Band 1 TV Offset Measurement Using The Icom PCR1000

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

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

Just bear in mind that most of the band one TV transmitters in Europe are now silent, including many of those referred to in the article below, thanks to the wonderful digital revolution which has killed our enjoyment of many aspects of traditional radio.
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Band 1 TV Offset Measurement Using The Icom PCR1000

The Skywaves Magazine for August & September 2002 carried my article "Band 1 Video Offsets" in which I described the techniques needed to identify many TV transmitters from precise measurement of the carrier frequencies. The TV-DX community has had more experience of the technique in the past two years, and interest in the technique is growing, so I felt it was time to bring this article up to date, and also make it available for newcomers to the technique.

Using Video Carrier Offsets
Some TV DXers have used this method of precision video carrier measurement as an aid to identifying band 1 television signals. 

When there is a DX opening on band 1 television you may find there are several signals fighting to take control of a particular channel. While there may be one individual signal that dominates, there could be half a dozen others that don’t get through and you’ll probably never know they were even there. Many of the signals are very weak and may only be detectable on a scanner. But wouldn’t it be interesting to be able to discover the identity of these signals? How do we go about doing so?

TV video carriers transmit in the AM mode, so by listening in SSB you can hear the carriers, even when they are very weak. Scanners have a distinct advantage here as they have much narrower bandwidth than a TV receiver, so the weaker signals may be received relatively easily, however you usually need quite a strong signal in order for the actual picture to be seen on the television.  Furthermore, there are various software “spectrum analysers” freely available from the internet which you can install on your PC and these can play a very important role in the measurement and consequently the identification of these carriers.

If you take an audio feed from your scanner into your computer sound card, the software can “see” and display carriers that are so weak that they are not audible to the human ear. Now this is getting quite far removed from the more traditional methods of our DXing hobby as we are no longer listening to the audio or watching the video from a TV station.  But just how accurate is this method of carrier detection when using a scanner?  This is one of the questions I have been asked recently.

Personally, I don’t think there can be any replacement for the traditional spoken or visual identification, but do not rule out other methods which can enable you to narrow down the possibilities. The system of measuring TV carriers is simply an aid to discovering the location of some of those weaker and otherwise unidentifiable pictures.  By recognizing the carriers we are usually able to get a good idea of the area or even the actual which is being received.  Whichever way you look at it you have to admit this does provide an interesting slant on the hobby and gives you useful information that would not otherwise be available.  So how much guesswork is involved? 

Fortunately for us, video carriers on band 1 are not always bang on frequency. Given that channel E2 video is 48.250 MHz, and R2 is 49.750, etc. you might expect to find all the stations on that precise frequency, but in practice a system of frequency offsets are used by broadcasters to minimise the subjective effect of co-channel interference.  It has been found that offsets which are integer multiples of 1/12th of the line frequency give less objectionable interference when propagation opens up than when carriers are more closely synchronised. Hence the offsets are agreed among neighbouring transmitting authorities. This disperses the nominal frequencies around each channel frequency, and when the frequency errors of individual transmitters can be distinguished, we have a possible means of identifying the transmitter without ever having to resolve the video.

That's the theory. In reality, some transmitters are inclined to drift around a little but this is not usually a problem due to the wide spacing of the carriers.  In fact the occasional drift can be a positive boon!  Not only can we now 'see' these carriers with computer software, but we can watch them fade in and out, see how clean they are, and analyse any other properties that they might exhibit.

As you may know, there are two standards for line and field frequencies in use globally.  The spacing between video and audio carriers is also different.  So the moment a carrier becomes available it may not be difficult to work out what you are receiving.  The offsets are only one clue. You can also check the sound and vision spacing, assuming of course that you are receiving the sound.

The use of the 6m propagation maps which can be found on the internet can point you in the right direction too, as can actually listening to the Tv audio on your scanner if the signal is strong enough.  Usually with a sporadic E opening on band 1 you are able to work out a “footprint” or general area of reception.  Now you begin to see that there is probably less guesswork in this than you might have thought.

Scanners can give you the possibility to receive some very low power outlets of TV stations.  In the UK we may be able to receive double hop E signals which tend to be weaker.  As an example, countries like Syria, Iran and Jordan and the UAE are often received here in the North Midlands. Transatlantic TV has also been possible on many occasions – from north and south America and the Caribbean!

I will explain the method I use to calculate the offsets and show you some screen grabs of stations received using Spectrum Laboratory software which is available to download, free of charge by clicking here.

Precision
As we are looking at precise frequency measurement here you will find that some band 1 video carriers drift a little, but usually only by a few Hz.  However, a few transmitters like the E2 transmitters at Grunten in Bavaria – 48.260.422.0 and Bantiger in Switzerland – 48.250.000.0 are precisely “locked” on a set frequency which never alters so you can use these transmitters as reference frequencies to help you calibrate your receiver.  Another one is the Austrian transmitter at St Polten on E2a – 49.750.000.0.

Offsets
Offsets are sometimes referred to as being ~p or ~m (i.e. an "8p" offset or a "5m" offset, etc.) which again indicates roughly how far plus or minus the offset is.

Reference Frequency
In order to measure a carrier frequency accurately, it is necessary to calibrate the receiver to the required degree of accuracy. We are fortunate in western Europe in having several standard frequency transmissions easily available, which can be used in various ways to calibrate the receiver.

Spectrum Laboratory
I use a software spectrum analyzer called Spectrum Laboratory, or SpectrumLab for short.  This is packed with useful features and lets you zoom in close on the carrier so you can take very precise measurements to accuracies of less than 1 Hz.

Method
I feed the audio from my Icom PCR1000 receiver into the computer's sound card.  I use the Buxton amateur radio beacons on 50.000.000.0 & 70.000.000.0 MHz as my markers because these have a precise and stable frequency as stated on their website.  However, it may be necessary to find an alternative reference frequency if you cannot receive Buxton.  It seems that Buxton has a coverage area of roughly 100 miles radius, judging by reports from DXers. The Band I TV transmitters at Bantiger, Switzerland and Grunten, Germany are derived from atomic standards and can also be used as references for our purposes.  Using the narrow-band techniques we are discussing, these can normally be 'seen' constantly in the English Midlands, and are probably available throughout much of Western Europe. If received at a distance, it will be necessary to ignore any spectral 'streaking' due to aircraft or meteor scatter. Western Europe also has available a wealth of LF & MF Standard Frequency transmissions, and while these are unsuitable for direct calibration of the PCR1000, they can be effectively multiplied up by the use of an off-air frequency standard. We used an off-air standard locked to Droitwich 198kHz, and observed the harmonics of the 10MHz output; these were easily visible up to 200MHz. This way it would be easy to calibrate within 20Hz at 200MHz , whereas direct measurement of the 198kHz carrier would require resolution better than 0.02Hz, which is not really feasible.

Elsewhere in the world, it may be necessary to look to the few remaining HF Time & Frequency Standard transmissions. WWV is still available on 10,000 and 15,000kHz, and the Moscow station RWM is on 9,996 and 14,996kHz, between them probably covering half the globe. You need to set your rx within 1Hz at 10MHz to be within 5Hz at Band I. GPS-conditioned frequency standards are the current method of choice in the scientific community, and if you can borrow one, use the harmonics to calibrate at VHF. Unfortunately, the use of standard frequencies via TV line synchronising pulses is obsolescent, as digital distribution protocols remove the need to transmit real-time sync pulses. It is no longer useable in the UK.

Calibrating the PCR1000
By tuning the PCR1000 to 49.999.000 in USB I get an audible tone from my 50MHz Buxton reference.  This can be seen clearly on SpectrumLab, and should be at 1.000kHz. If the SpectrumLab frequency offset is set to “0” Hz, this will compensate for the 1kHz offset of the receiver tuning, and the received tone should be at the 1000Hz mark.  A setting of -500 to +500Hz for the SpectrumLab display width should allow you to see the initial error, and you can zoom in closer as you calibrate.

To calibrate the PCR1000 it is necessary to use the engineering mode software “EX2099 for IC-PCR!1000” current revision 1.0, which might still be available here.  This software is not easy to obtain so you may need to Google for this or join one of the PCR1000 forums.  Beware with this software though as improper use may cause damage to your PCR1000.

