Skegness Log: 03-06-13

Band 2 Scatter:
 87.8 1020  F  France Inter, Paris/Tour Eiffel (75) Music, as web stream. Followed for about an hour. V weak scatter  497km

Band 2 Sporadic E:
 87.6 0746 ALG Radio Laghouat, Aflou (3) YL and Arabic music, as web  2120km
 89.0 0749  I  RDS - Radio Dimensione Suono, Reggio Calabria/Campicello di Paterriti (rc) 5264 *_RDS_*_  2054km
 87.9 0750  I  Virgin Radio, Fortino di Pentimele (rc) 5241  2043km **
 90.7 0751 ALG Chaîne 1, Kef El Akhal (25) OM in crowded room, as web  1927km
 93.9 0755 ALG Chaîne 2, Aflou (3) OM, as web  2120km
 88.4 0756 ALG Chaîne 3, Chréa (9) Ads, as web  1872km
 87.7 0801 ALG Radio Chlef, Aïn N'sour (48) ID and news  1913km
 91.5 0802 ALG Radio El Bahdja, Chréa (9) News, as web. Not Chaine 3  1872km
 92.3 0803  I  Radio Deejay, Gioiosa Marea/Gioiosa Vecchia (me) 5214  2010km
 88.0 0823  I  Radio 105 Network, Alcamo/Monte Bonifato (tp) Jingle ID between pops  1950km
 91.1 0848 ALG Chaîne 3, Mahouna (24) YLs, as web. Not Radio Djelfa, etc.  1944km **
 91.2 0849 ALG Radio Biskra, Metlili (5) Jingle ID!  2033km
 94.4 0850 ALG Chaîne 1, Metlili (5) Interview, as web  2033km
 96.7 0852 ALG Chaîne 2, Meghriss (19) YL  OM, interview, as web  1911km
 88.1 0853 ALG Radio Batna, Metlili (5) Presume, mention of Batna  2033km
 90.4 0905 ALG Radio Setif, Meghriss (19) Arabic music, as web stream  1911km
 87.9 1634  E  RNE Radio 5, Cambil/Sierra de Almadén (AND-J) E215 RNE_5-J_  1740km
 88.5 1635 MRC Médi 1, Al Hoceïma/Palomas (tht) 1281 _MEDI_1_  2022km
107.5 1637  E  Gestiona Radio, València (VAL-V) 1000 Cotsadan among other corruptions  1526km **
107.9 1637  E  SER, Orgiva (AND-GR) E239   1830km **
104.0 1640  E  Cadena Luna, La Guardia/Peña de San Cristóbal (AND-J) 6969 __LUNA__  __JAEN__  1741km **
103.3 1641  E  COPE, La Guardia/Peña de San Cristóbal (AND-J) E2CA COPE____  1741km **
101.3 1642  E  Radio Alhendín FM, Cerro de las Eras (AND-GR) E088 LLAMANOS  1810km
100.6 1643  E  Canal Sur Radio, Cambil/Sierra de Almadén (AND-J) E333 CanalSur Local ID  1740km
 91.1 1646  E  RNE Radio Clásica, Illora/Monte Parapanda (AND-GR) E212 RNE-CLAS  1791km
 89.3 1647  E  Radiolé, Linares/La Esperanza (AND-J) E226 __DIOL__  1699km
 90.4 1647  E  RNE Radio Clásica, Sierra de Lújar (AND-GR) E212  1837km
107.5 1715  E  Radio Castro, Castro del Rio (AND-CO) E0EF OLA_STRO O_L_AN__  1759km
 87.6 1804 MRC Médi 1, Settat/Regraga (cho) 1281 News, as web  2331km
 87.5 1908  I  Radio Maria, Sant’Antioco/Monte Cresia (ci) 51CC R.MARIA_  1684km
 88.2 1909  I  RAI Radio1, Sant’Antioco/Sa Scrocca Manna (RAI) (ci) 5201 _RADIO1_  1681km

Unidentified Sporadic E Band 2:
 87.7 1645  E  Maxima FM, ? E236 MAXIMA__  

** Skegness Personal 'First'

A really frustrating day with lots of visitors and unnecessary interruptions. Grrr! :O) I kept trying to DX in smaller sessions when I could but it became impossible. One of those days!

France Inter from Paris was received via scatter. It took me about one hour to work out what I was receiving. I was under the impression this was Radio Courtoisie. Then I realised I was looking at the wrong part of France. The low power relay of France Bleu from La Pilaterie was mixing with it for much of the time. Now I think about it France Bleu 107.1 from Paris used to be a regular visitor before my noise appeared.

