After all the problems we had with aerials and neighbours at our last address, I had hoped for better things here. It seems this may not be the case. Neighbours! Damn neighbours!
After already being granted verbal permission to erect the 9.2
antenna, our new local housing association planning department telephoned me yesterday to
halt today's installation of my 9.2, on the grounds that my
temporary FM5 antenna had fallen into a neighbour's garden. Let me assure you it most certainly had not. The neighbour in question has a small row of very tall conifer trees which would not allow such a thing to happen. These are actually higher than my FM5. Maybe I should complain that the same conifers have spread several feet into our garden. So much so, in fact, that there is no room for me to rotate my FM5 aerial easily where it is. Even the planning officer wondered if this was a slight exaggeration on the part of the neighbour if she was only concerned that the FM5 might fall into
her garden. That's not how the complaint was received, however. Either way, it couldn't possibly have fallen anywhere as it was pressed firmly against the bungalow wall by the trees.
This neighbour has always seemed friendly, and even spoke to us this morning, but she obviously did not wish to confront us face to face about this matter.
So, our new planning officer said I would now have to go
via East Lindsey District Council's Planning Department
and obtain written permission to have my 9.2 erected,
which he doubted they would approve. This would cost me
£72. It actually costs around £400 should it need
to go to the Public Notice stage, after which they could still refuse permission and not have to refund the
fee, but such planning applications would usually be necessary only for larger structures, such as tall lattice towers, etc. I am really surprised to be referred to the local council.
The new planning officer also decided that he needed to check whether there might be a local covenant which restricts aerials at the new property. Personally, I would very much doubt this to be the case as many of the bungalows around here have unusually large masts for their television aerials, some as high as 20 feet above the rooftops. I would consider it very unfair if I were refused, so I hope common sense wins in the end.
After his visit, I telephoned ELDC and described the nature of my request, giving the physical size of the 9.2 antenna, including details about the rotator, etc., and the officer there said this was not an 'unusual' request and was classed as a "De Minimis" issue and so would not need written permission. I had not heard of this
expression before, but it basically means that this is a simple domestic matter which does not require full planning permission. Phew! The officer referred me back to the local housing officer, who is now due to visit us later today as a result and will either
grant or refuse permission for my 9.2 and the rotator, based
on how he sees it.
If permission is
refused then I am not even allowed to have a free-standing
FM aerial. If this happens then I will need to take the matter further as I cannot see that it is reasonable for the planning department to disallow something as simple as an FM radio antenna, though I wonder if I may have to scale things down and use something like an FM3.
Somewhat dismayed.
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Saturday, 29 March 2014
A Flag Antenna For Medium Wave
As DXers, we are constantly trying to improve our DXing setup: Increasing antenna height; Adding gadgets; Buying new receivers; Trying to cut down on noise, etc. Each improvement, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction. As a certain supermarket says, "Every little helps". If you are lucky, you might change something which makes a BIG difference. For me, changing from the cardioid loop to a flag antenna was one of those BIG improvements.
With the exception of changing from an analogue receiver, my AOR AR7030 in this case, to an SDR, the switch from a loop to a flag antenna easily made the second biggest improvement I have ever made to my medium wave DXing, its performance being far better than I had expected. Other articles I have read concerning the flag antenna only back this up. Compare the flag with other antennas and you'll immediately see why it is the preferred choice of many DXers, especially on the medium wave band.
Longwire Antenna:
Take the longwire antenna for starters, it's a random length of wire, strung out between two points. It's a general receiving antenna in every sense of the word. It works well enough, but it's omnidirectional and so picks up everything from all directions. The longwire is a great starter antenna.
Loop Antenna:
The loop antenna has three useful features. 1. It is inductively linked to your receiver, which means there is isolation between the antenna and the sources of QRM in the shack. 2. The loop antenna is bi-directional, having a 'figure of eight' pattern. 3. Some loop antennas are tuned with a variable capacitor which can offer a high amount of 'Q' and so can potentially reduce receiver overloading if you have multiple strong local signals.
Cardioid Loop Antenna:
This is an amalgamation of the loop antenna and longwire. It is possible to adjust the amplitude and phase of the antennas via a simple control box which chops off one of the lobes, resulting in the loop becoming a unidirectional antenna. I used to use such an array in my early days of medium wave DXing. It was possible to point one side of the loop in the direction of North America, a favourite target of mine, while reducing co-channel and adjacent channel interference from European stations coming in off the 'back' of the loop. This was reasonably easy since North America and most of Europe are received on opposite sides of the loop here in the UK. The deep nulls produced with the phasing controls would remove most problem European stations.
