Tropospheric:
100.7 0844 F France Bleu Cotentin, Cherbourg-Octeville/Digosville (50) A new regular on scatter. Peaks noise free occasionally 413km
89.2 0854 F France Culture, Cherbourg-Octeville/Digosville (50) OMs discussion, as web 413km
Sporadic E
87.6 1639 GRC Laikos 87.6, Thessaloniki/Hortiatis (cmc-tsk) Greek music and ID 2208km
I had an E today! Just the one. Mustn't be greedy.
On the scatter side of things I discovered I have been able to hear the Cherbourg transmitter all day. 100.7 is obviously much better while the much lower powered 800 Watt France Culture on 89.2 was much weaker. Here's how Cotentin 100.7 sounded earlier during a fade-in/out. You will also hear a snippet from their web stream for confirmation: https://www.box.com/s/4q23xtj94o1r1lxpz0hl
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic Skegness Log: 27-05-13E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
Monday, 27 May 2013
Skegness Scatter
This is an ongoing project. Page last updated 04-07-13
The following has been put together over a period of time. It is not possible to enjoy this kind of reception on a daily bases due to the amount of noise I often experience.
The following are examples of scatter propagation at home in Skegness, using a Sony XDR-F1HD and rooftop Körner 9.2 antenna. "Scatter" modes includes Aircraft Scatter, Meteor Scatter, Troposcatter, among others. First, a brief explanation of what they are.
Aircraft Scatter
As the name suggests, aircraft scatter is caused by the reflection of radio signals by passing aircraft, usually at the midpoint of the path and so are out of sight. It can be quite localised too with visible planes causing a fluttery effect on semi-local signals. Multiple reflections are often heard and signals can propagate over many hundreds of kilometers with an upper limit said to be around 800 km. There tends to be a more regular pattern of fading with aircraft scatter.
Meteor Scatter
Meteors burn up when they enter the earth's atmosphere and leave a train of ionisation where they do. That ionisation is capable of reflecting signals at VHF frequencies, causing them to travel around 1000 km. Optimum distances range from a few hundred km to around 2000 km, although signal strengths taper off substantially above 1800 km. The meteors need to be near to the visible horizon to be effective for propagation at VHF frequencies. If they are overhead you will hear nothing.
Troposcatter
An often misunderstood form of scatter which is present constantly and varies. I am not entirely sure I fully understand this one as I have read that signals fade in once, peak and then fade out again over 20 - 30 seconds, but other articles say it is fluttery in nature and sounds very much like aircraft scatter. Distances achievable are similar to those of aircraft scatter but perhaps slightly further too. 1000 km seems to be around the upper limit.
Recordings
87.9 Meteor Scatter Burst 1549 29-04-13
In this recording, two stations battle it out to take control of the frequency.
90.2 100%NL, Roosendaal 1310 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Regular daily scatter on the vertical 9.2 at 334 km.
90.6 France Inter, Nantes 1251 03-06-13 (Aircraft Scatter)
This one never gets above weak and the reception tends to be much shorter in duration, only lasting a few seconds. Still not bad going at 675 km.
90.7 Sublime FM, Ijsselstein 1420 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
One of the most consistent stations from Holland. 344 km.
91.4 France Musique, Troyes 1559 20-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
At 643 km, Troyes represents one of my most distant and consistent daily scatter signals.
91.8 France Musique, Bourges 1121 27-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Considering this is 672 km away, the Bourges transmitter can be heard most days. At best it can reach noise free stereo levels. There is also a brief meteor burst six seconds into the recording, presumably from Chaine 2 from Afkadou in Morocco, a distance of 1867 km.
92.8 RTBF Musiq 3, Profondeville 0650 28-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
This classical music station can be quite variable. 441 km.
95.2 BBC Radio Oxford, Oxford 1156 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter?)
I couldn't guess the propagation mode on this. It always sounds so stable, yet I never felt that this station got out well to the north-west, i.e. in the direction of Skegness. This is from experience from frequent trips down the M40 or M5. It can disappear under very poor winter type conditions. Occasionally it even gets swamped by scatter peaks from BBC Radio Cornwall. You will hear a bit of burbling from that on this recording but I will try to catch a better example of this in the coming days. BBC Radio Oxford is 182 km. BBC Radio Cornwall is 439 km.
95.4 France Inter, Brest 1000 17-5-13 (aircraft scatter)
This can easily be separated from co-channel Amiens by beaming south-west. Some good signal levels can be achieved from this high power transmitter in Brittany. 604 km.
96.1 BBC Radio Solent, Rowridge 1027 27-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Rowridge serves Hampshire and the Isle Of Wight. It doesn't do too badly to Skegness either. 298 km
96.6 Pure FM, Anderlues 1520 22-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Anderlues was always one of the more difficult to receive Belgian transmitters. It tends to do better here during spells of warmer weather. 409 km.
97.1 Radio Carmarthenshire, Carmel 1306 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
Covering south-west Wales and Skegness! Well, just. It never gets above very weak. This is 3kW at 332 km.
97.8 NOS2, Westdorpe 1625 26-05-13 (troposcatter)
Formerly the Philippine trasmitter, Westdorpe provides another consistent signal on the east coast. 323 km.
99.0 France Culture, Marseille 0653 12-08-12 (meteor scatter)
The Marseille transmitter is a 400kW powerhouse and can be heard frequently via meteor scatter. It is sometimes capable of producing a full RDS signal. In this recording you will hear me briefly connecting to their web stream to confirm this was indeed Marseille. 1149 km.
99.1 RTBF CLassic 21, Anderlues 1053 26-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This is a long recording of a single multiple peak of aircraft scatter, though some minor tropo could be at play. The signal tries to peak, then drops, then suddenly lifts from nowhere for a peak which lasts almost five minutes. You can hear the flutter from time to time so the signal had peaked above the noise floor, making it sound like stable tropo. More than one aircraft is probably at play here. Anderlues is 409 km from Skegness and this recording represents an above average peak.
100.7 100 Comma 7, Dudelange 0907 21-01-13 (troposcatter)
100 Comma 7 is another regular visitor, often audible all day long and regularly produces RDS. 573 km.
100.7 France Bleu Cotentin, Cherbourg (aircraft scatter)
This 4kW transmitter came as a surprise and is testament to the superbly designed Körner 9.2 antenna. It looks like this is going to be one of my regular scatter stations. You will hear a brief snippet of their web stream which I used to double check that I was receiving Cherbourg. I can also hear their 800 Watt France Culture transmitter on 89.2 via scatter, though much weaker. 413 km.
100.7 Q Music, Ijsselstein 1258 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
A Dutch regular. It can be heard on a car radio while driving around town. 344 km.
101.2 Sky Radio, Hilversum 1351 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Another Dutch regular which can be heard a car radio while driving around town. 342 km.
102.1 Studio Brussel, Egem 1030 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This one used to to be very difficult to hear due to my local station Lincs FM on 102.2 from nearby Belmont, 39 km to the north-west, but the 9.2 effortlessly lifts Belmont out of the equation. 309 km.
102.6 RTBF Musiq' 3, Tournai xf France Bleu Basse Normandie, Caen 1105 24-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
Not the best example, but here's how RTBF Musiq' 3 and France Culture Basse Normandie constantly battle it out together. Often Heart from Oxford tries to break up the fight but usually fails. I am rotating the 9.2 from around 160 degrees to 190 degrees here. Tournai is 351 km and Caen is 469 km.
102.7 Radio 538, Rotterdam 1302 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Heart from Peterborough, a semi-local station 111 km to the south-east, usually takes charge of 102.7. If I beam away to the east I receive this. Rotterdam is 313 km.
103.1 France Bleu Armoriques, Rennes 1015 24-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This transmitter is something of a pest, which is hard to believe when you consider that Rennes is 564 km away. This is a powerful transmitter though at 100kW so the aircraft scatter carries it effortlessly. It is constantly wrestling with Heart Kent from Bluebell Hill, which you can just hear at the beginning of this recording.
103.2 France Bleu Berry Sud, Bourges 1020 16-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This is not a daily station, but it can put in some half decent signals. It is lower power than the national outlets from Bourges so that is probably why it is less frequent here. On this recording you will hear a couple of typical fade-ins, the second one with a web stream accompaniment. 15 kW at 672 km is quite amazing.
103.3 Funkhaus Europa, Langenberg 1020 14-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
The noise was kind today. Langenberg was permitted to poke through very readily today. Not great signals but above the general noise level. 505 km.
103.9 BBC Radio Wales, Wenvoe & BBC Radio Cornwall, Redruth 1235 03-06-13 (Aircraft Scatter)
These two can often be heard scrapping for control of the frequency. Wenvoe usually wins hands down! Wenvoe is 309 km and Redruth is 503 km.
104.1 BBC Radio Berkshire, Hannington 1030 27-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Another BBC local station which propagates well into the Skegness area. 231 km.
104.1 Joe FM, Egem 1435 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
One of my favourite stations from the continent and a regular visitor here at 309 km.
105.2 France Info, Lille 1440 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
What used to be the most regular of regular continentals is not always so lately. Lille can sometimes be down in the noise, but it is usually something of a pest and peaks with full RDS. Lille outlets at the higher end of the band tend to be easier to hear because there tends to be less QRN above 105 MHz. At 343 km though Lille can be a pain and a channel blocker at times.
105.5 Topradio Staden, Staden 0945 04-07-13 (aircraft scatter)
Regular Belgian locals have only been possible since installing the 9.2. This is a 100 watt transmitter at 299 km, which categorises this as a "Local" according to FM List. It is one of my closest continental stations. At 100 watts you won't expect a strong signal, but this one peaks noise free quite easily during tropospheric conditions.
105.6 SWR4, Donnersberg 1115 14-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
I would like to say this one is a regular. It used to be but conditions maybe aren't quite so good lately. I can hear this one every day but it's not usually much better than on this recording. At 657 km it's one of the more distant regulars, but you wouldn't say reception was anything but very poor.
105.7 Hit Radio Antenna, Steinkimmen 1510 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
I was debating whether to include this, but it demonstrates how bad my noise problem is. Even the top of the band will suffer if I beam close to the east, as I have to in order to hear Steinkimmen. This would have been completely noise free had the noise not been present. 543 km.
107.0 Reading 107, Tilehurst Water Tower 1115 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
A big surprise for me is this low powered local station. I have been told that this doesn't get out too well in the local area, yet it seems to be almost on demand here. It uses just 200 watts. 210 km.
