-CLAS
 91.4 Cadena Dial, Pontevedra (GAL-PO) ___DIAL_ PONTEDRA
 91.6 RNE R Clasica, Culleredo (GAL-C) RNE-CLAS
 92.1 RNE R Clasica, Moana (GAL-PO) RNE-CLAS
 92.2 RNE R Clasica, Gamoniteiro (AST-O)
 92.6 Spain
 92.8 RNE R.5, Monte Paramo (GAL-LU) RNE_5-LU
 93.1 Spanish phone in 20:50
 93.4 Spanish phone in 20:50
 93.7 RNE R.5, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-C) RNE_5-C_
 94.3 RNE R.3, Monte Meda (GAL-OU)
 94.4 RNE R.3, Gamoniteiro (AST-O)
 94.5 RNE R.3, Culleredo (GAL-C) RNE_3___
 94.7 Euskadi Gaztea, Bilbao (PVA-BL) GAZTEA__
 95.6 Cadena SER, Pontevedra (GAL-PO) CAD-SER_ _AROSA__
 95.8 RNE R.5, Culleredo (GAL-C) RNE_5-C_
 96.2 R Galega, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-C)
 96.9 RNE Radio Nacional Cantabria, Lierganes (CNT-S) RNE_1___
 97.1 Cadena COPE, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-C)
 97.2 Spain
 97.4 RNE R.3, Moana (GAL-PO)
 98.1 RNE R Clasica, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-C) RNE-CLAS
 98.7 SER Pontevedra, Pontevedra (GAL-PO) SER_EDRA
 99.0 RNE R.3, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-C) RNE_3___
 99.6 RNE R.3, Monte Paramo (GAL-LU) RNE_3___
100.1 EIRB Irratia, Bilbao (PVA-BL)
100.2 Spain phone in 21:19
100.4 RNE R.1, Culleredo (GAL-C) RNE_1___
100.6 SER Vigo, Moana (GAL-PO) SER-VIGO
100.9 R Galega, Valga (GAL-PO) R.GALEGA
101.7 RNE Radio Nacional Galicia, Monte Paramo (GAL-LU) RNE_1___
102.1 R Obradoiro Santiago, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-C) OBRAOIRO
102.3 R Galega, Moana (GAL-PO) (Presumed)
102.5 RNE Radio Nacional Asturias, Gamoniteiro (AST-O) RNE_1___
102.6 Bizkaia Irratia, Bilbao (PVA-BL) BIZKAIAI
102.8 RNE Radio Nacional Galicia, Mone Meda (GAL-LU)
103.2 Spain
103.4 R Renascenca, Muro (vcs)
102.0 Sud R, Toulouse (65) SUDRADIO
103.7 ABC Punto Radio, Bilbao (PVA-BL) PUNTO_R.
104.2 RNE R.3, Xistral (GAL-LU)
104.4 RNE R.5, Gamoniteiro (AST-O) RNE5-AST
104.8 R Galega, Monte Meda (GAL-OU)
105.0 RNE R.5, Lierganes (CNT-S) RNE_5-S_
105.3 RNE R Clasica, Monte Oiz (PVA-BL)
105.3 TSF R Noticias, Valongo (prt)
105.7 TSF R Noticias, Valenca Do Minho (vcs) _T_S_F__
106.4 R Del Principado Del Asturias, Gamoniteiro (AST-O) RPA_FM__
106.6 RNE R.5, Xistral (GAL-LU)
106.8 RNE R.5, Monte Meda (GAL-OU) RNE_5-OU
106.9 Spain
107.6 Spain
107.9 Spain
 94.6 RDP Antena 2, Muro (vcs)
 88.0 R Galega Musica, Valga (GAL-PO)
107.9 Radio Lider, Pontevedra (GAL-PO)
106.1 Radio Voz Compostela, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-C)
 89.5 Spain
 88.4 Cadena Cien, Unidentified site CAD-100_
 90.2 Spain
103.1 R Nacional Galicia, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-C) RNE_1___
103.5 Spain
103.6 Cadena 100, Gijon (AST-O)
104.1 Los 40 Principales / Exitos IDs
103.4 Spain OM talk over jazz, then soul music 23:41
107.8 Valle De Buelna FM, Los Corrales De Buelna (CNT-S)
107.6 Spanish pops 22:47
101.1 Onda Cero, Cangas Del Narcea (AST-O)
 95.7 RNE R.5, Navarra (NAV-NA)
 97.1 Spain OM 22:54
 97.5 Kiss FM, Lugo (GAL-LU)
 97.6 Spain OM 22:54
 97.9 RNE R Clasica, Riano De Ibio (CNT-S)
 99.5 Spain OM 22:59
 90.5 Spain OM 22:59