There was just one small drawback with the loop and longwire phasing system: The loop antenna is a high-angle receiving antenna, which meant that I could usually hear only east coast North American signals and nothing from the west coast - a target area of many medium wave DXers in the UK. This always seemed to be the case, even when conditions were good.
Beverage Antenna.
Named after its inventor, Doctor Harold Beverage from Maine, USA, the beverage is simply an untuned longwire. It is often used by medium wave DXers and is probably one of the simplest antennas to make. You need a lot of room though as they need to be at least half a wavelength long, so for medium wave, that would translate to 100 - 200 metres, though it is quite a forgiving, broadband antenna and they usually work well outside the designated frequencies. A full wavelength Beverage for medium wave would be 300 metres in length so it matches the centre of the band. The Beverage has a unidirectional pattern, but medium wave DXers will know that its strength comes from being a low-angle receiving antenna, so it is better at receiving signals from greater distances.
Flag Antenna:
Enter the genius of the flag antenna! Somehow, this simple construction manages to capture the more desirable qualities of all the other antennas put together ... qualities the medium wave DXer needs.
Call this a ewe antenna if you like. The main difference is the bottom of the vertical legs are joined together, as opposed to be being grounded as with the ewe. This antenna is fed at the bottom of one of the legs, though some designs are fed in the centre. There are various designs with slightly different characteristics, so there may be minor discrepancies here and there as to exactly what a flag (or ewe) antenna is. The design above still makes a superb DX antenna for the medium and long wave bands combined.
Benefits of the flag antenna:
* A decent amount of pick-up for such a compact antenna.
* A broad beamwidth, useful for receiving all the Americas from my QTH, for instance.
* A broad and deep null width.
* A low angle receiver, similar to the Beverage antenna.
* Physical isolation via the transformer, thus potentially reducing noise pickup.
* Broadband reception from long wave through to the tropical bands.
* Adjustable nulls, but without urgent need to retune for different parts of the band.
While the latter point is generally true, fine adjustments can be made which may offer some improvement, though for the most part you will find that once you tune in a null on the flag to the centre of medium wave, it will be experienced across the rest of the band, to a greater or lesser, but still highly usable degree. This is the case for me at least and I do not see any obvious improvement when I re-tune the null to a specific part of the band.
Note:
If you double the size of the flag, you will receive more signal level, but the null may be less effective and certainly not as deep. This effect has been noticed by several DXers. It may just be a case of individual quirks, but my own experience has found significantly poorer performance when the flag has been increased in size beyond the dimensions specified in the image above.
The flag antenna is basically the same as the ewe antenna regarding construction, apart from the lower wire which connects the bottom of both verticals, as opposed to grounding them. The letters "ewe" do not mean "east west east", but you can understand how this common misconception came to be when you consider the needs of the UK medium wave DXers. It actually refers to the shape of the antenna - i.e. an inverted "U" antenna.
Those who have tried both the ewe and the flag, as have I, will probably find the flag antenna offers deeper nulls. It is my personal favourite of the two, but both antennas are more than capable of providing good DX.
Further reading:
W7IUV Rotatable Flag for 160m
K6SE Flag Antenna
The EWE In The Garden - by Michael Schnitzer
Various articles about the Flag Antenna on the Hardcore DX website
W0BTU Beverage Receiving Antennas
John Faulkner
With the exception of changing from an analogue receiver, my AOR AR7030 in this case, to an SDR, the switch from a loop to a flag antenna easily made the second biggest improvement I have ever made to my medium wave DXing, its performance being far better than I had expected. Other articles I have read concerning the flag antenna only back this up. Compare the flag with other antennas and you'll immediately see why it is the preferred choice of many DXers, especially on the medium wave band.
Longwire Antenna:
Take the longwire antenna for starters, it's a random length of wire, strung out between two points. It's a general receiving antenna in every sense of the word. It works well enough, but it's omnidirectional and so picks up everything from all directions. The longwire is a great starter antenna.
Loop Antenna:
The loop antenna has three useful features. 1. It is inductively linked to your receiver, which means there is isolation between the antenna and the sources of QRM in the shack. 2. The loop antenna is bi-directional, having a 'figure of eight' pattern. 3. Some loop antennas are tuned with a variable capacitor which can offer a high amount of 'Q' and so can potentially reduce receiver overloading if you have multiple strong local signals.
