Skegness Log: 20-12-14 (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
 89.9 0346 CZE CRo Dvojka, Liberec/Ješted (LI) 232E  1038km **
 91.7 0348  E  Radio Euskadi, Bilbao=Bilbo/Ganeta (PVA-BI) E302  1130km
 88.1 0418  F  France Inter, Multi-tx YL, as 91.3 Marseille **
 90.5 0446 CZE CRo Hradec Králové, Trutnov/Cerná hora (KR) 280A R-HK  1091km
 90.5 0517  D  NDR 1 Radio MV, Helpterberg (mev) D371  881km
 99.1 0914 NOR NRK Petre, Melhus/Vassfjellet Vassfjellvegen (st) F203 N  1265km **
100.2 0914 NOR Radio Norge, Reinsfjell (mr) Norwegian pops, as 101.1  1174km
100.6 0914 NOR Radio Norge, Lønahorgi (ho) Norwegian pops, as 101.1  916km
101.1 0914 NOR Radio Norge, Melhus/Vassfjellet Vassfjellvegen (st) F21A  1265km **
102.0 0914 NOR Radio Norge, Førde (sf) Norwegian pops, as 101.1  979km **
102.4 0914 NOR Radio Norge, Kopparen/Vallersund (st) Norwegian pops, as 101.1  1302km **
101.3 0921  S  SR P4, Borlänge/Teracoms mast Idkerberget (da) E224  1204km
 99.0 0938  S  SR P3, Nässjö/Teracom mast Berg (jo) E203  1031km **
 99.9 0938  S  SR P3, Finnveden (Gislaved)/Bredaryd Skyttebo TM (jo) OM and YL, as 99.0  961km
103.6 0938  S  SR P4, Kisa (Kinda)/TM (og) Very likely Kisa. E224 SR_P1  1095km **

** Personal 'First'

Following a full wipe of my hard drive and a fresh re-installation of Windows 7/64 I had hoped my computer problems had gone away. Not a chance! All the annoying quirks I had hoped to get rid of are still present. In fact things are worse as I have a virus called Vosteran. Don't ask me how this got on my computer as I have been extremely careful not to install software from the wrong sites, so Firefox, Chrome, ets. all came from the correct location and I did not click on an advert. In fact nothing at all was amiss when I was going through the installation processes. No dodgy toolbars. Yet my browsers have been hijacked and things are just not working well at all.

I still have the same sound card problems. Bandicam will not see my soundcard no matter what I do, so no DX recordings are possible at the moment - only silent video.

I have installed and tried all the main free antivirus packages, excluding Norton, and none of them see this virus. So there is no point in me doing a System Restore or further wipe/re-installation as the problem will only recur. I know the virus exists on other drives where I have important files, so my hands are tied for now. This is a great pity as the re-installation of Windows 7.64 went so smoothly i had to pick myself up off the floor several times.

Good DX!

John Faulkner
Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver:
Elad FDM-S2

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is 3 metres asl.
Triax FM3, one metre above the ground as a phasing antenna.
Fringe Electronics 20dB & Labgear 30dB band 2 pre-amps.
HS Publications Antenna Phaser.

Rotator:
Yaesu G-5500 azimuth & elevation rotator, allowing antenna to be vertical, horizontal, etc.

Skegness Log: 19-12-14 (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
103.4 0356 EST Raadio 2, Orissaare (Saa) 22E2  1533km **
105.9 0356 EST Vikerraadio, Orissaare (Saa) 22E1  1533km **
107.8 0356 EST Klassikaraadio, Orissaare (Saa) 22E3  1533km **
104.7 0408 POL Radio Maryja, Bialystok/Krynice (PL) 3232  1506km **
106.2 0408 POL Radio Maryja, Lidzbark Warminski/Dabrowskiego (WM) Religious song,
               as 104.7  1334km **
106.3 0408 POL Radio Maryja, Klodzko, Plock or Lezajsk Religious song,
               as 104.7  **
107.6 0424 FIN Radio Nova, Kristiinankaupunki-
               Kristinestad/Lapväärtti-Pyhävuo (po) 6209  1610km **
103.8 0812 NOR P4 R Hele Norge, Mosvik/Skavlen (nt) F214  1329km
103.7 0833 FIN YLE Puhe, Espoo - Esbo/Saunalahti-Tillinmäki (uu) 6207  1665km
103.9 0833 FIN Radio Nova, Turku - Åbo/Kaarina-Kuusisto, Vuolahdentie 137 (vs)
               Pops, as 106.2  1553km
106.2 0833 FIN Radio Nova, Espoo - Esbo/Saunalahti-Tillinmäki (uu) 6209  1665km
103.3 0839  S  SR P4 Västerbotten, Lycksele/Knaften-Rålidsberget TM (vb) ED24  1629km **
103.9 0839  S  SR P4 Västerbotten, Skellefteå/Prästfäbodsberget TM (vb) Jazzy vibes,
               as 103.3  1736km **
107.2 0839 FIN The Voice, Kruunupyy - Kronoby/Alaveteli-Saarukantie (po) 62AB  1772km **
103.6 0846  G  BBC Radio 4 FM, Rosemarkie (SC-HIL) C204  570km
104.9 1428  G  BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal, Rosemarkie (SC-HIL) C316  570km

** Personal 'First'

An early one here!