Friday 14th September 2012

 99.8 Spain OM 01:25
101.4 R Del Principado De Asturias, Aviles (AST-O) _RPA_FM_
102.9 RNE R.3, Lierganes (CNT-S)
103.4 RNE R.3, Riano De Ibio (CNT-S) RNE_3___
104.6 Spain OM & YL phone in 01:32
105.6 ABC Punto R, Lierganes (CNT-S)
107.1 Spain OM & YL 01:39
 88.5 RNE R Clasica, Hornos De Moncalvillo (RIO-LO)
 94.6 RNE R.3, Hornos De Moncalvillo (RIO-LO)
103.3 RNE R.5, Hornos De Moncalvillo (RIO-LO)
 87.5 Loca FM, Oviedo (AST-O)
 96.5 SER Gijon, Gijon (AST-O) __SER___
 98.5 Kiss FM, Santander (CNT-S)
 91.7 R Euskadi 2, Bilbao (PVA-BL) EUSKADI2
102.4 Spain YL over classical music 23:54
 96.3 Spain OM & YL talk over classical music 23:57
 97.5 RNE R Clasica, Medinaceli (CAL-SO)
100.5 France Bleu Gascogne, Bayonne (64) BLEUGASC
101.4 Spain OM talk mixing Gamoniteiro


Saturday 15th September 2012

102.4 Spain Lively OM talk 00:04
 93.9 Spain OM talk 08:15
 87.7 Cadena Dial, Santander (CNT-S)
 88.0 R Nervion, Bilbao (PVA-BL) RNERVION
106.1 R Nacional, Monreal (NAV-NA) RNE_1___
105.4 Spain OMs discussion 08:32
100.3 RNE R.5, Cangas De Onis (AST-O)
 93.5 Spain Phone in 08:49
107.5 Spain Mexican/Latin music 08:50
106.7 Spain YL phone in 09:03
104.0 Spain OMs discussion 09:05
 92.7 R 7 Barakaldo, Bilbao (PVA-BL)
 94.8 Spain phone in 22:43
 98.2 Spain OM lively talk 22:48
 99.2 Spain OM talk 22:49
100.7 Spain Panel show 22:52
101.5 Onda Cero, Bilbao (PVA-BL) __DA____
 88.5 Hit FM, Aviles (AST-O)
 91.8 Hit FM, Gijon (AST-O)
106.5 Formula Hit A Coruna, Carballo (GAL-C) Tentative. Dance music & ID "Hit Music Radio Sol" 23:30


Sunday 16th September 2012

104.8 Kiss FM, Aviles (AST-O)

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Even when conditions are flat on the Land's End peninsula, Spanish stations always seem to be audible on band 2. But if you take your radios to the Land's End car park, Spanish reception is considerably better! We obtained permission to erect a beam at the Land's End cliff top car park during the evening - something we never actually did in the end, but it's there for next time. Now THAT should be VERY interesting indeed!

Summarizing The 2012 Sporadic E Season

After comparing my 2012 E season loggings with those of the 1011 season, I think I can conclude that this year's E season equalled last year's at this location and perhaps even slightly bettered it, but only slightly. This is my own experience. Other DXers have commented that the season has been much worse this year. SPoradic E conditions are hugely selective though, so comparisons are probably meaningless. If you were to average it out over the whole of Europe and North America I think the overwhelming opinion would be that the 2012 Es season was well down on last year's, which in itself was quite poor also. However, while my personal logbook show a certain "quantity" of loggings, there was certainly far less in the way of "quality". Not one single instance of double hop was experienced.

Looking at it on a month-by-month basis: The season seemed to begin well in May, but then went downhill before the end of the month, leaving June with large gaps of several days with no Es. July wasn't much better, if at all and August was average - maybe even slightly better than July, but after counting the number of loggings I had this season I notice that here are only slightly fewer loggings than during last year's season. There were at least three good, nationwide Spanish openings this year while I was away and so I probably missed a fair number of loggings. Last year I was in the fortunate position of being by the radio virtually all the time and I was conscious of the fact that I didn't miss any good openings.

As mentioned above, as far as quality goes, this year was definitely down on last year. Double hop materialised on at least two occasions last season whereas this year I am not aware of a single instance - unless you class the Moroccan transmitter at Assa as double hop at 2800+. I suspect the Es on this occasion hooked up with a tropo extension at the far end of the path. Maybe that is classed double hop though.

I am always interested to hear other's views, but overall I am satisfied with a good haul of loggings this year, even if the quality wasn't quite there.

It was also pleasing to get a lot of different stations this year whereas I had expected a huge amount of repetition.

