Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
87.6 0512 D NDR 2, Hamburg-Moorfleet (ham) Schönen guten Morgen - NDR2 Morgen .....
Tnx Philip W4WDX 650km
87.6 0803 CZE Radio Impuls, Brno/Kojál (JM) 2203 1219km
Band 2 Tropo/Scatter:
89.6 1731 BEL VBRO, Brugge/Walakker (vlg-wvl) Ads and ID 295km
105.5 1736 D WDR Eins Live, Bärbelkreuz (Eifel) (nrw) Peaking with 101.0, etc. 520km
91.2 1758 BEL RTBF Musiq'3, Bruxelles/Tour des Finances (bru) Classical, as web 377km
92.2 1813 HOL Omrop Fryslân Radio, Jirnsum/Rijksweg (fri) Fair signal. Jingle ID 365km
93.2 1825 HOL Waterstad FM, Jirnsum/Rijksweg (fri) RandB toon, As web 365km
105.5 1834 BEL Topradio, Staden/Stadenberg (vlg-wvl) Brief noise free peak 299km
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM5, one metre AGL
Friday, 17 January 2014
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Skegness Log: 16-01-14 (FM) Es, Ts and MS!
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
91.1 0859 CZE CRo Radiozurnál, Ceské Budejovice/Klet - CRa (JC) 232F R-ZURNAL 1084km
Band 2 Sporadic E:
87.6 1244 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Györ - Szabad hegy (Gyo) Brief speech.
Confirmed by Józsi in Hungary 1368km **
Band 2 Tropo/Scatter:
88.9 1118 LUX RTL Radio Lëtzebuerg, Dudelange/Ginsterberg (gld) Noise free 574km
102.0 1124 BEL VRT MNM, Genk/VRT Zendmast (vlg-lim) Ads, as web 431km
100.1 1125 F France Bleu Haute Normandie, Rouen/Grand-Couronne (76) Discussion, over
Sutton Coldfield 426km
100.8 1145 D WDR 2, Aachen/Stolberg (nrw) OM, as web 484km
87.6 1215 D hr3, Sackpfeife (Biedenkopf) (hes) OM YL chat, as web 612km
91.4 1355 HOL Radio 4, Markelo/Alticom Toren (ove) Classical 425km
92.8 1402 BEL RTBF Musiq'3, Profondeville-Rivière/Sart à Soile (wal-nam) Sombre music,
as web 441km
96.1 1423 BEL RTBF La Première, Wavre (wal-bra) Peaking noise free 397km
98.1 1424 F France Culture, Chartres/Montlandon (28) OM YL, as 98.0 531km
99.0 1425 BEL Randstad FM, Mechelen/Douaneplein (vlg-ant) Regular on FM3.
IDs and pops, Virtually noise free levels 371km
90.6 1728 D WDR 5, Teutoburger Wald/Bielstein (nrw) YL, as web 591km
102.8 1824 BEL Zen FM, Gent/Opgeëistenlaan (vlg-ovl) Easy listening, as web 328km
98.7 1826 HOL Freez FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Ad break, as web 408km
95.4 1828 HOL BNR Nieuwsradio, Gilze/Prinsenbosch (nbr) OM YL, as web 359km
95.2 1829 HOL Slam!FM, Alphen aan den Rijn/Alticom Toren (zho) Slamming tunes, as 91.1 313km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
91.1 0859 CZE CRo Radiozurnál, Ceské Budejovice/Klet - CRa (JC) 232F R-ZURNAL 1084km
Band 2 Sporadic E:
87.6 1244 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Györ - Szabad hegy (Gyo) Brief speech.
