Tropospheric:
93.2 0823 BEL RTBF Classic 21, Bruxelles/Tour des Finances (bru)
Oldies, as web 377km
92.3 0825 BEL RTBF Vivacité, Anderlues/Mont-Sainte-Geneviève
(wal-hnt) YL, as 101.8. Peterborough nullable now 409km
93.2 0825 D WDR 2, Teutoburger Wald/Bielstein (nrw) Exchanging
with Bruxelles 591km
92.0 0827 D WDR 5, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) Clear, noise free, as
web 494km
92.8 0848 D NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Lingen-Damaschke (nds) German
OM talk, as web. Over Profondeville 477km
94.6 0901 D MDR 1 Radio Sachsen-Anhalt, Brocken (san) OM ID and
news 713km
99.0 0905 D hr1, Hoher Meißner (hes) ID after news, weather or
traffic, pops 684km
97.3 0909 D WDR 3, Kleve/Bresserberg (nrw) Separable from LBC
with classical music 421km
95.2 0914 D MDR Figaro, Sonneberg/Bleßberg (thü) Light pops.
Web // Followed for 20 mins. New personal scatter record at 793km
**
91.0 0936 D hr1, Sackpfeife (Biedenkopf) (hes) Billy Joels "My
Life", as web 612km
88.3 1455 F France Culture, Laval-Evron/Mont Rochard (53) No
QRM from Sutton Coldfield now! 550km
97.2 1509 F France Musique, Hirson/Landouzy-la-Ville (02)
Sinister sounding organ recital, as 88.7 446km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
It was good while it lasted! My noise returned late afternoon on the
3rd, masking all weak signals once again. OFCOM here I come. It was
nice to have a good run up and down the band though to see what
could be heard and I made a few notes. During the 'silence' I
increased my scatter distance to 793 km with the weak reception of
MDR Figaro from Sonneburg consistently fluttering up and down on
95.2 in parallel witht he web audio for 20 minutes.
Listening may be restricted over the weekend while the family are
over but I'll try and squeeze in some DXing time.
You have to laugh! Some neighbours on our street have decided that I
must be working for the police because of the new antenna on the
roof. I've already been down this route some years ago when I was
approached by a drug dealer who approached me with a crowbar because
he thought the same thing.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
NOTE: skywaves.info website and associated email addresses have
closed.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99
Friday, 3 May 2013
UK Local Reception Results
It's a big swing!
Laval has taken overall control of 88.3. There's been a big swing to the
east with Brocken taking 94.6 and 101.4. Linz has gained overall control
of 94.8, pushing Meriden into second place. There's been a landslide
towards Caen on 91.5 with Holme Moss losing its deposit and Belmont has
narrowly held on to 93.1. The biggest shock of all was on 102.2 where
Belmont has always thought to be a safe site but Croydon provided enough
swing on the S meter to win the frequency.
I could tell you more but I deliberately spoilt my log paper.
That's tactical DXing for you!
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Skegness Log: 02-05-13
Tropospheric:
101.0 1354 BEL Nostalgie Vlaanderen, Oostvleteren/Elzendamme (vlg-wvl) Steady signal. Noise free 295km
101.4 1354 BEL VRT Studio Brussel, Genk/VRT Zendmast (vlg-lim) Now clear at the side of Tacolneston 431km
100.1 1356 BEL VRT Radio 2, Egem (vlg-wvl) Noise free and clear of Sutton Coldfield! 309km
88.6 1359 HOL 3FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Ads before news 408km
105.5 1410 BEL Topradio, Staden/Stadenberg (vlg-wvl) Clonking dance music! (Thats what it sounds like to me anyway) 299km
105.7 1411 BEL Club FM, Oostkamp (vlg-wvl) Just lifting out of the noise, as web 297km
106.2 1412 F France Bleu Nord, Calais/Mont d'Hubert (62) ID in promo 266km
107.3 1413 BEL VBRO, Diksmuide/IJzertoren (vlg-wvl) Who needs a lift when the QRN stops! 292km
107.6 1415 BEL Costa FM, Koksijde (wvl) ID. Listed Hit FM on FM List 276km
106.9 1428 F Skyrock, Béthune/Fresnicourt-le-Dolmen (62) Noise free stereo 341km
103.1 1524 BEL Q-Music, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Pops, as 103.0 376km
102.9 1525 BEL Nostalgie Vlaanderen, Schoten (vlg-ant) Oldies, as 101.0 354km
102.3 1528 F NRJ, Saint-Omer/Wisques (62) French pops, as web stream 299km
100.4 1530 HOL Q Music, Numerous sites Ad break, as 100.7
100.6 1530 BEL VRT Studio Brussel, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Pops, as 102.1 376km
98.9 1533 HOL Radio 1, IJsselstein/Gerbrandytoren-Alticom (utr) Devoid of Holme Moss! 344km
98.2 1534 HOL Radio 4, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Easy now neighbouring Belmont reduced to one bar 366km
101.1 1647 BEL RTBF Pure FM, Wavre (wal-bra) Very little Holme Moss off the back now 397km
105.9 1650 D Hit Radio FFH, Großer Feldberg (Taunus)/hr (hes) Rap track, as Steinkimmen 104.7 648km
104.9 1652 D Big FM (Rheinland-Pfalz), Ahrweiler/Schöneberg (rlp) Banging rap tune, as web 554km
107.9 1655 D WDR Eins Live, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) Pops, as 106.7 494km
101.7 1702 D Radio Salü, Saarbrücken/Schoksberg (saa) Just getting out of the noise. As web stream 628km
103.0 1707 D BFBS Radio 1, Bielefeld/Hünenburg (nrw) Rock track just lifting out of the noise, as web 565km
92.7 1715 F Skyrock, Boulogne-sur-Mer/Fringhem (62) Rap track and OM ID 289km
92.0 1716 F Radio 6, Boulogne-sur-Mer/Mont d'Herquelingue (62) Pops, as web 288km
91.7 1717 BEL VRT Radio 1, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Alone on frequency 376km
90.7 1719 HOL SubLime FM, IJsselstein/Gerbrandytoren-Alticom (utr) Alone on frequency. As 90.7 344km
91.0 1719 HOL Omroep Brabant, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) Fiction Factory song, as web stream 334km
90.0 1720 HOL 100% NL, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Long time no hear! As 90.2 366km
90.2 1720 HOL 100% NL, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) No Peterborough splatter anymore! 334km
89.8 1722 F RDL-Radio Dallas Loisirs, Dunkerque/le Banc Vert (59) Easier to dig out now. As 89.6 275km
89.4 1723 F France Musique, Boulogne-sur-Mer/Mont Lambert (62) OMs discussion, as web 285km
88.6 1725 HOL Slam!FM, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Just audible in noise. As 88.4 313km
89.3 1725 HOL Radio West, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) This was a suprise! Over Holme Moss 313km
87.6 1734 BEL Nostalgie Vlaanderen, Oostende/Residentie De Mast (vlg-wvl) Oldies, as web 278km
87.7 1734 F RTL, Saint-Omer/Wisques (62) YL on phone, as web stream 299km
89.0 1739 BEL VRT MNM, Schoten (vlg-ant) English artist interview, as web 354km
92.2 1814 HOL Omrop Fryslân Radio, Jirnsum/Rijksweg (fri) Another Long time no hear 365km
92.9 1816 HOL Radio 2, Wieringermeer/Robbenoordbos (nho) No BBC R2 QRM now! 318km
95.0 1817 HOL Radio 1, Wieringermeer/Robbenoordbos (nho) What BBC Lincolnshire splatter? 318km
96.6 1838 BEL RTBF Pure FM, Anderlues/Mont-Sainte-Geneviève (wal-hnt) Mixing unid hardcore techno 409km
98.0 1917 HOL Radio Decibel, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Club tracks, as 97.6 321km
104.7 2007 F France Inter, Calais/Mont d'Hubert (62) Almost noise free 266km
98.7 2013 HOL Freez FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) (Formerly Arrow Rock). As web 408km **
98.5 2014 HOL Freez FM, Groningen/Gideonweg (DVB-T Mast) (gro) Barely audible. Same rock song as 98.7 420km **
93.9 2019 HOL Radio Noord-Holland, Wieringermeer/Robbenoordbos (nho) Solid stereo on peak. Two bars 318km
93.2 2020 HOL Waterstad FM, Jirnsum/Rijksweg (fri) Acoustic track, as web stream 365km
91.6 2021 F Europe 1, Dunkerque/le Banc Vert (59) OM chat, as web stream 275km
90.6 2023 BEL Joe FM, Oud-Turnhout/Watertoren Pidpa (vlg-ant) Curtis Stigers track, as web 376km
88.9 2032 HOL Radio Noord-Holland, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Music, as web 321km
100.8 2039 F Contact FM, Lens, Valenciennes or Maubeuge Bangin Beats, as web
** Personal Skegness 'First'
I think I scared away my QRM today by mentioning OFCOM to it! I was just about to begin the process of making the initial complaint to Ofcom when the noise suddenly abated. It's not gone completely but I would say it's 50% better. Some frequencies still have some noise and others don't. I took advantage of this and had several sessions tuning around band 2, mostly with the 9.2 vertical as horizontal was still quite noisy. Full credit to the designers of the 9.2 for its superb directivity which opened things up beautifully! There were several new (to me) stations down in the noise which I need to identify but hopefully I will identify them soon. Conditions are still below average with transmitters like Egem and Lille dropping out completely at times.