By the way, Norway was the only main European country which didn't make it here on Es. My Turkish goal didn't materialise either, but then Turkey is probably just a tad over the single hop limit from me. Maybe next year.

Ster Bandscan, Brittany, September 2012

We took a holiday to Brittany between August 31st and September 8th. We had planned to stay longer and take a trip around the French Alps the following week but our plans were interrupted: We had intended to take our two Rottweilers but we found that there were many difficulties along the way which meant they had to be left at home. Fortunately, we have a very good friend, also a Rottweiler owner, who came to look after them while we were away. True enough, Rottweilers are large, fearsome looking dogs, but ours are very friendly and cuddly. Yes, I said "cuddly". We are daft when it comes to our dogs. They are part of our family and we love them dearly.

We try to take our dogs with us most places, but we find that some people prefer to cross over the road to avoid walking past them, depending on where we are. The locals love them and only want to fuss them, which they really appreciate. When walking in a rough part of Glasgow with them recently we found that people only crossed the road to avoid us. That spoke volumes about the area we were in.

Sadly, after weeks of planning and researching we discovered that Rottweilers wee classed as "Category 2 breed: Guard Dogs" in France and thus were not allowed on French camp sites. If it wasn't for a well-known web forum we would not have discovered this information. Well done tripadvisor.com! Their members were exceptionally helpful and pointed us to the appropriate website which explained all the rules concerning Rottweilers in France. Before doing this, we had emailed and phoned various government departments, embassies, European vetinary organisations and Rottweiler clubs, only to be passed around in a loop because they didn't know where Rottweilers were permitted. Our very own government department DEFRA hadn't a clue either. No surprises there.

Arriving at the camp site we promptly set up a simple receiving station, comprising a Sony XDR-F1HD and a Triax FM3, mounted on a telescopic mast at around five to six metres, so that it was above the caravan roof and clear of obstruction to the beach, which looks out over the Bay Of Biscay, just 200 metres away.

Perhaps I shouldn't give a big build-up to this report as nothing much was heard, typical of all my visits to Brittany in fact. We had expected more Spanish DX this time as the Hepburn tropo forecast looked good for this. Instead, we experienced more of a lift to the north, into south-west England. I don't wish to rubbish the DX potential of this location as I am fairly sure that conditions were not as forecast, but I have never experienced much in the way of Spanish DX from this location. Band 2 is fairly quiet at the best of times, but with careful searching and the occasional rise in conditions, it's mostly always been more distant Breton stations which come though. Maybe I have been unlucky. In contrast, I have to say that the French Land's End at the Point Du Raz, some 50 km to the north-west, was dramatically better for Spanish reception, even under apparently flat conditions. Despite this, the Pointe Du Raz does not seem to provide the same proliferation of Spanish signals experienced at the Cornish Land's End. I have been to both Land's Ends several times.

Here is the report, complete with notes to begin with. Unfortunately I lost interest with the note keeping and DXing as nothing much was heard after the 4th.


31-08-12
Poor late evening. A few Spanish transmitters at weak/noisy levels.


01-09-12
Slightly enhanced after sunrise. Some Spanish signals almost noise free. Nothing at RDS levels.

 88.2 RNE Radio Clasica, Monte Paramo (GAL-LU)
 88.9 Euskadi Irratia, Bilbao (PVA-BI)
 89.5 RNE Radio Nacional Galicia, Xistral (GAL-LU)
 90.5 RNE R.5 TN Oviedo, Boal (AST-O)
 92.8 RNE R.5 TN Lugo, Monte Paramo (GAL-LU)
 93.2 RNE RNE Radio Nacional Asturias, Boal (AST-O)
 93.7 RNE R.5 TN Santiago, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-O)
 94.4 RNE R.3, Gamoniteiro (AST-O)
 95.2 UNID YL talk 0954 (Likely Onda Cero, Oviedo (AST-O) Heard at Pointe Du Raz)
 95.6 UNID Phone in 0956 (Likely Cadena SER, Lugo (GAL-LU) Heard at Pointe Du Raz)
 96.3 RNE Radio Clasica, Galicia (GAL-LU)
 96.9 RNE R Nacional Cantabria, Lierganes (CNT-S)
 98.1 RNE Radio Clasica, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-O)
 99.0 RNE R.3, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-O)
 99.6 RNE R.3, Monte Paramo (GAL-LU)
101.7 RNE R Nacional Galicia, Monte Paramo (GAL-LU)
100.9 UNID News 1002 (Likely Radio Galega, Valga (GAL-PO))
102.5 RNE Radio Nacional Asturias, Gamoniteiro (AST-O)
102.7 esRadio, unlisted site
102.9 RNE R.3, Lierganes (CNT-S)
103.1 RNE Radio Nacional Galicia, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-O)
103.7 Radio Galega, Monte Paramo (GAL-LU)
104.2 RNE R.3, Xistral (GAL-LU)
104.4 RNE R.5 TN Oviedo, Gamoniteiro (AST-O)
104.8 Likely Radio Galega, Monte Meda (GAL-OU)
105.0 RNE R.5 TN Santander, Lierganes (CNT-S)


01-09-12 Evening: Disappointing. Only Gamoniteiro heard extremely weakly and barely recognisable in the noise. SW England enhanced with North Hessary Tor and Redruth at one bar.