Firstly, you will need to close any PCR1000 controlling software that may be in use, then run EX2099. Switch the “power on”, and input the required frequency (49.999 MHz USB in this example) making sure you turn up the AF gain as this may be too quiet by default.  In the “Adjustment panel” select “EEPROM” and click “START”. Then select “Xtal”.  Adjust the “Ref Adjustment” up or down while monitoring the (Buxton) carrier.  Making note what happens to the positioning of the carrier in Spectrum Lab.  Once you have got the carrier as close to zero offset as possible click on “Rx Set”. Mission accomplished!

When making adjustments to the “Ref Adjustment” you will see that, although you are adjusting the oscillator frequency in roughly 1Hz steps, the carrier at 50MHz will appear to move by around 4Hz at a time as the receive frequency is controlled entirely by the 10.250MHz reference oscillator, and the steps are scaled pro rata.  But you can compensate for this in Spectrum Lab by adjusting the frequency bar in order to get the carrier spot on to 0Hz.  Don’t worry if you are unable to get the initial carrier adjustment spot on to 0Hz, simply adjust the frequency bar. You can be safe in the knowledge that, at 50MHz the calibration will be accurate to 1Hz right across band 1. This can be demonstrated here with Buxton’s transmitters at 50MHz and 70MHz.

Note that this software is not particularly user friendly and has a tendency to revert back to a default frequency in mid-adjustment, so you may need to reset the frequency, mode and AF levels all over again.

Also make sure your receiver has warmed up sufficiently before making these adjustments. My own PCR1000 takes several hours to stabilise though about three hours should be sufficient to make adjustments with the EX2099 software - the longer the better.

By using the reference oscillator adjustment dialog box, it is possible to alter the receiver frequency in steps of approximately 4Hz at 50MHz, or pro-rata at other receive frequencies, until the tone moves to the 0Hz mark. It appears that one can generally set a PCR1000 freq. calibration to better than 5×10e-8. It should therefore be possible to reduce the calibration error to within ±2.5Hz at 50MHz or ±10Hz at 200MHz (short-term).

In use, add 1000Hz to the indicated receive frequency and add the SpectrumLab frequency scale reading (plus or minus) to get the received carrier frequency.

But don’t just take my method as THE only way to measure offsets.  The alternative is to use a locally-generated reference frequency source, for example a spectrum of harmonics derived from an accurate oscillator, and make corrections to the indicated receive frequency at each frequency.  Read the methods of Ian Roberts and Todd Emslie at their website.

More Information about Offsets
Offsets are nominally arranged in units of 1/12th of the line frequency so in the case of 625 line pictures 1 offset unit is 1.302 kHz thus giving us:

Offsets for E2 transmitters:
8m 48.239.584
7m 48.240.866
6m 48.242.188
5m 48.243.490
4m 48.244.792
3m 48.246.094
2m 48.247.396
1m 48.248.698
zero offset 48.250.000
1p 48.251.302
2p 48.252.604
5p 48.256.510
6p 48.258.812
7p 48.259.114
8p 48.260.416
9p 48.261.718

Offsets for R1 / E2a transmitters
8m 49.739.584
7m 49.740.886
6m 49.742.188
5m 49.743.490
4m 49.744.792
3m 49.746.094
2m 49.747.396
1m 49.748.698
zero offset 49.750.000
1p 49.751.302
2p 49.752.604
3p 49.753.906
4p 49.755.208
5p 49.756.510
6p 49.757.812
7p 49.759.114
8p 49.760.416
9p 49.761.718

Offsets for A2 [nom. 55.250MHz] with 525-line 60Hz field video:
Negative 55.240.000
zero offset 55.250.000
Positive 55.260.000

Although these are the listed offset frequencies you may find there is slight variation (a couple of hundred Hz at the very most from personal experience and usually within 50Hz) but you shouldn’t find anything in between these. There are no m’s and p’s as used in Europe.

Thankfully, in practice transmitters are only "nominally" on these offsets, which makes it possible to separate and identify individual transmitters.

For instance, the EBU list gives Kuldiga in Latvia as R1 with an "8p" offset, which gives us a nominal frequency of 49.760.416. The transmitter is in fact on 49.760.459 (most recent readings) but the "8p" figure gives us a rough idea of where to look.  The "actual" frequency can be lower or higher than the nominal offset. Or, on E3 both 55.273440 and 55.247.552 count as "2m" which is nominally 55.247396.  Note that the quoted frequencies are not immutable, but will be subject to the same sort of drift-with-time as your receiver. If the transmitter is subject to periodic maintenance, it is quite likely that the transmitter frequency may occasionally be altered, so that we are dependent on updates from those who are able to identify and measure the carrier frequencies. All of us may be able to contribute to the updating of the databases, if we can achieve the required measurement accuracy.

In conclusion, it is clear that users of scanning software have a big advantage when DXing during the E season, etc:- the ability to detect signals at lower levels which may result in a greater number of loggings; a possible extension of the E season either side as a result; being able to measure offsets during the F2 season on otherwise smeary and unwatchable pictures; the ability to tune into the audio and thus work out the sound and vision spacing.

Here are some screen grabs of video carriers

Above:  Two wide, smeary auroral carriers on E3.  John Faulkner.

Above:  Jet scatter on Liege, E3, measured at 55.250.034.5 (on the right of the image).  The smeary traces which surround it are doppler effect caused by reflections from aircraft.  The carrier itself is in the centre of the doppler smears.  You can also see other weak carriers at 55.249.984.5 (this appears at -15.5 on the frequency reference bar) and a broad mess of meteor scatter can be seen just below that (-15 to -25).  This is rather difficult to see due to the low resolution of the images.

Above:  Warm-up drift of the PCR1000 nicely captured by SpectrumLab software.  The signal is that of the amateur radio repeater GB3BUX in Buxton, Derbyshire on 50.000MHz.

For the club's complete listing of band 1 offsets, please click here.

John Faulkner, with thanks to Julian Hardstone for checking the techie stuff!

Skegness Log: 18-05-13

Sporadic E OIRT:

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

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

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

** Personal Skegness 'First'

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


Recordings:

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


Good DX!

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

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

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

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

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

Skegness Log: 17-05-13

Sporadic E OIRT:
 66.86 1733 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Myadzel/RTPS Telyaki (MI) Smokie song, as web  1731km
 68.54 1737 RUS Radio Rossii, Smolensk/RTPS (SMO) Russian music, as web  2065km
 68.69 1737 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Myadzel/RTPS Telyaki (MI) Local pops, as web  1731km
 69.92 1739 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Vitsebsk/RTPS Jurjeva Gorka (VI) YL and music, as web  1941km
 70.67 1741 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Vitsebsk/RTPS Jurjeva Gorka (VI) Local music, as web   1941km
 70.94 1742 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Ushachy/RTPS Astravenec (VI) YL and local music, as web  1844km
 71.48 1744 BLR BR Radio Vitsebsk, Vitsebsk/RTPS Jurjeva Gorka (VI) Ad break, as web  1941km