The notes included with the loggings above show the improvements the 9.2 has given me. Other notable points include stations like my local pest Lincs FM on 102.2 can now be almost completely eliminated when beaming SSE when vertical. There was little underneath though, apart from a very weak Croydon, but Lincs FM can now be reduced to "very noisy at zero bars" on the XDR-F1HD. I even had BBC Radio 1 98.3 right down to zero bars, allowing easy access to neighbouring Loon Op Zand on 98.2! The null isn't tight either, there are a good few degrees either side which contain the null. That is impressive!
Today was the first time that I have been able to hear local Belgian stations at the top of the band here without needing a lift to get them! There were actually times when I felt I was DXing on the Suffolk coast as many continentals were peaking above the noise in perfect stereo.
Next job on the cards is to add a little extra height to the 9.2 if I can find somebody locally with a set of roof ladders and no fear of heights. I tried to climb on the roof myself this evening using smaller stepladders but gave up quickly when I reached the third rung (honestly!)
May the noise continue to weaken and stay away permanently. I'm sure things won't be so simple so I will proceed with the report to Ofcom.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
NOTE: skywaves.info website and associated email addresses have closed.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99
101.0 1354 BEL Nostalgie Vlaanderen, Oostvleteren/Elzendamme (vlg-wvl) Steady signal. Noise free 295km
101.4 1354 BEL VRT Studio Brussel, Genk/VRT Zendmast (vlg-lim) Now clear at the side of Tacolneston 431km
100.1 1356 BEL VRT Radio 2, Egem (vlg-wvl) Noise free and clear of Sutton Coldfield! 309km
88.6 1359 HOL 3FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Ads before news 408km
105.5 1410 BEL Topradio, Staden/Stadenberg (vlg-wvl) Clonking dance music! (Thats what it sounds like to me anyway) 299km
105.7 1411 BEL Club FM, Oostkamp (vlg-wvl) Just lifting out of the noise, as web 297km
106.2 1412 F France Bleu Nord, Calais/Mont d'Hubert (62) ID in promo 266km
107.3 1413 BEL VBRO, Diksmuide/IJzertoren (vlg-wvl) Who needs a lift when the QRN stops! 292km
107.6 1415 BEL Costa FM, Koksijde (wvl) ID. Listed Hit FM on FM List 276km
106.9 1428 F Skyrock, Béthune/Fresnicourt-le-Dolmen (62) Noise free stereo 341km
103.1 1524 BEL Q-Music, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Pops, as 103.0 376km
102.9 1525 BEL Nostalgie Vlaanderen, Schoten (vlg-ant) Oldies, as 101.0 354km
102.3 1528 F NRJ, Saint-Omer/Wisques (62) French pops, as web stream 299km
100.4 1530 HOL Q Music, Numerous sites Ad break, as 100.7
100.6 1530 BEL VRT Studio Brussel, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Pops, as 102.1 376km
98.9 1533 HOL Radio 1, IJsselstein/Gerbrandytoren-Alticom (utr) Devoid of Holme Moss! 344km
98.2 1534 HOL Radio 4, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Easy now neighbouring Belmont reduced to one bar 366km
101.1 1647 BEL RTBF Pure FM, Wavre (wal-bra) Very little Holme Moss off the back now 397km
105.9 1650 D Hit Radio FFH, Großer Feldberg (Taunus)/hr (hes) Rap track, as Steinkimmen 104.7 648km
104.9 1652 D Big FM (Rheinland-Pfalz), Ahrweiler/Schöneberg (rlp) Banging rap tune, as web 554km
107.9 1655 D WDR Eins Live, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) Pops, as 106.7 494km
101.7 1702 D Radio Salü, Saarbrücken/Schoksberg (saa) Just getting out of the noise. As web stream 628km
103.0 1707 D BFBS Radio 1, Bielefeld/Hünenburg (nrw) Rock track just lifting out of the noise, as web 565km
92.7 1715 F Skyrock, Boulogne-sur-Mer/Fringhem (62) Rap track and OM ID 289km
92.0 1716 F Radio 6, Boulogne-sur-Mer/Mont d'Herquelingue (62) Pops, as web 288km
91.7 1717 BEL VRT Radio 1, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Alone on frequency 376km
90.7 1719 HOL SubLime FM, IJsselstein/Gerbrandytoren-Alticom (utr) Alone on frequency. As 90.7 344km
91.0 1719 HOL Omroep Brabant, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) Fiction Factory song, as web stream 334km
90.0 1720 HOL 100% NL, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Long time no hear! As 90.2 366km
90.2 1720 HOL 100% NL, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) No Peterborough splatter anymore! 334km
89.8 1722 F RDL-Radio Dallas Loisirs, Dunkerque/le Banc Vert (59) Easier to dig out now. As 89.6 275km
89.4 1723 F France Musique, Boulogne-sur-Mer/Mont Lambert (62) OMs discussion, as web 285km
88.6 1725 HOL Slam!FM, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Just audible in noise. As 88.4 313km
89.3 1725 HOL Radio West, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) This was a suprise! Over Holme Moss 313km
87.6 1734 BEL Nostalgie Vlaanderen, Oostende/Residentie De Mast (vlg-wvl) Oldies, as web 278km
87.7 1734 F RTL, Saint-Omer/Wisques (62) YL on phone, as web stream 299km
89.0 1739 BEL VRT MNM, Schoten (vlg-ant) English artist interview, as web 354km
92.2 1814 HOL Omrop Fryslân Radio, Jirnsum/Rijksweg (fri) Another Long time no hear 365km
92.9 1816 HOL Radio 2, Wieringermeer/Robbenoordbos (nho) No BBC R2 QRM now! 318km
95.0 1817 HOL Radio 1, Wieringermeer/Robbenoordbos (nho) What BBC Lincolnshire splatter? 318km
96.6 1838 BEL RTBF Pure FM, Anderlues/Mont-Sainte-Geneviève (wal-hnt) Mixing unid hardcore techno 409km
98.0 1917 HOL Radio Decibel, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Club tracks, as 97.6 321km
104.7 2007 F France Inter, Calais/Mont d'Hubert (62) Almost noise free 266km
98.7 2013 HOL Freez FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) (Formerly Arrow Rock). As web 408km **
98.5 2014 HOL Freez FM, Groningen/Gideonweg (DVB-T Mast) (gro) Barely audible. Same rock song as 98.7 420km **
93.9 2019 HOL Radio Noord-Holland, Wieringermeer/Robbenoordbos (nho) Solid stereo on peak. Two bars 318km
93.2 2020 HOL Waterstad FM, Jirnsum/Rijksweg (fri) Acoustic track, as web stream 365km
91.6 2021 F Europe 1, Dunkerque/le Banc Vert (59) OM chat, as web stream 275km
90.6 2023 BEL Joe FM, Oud-Turnhout/Watertoren Pidpa (vlg-ant) Curtis Stigers track, as web 376km
88.9 2032 HOL Radio Noord-Holland, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Music, as web 321km
100.8 2039 F Contact FM, Lens, Valenciennes or Maubeuge Bangin Beats, as web
** Personal Skegness 'First'
I think I scared away my QRM today by mentioning OFCOM to it! I was just about to begin the process of making the initial complaint to Ofcom when the noise suddenly abated. It's not gone completely but I would say it's 50% better. Some frequencies still have some noise and others don't. I took advantage of this and had several sessions tuning around band 2, mostly with the 9.2 vertical as horizontal was still quite noisy. Full credit to the designers of the 9.2 for its superb directivity which opened things up beautifully! There were several new (to me) stations down in the noise which I need to identify but hopefully I will identify them soon. Conditions are still below average with transmitters like Egem and Lille dropping out completely at times.