Unable to record any videos due to the continuing breakdown of Windows. Now to get that re-installation started. Wish me luck! Hopefully I'll be back before the year's out.

Good DX!

John Faulkner
Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver:
Elad FDM-S2

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is 3 metres asl.
Triax FM3, one metre above the ground as a phasing antenna.
Fringe Electronics 20dB & Labgear 30dB band 2 pre-amps.
HS Publications Antenna Phaser.

Rotator:
Yaesu G-5500 azimuth & elevation rotator, allowing antenna to be vertical, horizontal, etc.

Skegness Log: 18-12-14 (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
105.4 0133  I  Südtirol 1, Brenner=Brennero/Zirog Alm=Zirago (bz) 5F51  1052km
105.6 0141 ROU SRR Radio Resita, Resita/Semenic (CS) EE03  1801km
104.3 0153  I  Radio Subasio, Campello sul Clitunno or Città di Castello (pg) 53FD **
102.8 0154 HRV HRT Radio Osijek, Beli Manastir (os) C317  1552km
104.1 0200  D  delta radio, Bungsberg/DTAG-Turm (shs) D3E9  694km
102.0 0210 HRV HRT Radio Osijek, Psunj (sb) C317  1500km
103.1 0213 POL Radio ZET, Solina/G.Jawor II (PK) Pops, as 103.4  1591km **
103.6 0213 POL Radio RDN Malopolska, Tarnów/Lichwin (MP) 3508 -R_D_N- PI:3507 PS:_R_D_N__ 1465km **
101.7 0214  D  Radio Salü, Saarbrücken/Schoksberg (saa) D3B8  628km
103.4 0221  F  France Info, Lyon/Mont Pilat (42) F206  917km
103.3 0235  D  Antenne Bayern, Unterringingen (bay) D318  863km
102.9 0236  D  Radio PSR, Leipzig Wiederau (sac) D3C8  843km **
 88.4 0713  F  France Culture, Bar-le-Duc/Willeroncourt (55) F202  607km
 89.4 0713 SUI Radio Fribourg, Sorens/Gibloux (fr) 4F1C  864km **

** Personal 'First'

It looks like Südtirol 1 from Brenner on 105.4 is going to be one of those transmitters which gets out well via meteor scatter. I also had it a couple of times via sporadic E this year. So it's probably not the rarity I was expecting it might have been.

I have mentioned about the FDM-S2's ability to decode RDS accurately and at low signal levels, but there is a really useful thing you can do to enhance this feature even more. Providing the signal is strong enough you can loop a meteor scatter signal, over and over again if necessary, and the software should be able to extract a little bit more of data with each pass. This method often teases out the RDS PI and sometimes PS information where one single pass isn't quite enough. Here is a video to demonstrate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcUE34MDHhM The station is Radio RDN Malopolska from Tarnów.

Now then, there is no audio on this video, I just realised that Windoze has lost my soundcard. This has been acting up for a while and I have to keep installing the drivers. I am having so many problems with Windoze at the moment that the full wipe of the hard drive and re-installation is looming very close now. Hopefully tomorrow if I get the time.

Here's another one from today - Radio Fribourg from Sorens on 89.4: http://youtu.be/mCmOzcWMPMA No audio again, but the PI code is there.

Good DX!

John Faulkner
Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver:
Elad FDM-S2

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is 3 metres asl.
Triax FM3, one metre above the ground as a phasing antenna.
Fringe Electronics 20dB & Labgear 30dB band 2 pre-amps.
HS Publications Antenna Phaser.

Rotator:
Yaesu G-5500 azimuth & elevation rotator, allowing antenna to be vertical, horizontal, etc.

Skegness Log: 17-12-14 (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
103.8 0447 POL Radio ZET, Klodzko/Czarna Góra (DS) 3205  1177km
104.1 0447 POL Radio ZET, Kraków/Choragwica (MP) Pops, as 103.8  1406km
102.6 0458  D  Radio TON Heilbronn, Schwäbisch Hall (bwü) Vocal ID  795km
103.5 0458 HRV HKR-Hrvatski Katolicki Radio, Zagreb/Sljeme (zg) C204  1381km
103.0 0513  I  RAI Radio1, Menconico/Monte Penice (RAI) (pv) 5201 RADI  1136km
104.1 0521 CZE Frekvence 1, Plzen/Krasov (PL) 2205 F1  947km
100.3 0524 SVK SRo 2 Rádio Regina, Kosice/Dubník (KE) 5D60  1544km **
104.0 0524 SVK Fun Rádio, Banská Bystrica/Suchá hora (BB) 5340  1392km
100.9 0527 POL PR Radio Merkury, Poznan/Srem (WP) 3755  1127km

** Personal 'First'

Virtually nothing in the way of meteor scatter until later in the morning, but I was lucky enough to catch a vocal ID from Radio TON from the 3kW Schwäbisch Hall transmitter in Baden-Württemberg.