Sporadic E Band 2:
 94.7 1151  I  Radio Selene, Statte/Salita Montello (ta) 54A9 __EL____  1890km **
 88.1 1152  I  Radio Selene, Bisceglie/S.S. 16 bis (via Lama di Macina)-Zona Industriale (bt) 5A49 ____ENE_  1796km
 97.8 1203  I  New Radio Star Marotta, Mondolfo/via Monteciappellano-Torre piezometrica (pu) 55DF NEW_STAR  1403km **
 88.5 1242 POR Rádio Clube de Arganil, Arganil (coi) 84E7  1571km
 89.3 1243 POR RDP Antena 2, Lousã/Trevim (coi) 8202 ANTENA_2  1588km
 89.9 1244 POR RFM, Arrábida (set) 8231 __RFM___  1778km
 90.6 1244  E  Los 40 Principales, Santiago de Compostela (GAL-C) E235   1320km
 92.9 1246 POR Mega Hits, Braga (bra) Jingle ID and pops  1448km
 93.3 1246  E  Europa FM, Ourense/Seminario (GAL-OU) E2ED EUROPAFM  1348km
 93.7 1247 POR Rádio Renascença, Porto/Monte da Virgem (prt) 8221  1496km
 94.4 1247  E  SER, Cáceres/Sierra de Portanchito (EXT-CC) E238 __SER___  1604km
 94.6 1248 POR Rádio Vouzela, Vouzela/Pico da Pena (vis) 80FA __VFM___  1524km **
 95.3 1248 POR Tropical FM, Moita (set) 8049 TROPICAL  1761km
 95.2 1249 POR RDP Antena 1, Serra de Marão (vrl) 8201  1459km **
 95.7 1249 POR RDP Antena 1, Lisboa/Monsanto (lis) 8201 ANTENA_1   1760km **
 96.4 1250 POR M80 Rádio, Serra de Montejunto (lis) 8332 __M80___  1710km
 96.5 1252 POR Mega Hits, Aveiro (avo) 844E MEGAHI__  1547km **
 96.6 1253 POR Star FM, Lisboa/Monsanto (lis) 848D Pops, as web  1760km
 97.2 1254 POR Rádio Vizela, Lousada (prt) 8080 R.VIZELA  1462km **
 97.4 1254 POR Rádio Comercial, Lisboa/Monsanto (lis) Strong! 8203 COMRCIAL  1760km
 98.0 1256 POR Rádio Santiago, Guimarães (bra) 801E SANTIAGO  1454km **
 98.3 1257  E  Radio Galega, Lugo/Peña Rubia (GAL-LU) E4E0 R.GALEGA - OVER MY STRONGEST BELMONT!  1270km **
 98.6 1300  E  Radio Castilla La Mancha, Valdepeñas/Cabeza de Buey (CAM-CR) E396 LAMANCHA  1637km **
100.9 1302  E  Canal Ebro Radio, Hornos de Moncalvillo/Serradero (RIO-LO) E000 EBRO9MHz  1223km **
106.7 1304  E  Kiss FM, Zaldiaran (PVA-VI) E2EC  1173km **
106.5 1305  E  esRadio, Guadalajara (CAM-GU) E287  1419km **
107.0 1308 POR TSF Rádio Notícias, Bragança/Samil (bgc) 8343 _T_S_F__  1368km
107.0 1309  E  Libertad FM, Alcorcón (MAD-M) 1070 LIBERTAD  1457km **
107.2 1309  E  Fiesta FM, Madrid (MAD-M) E033 FIESTAFM ME_GUSTA  1447km **
106.8 1312  E  Onda Melodía, Alcalá de Henares (MAD-M) E2DA __ONDA__ MELODIA_  1439km **
107.7 1316  E  Radio K.20, Villalbilla (MAD-M) 1000 __RK20__  1440km **
106.8 1317  E  RNE Radio 5, Monte Meda (GAL-OU) E915   1337km **
107.9 1319 POR Rádio Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra (coi) 8051  1586km
107.5 1321  E  Radio Xallas, Santa Comba (GAL-C) E001 OBRAOIRO _XALLAS_  1315km **
107.5 1322  E  Radio 21, Robledo de Chavela (MAD-M) F002 ______FM  1450km **
107.1 1323  E  Vive! Radio, Valladolid (CAL-VA) ECFF VIVE!___  1333km **
106.3 1326  E  Vaughan Radio, Valladolid (CAL-VA) B101 VAUGHAN_  1333km **
106.5 1328  E  Fórmula Hit, Carballo (GAL-C) E62D FOHI____  1287km **
106.6 1329  E  Onda Cero, San Lorenzo de El Escorial (MAD-M) E2EE  1435km **
107.2 1329  E  Radio Adaja, Pajares de Adaja (CAL-AV) E000 RADIO___ ADAJA___  1410km **
107.8 1331 POR Rádio No Ar, Santo Tirso (prt) 8076 Vocal ID  1448km **
107.6 1332  E  Radio Líder, Ourense (GAL-OU) E304 LIDER___  1345km **
106.9 1334 POR TSF Rádio Notícias, Braga (bra) 8343  1448km **
106.2 1335  E  Radio Galega Música, Lugo/Peña Rubia (GAL-LU) E4E1 RGMUSICA  1270km **
106.6 1335  E  RNE Radio 5, Xistral (GAL-LU) E615 RNE_5-LU  1224km **
105.8 1336  E  COPE (Mixta), Navalmoral de la Mata (EXT-CC) E2CA NV10__8_  1539km **
106.0 1336  E  Cadena 100, Ribadeo (GAL-LU) E2CE CAD-100_  1201km **
105.3 1337 POR TSF Rádio Notícias, Valongo/Serra de Santa Justa (prt) 8343  1487km **
104.8 1338  E  Radio Galega, Monte Meda (GAL-OU) E4E0 R_GALEGA  1337km **
105.2 1338  E  Onda Cero, Valladolid/Las Contiendas (CAL-VA) E2EE ONDACERO  1333km **
104.1 1339 POR RFM, Porto/Monte da Virgem (prt) 8321 __RFM___  1496km
103.4 1341 POR Rádio Renascença, Lisboa/Monsanto (lis) Portuguese song, as 103.6  1760km **
103.6 1341 POR Rádio Renascença, Viseu (vis) 8221  1520km **
103.7 1341 POR Rádio Canção Nova, Ourém (san) 8005  1644km
102.4 1342  E  Radio Galega, Ourense/Seminario (GAL-OU) E4EO R_GALEGA  1348km **
103.1 1342  E  RNE Radio Nacional, Santiago de Compostela/Monte Pedroso (GAL-C) E211 RNE_1___  1315km **
101.0 1347  E  COPE, Zaldiaran (PVA-VI) E4F0 __COPE__  1173km **
 98.5 1350  E  Cadena Dial, Ferrol/Monte As Penas (GAL-C) E274 CAD-DIAL  1246km
 97.4 1351  E  RNE Radio 3, Moaña/Monte Faro Domayo (GAL-PO) E213  1378km **
 97.9 1351  E  Onda Cero, O Carballiño (GAL-OU) E2EE ONDACERO  1344km **
 95.8 1352  E  RNE Radio 5, Culleredo/Monte Xalo (GAL-C) OM  YL, as 96.0  1276km
 96.0 1352  E  RNE Radio 5, El Castro (GAL-PO) E515 RNE_5-PO  1390km
 95.5 1353 POR Rádio Placard, Porto/Monte da Virgem (prt) OM  YL, as web  1496km **
 95.8 1353 POR Rádio Fundaçao, Guimarães (bra) 8056  1454km
 94.8 1354 POR Rádio Festival, Porto/Monte da Virgem (prt) 8018  1496km **
 92.5 1356 POR RDP Antena 2, Porto/Monte da Virgem (prt) 8202 ANTENA_2  1496km
 88.3 1358 POR RDP Antena 1, Muro/Serra do Gerês (vcs) Vocal ID  1411km
 88.0 1359  E  Radio Galega Música, Valga/Monte Xesteiras (GAL-PO) E4E1 RGMUSICA  1338km
 87.7 1400  E  Radio Principal, Vilalba/Monte Gondaisque (GAL-LU) E305 PRINCIPAL  1246km
 87.6 1401 POR RDS, Seixal (set) 8042  ___RDS__  1769km
 88.1 1402 POR Radio Regional Sanjoanense, São João da Madeira (avo) 809F  1511km
 88.7 1405 POR RDP Antena 2, Serra de Montejunto (lis) 8202  1710km
 89.0 1406 POR Rádio Comercial, Leiria/Maunça (lei) Jingle ID  1649km
 88.0 1407 POR Mega Hits, Sintra (lis) 8011   1759km 87.60 2022 HNG Gong Rádió, Csongrád (Cso) B996  1583km
 90.6 2022 ROU Radio România Cultural, Petrosani/Parâng (HD) YLs, as web  1877km
 88.5 2026 ROU Pro FM, Resita/Semenic (CS) E059 __,5____  1801km
 89.5 2031 HNG Music FM, Budapest - Széchenyi-hegy (Bud) Dance beats, as web stream  1461km
 88.0 2053 POL PR 1, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3211  1530km
 87.8 2054 POL PR 1, Przemysl/Tatarska Góra (PK) 3211  1593km
 90.5 2101 POL PR Radio Rzeszów, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) OM news, as web  1530km
 87.5 2104 POL PR 1, Czestochowa/Wreczyca (SL) OM news, as 87.8  1291km
 88.1 2106 ROU Radio România Actualitati, Petrosani/Parâng (HD) FF00 RRACTUAL  1877km
 88.2 2106 SVK SRo 2 Rádio Regina Banská Bystr., Lucenec/Blatný vrch (BB) 5960  1465km