02-09-12 Morning: Rubbish! As 01-09-12 evening.

UK nationals Rowridge and a presumed Haverfordwest received via scatter.


02-09-12 Evening: Spanish? Where? I can't hear any.


03-09-12 Morning: Yawn! Even semi-local French stations are down in strength. SW England with some enhancement though.


03-09-12 Evening: Still no sign of Spain but SW England and The English Midlands coming in well. North Hessary Tor RDSing with two bars.

107.0 Heart, Redruth
 95.2 RTE Lyric FM, Clermont Carn
 95.2 BBC Radio Cornwall, Caradon Hill
 94.3 BBC Radio 4, Wenvoe
 92.1 BBC Radio 3, Wenvoe
 92.5 BBC Radio 4, North Hessary Tor
 90.3 BBC Radio 3, North Hessary Tor
 88.1 BBC Radio 2, North Hessary Tor
100.0 Classic FM, North Hessary Tor
102.8 Pirate FM, Redruth
 89.7 BBC Radio 2, Redruth
 91.9 BBC Radio 3, Redruth
102.2 Pirate FM, Caradon Hill
 97.7 BBC Radio 1, North Hessary Tor
 99.3 BBC Radio 1, Redruth
 99.5 BBC Radio 1, Wenvoe
101.5 Classic FM, Redruth
100.3 Classic FM, Rowridge
 89.3 BBC Radio 2, Haverfordwest
 93.7 BBC Radio 4, Haverfordwest
 97.1 BBC Radio 1, Les Platons
 89.6 BBC Radio 2, Les Platons
 91.1 BBC Radio 3, Les Platons
 88.3 BBC Radio 3, Sutton Coldfield
 92.7 BBC Radio 4, Sutton Coldfield
 97.9 BBC Radio 1, Sutton Coldfield
100.1 Classic FM, Sutton Coldfield
101.1 Classic FM, Haverfordwest
101.7 Classic FM, Wenvoe
 95.5 BBC Somerset, Mendip
 94.8 BBC Radio 4, Les Platons
 94.3 BBC Radio 4, Wenvoe
 93.3 BBC Radio 4, Llangollen
 91.5 BBC Radio 3, Haverfordwest
102.5 BBC Radio Pembrokeshire, Haverfordwest
107.2 Newstalk 106-108, Mount Leinster


04-09-12 Morning: Southern England enhancement continuing to grow slightly, add ...

 89.1 BBC Radio 2, Wrotham


04-09-12 Evening: SW England not so good but Spain returning into the small hours. Chiefly Galicia. Post sunrise: Only Gamoniteiro audible weakly.

100.4 Radio Nacional Galicia, Culluredo (GAL-O)
 99.0 RNE R.3, Santiago De Compostela (GAL-O)
 98.5 UNID Spanish phone-in 0304
102.8 Radio Nacional Galicia, Monte Meda (GAL-OU)
106.4 Radio Principado De Asturias, Gamiteiro (AST-O)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the holiday progressed we realised we were missing our dogs more and more. So much so that we decided to curtail the holiday and make our way back home! Our plan now was to spend a week in Cornwall with the dogs.

Elitism In The Hobby

Elitism? In Our Hobby? Surely not?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines "Elite" thus:

"noun: a group of people considered to be superior in a particular society or organization: the country’s educated elite"

I prefer The Free Dictionary's definition:

"The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favoured treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources."

I hate elitist attitudes and snobbery of all kinds and it seems it exists in our hobby too. While such attitudes are often considered par for the course in some amateur radio circles, I was surprised to find it tucked away in a little corner of our hobby. Those with common sense will know that there is good and bad in all walks of life, but we are probably all guilty of it to some degree. We're all human and have opinions, but when these have a detrimental effect on the hobby and particularly to newcomers, something needs to be said. We should stand up against bullies and those who feel they are somehow superior to others.

An antipodean DX forum recently made sweeping statements about the SkywavesDX FM forum and its members, pointing some rather unsavoury fingers, accusing the membership of being parochial and making "excessive noise" in forum posts. OK, we have our niche interests and foibles, but, as polite as the tone of the message seemed when first read, it clearly dug deeply into the running of the group and the personalities of some members, leaving a very bitter taste in the mouth.