Confirmed by Józsi in Hungary 1368km **
Band 2 Tropo/Scatter:
88.9 1118 LUX RTL Radio Lëtzebuerg, Dudelange/Ginsterberg (gld) Noise free 574km
102.0 1124 BEL VRT MNM, Genk/VRT Zendmast (vlg-lim) Ads, as web 431km
100.1 1125 F France Bleu Haute Normandie, Rouen/Grand-Couronne (76) Discussion, over
Sutton Coldfield 426km
100.8 1145 D WDR 2, Aachen/Stolberg (nrw) OM, as web 484km
87.6 1215 D hr3, Sackpfeife (Biedenkopf) (hes) OM YL chat, as web 612km
91.4 1355 HOL Radio 4, Markelo/Alticom Toren (ove) Classical 425km
92.8 1402 BEL RTBF Musiq'3, Profondeville-Rivière/Sart à Soile (wal-nam) Sombre music,
as web 441km
96.1 1423 BEL RTBF La Première, Wavre (wal-bra) Peaking noise free 397km
98.1 1424 F France Culture, Chartres/Montlandon (28) OM YL, as 98.0 531km
99.0 1425 BEL Randstad FM, Mechelen/Douaneplein (vlg-ant) Regular on FM3.
IDs and pops, Virtually noise free levels 371km
90.6 1728 D WDR 5, Teutoburger Wald/Bielstein (nrw) YL, as web 591km
102.8 1824 BEL Zen FM, Gent/Opgeëistenlaan (vlg-ovl) Easy listening, as web 328km
98.7 1826 HOL Freez FM, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Ad break, as web 408km
95.4 1828 HOL BNR Nieuwsradio, Gilze/Prinsenbosch (nbr) OM YL, as web 359km
95.2 1829 HOL Slam!FM, Alphen aan den Rijn/Alticom Toren (zho) Slamming tunes, as 91.1 313km
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Skegness Log: 15-01-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
91.1 2359 G BBC Radio 3, Llangollen, Oban and Les Platons most likely. Initial ping from
something else, then trailing out with BBC R3. Weak **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Another superb night of MS. Plenty of pings and lots of bursts. This was heard live. No way of knowing which tx it was. Still using the FM3, although I am hoping to swap this for an FM5 later today when the coast is clear.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
91.1 2359 G BBC Radio 3, Llangollen, Oban and Les Platons most likely. Initial ping from
something else, then trailing out with BBC R3. Weak **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
Another superb night of MS. Plenty of pings and lots of bursts. This was heard live. No way of knowing which tx it was. Still using the FM3, although I am hoping to swap this for an FM5 later today when the coast is clear.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
Rare Low Power Meteor Scatter DX - 103.0 Ö3, 40 Watts Or Less!
This January, my eyes have been opened to DX I wouldn't have believed was possible on the FM broadcast band. Low power 'community strength' transmitters, propagating via meteor scatter. We know that many high power transmitters can propagate well and are often strong enough to produce RDS data on our radio's displays, but how low in power will propagate? Of course that depends on many factors relating to the meteor itself. Meteor scatter is relatively simple via digital modes on the ham bands using low power, but I never expected this ...
On January 9th at 07:15, I was alerted to the fact that I had received a low powered transmission from Austria. This was in response to a video I had uploaded to my YouTube page. I thanked Peter, "pe1etr", for identifying this but regretted to tell him that I was unable to hear the ID he could hear. Then I received a message from Philp, W4WDX in the USA. He is an Austrian DXer but lives in the US now. He had heard my recording and reported that there was definitely an Ö3 identification in the recording. He stated that he was very familiar with the Ö3 network and there was no mistaking this identification. I still couldn't hear it.
Here lay a problem. I didn't want to dispute what Peter and Philip were saying, but I just wished I could hear this identification myself. When we listen to weak signals it is always the case that some people hear things better than others. I needed to be 100% sure of this ID, not for the sake of agreeing with Peter and Philip, but to be able to state, without doubt, that this DX claim was accurate and could be proven to other DXers who might also be sceptical.