107.2 Radio Bingo, Roeselare 0939 04-07-13 (aircraft scatter)
I have only been able to receive top-of-the-band Belgian locals on a daily basis since having the 9.2 installed. Reception is not great of course with the transmitter only putting out 100 watts, but it's pretty good going considering this station is 313 km away. Radio Bingo is consistently the most regular and stronger of any Dutch local from Belgium or Holland.
Good DX!
John
The following has been put together over a period of time. It is not possible to enjoy this kind of reception on a daily bases due to the amount of noise I often experience.
The following are examples of scatter propagation at home in Skegness, using a Sony XDR-F1HD and rooftop Körner 9.2 antenna. "Scatter" modes includes Aircraft Scatter, Meteor Scatter, Troposcatter, among others. First, a brief explanation of what they are.
Aircraft Scatter
As the name suggests, aircraft scatter is caused by the reflection of radio signals by passing aircraft, usually at the midpoint of the path and so are out of sight. It can be quite localised too with visible planes causing a fluttery effect on semi-local signals. Multiple reflections are often heard and signals can propagate over many hundreds of kilometers with an upper limit said to be around 800 km. There tends to be a more regular pattern of fading with aircraft scatter.
Meteor Scatter
Meteors burn up when they enter the earth's atmosphere and leave a train of ionisation where they do. That ionisation is capable of reflecting signals at VHF frequencies, causing them to travel around 1000 km. Optimum distances range from a few hundred km to around 2000 km, although signal strengths taper off substantially above 1800 km. The meteors need to be near to the visible horizon to be effective for propagation at VHF frequencies. If they are overhead you will hear nothing.
Troposcatter
An often misunderstood form of scatter which is present constantly and varies. I am not entirely sure I fully understand this one as I have read that signals fade in once, peak and then fade out again over 20 - 30 seconds, but other articles say it is fluttery in nature and sounds very much like aircraft scatter. Distances achievable are similar to those of aircraft scatter but perhaps slightly further too. 1000 km seems to be around the upper limit.
Recordings
87.9 Meteor Scatter Burst 1549 29-04-13
In this recording, two stations battle it out to take control of the frequency.
90.2 100%NL, Roosendaal 1310 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Regular daily scatter on the vertical 9.2 at 334 km.
90.6 France Inter, Nantes 1251 03-06-13 (Aircraft Scatter)
This one never gets above weak and the reception tends to be much shorter in duration, only lasting a few seconds. Still not bad going at 675 km.
90.7 Sublime FM, Ijsselstein 1420 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
One of the most consistent stations from Holland. 344 km.
91.4 France Musique, Troyes 1559 20-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
At 643 km, Troyes represents one of my most distant and consistent daily scatter signals.
91.8 France Musique, Bourges 1121 27-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Considering this is 672 km away, the Bourges transmitter can be heard most days. At best it can reach noise free stereo levels. There is also a brief meteor burst six seconds into the recording, presumably from Chaine 2 from Afkadou in Morocco, a distance of 1867 km.
92.8 RTBF Musiq 3, Profondeville 0650 28-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
This classical music station can be quite variable. 441 km.
95.2 BBC Radio Oxford, Oxford 1156 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter?)
I couldn't guess the propagation mode on this. It always sounds so stable, yet I never felt that this station got out well to the north-west, i.e. in the direction of Skegness. This is from experience from frequent trips down the M40 or M5. It can disappear under very poor winter type conditions. Occasionally it even gets swamped by scatter peaks from BBC Radio Cornwall. You will hear a bit of burbling from that on this recording but I will try to catch a better example of this in the coming days. BBC Radio Oxford is 182 km. BBC Radio Cornwall is 439 km.
95.4 France Inter, Brest 1000 17-5-13 (aircraft scatter)
This can easily be separated from co-channel Amiens by beaming south-west. Some good signal levels can be achieved from this high power transmitter in Brittany. 604 km.
96.1 BBC Radio Solent, Rowridge 1027 27-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Rowridge serves Hampshire and the Isle Of Wight. It doesn't do too badly to Skegness either. 298 km
96.6 Pure FM, Anderlues 1520 22-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Anderlues was always one of the more difficult to receive Belgian transmitters. It tends to do better here during spells of warmer weather. 409 km.
97.1 Radio Carmarthenshire, Carmel 1306 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
Covering south-west Wales and Skegness! Well, just. It never gets above very weak. This is 3kW at 332 km.
97.8 NOS2, Westdorpe 1625 26-05-13 (troposcatter)
Formerly the Philippine trasmitter, Westdorpe provides another consistent signal on the east coast. 323 km.
99.0 France Culture, Marseille 0653 12-08-12 (meteor scatter)
The Marseille transmitter is a 400kW powerhouse and can be heard frequently via meteor scatter. It is sometimes capable of producing a full RDS signal. In this recording you will hear me briefly connecting to their web stream to confirm this was indeed Marseille. 1149 km.
99.1 RTBF CLassic 21, Anderlues 1053 26-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This is a long recording of a single multiple peak of aircraft scatter, though some minor tropo could be at play. The signal tries to peak, then drops, then suddenly lifts from nowhere for a peak which lasts almost five minutes. You can hear the flutter from time to time so the signal had peaked above the noise floor, making it sound like stable tropo. More than one aircraft is probably at play here. Anderlues is 409 km from Skegness and this recording represents an above average peak.
100.7 100 Comma 7, Dudelange 0907 21-01-13 (troposcatter)
100 Comma 7 is another regular visitor, often audible all day long and regularly produces RDS. 573 km.
100.7 France Bleu Cotentin, Cherbourg (aircraft scatter)
This 4kW transmitter came as a surprise and is testament to the superbly designed Körner 9.2 antenna. It looks like this is going to be one of my regular scatter stations. You will hear a brief snippet of their web stream which I used to double check that I was receiving Cherbourg. I can also hear their 800 Watt France Culture transmitter on 89.2 via scatter, though much weaker. 413 km.
100.7 Q Music, Ijsselstein 1258 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
A Dutch regular. It can be heard on a car radio while driving around town. 344 km.
101.2 Sky Radio, Hilversum 1351 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Another Dutch regular which can be heard a car radio while driving around town. 342 km.
102.1 Studio Brussel, Egem 1030 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This one used to to be very difficult to hear due to my local station Lincs FM on 102.2 from nearby Belmont, 39 km to the north-west, but the 9.2 effortlessly lifts Belmont out of the equation. 309 km.
102.6 RTBF Musiq' 3, Tournai xf France Bleu Basse Normandie, Caen 1105 24-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
Not the best example, but here's how RTBF Musiq' 3 and France Culture Basse Normandie constantly battle it out together. Often Heart from Oxford tries to break up the fight but usually fails. I am rotating the 9.2 from around 160 degrees to 190 degrees here. Tournai is 351 km and Caen is 469 km.
102.7 Radio 538, Rotterdam 1302 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Heart from Peterborough, a semi-local station 111 km to the south-east, usually takes charge of 102.7. If I beam away to the east I receive this. Rotterdam is 313 km.
103.1 France Bleu Armoriques, Rennes 1015 24-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This transmitter is something of a pest, which is hard to believe when you consider that Rennes is 564 km away. This is a powerful transmitter though at 100kW so the aircraft scatter carries it effortlessly. It is constantly wrestling with Heart Kent from Bluebell Hill, which you can just hear at the beginning of this recording.
103.2 France Bleu Berry Sud, Bourges 1020 16-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
This is not a daily station, but it can put in some half decent signals. It is lower power than the national outlets from Bourges so that is probably why it is less frequent here. On this recording you will hear a couple of typical fade-ins, the second one with a web stream accompaniment. 15 kW at 672 km is quite amazing.
103.3 Funkhaus Europa, Langenberg 1020 14-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
The noise was kind today. Langenberg was permitted to poke through very readily today. Not great signals but above the general noise level. 505 km.
103.9 BBC Radio Wales, Wenvoe & BBC Radio Cornwall, Redruth 1235 03-06-13 (Aircraft Scatter)
These two can often be heard scrapping for control of the frequency. Wenvoe usually wins hands down! Wenvoe is 309 km and Redruth is 503 km.
104.1 BBC Radio Berkshire, Hannington 1030 27-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
Another BBC local station which propagates well into the Skegness area. 231 km.
104.1 Joe FM, Egem 1435 26-05-13 (aircraft scatter)
One of my favourite stations from the continent and a regular visitor here at 309 km.
105.2 France Info, Lille 1440 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
What used to be the most regular of regular continentals is not always so lately. Lille can sometimes be down in the noise, but it is usually something of a pest and peaks with full RDS. Lille outlets at the higher end of the band tend to be easier to hear because there tends to be less QRN above 105 MHz. At 343 km though Lille can be a pain and a channel blocker at times.
105.5 Topradio Staden, Staden 0945 04-07-13 (aircraft scatter)
Regular Belgian locals have only been possible since installing the 9.2. This is a 100 watt transmitter at 299 km, which categorises this as a "Local" according to FM List. It is one of my closest continental stations. At 100 watts you won't expect a strong signal, but this one peaks noise free quite easily during tropospheric conditions.
105.6 SWR4, Donnersberg 1115 14-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
I would like to say this one is a regular. It used to be but conditions maybe aren't quite so good lately. I can hear this one every day but it's not usually much better than on this recording. At 657 km it's one of the more distant regulars, but you wouldn't say reception was anything but very poor.
105.7 Hit Radio Antenna, Steinkimmen 1510 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
I was debating whether to include this, but it demonstrates how bad my noise problem is. Even the top of the band will suffer if I beam close to the east, as I have to in order to hear Steinkimmen. This would have been completely noise free had the noise not been present. 543 km.
107.0 Reading 107, Tilehurst Water Tower 1115 03-06-13 (aircraft scatter)
A big surprise for me is this low powered local station. I have been told that this doesn't get out too well in the local area, yet it seems to be almost on demand here. It uses just 200 watts. 210 km.
107.2 Radio Bingo, Roeselare 0939 04-07-13 (aircraft scatter)
I have only been able to receive top-of-the-band Belgian locals on a daily basis since having the 9.2 installed. Reception is not great of course with the transmitter only putting out 100 watts, but it's pretty good going considering this station is 313 km away. Radio Bingo is consistently the most regular and stronger of any Dutch local from Belgium or Holland.
Good DX!