The person in question (I am unsure if he is a co-owner or moderator) who made this cruel attack, skilfully worded the post so it came across as a well-meaning message, yet it was highly critical of those lesser mortals who struggled to receive anything 'even half-decent' (ooops. snobbery there perhaps?). It also suggested that these barbarians were holding back the real enthusiasts. This is not the first time this person has been highly critical of Skywaves.

We have to ask the question, was SkywavesDX really deserving of this assessment? Well, whether it was or not, it was just plain wrong to have made such a post in the first instance. What right does he have to be so judgmental? He is one of the main faces of this forum, yet he is obviously unable to see the damage he is doing to it. This person has caused such a stir in the world of broadcast DXing lately that he has actually succeeded in deterring newcomers to the hobby and even making those established give it up and sell their equipment it would seem (there is documented evidence of this) and actually forced a member to close down his radio blog. This man has done nothing other than to alienate himself from everybody in our hobby, especially those who are not in the same privileged position as himself. He actually stated that DXers who didn't have high end receivers and towering aerial arrays should not be taken seriously and should leave the hobby.

The same man even suggested starting a European FM DX forum for beginners so they could be kept away from their established superior DX forum.

My feelings about this are so strong that I felt that this matter could not be swept under the carpet. Normally one could laugh off such snobbery, but it became clear that this bickering was having quite a detrimental effect on the hobby and some of its aficionados.

Who am I to speak out? Well, I have always been one of those people who speaks his mind and I admit that I don't always do it tactfully. I don't have the 'gift of the gab', but I will shout loudly if I feel something is unfair. Most of us have hobbies of one form or another. Some of us like to follow our local football team, others follow their favourite TV soaps or pop groups. These are all interests, no matter how big or small, but the fact is that they are almost always more fun when you share them with others. There is nothing to be gained from withholding information and there are huge benefits when you pass on useful and helpful information to others. Sadly, there will always be those highly competitive members who want to keep everything to themselves. Of course, they are perfectly entitled to do so if they wish, but what a shame that is. Personally, I find these people rather greedy and obnoxious.

The great thing about our radio hobby is that we all start off on an equal playing field. A good friend and fellow DXer occasionally reminds me that propagation is simply an act of nature over which we have no control. We are at its mercy and there is no telling what it will do and who it will affect next. It can be very localised or affect large areas. It has predictable and unpredictable qualities and it these are accessible to all of us. The idea of attaching elitism to something so unpredictable is just ridiculous. Compare to fishing for instance: Do you stand a better chance if you have a bigger rod and some prime bait? Of course not. That doesn't tell you where the fish are. Even smaller rods can pull in a bigger catch than that guy with the huge rod. It's just about being in the right place at the right time. Anybody can catch the big one. It's a bit like a game of hide and seek.

One of the greatest gifts in this hobby is the ability to help newcomers and I would urge all those who share our fascinating hobby to do just that: Offer useful tips and guidelines; Share your experiences; Alert others to DX events whenever possible. You can do this individually or in your club or society. Why on earth would anybody in their right mind want to cast certain members of the DX community aside and tell them are not be welcomed if they don't achieve certain minimum distances in their logbooks or they have less than 15 elements on a tower, which must be at a minimum height of 40 metres? (It's true. It's been stated!) There is nothing wrong with trying to raise standards, but don't leave those less fortunate out in the cold.

So far, I have avoided mentioning names and I really do not wish to 'out' the culprits, but I will mention names if this gross unfairness continues.

Tropo > Spain, Brittany, Holland & Belgium Continues

The Hepburn forecast predicted that conditions would move towards Scandinavia in the morning but that didn't happen. Instead, conditions continued into Brittany, although they weren't as good as on the 18th, yet Lierganes was heard briefly and with a very weak signal on 105.0 just after midnight.

I hope it's not too long before I see a return to Breton tropo as this part of France has been lacking here on the east coast. Even Spanish tropo has been more frequent here!

Tropospheric:
107.6 0946 BEL Hit FM, Bornem/Fort (vlg-ant)  Jingle ID ands pops  353 km

 87.6 0951  F  RMC, Le Havre/Harfleur (76)  Phone correspondent, as web  406 km **

107.1 0959  F  France Bleu 107.1, Paris/Tour Eiffel (75)  Phone in, as web  497 km

107.4 1039  G  Leisure FM, Coggeshall/Pattiswick (EN-ESX)  OM and oldies, as web stream  142 km

** Personal Skegness 'First'

Tropo > Spain, Brittany, Holland & Belgium

Before moving to the east coast I had expected Spain would be a rarity here, if it was ever going to be received at all. After all, this is the east coast and the sea path goes off in the wrong direction completely.  How wrong I was in my assumption!