Sporadic E Unidentified/Unlisted, etc.:
103.9 1340  E  UNID, ? EEFF (Not Ke Buena FM)
102.5 1344  ?  UNID, ? BBBB TALAVERA
101.5 1346  ?  UNID, ? E320 RAORU_U_
100.0 1349  E  UNID, ? EA86
 89.2 1403  E  Radio Nervion, Unilsted E343 RNERVION  

** Personal Skegness 'First'

The above log does not show the complete picture, for the Italian opening around local midday was intense to say the least! Signals were reaching a full five bars on the Kenwood KT6040 in it's widest (250 kHz) bandwidth! There were so many stations across the band that it became impossible to listen to anything as they battled for dominance. The band became white noise at times and all my local Belmont transmissions became wiped out. The really annoying thing was that, in the event of me being able to identify anything, there were multiple transmitters of that station on the frequency, which is so typical of many Italian openings. The opening was so intense that I gave up and got something to eat instead.

Then it was the turn of Portugal and Spain, both shooting up to the top of the band with intense signals. This time it wasn't quite such a pea souper and I grabbed a few recordings of IDs. Local stations from Madrid crowded the top of the band while many stations from Galicia covered the rest of the band. Another first class spopradic E opening!

Recordings:
  87.7 Radio Principal, Vilalba 1400 17-05-13
  89.0 Radio Comercial, Leiria 1406 17-05-13
  92.9 Megahits, Braga 1246 17-05-13
  96.4 M80 Radio, Serra de Montejunto 1251 17-05-13
  98.0 Radio Santiago, Guimarães 1256 17-05-13
107.1 Vive Radio, Valladolid 1324 17-05-13
107.6 Radio Lider, Ourense 1332 17-05-13


Good DX!

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

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

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

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

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

Skegness Log: 16-05-13

Sporadic E:
 87.60 1505 POL PR 2, Zamosc/Tarnawatka (LB) Jingle and YL talk, as web  1605km
 70.91 1510 UKR Radio Mariya v Ukraini, Vinnytsya (VI) Religious song, as web  1992km
 68.24 1512 UKR Radio Mariya v Ukraini, Antopil' (RI) Church service, as web  1804km
 66.53 1517 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Antopil' (RI) OM, as web  1804km

Tropospheric:
105.70 1132  D  Hit-R. Antenne Niedersachsen, Steinkimmen (nds) ID and pops  543km
107.10 1135  D  SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Haardtkopf (rlp) YL, then light pop, as web  593km
 97.80 1138  D  NDR 2, Lingen-Damaschke (nds) Michael Jackson song, as web  477km
101.00 1141  D  WDR 2, Bärbelkreuz (Eifel) (nrw) Vocal ID. Noise free  520km
 95.40 1143  D  Nordwestradio, Schiffdorf [nds] (Bremerhaven) (bre) Vweak German music, as web  554km
 92.40 1144  D  SWR1 Rheinland-Pfalz, Linz/Ginsterhahn (rlp) German YL, as web  560km
 93.50 1145  D  WDR 2, Nordhelle (nrw) OM, as web  554km
101.30 1146  D  WDR 4, Langenberg/Hordtberg (nrw) Noise free today (local QRN absent at time)  505km
 87.60 1148  D  HR3, Sackpfeife (Biedenkopf) (hes) Pops, as web  612km
 95.50 1206  D  SR 3 Saarlandwelle, Göttelborner Höhe (saa) Light rock song, as web  629km
 97.00 1210  D  WDR 3, Teutoburger Wald/Bielstein (nrw) Operatics, as web  591km
105.60 1212  D  SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Donnersberg (rlp) Schlager, as web  657km
105.90 1212  D  Hit Radio FFH, Großer Feldberg (Taunus)/hr (hes) ID and ads  648km
104.90 1215  D  Big fm (Rheinland-Pfalz), Ahrweiler/Schöneberg (rlp) Pop song, as web  554km

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 Beaches - Among The Tidiest

The Skegness Standard reports that Skegness beaches were among the tidiest visited in a nationwide clean-up operation led by an environmental charity last year.

The Marine Conservation Society’s figures, published today revealed that just two bags of litter were collected on the half kilometre stretch of Central Beach visited for the annual Beachwatch Big Weekend volunteer tidy-up in 2012.

With beaches elsewhere in the country yielding more than 20 times that level of litter, East Lindsey District Council is delighted with the results.

Full article here

Skegness Log: 15-05-13

Sporadic E:
 87.7 1019 POR RDP Antena 1, Serra do Mendro (bej) 8201 ANTENA_1. Unattended  1770km
 87.6 1042  E  COPE, Córdoba/Lagar de la Cruz (AND-CO) E2CA __COPE__  1736km
 88.0 1056 POR Mega Hits, Sintra (lis) 8011 MEGA___S  1759km
 88.1 1057 POR Radio Regional Sanjoanense, São João da Madeira (avo) 809F  1511km **
 89.0 1102 POR Rádio 5, Póvoa de Varzim (prt) 805B RADIO_5_  1467km
 87.9 1103  F  Radio Maritima, Istres/Colline Saint-Etienne (13) F436  1123km
 87.7 1147 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) OM, as web  1913km
 90.8 1148 ALG Radio Relizane, Aïn N'sour (48) Phone in, as web  1913km
 87.8 1152 ALG Chaîne 1, Mecheria (45) OM, as web  2176km
 87.6 1156 ALG Radio Laghouat, Aflou (3) Arabic chanting, as web  2120km
 87.7 1300  E  Hit FM, Jerez de la Frontera/San Cristóbal (AND-CA) E200 HIT_FM_  1904km
 87.9 1300 MRC SNRT Chaîne Inter, Rabat (SNRT) (rsz) 1002 SNRT-INT  2212km
 89.1 1301  E  Woman FM, New Andalucian network E201 WOMAN_FM
 88.2 1303  E  Sol Radio, Sevilla (AND-SE) E230   1819km **
 89.0 1305  E  Onda Guillena Radio, Guillena (AND-SE) E300 ONDA____ GUILLENA  1803km **
 89.2 1305  E  Europa FM, Sevilla (AND-SE) E2ED EUROPAFM  1819km
 89.4 1306  E  Los 40 Principales, San Fernando (AND-CA) E035 CUARENTA  1905km
 89.6 1306  E  Radio Betis, Sevilla (AND-SE) Vocal ID  1820km **
 90.0 1307  E  RNE Radio 5, Valencina del Concepción (AND-SE) E215 RNE_5-SE  1818km
 88.0 1310  E  RNE Radio 5, Punta Umbría (AND-H) E215 RNE_5-H_  1861km
 87.9 1314  E  Canal Extremadura Radio, Mérida/Cerro de San Serván (EXT-BA) E30A Canal_EX  1670km
 88.8 1315  E  Cadena 100, La Guardia/Peña de San Cristóbal (AND-J) E2CE Vocal ID  1741km **
 89.0 1316  E  RNE Radio Nacional, Antequera (AND-MA) E211 RNE_1___  1833km
 89.1 1316  E  Cadena 100, Badajoz/Cansa Burros (EXT-BA) E2CE  1683km
 89.5 1320  E  Canal Fiesta Radio, Almonaster la Real/Sierra de Aracena (AND-H) E331 C.Fiesta  1783km
 89.5 1320  E  Onda Cero, Cáceres/Sierra de Portanchito (EXT-CC) E2EE ONDACERO  1605km
 90.4 1321  E  Onda Cero, Mérida (EXT-BA) E2EE ONDACERO  1662km
 92.7 1324  E  Europa FM, Olivenza (EXT-BA) E2ED EUROPAFM  1705km **
 89.6 1325 POR RFM, Faro/São Miguel-Goldra (agv) 8231 __RFM___  1893km
 93.4 1326 POR RDP Antena 2, Faro/São Miguel-Goldra (agv) 8202  1893km
 87.6 1346 POR RDS, Seixal (set) 8042 ___RDS__  1769km
 88.2 1346 POR Ultra FM, Vila Franca de Xira (lis) 80E8 ULTRA_FM  1731km
 89.0 1349 POR Rádio Comercial, Leiria/Maunça (lei) 8203 COMRCIAL  1649km
 91.2 1350 POR Rádio Clube de Sintra, Sintra (lis) 803A  1759km
 90.4 1354 POR Rádio Nostalgia, Lisboa/Monsanto (lis) 8059 NSTALGIA  1760km
 89.5 1355 POR TSF Rádio Notícias, Lisboa/Monsanto (lis) 8343 _T_S_F__  1760km
 90.0 1355 POR Mega Hits, Coimbra (coi) 844E MEGAHITS  1586km **
 90.2 1355 POR Rádio Renascença, Guarda/P.Vento (gua) 8221 ___RR___  1516km
 88.7 1357 POR RDP Antena 2, Serra de Montejunto (lis) 8202 ANTENA_2  1710km
 89.2 1357 POR NFM, Amarante (prt) 844B (not 804B). As web  1466km **
 87.8 1358 POR Rádio Montemuro, Cinfães (vrl) 849C MONTMURO  1482km
 88.1 1358 POR Benedita FM, Alcobaça (lei) 80ED BENEDITA  1665km **
 87.6 1359 POR Rádio Popular Afifense, Viana do Castelo (vcs) 80AB AFIFENSE  1446km
 87.9 1403 POR RDP Antena 1, Lousã/Trevim (coi) 8201 ANTEAN_1  1588km
 87.6 1412  E  Los 40 Principales, Ourense/Seminario (GAL-OU) E04A _87_6___. Unattended  1348km
 87.6 1414  E  RNE Radio 5, Marbella/Castillejos (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA. Unattended  1884km
 87.7 1415  E  Europa FM, Alcalá de Henares (MAD-M) E5ED EUROPAFM. Unattended  1439km **
 87.6 1442  E  Radio Castilla La Mancha, Almadén/Cerro de la Virgen del Castillo (CAM-CR) E396 LA__O___. Unattended  1647km
 87.7 1442  E  Euskadi Irratia, Azkoitia (PVA-SS) E301 EUSKADI1. Unattended  1129km