Good DX!

John Faulkner
Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver:
Elad FDM-S2

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is 3 metres asl.
Triax FM3, one metre above the ground as a phasing antenna.
Fringe Electronics 20dB & Labgear 30dB band 2 pre-amps.
HS Publications Antenna Phaser.

Rotator:
Yaesu G-5500 azimuth & elevation rotator, allowing antenna to be vertical, horizontal, etc.

Skegness Log: 16-12-14 (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
101.7 0255 POL Katolickie Radio Podlasie, Siedlce/Losice (MW) 3F65 PODLASIE  1512km **
104.1 0306 ROU SRR Radio România Actualitati, Oradea=Nagyvárad (BH) EE00 RR  1677km
102.9 0316 AUT FM 4, Klagenfurt 1/Dobratsch-Villacher Alpe (kae) A213  1199km
103.6 0316 AUT FM 4, Spittal (Drau) 1/Goldeck (kae) Alternative music, as 102.9  1175km
104.0 0316 AUT FM 4, Linz 1/Lichtenberg (obe) Alternative song, as 102.9  1111km **
104.0 0316  D  big fm (Rheinland-Pfalz), Koblenz/Kühkopf (rlp) D3A9  590km
102.0 0349 HRV HRT Radio Split, Biokovo/Sveti Jure (st) C31A R-SPLIT  1643km
 97.7 0457 HRV HRT-HR 3, Papuk/Kapovac (vt) C203  1523km **
 99.1 0457 AUT Antenne Steiermark, Graz 1/Schöckl (ste) A943  1261km
 96.5 0513 DNK DR P4 København, København-Gladsaxe/Isbanevej 4 (hvs) 9602  836km **
 97.7 0513  S  SR P3, Karlskrona/Vämö-Bryggareberget TM (bl) E203  1036km **
 98.7 0514  D  SWR1 Baden-Württemberg, Grünten (Allgäu) [bay] (bwü) D301  942km **
 90.5 0729 POL PR Radio Rzeszów, Krosno/Sucha Góra (PK) 3417  1530km
 92.8 0808  I  Radio Studio Delta, Cesena/Frazione Borello-Via Luzzena 5366P-Monte 
               Cavallo (fc) Vocal ID by male presenter  1328km
 93.3 0823 CZE CRo Vltava, Plzen/Radec (PL) 232D  993km **

** Personal 'First'

Good DX!

John Faulkner
Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver:
Elad FDM-S2

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is 3 metres asl.
Triax FM3, one metre above the ground as a phasing antenna.
Fringe Electronics 20dB & Labgear 30dB band 2 pre-amps.
HS Publications Antenna Phaser.

Rotator:
Yaesu G-5500 azimuth & elevation rotator, allowing antenna to be vertical, horizontal, etc.

The (In)Famous Faulkner FM Loop Antenna!

Yes, that's how it has come to be known. I didn't design it. I didn't invent it. But I did create this scribble of a diagram in Micro$oft Paint. Yes. Try not to laugh too hard. The story behind this antenna goes back to the 50s or 60s when a DXer called Frank Smales published an article in the Medium Wave News called "A Loop Antenna for FM?" It is based on the design of a cubical quad. But the beauty of this simple folded loop is that it has a reasonable amount of gain over a half wave dipole. I have seen quotes of up to 5.5dB, but we can probably expect it to be somewhat less than that. Let's very roughly compare it to a three element Yagi in terms of gain.

What I do not want to do in this article is delve into anything technical. This is a simple antenna which is easy to throw together using "Bodgitt & Scarper" techniques and ... it actually works very well!

It's not a big antenna. It's less than a metre square. It works well indoors and out and, because this design is not easily de-tuned by being close to nearby objects, it even works quite well when I've had it leaning against a wall on the living room floor.

I have been singing the praises of this design for years and I often recommend this little antenna to newcomers to the hobby since they are so simple (Not the newcomers!) to put together and cost next to nothing. This is the reason it has come to be known as the Faulkner Loop Antenna. Oh well, it's a small claim to fame. It's amazing what you can do with an old piece of coax. That's right! It's a piece of coax. The design in the original MWN article recommended the use of a length of coax to form the loop itself. Make sure you twist the inner core and outer braiding together though.

To resonate in the centre of our FM band (98 MHz) the loop needs to be about 30 inches square, that's 78cm in European. Add or subtract six inches to resonate at either end of the band if you want to experiment, but this is fairly forgiving antenna and should cover the entire band very well.