So I took the additional step of getting in touch with three other DXers, two of whom spoke German, in order to further confirm this reception. Jurgen could hear part of the ID but couldn't be sure. Günter was clear on the "3" part of the ID and, being Austrian himself, could also confirm an Austrian pronunciation. He commented that the sound and the voice accentuation was part of a jingle or "claim" ID, perhaps the last part of "Hitradio Ö3" and not part of a plain studio moderation ID. It was not the number three as pronounced in a discussion or talk either. Furthermore, he commented that, as a possible alternative to Ö3, the powerful Grünten SWR3 tx on 103.0 would have been a strong contender, but the "3" did not sound how they would pronounce it. I must also thank Andrew Webster for listening. He too was also clear on the identification, short of being able to confirm the Austrian pronunciation. Suddenly, I could hear the jingle ID myself. I had mistakenly been listening to the German male speech prior to this and didn't spot the brief female vocal jingle drop-in. At last, I could hear it!
Only one more thing to do, to follow Günter's suggestion of recording Ö3 overnight at the same time to get a good idea of their jingle identification and hopefully catch the very jingle itself. So, after listening through six hours of Ö3's overnight programming, I have isolated several Ö3 jingle identifications. Although I did not hear what I could be sure was the actual Ö3 jingle in question, I heard several others which used the same female voice and with the same type of audio effects processing.
Here is a recording of seven identifications. The first six were obtained from the Ö3 web stream. The seventh is my off-air meteor scatter ID. I repeat this twice. Then you hear more of the actual meteor burst itself.
Note: YouTube appears to have blocked access to this video from certain countries due to copyright infringement. Please let me know if you are having difficulties seeing/hearing this.
On January 9th at 07:15, I was alerted to the fact that I had received a low powered transmission from Austria. This was in response to a video I had uploaded to my YouTube page. I thanked Peter, "pe1etr", for identifying this but regretted to tell him that I was unable to hear the ID he could hear. Then I received a message from Philp, W4WDX in the USA. He is an Austrian DXer but lives in the US now. He had heard my recording and reported that there was definitely an Ö3 identification in the recording. He stated that he was very familiar with the Ö3 network and there was no mistaking this identification. I still couldn't hear it.
Here lay a problem. I didn't want to dispute what Peter and Philip were saying, but I just wished I could hear this identification myself. When we listen to weak signals it is always the case that some people hear things better than others. I needed to be 100% sure of this ID, not for the sake of agreeing with Peter and Philip, but to be able to state, without doubt, that this DX claim was accurate and could be proven to other DXers who might also be sceptical.
So I took the additional step of getting in touch with three other DXers, two of whom spoke German, in order to further confirm this reception. Jurgen could hear part of the ID but couldn't be sure. Günter was clear on the "3" part of the ID and, being Austrian himself, could also confirm an Austrian pronunciation. He commented that the sound and the voice accentuation was part of a jingle or "claim" ID, perhaps the last part of "Hitradio Ö3" and not part of a plain studio moderation ID. It was not the number three as pronounced in a discussion or talk either. Furthermore, he commented that, as a possible alternative to Ö3, the powerful Grünten SWR3 tx on 103.0 would have been a strong contender, but the "3" did not sound how they would pronounce it. I must also thank Andrew Webster for listening. He too was also clear on the identification, short of being able to confirm the Austrian pronunciation. Suddenly, I could hear the jingle ID myself. I had mistakenly been listening to the German male speech prior to this and didn't spot the brief female vocal jingle drop-in. At last, I could hear it!
Only one more thing to do, to follow Günter's suggestion of recording Ö3 overnight at the same time to get a good idea of their jingle identification and hopefully catch the very jingle itself. So, after listening through six hours of Ö3's overnight programming, I have isolated several Ö3 jingle identifications. Although I did not hear what I could be sure was the actual Ö3 jingle in question, I heard several others which used the same female voice and with the same type of audio effects processing.
Here is a recording of seven identifications. The first six were obtained from the Ö3 web stream. The seventh is my off-air meteor scatter ID. I repeat this twice. Then you hear more of the actual meteor burst itself.
If I were completely honest, I would still be slightly sceptical were it not for Philip's first-hand knowledge of the language and the station identification, plus Günter's detailed analysis, which seem to confirm that this catch is 100% definite. I might personally put that down to 99% as we are looking at the briefest of signal fade-ins which is chopped a little at either end, but please decide for yourself. If you wish to post your views below, whether you agree or disagree, then please do so. All opinions are equally valid.