Sporadic E unidentified/Site Unknown, etc.:
 87.7 1021  ?  UNID, ? C2B7. 73% BER. Unattended
 88.8 1304  E  Radiole?, Cadiz? E278. Unlisted FM List but listed on Radiole website as Cadiz
 88.0 1312  E  Radiole?, ? E278. Unlisted

Meteor Scatter:
 97.5 0910  F  France Musique, Limoges/les Cars (87) Clasical music. Long noise free burst on teh XDR, as 97.0  835km

** Personal Skegness 'First'

Not a bad day with Spain and Portugal dominating for a few hours. Conditions never attempted to advance up the band though.

I would have had some recordings too but the computer locked up when I tried installing a new RTL dongle. Some very odd things happened to my laptop and my desktop computers when I tried, and failed to, install the drivers. In the end I lost my entire recording of today's sporadic E event and a few prize IDs.

Yes, I have another dongle but I don't think I'll bother with it for a while. It was supposed to be an RTL2832U/R280T type. Actually, it might be, but there is no indication of this anywhere on it. I didn't expect miracles for £4 from eBay China though. It doesn't have the Belling Lee socket as I had expected, only a tiny push-on mini-whip connection.

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/hc8holzs8sn32sil9fyj
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator

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

Skegness Log: 14-05-13

Sporadic E:
 89.40 0906 POL PR 1, Kraków/Choragwica (MP) 3211   1407km
 88.00 0907 POL PR 1, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3211 JEDYNKA_  1530km
 90.60 0908 POL Radio Maryja, Kraków/Huta T. Sendzimira (MP) 3232  1402km **
 90.70 0909 POL PR 1, Solina/G.Jawor II (PK) 3211  1591km
 90.30 0910 POL PR 3, Opole/Chrzelice (OP) 3233   1229km
 93.00 0911 POL RMF FM, Katowice/Kosztowy (SL) Pops, as web  1333km
 93.90 0913 POL Radio Park FM, Kedzierzyn-Kozle/Komin E Blachownia (OP) OM over music, as web  1272km **
 87.70 0916 SVK Fun Radio, Kosice/Dubník (KE) 5340  1545km
 89.20 0917 SVK SRo 2 Rádio Regina Kosice, Trebisov/Bánovce nad Ondavou - silo (KE) 5D60  1581km
 98.00 0920 TUR Radyo Cihan, Canakkale/Radar Tepe (mam-can) *TENTATIVE*. Turkish music. Tnx Paul L and Kurt Z.  2443km **
 87.90 0928 ROU SRR Radio Cluj, Satu Mare (SM) Jingle ID  1696km
 88.10 0931 ROU Radio România Actualitati, Petrosani/Parâng (HD) FF00  1877km
 87.60 0932 MNE Radio Crne Gore 1, Savnik/Krnovska glavica (SN) 63C1  1793km **
 88.00 0933 MNE Radio Crne Gore 1, Niksic/Tovic-Sudina Glava (NK) Pops, as 87.6  1795km
 87.60 0934 CZE Radio Impuls, Brno/Kojál (JM) 2203 _IMPULS_  1219km
 88.20 0935 SVK SRo 2 Rádio Regina Banská Bystr., Lucenec/Blatný vrch (BB) 5960  1465km **
 89.10 0935 ROU Pro FM, Târgu Mures (MS) E059  1878km **
 89.40 0938 ROU Magic FM, Constanta (CT) Jingle ID  2287km **
 90.00 0939 BIH Radio Kalman, Mostar/Fortica (hgn) F0F2  1686km
 90.70 0940 ALB AMC Love Radio, Tiranë (Tirana)/Fushë Dajt (tir) 9258  __LOVE__ _RADIO__   1965km **
 91.40 0941 ALB Radio Maria, Tiranë (Tirana)/Fushë Dajt (tir) 51CE R.MARIA_  1965km **
 88.10 0943 HRV HRT Radio Knin, Sibenik 1/Subicevac (si) C316  1548km **
 94.50 0943 ALB Radio Eurostar, Tiranë (Tirana)/Fushë Dajt (tir) 9004 Scrolling RDS  1965km **
 88.20 0944 HRV HRT Radio Dubrovnik, Rota (Peljesac) (du) C315. Blank carrier  1692km **
 88.60 0944 HRV Radio Sibenik, Sibenik/Kamenar (si) C314 _SIBENIK  1549km **
 88.90 0945 HRV HRT-HR 1, Dubrovnik/Srd (du) C201 HRT-HR_1  1758km **
 89.60 0945 HRV HRT-HR 1, Promina/Cavnovka (si) C201  1548km **
 89.90 0946 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Komádi (HaB) B203  1649km
 90.60 0946 ROU Radio România Cultural, Petrosani/Parâng (HD) FF01  1877km
 91.20 0947 SVK Radio Ognijce, Two sites listed 942F
 92.00 0948 SVN Slovenija 1, Beli Kriz (kp) 9201  1278km **
 93.70 0949 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Balassagyarmat / Springa-domb (Nog) B203 KOSSUTH_  1448km
 93.80 0950 GRC ERA2 Dheftero Programa, Orestiada/Pythio (Petradhes) (emc-evr) 1202 ERT_ERA2  2357km **
 94.80 0952 HNG MR 2 Petöfi Radio, Budapest - Széchenyi-hegy (Bud) B201  1461km **
 95.90 0955 ROU Pro FM, Deva/Magura Boiului (HD) Jingle ID  1807km **
106.20 0957 AUT 88.6 Der Musiksender, Krems (Donau)/KW Theiß (nie) A3EE Scrolling text  1201km **
103.80 0958 ROU Radio România Actualitati, Arad/Siria (AR) FF00  1706km **
 98.00 0959  I Radio Deejay, Specchia (le) 5214 _DEEJAY_  2001km
100.70 0959 ROU Radio România Cultural, Timisoara/Urseni (TM) FF01  1716km **
 97.50 1000  I  RAI Radio3, Parabita/Contrada Terrisi-Serra di San Eleuterio (RAI) (le) 5203  1982km **
 87.80 1001  I  Ritmo 80, Corato/Monte Ripanno (ba) 5A72 RITMO_88  1796km
 88.30 1003 HRV HRT-HR 1, Vinkovci/Borinci (vu) C201 HRT-HR_1  1590km
 88.10 1015 HRV HRT Radio Sljeme, Zagreb/Sljeme (zg) C31C R-SLJE__  1382km
 88.30 1016 HRV Radio Marija, Virovitica/Milanovac-Kota Kaza (vt) C47C R.MARIJA VIRO____ VITICA__  1474km **
 87.60 1017 HRV Podravski Radio, Durdevac (kc) C440 PODRADIO  1436km **
 88.10 1018 SRB Radio Beograd 1, Ovcar (Srb) D2FF  1779km
 89.50 1018 SRB Radio Vladimirci, Vladimirci/Skupljen (Srb) 0000 51___MHz  1701km **
 89.50 1018 BIH Radio HIT, Udrigovo (tuz) F0AC  1645km **
 87.80 1022 HRV Radio Zabok, Zabok/Grdenci (kr) C46C _ZABOK__  1371km
 88.40 1025 BIH Nes Radio, Banja Luka (srp) F0D4  1537km
 88.70 1025 BIH RTRS Radio Republike Srpske, Sarajevo/Trebevic (sar) F042 RTRS-RRS  1684km **