Note the connection points A and B in the centre of the bottom part of the loop. If you have the coax fed at this particular point then you have a horizontal loop. rotate the loop 90 degrees so the feed is on one side and you have a vertical loop. If you connect in one of the lower corners then you have a loop of mixed polarisation, but since I haven't tried such a configuration I am unable to comment on how useful the performance is when this way. A 'slant' dipole doe not seem to be a good idea as you have a degree of 'loss' from both planes, so concentrate on horizontal or vertical. I do not know if the same is true of this loop antennas.

The reason I built a loop antenna back in the 90s was because I had just moved into a property and did not have an outdoor antenna at the time. The loop really surprised me as I discovered that it had sufficient gain in order to resolve full RDS from meteor scattered signals. The loop was only resting on the bedroom floor and leaning against the wall at the time! With this level of performance I have always wondered why there aren't more of us using these simple antennas.

I soon began using an FM loop when DXing mobile in the Derbyshire hills. The resulting logs were impressive, even when conditions were about as flat as the loop itself! The loop would be resting on a tree branch about eight feet above the ground.

This loop receives 'front and back' with its figure of eight pattern and the the side nulls are very deep. You can also make this loop more directional by adding "reflector" and "director" loops of an appropriate size. But as with all antennas, the best results will be achieved if it is mounted outdoors and clear of nearby objects.

The next paragraphs are taken from my original article so please excuse any repetition:

The construction bit
This antenna uses Bodgitt & Scarper technology.  It is so simple even I knocked one up in a matter of minutes.  You don't need to rely on my design, however, you may wish to make the construction a lot more sturdy, but the purpose of this article is to show how you can achieve good results with the simplest of constructional effort.  If you are going to use the loop externally for an extended length of time then it would benefit by being made more sturdy and suitably waterproofed.

I constructed the loop quickly to use in mobile situations where I just throw the loop up into a tree or hang it on a branch. I will get round to constructing something more solid one day - perhaps!  This is what I used ...

*  Square wooden doweling around 2 cm thick (around half an inch). Enough for four x
    78 cm lengths = 312 cm total (or 4 x 30 inch lengths = 120 inches total).
    half an inch square).
*  At least 15 metres (50 feet) of good quality 75 ohm coax cable
*  Screw terminal blocks
*  Sticky tape - duct / gaffer variety Alternatively, you could construct the loop out of plumbers
    copper pipe instead of coax and some 90 degree corner joints.  Make sure you insulate the copper
    though with thick tape though if you intend to hang the loop on tree branches.  Any physical
    contact *may* degrade performance.

The receiving element itself is a 30 inch (78 cm) square loop of the coax, so you will need to construct a suitably sized wooden frame, say 10 mm (half an inch) less each side of the wooden doweling around which you will wrap the coax - this is just to make allowances for the coax which will then be the correct size. You could of course fix the coax to the face of the wooden frame.

The coax needs to have a feed point half way along the bottom of the frame so cut coax to a 10 feet, 2 and a half inches (312 cm) in length and wrap this around the frame ensuring the inner core and outer (braid) are connected together, each end going into separate connections on a small electrical screw terminal block.  The remainder of the coax will be used for the downlead - you can vary the length accordingly.  Connect the two ends of the loop to either side of the coax downlead via the terminal block, either way around, it doesn't matter.

The impedance of the FM Loop is 75 ohms.  There has been much debate about this but this fact has been stated in older ARRL and RSGB publications. I cannot comment. Also, recent computer modelling has given the impedance as 75 ohms at resonance too.

The loop should be positioned broadside to the transmitter for best pick-up, while the nulls can be found endways on.  The loop also seems to have other quirky attributes, exhibiting a slightly unidirectional pattern at times. The coax download is probably playing a part.

So, in conclusion, this is antenna is 'very' easy to construct. It is very efficient and seriously outperforms my vertical FM whip with several extra dB of signal. As I have said, this loop has a big advantage in that it works well indoors and doesn't seem to mind too much where it is located. This and the constructional aspects make it an ideal antenna for beginners. No, it 'doesn't' look like much of a DX antenna, but I have been very surprised by the reception I have had and it has become an essential part of my mobile DX setup.

Used indoors at home I have been able to eliminate local Lincs FM on 102.2 and leave the frequency free for Galaxy from Birmingham at noise-free listenable strength - something none of my other yagis or rooftop beams have ever been able to achieve.

Finally, for further reading, you can find out more about these antennas at http://pa0fri.home.xs4all.nl/Ant/Quad/quadeng.htm

Good DX!