Cardioid Loop Antenna:
This is an amalgamation of the loop antenna and longwire. It is possible to adjust the amplitude and phase of the antennas via a simple control box which chops off one of the lobes, resulting in the loop becoming a unidirectional antenna. I used to use such an array in my early days of medium wave DXing. It was possible to point one side of the loop in the direction of North America, a favourite target of mine, while reducing co-channel and adjacent channel interference from European stations coming in off the 'back' of the loop. This was reasonably easy since North America and most of Europe are received on opposite sides of the loop here in the UK. The deep nulls produced with the phasing controls would remove most problem European stations.
There was just one small drawback with the loop and longwire phasing system: The loop antenna is a high-angle receiving antenna, which meant that I could usually hear only east coast North American signals and nothing from the west coast - a target area of many medium wave DXers in the UK. This always seemed to be the case, even when conditions were good.
Beverage Antenna.
Named after its inventor, Doctor Harold Beverage from Maine, USA, the beverage is simply an untuned longwire. It is often used by medium wave DXers and is probably one of the simplest antennas to make. You need a lot of room though as they need to be at least half a wavelength long, so for medium wave, that would translate to 100 - 200 metres, though it is quite a forgiving, broadband antenna and they usually work well outside the designated frequencies. A full wavelength Beverage for medium wave would be 300 metres in length so it matches the centre of the band. The Beverage has a unidirectional pattern, but medium wave DXers will know that its strength comes from being a low-angle receiving antenna, so it is better at receiving signals from greater distances.
Flag Antenna:
Enter the genius of the flag antenna! Somehow, this simple construction manages to capture the more desirable qualities of all the other antennas put together ... qualities the medium wave DXer needs.
Call this a ewe antenna if you like. The main difference is the bottom of the vertical legs are joined together, as opposed to be being grounded as with the ewe. This antenna is fed at the bottom of one of the legs, though some designs are fed in the centre. There are various designs with slightly different characteristics, so there may be minor discrepancies here and there as to exactly what a flag (or ewe) antenna is. The design above still makes a superb DX antenna for the medium and long wave bands combined.
Benefits of the flag antenna:
* A decent amount of pick-up for such a compact antenna.
* A broad and deep null width.
* A low angle receiver, similar to the Beverage antenna.
* Physical isolation via the transformer, thus potentially reducing noise pickup.
* Broadband reception from long wave through to the tropical bands.
* Adjustable nulls, but without urgent need to retune for different parts of the band.
While the latter point is generally true, fine adjustments can be made which may offer some improvement, though for the most part you will find that once you tune in a null on the flag to the centre of medium wave, it will be experienced across the rest of the band, to a greater or lesser, but still highly usable degree. This is the case for me at least and I do not see any obvious improvement when I re-tune the null to a specific part of the band.
Note:
If you double the size of the flag, you will receive more signal level, but the null may be less effective and certainly not as deep. This effect has been noticed by several DXers. It may just be a case of individual quirks, but my own experience has found significantly poorer performance when the flag has been increased in size beyond the dimensions specified in the image above.
The flag antenna is basically the same as the ewe antenna regarding construction, apart from the lower wire which connects the bottom of both verticals, as opposed to grounding them. The letters "ewe" do not mean "east west east", but you can understand how this common misconception came to be when you consider the needs of the UK medium wave DXers. It actually refers to the shape of the antenna - i.e. an inverted "U" antenna.
Those who have tried both the ewe and the flag, as have I, will probably find the flag antenna offers deeper nulls. It is my personal favourite of the two, but both antennas are more than capable of providing good DX.
Further reading:
W7IUV Rotatable Flag for 160m
K6SE Flag Antenna
The EWE In The Garden - by Michael Schnitzer
Various articles about the Flag Antenna on the Hardcore DX website
W0BTU Beverage Receiving Antennas
John Faulkner
Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Skegness Log: 26-03-14 (FM)
Band 2 Scatter: 26-03-14:
89.2 1104 D NDR 2, Osnabrück/Schleptruper Egge (nds) News, as web 525km
89.9 1105 D NDR Kultur, Torfhaus (Harz-West) (nds) Almost noise free! 707km
94.6 1105 D MDR 1 Radio Sachsen-Anhalt, Brocken (san) End of news and ID 712km
92.1 1106 D NDR 2, Torfhaus (Harz-West) (nds) End of news and ID. Almost noise free! 707km
92.4 1109 D NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Osnabrück/Schleptruper Egge (nds) As web. Mixing with
Linz 525km
92.4 1110 D SWR1 Rheinland-Pfalz, Linz (Rhein)/Ginsterhahner Kopf (rlp) As web.