 88.60 1026 HRV City Radio 88.6, Velika Gorica/Kravarsko (zg) C418  1410km
 89.30 1035 BIH Radio FBiH, Vlasic (sar) F012 RADIO-F.  1600km
 90.00 1036 SVN Slovenija 1, Plesivec (Urslja Gora) (sg) 9201   1282km
 89.40 1040 HRV Totalni FM, Sisak/Klobucak (sk) C460 TOTALNI_  1444km **
 89.50 1040 MNE Radio Crne Gore 1, Rozaje/Kacuber (RO) 63C1  1851km
 87.70 1041 HRV HRT-HR 1, Licka Pljesivica (gs) C201  1456km
 87.90 1105  F  France Culture, Porto Vecchio/Punta di a Varra (20A) F202 OM, as web  1450km
 88.20 1106  I  Radio Deejay, Tempio Pausania/Monte Limbara (ot) 5214 _DEEJAY_  1521km
 87.70 1123  I  RDS - Radio Dimensione Suono, Santu Lussurgiu/Punta Badde Urbara (or) 5264  1576km **
 88.00 1123 TUN Radio Zitouna FM, Djebel Zaghouan (zag) 7211__TO____  2016km
 87.90 1650  I  Radio Toscana, Scarlino (gr) 5AA7  1378km **
 88.10 1650  I  Radio Radicale, Monte Argentario/Il Predicatore (gr) 5210  1439km
 87.50 1654  I  Malvisi Network, Pellegrino Parmense/Monte Canate (pr) 532A  1165km **
 87.90 1657  I  Radio Radicale, Salerno/Colle Bellara (sa) 5210 RADIO___  1762km **
 88.00 1658  I  Radio Toscana, Capannori/Monte Serra (lu) 5AA7. 87.9 faded  1286km **
 88.60 1659  I  Radio Radicale, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo (rm) 5210 RADICALE  1568km
 90.60 1659  I  RDS - Radio Dimensione Suono, Civitavecchia/Monte Paradiso (rm) 5264 *_RDS_*_  1500km
 88.88 1703  I  Radio Città Aperta, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo (rm) 414D RCA_88.9  1568km **
 87.60 1706  I  RAI Radio1, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo vetta (RAI) (rm) 5201 __RAI___ _RADIO1_  1568km **
 90.70 1707  I  Tele Radio Stereo Due, Rocca di Papa (rm) 5347 __S33___  1568km **
 92.70 1708  I  Tele Radio Stereo, Rocca di Papa (rm) 5343   1568km **
 93.30 1708 CVA Radio Vaticana Europa-America, Cittá del Vaticano/Palazzina Leone XIII (cva) 4101 VATICANA  1543km
 94.50 1709  I  Radio Subasio, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo (rm) 53FD SUBASIO_  1568km
 96.10 1710  I  Radio 105 Network, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo (rm) 5211 _105_FM_  1568km
 87.60 1726 ALG Radio Laghouat, Aflou (3) OM, as web stream  2120km
 91.20 1729  E  COPE, Pozoblanco (AND-CO) E1E2 PO___FM_  1689km **
 87.80 1732 ALG Chaîne 1, Mecheria (45) OM commentary, as web  2176km
 90.70 1737 ALG Chaîne 1, Aflou (3) OM, as web  2120km
 90.80 1737 ALG Radio Relizane, Aïn N'sour (48) OM and sitar type music, as web  1913km
 88.10 1744 MRC MFM Oriental, Figuig (otl) MFM IDs  2340km **
 70.43 1750 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Minsk/RTPS Kalodziscy (MI) YL and music, as web  1806km **
 69.26 1752 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Gomel/RTPS Vul. Pushkina 8 (GO) Pops, as web  2049km **
 68.90 1754 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Hrodna/RTPS Vul. Gorkogo (HR) Pops, as web  1551km **
 67.76 1756 BLR BR Radio Hrodna, Hrodna/RTPS Vul. Gorkogo (HR) Pops, as web  1551km **
 66.98 1758 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Hrodna/RTPS Vul. Gorkogo (HR) OM and music, as web  1551km
 66.02 1800 BLR BR Radio Mahilyow, Babrujsk/RTPS Yasny Les (MA) Jingle ID  1922km **
 89.50 1804 POL PR 2, Gdansk/Komin EC Gdansk II (PM) 3222 Podi____  1209km **
 92.00 1805 POL PR 2, Suwalki/G.Krzemianucha (PL) 3222 Rapidly scrolling RDS  1484km **
 88.20 1806 POL PR 2, Lebork/Skórowo Nowe (PM) Classical, as others  1135km **
 88.90 1807 POL Radio Maryja, Gdansk/Komin EC Gdansk II (PM) 3232  1209km **
 96.60 1809 POL PR 3, Suwalki/G.Krzemianucha (PL) 3233  1484km
 98.60 1810 POL PR Radio Bialystok, Suwalki/G.Krzemianucha (PL) 3210 Scrolling RDS  1484km **
 88.30 1812 POL PR 1, Siedlce/Losice (MW) OM, as web  1512km
 92.40 1813 BLR Radio Minsk, Minsk/RTPS Kalodziscy (MI) Vocal ID after ad. No RDS  1806km **
101.40 1817 POL Radio Zet, Suwalki/G.Krzemianucha (PL) Boy song, as web  1484km **
 66.74 1820 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Ushachy/RTPS Astravenec (VI) Classical, as web  1844km
 67.10 1822 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Pinsk/RTPS Posenichi (BR) Classical, as web  1730km
 68.39 1823 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Geranyony/RTPS (HR) Classical, as web  1659km
 68.69 1824 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Myadzel/RTPS Telyaki (MI) YL, as web  1731km
 68.96 1825 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Babrujsk/RTPS Yasny Les (MA) Classical, as web  1922km **
 69.38 1826 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Kastsyukovichy/RTPS (MA) Local song, as web  2093km **
 69.92 1827 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Vitsebsk/RTPS Jurjeva Gorka (VI) OM, as web  1941km
 71.48 1828 BLR BR Radio Vitsebsk, Vitsebsk/RTPS Jurjeva Gorka (VI) Club beats, as web  1941km
 71.99 1829 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Braslaw/RTPS (VI) Classical, as web  1738km
 69.08 1835 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Braslaw/RTPS (VI) YL, as web  1738km
 87.70 1843 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) YL and correspondent, as web  1913km
 93.90 1848 ALG Chaîne 2, Aflou (3) OM, as web  2120km
 94.00 1848 ALG Chaîne 1, Aïn N'sour (48) Interviews, as web  1913km
 97.30 1849 ALG Chaîne 3, Aïn N'sour (48) OMs, as web  1913km
 97.20 1852 ALG Chaîne 3, Aflou (3) Arabic chanting, as web  2120km
 89.40 1917 ALG Chaîne 1, Tiaret - Gzoul (14) Phone in, as web  1976km