Today's tropo opening just produced Lierganes on 102.9 & 105.0 - probably the two easiest frequencies. Signals almost peaked noise-free for a time.

Brittany also put in a appearance and even gave results from low powered stations. Here is the full log:

Tropospheric:
105.0 0840  E  RNE R.5 TN, Liérganes/Peña Cabarga (CNT-S)  Phone-in, as web stream  1128 km

 87.9 0848  F  France Culture, Parthenay/les Chateliers (79)  OM, as web stream  712 km

 89.2 0851  F  France Culture, Cherbourg-Octeville/Digosville (50)  OM as 89.0  413 km

 90.6 0852  F  France Inter, Nantes/Haute-Goulaine (44)  Serious OM, as web stream  675 km

 91.0 0853  F  France Musique, Alençon/Mont d'Amain (61)  Classical music, as 88.7  498 km

 91.4 0854  F  France Culture, Angers/Rochefort-sur-Loire (49)  OM interview, as web  650 km

 92.1 0855  F  France Musique, Laval-Evron/Mont Rochard (53)  Clasical music, as 92.0  550 km

 92.2 0855  F  France Musique, Tours/Chissay [41] (37)  Clasical music, as 92.0  646 km

 93.2 0856  F  France Inter, Angers/Rochefort-sur-Loire (49)  Same serious OM, as others  650 km

 93.8 0856  F  France Musique, Sens/Gisy-les-Nobles (89)  Clasical music, as 92.0  577 km

 94.2 0857  F  France Culture, Nantes/Haute-Goulaine (44)  OMs discussion, as 98.0  675 km

 94.6 0857  F  France Inter, Chartres/Montlandon (28)  Same serious OM, as others  531 km

 94.9 0858  G  BBC London 94.9, London/Crystal Palace (EN-GTL)  Talk, as web  194 km

 95.1 0900  F  France Inter, Laval-Evron/Mont Rochard (53)  ID and news  550 km

 98.1 0907  F  France Culture, Chartres/Montlandon (28)  OM, as 98.0  531 km

102.9 0909  E  RNE R.3, Liérganes/Peña Cabarga (CNT-S)  Almost noise free  1128 km

100.7 0915  F  France Bleu Cotentin, Cherbourg-Octeville/Digosville (50) BLEU.COT RDS on XDR! 413 km

 87.8 0927  F  Radio Courtoisie, Cherbourg-Octeville (50)  OM talking, as web stream  414 km

 93.7 0930  F  Contact, Montreuil/le Bois-de-Sel 2 (62)  Dance music, as web stream  302 km

102.6 0934  F  France Bleu Basse Normandie, Caen/Mont Pinçon (14)  BLEU.B.N Solid 3 bars!  469 km

101.6 0947  F  NRJ, Flers/la Chapelle-Biche (61)  Pops and jingle ID  498 km **

 99.9 0950  F  France Inter, Tours/Chissay [41] (37)  YL and OM, as web stream  646 km

105.0 0952  F  France Bleu Touraine, Tours/Chissay [41] (37)  OM, as web stream  646 km

 89.9 1017  F  France Musique, Rennes/Saint-Pern (35)  Jazz, as web stream  564 km

 97.4 1022  F  France Musique, Angers/Rochefort-sur-Loire (49)  French OM, as web stream  650 km

 97.8 1024  F  France Culture, Tours/Chissay [41] (37)  Definitely Tours. As 8.0  646 km **

106.0 1039  G  106 Jack FM, Chillerton Down (EN-IOW)  Jacks World Of Sport  300 km

101.6 1118  F  France Bleu Haute Normandie, Neufchâtel-en-Bray/Croixdalle (76)  YL, as web  381 km

 88.0 1520  G  Real Radio, Wrexham-Rhos (WA-WRE)  Pops, as web stream. Scatter  225 km

100.9 1523 IRL Today FM, Kippure (wic)  Irish sports commentary  443 km

 91.3 1538 IRL RTÉ 2 FM, Kippure (wic)  Stay with 2FM  443 km

 91.8 1539 IRL RTÉ 2 FM, Mount Leinster (car)  90 to 92, 2FM ID  480 km

 91.2 1542  F  Contact, Abbeville/Behen Blockhaus (80)  Dance music, as web stream  358 km

107.4 1915  F  Europe 1, Granville/château d'eau (50)  Football commentary, as web stream  505 km **

107.0 1916  F  Skyrock, Granville/château d'eau (50)  Ads and ID  505 km **

 87.7 2029  F  RCF, Dieppe/la Côte Enragée (76)  Choral chants, as web stream  364 km **