John
Sunday, 26 May 2013
Skegness Log: 26-05-13
Tropospheric:
100.6 1215 F France Bleu Picardie, Abbeville/Limeux (80) OMs talking, as web 364km
100.6 1215 BEL VRT Studio Brussel, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Fighting with Abbeville 376km
100.7 1216 HOL Q-music, Ijsselstein/Gerbrandytoren-Alticom (utr) Full RDS on XDR 344km
102.5 1218 HOL 538, Tjerkgaast/Alticom Toren (fri) Phone in competition, as 102.7 361km
102.7 1219 HOL 538, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Phone in comp, as 102.5 313km
100.4 1220 HOL Q-music, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Presumed site, co-ch QRM 408km
104.6 1222 HOL 100% NL, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Dutch song, as web 313km
96.3 1223 HOL Radio Veronica, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Phone caller, as web 366km
99.8 1224 HOL 3FM, Goes/Alticom Toren (zee) Phone caller, as 96.8 303km
88.9 1302 HOL Radio Noord-Holland, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Ads, as web 321km
89.0 1308 BEL VRT MNM, Schoten (vlg-ant) Pops, as web 354km
90.2 1311 HOL 100% NL, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) Pops and jingle ID 334km
90.0 1316 HOL 100% NL, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Dutch song, as web 366km
88.6 1336 BEL Q-Music, Gent/Opgeëistenlaan (vlg-ovl) Dance beats, as web 328km
88.4 1340 HOL Slam!FM, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) Otto Knows track, as web 334km
88.3 1342 BEL Q-Music, Oostvleteren/Elzendamme (vlg-wvl) Awful DesRee song, 103.1 295km
97.0 1346 HOL Mannus Met JB, Twente area pirate Dutch song, as web **
99.6 1349 HOL Slam!FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Dance music, jingle ID 408km **
99.4 1350 BEL Topradio, Gent/IVAGO Proeftuinstraat 43 (vlg-ovl) Dance beats, as web 333km
100.2 1351 BEL FG DJ Radio, Antwerpen/Antwerp Tower (vlg-ant) Drum Bass, as web 352km **
100.3 1352 HOL L1 Radio, Roermond/Alticom Toren (lim) Sports, as web 443km
105.5 1401 BEL Topradio, Staden/Stadenberg (vlg-wvl) Club music, as 99.4 299km
90.7 1413 BEL VRT Radio 2, Brussegem (vlg-vbr) OM talks, as 98.6 on Sublime FM fade 367km
89.3 1620 HOL 89,3 Radio West, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Dutch version of Jambalaya, as web 313km
91.6 1651 HOL Radio Veronica, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Pops, and two OM, as web 321km
93.8 1858 HOL Slam!FM, Megen/Alticom Toren (nbr) Live female singer, as web. Sudden troposcatter 387km
98.2 1902 HOL Radio 4, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) OM, as 94.8, etc. 366km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
The above were received due to a small enhancement. Conditions were often stable but scatter played a part too. I presume it was just a case of things being 'up' with the warmer weather, more northerly placement of the jet stream.
In contrast, it was another day without Es. We have been truly spoilt lately. I'm sure the recent bombardment of solar activity has killed off a lot of propagation.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
100.6 1215 F France Bleu Picardie, Abbeville/Limeux (80) OMs talking, as web 364km
100.6 1215 BEL VRT Studio Brussel, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Fighting with Abbeville 376km
100.7 1216 HOL Q-music, Ijsselstein/Gerbrandytoren-Alticom (utr) Full RDS on XDR 344km
102.5 1218 HOL 538, Tjerkgaast/Alticom Toren (fri) Phone in competition, as 102.7 361km
102.7 1219 HOL 538, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Phone in comp, as 102.5 313km
100.4 1220 HOL Q-music, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Presumed site, co-ch QRM 408km
104.6 1222 HOL 100% NL, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Dutch song, as web 313km
96.3 1223 HOL Radio Veronica, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Phone caller, as web 366km
99.8 1224 HOL 3FM, Goes/Alticom Toren (zee) Phone caller, as 96.8 303km
88.9 1302 HOL Radio Noord-Holland, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Ads, as web 321km
89.0 1308 BEL VRT MNM, Schoten (vlg-ant) Pops, as web 354km
90.2 1311 HOL 100% NL, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) Pops and jingle ID 334km
90.0 1316 HOL 100% NL, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Dutch song, as web 366km
88.6 1336 BEL Q-Music, Gent/Opgeëistenlaan (vlg-ovl) Dance beats, as web 328km
88.4 1340 HOL Slam!FM, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) Otto Knows track, as web 334km
88.3 1342 BEL Q-Music, Oostvleteren/Elzendamme (vlg-wvl) Awful DesRee song, 103.1 295km
97.0 1346 HOL Mannus Met JB, Twente area pirate Dutch song, as web **
99.6 1349 HOL Slam!FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Dance music, jingle ID 408km **
99.4 1350 BEL Topradio, Gent/IVAGO Proeftuinstraat 43 (vlg-ovl) Dance beats, as web 333km
100.2 1351 BEL FG DJ Radio, Antwerpen/Antwerp Tower (vlg-ant) Drum Bass, as web 352km **
100.3 1352 HOL L1 Radio, Roermond/Alticom Toren (lim) Sports, as web 443km
105.5 1401 BEL Topradio, Staden/Stadenberg (vlg-wvl) Club music, as 99.4 299km
90.7 1413 BEL VRT Radio 2, Brussegem (vlg-vbr) OM talks, as 98.6 on Sublime FM fade 367km
89.3 1620 HOL 89,3 Radio West, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Dutch version of Jambalaya, as web 313km
91.6 1651 HOL Radio Veronica, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) Pops, and two OM, as web 321km
93.8 1858 HOL Slam!FM, Megen/Alticom Toren (nbr) Live female singer, as web. Sudden troposcatter 387km
98.2 1902 HOL Radio 4, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) OM, as 94.8, etc. 366km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
The above were received due to a small enhancement. Conditions were often stable but scatter played a part too. I presume it was just a case of things being 'up' with the warmer weather, more northerly placement of the jet stream.
In contrast, it was another day without Es. We have been truly spoilt lately. I'm sure the recent bombardment of solar activity has killed off a lot of propagation.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
Skegness Log: 25-05-13
Tropospheric:
101.8 0829 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Aurich (nds) GM OM rousing classical music, as web 479km
102.1 0829 DNK R.24/7, Rangstrup/Gammel Tøndervej 28 (sdk-sjy) Live piano concerto, as web 617km
101.6 0831 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) Classical, as 101.8 571km
101.4 0832 D R.SH, Flensburg/Freienwill (shs) Bruno Mars, as web 626km
100.8 0834 D Bremen Vier, Schiffdorf [nds] (Bremerhaven) (bre) One Republic song, as web 554km
100.6 0836 D Radio ffn, Rosengarten/Langenrehm (nds) Green Day song,as web 635km
99.8 0839 D NDR 2, Steinkimmen (nds) ID and phone caller 543km
100.4 0839 D delta radio, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Rock music, as web 599km
99.4 0840 D NDR Kultur, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Classical discussion 599km
96.7 0842 D Funkhaus Europa, Bremen-Walle (bre) Music, as web 565km
96.1 0843 D NDR Kultur, Flensburg-Engelsby (shs) Piano solo, as web 627km
96.3 0843 D NDR 2, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Pops, as 99.8 599km
93.2 0846 D NDR 2, Flensburg-Engelsby (shs) Jingle ID between pops 627km
93.8 0846 D bremen eins, Bremen-Walle (bre) OMs, as web 565km
90.5 0847 D NDR 1 Welle Nord, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Melodic pops, as web 599km
89.6 0848 D NDR 1 Welle Nord, Flensburg-Engelsby (shs) Melodic pops, as 90.5 627km
88.3 0849 D Nordwestradio, Bremen-Walle (bre) Gentle song, as web 565km
87.9 0850 D NDR Info, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Weather report, as web 599km
102.3 0850 D Radio ffn, Steinkimmen (nds) ID drop over Culture Beat song 543km
102.6 0851 D Radio ffn, Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) Pops, as 102.3 571km
103.3 0851 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Flensburg/Freienwill (shs) YL, as web 626km
103.8 0852 D R.SH, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Ad break, as web 599km
104.6 0853 D Hit-R. Antenne Niedersachsen, Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) Rock, as 105.7 571km
105.6 0854 D delta radio, Flensburg/Freienwill (shs) Pops, as web 626km
105.7 0854 D Hit-R. Antenne Niedersachsen, Steinkimmen (nds) Rock, as web 543km
107.1 0855 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Bremen-Walle (bre) YL, as web 565km
107.7 0856 D Deutschlandradio Kultur, Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) YL, as 107.1 571km
103.8 0936 D R.SH, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) ID jingle 599km
91.1 0941 D NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Steinkimmen (nds) OM on phone then pop, as web 543km
94.4 0954 D NDR Kultur, Steinkimmen (nds) Operatics, as web 543km
101.2 0958 D Bremen Vier, Bremen-Walle (bre) Ad break, as 100.8 565km
Tropo was a struggle here yesterday morning due to having to beam straight into the noise.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
101.8 0829 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Aurich (nds) GM OM rousing classical music, as web 479km
102.1 0829 DNK R.24/7, Rangstrup/Gammel Tøndervej 28 (sdk-sjy) Live piano concerto, as web 617km
101.6 0831 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) Classical, as 101.8 571km
101.4 0832 D R.SH, Flensburg/Freienwill (shs) Bruno Mars, as web 626km
100.8 0834 D Bremen Vier, Schiffdorf [nds] (Bremerhaven) (bre) One Republic song, as web 554km
100.6 0836 D Radio ffn, Rosengarten/Langenrehm (nds) Green Day song,as web 635km
99.8 0839 D NDR 2, Steinkimmen (nds) ID and phone caller 543km
100.4 0839 D delta radio, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Rock music, as web 599km
99.4 0840 D NDR Kultur, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Classical discussion 599km
96.7 0842 D Funkhaus Europa, Bremen-Walle (bre) Music, as web 565km
96.1 0843 D NDR Kultur, Flensburg-Engelsby (shs) Piano solo, as web 627km
96.3 0843 D NDR 2, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Pops, as 99.8 599km
93.2 0846 D NDR 2, Flensburg-Engelsby (shs) Jingle ID between pops 627km
93.8 0846 D bremen eins, Bremen-Walle (bre) OMs, as web 565km
90.5 0847 D NDR 1 Welle Nord, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Melodic pops, as web 599km
89.6 0848 D NDR 1 Welle Nord, Flensburg-Engelsby (shs) Melodic pops, as 90.5 627km
88.3 0849 D Nordwestradio, Bremen-Walle (bre) Gentle song, as web 565km
87.9 0850 D NDR Info, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Weather report, as web 599km
102.3 0850 D Radio ffn, Steinkimmen (nds) ID drop over Culture Beat song 543km
102.6 0851 D Radio ffn, Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) Pops, as 102.3 571km
103.3 0851 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Flensburg/Freienwill (shs) YL, as web 626km
103.8 0852 D R.SH, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) Ad break, as web 599km
104.6 0853 D Hit-R. Antenne Niedersachsen, Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) Rock, as 105.7 571km
105.6 0854 D delta radio, Flensburg/Freienwill (shs) Pops, as web 626km
105.7 0854 D Hit-R. Antenne Niedersachsen, Steinkimmen (nds) Rock, as web 543km
107.1 0855 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Bremen-Walle (bre) YL, as web 565km
107.7 0856 D Deutschlandradio Kultur, Cuxhaven/Otterndorf (nds) YL, as 107.1 571km
103.8 0936 D R.SH, Heide/Welmbüttel (shs) ID jingle 599km
91.1 0941 D NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Steinkimmen (nds) OM on phone then pop, as web 543km
94.4 0954 D NDR Kultur, Steinkimmen (nds) Operatics, as web 543km
101.2 0958 D Bremen Vier, Bremen-Walle (bre) Ad break, as 100.8 565km
Tropo was a struggle here yesterday morning due to having to beam straight into the noise.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
Friday, 24 May 2013
Will There Be Any Weather Today?