Mixing with Osnabruck 560km
99.0 1114 D HR1, Hoher Meißner (hes) German YL, as web. Very weak 684km
107.8 1119 D MDR Figaro, Brocken (san) Latin styled song, as web 712km
90.2 1121 D MDR JUMP, Inselsberg (thü) German OM talking, as web. Briefly on Lingen
fade 739km
95.3 1131 D YOU FM (hr), Hardberg (hes) Pops, as web. V weak 712km
The FM5 is about 2m above the rooftop and is showing what is possible with average winter conditions. Nearer German scatter was much weaker today. I was amazed to hear Torfhaus on 92.1 virtually noise free when I tuned on the frequency. Koblenz and Linz were also virtually noise free. This means the FM5 is working at least as well as it used to when it was on the garden mast at the last QTH. Still no word from the planning department regarding getting the 9.2 on the roof. I have been told this could take quite some time.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
89.2 1104 D NDR 2, Osnabrück/Schleptruper Egge (nds) News, as web 525km
89.9 1105 D NDR Kultur, Torfhaus (Harz-West) (nds) Almost noise free! 707km
94.6 1105 D MDR 1 Radio Sachsen-Anhalt, Brocken (san) End of news and ID 712km
92.1 1106 D NDR 2, Torfhaus (Harz-West) (nds) End of news and ID. Almost noise free! 707km
92.4 1109 D NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Osnabrück/Schleptruper Egge (nds) As web. Mixing with
Linz 525km
92.4 1110 D SWR1 Rheinland-Pfalz, Linz (Rhein)/Ginsterhahner Kopf (rlp) As web.
Mixing with Osnabruck 560km
99.0 1114 D HR1, Hoher Meißner (hes) German YL, as web. Very weak 684km
107.8 1119 D MDR Figaro, Brocken (san) Latin styled song, as web 712km
90.2 1121 D MDR JUMP, Inselsberg (thü) German OM talking, as web. Briefly on Lingen
fade 739km
95.3 1131 D YOU FM (hr), Hardberg (hes) Pops, as web. V weak 712km
The FM5 is about 2m above the rooftop and is showing what is possible with average winter conditions. Nearer German scatter was much weaker today. I was amazed to hear Torfhaus on 92.1 virtually noise free when I tuned on the frequency. Koblenz and Linz were also virtually noise free. This means the FM5 is working at least as well as it used to when it was on the garden mast at the last QTH. Still no word from the planning department regarding getting the 9.2 on the roof. I have been told this could take quite some time.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
FM Video Bandscan
This is a sample of the pick of the continental DX received here today on band 2. My receiver is a Sony XDR-F1HD with the Konrad i2c modification, controlled by the GTK software. I used this with a Triax FM5, at five metres above the ground, beamed in a south-easterly direction.
Reception is via aircraft scatter, but you will hear a few meteor pings here and there.
I typed the name of each station and the transmitter site at the bottom of the window in dark red. Being familiar with the band here I can say with certainty what each station was, but I was lucky with IDs today so there are plenty to hear.
Conditions were variable, as they usually are here, but about average for the time of year.
Good DX!
John
Reception is via aircraft scatter, but you will hear a few meteor pings here and there.
I typed the name of each station and the transmitter site at the bottom of the window in dark red. Being familiar with the band here I can say with certainty what each station was, but I was lucky with IDs today so there are plenty to hear.
Conditions were variable, as they usually are here, but about average for the time of year.
Good DX!
John
Sunday, 23 March 2014
Skegness Log: 23-03-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor Scatter: 23-03-14:
107.9 0058 D Radio TON Neckar Alb, Sickingen/Wasserturm (bwü) Slow pop song, as web
806km **
107.9 0114 D R SA, Döbeln (1kW) or Auerbach (100W) Blues rock track, as web **
107.9 0152 D delta radio, Lübeck Berkenthin (shs) Billy Idol styled song, as web.
Two second burst 690km **
107.9 0154 D Rockland Radio, Hohe Wurzel [hes] 6.2kW or Bitburg (100W) Heart song, as web **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
I recorded 107.9 once again in the hope that I might catch some low power German stations and tonight I got lucky!