Sporadic E unidentified/Site Unknown, etc.:
 91.70 0919 SVK ?, ? 535A
 94.70 0920  ?  ?, ? 5000 SHOP____
 96.60 0923  ?  ?, ? 8000. Mentioning Kosovo
 87.90 1023 HRV Narodni Radio, two sites - Nova Gradiska or Velika  C206 NARODNI_
 87.90 1724  ?  ?, ? 54D4 Italian YL, Arabic music

Tropospheric:
 97.00 0753 HOL Pinkster Kanon, Noordijk (Gld) OM over Dutch music, as web  438km **
103.80 0801 BEL City Music, Gent/Scandinaviëstraat (vlg-ovl) Ad break, as web  329km
104.00 0802 BEL Bel RTL, Bruxelles/The Hotel (bru) YL news, as web  378km

** Personal Skegness 'First'

These Es opening are beginning to take over my life! This opening has lasted ALL DAY here! I had to break myself away from the radio between 3 and 5pm to go into town. It was tough! ;O)

So it looks like I may have had my first Turkish DX on band 2 here. I have also smashed my personal record of the number of countries logged in one day which, if you include Turkey, adds up to 22!  They were:

Albania
Algeria
Austria
Bosnia/Herzegovina
Belarus
Vatican City
Czech Republic
Spain
France
Greece
Hungary
Croatia
Italy
Montenegro
Morocco
Poland
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Tunisia
Turkey

Recordings:
88.60 Radio Sibenik, Kamenar 0944 14-05-13:
https://www.box.com/s/mgxbpto00urubze6qrfa

98.00 Radio Deejay, Specchia 0900 14-05-13:
https://www.box.com/s/bcod3p5m02ghy1olpxhw

87.80 Ritmo 80, Corato 0902 14-05-13:
https://www.box.com/s/houvtx8y6c2btoz9n9pw

87.80 Radio Zabok, Zabok 1023 14-05-13:
https://www.box.com/s/fsmu7faj4bof1ssrtwbt

87.70 unid Arabic 1030 14-05-13:
https://www.box.com/s/j1eakwrcli9heaem1tip

90.60 Radio Dimensione Suono (RDS), Civitavecchia 1700 14-05-13:
https://www.box.com/s/qykoiwk7g9wefn3e0ec6

88.10 Unidentified language 1735 14-05-13 (Possible MFM below):
https://www.box.com/s/3k3r4eikbhgx0wqc5feg

88.10 MFM Oriental, Figuig 1744 14-05-13:
https://www.box.com/s/eaymbk9rfgvovmseaqny

66.02 Radio Mahilow, Babrujsk 1800 14-05-13:
https://www.box.com/s/d708zkuoc5ua3up1ietv

92.40 Radio Minsk, Minsk 1812 14-05-13:
https://www.box.com/s/2ox9zcqi9zouo3d1wlzi

Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

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  

Skegness Log: 13-05-13

Sporadic E:
 69.08 1401 BLR BR Radio Brest, Pinsk/RTPS Posenichi (BR) News, as web  1730km **
 66.08 1406 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Svislach=Svislac (HR) Stringed instrumental, as web  1581km **
 66.98 1406 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Hrodna/RTPS Vul. Gorkogo (HR) OM & local pops, as web  1551km **
 67.88 1410 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Pinsk/RTPS Posenichi (BR) Rock song, as web  1730km **
 69.83 1417 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Lozova/TFKRRT (TE) OM and YL, as web  1794km **
 70.52 1418 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Odesa/OORTPTS (OD) OM YL, as web  2287km **
 70.64 1419 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Mizhhir'ya/ZFKRRT (ZK) OM YL, as others  1697km **
 71.03 1421 UKR UR Radio Lad, Lozova/TFKRRT, vul. Pol'ova, 13 (TE) Presumed  1794km **
 71.75 1421 UKR UR 2 Radio Promin', Lozova/TFKRRT (TE) Pops, as web stream  1794km **
 72.89 1422 UKR UR 2 Radio Promin', Kul'chiyivtsi/KHFKRRT (KM) Ukraine pops, as web  1907km **
 66.98 1424 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Kirovohrad/KFKRRT, vul. Sadova, 88 (KH) OM, as web  2282km **
 67.04 1425 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., L'viv/LFKRRT, Vysokyy zamok, 9 (LV) OM, as others  1674km **
 67.70 1427 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Khmel'nyts'kyy/KHFKRRT (KM) OM YL, as web  1887km
 68.24 1429 UKR Radio Mariya v Ukraini, Antopil'/RFKRRT (RI) Piano music, as web  1804km **
 68.84 1431 UKR UR 2 Radio Promin', Kirovohrad/KFKRRT (KH) Disco music, OM, as web  2282km **
 68.99 1432 UKR UR 2 Radio Promin', L'viv/LFKRRT (LV) YL, over music, as web  1674km
 88.00 1434 POL PR 1, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3211  1530km
 90.50 1435 POL PR Radio Rzeszów, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3417  1530km
 87.80 1438 POL PR 1, Przemysl/Tatarska Góra (PK) OM, as web  1593km
 87.80 1439 UKR Rivne FM, Antopil'/RFKRRT, vul. Kyivs'ka, 12 (RI) Guitar track, as web  1804km **
 69.68 1455 BLR BR Radio Brest, Brest/Rakitnica (BR) Pops, as web  1593km **
 68.72 1459 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Svislach=Svislac (HR) Rock music, as web  1581km **
 68.51 1500 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Kyiv/KFKRRT (KY) Time pips and news, as web  2077km
 67.22 1503 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) YL, as web  1891km **
 66.32 1506 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Pinsk/RTPS Posenichi (BR) OM  YL, as web  1730km **
 68.39 1508 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Geranyony/RTPS (HR) YL, as web  1659km **
 72.20 1509 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Cherkasy/CHFKRRT (CK) YL and music, as web  2223km **
 70.64 1510 UKR UR 2 Radio Promin', Cherkasy/CHFKRRT (CK) OM over music, as web  2223km **
 72.86 1512 UKR UR 3 Radio Kul'tura, Kyiv/KFKRRT, vul. Dorogozhyts'ka, 10 (KY) OM, as web  2077km
 68.96 1545 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Babrujsk/RTPS Yasny Les (MA) Classical, as web  1922km **
 68.00 1606 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) Classical, as web  1891km **
 67.10 1608 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Pinsk/RTPS Posenichi (BR) Classical, as 68.00  1730km **
 71.30 1719 UKR UR 2 Radio Promin', Kyiv/KFKRRT (KY) Ukraine song, as web  2077km
 88.00 1742 ROU Kiss FM, Bârlad (VS) 515A and club music  2108km
 87.90 1801 ROU SRR Radio Cluj, Satu Mare (SM) Radio Cluj ID. Tnx Christian  and Reijo  1696km **
 67.73 1829 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Yalta (KR) (TENTATIVE) YL and music, as web  2628km **

Tropospheric:
102.80 0833 BEL Zen FM, Gent (vlg-ovl) Ambient music fading noise free in horizontal  327km
104.30 0837  D  hr4, Sackpfeife (Biedenkopf) (hes) German pop song, as web  612km
104.70 0838  D  WDR Eins Live, Nordhelle (nrw) YL over music, as 103.8  554km
107.90 0840  D  WDR Eins Live, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) Pops, as 106.7, etc.  494km
 99.00 1005 BEL Randstad FM, Mechelen/Douaneplein (vlg-ant) Vocal ID and pops  371km
 97.20 1319  F  France Musique, Hirson/Landouzy-la-Ville (02) Classical, as 88.7  446km
 98.70 1321  D  AFN Wiesbaden-The Eagle, Großer Feldberg (Taunus)/hr (hes) US accents  648km
100.00 1323  D  WDR 4, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) OM, then music, as 101.3  494km

** Personal Skegness 'First'

Scatter improved a little for me around mid-morning and late afternoon.

It was also a good day for DX in the OIRT band with sustained signals for much of the afternoon. After complaining of S9+40dB of noise across the OIRT band I discovered the signals were actually able to overcome most of this when tuning in narrowband FM.

Meteor scatter was good, particularly earlier in the day. with frequent, very short, sharp bursts for much of the day.