Today I was asked if I had seen the weather forecast for the bank holiday period, to which I replied "which one?" To say I am disappointed with the forecasting of the Met office (I usually refer to them as the "met orifice") is an understatement. Many people seem to have the same opinion. People who know me will appreciate that this is a pet hate of mine.
The forecasting we have on British television has long been an insulting image of some unqualified young bimbo giving what cannot possibly qualify as a 'weather forecast'. Occasionally we do actually see a qualified meteorologist adding a little extra weight to the forecast and sometimes they even dare to predict what the weather might do the following day. More often, it's a quick few sentences giving the most basic of basic detail, finishing off with lines like "If you want more detail tune in later" or "you can find out more weather information on our website". Why would I want to check on a website when I have just tuned in to the TV station to find out? Ah yes, maybe those "apps" and all that advertising, etc. Don't forget to tick the box which says "Please spam me to death with endless ads for debt collectors and dating agencies".
When I go abroad, I occasionally get to see another country's national weather forecast. Overseas, they seem to approach the weather with more respect, giving a far more detailed account. I have seen weather bulletins last as long as 20 minutes! There are even dedicated weather channels which are constantly updated, unlike our own BBC weather bulletins, which tends to be repeated, particularly throughout the night. "Updates"? Try "Repeats"! I remember once being told that weather forecasting abroad is so precise that they can actually predict which Swiss valleys will have a shower and which will not. Maybe their weather is more predictable than ours, I don't know, but I do understand that our climate can throw up some challenging situations which can present even the most experienced forecasters with many challenges. But I still fail to understand how they can get things wrong with such regularity.
So, I was then asked where do I get my weather forecasts if I don't trust the Met Office? And could I put this information on my blog for future reference.
Well, I occasionally mention to people that the US military offer very good general synopses for UK weather. I have a friend who is a pilot and has a small plane and has long relied on their forecasts because, time and time again, they have proven to be vastly more reliable than our own met Office forecasts. Can you believe that? You have to wonder why our Met Office, with their millions of £s worth of high tech forecasting equipment, can get it so disastrously wrong.
Here are a few online sites I check if I want to know what's going to happen.
To begin with, check the current situation at the Meteox page. You'll need to adjust the coordinates in the URL. I have this centered on the east coast. You can zoom in and out, move the map, etc. and it shows you what's just around the corner. Bear in mind it may be a few minutes behind real-time.
For studying the general trends, look at the Netweather Jetstream Forecast. You have a sliding scale which shows the position of the jet stream over the coming days and weeks. It should give you a general idea of whether we will be moving into a zone of warmer or cooler air, etc.
ESTOFEX is the European Storm Forecast Experiment, in which the UK now have a presence. You will find a pretty accurate and very detailed forecast of the chances of having and the severity of potential thunder storms. I have found this to be very accurate.
There's a page showing humidity levels over the United Kingdom via Weatherforce.
If you want to see where the lightning is, the following website show the more intense activity:
Netweather
EUCLID
Blitzortung
Meteorcentre
Triangulation methods are used which help in pinpointing the activity with a good level of precision. I have found that the smaller storms won't necessarily show on the above sites. For something more detailed or and closer to home you will need to locate a weather station near you. There are many amateur weather stations spread across the UK but be aware that triangulation is not always used or is not necessarily as accurate, depending on the methods used. They should give a fair idea of storm activity in the areas close to the individual weather stations though. I have bookmarked some of the more reliable ones for the following areas:
Cambridge
Ipswich
Burton-on-Trent
North London
Isle Of Wight
Morecambe Bay
You may need to give permission for a Java app to run for some of the above. It's quite safe!
Other useful sites:
The UK GFS Forecast
The Michael Fish Forecast (don't worry, there won't be any hurricanes today)
Infrared Image
and if you are really desperate, there's always ...
The BBC / Met Office forecast
... but I don't think there's any harm in simply wetting your index finger and sticking it in the air.
Happy forecasting!
The forecasting we have on British television has long been an insulting image of some unqualified young bimbo giving what cannot possibly qualify as a 'weather forecast'. Occasionally we do actually see a qualified meteorologist adding a little extra weight to the forecast and sometimes they even dare to predict what the weather might do the following day. More often, it's a quick few sentences giving the most basic of basic detail, finishing off with lines like "If you want more detail tune in later" or "you can find out more weather information on our website". Why would I want to check on a website when I have just tuned in to the TV station to find out? Ah yes, maybe those "apps" and all that advertising, etc. Don't forget to tick the box which says "Please spam me to death with endless ads for debt collectors and dating agencies".
When I go abroad, I occasionally get to see another country's national weather forecast. Overseas, they seem to approach the weather with more respect, giving a far more detailed account. I have seen weather bulletins last as long as 20 minutes! There are even dedicated weather channels which are constantly updated, unlike our own BBC weather bulletins, which tends to be repeated, particularly throughout the night. "Updates"? Try "Repeats"! I remember once being told that weather forecasting abroad is so precise that they can actually predict which Swiss valleys will have a shower and which will not. Maybe their weather is more predictable than ours, I don't know, but I do understand that our climate can throw up some challenging situations which can present even the most experienced forecasters with many challenges. But I still fail to understand how they can get things wrong with such regularity.
So, I was then asked where do I get my weather forecasts if I don't trust the Met Office? And could I put this information on my blog for future reference.
Well, I occasionally mention to people that the US military offer very good general synopses for UK weather. I have a friend who is a pilot and has a small plane and has long relied on their forecasts because, time and time again, they have proven to be vastly more reliable than our own met Office forecasts. Can you believe that? You have to wonder why our Met Office, with their millions of £s worth of high tech forecasting equipment, can get it so disastrously wrong.
Here are a few online sites I check if I want to know what's going to happen.
To begin with, check the current situation at the Meteox page. You'll need to adjust the coordinates in the URL. I have this centered on the east coast. You can zoom in and out, move the map, etc. and it shows you what's just around the corner. Bear in mind it may be a few minutes behind real-time.
For studying the general trends, look at the Netweather Jetstream Forecast. You have a sliding scale which shows the position of the jet stream over the coming days and weeks. It should give you a general idea of whether we will be moving into a zone of warmer or cooler air, etc.
ESTOFEX is the European Storm Forecast Experiment, in which the UK now have a presence. You will find a pretty accurate and very detailed forecast of the chances of having and the severity of potential thunder storms. I have found this to be very accurate.
There's a page showing humidity levels over the United Kingdom via Weatherforce.
If you want to see where the lightning is, the following website show the more intense activity:
Netweather
EUCLID
Blitzortung
Meteorcentre
Triangulation methods are used which help in pinpointing the activity with a good level of precision. I have found that the smaller storms won't necessarily show on the above sites. For something more detailed or and closer to home you will need to locate a weather station near you. There are many amateur weather stations spread across the UK but be aware that triangulation is not always used or is not necessarily as accurate, depending on the methods used. They should give a fair idea of storm activity in the areas close to the individual weather stations though. I have bookmarked some of the more reliable ones for the following areas:
Cambridge
Ipswich
Burton-on-Trent
North London
Isle Of Wight
Morecambe Bay
You may need to give permission for a Java app to run for some of the above. It's quite safe!
Other useful sites:
The UK GFS Forecast
The Michael Fish Forecast (don't worry, there won't be any hurricanes today)
Infrared Image
and if you are really desperate, there's always ...
The BBC / Met Office forecast
... but I don't think there's any harm in simply wetting your index finger and sticking it in the air.
Happy forecasting!
No Noise Is Good Noise (continued)
I had to involve OFCOM, the noise got so bad. Here is a recording of an empty channel in the FM broadcast band. 99.0 MHz to be precise, though it doesn't matter too much which part of the band you tune to.
Click to hear the Interference
0:00 - 1:25: Beaming east on 99.0 MHz. From 0:15 I rotate my beam from east
to south-west and back again.
1:26 - 1:46: S9 of noise on the 4m band. I am tuning from 68 to 74 MHz at the
beginning of this part.
1:47 - 2:05: The hashy effect of the noise when it's at its quietest. The fluctuation is
caused by the AGC of the Sony XDR-F1HD tuner.
Even with the noise at its weakest it is strong enough to block out continental signals which would otherwise be noise free. It will also create a hashy sound in the background of BBC local stations. It's a silent killer in a sense because it doesn't always show up on the signal meter, depending on which tuner I use. Tuning the same range on my Icom IC7000 with the same my rooftop band 2 antenna reveals this is an S9 noise level - no preamp used.
The noise signal can be stronger, creating as much as "two bars" on my Sony XDR-F1HD tuner - equal to a fully quieting stereo signal and S9+ on the IC7000.
OFCOM say there is little they can do for me because the noise "isn't severe enough". How "severe" does it need to be? It is already obliterating the 4m band and probably the 6m band too (I don't have an aerial installed for 6m at the moment).
Thanks OFCOM for nothing!