I was able to record all German language web streams, including those from Austria, with the exception of Einslive which already comes in well on scatter. This way I would be able to determine which stations were carrying shared overnight programming, thus reducing the risk of logging the wrong station. And another surprise - I never expected to hear such regularity of two low power stations.
Radio TON Neckar Alb and R SA became the most common bursters on this frequency tonight, whereas they were not heard at all on previous nights - I only heard the higher powered regulars. Rockland Radio was also a nice catch, but both Rockland and SA have two transmitters on the frequency so I cannot be sure which one I received.
Another interesting thing is that all loggings and observations were made within the first hour of monitoring. Meteor scatter suddenly dropped down after this.
Despite a very disturbed day with thunder storms, scatter has been superb.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
107.9 0058 D Radio TON Neckar Alb, Sickingen/Wasserturm (bwü) Slow pop song, as web
806km **
107.9 0114 D R SA, Döbeln (1kW) or Auerbach (100W) Blues rock track, as web **
107.9 0152 D delta radio, Lübeck Berkenthin (shs) Billy Idol styled song, as web.
Two second burst 690km **
107.9 0154 D Rockland Radio, Hohe Wurzel [hes] 6.2kW or Bitburg (100W) Heart song, as web **
** Personal Skegness 'First'
I recorded 107.9 once again in the hope that I might catch some low power German stations and tonight I got lucky!
I was able to record all German language web streams, including those from Austria, with the exception of Einslive which already comes in well on scatter. This way I would be able to determine which stations were carrying shared overnight programming, thus reducing the risk of logging the wrong station. And another surprise - I never expected to hear such regularity of two low power stations.
Radio TON Neckar Alb and R SA became the most common bursters on this frequency tonight, whereas they were not heard at all on previous nights - I only heard the higher powered regulars. Rockland Radio was also a nice catch, but both Rockland and SA have two transmitters on the frequency so I cannot be sure which one I received.
Another interesting thing is that all loggings and observations were made within the first hour of monitoring. Meteor scatter suddenly dropped down after this.
Despite a very disturbed day with thunder storms, scatter has been superb.
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
Thursday, 20 March 2014
Skegness Log: 20-03-14 (FM)
Band 2 Scatter: 20-03-14:
96.3 0756 D NDR 2, Heide Welmbüttel (shs) Queen song, ID and ads 599km
87.9 0758 D NDR Info, Heide Welmbüttel (shs) OM, as web 599km
105.1 0806 D Antenne Niedersachsen, Rosengarten-Langenrehm (nds) Pops, as 105.7 634km
105.6 0807 D delta radio, Flensburg Freienwill (shs) Rock track, as web 626km
91.1 0809 D NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Steinkimmen (nds) D381 NDR1_NDS 543km
96.4 0812 D NDR Info, Aurich (nds) NDR Info Norddeutschland Kontakt ID 478km
105.9 0818 D Antenne Niedersachsen, Osnabrück/Schleptruper Egge (nds) Phone caller,
as 105.7 525km
89.6 0950 F France Culture, Villers-Cotterêts/Fleury (02) Weak YL, as 98.0 474km
93.6 0955 HOL Slam!FM, Zwollerkerspel/Alticom Toren (ove) Dance track, as 93.8 396km
92.8 0956 D NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Lingen-Damaschke (nds) Mixing Profondeville,
as web 477km
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
96.3 0756 D NDR 2, Heide Welmbüttel (shs) Queen song, ID and ads 599km
87.9 0758 D NDR Info, Heide Welmbüttel (shs) OM, as web 599km
105.1 0806 D Antenne Niedersachsen, Rosengarten-Langenrehm (nds) Pops, as 105.7 634km
105.6 0807 D delta radio, Flensburg Freienwill (shs) Rock track, as web 626km