As posted earlier, it seems I wasn't the only one who reported hearing UR 1 from Yalta today. The FMList shows Matthias Mayer in Germany also logged it one minute earlier, but I have reservations.

The frequency on which I heard UR 1 was 67.74 and not 67.73 as it appears in the log - supposedly the correct frequency for Yalta. FM List corrects the frequency if you insert an incorrect adjacent frequency. So, for starters, we have to assume that Yalta was 0.01 MHz high.

When I thought I'd had UR 1 Yalta earlier there was also a powerful signal from UR 1's Khmel'nyts'kyy (is it really spelt like that?) transmitter on 67.70 which was spreading widely in wideband FM mode on the Icom IC7000. On switching this to narrowband FM I could cleanly separate UR 1 67.74 from 67.70. I wondered if 67.74 might have been a product of some sort from 67.70.

The second time I heard UR 1 on 67.74 I forgot to check 67.70 to see if it was that. So next time I hear 67.70 I will attempt to rle it out by tuning to 67.74 to see if it is still present.

For now, I will put this log on hold until I next hear Khmel'nyts'kyy on 67.70.

Recordings:
87.9 SRR Radio Cluj, Satu Mare 1801 13-05-13: https://www.box.com/s/39bcg8huww6vciay1i3p
88.0 Kiss FM, Barlad 1800 13-05-13: https://www.box.com/s/h183vm4qrz6jyunee0l3

Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

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  

Skegness Log: 12-05-13

Sporadic E:
 87.6 0816 CZE Radio Impuls, Brno/Kojál (JM) 2203  1219km
 87.7 0817 SVK Jemné Melódie, Banská Bystrica/Suchá hora (BB) 5354 JEMNE___  1393km **
 88.9 0818 POL Radio Maryja, Wroclaw/G.Sleza (DS) 3232  1148km **
 89.4 0819 POL PR 1, Kraków/Choragwica (MP) 3211  1407km
 87.9 1437  E  RNE Radio 5, Cambil/Sierra de Almadén (AND-J) E215 RNE_5-J_  1740km
 87.8 1453  E  Los 40 Principales, Madridejos (CAM-TO) E235  1550km
 87.7 1455  E  Europa FM, Priego de Cordoba (AND-CO) E2ED EUROPAFM  1778km
 87.6 1639 MRC Médi 1, Settat/Regraga (cho) 1281  2331km
 87.7 1641  E  Hit FM, Jerez de la Frontera/San Cristóbal (AND-CA) E200 HIT_FM__  1904km
 87.9 1641 MRC SNRT Chaîne Inter, Rabat (SNRT) (rsz) 1002 SNRT-INT  2212km
 89.6 1642 POR RFM, Faro/São Miguel-Goldra (agv) 8231  1893km
 91.0 1642 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al-Watania, Rabat (SNRT) (rsz) 1001 _____NAT  2212km
 93.5 1644 MRC Radio 2m, Rabat (rsz)  1005
 87.5 1645  E  esRadio, Dos Hermanas/Montequinto (AND-SE) CAFA esRadio_  1824km
 89.4 1646  E  Los 40 Principales, San Fernando (AND-CA) E035 CUARENTA  1905km
 88.9 1651 POR RDP Antena 1, Monchique/Fóia (agv) 8201  1890km
 89.1 1651  E  Cadena 100, Badajoz/Cansa Burros (EXT-BA) E2CA _CAD-100  1683km
 90.8 1653  E  SER, Puerto de Santa María (AND-CA) E239  1905km **
 92.8 1656  E  Onda Cadiz?, Cadiz, E020 ONDA____ CADIZ___  1919km
 91.2 1700 MRC Radio Mars, Casablanca/Merchiche (gcb) 111C  2278km
 88.2 1701 MRC Medradio, Casablanca/Merchiche (gcb) OM, as web  2278km
 89.5 1702  E  Canal Fiesta Radio, Almonaster la Real (AND-H) E331 C.Fiesta  1783km
 91.4 1703  E  Onda Cero, Rota (AND-CA) E2EE  1910km **
 91.6 1703  E  Sevilla F.C. Radio, Valencina del Concepción (AND-SE) E028 SFCRADIO  1818km
 93.3 1704  E  SER, Sierra de Aracena (AND-H) FFFF _ONDA___ ARACENA_  1778km
 94.0 1705  E  Canal Sur Radio, Almonaster la Real (AND-H) E332 CanalSur  1783km
 94.7 1706 MRC Radio Mars, Settat/Regraga (cho) Football commentary, as web  2331km
 95.3 1707 MRC Médi 1, Tanger/Jebel Es Slokia (ttn) 1281  1990km
 95.3 1709 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al Amazighia, Casablanca/Merchiche (gcb) 1003 SNRT-AMZ  2278km
 95.9 1709  E  Onda Cero, Sevilla (AND-SE) E2EE ONDACERO  1819km
 96.0 1710 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al-Watania, Casablanca/Merchiche (gcb) 1001 SNRT-NAT  2278km
 96.2 1711  E  Radio María, Sevilla (AND-SE) 4B9A RMARIA__  1820km **
 96.7 1712  E  RNE Radio 3, Jerez de la Frontera/San Cristóbal (AND-CA) E213   1904km
 97.5 1713 MRC Médi 1, Rabat (rsz) 1281 _MEDI_1_  2212km
 97.8 1713  E  Los 40 Principales, Jerez de la Frontera (AND-CA) E275 40_JEREZ  1904km
 93.3 1715 MRC Radio 2M, Tanger (ttn) Arabic music, as web
 90.6 1716 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al-Watania, Tétouan/Hafa Safa (ttn) 1001 SNRT-NAT  2014km
 90.3 1720  E  Onda Cero, Jerez de la Frontera (AND-CA) E2EE ONDACERO  1904km
 91.1 1721 MRC Médina FM, Tanger (ttn) 111D ME_IN___  1991km
 91.1 1724 NOR NRK P3, Possibly Bokn or Jetta. F203 _NRK_P3_ **
 88.0 1726 NOR NRK P1, Gulen/Bråsviksåta (sf) F201  924km **
 89.2 1727  E  Europa FM, Sevilla (AND-SE) E2ED  1819km
 87.6 1731  E  Radio Castilla La Mancha, Almadén (CAM-CR) E396   1647km
 88.0 1732  E  COPE, Talavera de la Reina (CAM-TO) E2CA   1509km **
 88.2 1732  E  Cadena 100, Granada (AND-GR) E2CE CAD-100_  1796km
 88.5 1733  E  Cadena Dial, Arcos de la Frontera (AND-CA) E274  1883km
 88.7 1734 MRC SNRT Quran, Tanger/Cap Spartel (ttn) 10A1 SNRT-COR  1991km **
 88.9 1735  E  Cadena Dial, Ronda (AND-MA) E437 __DIAL__  1876km
 89.1 1736  E  Woman FM, New Andalucia network. PI E201 WOMAN_FM. ID in Spanish
 91.5 1738  E  Canal Sur Radio, Prado del Rey/Cerro del Verdugo (AND-CA) E332  1876km **
 94.3 1738 MRC Chada FM, Tanger/Cap Spartel (ttn) 1229 __AD__FM  1991km **
 96.4 1739 MRC Hit Radio, Tanger/Cap Spartel (ttn) 1118 HITRADIO  1991km **
 97.0 1740  E  COPE, Huelva (AND-H) E2CA COPE____  1855km **
 97.4 1741 MRC Médi 1, Larache (ttn) OM talk, as web  2062km **
 88.3 1744  E  Canal Fiesta Radio, Tajo de las Escobas (AND-CA) E331 C.Fiesta CAMPO_DE  1950km

Unidentifieds: 88.2 1658  E  ?, ? A008 NUESTRO_
 89.6 1717  E  Radio Andalucia Information, Prado Del Rey (AND CA) E333 _R_A_I__  1876km

** Personal Skegness 'First'

Es to start the day, Es to finish the day.

It looks like I was in the middle of a possible double-hop situation once again, this time with Spain coming in at the same time as Norway. FM List highlighted this perfectly. I wonder if any Spanish DXers had Norway today, or vice versa? I didn't receive Norwegian Es last season. Gulen hasbeen received here via tropo, so some short Es around today!

Good DX!

John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) Approx. 1m ASL
skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk

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