John

Skegness Log: 15-12-14 (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
103.7 0203 POL PR Radio Gdansk, Gdansk/Chwaszczyno (PM) 309C  1195km
105.0 0203 POL Radio ZET, Gdansk/Chwaszczyno (PM) 3205  1195km
103.8 0229 AUT FM 4, Wien 1/Kahlenberg (wie) A213  1247km
103.5 0233 SVK SRo 1 Rádio Slovensko, Zilina/Krízava (ZA) 5201  1363km
104.0 0233 SVK Fun Rádio, Banská Bystrica/Suchá hora (BB) 5340  1392km
105.4 0233  D  Hitradio RTL Sachsen, Chemnitz/Geyer (sac) D3C9  904km
103.5 0236  D  Antenne Bayern, Brotjacklriegel (bay) D318  1021km
104.2 0236  ?  Radio Holiday, UNID relay in the Tirolean Alps **
104.8 0236  D  hr1, Heidelstein (Rhön) [bay] (hes) D361  729km
106.9 0236  D  B5 aktuell, Brotjacklriegel (bay) D315  1021km
107.3 0236  D  hr4, Heidelstein (Rhön) [bay] (hes) D364  729km
103.6 0239 POL PR Radio Wroclaw, Luban/Nowa Karczma (DS) 3403  1035km
 95.3 0729 NOR NRK P2, Bagn 1/Kjeldeknatten (op) F202  1019km
 95.4 0729 NOR NRK P2, Low power multi-tx OM  YL, as 95.3 (50 kHz bandwidth isolates
               from 95.3) **
 95.5 0729 NOR NRK P2, Multi-tx. Possibly Kongsberg OM  YL, as 95.3 **
 96.4 0729 NOR NRK P2, Gausta/Gaustatoppen (te) OM and YL, as 95.3  902km
 97.1 0729 NOR NRK P2, Nordhue (he) OM  YL, as 95.3  1094km
 97.2 0729 NOR NRK P2, Melhus/Vassfjellet Vassfjellvegen (st) OM  YL, as 95.3  1265km
 97.4 0729 NOR NRK P2, Low power multi-tx. 100 watt Tyin (Op) strongest OM  YL,
               as 95.3 **
 98.7 0729 NOR NRK P2, Bjerkreim/Urdalsnipa (ro) OM  YL, as 95.3  703km
 94.7 0734  S  SR P3, Vislanda (Alvesta)/Nydala TM (kb) YL, as 97.2  983km **
 95.4 0734  S  SR P3, Halmstad/Oskarström-Slättåkra TM (ha) YL, as 97.2  899km **
 97.0 0734  S  SR P3, Hörby/Sallerup TM (sn) YL, as 97.2  913km
 97.2 0734  S  SR P3, Visby/Follingbo TM (go) E203  1238km **
 98.0 0734  S  SR P3, Malmö or Västerås YL, as 97.2
 95.3 0737  D  Deutschlandradio Kultur, Schwerin (mev) D220  739km **
 97.7 0737 CZE Kiss Jizní Cechy, Votice/Mezivrata (ST) 2556  1069km
 96.0 0743  S  SR P3, Västervik or Bollnäs YL, as 97.7
 96.5 0743  S  SR P3, Karlstad/Sörmon TM (vr) YL, as 97.7  1060km
 97.5 0743  S  SR P3, Skövde or Tåsjö YL, as 97.7
 97.7 0743  S  SR P3, Karlskrona or Borlänge F203
 98.5 0743  S  SR P3, Multi-tx, but maybe Sunne or Gällivare YL, as 97.7 **
 98.8 0743  S  SR P3, Varberg/Rolfstorp-Grimeton TM (ha) Suspect varberg as opposed to
               Filipstad. YL, as 97.7  882km
 95.4 0745  D  MDR Figaro, Dresden-Wachwitz (sac) D3C3  951km **
 95.9 0745 CZE CRo Radiozurnál, Liberec/Jested (LI) 232F  1038km **
 96.0 0745 POL RMF FM, Kraków/Choragwica (MP) Pops, as 95.3  1406km
 96.0 0745 POL PR Radio Wroclaw, Klodzko/Czarna Góra (DS) 3403  1177km **
 96.4 0745  D  MDR Figaro, Jena-Oßmaritz (thü) String concerto, as 95.4  809km **
 96.6 0745  D  Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Leipzig Wiederau (sac) D210  843km
 96.9 0745 SVK SRo 2 Rádio Regina, Poprad/Králová hola (PO) 5960  1459km
 97.2 0745 SVK SRo 3 Rádio Devín, Zilina/Krízava (ZA) 521B  1363km
 97.3 0745  D  Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Dresden-Wachwitz (sac) OM, as 96.6  951km
 97.4 0745 CZE Frekvence 1, Pardubice/Krásné (PA) 2205  1127km
 97.6 0745 POL PR 1, Klodzko/Czarna Góra (DS) 3211  1177km **
 97.9 0745 POL PR 1, Katowice/Kosztowy (SL) 3211  1333km
 97.9 0745 CZE Radio Proglas, Liberec/Jested (LI) 2AA1  1038km
 98.8 0745 POL PR 1, Wroclaw/G.Sleza (DS) News jingle, as 97.9  1147km **
 96.9 0759  S  SR P3, Kisa (Kinda)/TM (og) Pops, as 97.1. Squashing Viking!  1095km **
 97.1 0759  S  SR P3, Jönköping/Bondberget Comviq TM (jo) E203  1014km **
 97.8 0759  S  SR P3, Örnsköldsvik/Åsberget TM (vn) Pops, as 97.1  1547km
 94.8 0800  S  SR P4, Norrköping/Kolmården-Krokek Orrbergen TM (og) EF24  1174km **
 98.7 0800  S  SR P3, Norrköping/Kolmården-Krokek Orrbergen TM (og) E203  1174km **
 94.6 0814 POL RMF FM, Poznan/Srem (WP) 3F44  1127km
 96.4 0814 POL PR 3, Poznan/Srem (WP) 3233  1127km