The notes included with the loggings above show the improvements the 9.2 has given me. Other notable points include stations like my local pest Lincs FM on 102.2 can now be almost completely eliminated when beaming SSE when vertical. There was little underneath though, apart from a very weak Croydon, but Lincs FM can now be reduced to "very noisy at zero bars" on the XDR-F1HD. I even had BBC Radio 1 98.3 right down to zero bars, allowing easy access to neighbouring Loon Op Zand on 98.2! The null isn't tight either, there are a good few degrees either side which contain the null. That is impressive!
Today was the first time that I have been able to hear local Belgian stations at the top of the band here without needing a lift to get them! There were actually times when I felt I was DXing on the Suffolk coast as many continentals were peaking above the noise in perfect stereo.
Next job on the cards is to add a little extra height to the 9.2 if I can find somebody locally with a set of roof ladders and no fear of heights. I tried to climb on the roof myself this evening using smaller stepladders but gave up quickly when I reached the third rung (honestly!)
May the noise continue to weaken and stay away permanently. I'm sure things won't be so simple so I will proceed with the report to Ofcom.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
NOTE: skywaves.info website and associated email addresses have closed.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Skegness Log: 01-05-13
Sporadic E:
87.9 0806 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Espoo - Esbo/Saunalahti-Tillinmäki (uu) 6201 YLE_YKSI 1666km
87.7 0808 FIN Iskelmä, Kotka/Karhula-Höyterintie (ky) 62AD ISKELMA_ 1801km
88.5 0809 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Anjalankoski/Kouvola-Liikkala, Sopasenpolku 40 (ky) 6201 YLE_YKSI 1809km
90.0 0812 FIN Radio Rock, Anjalankoski/Kouvola-Liikkala, Sopasenpolku 40 (ky) 6288 1809km
92.5 0813 FIN Radio Aalto, Espoo - Esbo/Saunalahti-Tillinmäki (uu) Finnish Rap music, as web 1666km **
88.0 0817 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Joutseno/Pappilankangas-Valtatie no 6 (ek) 6201 YLE_YKSI 1899km
88.4 0817 RUS Avtoradio, Sankt-Peterburg/LRTPTS (SPE) OM info, as web stream 1967km **
90.5 0837 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Kerimäki/Yläkuona-Yläkuonantie (es) 6201 1962km
87.7 0838 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Eurajoki or Lisalmi 6201 YLE_YKSI
90.7 0839 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Tampere-Tammerfors/Kämmenniemi-Vähä - Koveron Tie (pi) 6201 1684km
88.3 8400 FIN YLE Puhe, Tampere-Tammerfors/Kämmenniemi-Vähä - Koveron Tie (pi) YL, as web stream 1684km **
87.6 0902 FIN Radio City, Valkeakoski/Kaskela-Pilvitie (pi) 62AC Rock music, as web stream 1676km **
88.2 0919 TUN RTT Radio Kef, Djebel ech Chambi (kas) 7208 KEF_____ 2100km **
89.1 0920 TUN RTT Radio Jeunes, Gorraa (bej) 7201 JEUNES__ 1976km
87.7 0921 TUN RTT Radio Culture, Djebel Trozza (kai) 7212 ______E_ 2086km
88.3 0922 ALG Radio El Tarf, Oum Ali (36) YLs, as web 1934km
89.6 0923 TUN RTT Radio Jeunes, Djebel ech Chambi (kas) 7201 2100km **
87.9 0933 ALG Radio Tébessa, Doukhane (12) Arabic music, as web stream 2071km
87.6 0936 ALG Chaîne 3, Kef El Akhal (25) OMs conversation, as web stream 1927km
90.7 0938 ALG Chaîne 1, Kef El Akhal (25) YL phone in, as web stream 1927km
87.5 1016 I Radio Maria, Sant’Antioco/Monte Cresia (ci) 51CC R.MARIA_ 1684km
Sporadic E Unids:
88.5 0831 FIN UNID, PI: 6095
87.8 0834 ? UNID, "Radio Nova" ID
Meteor Scatter:
87.9 0908 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Espoo - Esbo/Saunalahti-Tillinmäki (uu) Presumed Espoo. Long burst. OM YL as web stream 1666km **
95.2 1102 G BBC Radio Cornwall, Caradon Hill (EN-CNW) St Ives report in news, as web stream. Over BBC Oxford 439km ** ++
** Personal Skegness 'First'
++ Is this the shortest meteor scatter ever? I am not even sure it is meteor scatter. Maybe it's lightning scatter, but no storms were reported today over that path. I was listening to BBC Oxford on 95.2 when I heard a sudden burst of English news over the top which fluttered out in a couple of seconds. There was a news report about fishing and St Ives. A quick check of the BBC Cornwall website revealed the very same news story, read by the same woman.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
NOTE: skywaves.info website and associated email addresses have closed.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99
87.9 0806 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Espoo - Esbo/Saunalahti-Tillinmäki (uu) 6201 YLE_YKSI 1666km
87.7 0808 FIN Iskelmä, Kotka/Karhula-Höyterintie (ky) 62AD ISKELMA_ 1801km
88.5 0809 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Anjalankoski/Kouvola-Liikkala, Sopasenpolku 40 (ky) 6201 YLE_YKSI 1809km
90.0 0812 FIN Radio Rock, Anjalankoski/Kouvola-Liikkala, Sopasenpolku 40 (ky) 6288 1809km
92.5 0813 FIN Radio Aalto, Espoo - Esbo/Saunalahti-Tillinmäki (uu) Finnish Rap music, as web 1666km **
88.0 0817 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Joutseno/Pappilankangas-Valtatie no 6 (ek) 6201 YLE_YKSI 1899km
88.4 0817 RUS Avtoradio, Sankt-Peterburg/LRTPTS (SPE) OM info, as web stream 1967km **
90.5 0837 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Kerimäki/Yläkuona-Yläkuonantie (es) 6201 1962km
87.7 0838 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Eurajoki or Lisalmi 6201 YLE_YKSI
90.7 0839 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Tampere-Tammerfors/Kämmenniemi-Vähä - Koveron Tie (pi) 6201 1684km