Click to hear the Interference
0:00 - 1:25: Beaming east on 99.0 MHz. From 0:15 I rotate my beam from east
to south-west and back again.
1:26 - 1:46: S9 of noise on the 4m band. I am tuning from 68 to 74 MHz at the
beginning of this part.
1:47 - 2:05: The hashy effect of the noise when it's at its quietest. The fluctuation is
caused by the AGC of the Sony XDR-F1HD tuner.
Even with the noise at its weakest it is strong enough to block out continental signals which would otherwise be noise free. It will also create a hashy sound in the background of BBC local stations. It's a silent killer in a sense because it doesn't always show up on the signal meter, depending on which tuner I use. Tuning the same range on my Icom IC7000 with the same my rooftop band 2 antenna reveals this is an S9 noise level - no preamp used.
The noise signal can be stronger, creating as much as "two bars" on my Sony XDR-F1HD tuner - equal to a fully quieting stereo signal and S9+ on the IC7000.
OFCOM say there is little they can do for me because the noise "isn't severe enough". How "severe" does it need to be? It is already obliterating the 4m band and probably the 6m band too (I don't have an aerial installed for 6m at the moment).
Thanks OFCOM for nothing!
Thursday, 23 May 2013
Skegness Log: 23-05-13
Sporadic E:
87.6 0849 ALG Radio Laghouat, Aflou (3) Arabic rhythms, as web
2120km
87.8 0856 TUN RTT Radio Gafsa, Kebili=Qibili (keb) Phone in, as web 2265km
87.9 0858 ALG Radio Tébessa, Doukhane (12) Presumed. Opening towards this area 2071km
88.3 0900 ALG Radio El Tarf, Oum Ali (36) Time pips and ID 1934km
90.7 0901 ALG Chaîne 1, Kef El Akhal (25) OM news, as web 1927km
88.0 0903 TUN Radio Zitouna FM, Djebel Zaghouan (zag) Arabic chants, as web 2016km
89.3 0910 I Radio Italia Anni 60, Monte Erice vetta/Piana delle Forche (tp) 5495 vocal ID 1927km **
88.1 0931 ALG Radio Batna, Metlili (5) Echoey OM, as web 2033km
90.4 0932 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) Arabic song, as web 1911km
91.2 0934 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) YL, as web 2033km
94.4 0936 ALG Chaîne 1, Metlili (5) Phone in, as web 2033km
101.2 0939 ALG Chaîne 2, Metlili (5) Depressed Arabic OM, as web 2033km
87.6 0944 TUN RTT Radio Tataouine, Zarzis (med) 7205 TATAOUIN 2342km
87.7 0948 TUN RTT Radio Culture, Djebel Trozza (kai) Sombre Arabic OM, as web 2086km
89.0 0950 TUN Radio Sabra FM, Djebel Trozza (kai) OMs, as web 2086km **
93.9 1019 ALG Chaîne 2, Aflou (3) Discussion, as web 2120km
97.3 1021 ALG Chaîne 3, Aïn N'sour (48) Talk and music, as web 1913km
87.6 1045 E Candil Radio, Huércal de Almería (AND-AL) EB02 Candil__ 1821km
87.7 1045 E Radio Torre-Pacheco, Torre-Pacheco (MUR-MU) E079 ______O_ 1717km
88.4 1049 ALG Chaîne 2, Nador (13) OM, as web 2045km
87.9 1052 MRC SNRT Chaîne Inter, Rabat (SNRT) (rsz) 1002 _____I__ Arabic music, ID 2212km **
89.2 1057 E Bay Radio, Denia/Segaria (VAL-A) Vocal ID, also as Black Tower FM 1594km **
94.7 1103 ALG Radio Tlemcen, Nador (13) Presumed. Algerian news 2045km
107.1 1108 E Radio Sol, Puerto Real (AND-CA) E022 SOLRADIO 1916km **
106.9 1113 E Rock FM, Murcia/Pico del Relojero (MUR-MU) E2CF _ROCK_FM 1698km **
105.3 1116 E RNE Radio 3, Melilla (MEL-ML) E213 2001km **
95.3 1120 MRC Médi 1, Tanger/Jebel Es Slokia (ttn) 1281 ME___1__ 1990km
91.8 1121 E Cadena Dial, Pozo Alcón (AND-J) E274 1749km
93.8 1121 E Europa FM, Almería (AND-AL) E2ED EUROPAFM 1825km
89.0 1122 E Cadena Luna, Granada (AND-GR) 9030 __LUNA__ 1800km **
89.6 1122 MRC Médi 1, Nador (otl) 1281 2016km **
89.0 1125 MRC SNRT R.Al Hoceïma/R.Coran, Al Hoceïma/Palomas (tht) Coranic chants 2022km **
88.4 1126 MRC MFM, Unlisted site. 1283
88.2 1127 E Cadena 100, Granada (AND-GR) E2CE 1796km
90.3 1129 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al Amazighia, Boukhouali (otl) Arabic song, as web 2104km **
88.0 1131 E RNE Radio 5, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA 1879km
90.6 1131 E Cadena Dial Andalucía-Villacarillo, Villacarrillo (AND-J) E274 Local ID 1804km
89.4 1133 E Cadena 100, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E2CE CAD-100_ 1879km
87.5 1459 I Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana, Ercolano-Vesuvio/Area Osservatorio (na) 5220 R_ITALIA 1731km
87.6 1512 I Radio 24, Segni (rm) 5245 1587km
88.1 1513 I Elleradio, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo (rm) 54A5 __ELLE__ 1568km **
88.3 1517 GRC Radiofono Xiromerou, Agrinio/Kouvaras (wgr-ait) 1088. Greek music 2332km **
94.4 1524 I Radionorba, Taranto/Piazza Dante (ta) 5B53 R-NORBA_ Taranto ads 1901km **
94.7 1525 I Radio Selene, Statte/Salita Montello (ta) 5A49 _SELENE_ 1890km
88.5 1526 I m2o, Bari/Via Principe Amedeo (ba) 5233 M_DUE_O_ 1823km
88.2 1527 I Radio 24, Bari/Viale Luigi Einaudi, 25 (ba) OM, as 88.3 1826km
88.3 1527 I Radio 24, Martina Franca/Monte Trazzonara-Strada Carbonico Zona H (ta) 5245 1894km
89.1 1528 I RAI Radio1, Martina Franca/Masseria Trasconi (ta) 5201 1883km
87.8 1534 LBY Radio Makmadas, Sirte=Sirt=Surt (srt) Tentative. Arabic OM talking about Tehran and Sabha. Not TUN or ALG (tnx Mike F for help) 2785km **
92.5 1613 ALG Radio Tiaret, Tiaret - Gzoul (14) YLs, as web 1976km
94.0 1618 ALG Chaîne 1, Aïn N'sour (48) OMs YL, as web. 30 seconds or so stream lag 1913km
88.0 1643 I Radio 105 Network, Alcamo/Monte Bonifato (tp) 5211 _105_FM_ 1950km
89.5 1644 I RTL 102.5, Cammarata/Monte Cammarata (ag) 5218 2008km
87.9 1645 I R101, Cammarata/Monte Cammarata (ag) 5215 _R_101__ 2008km
90.3 1647 I RAI GR Parlamento, Palermo/Monte Pellegrino (RAI) (pa) 5206 RAI-GRPR 1944km **
87.7 1701 SRB Radio Beograd 1, Deli Jovan (Srb) ID on the hour 1878km **
87.9 1814 GRC Dimotiko Radiofono Prevesas, Prevesa/Aidonia-Valanidoussa (epi-pre) 1234 2187km **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Unidentified:
107.2 1106 E UNID, ? 6000 _CADENIA NO__ENA_
107.9 1115 E Antena FM, ? Vocal ID. Listed as Tele Yecla Radio ex Antena FM
107.0 1118 E UNID, ? E000 __PUIO__
88.4 1126 MRC UNID, ? 1283
89.0 1133 E UNID, ? E811
88.5 1516 I UNID, ? 5107
Highlight of the day was a tentative Libya on 87.8. I am still awaiting confirmation that this was 100% Libya but I can confirm this definitely was not Radio Gafsa from Tunisia or Chaine 1 from Algeria.
A possible TRT FM appeared on 89.0 around 1734 but it did not last sufficiently long enough to confirm a parallel with their web stream. It sounded possible, but Turkey still remains on my list of wants for now.
I am submitting my log now as I am frankly in need of a rest from DXing. It can be quite exhausting at times. So, unless something exotic pops up, that's me done for the day!