** Personal 'First'

Quite a climb down from the intensity of the previous day's meteor activity. There were only a very small handful of good bursts which were strong enough for RDS - note the times of logging. Again, it was around the dawn period. I logged everything I could ID this time. There were still quite a few personal firsts, but these were virtually all new frequencies from transmitters I have already received elsewhere.

Radio Holiday was the star prize tonight, the transmitter of which is unknown. The female ID heard exactly matches a jingle ID of the station in the Bolzano region of north-east Italy.

One thing which is becoming more apparent with the meteor scatter is that certain countries are appearing more frequently at certain times of the night. This must be due to the relation with the arrival point of the meteors and the rotation of the earth. The exact lines are slightly blurred, but it seems that more southerly and south-eastern areas arrive during the early part of the morning and more north-easterly countries arrive around sunrise. The positioning of each meteor shower will probably have a bearing on this, so it might just be that different meteor showers will produce slightly different activity.

The big powerhouses still dominate the band, but those rarities and unusual catches are still getting through.

Good DX!

John Faulkner
Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver:
Elad FDM-S2

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is 3 metres asl.
Triax FM3, one metre above the ground as a phasing antenna.
Fringe Electronics 20dB & Labgear 30dB band 2 pre-amps.
HS Publications Antenna Phaser.

Rotator:
Yaesu G-5500 azimuth & elevation rotator, allowing antenna to be vertical, horizontal, etc.