91.1 0809 D NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Steinkimmen (nds) D381 NDR1_NDS 543km
96.4 0812 D NDR Info, Aurich (nds) NDR Info Norddeutschland Kontakt ID 478km
105.9 0818 D Antenne Niedersachsen, Osnabrück/Schleptruper Egge (nds) Phone caller,
as 105.7 525km
89.6 0950 F France Culture, Villers-Cotterêts/Fleury (02) Weak YL, as 98.0 474km
93.6 0955 HOL Slam!FM, Zwollerkerspel/Alticom Toren (ove) Dance track, as 93.8 396km
92.8 0956 D NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Lingen-Damaschke (nds) Mixing Profondeville,
as web 477km
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Skegness Log: 19-03-14 (FM)
Band 2 Tropo:
19-03-14:
89.4 0933 F France Musique, Brest/Roc Trédudon (29) Classical music, as 88.7 604km
92.3 1000 BEL RTBF Vivacité, Anderlues/Mont-Sainte-Geneviève (wal-hnt) Riding over
Peterborough in good scatter 409km
107.0 1010 D WDR Eins Live, Olsberg (nrw) Down By The River song, as 106.7 592km
94.6 2240 D MDR 1 Radio Sachsen-Anhalt, Brocken (san) ID between pops 712km
93.6 2244 D SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Scharteberg (Eifel) (rlp) Vocal ID 550km
93.4 2246 HOL Radio Rijnmond, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Dutch
conversation, as web 313km
107.3 2250 D hr4, Heidelstein (Rhön) [bay] (hes) Weak but stable. Instrumental, as
web 729km
107.2 2251 D WDR Eins Live, Ederkopf (nrw) Noise free and stable. As 106.7 592km
105.3 2254 D B5 aktuell, Kreuzberg (Rhön) (bay) B Funf Aktuell ID. Sports news 732km
107.8 2256 D MDR Figaro, Brocken (san) Classical, as web 712km
107.9 2256 D BR Klassik, Kreuzberg (Rhön) (bay) YL, as web 732km
107.6 2259 G KMFM, Ashford/Charter House (EN-KNT) ID and ads 226km
101.4 2304 D Radio SAW, Brocken (san) Das Radio SAW Nachtjournal 712km
101.7 2304 BEL AFN PowerNet, Everberg (vlg-vbr) NPR News 386km
95.9 2307 D WDR 3, Aachen/Stolberg (nrw) Squashing Humberside 483km
102.7 2312 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Nordhelle (nrw) OMs, over Tournai 553km
102.8 2313 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Wesel-Büderich (nrw) Phone caller, as 102.7 456km
104.2 2314 BEL AFN PowerNet, Casteau-Shape (wal-hnt) Slightly ahead of 101.7 386km
106.3 2317 D SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Bad Marienberg (rlp) German OM YL, as web 592km
107.4 2329 D Radio Wuppertal, Wuppertal/Westfalenweg (nrw) Noise free. Pops, as web
508km
106.6 2331 D big fm (Rheinland-Pfalz), Scharteberg (Eifel) (rlp) German OM, as web.
Squashing Smooth 550km
97.4 2338 D Deutschlandradio Kultur, Brocken (san) Good signal. Classical, as web 712km
96.3 2339 D WDR 3, Bärbelkreuz (Eifel) (nrw) Classical, as web 519km
89.6 2342 D WDR 5, Bärbelkreuz (Eifel) (nrw) German OM, as 90.6 519km
89.4 2343 D NE-WS 89,4, Düsseldorf/Rheinturm (nrw) Pops, as web 488km
89.0 2344 D 89.0 RTL, Brocken (san) ID jingle 712km
87.8 2346 D WDR 2, Schwerte/Sommerberg (nrw) YL and OM humour, as web, then light pops
525km
106.9 2349 D Radio Euskirchen, Schleiden/Broicher Höhe (nrw) Pops, as 107.4. Slightly
ahead of 107.4 514km
107.1 2351 D SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Haardtkopf (rlp) Almost noise free. Gentle pops,
as web 593km
92.1 2355 D NDR 2, Torfhaus (Harz-West) (nds) D382 707km
104.9 2359 D big fm (Rheinland-Pfalz), Ahrweiler/Schöneberg (rlp) Jingle ID 553km
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
89.4 0933 F France Musique, Brest/Roc Trédudon (29) Classical music, as 88.7 604km
92.3 1000 BEL RTBF Vivacité, Anderlues/Mont-Sainte-Geneviève (wal-hnt) Riding over
Peterborough in good scatter 409km
107.0 1010 D WDR Eins Live, Olsberg (nrw) Down By The River song, as 106.7 592km
94.6 2240 D MDR 1 Radio Sachsen-Anhalt, Brocken (san) ID between pops 712km
93.6 2244 D SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Scharteberg (Eifel) (rlp) Vocal ID 550km
93.4 2246 HOL Radio Rijnmond, Rotterdam/Alticom Toren (Waalhaven) (zho) Dutch