Finally, here is a link to the actual YouTube video, with all the meteor scatter and troposcatter signals. You will hear the Ö3 ID at 2 minutes and 14 seconds into the recording.
Note: YouTube appears to have blocked access to this video from certain countries due to copyright infringement. Please let me know if you are having difficulties seeing/hearing this.
Tuesday, 14 January 2014
Skegness Log: 14-01-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
99.0 0803 AUT Hitradio Ö3, Salzburg 1/Gaisberg (ORS) (sal) Austrian weather report.
Thanks again W4WDX 1081km **
** Personal Skegness 'First' via this mode
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
99.0 0803 AUT Hitradio Ö3, Salzburg 1/Gaisberg (ORS) (sal) Austrian weather report.
Thanks again W4WDX 1081km **
** Personal Skegness 'First' via this mode
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
Linux & Radio Related Software
I am becoming increasingly frustrated with Microsoft and their Windows operating system. After buying several versions of Microsoft Windows over the years I am becoming ever more of its limited lifespan. This was highlighted last week when I came to install XP Professional on an old laptop. After 'validating' Windows I discovered that support for XP (security updates, etc.) was being discontinued in a few weeks. It has also bee impossible to access current updates.
I have to ask why we allow ourselves to buy software which has unreasonably restrictive time limitations? We wouldn't buy other products which had these kinds of limitation. You wouldn't buy a car if you knew it was going to reject spare parts because they were too old.
I have to ask why we allow ourselves to buy software which has unreasonably restrictive time limitations? We wouldn't buy other products which had these kinds of limitation. You wouldn't buy a car if you knew it was going to reject spare parts because they were too old.
The forced move to Windows 7 two years ago was unwanted and I quickly discovered that some of my radio and audio production software could no longer be used under this system. Compatibility Mode was not always helpful and some drivers were not supported under Windows Virtual Machine. Thanks Microsoft!
A computer-literate friend suggested I try Linux and one of its countless interfaces. He recommended Debian and Ubuntu as a good place to start. My immediate concern was that I wouldn't be able to run my radio software under Linux, but he pointed out that the XDR-GTK software was actually written for Linux. Then he proceeded to show me how Perseus SDR software could be run under Linux - and could even be modified and re-programmed via the open source coding. Suddenly I found myself in a rather bewildering but exciting new world of opportunities where I might need to learn about computing all over again, starting from scratch in some respects, but hopefully moving to a system which: Has enormous potential and offers some useful improvements over Windows; Still runs the same software; Runs it more efficiently and Allows greater user control. I also understand that there are less security issues outside Windows, less likelihood of contracting some malware or virus, etc. There are many other advantages and, most surprising of all, it's FREE!
I have already had a play with Debian and Ubuntu on an old laptop. It was very nice to see all drivers, i.e. video card, sound card, all being installed automatically. The user interfaces were in fact very similar to Windows, so there was no problem with understanding how to get started.
There didn't seem to be any unnecessary bloat of the kind you might get with Windows. The installation was quicker, simpler and the laptop was faster as a result. It also means I can use other, older laptops with more minimalist Linux installations, depending on the software I intend to use of course. It is even possible to run the operating system from a CD or USB pen.
So there is lots to learn and I am sure it will take me a while. I appreciate that I may still need to run Windows for certain applications, but it would be nice to get rid of some of those annoying Windows quirks.
I have already had a play with Debian and Ubuntu on an old laptop. It was very nice to see all drivers, i.e. video card, sound card, all being installed automatically. The user interfaces were in fact very similar to Windows, so there was no problem with understanding how to get started.
There didn't seem to be any unnecessary bloat of the kind you might get with Windows. The installation was quicker, simpler and the laptop was faster as a result. It also means I can use other, older laptops with more minimalist Linux installations, depending on the software I intend to use of course. It is even possible to run the operating system from a CD or USB pen.
So there is lots to learn and I am sure it will take me a while. I appreciate that I may still need to run Windows for certain applications, but it would be nice to get rid of some of those annoying Windows quirks.