Skegness Log: 14-12-14 - Geminids Peak! (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
 92.6 0409 SUI Radio Chablais, Monthey-Massongex/Giettes (vs) 4F18  905km **
 93.9 0417 HNG MR 2 Petöfi Rádió, Kab-hegy (Ves) B201  1405km
 95.8 0419  D  Bayern 3, Grünten (Allgäu) (bay) D313  942km
 93.5 0431  D  SWR1 Baden-Württemberg, Hornisgrinde/SWR (bwü) Vocal ID  748km **
 92.4 0439  F  France Musique, Lyon/Mont Pilat (42) F203  917km
 95.3 0439  F  France Inter, Troyes/les Riceys (10) F201  643km
 94.2 0501  I  RAI Radio1, Menconico/Monte Penice (RAI) (pv) 5201  1136km
 96.4 0501 BEL VRT Klara, Schoten (vlg-ant) 6303 and Dutch OM  354km **
 92.7 0527  I  Tele Radio Stereo, Probably Rocca di Papa 5343 **
 92.1 0532  I  RAI Radio1, Viano/Querceto-Ca' del Vento (RAI) (re)  Certain this is Viano.
               Classical on 96.5 (RAI Due) would back this up.  1211km **
 98.7 0616  I  RAI Radio 3, Multi-tx 5203 **
 96.5 0622  F  France Culture, Carcassonne/Pic de Nore (11) F202  1093km
 97.1 0622  F  France Musique, Bergerac/Audrix (24) F203. Likely Bergerac as tentative FB
               Périgord on 99.0  921km **
 97.2 0622  F  France Musique, Perpignan/Pic de Neulos (66) Vocalist, as 97.1  1202km
 98.8 0624  F  France Culture, Multi-tx YL, as 96.5 **
 99.5 0624  F  France Inter, Multi-tx F201 **
 99.8 0624  F  France Inter, Lyon/Mont Pilat (42) YL and OM, as 99.5  917km **
 98.7 0627  F  France Inter, Besançon/Montfaucon (25) F201  774km **
100.9 0628 SVK Europa 2, Poprad/Králová hola (PO) 534F  1459km
100.2 0630  D  AFN The Eagle, Kaiserslautern Tinny US news. Can't see who else this could be. **
100.1 0726  D  RBB Fritz, Casekow (brb) D333  923km
 97.2 0729  S  SR P3, Visby/Follingbo TM (go) E302  1238km **
100.2 0729  S  SR P4, Visby/Follingbo TM (go) E824  1238km
 98.6 0851  F  France Musique, Chambéry/Mont du Chat (73) F203  922km **
103.5 0859 DNK Radio 24 syv, Årsballe/Aarsballe By 55 (sjl-bor) 9204 24syv  971km
104.2 0859  D  Berliner Rundfunk 91.4, Frankfurt (Oder)/Booßen (brb) D32C  951km
105.1 0900 POL PR 1, Ryki/Janiszewska (LB) 3211 na  1473km **
105.6 0901  D  MDR JUMP, Remda (Saalfeld) (thü) D3C2 MDR_JUMP  788km
105.8 0901 SVK Rádio Lumen, Námestovo/Magurka (ZA) 5343  1394km **
107.6 0901  D  Antenne Thüringen, Remda (Saalfeld) (thü) D3F8  788km
105.5 0902  D  WDR Eins Live, Teutoburger Wald or Barbelkreuz D391 **
104.8 0903 POL PR 2, Przysucha/Kozlowiec (MW) 3222 Polskie  1388km **
105.9 0903 POL RMF FM, Czestochowa/Wreczyca (SL) 3F44  1291km
107.2 0903  D  BB Radio, Cottbus Calau (brb) Das BB Radio Wetter  935km **
104.5 0913 CZE Frekvence 1, Brno/Kojál (JM) 2205  1219km
105.0 0918 ROU SRR Radio România Cultural, Zalau, Deva or Brasov EE01 **
105.5 0920 POL PR 1, Suwalki/G.Krzemianucha (PL) 3211  1483km **
105.4 0921  I  Südtirol 1, Brenner=Brennero/Zirog Alm=Zirago (bz) Vocal ID  1052km
105.3 0923 CZE CRo Plzen, Domazlice/Modrínovec (PL) 2608  956km **
106.8 0923 ROU SRR Radio România Cultural, Arad/Siria (AR) EE01 CULTURAL  1706km
105.8 0924 ROU SRR Radio România Cultural, Bihor or Drobeta-Turnu Severin EE01 **
104.0 0928 SVK Fun Rádio, Banská Bystrica/Suchá hora (BB) 5340 FUNRADIO  1392km
104.3 0928 SVK SRo 4 Rádio_FM, Poprad/Králová hola (PO) 5202  1459km **
105.0 0928 CZE Frekvence 1, Zlín/Tlustá hora (ZL) 2205  1281km
105.6 0928 ROU SRR Radio Resita, Resita/Semenic (CS) EE03 R.RESITA  1801km **
103.8 0938 POL Radio ZET, Klodzko/Czarna Góra (DS) 3205  1177km
103.9 0938 CZE CRo Vltava, Liberec/Jested (LI) 232D  1038km
104.1 0938 POL Radio ZET, Kraków/Choragwica (MP) 3205 RadioZET  1406km
104.9 0938 POL Radio ESKA, Wroclaw/G.Sleza (DS) 3293  1147km
104.9 0938  D  Radio SAW, Leipzig Wiederau [sac] (san) D3D9  843km
105.2 0938  D  Hitradio RTL Sachsen, Dresden-Wachwitz (sac) D3C9 Hitr.RTL  951km
105.6 0938  D  Hitradio RTL Sachsen, Löbau/Schafberg (sac) Dr All Bran track, as 105.2  1006km
105.6 0938 POL PR 2, Katowice/Kosztowy (SL) 3222  1333km **
105.9 0938  D  MDR Info, Oschatz/Collmberg (sac) D3D5 MDR_INFO  887km
106.5 0938  D  MDR 1 Radio Sachsen-Anhalt, Leipzig Wiederau [sac] (san) D5D1  843km
106.9 0938  D  Hitradio RTL Sachsen, Leipzig Wiederau (sac) D3C9 Hitr.RTL  843km
107.6 0938  D  Radio Lausitz, Löbau/Schafberg (sac) 14C1  1006km
107.6 0938 POL Radio eM, Katowice/Kosztowy (SL) 3E88 Radio_eM  1333km
105.3 0939 AUT KRONEHIT, Sankt Pölten/Jauerling (nie) A3FF  1181km
105.3 0939 CZE Radio Cerná Hora, Trutnov/Cerná hora (KR) 2880  1091km **
105.8 0939 AUT KRONEHIT, Wien 1/Kahlenberg (wie) George Michaelson song, as 105.3  1247km
103.5 0946 HRV HKR-Hrvatski Katolicki Radio, Zagreb/Sljeme (zg) C204  1381km
107.2 0946 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Kab-hegy (Ves) B203 KOSSUTH  1405km
105.5 0954 HNG Class FM, Pécs-Misinatetö (Bar) B205 Cl  1502km **
105.0 0956  D  Radio 7, Iberger Kugel (bwü) D30B  922km
105.0 1024 CZE CRo Vltava, Praha/Mahlerovy sady (PR) 232D  1031km
 96.2 2104  S  SR P2 Musik, Stockholm/Nacka TM (st) EC02 P2. Kalejdoskop in radiotext  1292km **

** Personal 'First'

There was a lot of meteor activity overnight but signals were below RDS threshold. Those stations which did get through were common or garden stations. The amount of repetition was unbelievable. Patterns became established and the same transmitters kept popping up, over and over again. Had it not been for the rush of activity around the sunrise period I would have had very little to report. This peak of activity came to an end abruptly around 1000.