Recordings:

Great to get these two with clear identification:

88.1 Radio Biskra, Metlili 0849 03-06-13
88.4, Chaine 3, Chrea 0800 03-06-13


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: 02-06-13

Band 2 Troposhperic:
 93.9 2141 HOL Megastad FM, Rotterdam/Erasmus Universiteit (zho) Dutch techno, as web stream  316km **

OIRT Sporadic E:
 66.08 1705 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Svislach=Svislac (HR) Classical, as web  1581km
 67.34 1705 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Slonim/RTPS Novaja Straga (HR) Classical, as web  1671km **
 68.12 1707 BLR BR Radio Hrodna, Slonim/RTPS Novaja Straga (HR) Presumed, with pops  1671km **
 68.00 1708 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) Classical, as others  1891km
 68.72 1713 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Svislach=Svislac (HR) Pops and OM  1581km
 69.44 1714 BLR BR Radio Brest, Slonim/RTPS Novaja Straga (HR) Techno, as web  1671km **
 70.22 1715 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Salihorsk/RTPS Dubei (MI) Slow song, as web  1807km **
 70.97 1716 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Kapyl (MI) Classical, as web  1775km **
 72.23 1717 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Salihorsk/RTPS Dubei (MI) Strings, as web  1807km **
 66.56 1728 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Slonim/RTPS Novaja Straga (HR) YL and jazzy music, as web  1671km
 66.44 1729 BLR BR Gomel FM, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) YL over beats, as web  1891km **
 67.37 1730 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Bragin/RTPS (GO) Guitar song, as web  2019km
 69.92 1732 BLR BR Gomel FM, Bragin/RTPS (GO) Pops, as web  2019km **
 70.28 1733 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) Gentle music, as web  1891km
 73.19 1735 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Vasilevicy/RTPS Zashchebye (GO) Gentle music, as web  1975km **
 67.10 1736 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Pinsk/RTPS Posenichi (BR) Piano music, as web  1730km
 67.22 1737 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Smyatanichy/RTPS (GO) YL over music, as web  1891km
 67.76 1738 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Gomel/RTPS Vul. Pushkina 8 (GO) Sombre OM song, as web  2049km **
 67.82 1739 UKR Svitle radio Emmanuyil, L'viv/LFKRRT, Vysokyy zamok, 9 (LV) Depressing song, as web  1674km **
 67.88 1741 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Buky/CHFKRRT, vul. Kirova, 67 (CK) YL, as web  2129km **
 68.30 1741 BLR BR Kanal Kultura, Bragin/RTPS (GO) Piano concerto, as web  2019km **
 69.11 1750 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Bragin/RTPS (GO) ID and tinkly music, as web  2019km **
 66.32 1753 BLR BR Pershy Kanal, Pinsk/RTPS Posenichi (BR) OM, as web  1730km
 67.88 1803 BLR BR Radyjo Stalitsa, Pinsk/RTPS Posenichi (BR) OM song, as web  1730km **
 68.51 1804 UKR UR 1 Persha Prog., Kyiv/KFKRRT, vul. Dorogozhyts'ka, 10 (KY) OM, as web  2077km
 69.08 1806 BLR BR Radio Brest, Pinsk/RTPS Posenichi (BR) Presumed with pops  1730km
 69.68 1808 BLR BR Radio Brest, Brest/Rakitnica (BR) Presumed with pop music  1593km