 87.8 2031  F  Décibel, Dinan/Barrière (22)  Sombre French song, as web stream  550 km **

 91.8 2038  F  Fun Radio, Saint-Malo/Dinard (35)  Club beats, as web stream  531 km **

 92.6 2044  G  Radio Verulam, Saint Albans (EN-HTS)  ID and song by Starbuck  162 km

 90.6 2130  F  France Inter, Nantes/Haute-Goulaine (44)  Clanking pots and pans, as web  675 km

 89.8 2214  F  France Musique, Abbeville/Limeux (80)  Strange music, as web stream  364 km

 96.7 2219  G  Heart Hampshire and West Sussex, Crabwood Farm (EN-HPS)  Pops, as others  259 km

 97.5 2220  G  Heart Hampshire and West Sussex, Fort Widley (EN-HPS)  Pops, as others  272 km

101.8 2221  F  France Bleu Loire Océan, Nantes/Haute-Goulaine (44)  Oldies, as web  675 km

 87.9 2224  G  Ramadan FM, Milton Keynes  Prayers, as web stream

 95.0 2311  F  MFM Radio, Dinan/le Clos Gastel (22)  Jennifer Lopez track, as web stream  550 km **

 97.5 2314  G  Conscious FM, London pirate  Jamaican promos & ID **

 99.0 2322  F  Radio Bonheur, Lannion/Park Crec'h (22)  Vocal ID in promo  557 km **

100.6 2327  F  France Bleu Picardie, Abbeville/Limeux (80)  Euro disco, as web stream  364 km

101.0 2329  F  Tendance Ouest, Saint-Lô/les Romains (50)  Disco tune, as web stream  456 km **

103.4 2334  F  Fun Radio, Nantes/Haute-Goulaine (44)  Banging techno, as web stream  675 km **

107.0 2339  G  Heart - South West, Redruth (EN-CNW)  Heart Club Classics  503 km

107.3 2343  F  BFM Business, Brest/Lescaouidic (29)  Business talk, as web  629 km **

107.9 2349  F  RMC, Audierne/Plouhinec (29)  OMs talking and laughing, as web stream  665 km **

** Personal Skegness 'First'

Welcome To My Blog!

My blog begins on the hottest day of the year so far - Saturday 18th August 2012. It's 32 degrees in the shade and I am trying to keep cool (as opposed to "be cool", which I am almost certainly not).

I am new to the Blogosphere (what an awful word), despite having had the occasional play with Blogger over the last few years. I decided it was time to make a start and capture my life-long hobby in the Blogger time-capsule for all posterity. (Anyway, I'm fed up paying through the nose for having this information hosted elsewhere!)

Some pages will appear before this entry as I will add a few older bits and pieces of radio related information.

While radio is the main concern here I know that other off-topic aspects of people's daily lives tend to appear in their own blogs, so I am sure I will be no different, however, I plan to concentrate mostly on radio matters.

Comments will always be welcome.

Happy reading!

A Very Flat Bandscan!

What does the FM band sound like in Skegness? 

This video shows a scan across band 2 under 'less than flat' conditions and demonstrates how empty the band can be here on Lincolnshire's Lindsey Coast. My FM5 was beaming approximately 150 degrees (slightly south of south-east) which would normally give me the best range of continental signals via scatter. The continental stations listed in the video are usually received much better than this.

Planning Permission / Neighbours

We are not experts in this field but we recently ran into a few problems with our neighbours who were convinced that our FM5 (receive only) aerials were causing interference to their digital TV. They submitted a complaint to the local housing association who then demanded that we take down our aerials. We didn't have planning permission and they even said that this would not have happened had they not received any complaints. They were clearly aware that the aerials had been there for more than a year. This was a great disappointment, not to mention a complete surprise as our neighbours had always been fine with our radio hobby. Suddenly, we felt that we had lost our life-long hobby, so we hurriedly put in an official application for permission to re-erect the aerials. Thankfully, this was granted in under two weeks! The whole experience has taught us a lot about some of the 'dos and donts' of planning permission relating to aerials. 

To fill you in with the basics, our accommodation is rented from a housing association. My partner is disabled and we live in a disable-adapted bungalow. We are in the fortunate position of living right on the edge of town, our garden facing the sun and overlooking miles of flat, open countryside in the Fenland region of England. We only have neighbours on one side and, as mentioned above, they never had any problems with the erection of the various aerials we have used over the last 18 months or so. 

It is well-known that we live in a poor signal area and there is an ongoing campaign to get a low power digital TV relay for the Skegness area. Loft tiles are notorious for reducing signal levels at VHF frequencies and higher. While our FM5 aerials are receive-only, you can understand how the less technically informed would make an incorrect assumption that our strange-looking aerials and rotators might be a source of interference. 