88.3 8400 FIN YLE Puhe, Tampere-Tammerfors/Kämmenniemi-Vähä - Koveron Tie (pi) YL, as web stream 1684km **
87.6 0902 FIN Radio City, Valkeakoski/Kaskela-Pilvitie (pi) 62AC Rock music, as web stream 1676km **
88.2 0919 TUN RTT Radio Kef, Djebel ech Chambi (kas) 7208 KEF_____ 2100km **
89.1 0920 TUN RTT Radio Jeunes, Gorraa (bej) 7201 JEUNES__ 1976km
87.7 0921 TUN RTT Radio Culture, Djebel Trozza (kai) 7212 ______E_ 2086km
88.3 0922 ALG Radio El Tarf, Oum Ali (36) YLs, as web 1934km
89.6 0923 TUN RTT Radio Jeunes, Djebel ech Chambi (kas) 7201 2100km **
87.9 0933 ALG Radio Tébessa, Doukhane (12) Arabic music, as web stream 2071km
87.6 0936 ALG Chaîne 3, Kef El Akhal (25) OMs conversation, as web stream 1927km
90.7 0938 ALG Chaîne 1, Kef El Akhal (25) YL phone in, as web stream 1927km
87.5 1016 I Radio Maria, Sant’Antioco/Monte Cresia (ci) 51CC R.MARIA_ 1684km
Sporadic E Unids:
88.5 0831 FIN UNID, PI: 6095
87.8 0834 ? UNID, "Radio Nova" ID
Meteor Scatter:
87.9 0908 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Espoo - Esbo/Saunalahti-Tillinmäki (uu) Presumed Espoo. Long burst. OM YL as web stream 1666km **
95.2 1102 G BBC Radio Cornwall, Caradon Hill (EN-CNW) St Ives report in news, as web stream. Over BBC Oxford 439km ** ++
** Personal Skegness 'First'
++ Is this the shortest meteor scatter ever? I am not even sure it is meteor scatter. Maybe it's lightning scatter, but no storms were reported today over that path. I was listening to BBC Oxford on 95.2 when I heard a sudden burst of English news over the top which fluttered out in a couple of seconds. There was a news report about fishing and St Ives. A quick check of the BBC Cornwall website revealed the very same news story, read by the same woman.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
NOTE: skywaves.info website and associated email addresses have closed.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Skegness Log: 30-05-13
OIRT Sporadic E:
67.70 0922 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Khmel'nyts'kyy/KHFKRRT, prosp. Myru, 43 (KM) Pops, as web 1887km
68.24 0924 UKR Radio Mariya v Ukraini, Antopil'/RFKRRT, vul. Kyivs'ka, 12 (RI) OM YL, as web 1804km
70.46 0926 UKR UR 2 Radio Promin', Khmel'nyts'kyy/KHFKRRT, prosp. Myru, 43 (KM) OM, as web 1887km
70.76 0927 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Kul'chiyivtsi/KHFKRRT (KM) YL song, as web 1907km **
69.83 0931 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Lozova/TFKRRT, vul. Pol'ova, 13 (TE) OM, as web 1794km
Band 2 Sporadic E:
87.6 1611 ALG Radio Laghouat, Aflou (3) YL and OM, as web 2120km
90.7 1613 ALG Chaîne 1, Aflou (3) OMs, as web 2120km
91.8 1615 ALG Chaîne 2, Akfadou (6) OM YL, as web 1867km
93.9 1615 ALG Chaîne 2, Aflou (3) OM YL, as web 2120km
97.2 1616 ALG Chaîne 3, Aflou (3) YL news, as web 2120km
88.4 1618 ALG Chaîne 3, Chréa (9) YL correspondent, as web 1872km
87.8 1619 ALG Chaîne 1, Mecheria (45) YL, as web 2176km
91.5 1619 ALG Radio El Bahdja, Chréa (9) Arabic music, as web 1872km
92.6 1621 ALG Chaîne 1, approx. 50km east of Algiers OM talk, as web 1843km **
98.0 1622 ALG Chaîne 1, Chréa (9) OM, as web, fighting with Lille 1872km
87.7 1639 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) OMs conversation, as web 1913km
90.3 1641 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al Amazighia, Boukhouali (otl) OM YL, as web 2104km
92.7 1648 TUN RTT Radio Gafsa, Djebel ech Chambi (kas) Arabic music, mixing UNID Arabic 2100km
88.3 1651 ALG Radio El Tarf, Oum Ali (36) OM, as web 1934km
91.2 1652 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) OM, as web 2033km
93.3 1655 TUN RTT Radio Culture, Gabès (gab) OM over classical music, as web 2284km **
95.1 1701 ALG Radio Souk Ahras, M'cid (41) YL and news, as web 1957km **
87.5 1725 I Radio Maria, Sant’Antioco/Monte Cresia (ci) 51CC R.MARIA_ Usual stuff 1684km
88.5 1738 TUN RTT Radio Sfax, Kerkennah (sfa) 7204 2222km
89.0 1739 TUN RTT Radio Sfax, Skhira (sfa) YL, as 88.5 2230km **
87.6 1741 TUN RTT Radio Tataouine, Zarzis (med) 7205 __TA____ 2342km
106.3 1747 TUN Radio Zitouna FM, Djebel ech Chambi (kas) As web 2100km
89.2 1755 I Radio Iglesias, Carloforte (ci) 50FA IGLESIAS 1673km
91.3 1757 TUN RTT Radio Jeunes, Maktar/Souk Jomaa (kas) 7201 2039km
95.4 1800 TUN RTT R.Tunis Chaîne Int., Gorraa (bej) 7202 1976km
97.8 1801 TUN Radio Zitouna FM, Maktar/Souk Jomaa (kas) 7211 ZITOUNA_ 2039km
93.3 1802 I RAI Radio2, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (RAI) (or) 5202 _RADIO2_ 1575km
91.3 1804 I RAI Radio1, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (RAI) (or) OM on phone, as web 1575km
90.5 1808 E Radio Andalucía Información, Pechina/Sierra Alhamilla (AND-AL) E222 __R.A.I. 1809km
107.3 1815 I Radio Maria, Sinnai/Monte Serpeddi (ca) 51CC R.MARIA_ 1678km **
89.4 1825 TUN Jawhara FM, Kairouan=Al-Qayrawan (kai) 7210 JAWHARA_ 2089km
93.4 1832 MRC SNRT Chaîne Inter, Boukhouali (otl) 1002 2104km **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Unidentified:
95.9 1709 ? UNID, ? PI 7216
107.4 1746 ? UNID, ? Arabic music. Later a phone in. Libya?
After a couple of days away from radio matters due to family staying with us I managed to get straight back into some welcome Es today, though I became slightly bewildered by the sheer number of Arabic stations coming through. Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia were there but I couldn't help but think there might have been something else slightly more exotic coming through. Either way, I found it all a little too challenging and went off to do other things. In fact Algeria is still coming through at the bottom of the band as I type. My confused brain cell needs a rest!