Monday, 13 January 2014
Skegness Log: 13-01-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
89.4 0408 AUT Hitradio Ö3, Sankt Pölten/Jauerling (nie) Traffic news. Thanks to W4WDX
for help. 1182km **
89.4 0453 POL Radio Zet, Luban/Nowa Karczma (DS) Polish language. Only one
possibility. Tnx W4WDX 1036km **
89.4 0453 CZE Kiss Hády, Boskovice/Habrí (JM) 500W! Czech language. Only one
possibility. Thanks W4WDX. 1201km **
89.4 0726 S SR P1, Borlänge or Arvidsjaur Swedish language. Two possibilities.
Tnx W4WDX **
89.4 0729 POL PR 1, Kraków/Choragwica (MP) Mixing Radio Zet. Tnx W4WDX 1407km **
** Personal Skegness 'First' via this mode
After uploading a video to YouTube showing yesterday's s meteor scatter, I have received a lot of correspondence and analysis from Philip, W4WDX, an Austrian DXer who now resides in the USA, for which I am very grateful. It's probably reasonable to make assumptions to certain signals which arrive via meteor scatter, though certainly not all. I would have missed these were it not for Philip. I have never logged anything where I haven't heard the ID or seen the RDS, but it can occasionally be quite obvious which station or transmitter you are receiving, judging by the language alone. This was a particularly good haul. If only my own language recognition was better.
But beware: Care is definitely needed. After the recent spate of excellent meteor scatter it is clear that even low power FM broadcast signals can propagate quite successfully under the right meteor conditions.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3, 1m AGL
89.4 0408 AUT Hitradio Ö3, Sankt Pölten/Jauerling (nie) Traffic news. Thanks to W4WDX
for help. 1182km **
89.4 0453 POL Radio Zet, Luban/Nowa Karczma (DS) Polish language. Only one
possibility. Tnx W4WDX 1036km **
89.4 0453 CZE Kiss Hády, Boskovice/Habrí (JM) 500W! Czech language. Only one
possibility. Thanks W4WDX. 1201km **
89.4 0726 S SR P1, Borlänge or Arvidsjaur Swedish language. Two possibilities.
Tnx W4WDX **
89.4 0729 POL PR 1, Kraków/Choragwica (MP) Mixing Radio Zet. Tnx W4WDX 1407km **
** Personal Skegness 'First' via this mode
After uploading a video to YouTube showing yesterday's s meteor scatter, I have received a lot of correspondence and analysis from Philip, W4WDX, an Austrian DXer who now resides in the USA, for which I am very grateful. It's probably reasonable to make assumptions to certain signals which arrive via meteor scatter, though certainly not all. I would have missed these were it not for Philip. I have never logged anything where I haven't heard the ID or seen the RDS, but it can occasionally be quite obvious which station or transmitter you are receiving, judging by the language alone. This was a particularly good haul. If only my own language recognition was better.
But beware: Care is definitely needed. After the recent spate of excellent meteor scatter it is clear that even low power FM broadcast signals can propagate quite successfully under the right meteor conditions.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3, 1m AGL
Psychopathic Neighbour
The situation with our neighbours has reached a new low. We have reached a stage where we daren't go outside. The neighbour is now putting his head over the fence and waiting for us to go on to our garden. After the malicious lies he has posted on Facebook (yes, the dreaded Facebook - I hate it with a passion), we see he becoming more determined to cause us as much grief as possible.
Some of the facts so far. He has:
* Damaged aerial cabling.
* Cut the mains earth to the property.
* Vandalised our security system.
* Knocked a friend unconscious.
* Broken into our shed twice.
* Burnt the garden fence which separates us for firewood after it blew down in a storm.
* Taken photos of our property, pets and personal effects and posted on Facebook.
* Publically asked on Facebook how to damage our aerials - The local council have print-outs of all of
these.
* Smashed our car windows.
I touched on these points in a recent post but there are other things, some more serious, which I cannot state for legal reasons.