For more than a year, we had two Triax FM5 beams, fitted with Fringe Electronics) pre-amps (which really made the difference to very weak signals, often dragging them out of the noise where they would not have been audible without them!). We also had two other masts for amateur radio use. One had two nine element beams (horizontal and vertical, just as the FM5s) while the other had a three metre beam for 6m. We also used various other aerials from time to time, including a Sandpiper MV10 and a vertical whip for 10m. I never dare bring out the beast - my four element 10m beam. Now THAT would have been a potent aerial for this sunspot cycle. All the aerials used rotators so the neighbours would have been aware that these aerials would turn around from time to time. 

During the beginning of the summer E season we were suddenly made aware that our immediate neighbours were getting breakthrough on their home cinema system (not on the TV itself) when using 2m FM! Even when we used one watt of power! We checked the connections and the SWR across the bands and everything was in order. Coax cables were mostly buried underground. Without wishing to sound discourteous, it is generally accepted that most interference issues result from the person who is receiving the interference as opposed to the ham who is transmitting. For the benefit of any reader who is not a radio ham, all hams have to study and pass a series of technical exams which focus on subjects such as aerial theory, operating procedures, circuitry relating to amateur radio which includes basic electronics and transmitter interference - ensuring that they fully understand how to avoid causing interference. Fact: transmitting in the amateur radio bands should not cause interference to other services if it is installed correctly. Most of the time the problems are caused by broken cables in the neighbour's properties, poorly screened television equipment or just cables which are so long that they resonate and act as receiving aerials. 

So back to planning matters: Our housing association describe themselves as "very strict but very fair" and they clearly did not have a problem with our aerials. They have known about them ever since we moved here 18 months ago and actually told us they would not have asked us to remove them had there not been a complaint, so they are then forced to investigate and act accordingly. They agreed that we weren't causing a nuisance. They had been doing their research however and knew we were radio hams and even knew our callsigns. 

Because of the complaint we were ordered to remove the mast and all aerials and told to apply for planning permission. They said that the aerials would never be allowed on the garden again and that all aerial structures are strictly to be attached to the property, should permission be granted. They must be erected by a CAI approved installer. We later found that a CAI-qualified installer was 'preferred' but not absolutely necessary. It's all about safety which is completely understandable. The installation should be 'safe' and would be inspected after installation. 

Now, please note that our housing association is classed as a private landlord. Had this been a council house matter things would have been different and, as we understand it, councils may appear to be more lenient when it comes to granting permission for amateur radio structures. Local councils have to stick to set rules and guidelines. The procedure is longer and can be costly. The private landlord are legally able to make up their own rules and enforce them. Obtaining permission from a housing association may involve a simple phone call or a written letter with detailed photographs and product information, etc. No fees are involved. Permission is usually granted in a month or so (the first application took less than two weeks to be approved) and is given in writing, detailing the relevant conditions. 

It is possible to go directly to the council to ask for planning permission even if you live in housing association accommodation. But even if the council grant permission, the housing association can still refuse permissions as they have the final say. 

Most hams and radio enthusiasts I know have never applied for any kind of planning permission. It may be more trouble than it is worth if you are only intending to erect a simple aerial or two. Basically, just stick them up and hope that nobody complains. You SHOULD be OK, providing you aren't intending to erect something the size of Belmont. Consider the relevant safety aspects, etc. 

It is highly unlikely that permission to erect a general FM band 2 aerial will be refused. This is almost considered as a basic human right since you are paying your licence fees and have the right to be able to receive clear reception of BBC services, etc. It would be unreasonable for a private landlord to refuse this. 

Another key point in getting written permission for a rooftop aerial is "start small" and then apply for something bigger. I have now spoken to several planning officers, private and commercial and they all agree on this. Some amateurs suggested to us that we should go straight to the top and ask for a tower system with several aerials, assuming that permission would be granted to use at least 'some' of them. This is not a good idea. The planning officers themselves have told us this. 

Our housing association have told us that, should neighbours complain about our aerials, they would ask us to take them down immediately. I explained that this was unfair and that this would result in me having to remove the aerials should one neighbour lodge a complaint. They could not possibly cause interference. I pointed out that it was the job of OFCOM to investigate interference issues and not the housing association. Thankfully, they took this on board and added a clause to their permissions letter explaining certain complaints in the future would need to be passed to OFCOM. 

An interesting point to conclude: As many hams know, while private landlords and housing associations can tell you to remove your aerials, only one person has the right to actually demand that you cease your amateur radio transmissions. The housing association cannot do this. Your local council cannot do this. Not even the police can do this. Legally, only a representative from OFCOM has the power to force you to cease transmissions.