Hopefully somebody may be able to throw some light on to my tentative Libyan station: 87.8 unid 1534 23-05-13: https://www.box.com/s/z0cqzkpuz0mxsbwsssox
Recordings:
90.6 Radio Villacarillo. Villacarrillo 1131 23-05-13
107.9 Antena FM, unlisted 1115 23-05-13
94.7 Radio Tlecmen, Nador 1100 23-05-13
89.2 Bay Radio, Denia 1056 23-05-13
87.9 Chaine Inter, Rabat 1053 23-05-13
89.3 Radio Italia, Monte Erice Vetta 0910 23-05-13
87.7 Radio Chlef, Ain N'sour 23-05-13
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
87.8 0856 TUN RTT Radio Gafsa, Kebili=Qibili (keb) Phone in, as web 2265km
87.9 0858 ALG Radio Tébessa, Doukhane (12) Presumed. Opening towards this area 2071km
88.3 0900 ALG Radio El Tarf, Oum Ali (36) Time pips and ID 1934km
90.7 0901 ALG Chaîne 1, Kef El Akhal (25) OM news, as web 1927km
88.0 0903 TUN Radio Zitouna FM, Djebel Zaghouan (zag) Arabic chants, as web 2016km
89.3 0910 I Radio Italia Anni 60, Monte Erice vetta/Piana delle Forche (tp) 5495 vocal ID 1927km **
88.1 0931 ALG Radio Batna, Metlili (5) Echoey OM, as web 2033km
90.4 0932 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) Arabic song, as web 1911km
91.2 0934 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) YL, as web 2033km
94.4 0936 ALG Chaîne 1, Metlili (5) Phone in, as web 2033km
101.2 0939 ALG Chaîne 2, Metlili (5) Depressed Arabic OM, as web 2033km
87.6 0944 TUN RTT Radio Tataouine, Zarzis (med) 7205 TATAOUIN 2342km
87.7 0948 TUN RTT Radio Culture, Djebel Trozza (kai) Sombre Arabic OM, as web 2086km
89.0 0950 TUN Radio Sabra FM, Djebel Trozza (kai) OMs, as web 2086km **
93.9 1019 ALG Chaîne 2, Aflou (3) Discussion, as web 2120km
97.3 1021 ALG Chaîne 3, Aïn N'sour (48) Talk and music, as web 1913km
87.6 1045 E Candil Radio, Huércal de Almería (AND-AL) EB02 Candil__ 1821km
87.7 1045 E Radio Torre-Pacheco, Torre-Pacheco (MUR-MU) E079 ______O_ 1717km
88.4 1049 ALG Chaîne 2, Nador (13) OM, as web 2045km
87.9 1052 MRC SNRT Chaîne Inter, Rabat (SNRT) (rsz) 1002 _____I__ Arabic music, ID 2212km **
89.2 1057 E Bay Radio, Denia/Segaria (VAL-A) Vocal ID, also as Black Tower FM 1594km **
94.7 1103 ALG Radio Tlemcen, Nador (13) Presumed. Algerian news 2045km
107.1 1108 E Radio Sol, Puerto Real (AND-CA) E022 SOLRADIO 1916km **
106.9 1113 E Rock FM, Murcia/Pico del Relojero (MUR-MU) E2CF _ROCK_FM 1698km **
105.3 1116 E RNE Radio 3, Melilla (MEL-ML) E213 2001km **
95.3 1120 MRC Médi 1, Tanger/Jebel Es Slokia (ttn) 1281 ME___1__ 1990km
91.8 1121 E Cadena Dial, Pozo Alcón (AND-J) E274 1749km
93.8 1121 E Europa FM, Almería (AND-AL) E2ED EUROPAFM 1825km
89.0 1122 E Cadena Luna, Granada (AND-GR) 9030 __LUNA__ 1800km **
89.6 1122 MRC Médi 1, Nador (otl) 1281 2016km **
89.0 1125 MRC SNRT R.Al Hoceïma/R.Coran, Al Hoceïma/Palomas (tht) Coranic chants 2022km **
88.4 1126 MRC MFM, Unlisted site. 1283
88.2 1127 E Cadena 100, Granada (AND-GR) E2CE 1796km
90.3 1129 MRC SNRT Al Idaâ Al Amazighia, Boukhouali (otl) Arabic song, as web 2104km **
88.0 1131 E RNE Radio 5, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA 1879km
90.6 1131 E Cadena Dial Andalucía-Villacarillo, Villacarrillo (AND-J) E274 Local ID 1804km
89.4 1133 E Cadena 100, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E2CE CAD-100_ 1879km
87.5 1459 I Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana, Ercolano-Vesuvio/Area Osservatorio (na) 5220 R_ITALIA 1731km
87.6 1512 I Radio 24, Segni (rm) 5245 1587km
88.1 1513 I Elleradio, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo (rm) 54A5 __ELLE__ 1568km **
88.3 1517 GRC Radiofono Xiromerou, Agrinio/Kouvaras (wgr-ait) 1088. Greek music 2332km **
94.4 1524 I Radionorba, Taranto/Piazza Dante (ta) 5B53 R-NORBA_ Taranto ads 1901km **
94.7 1525 I Radio Selene, Statte/Salita Montello (ta) 5A49 _SELENE_ 1890km
88.5 1526 I m2o, Bari/Via Principe Amedeo (ba) 5233 M_DUE_O_ 1823km
88.2 1527 I Radio 24, Bari/Viale Luigi Einaudi, 25 (ba) OM, as 88.3 1826km
88.3 1527 I Radio 24, Martina Franca/Monte Trazzonara-Strada Carbonico Zona H (ta) 5245 1894km
89.1 1528 I RAI Radio1, Martina Franca/Masseria Trasconi (ta) 5201 1883km
87.8 1534 LBY Radio Makmadas, Sirte=Sirt=Surt (srt) Tentative. Arabic OM talking about Tehran and Sabha. Not TUN or ALG (tnx Mike F for help) 2785km **
92.5 1613 ALG Radio Tiaret, Tiaret - Gzoul (14) YLs, as web 1976km
94.0 1618 ALG Chaîne 1, Aïn N'sour (48) OMs YL, as web. 30 seconds or so stream lag 1913km
88.0 1643 I Radio 105 Network, Alcamo/Monte Bonifato (tp) 5211 _105_FM_ 1950km
89.5 1644 I RTL 102.5, Cammarata/Monte Cammarata (ag) 5218 2008km
87.9 1645 I R101, Cammarata/Monte Cammarata (ag) 5215 _R_101__ 2008km
90.3 1647 I RAI GR Parlamento, Palermo/Monte Pellegrino (RAI) (pa) 5206 RAI-GRPR 1944km **
87.7 1701 SRB Radio Beograd 1, Deli Jovan (Srb) ID on the hour 1878km **
87.9 1814 GRC Dimotiko Radiofono Prevesas, Prevesa/Aidonia-Valanidoussa (epi-pre) 1234 2187km **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Unidentified:
107.2 1106 E UNID, ? 6000 _CADENIA NO__ENA_
107.9 1115 E Antena FM, ? Vocal ID. Listed as Tele Yecla Radio ex Antena FM
107.0 1118 E UNID, ? E000 __PUIO__
88.4 1126 MRC UNID, ? 1283
89.0 1133 E UNID, ? E811
88.5 1516 I UNID, ? 5107
Highlight of the day was a tentative Libya on 87.8. I am still awaiting confirmation that this was 100% Libya but I can confirm this definitely was not Radio Gafsa from Tunisia or Chaine 1 from Algeria.
A possible TRT FM appeared on 89.0 around 1734 but it did not last sufficiently long enough to confirm a parallel with their web stream. It sounded possible, but Turkey still remains on my list of wants for now.
I am submitting my log now as I am frankly in need of a rest from DXing. It can be quite exhausting at times. So, unless something exotic pops up, that's me done for the day!
Hopefully somebody may be able to throw some light on to my tentative Libyan station: 87.8 unid 1534 23-05-13: https://www.box.com/s/z0cqzkpuz0mxsbwsssox
Recordings:
90.6 Radio Villacarillo. Villacarrillo 1131 23-05-13
107.9 Antena FM, unlisted 1115 23-05-13
94.7 Radio Tlecmen, Nador 1100 23-05-13
89.2 Bay Radio, Denia 1056 23-05-13
87.9 Chaine Inter, Rabat 1053 23-05-13
89.3 Radio Italia, Monte Erice Vetta 0910 23-05-13
87.7 Radio Chlef, Ain N'sour 23-05-13
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Skegness Log: 22-05-13
Sporadic E:
87.8 1727 E Si Ràdio, Torrent/Perentxissa=Calicanto (VAL-V)
Pops 1527km
87.7 1729 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) YLs, as web 1913km
87.6 2221 ALG Chaîne 3, Kef El Akhal (25) Presumed. As Chaine 3 web stream 1927km
88.1 2221 ALG Radio Batna, Metlili (5) Presumed. Arabic 2033km
90.4 2222 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) YL, as web 1911km
91.2 2223 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) Arabic YL and music, as web 2033km
90.7 2224 ALG Chaîne 1, Kef El Akhal (25) Presumed. As web 1927km
93.9 2224 ALG Radio Constantine, Kef El Akhal (25) Presumed. As web 1927km
98.7 2226 ALG Radio Bordj Bou Arreridj, Tafartas (34) OM, as web 1919km **
101.8 2226 ALG Chaîne 1, Akfadou (6) OM, as web 1867km
102.1 2227 ALG Radio M'sila, Zarga (28) Presumed. Carrying Chaine 1 programme 2034km **
105.4 2228 ALG Chaîne 3, Akfadou (6) Arabic music, as web 1867km
88.7 2234 ALG Radio Soummam, Akfadou (6) Presumed. Arabic music and OM 1867km
91.8 2235 ALG Chaîne 2, Akfadou (6) Phone in, as web 1867km
93.5 2236 ALG Chaîne 1, Meghriss (19) Arabic YL and OM, as web 1911km
94.4 2236 ALG Chaîne 1, Metlili (5) Arabic OM and YL, as web 2033km
96.7 2237 ALG Chaîne 2, Meghriss (19) Phone in, as web 1911km
97.7 2238 ALG Radio Setif, Aghouf (19) Arabic YL and OM, as web 1892km **
98.0 2238 ALG Chaîne 1, Chréa (9) Arabic YL and OM, as web 1872km
100.0 2239 ALG Chaîne 3, Meghriss (19) YLs, as web 1911km
101.2 2239 ALG Chaîne 2, Metlili (5) Phone in, as web 2033km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Not a lot to report today but I wasn't at home much either so won't know what I missed, if anything of course.
Come the evening things sounded like they might have been about to get interesting. Balkan music appeared at the bottom of the band, closely swamped by Spain, unfortunately I was just about to go out for the evening. But it was a nice surprise to have a decent Algerian opening late in the evening.
This season has been very good so far, but with an increasing tendancy to produce more than one opening simultaneously. Sporadic E openings are becoming embedded in other Es events, so it is becoming slightly frustrating to know which way to beam the aerial. Now I have the Körner 9.2 antenna I find I can separate an opening towards Spain from one towards Italy, not being aware that the other exists. It's one thing I was slightly concerned about before having the 9.2. There is an increasing need to view propagation maps, such as those on dxmaps.com, to see if I might be missing an opening elsewhere.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
87.7 1729 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) YLs, as web 1913km
87.6 2221 ALG Chaîne 3, Kef El Akhal (25) Presumed. As Chaine 3 web stream 1927km
88.1 2221 ALG Radio Batna, Metlili (5) Presumed. Arabic 2033km
90.4 2222 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) YL, as web 1911km
91.2 2223 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) Arabic YL and music, as web 2033km
90.7 2224 ALG Chaîne 1, Kef El Akhal (25) Presumed. As web 1927km
93.9 2224 ALG Radio Constantine, Kef El Akhal (25) Presumed. As web 1927km
98.7 2226 ALG Radio Bordj Bou Arreridj, Tafartas (34) OM, as web 1919km **
101.8 2226 ALG Chaîne 1, Akfadou (6) OM, as web 1867km
102.1 2227 ALG Radio M'sila, Zarga (28) Presumed. Carrying Chaine 1 programme 2034km **
105.4 2228 ALG Chaîne 3, Akfadou (6) Arabic music, as web 1867km
88.7 2234 ALG Radio Soummam, Akfadou (6) Presumed. Arabic music and OM 1867km
91.8 2235 ALG Chaîne 2, Akfadou (6) Phone in, as web 1867km
93.5 2236 ALG Chaîne 1, Meghriss (19) Arabic YL and OM, as web 1911km
94.4 2236 ALG Chaîne 1, Metlili (5) Arabic OM and YL, as web 2033km
96.7 2237 ALG Chaîne 2, Meghriss (19) Phone in, as web 1911km
97.7 2238 ALG Radio Setif, Aghouf (19) Arabic YL and OM, as web 1892km **
98.0 2238 ALG Chaîne 1, Chréa (9) Arabic YL and OM, as web 1872km
100.0 2239 ALG Chaîne 3, Meghriss (19) YLs, as web 1911km
101.2 2239 ALG Chaîne 2, Metlili (5) Phone in, as web 2033km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Not a lot to report today but I wasn't at home much either so won't know what I missed, if anything of course.