conversation, as web 313km
107.3 2250 D hr4, Heidelstein (Rhön) [bay] (hes) Weak but stable. Instrumental, as
web 729km
107.2 2251 D WDR Eins Live, Ederkopf (nrw) Noise free and stable. As 106.7 592km
105.3 2254 D B5 aktuell, Kreuzberg (Rhön) (bay) B Funf Aktuell ID. Sports news 732km
107.8 2256 D MDR Figaro, Brocken (san) Classical, as web 712km
107.9 2256 D BR Klassik, Kreuzberg (Rhön) (bay) YL, as web 732km
107.6 2259 G KMFM, Ashford/Charter House (EN-KNT) ID and ads 226km
101.4 2304 D Radio SAW, Brocken (san) Das Radio SAW Nachtjournal 712km
101.7 2304 BEL AFN PowerNet, Everberg (vlg-vbr) NPR News 386km
95.9 2307 D WDR 3, Aachen/Stolberg (nrw) Squashing Humberside 483km
102.7 2312 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Nordhelle (nrw) OMs, over Tournai 553km
102.8 2313 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Wesel-Büderich (nrw) Phone caller, as 102.7 456km
104.2 2314 BEL AFN PowerNet, Casteau-Shape (wal-hnt) Slightly ahead of 101.7 386km
106.3 2317 D SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Bad Marienberg (rlp) German OM YL, as web 592km
107.4 2329 D Radio Wuppertal, Wuppertal/Westfalenweg (nrw) Noise free. Pops, as web
508km
106.6 2331 D big fm (Rheinland-Pfalz), Scharteberg (Eifel) (rlp) German OM, as web.
Squashing Smooth 550km
97.4 2338 D Deutschlandradio Kultur, Brocken (san) Good signal. Classical, as web 712km
96.3 2339 D WDR 3, Bärbelkreuz (Eifel) (nrw) Classical, as web 519km
89.6 2342 D WDR 5, Bärbelkreuz (Eifel) (nrw) German OM, as 90.6 519km
89.4 2343 D NE-WS 89,4, Düsseldorf/Rheinturm (nrw) Pops, as web 488km
89.0 2344 D 89.0 RTL, Brocken (san) ID jingle 712km
87.8 2346 D WDR 2, Schwerte/Sommerberg (nrw) YL and OM humour, as web, then light pops
525km
106.9 2349 D Radio Euskirchen, Schleiden/Broicher Höhe (nrw) Pops, as 107.4. Slightly
ahead of 107.4 514km
107.1 2351 D SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Haardtkopf (rlp) Almost noise free. Gentle pops,
as web 593km
92.1 2355 D NDR 2, Torfhaus (Harz-West) (nds) D382 707km
104.9 2359 D big fm (Rheinland-Pfalz), Ahrweiler/Schöneberg (rlp) Jingle ID 553km
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Skegness Log: 18-03-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor
Scatter: 18-03-14:
107.9 0435 D BR Klassik, Kreuzberg (Rhön) (bay) Violin concerto, as web 732km **
107.9 0544 D WDR Eins Live, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) Pops, as web 493km **
Band 2 Tropo: 18-03-14:
102.6 0922 D RPR 1., Saarburg/Geisberg (rlp) Peter Gabiel Solsbury Hill, as web.
Battling with Tournai 586km
98.4 0925 HOL NPO Radio 1, Markelo/Alticom Toren (ove) Dutch OM. Pushing in at the side
of Belmont 98.3 424km
98.2 0926 HOL NPO Radio 4, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Piano, as web. Pushing in
at the side of Belmont 98.3 365km
92.0 0930 D WDR 5, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) Noise free peaks 493km
97.5 0946 D SWR3, Bornberg (rlp) Guitar song, as web, briefly over Schoten 640km
93.3 0949 D WDR 2, Kleve/Bresserberg (nrw) Pops, as 93.5. Almost noise free on peak
420km
105.3 1208 D B5 aktuell, Kreuzberg (Rhön) (bay) German YL and public gathering sounds,
as web. First time here on scatter 732km
105.6 1532 D SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Donnersberg (rlp) SWR4 Rheinland Pfalz traffic ID
656km
101.7 1535 D Radio Salü, Saarbrücken/Schoksberg (saa) Decent peak with ID between songs
628km
** Personal Skegness 'First' via the respective mode
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
107.9 0435 D BR Klassik, Kreuzberg (Rhön) (bay) Violin concerto, as web 732km **
107.9 0544 D WDR Eins Live, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) Pops, as web 493km **
Band 2 Tropo: 18-03-14:
102.6 0922 D RPR 1., Saarburg/Geisberg (rlp) Peter Gabiel Solsbury Hill, as web.