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
67.70 0922 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Khmel'nyts'kyy/KHFKRRT, prosp. Myru, 43 (KM) Pops, as web 1887km
68.24 0924 UKR Radio Mariya v Ukraini, Antopil'/RFKRRT, vul. Kyivs'ka, 12 (RI) OM YL, as web 1804km
70.46 0926 UKR UR 2 Radio Promin', Khmel'nyts'kyy/KHFKRRT, prosp. Myru, 43 (KM) OM, as web 1887km
70.76 0927 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Kul'chiyivtsi/KHFKRRT (KM) YL song, as web 1907km **
69.83 0931 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Lozova/TFKRRT, vul. Pol'ova, 13 (TE) OM, as web 1794km
Band 2 Sporadic E:
87.6 1611 ALG Radio Laghouat, Aflou (3) YL and OM, as web 2120km
90.7 1613 ALG Chaîne 1, Aflou (3) OMs, as web 2120km
91.8 1615 ALG Chaîne 2, Akfadou (6) OM YL, as web 1867km
93.9 1615 ALG Chaîne 2, Aflou (3) OM YL, as web 2120km
97.2 1616 ALG Chaîne 3, Aflou (3) YL news, as web 2120km
88.4 1618 ALG Chaîne 3, Chréa (9) YL correspondent, as web 1872km
87.8 1619 ALG Chaîne 1, Mecheria (45) YL, as web 2176km
91.5 1619 ALG Radio El Bahdja, Chréa (9) Arabic music, as web 1872km
92.6 1621 ALG Chaîne 1, approx. 50km east of Algiers OM talk, as web 1843km **
98.0 1622 ALG Chaîne 1, Chréa (9) OM, as web, fighting with Lille 1872km
87.7 1639 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) OMs conversation, as web 1913km
90.3 1641 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al Amazighia, Boukhouali (otl) OM YL, as web 2104km
92.7 1648 TUN RTT Radio Gafsa, Djebel ech Chambi (kas) Arabic music, mixing UNID Arabic 2100km
88.3 1651 ALG Radio El Tarf, Oum Ali (36) OM, as web 1934km
91.2 1652 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) OM, as web 2033km
93.3 1655 TUN RTT Radio Culture, Gabès (gab) OM over classical music, as web 2284km **
95.1 1701 ALG Radio Souk Ahras, M'cid (41) YL and news, as web 1957km **
87.5 1725 I Radio Maria, Sant’Antioco/Monte Cresia (ci) 51CC R.MARIA_ Usual stuff 1684km
88.5 1738 TUN RTT Radio Sfax, Kerkennah (sfa) 7204 2222km
89.0 1739 TUN RTT Radio Sfax, Skhira (sfa) YL, as 88.5 2230km **
87.6 1741 TUN RTT Radio Tataouine, Zarzis (med) 7205 __TA____ 2342km
106.3 1747 TUN Radio Zitouna FM, Djebel ech Chambi (kas) As web 2100km
89.2 1755 I Radio Iglesias, Carloforte (ci) 50FA IGLESIAS 1673km
91.3 1757 TUN RTT Radio Jeunes, Maktar/Souk Jomaa (kas) 7201 2039km
95.4 1800 TUN RTT R.Tunis Chaîne Int., Gorraa (bej) 7202 1976km
97.8 1801 TUN Radio Zitouna FM, Maktar/Souk Jomaa (kas) 7211 ZITOUNA_ 2039km
93.3 1802 I RAI Radio2, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (RAI) (or) 5202 _RADIO2_ 1575km
91.3 1804 I RAI Radio1, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (RAI) (or) OM on phone, as web 1575km
90.5 1808 E Radio Andalucía Información, Pechina/Sierra Alhamilla (AND-AL) E222 __R.A.I. 1809km
107.3 1815 I Radio Maria, Sinnai/Monte Serpeddi (ca) 51CC R.MARIA_ 1678km **
89.4 1825 TUN Jawhara FM, Kairouan=Al-Qayrawan (kai) 7210 JAWHARA_ 2089km
93.4 1832 MRC SNRT Chaîne Inter, Boukhouali (otl) 1002 2104km **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Unidentified:
95.9 1709 ? UNID, ? PI 7216
107.4 1746 ? UNID, ? Arabic music. Later a phone in. Libya?
After a couple of days away from radio matters due to family staying with us I managed to get straight back into some welcome Es today, though I became slightly bewildered by the sheer number of Arabic stations coming through. Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia were there but I couldn't help but think there might have been something else slightly more exotic coming through. Either way, I found it all a little too challenging and went off to do other things. In fact Algeria is still coming through at the bottom of the band as I type. My confused brain cell needs a rest!
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: 30-04-13
Sporadic E:
105.6 0647 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Gerecse (KoE) B203 KOSSUTH_ (Unattended) 1418km **
105.6 0650 ROU SRR Radio Resita, Resita/Semenic (CS) FF03 (Unattended) 1801km
89.3 0732 BIH Radio FBiH, Vlasic (sar) F012 RADIO-F. 1600km **
91.5 0734 BIH Radio Kalman, Sarajevo/Grdonj (sar) F0F2 KALMAN__ 1678km **
93.6 0735 BIH Big Radio 1, Banja Luka/Krcmarice-Stjepanova glava (srp) F027 1540km **
88.5 0736 ROU Pro FM, Resita/Semenic (CS) E059 1801km
88.6 0737 HRV City Radio 88.6, Velika Gorica/Kravarsko (zg) Vocal ID 1410km **
88.0 0743 POL PR 1, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3211 POLS_4E_ 1530km
90.7 0744 POL PR 1, Solina/G.Jawor II (PK) Music, as 88.0 1591km
87.6 0751 SVN Slovenija 1, Mozirje (ce) Radio Slovenia, Pervii Programme ID 1295km **
89.5 0753 MNE Radio Crne Gore 1, Rosaje/Kacuber (RO) 63C1 ___RCG1_ 1851km
92.4 0759 AUT 01, Several low power sites Vocal ID **
88.4 0802 SVN Radio 1, Krvavec (lj) 9357 RADIO___ Vocal ID too 1271km **
96.1 0806 HRV HRT-HR 2, Labinstica or Vinkovci C202
98.1 0807 HRV HRT-HR 2, Belje/Beli Manastir (os) C202 HRT-HR_2 1552km
88.9 0811 SRB Radio Index, Beograd/Torlak (Srb) 6288 _INDEX__ 1739km **
90.2 0811 SRB Radio K4 Shqip, Goles (Kos) D101 RADIO_K4 1927km **
91.2 0813 AUT Ö1, Graz 1/Schöckl (ste) A201 1262km **
89.2 0814 AUT Hitradio Ö3, Graz 1/Schöckl (ste) A203 1262km
93.3 0814 HRV HRT-HR 1, Belje/Beli Manastir (os) C201 HRT-HR_1 1552km
87.7 0816 SRB Radio Novi Sad 1, Iriski Venac (Voj) D2F3 1668km **
97.0 0820 BIH BH Radio 1, Vlasic (sar) F001 1600km
97.7 0822 SRB RTK Radio Blue Sky, Goles (Kos) 92C5 _R_T_M__ 1927km **
99.1 0824 BIH BN Radio, Visegrad-Tmor (bpd) F038 _RTV_BN_ 1737km **
92.7 0829 BIH RTRS Radio Republike Srpske, Kozara/Lisina (srp) F042 RTRS-RRS 1511km **
94.4 0831 BIH Radio Igokea, Kotor Varos/Lipovac (srp) F000 Vocal ID 1559km **
88.1 0833 HRV HRT Radio Sljeme, Zagreb/Sljeme (zg) C31C R-SLJEME 1382km
87.8 0835 HRV Radio Zabok, Zabok/Grdenci (kr) C46C _ZABOK__ 1371km **
90.5 0840 MKD Makedonsko Radio 2 (Vtora prog.), Stip/Turtel (EA) 4202 2072km **
91.8 0845 BIH RTV TK (Tuzlanskog kantona), Srebrenik/Okresanica (tuz) 5100 1624km **
Unidentified:
87.8 0748 ? Tentative. Radio Antena Stajerska, Celje?, ? 9961 ANTENA_S
87.6 0754 GRC UNID. Presume Greece., ? PI 1201
91.6 0803 ? Radio Fokus, ? D288 RADIO___ FOKUS___
88.0 0809 ? Unid, ? ABC News in English
98.0 0820 ? Unid, ? PI: 4201
103.0 0825 ? UNID, ? PI: D069
Meteor Scatter:
105.0 1359 CVA Radio Vaticana 105 Live, Cittá del Vaticano/Palazzina Leone XIII (cva) Long burst of OM on phone, as web stream 1543km
Tropospheric:
93.8 1048 F France Musique, Sens/Gisy-les-Nobles (89) Nostalgia, as web stream 577km
94.6 1050 G BBC Radio Berkshire, Henley-on-Thames (EN-OXF) Nice peak out of the noise. REM, as web 197km
94.2 1116 F France Culture, Nantes/Haute-Goulaine (44) OMs talk, as 98.0 675km
107.7 1125 LUX Den Neie Radio (DNR), Blaschette/Kandel (gld) Pops, as web stream 557km
88.9 1140 LUX RTL Radio Lëtzebuerg, Dudelange/Ginsterberg (gld) Virtually constant now via scatter. Peaks noise free. 574km
92.1 1142 F France Musique, Laval-Evron/Mont Rochard (53) Clasical music, as 92.0 550km
91.1 1144 F France Inter, Villers-Cotterêts/Fleury (02) French OM and music, as 103.7 474km
97.9 1324 F France Culture, Troyes/les Riceys (10) OM, stronger than 98.0 643km
89.6 1719 F France Culture, Villers-Cotterêts/Fleury (02) Nice peak. OM as 98.0 474km
95.6 1722 F France Musique, Caen/Mont Pinçon (14) As 88.7. So easy to null Norfolk now! 469km
88.9 1732 HOL Radio Noord-Holland, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) OM talking, as web stream 321km
98.0 1736 HOL Radio Decibel, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Dance tunes, as 97.6 321km
104.0 1743 BEL Bel RTL, Bruxelles/The Hotel (bru) OM with high voice, as web stream 378km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Two hours of E skip this morning (although I was asleep for the first hour) brought in Greece, Bosnia, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Austria, Hungary. Poland, Romania and Serbia! That's eleven countries logged within an hour and we aren't even out of April! What is happening? I'm sure this won't be a sign of things to come, but it's an early and exceptional start to the season. The Es gently grazed the bottom of band 2 again a couple of hours later and continued to make their presence felt further north for some time.