This is very strict private housing association territory. You can be lucky or unlucky with neighbours, irrespective of your housing type. It will be a sad day when we move as we will leave behind a large bungalow which overlooks fields. It would be so peaceful here, living right on the edge of town, were it not for the damn neighbours.
The housing have asked if we will push things further and take the neighbours to court. It seems they are keen to remove them too but need some extra help. We don't want to go down that route as it could only make things more unpleasant.
So far, I have managed to keep my temper under control. I am not a malicious person, nor do I want to engage in physical violence, but I am finding it hugely difficult to stop myself lately. I refuse to lower myself to his level. We suspect he will get his just desserts one day anyway as we know how unpopular he is in this small town. I secretly hope that his next neighbours will be vicious bastards. :O)
Some of the facts so far. He has:
* Damaged aerial cabling.
* Cut the mains earth to the property.
* Vandalised our security system.
* Knocked a friend unconscious.
* Broken into our shed twice.
* Burnt the garden fence which separates us for firewood after it blew down in a storm.
* Taken photos of our property, pets and personal effects and posted on Facebook.
* Publically asked on Facebook how to damage our aerials - The local council have print-outs of all of
these.
* Smashed our car windows.
I touched on these points in a recent post but there are other things, some more serious, which I cannot state for legal reasons.
This is very strict private housing association territory. You can be lucky or unlucky with neighbours, irrespective of your housing type. It will be a sad day when we move as we will leave behind a large bungalow which overlooks fields. It would be so peaceful here, living right on the edge of town, were it not for the damn neighbours.
The housing have asked if we will push things further and take the neighbours to court. It seems they are keen to remove them too but need some extra help. We don't want to go down that route as it could only make things more unpleasant.
So far, I have managed to keep my temper under control. I am not a malicious person, nor do I want to engage in physical violence, but I am finding it hugely difficult to stop myself lately. I refuse to lower myself to his level. We suspect he will get his just desserts one day anyway as we know how unpopular he is in this small town. I secretly hope that his next neighbours will be vicious bastards. :O)
Saturday, 11 January 2014
You Can't Choose Your Neighbours - We're On The Move Again
You can't choose your neighbours, but with a bit of luck you might at least be able to meet before you move in to a property, as we were able to with ours.
Our neighbours seemed very accommodating at first, even helping me with some of the concreting of the mast bases which are still on the garden. Then one day they changed, reporting us for petty things on a weekly basis. We are sure we hadn't upset them. They broke into our shed twice - we have the video evidence. They took advice from their Facebook friends on how to cause damage to our aerials, the print-outs of which were handed to the landlords. They cut the mains earth cable to our property, resulting in electric shocks, especially when taking a shower. I could go on. There is much worse than this, but I cannot say for legal reasons. We have it all on video. They report us, week in, week out, for anything they can find.
We typically get several complaints a week from neighbours. Our landlords (private housing association) are very understanding and usually laugh it off, as they did yesterday when they visited regarding a complaint about my Triax FM3 which sits very quietly by itself, behind a tree, below fence height, free-standing on a small tripod base, well out of sight from everybody but our immediate neighbours. Even they would not be able to see it unless they purposely stick their head over the fence and look for it. It's ridiculous to think that it could possibly be a problem.
The landlords are aware of the written permission we have for the 9.2 on the roof, but were keen to see this new alleged 'fixture' on our garden. We showed them. They looked for it. They studied it. They laughed. They told us not to worry and left.
It is a well known fact that we have problem neighbours. They seem well-known in the area and we haven't heard anybody say a kind word about them. However, me in my very understanding nature sometimes sympathise as I don't think any aerial is a pretty sight and I know that large DX antennas are considered a blot on the landscape by many people, but we have always done our best to be polite and reasonable with the neighbours. The problem is, being nice doesn't get you anywhere with people like this, so we are now closing all ties with our neighbours.