Come the evening things sounded like they might have been about to get interesting. Balkan music appeared at the bottom of the band, closely swamped by Spain, unfortunately I was just about to go out for the evening. But it was a nice surprise to have a decent Algerian opening late in the evening.
This season has been very good so far, but with an increasing tendancy to produce more than one opening simultaneously. Sporadic E openings are becoming embedded in other Es events, so it is becoming slightly frustrating to know which way to beam the aerial. Now I have the Körner 9.2 antenna I find I can separate an opening towards Spain from one towards Italy, not being aware that the other exists. It's one thing I was slightly concerned about before having the 9.2. There is an increasing need to view propagation maps, such as those on dxmaps.com, to see if I might be missing an opening elsewhere.
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Skegness Log: 21-05-13
Sporadic E:
88.0 0921 E RNE Radio 5, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA 1879km
88.2 0922 E RNE Radio Nacional, Madrid/Torrespaña (MAD-M) E211 1447km
88.3 0929 E SER, Ronda/Cerro del Turco (AND-MA) E439 1877km
87.7 0930 E Europa FM, Priego de Cordoba (AND-CO) E2ED EUROPAFM 1778km
89.3 0931 E M 80, Granada/Cerro de San Miguel (AND-GR) E230 __0R____ Vocal ID 1800km **
87.6 0933 E Canal Sur Radio, Santo Pitar (AND-MA) E332 1853km
87.9 0934 E RNE Radio 5, Cambil/Sierra de Almadén (AND-J) E215 RNE_5-J_ 1740km
88.2 0935 S SR P4, Tåsjö/Hoting-Tåsjöberget TM (jm) ED24 1519km
92.2 0937 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Kolari/Ylläs-Tunturintie 84 (la) YL in traffic, as web 2046km
87.7 0938 S SR P1, Ramsele/Skavåsen TM (vn) E201 SR_P1___ 1485km **
87.6 0940 S SR P1, Storuman/Norrberg TM (vb) E201 SR_P1___ 1619km **
91.2 0942 S SR P2, Storuman/Norrberg TM (vb) E402 1619km **
87.8 0949 ALG Chaîne 1, Mecheria (45) OMs, as web 2176km
88.3 0952 S SR P1, Gällivare/Dundret RM (no) E201 SR_P1___ 1896km **
94.9 1007 S SR P2, Gällivare/Dundret RM (no) Opera, as web, destroying Belmont! 1896km **
66.5 1927 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Slonim/RTPS Novaja Straga (HR) OM talk, as web 1671km **
68.0 1929 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) Bryan Ferry track, as web 1891km
70.2 1929 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) OM and piano music, as web 1891km **
67.3 1931 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Bragin/RTPS (GO) YL, as web 2019km **
87.7 1950 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) OMs, as web 1913km
90.8 1952 ALG Radio Relizane, Aïn N'sour (48) YL, then silence, as web 1913km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
The Es teased the bottom of the FM band for much of the day. There was a brief opening in the OIRT range, but the most interesting part of the day was around 09:30 when three separate Es clouds were apparent. One to Andalucia, one further east to Algeria (which seemed to be different to the Andalucian Es) and another to Sweden and Finland!
Highlight of the day for me was hearing my local BBC Radio Lincolnshire getting smashed to pieces by the Gällivare transmitter from northern Sweden. Recording here, which includes a brief web parallel insert: www.box.com/s/uhl2kuw5cgpluaz4g5v5
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
88.0 0921 E RNE Radio 5, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA 1879km
88.2 0922 E RNE Radio Nacional, Madrid/Torrespaña (MAD-M) E211 1447km
88.3 0929 E SER, Ronda/Cerro del Turco (AND-MA) E439 1877km
87.7 0930 E Europa FM, Priego de Cordoba (AND-CO) E2ED EUROPAFM 1778km
89.3 0931 E M 80, Granada/Cerro de San Miguel (AND-GR) E230 __0R____ Vocal ID 1800km **
87.6 0933 E Canal Sur Radio, Santo Pitar (AND-MA) E332 1853km
87.9 0934 E RNE Radio 5, Cambil/Sierra de Almadén (AND-J) E215 RNE_5-J_ 1740km
88.2 0935 S SR P4, Tåsjö/Hoting-Tåsjöberget TM (jm) ED24 1519km
92.2 0937 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Kolari/Ylläs-Tunturintie 84 (la) YL in traffic, as web 2046km
87.7 0938 S SR P1, Ramsele/Skavåsen TM (vn) E201 SR_P1___ 1485km **
87.6 0940 S SR P1, Storuman/Norrberg TM (vb) E201 SR_P1___ 1619km **
91.2 0942 S SR P2, Storuman/Norrberg TM (vb) E402 1619km **
87.8 0949 ALG Chaîne 1, Mecheria (45) OMs, as web 2176km
88.3 0952 S SR P1, Gällivare/Dundret RM (no) E201 SR_P1___ 1896km **
94.9 1007 S SR P2, Gällivare/Dundret RM (no) Opera, as web, destroying Belmont! 1896km **
66.5 1927 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Slonim/RTPS Novaja Straga (HR) OM talk, as web 1671km **
68.0 1929 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) Bryan Ferry track, as web 1891km
70.2 1929 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) OM and piano music, as web 1891km **
67.3 1931 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Bragin/RTPS (GO) YL, as web 2019km **
87.7 1950 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) OMs, as web 1913km
90.8 1952 ALG Radio Relizane, Aïn N'sour (48) YL, then silence, as web 1913km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
The Es teased the bottom of the FM band for much of the day. There was a brief opening in the OIRT range, but the most interesting part of the day was around 09:30 when three separate Es clouds were apparent. One to Andalucia, one further east to Algeria (which seemed to be different to the Andalucian Es) and another to Sweden and Finland!
Highlight of the day for me was hearing my local BBC Radio Lincolnshire getting smashed to pieces by the Gällivare transmitter from northern Sweden. Recording here, which includes a brief web parallel insert: www.box.com/s/uhl2kuw5cgpluaz4g5v5
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Skegness Log: 19-05-13
Sporadic E Band 2:
88.5 0754 I m2o, Bari/Via Principe Amedeo (ba) 5233 1823km **
87.5 0756 I Radio Radicale, Villa Castelli/Monte Fellone (ta) 5210 1901km
87.8 0757 I Ritmo 80, Corato/Monte Ripanno (ba) 5A72 1796km
88.1 0759 ALG Radio Batna, Metlili (5) Arabic beats, as web 2033km
87.8 0802 ALG Chaîne 1, Mecheria (45) YL news, as web 2176km
90.4 0804 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) OM news, as web 1911km
90.5 0804 E SER, Orihuela/Cabezo Hurchillo (VAL-A) E0FE 1682km
88.3 0806 E COPE, Santomera/Cabezos Ásperos (MUR-MU) E486 1676km **
100.0 0811 ALG Chaîne 3, Meghriss (19) OM, as web 1911km
94.4 0814 E RNE Radio 5, Almansa (CAM-AB) E515 1592km
94.4 0814 ALG Chaîne 1, Metlili (5) YLs, as web 2033km
92.9 0815 E Onda Cero, Murcia/Pico del Relojero (MUR-MU) E2EE ONDACERO 1698km
93.3 0815 E Sensación FM, Molina de Segura (MUR-MU) A000 MURCIA__ 1683km
92.1 0816 E RNE Radio 5, Sierra de Carrascoy (MUR-MU) E215 Vocal ID 1706km
92.8 0816 E Radio Castilla La Mancha, Bogarra (CAM-AB) E396 RCMANCHA 1632km **
91.2 0818 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) OM, as web 2033km
90.5 0819 E Radio Andalucía Información, Pechina/Sierra Alhamilla (AND-AL) E333 __R.A.I. 1809km
107.2 0821 E Radio Montealegre, Montealegre del Castillo (CAM-AB) E02D _ALEGRE_ 1602km
101.0 0827 ALG Radio Médéa, Mihoub (26) OM, as web 1882km **
100.9 0828 E RNE Radio Nacional, Pechina/Sierra Alhamilla (AND-AL) E211 1809km **
100.8 0830 POR Rádio MEOsw, Almada (set) 8006 1766km **
87.6 0831 POR RDS, Seixal (set) 8042 ___RDS__ 1769km
107.1 0831 E ACL Radio, Almería (AND-AL) E38A 1827km **
88.7 0833 POR RDP Antena 2, Serra de Montejunto (lis) 8202 ANTENA_2 1710km
90.4 0834 POR Rádio Nostalgia, Lisboa/Monsanto (lis) 8059 NSTALGIA 1760km
90.9 0836 ALG Radio Naama, Mecheria (45) OM in noisy background, as web 2176km **
91.0 0837 POR RLO-Rádio Litoral Oeste, Óbidos (lei) 8091 __RLO___ 1695km
88.1 0838 POR Radio Regional Sanjoanense, São João da Madeira (avo) 809F REGIONLA 1511km
87.5 0842 E Dynamis Radio, Alcorcón/Poligono Urtinsa (MAD-M) 7878 DYNAMIS_ 1458km **
87.6 0842 E RNE Radio 5, Marbella/Castillejos (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA 1884km