General scatter conditions improved here too during daylight hours with some good signals coming in from northern and central France. The new 9.2 antenna has opened up many frequencies and it's fun discovering what has been uncovered. Germany has also picked up today with a few txs getting over the noise. At the time of writing this (late evening) the band has gone as flat as a very flat pancake!
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
NOTE: skywaves.info website and associated email addresses have closed.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99
105.6 0647 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Gerecse (KoE) B203 KOSSUTH_ (Unattended) 1418km **
105.6 0650 ROU SRR Radio Resita, Resita/Semenic (CS) FF03 (Unattended) 1801km
89.3 0732 BIH Radio FBiH, Vlasic (sar) F012 RADIO-F. 1600km **
91.5 0734 BIH Radio Kalman, Sarajevo/Grdonj (sar) F0F2 KALMAN__ 1678km **
93.6 0735 BIH Big Radio 1, Banja Luka/Krcmarice-Stjepanova glava (srp) F027 1540km **
88.5 0736 ROU Pro FM, Resita/Semenic (CS) E059 1801km
88.6 0737 HRV City Radio 88.6, Velika Gorica/Kravarsko (zg) Vocal ID 1410km **
88.0 0743 POL PR 1, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3211 POLS_4E_ 1530km
90.7 0744 POL PR 1, Solina/G.Jawor II (PK) Music, as 88.0 1591km
87.6 0751 SVN Slovenija 1, Mozirje (ce) Radio Slovenia, Pervii Programme ID 1295km **
89.5 0753 MNE Radio Crne Gore 1, Rosaje/Kacuber (RO) 63C1 ___RCG1_ 1851km
92.4 0759 AUT 01, Several low power sites Vocal ID **
88.4 0802 SVN Radio 1, Krvavec (lj) 9357 RADIO___ Vocal ID too 1271km **
96.1 0806 HRV HRT-HR 2, Labinstica or Vinkovci C202
98.1 0807 HRV HRT-HR 2, Belje/Beli Manastir (os) C202 HRT-HR_2 1552km
88.9 0811 SRB Radio Index, Beograd/Torlak (Srb) 6288 _INDEX__ 1739km **
90.2 0811 SRB Radio K4 Shqip, Goles (Kos) D101 RADIO_K4 1927km **
91.2 0813 AUT Ö1, Graz 1/Schöckl (ste) A201 1262km **
89.2 0814 AUT Hitradio Ö3, Graz 1/Schöckl (ste) A203 1262km
93.3 0814 HRV HRT-HR 1, Belje/Beli Manastir (os) C201 HRT-HR_1 1552km
87.7 0816 SRB Radio Novi Sad 1, Iriski Venac (Voj) D2F3 1668km **
97.0 0820 BIH BH Radio 1, Vlasic (sar) F001 1600km
97.7 0822 SRB RTK Radio Blue Sky, Goles (Kos) 92C5 _R_T_M__ 1927km **
99.1 0824 BIH BN Radio, Visegrad-Tmor (bpd) F038 _RTV_BN_ 1737km **
92.7 0829 BIH RTRS Radio Republike Srpske, Kozara/Lisina (srp) F042 RTRS-RRS 1511km **
94.4 0831 BIH Radio Igokea, Kotor Varos/Lipovac (srp) F000 Vocal ID 1559km **
88.1 0833 HRV HRT Radio Sljeme, Zagreb/Sljeme (zg) C31C R-SLJEME 1382km
87.8 0835 HRV Radio Zabok, Zabok/Grdenci (kr) C46C _ZABOK__ 1371km **
90.5 0840 MKD Makedonsko Radio 2 (Vtora prog.), Stip/Turtel (EA) 4202 2072km **
91.8 0845 BIH RTV TK (Tuzlanskog kantona), Srebrenik/Okresanica (tuz) 5100 1624km **
Unidentified:
87.8 0748 ? Tentative. Radio Antena Stajerska, Celje?, ? 9961 ANTENA_S
87.6 0754 GRC UNID. Presume Greece., ? PI 1201
91.6 0803 ? Radio Fokus, ? D288 RADIO___ FOKUS___
88.0 0809 ? Unid, ? ABC News in English
98.0 0820 ? Unid, ? PI: 4201
103.0 0825 ? UNID, ? PI: D069
Meteor Scatter:
105.0 1359 CVA Radio Vaticana 105 Live, Cittá del Vaticano/Palazzina Leone XIII (cva) Long burst of OM on phone, as web stream 1543km
Tropospheric:
93.8 1048 F France Musique, Sens/Gisy-les-Nobles (89) Nostalgia, as web stream 577km
94.6 1050 G BBC Radio Berkshire, Henley-on-Thames (EN-OXF) Nice peak out of the noise. REM, as web 197km
94.2 1116 F France Culture, Nantes/Haute-Goulaine (44) OMs talk, as 98.0 675km
107.7 1125 LUX Den Neie Radio (DNR), Blaschette/Kandel (gld) Pops, as web stream 557km
88.9 1140 LUX RTL Radio Lëtzebuerg, Dudelange/Ginsterberg (gld) Virtually constant now via scatter. Peaks noise free. 574km
92.1 1142 F France Musique, Laval-Evron/Mont Rochard (53) Clasical music, as 92.0 550km
91.1 1144 F France Inter, Villers-Cotterêts/Fleury (02) French OM and music, as 103.7 474km
97.9 1324 F France Culture, Troyes/les Riceys (10) OM, stronger than 98.0 643km
89.6 1719 F France Culture, Villers-Cotterêts/Fleury (02) Nice peak. OM as 98.0 474km
95.6 1722 F France Musique, Caen/Mont Pinçon (14) As 88.7. So easy to null Norfolk now! 469km
88.9 1732 HOL Radio Noord-Holland, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) OM talking, as web stream 321km
98.0 1736 HOL Radio Decibel, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Dance tunes, as 97.6 321km
104.0 1743 BEL Bel RTL, Bruxelles/The Hotel (bru) OM with high voice, as web stream 378km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Two hours of E skip this morning (although I was asleep for the first hour) brought in Greece, Bosnia, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Austria, Hungary. Poland, Romania and Serbia! That's eleven countries logged within an hour and we aren't even out of April! What is happening? I'm sure this won't be a sign of things to come, but it's an early and exceptional start to the season. The Es gently grazed the bottom of band 2 again a couple of hours later and continued to make their presence felt further north for some time.