To be fair, the neighbours are only a small part of our problem. Our real problems are the ever-increasing rental costs and additional charges (spare room tax) forced upon us by our evil government. These two things have forced us to start looking for a new and more affordable home. We don't know where we will go and we don't really have any money to move, but we have no choice. We are a high priority due to the fact that we live in the largest disabled property of its kind in the area, which is in high demand, so we have been told that this puts us virtually at the front of the queue. My wife is registered disabled (two forms of epilepsy), so we are limited by various factors surrounding that, but we are going to be as selective as reasonably possible, but we are not in any real position to choose.
Hopefully we will be able to find a nice quiet location for the radio and closer to the sea, with a bit of luck.
Our neighbours seemed very accommodating at first, even helping me with some of the concreting of the mast bases which are still on the garden. Then one day they changed, reporting us for petty things on a weekly basis. We are sure we hadn't upset them. They broke into our shed twice - we have the video evidence. They took advice from their Facebook friends on how to cause damage to our aerials, the print-outs of which were handed to the landlords. They cut the mains earth cable to our property, resulting in electric shocks, especially when taking a shower. I could go on. There is much worse than this, but I cannot say for legal reasons. We have it all on video. They report us, week in, week out, for anything they can find.
We typically get several complaints a week from neighbours. Our landlords (private housing association) are very understanding and usually laugh it off, as they did yesterday when they visited regarding a complaint about my Triax FM3 which sits very quietly by itself, behind a tree, below fence height, free-standing on a small tripod base, well out of sight from everybody but our immediate neighbours. Even they would not be able to see it unless they purposely stick their head over the fence and look for it. It's ridiculous to think that it could possibly be a problem.
The landlords are aware of the written permission we have for the 9.2 on the roof, but were keen to see this new alleged 'fixture' on our garden. We showed them. They looked for it. They studied it. They laughed. They told us not to worry and left.
It is a well known fact that we have problem neighbours. They seem well-known in the area and we haven't heard anybody say a kind word about them. However, me in my very understanding nature sometimes sympathise as I don't think any aerial is a pretty sight and I know that large DX antennas are considered a blot on the landscape by many people, but we have always done our best to be polite and reasonable with the neighbours. The problem is, being nice doesn't get you anywhere with people like this, so we are now closing all ties with our neighbours.
To be fair, the neighbours are only a small part of our problem. Our real problems are the ever-increasing rental costs and additional charges (spare room tax) forced upon us by our evil government. These two things have forced us to start looking for a new and more affordable home. We don't know where we will go and we don't really have any money to move, but we have no choice. We are a high priority due to the fact that we live in the largest disabled property of its kind in the area, which is in high demand, so we have been told that this puts us virtually at the front of the queue. My wife is registered disabled (two forms of epilepsy), so we are limited by various factors surrounding that, but we are going to be as selective as reasonably possible, but we are not in any real position to choose.
Hopefully we will be able to find a nice quiet location for the radio and closer to the sea, with a bit of luck.
Friday, 10 January 2014
Skegness Log: 10-01-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
89.9 0208 AUT Ö2 - Radio Wien, Wien 1/Kahlenberg (wie) AC0C ____DIO* 1247km **
89.9 0401 G BBC Radio 2, Wenvoe or Black Hill BBC News **
92.1 0729 D Bayern 1, Brotjacklriegel (bay) Jingle ID. Thanks Konrad DX for help. 1021km **
Band 2 Sporadic E:
97.5 1736 HRV HRT-HR 2, Otocac/Stipanov Gric (gs) C202 ____HR_2 1439km
87.7 1738 HRV HRT-HR 1, Licka Pljesivica (gs) C201 __HR____ 1456km
Band 2 Scatter:
102.8 1354 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Wesel-Büderich (nrw) German OM, as 102.7 456km
103.3 1354 D Funkhaus Europa, Langenberg/Hordtberg (nrw) Noise free stereo 505km
97.8 1358 HOL Radio 2, Westdorpe/Verkavelingsweg (zee) ID and ads 323km
98.2 1358 HOL Radio 4, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Fair peaks 366km
96.3 1359 HOL Radio Veronica, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Ads 366km
97.6 1359 HOL Radio Decibel, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Fair, with ads 313km
94.5 1401 HOL Radio 4, Roermond/Alticom Toren (lim) Peaking over Peterborough 443km
92.0 1403 D WDR 5, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) OM news, as web 494km
89.6 1405 BEL VBRO, Brugge/Walakker (vlg-wvl) Nice peaks, almost noise free 295km
89.6 1405 F RDL-Radio Dallas Loisirs, Saint-Omer/Racquinghem (62) Blues song, fighting
with VBRO 306km
89.0 1406 BEL VRT MNM, Schoten (vlg-ant) Almost noise free 354km
100.0 1409 D WDR 4, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) Fair on peak 494km
103.1 1429 BEL Q-Music, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Fair peaks. Noise free stereo 376km
91.6 1710 D SWR3, Koblenz/Dieblich-Naßheck (rlp) Robbie Williams, as web 591km
** Personal Skegness 'First' via this mode
Three modes of propagation today!