Battling with Tournai 586km
98.4 0925 HOL NPO Radio 1, Markelo/Alticom Toren (ove) Dutch OM. Pushing in at the side
of Belmont 98.3 424km
98.2 0926 HOL NPO Radio 4, Loon op Zand/Alticom Toren (nbr) Piano, as web. Pushing in
at the side of Belmont 98.3 365km
92.0 0930 D WDR 5, Münster/Baumberg (nrw) Noise free peaks 493km
97.5 0946 D SWR3, Bornberg (rlp) Guitar song, as web, briefly over Schoten 640km
93.3 0949 D WDR 2, Kleve/Bresserberg (nrw) Pops, as 93.5. Almost noise free on peak
420km
105.3 1208 D B5 aktuell, Kreuzberg (Rhön) (bay) German YL and public gathering sounds,
as web. First time here on scatter 732km
105.6 1532 D SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Donnersberg (rlp) SWR4 Rheinland Pfalz traffic ID
656km
101.7 1535 D Radio Salü, Saarbrücken/Schoksberg (saa) Decent peak with ID between songs
628km
** Personal Skegness 'First' via the respective mode
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
Monday, 17 March 2014
Skegness Log: 17-03-14 (FM)
Band 2 Meteor
Scatter: 17-03-14:
106.3 0119 D SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Bad Marienberg (rlp) Bee Gees song, as web. Two
second burst 592km **
106.3 0133 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Hornisgrinde/SWR (bwü) Could also be Schwerin, but
Hornisgrinde more likely. Four second burst 748km **
Band 2 Tropo: 17-03-14:
101.70 1612 D Radio Salü, Saarbrücken/Schoksberg (saa) German pop song, as web 628km
** Personal Skegness 'First' via the respective mode
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
106.3 0119 D SWR4 Rheinland-Pfalz, Bad Marienberg (rlp) Bee Gees song, as web. Two
second burst 592km **
106.3 0133 D Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Hornisgrinde/SWR (bwü) Could also be Schwerin, but
Hornisgrinde more likely. Four second burst 748km **
Band 2 Tropo: 17-03-14:
101.70 1612 D Radio Salü, Saarbrücken/Schoksberg (saa) German pop song, as web 628km
** Personal Skegness 'First' via the respective mode
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
Skegness Log: 16-03-14 (FM)
Band 2 Scatter Log: 16-03-14:
95.4 0833 F France Inter, Amiens/Saint-Just-en-Chaussée [60] (80) F201 __IN____ Currently
FM5 fixed to the south-east! 431km
94.5 0917 HOL NPO Radio 4, Roermond/Alticom Toren (lim) Nicely over Peterborough on aircraft
scatter 443km
107.3 1142 D hr4, Heidelstein (Rhön) [bay] (hes) Ger,man YL song, as web 729km
107.7 1150 LUX Den Neie Radio (DNR), Blaschette/Kandel (gld) Pops, as web 557km
104.2 1208 BEL AFN PowerNet, Casteau-Shape (wal-hnt) Seems quite regular. US chat, etc. 386km
89.4 1214 D NE-WS 89,4, Düsseldorf/Rheinturm (nrw) Almost noise free on scatter 488km
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
95.4 0833 F France Inter, Amiens/Saint-Just-en-Chaussée [60] (80) F201 __IN____ Currently
FM5 fixed to the south-east! 431km
94.5 0917 HOL NPO Radio 4, Roermond/Alticom Toren (lim) Nicely over Peterborough on aircraft
scatter 443km
107.3 1142 D hr4, Heidelstein (Rhön) [bay] (hes) Ger,man YL song, as web 729km
107.7 1150 LUX Den Neie Radio (DNR), Blaschette/Kandel (gld) Pops, as web 557km
104.2 1208 BEL AFN PowerNet, Casteau-Shape (wal-hnt) Seems quite regular. US chat, etc. 386km
89.4 1214 D NE-WS 89,4, Düsseldorf/Rheinturm (nrw) Almost noise free on scatter 488km
Good DX!
John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
Receivers:
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c modification & XDR-GTK software.
Aerial:
Triax FM5, five meters AGL.
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