General scatter conditions improved here too during daylight hours with some good signals coming in from northern and central France. The new 9.2 antenna has opened up many frequencies and it's fun discovering what has been uncovered. Germany has also picked up today with a few txs getting over the noise. At the time of writing this (late evening) the band has gone as flat as a very flat pancake!
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
NOTE: skywaves.info website and associated email addresses have closed.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99
No Noise Is Good Noise
To most DXers, installing a higher gain, more directional antenna would be something to get excited about. I though this naively, but it has highlighted a problem in my case, not because the antenna is poor. Quite the opposite in fact. The extra gain and directivity has been very noticeable, providing I beam in certain directions. If I beam anywhere between south-east and north-east I have S9 noise across the entire of band 2 and this starts to encroach even from the south. These are my my main directions too.
This noise has been plaguing me for more than a year, though I wasn't initially aware of it because it doesn't register as you would expect it to on my Sony XDR-F1HD tuner. It is almost invisible, producing one bar of 'nothing' on the tuner's display. While I have always been aware of an increase in noise when I beam towards the east, it only became apparent recently when I connected my new 9.2 antenna directly to my Icom IC7000 and tuned between 88 - 108 MHz. Quite simply, it's a DX killer!
As things stand, the noise is intermittent, tending to go off at night and occasionally during the daytime. There are no set patterns so I suspect it might be a plasma TV or power supply operating in the neighbourhood. It is capable of masking weak signals such as tropo and scatter. Sporadic E is getting over it easily though. The noise sounds like traditional FM white noise, the sort you hear when not tuned to a station. But there are also ticking sounds, buzzes and even the occasional drifting blank carrier, which can register two or three bars.
When my Körner 9.2 antenna arrived, I tried it out on the garden on a small mast, roughly three metres above the ground. Even down at this low level it knocked spots of the rooftop Triax FM5. I was immediately aware of how quiet band 2 was and it reminded me of DX camps where you're in the middle of a field, far away from electrical interference. Even with the antenna three metres above the ground, I was able to hear excellent aircraft scatter from as far away as Brocken at 713 km, Torfhaus at 707 km and a new one - Sonneburg, increasing my scatter distance to 793 km!
Naturally, I was concerned that the noise would be present once the 9.2 had gone on the roof. It was. Worse still, it was worse! The extra gain of the 9.2 dragged the noise in as if it was a regular signal, but since the directivity of the 9.2 was better I could beam away to the south or west. These were not my main directions of interest though.
As far as I know, none of this noise is being radiated through the mains electricity supply. I have conducted fairly rigourous tests to determine this, disconnecting the main supply to the property and running the XDR-F1HD on a leisure battery and mains inverter. I have checked the mains earth supply and gone all around the property, inside and out, around the loft and out on the street, checking lighting, etc. The noise is definitely coming in through the antenna. There is a large OAP home in the general direction of the noise and I wonder if some of my noise is coming from there.
Monday, 29 April 2013
Skegness Log: 29-04-13
Sporadic E:
87.6 1241 BUL BNR Radio Shumen, Shumen/RRTS Venets (shm) 8236 RADIO___ SHUMEN__ 2220km
88.1 1244 ROU Radio România Actualitati, Zalau or Petrosani FF00 and vocal ID between pops
89.0 1250 ROU Radio ZU, Bucuresti (BU) E2AA 2108km
91.1 1251 ROU Magic FM, Iasi/Dealul Paun (IS) E210 2048km **
91.0 1252 ROU Radio România Actualitati, Bihor/Vârful Curcubata Mare (BH) FF00 1761km
89.9 1253 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Komádi (HaB) B203 1649km
Meteor Scatter:
87.7 0446 E RAC 1, Barcelona/Collserola (CAT-B) E251 R--1_--- 1311km
87.9 1705 POR RDP Antena 1, Lousã/Trevim (coi) 8201 1588km **
Tropospheric:
103.2 1750 F France Bleu Berry, Bourges/Neuvy (18) Vocal and jingle ID. Noise free scatter 672km
88.0 1755 F France Culture, Alençon/Mont d'Amain (61) French YL, as 98.0 498km
103.1 1759 F France Bleu Armorique, Rennes/Saint-Pern (35) Fair peaks, as 94.7 564km
** Personal Skegness 'First' via this mode
Sporadic E has been hovering around the bottom of band 2 for the last four days but this is the first time I have had signals strong enough to get RDS. Coincidentally, Looks like I got my new Körner 9.2 antenna on the roof just in time!
General scatter conditions are hopeless to worse at the moment.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
NOTE: skywaves.info website and associated email addresses have closed.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99
87.6 1241 BUL BNR Radio Shumen, Shumen/RRTS Venets (shm) 8236 RADIO___ SHUMEN__ 2220km
88.1 1244 ROU Radio România Actualitati, Zalau or Petrosani FF00 and vocal ID between pops
89.0 1250 ROU Radio ZU, Bucuresti (BU) E2AA 2108km
91.1 1251 ROU Magic FM, Iasi/Dealul Paun (IS) E210 2048km **
91.0 1252 ROU Radio România Actualitati, Bihor/Vârful Curcubata Mare (BH) FF00 1761km
89.9 1253 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Komádi (HaB) B203 1649km
Meteor Scatter:
87.7 0446 E RAC 1, Barcelona/Collserola (CAT-B) E251 R--1_--- 1311km
87.9 1705 POR RDP Antena 1, Lousã/Trevim (coi) 8201 1588km **
Tropospheric:
103.2 1750 F France Bleu Berry, Bourges/Neuvy (18) Vocal and jingle ID. Noise free scatter 672km
88.0 1755 F France Culture, Alençon/Mont d'Amain (61) French YL, as 98.0 498km
103.1 1759 F France Bleu Armorique, Rennes/Saint-Pern (35) Fair peaks, as 94.7 564km
** Personal Skegness 'First' via this mode
Sporadic E has been hovering around the bottom of band 2 for the last four days but this is the first time I have had signals strong enough to get RDS. Coincidentally, Looks like I got my new Körner 9.2 antenna on the roof just in time!
General scatter conditions are hopeless to worse at the moment.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
NOTE: skywaves.info website and associated email addresses have closed.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99
Friday, 26 April 2013
My New Körner 9:2 Antenna!
"Körner 9:2 Compact" Nine element band 2 beam
Reception had been getting steadily worse for some time, but you can't always easily pinpoint exactly why this is. It could be general reception conditions at the coast. They are constantly variable at the best of times. There was also the possibility that water was getting into the coax or seeping inside the connection box. Reception could also have been worsened when I moved the FM5 from the mast at the bottom of the garden on to the rooftop. There were too many factors to be sure what was happening.
The fact is, something had been wrong for a year or so. The problems really began when the FM5 went on the rooftop. Dozens of continental stations just weren't there anymore. Then I noticed my local Belmont transmitter was a very weak and noisy shadow of its former self one day. We had been having heavy rain showers. That was when I first wondered if water had got inside the connection box. This situation lasted into the next day. Despite a general deterioration of reception, not everything was reduced in strength. Some stations in southern England were even slightly enhanced. So what was happening? I couldn't find any indications that Belmont had been on reduced power and, unfortunately for me, my fear of heights prevented me from climbing on to the roof to take a look at the antenna connections.