The Es opening was tricky since signals were mostly too low for RDS. There weren't a lot of stations, however the MUF reached at least 97.5. It might have been much higher, but I was chasing what seemed to be enhanced meteor scatter for several minutes before I reallised these were in fact Es.
Only the FM3 was able to get RDS and noise free signals. The 9.2 was subject to 20dB of noise until the late evening and I could barely hear the Es.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
89.9 0208 AUT Ö2 - Radio Wien, Wien 1/Kahlenberg (wie) AC0C ____DIO* 1247km **
89.9 0401 G BBC Radio 2, Wenvoe or Black Hill BBC News **
92.1 0729 D Bayern 1, Brotjacklriegel (bay) Jingle ID. Thanks Konrad DX for help. 1021km **
Band 2 Sporadic E:
97.5 1736 HRV HRT-HR 2, Otocac/Stipanov Gric (gs) C202 ____HR_2 1439km
87.7 1738 HRV HRT-HR 1, Licka Pljesivica (gs) C201 __HR____ 1456km
Band 2 Scatter:
102.8 1354 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Wesel-Büderich (nrw) German OM, as 102.7 456km
103.3 1354 D Funkhaus Europa, Langenberg/Hordtberg (nrw) Noise free stereo 505km
97.8 1358 HOL Radio 2, Westdorpe/Verkavelingsweg (zee) ID and ads 323km
98.2 1358 HOL Radio 4, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Fair peaks 366km
96.3 1359 HOL Radio Veronica, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Ads 366km
97.6 1359 HOL Radio Decibel, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Fair, with ads 313km
94.5 1401 HOL Radio 4, Roermond/Alticom Toren (lim) Peaking over Peterborough 443km
92.0 1403 D WDR 5, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) OM news, as web 494km
89.6 1405 BEL VBRO, Brugge/Walakker (vlg-wvl) Nice peaks, almost noise free 295km
89.6 1405 F RDL-Radio Dallas Loisirs, Saint-Omer/Racquinghem (62) Blues song, fighting
with VBRO 306km
89.0 1406 BEL VRT MNM, Schoten (vlg-ant) Almost noise free 354km
100.0 1409 D WDR 4, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) Fair on peak 494km
103.1 1429 BEL Q-Music, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw/Norkring Toren (vlg-vbr) Fair peaks. Noise free stereo 376km
91.6 1710 D SWR3, Koblenz/Dieblich-Naßheck (rlp) Robbie Williams, as web 591km
** Personal Skegness 'First' via this mode
Three modes of propagation today!
The Es opening was tricky since signals were mostly too low for RDS. There weren't a lot of stations, however the MUF reached at least 97.5. It might have been much higher, but I was chasing what seemed to be enhanced meteor scatter for several minutes before I reallised these were in fact Es.
Only the FM3 was able to get RDS and noise free signals. The 9.2 was subject to 20dB of noise until the late evening and I could barely hear the Es.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <2m ASL.
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Rooftop Körner 9.2, 8m AGL & Yaesu G-5500 azimuthal/elevation rotator
Triax FM3 (Meteor Scatter)
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