Band 2 Sporadic E:
 88.0 1050  I  Radio 105 Network, Alcamo/Monte Bonifato (tp) 5211  1950km
 91.1 1051  I  RAI Radio1, Cammarata/Monte Cammarata (RAI) (ag) 5201 _RADIO1_  2007km
 87.9 1052  I  R101, Cammarata/Monte Cammarata (ag) 5215  2008km
 92.2 1052  I  Radio Deejay, Cammarata/Monte Cammarata (ag) 5214  2008km
 87.8 1227  I  Radio Subasio, Segni (rm) 53FD SUBASIO_  1588km
 87.5 1228  I  Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana, Ercolano-Vesuvio/Area Osservatorio (na) 5220 R_ITALIA  1731km
 88.4 1228  I  Radio Azzurra, Ercolano-Vesuvio/Area Osservatorio (na) 5000 AZZURRA_  1731km
 88.6 1229  I  Radio Camaldoli Stereo, Vico Equense/Monte Faito (na) 5059 NETWORK_  1752km
 87.7 1529 POR RDP Antena 1, Serra do Mendro (bej) 8201 ANTENA_1  1770km
 87.9 1551  E  Latina FM, Zaragoza (ARA-Z) Vocal ID between Latin tracks  1281km **
 87.8 1555  E  Si Ràdio, Torrent/Perentxissa=Calicanto (VAL-V) E504  1527km
 88.2 1556  E  RNE Radio Clásica, Monte Páramo (GAL-LU) E212  1287km
 88.3 1558 POR RDP Antena 1, Muro/Serra do Gerês (vcs) Portuguese song, as web  1411km
 88.6 1559  E  RNE Radio Clásica, Confrides/Aitana (VAL-A) E212  1613km
 92.8 1601  E  RNE Radio 5, Arguis (ARA-HU) E915 RNE_5-HU  1208km **
107.0 1603  E  Libertad FM, Alcorcón (MAD-M) 1070 LIBERTAD  1457km
108.0 1603  E  Gestiona Radio, Madrid (MAD-M) E2CD GE______  1447km **
107.3 1606  E  Fórmula Hit, Bembibre (CAL-LE) 0007  1273km **
106.6 1609  E  RNE Radio 5, Burgos/San Bartolomé (CAL-BU) E915 RNE_5-BU  1240km **
107.2 1610  E  Fiesta FM, Madrid (MAD-M) E033  1447km
107.4 1612  E  Radio Torrijos, Torrijos (CAM-TO) E0FF __RRIJOS  1505km **
 88.2 1618  E  SER, Zaldiaran (PVA-VI) E239  1173km
 88.2 1619  E  RNE Radio Nacional, Madrid/Torrespaña (MAD-M) E211  1447km
 90.7 1620  E  Radio María, Madrid/Plaza de Castilla (MAD-M) E1CC  1442km
 91.0 1620  E  Europa FM, Madrid/Torrespaña (MAD-M) E2ED EUROPAFM  1447km
 90.5 1621  E  COPE, Ávila/Cerro Herrero (CAL-AV) E2CA ____VILA  1435km
 90.3 1622  E  RNE Radio 5, Madrid/Torrespaña (MAD-M) E215  1447km
 90.3 1622  E  Cadena Dial, Santander (CNT-S) E237 ____AL__  1119km **
 88.9 1623  E  Euskadi Irratia, Bilbao=Bilbo/Ganeta (PVA-BI) E301 EUSKADI1  1130km **
 87.6 1624  F  Orion 87,6 La Voix de la vallée, Bergerac/Marsol (24) FD47 _O______  930km
 89.5 1625  F  France Culture, Limoges/les Cars (87) F202  835km **
 88.4 1628  F  France Inter, Four possible sites. F201 **
 87.6 1631  E  Catalunya Informació, Soriguera/Pic de l'Orri (CAT-L) E234 ______O_  1196km
 88.7 1632  F  France Musique, Brive-la-Gaillarde/le Panoir (19) F203  897km **
 89.2 1632  F  Rire et Chansons, Brive-la-Gaillarde/Towercast (19) F226  894 **km
 90.6 1633  E  RNE Ràdio 4, Soriguera/Pic de l'Orri (CAT-L) E314 RNE_____  1196km **
 88.0 1649  E  Canal Fiesta Radio, Vélez-Rubio (AND-AL) E331  1731km
 87.7 1650  E  Europa FM, Priego de Cordoba (AND-CO) E2ED EUROPAFM  1778km
 88.0 1722 POL PR 1, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3211 JEDYNKA_  1530km

Unidentified Sporadic E OIRT:
 70.04 1812 RUS Radio Mayak, Unlisted site Russian OM  YL, as web

Unidentified Sporadic E Band 2:
107.2 1604  E  UNID, ? EC93 107___FM
107.0 1607  E  UNID, ? E309 LATINO__
106.7 1608  E  UNID, ? E308 ______L_
107.6 1614  E  UNID, ? E057 SIGUENOS
 87.7 1625  F  UNID, ? FD86

** Skegness Personal 'First'

I had to abandon listening while the Italians were coming in this afternoon so I don't know how long this opening continued. Nothing stored on RDS Spy so I guess it stopped more or less when I went out.

Romania and possibly Hungary appeared briefly around 17:30 but sites and IDs were not easy to come by. The Es then momentarily moved back into Spain and Algeria briefly before fizzling.

I did not get any of the shorter skip to Scandinavia in the end, but I was probably too close, going by the MUF map.

Some short skip arrived here in the form of the Limoges and Brives areas of France around 1630. Closest transmitter was Limoges itself at 835 km.

A good day on the whole!

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

Reception of Q Music while driving around Skegness Town Centre

Following the inspirational videos of Peter in Blackpool I decided to go to visit my usual beach car park and make a video of me tuning across the band using the Blaupunkt Nashville and my home brew quarter wave. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to my preferred space in the car park and ended up in a dead zone.

Conditions were pretty average too, so when I drove back home I had the idea to record a continental station while I was driving through town to demonstrate typical continental reception on the Lincolnshire coast.

It might not be much of a video but I learnt a few things along the way, such as discovering entire streets where there is so much noise across band 2 that DX listening at these locations must be impossible. Grosvenor Road was particularly bad, as was one part of Lincoln Road near the hospital.

The main shopping street was also bad for reception, probably because of the extra bricks and mortar.

Oh well, if you've never been to Skegness before, this will show you what some of the town centre is like. Shame about the poor light and the bumpy roads. It's not as slick as Peter's video but I hope it's of interest to somebody.

100.7 Q Music, Ijsselstein in Skegness!

In view of the popularity of this type of video on YouTube I might record a few more of these in the near future.

Cheers!

John

Skegness Log: 31-05-13

Band 2 Sporadic E:
 87.7 1100 AZR RDP Antena 3 Açores, Pico da Barrosa (RDP) (smg) 8204 Vocal ID and news  2616km

Just the one today.

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: 27-05-13

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

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

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

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

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!

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!