Along came the new "Körner 9:2 Compact" antenna during the middle of April, just in time for the sporadic E season. Firstly, I wanted to conduct some general listening tests on the garden to see how it performed, also to compare it with another FM5.
I assembled a makeshift mast on the garden and mounted the 9:2 some three metres above the ground and well away from nearby objects. WOW! I was blown away by the sheer number of continental signals coming in! I could hear lots of German transmitters at fully quieting, noise-free stereo levels. This was incredible! It was probably a foregone conclusion that the Körner 9:2 was going to superior to the FM5, but I expected something more modest, certainly nothing on this scale. I then began to feel convinced that there MUST be something wrong with my rooftop FM5.
Not only could I hear large numbers of continental transmitters, some of which I had not heard for a long time, but I was also aware how electrically quiet the FM band was when tuning on my Sony XDR-F1HD. The entire of band 2 was BLISSFULLY quiet. I could hear fully quieting signals in full stereo with ZERO BARS. I know that's not an accurate way to measure signal levels, but this sort of reception has only been experienced when on DX trips to quiet camp sites. The directivity of the 9:2 was also clearly superior than that of the FM5.
My next listening test was made using another Triax FM5 - not the one on the roof of course. I was expecting to hear a copy of the performance offered by the rooftop FM5, but with reduced signal strengths, but there was a shock. The garden FM5, while noticeably less sensitive and less directional than the 9:2, was still able to give me the same clean band, with the same continental stations I just heard on the 9:2, but with noticeably reduced signal strengths. This was a worry as it indicated that some of my problems with the rooftop FM5 might be due to excessive electrical noise and there was no guarantee that the noise would not be present on the 9:2 once it was on the roof. More tests were needed.
I will skip the details of the tests I carried out, but suffice to say they involved such things as measuring resistances and voltages which might have been getting into the mains earth, potential earth loops, etc. I also isolated the electricity supply to the property and ran the XDR-F1HD from a leisure battery/mains inverter while hooked up to the rooftop FM5. The noise was still there. So it was now becoming clearer that the noise was being received through the air. It is a broadband white noise type of interference which was not registering on the XDR-F1HD's display. It was of such a low level that it was effectively invisible, capable of blocking out the weaker signals. There are also a few other buzzes and PLT type clicks on some frequencies. Suddenly it is looking like this noise might have been responsible for the reduction in performance of the FM5 since it went to its rooftop location. The questions is, what to do now?
When the Körner 9:2 goes on the roof, hopefully this weekend, weather permitting, I hope I hear the same blissfully quiet band that I had when it was under test on the garden. Unfortunately, the reality may be that I will still have to contend with this noise. Further listening tests reveal that the noise is coming from an easterly direction, but there is still a sufficiently low level of background noise which is capable of blocking weak signals, no matter which direction I beam.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The weekend came and the weather stayed dry. The FM5 was replaced by the Körner 9:2 and I owe a huge thanks to Andrew Webster who took to the roof and swapped the antennas over, completing the entire operation in around three hours.
Overall reception conditions hadn't been great throughout the day and had deteriorated further by the time the 9:2 was on the roof so I didn't expect to hear too much. Even as I type this on Monday morning I can report very poor scatter across band 2.
To begin with I looked for my regular continental transmitters, Lille, northern France at 343 km, Langenberg, western Germany at 505 km and Dudelange, Luxembourg at 573 km. These are receivable virtually all the time here but tend to be noisy during average conditions with occasional noise-free peaks. All of these exhibited noise free signals, peaking regularly via scatter. Other transmitters usually received on a daily basis but always noisy were either noise free or not far behind. These include Amiens (431 km), Rouen (426 km), Reims (516 km km), Chartres (531 km), Le Mans ( 599 km), Brest (604 km) and even Nantes (675 km). A good start!
The path to Germany is a difficult one as my interference comes from the east, but already I can detect signs of improvement with various transmitters in the Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen, Rheinland Pfalz and Saarland regions coming in a little better. Here lies the problem though. The anticipated noise levels to the east are worse, as I was fearing. Worse than on the FM5 because of the extra gain of the 9:2, but as I expected, it is easier to steer away from it with the additional directivity provided by the 9:2. Indeed this is the more noticeable attribute and main selling point of the 9:2 beam. The directivity is considerably better than that of the FM5. Because the beamwidth is much narrower, I have had to re-evaluate some of my beam headings as suddenly they aren't quite where I had expected them to be! Two very clear improvements are the Lille transmitter on 88.7 and the Dudelange transmitter on 88.9, which were obscured by the splatter from local Belmont on 88.8. Now 88.7 and 88.9 are splatter-free!
The gain of the 9:2 is also a few dB up on that of the FM5 and has a smoother curve across band 2, whereas the FM5 drops off at the bottom of the band. In the technical specification the 9:2 peaks at 9.6 dBd at 103 MHz and goes no lower than 8.3 dBd at 88 MHz (The K6STI website quotes dBd figures as opposed to dBi which tends to be used by computer modelling software. There is about 2.15 dB difference between the two, but that's still very close). Compare 6.44 dBd and 5.23 dBd, respectively, on the FM5. The giant Körner 15:12 only reaches 9.56 dBd and 7.82 dBd at the same frequency points. Figures ex http://www.ham-radio.com/k6sti/korn1512.htm. Take note though, as stated on the Skywaves email lists, computer plots don't necessarily give a complete picture of the gain figures, but serve as a good guide.
The front-to-back ratio of the 9:2 is superb and I am able to lose many of those annoying signals which come in off the back of the beam, thus opening up numerous frequencies. At it's lowest figure there is a 27dB front-to-back ratio at either end of the band and this rises to the low 30 dBs, peaking at 35dB. I watched the signal bar meter on my Kenwood KT6040 tuner while I rotated 360 degrees while tuned to Belmont. Even 45 degrees off-beam I am able to see a good reduction in the signal, almost nulling it completely at 180 degrees. Belmont starts to break up and becomes noisy at this point, but remember, it is my nearest transmitter and is just too strong to null out completely. At least any propagation should easily get over the top of it now. All other signals are completely nullable here.
If I had ideal circumstances regarding planning and more space to operate larger antenna arrays I would probably have gone for the larger Körner 15:12, but after seeing the specification of the 9:2 I cannot see any meaningful difference, at least on paper, between the 9:2 and the 15:12. Just look at the size of the 9:2 though, it's only four inches longer then the FM5 !!!
It's a pity that the antenna isn't made anymore as I cannot recommend it highly enough. It combines a good level of gain, has superb front to back and offers excellent directivity in an antenna which is just a couple of metres in length. It has made a clear improvement to my band 2 listening. Remember also that, at the time of typing this review, conditions are well below average and I am suffering a lot of QRN when beaming east which is blocking weaker signals from Germany. I may need to consult OFCOM to resolve this.
A big thanks to Sven SM7DTT for the construction and Andy Webster for getting this on the roof. It arrived just in time for the Es too as today I received my first band 2 Es with Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, received up to 93.5 MHz.
Good DX!
John
First Es Of The Season
At 14:00 GMT today I heard what appeared to be very weak Es at the bottom of band 2. There was something on 87.6 and on 88.0, behind WDR5 from Bonn. The low end of the band was noisy too.
I can only presume these were Es. The DX Maps website was reporting a high MUF at the time and 6m was active with Es.
So, an early start to the season, but we cannot assume this will be an indication of things to come. Es are unpredictable. In fact, I have heard CBers and 10m DXers reporting a very poor start to the Es this month where they have usually been received more regularly by now.
Good DX!
John
I can only presume these were Es. The DX Maps website was reporting a high MUF at the time and 6m was active with Es.
So, an early start to the season, but we cannot assume this will be an indication of things to come. Es are unpredictable. In fact, I have heard CBers and 10m DXers reporting a very poor start to the Es this month where they have usually been received more regularly by now.
Good DX!
John
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