97.8 0843 E Cadena Digital, Santo Pitar (AND-MA) EC9D DIGITAL_ 1853km **
87.9 0845 E Éxito Radio, Madrid/Torre de Valencia (MAD-M) E273 EXITO_R_ 1447km
87.9 0845 E RNE Radio 5, Cambil/Sierra de Almadén (AND-J) E215 RNE_5-J_ 1740km
95.7 0846 E Radio Lucena, Lucena (AND-CO) E0FF 95.7_FM. ______NA 1792km **
88.0 0848 E RNE Radio 5, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA 1879km **
88.0 0851 E Onda Cero, Arévalo (CAL-AV) E2EE ONDACERO 1396km **
91.1 0853 E Canal Sur Radio, Vejer de la Frontera (AND-CA) E334 1942km **
87.7 0854 E Hit FM, Jerez de la Frontera/San Cristóbal (AND-CA) E200 HIT_FM__ 1904km
87.5 0855 E esRadio, Dos Hermanas/Montequinto (AND-SE) CAFA esRadio 1824km
87.6 0903 E Canal Sur Radio, Santo Pitar (AND-MA) Vocal ID 1853km
87.6 0909 POR Rádio Popular Afifense, Viana do Castelo (vcs) 80AB AFIFENSE 1446km
87.7 0910 E Europa FM, Priego de Cordoba (AND-CO) E2ED EUROPAFM 1778km
87.8 0912 E COPE, Moaña/Monte Faro Domaio (GAL-PO) E2CA __COPE__ 1378km
88.0 0945 E Radio Sant Esteve, Sant Esteve Sesrovire (CAT-B) 7012 __SANT__ 1301km
88.5 0946 E Radio Tele Taxi, Montserrat (CAT-B) E2DD 24ADOR__ 1288km **
87.7 0950 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) Phone in, as web 1913km **
89.9 0953 E Open Lab Radio, Ibiza (BAL-IB) E000 OPENLAB_ 1587km
87.9 1007 E RNE Ràdio 4, Alpicat (CAT-L) E314 ID 1277km
87.7 1340 ISL RÚV Rás 2, Gagnheidi (au) A202. Antenna beamed NW. Unattended. Presumed site 1570km
88.1 1700 FIN YLE Puhe, Kuopio/Vehmasmäki-Möykkylänmäentie (ps) 6207 1906km
90.2 1702 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Lieksa/Koli-Verkkovaara (pk) 6201 2025km
91.6 1703 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Kuopio/Vehmasmäki-Möykkylänmäentie (ps) 6201 1906km
93.4 1704 FIN YleX, Lieksa/Koli-Verkkovaara (pk) 6202 2025km
92.7 1705 FIN Iskelmä, Varkaus/Könönpelto-Pitkälänniementie (ps) Finnish rock song, as web 1908km
Sporadic E Unidentifieds Department:
93.8 0808 E UNID, ? E45E _PULSA__
102.9 0825 MRC Medi 1, site? 1281 _MEDI_1_ Presume this is Oujda/Meghrez (otl)
88.3 0840 E UNID, ? 1025 __TROP__
87.7 0944 E Catalunya Musica, site? E232 CATMUSIC
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Recordings:
87.5 esRadio, Dos Hermanas 0900 19-05-13
87.7 Hit FM, Jerez de la Frontera 0856 19-05-13
87.5 RNE5, Cambil 0845 19-05-13
97.8 Cadena Digital, Santo Pitar 0843 19-05-13
107.2 Radio Montealegre, Montealegre del Castillo 0820 19-05-13
92.1 RNE5, Sierra de Carrascoy 0816 19-05-13
100.7 RNE4, Alpicat 1007 19-05-13
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
87.5 0756 I Radio Radicale, Villa Castelli/Monte Fellone (ta) 5210 1901km
87.8 0757 I Ritmo 80, Corato/Monte Ripanno (ba) 5A72 1796km
88.1 0759 ALG Radio Batna, Metlili (5) Arabic beats, as web 2033km
87.8 0802 ALG Chaîne 1, Mecheria (45) YL news, as web 2176km
90.4 0804 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) OM news, as web 1911km
90.5 0804 E SER, Orihuela/Cabezo Hurchillo (VAL-A) E0FE 1682km
88.3 0806 E COPE, Santomera/Cabezos Ásperos (MUR-MU) E486 1676km **
100.0 0811 ALG Chaîne 3, Meghriss (19) OM, as web 1911km
94.4 0814 E RNE Radio 5, Almansa (CAM-AB) E515 1592km
94.4 0814 ALG Chaîne 1, Metlili (5) YLs, as web 2033km
92.9 0815 E Onda Cero, Murcia/Pico del Relojero (MUR-MU) E2EE ONDACERO 1698km
93.3 0815 E Sensación FM, Molina de Segura (MUR-MU) A000 MURCIA__ 1683km
92.1 0816 E RNE Radio 5, Sierra de Carrascoy (MUR-MU) E215 Vocal ID 1706km
92.8 0816 E Radio Castilla La Mancha, Bogarra (CAM-AB) E396 RCMANCHA 1632km **
91.2 0818 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) OM, as web 2033km
90.5 0819 E Radio Andalucía Información, Pechina/Sierra Alhamilla (AND-AL) E333 __R.A.I. 1809km
107.2 0821 E Radio Montealegre, Montealegre del Castillo (CAM-AB) E02D _ALEGRE_ 1602km
101.0 0827 ALG Radio Médéa, Mihoub (26) OM, as web 1882km **
100.9 0828 E RNE Radio Nacional, Pechina/Sierra Alhamilla (AND-AL) E211 1809km **
100.8 0830 POR Rádio MEOsw, Almada (set) 8006 1766km **
87.6 0831 POR RDS, Seixal (set) 8042 ___RDS__ 1769km
107.1 0831 E ACL Radio, Almería (AND-AL) E38A 1827km **
88.7 0833 POR RDP Antena 2, Serra de Montejunto (lis) 8202 ANTENA_2 1710km
90.4 0834 POR Rádio Nostalgia, Lisboa/Monsanto (lis) 8059 NSTALGIA 1760km
90.9 0836 ALG Radio Naama, Mecheria (45) OM in noisy background, as web 2176km **
91.0 0837 POR RLO-Rádio Litoral Oeste, Óbidos (lei) 8091 __RLO___ 1695km
88.1 0838 POR Radio Regional Sanjoanense, São João da Madeira (avo) 809F REGIONLA 1511km
87.5 0842 E Dynamis Radio, Alcorcón/Poligono Urtinsa (MAD-M) 7878 DYNAMIS_ 1458km **
87.6 0842 E RNE Radio 5, Marbella/Castillejos (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA 1884km
97.8 0843 E Cadena Digital, Santo Pitar (AND-MA) EC9D DIGITAL_ 1853km **
87.9 0845 E Éxito Radio, Madrid/Torre de Valencia (MAD-M) E273 EXITO_R_ 1447km
87.9 0845 E RNE Radio 5, Cambil/Sierra de Almadén (AND-J) E215 RNE_5-J_ 1740km
95.7 0846 E Radio Lucena, Lucena (AND-CO) E0FF 95.7_FM. ______NA 1792km **
88.0 0848 E RNE Radio 5, Alhaurin el Grande/S. Mijas/Mte Viego (AND-MA) E215 RNE_5-MA 1879km **
88.0 0851 E Onda Cero, Arévalo (CAL-AV) E2EE ONDACERO 1396km **
91.1 0853 E Canal Sur Radio, Vejer de la Frontera (AND-CA) E334 1942km **
87.7 0854 E Hit FM, Jerez de la Frontera/San Cristóbal (AND-CA) E200 HIT_FM__ 1904km
87.5 0855 E esRadio, Dos Hermanas/Montequinto (AND-SE) CAFA esRadio 1824km
87.6 0903 E Canal Sur Radio, Santo Pitar (AND-MA) Vocal ID 1853km
87.6 0909 POR Rádio Popular Afifense, Viana do Castelo (vcs) 80AB AFIFENSE 1446km
87.7 0910 E Europa FM, Priego de Cordoba (AND-CO) E2ED EUROPAFM 1778km
87.8 0912 E COPE, Moaña/Monte Faro Domaio (GAL-PO) E2CA __COPE__ 1378km
88.0 0945 E Radio Sant Esteve, Sant Esteve Sesrovire (CAT-B) 7012 __SANT__ 1301km
88.5 0946 E Radio Tele Taxi, Montserrat (CAT-B) E2DD 24ADOR__ 1288km **
87.7 0950 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) Phone in, as web 1913km **
89.9 0953 E Open Lab Radio, Ibiza (BAL-IB) E000 OPENLAB_ 1587km
87.9 1007 E RNE Ràdio 4, Alpicat (CAT-L) E314 ID 1277km
87.7 1340 ISL RÚV Rás 2, Gagnheidi (au) A202. Antenna beamed NW. Unattended. Presumed site 1570km
88.1 1700 FIN YLE Puhe, Kuopio/Vehmasmäki-Möykkylänmäentie (ps) 6207 1906km
90.2 1702 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Lieksa/Koli-Verkkovaara (pk) 6201 2025km
91.6 1703 FIN YLE Radio Yksi, Kuopio/Vehmasmäki-Möykkylänmäentie (ps) 6201 1906km
93.4 1704 FIN YleX, Lieksa/Koli-Verkkovaara (pk) 6202 2025km
92.7 1705 FIN Iskelmä, Varkaus/Könönpelto-Pitkälänniementie (ps) Finnish rock song, as web 1908km
Sporadic E Unidentifieds Department:
93.8 0808 E UNID, ? E45E _PULSA__
102.9 0825 MRC Medi 1, site? 1281 _MEDI_1_ Presume this is Oujda/Meghrez (otl)
88.3 0840 E UNID, ? 1025 __TROP__
87.7 0944 E Catalunya Musica, site? E232 CATMUSIC
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Recordings:
87.5 esRadio, Dos Hermanas 0900 19-05-13
87.7 Hit FM, Jerez de la Frontera 0856 19-05-13
87.5 RNE5, Cambil 0845 19-05-13
97.8 Cadena Digital, Santo Pitar 0843 19-05-13
107.2 Radio Montealegre, Montealegre del Castillo 0820 19-05-13
92.1 RNE5, Sierra de Carrascoy 0816 19-05-13
100.7 RNE4, Alpicat 1007 19-05-13
Good DX!
John, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1.7m (5'9") ASL. Ref. Google Altitude Maps
Website: skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Personal All Time VHF Logbooks: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/vhf-band-2-logs
VHF Band 2 DX Recordings: https://sites.google.com/site/skegnessdx/skegness-vhf-band-2-fm-dx-recordings
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD (tropospheric)
Kenwood KT6040 (sporadic E & meteor scatter)
Icom IC7000 (OIRT)
Conrad RDS Manager
Aerials:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL www.box.com/s/h1a5z3bu94vppln3zsfn
Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Software:
RDS Spy v0.99 www.rdsspy.com
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