29 personal firsts in one session is still well beyond my expectations, plus I have acquired another three MS frequencies. Thirteen remain.

Good DX!

John Faulkner
Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver:
Elad FDM-S2

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is 3 metres asl.
Triax FM3, one metre above the ground as a phasing antenna.
Fringe Electronics 20dB & Labgear 30dB band 2 pre-amps.
HS Publications Antenna Phaser.

Rotator:
Yaesu G-5500 azimuth & elevation rotator, allowing antenna to be vertical, horizontal, etc.

Skegness Log: 13-12-14 (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
 89.2 0245 AUT Hitradio Ö3, Graz 1/Schöckl (ste) A203  1261km
 91.2 0245 AUT Ö1, Graz 1/Schöckl (ste) A201  1261km
 88.0 0331  D  SR 1 Europawelle, Göttelborner Höhe (saa) D3B1  629km
 90.7 0331  D  Bayern 1, Ochsenkopf (bay) D311 BA  865km
 91.2 0331  D  Bayern 1, Ochsenkopf (bay) Gentle popes, as 90.7  865km
 91.1 0332  S  SR P1, Motala/Ervasteby TM (og) Waves  1098km
 92.7 0451  F  France Musique, Bayonne/la Rhune (64) F203  1104km
 93.7 0537  G  BBC Radio 4, Holme Moss, Bristol or Rhymney! BBC Radio 4 News, as 93.1 **
 95.8 0537  G  BBC Radio 4 FM, Black Hill (SC-NLA) BBC Radio 4 programming, as 93.1  405km
 93.3 0542 CVA Radio Vaticana Europa-America, Cittá del Vaticano/Palazzina Leone XIII (cva) 
               4101 EUROPA AMERICA  1542km
 93.2 0544  F  France Musique, Suspect Avignon Classical, as 94.2
 94.2 0544  F  France Musique, Marseille/Grande Etoile (13) F203  1149km
 92.6 0550  D  SWR1 Baden-Württemberg, Ulm/Kuhberg (bwü) D301  859km
 97.3 0820  F  France Inter, Strasbourg/TDF Nordheim (67) F201  709km
 97.4 0839  I  RAI Radio2, Menconico/Monte Penice (RAI) (pv) 5202  1136km
 97.9 0847 POL PR 1, Katowice/Kosztowy (SL) 3211  1333km **
 98.1 0854  D  WDR 3, Nordhelle (nrw) D393  553km
 97.5 1846 AUT Ö1, Linz 1/Lichtenberg (obe) A201  1111km
100.3 1853 CZE Radio Impuls, Jihlava/Javorice (VY) 2203 IMPULS  1131km **
 90.9 1915 CZE CRo Radiozurnál, Ústí nad Labem/Buková hora (US) 232F  991km **
102.9 1927 CZE Radio Impuls, Ceské Budejovice/Klet - CRa (JC) 2203  1084km
103.4 1927 POL PR Radio dla Ciebie - RDC, Siedlce/Losice (MW) 3B3B (Thank you Maciek
               in Poland for correction) 1512km
106.1 2014  I  RMC - Radio Monte Carlo, Frascati or Segni Vocal ID **
103.8 2037  S  SR P4, Bollnäs/Arbrå-Kyrkberget TM (ga) E224  1323km
103.8 2039 NOR P4 R Hele Norge, Mosvik/Skavlen (nt) F214  1329km
104.9 2041 NOR P4 R Hele Norge, Greipstad/Eidsåvegen (va) Madonna song, as 103.8  734km
106.3 2041  D  Antenne Niedersachsen, Torfhaus/DTAG (nds) Vocal ID  707km **
103.2 2043 POR TSF Rádio Notícias, Serra de Bornes (bgc) 8343  1414km **
103.1 2046  S  SR P4, Ånge/Alby-Snöberg TM (vn) E224  1363km
102.7 2050  S  SR P4, Västervik/Fårhult TM (ka) E624  1132km
103.1 2050 POL PR Radio Koszalin, Koszalin/Gologóra (ZP) 346E  1085km
102.5 2106 NOR Radio Norge, Bergen/Ulriken (ho) F21A  860km

** Personal 'First'

I had expected better meteor conditions overnight since we are only one day away from the peak of the Geminids, but things turned around quite dramatically during the early evening with meteor scatter practically non-stop. Bursts were often lasting as much as 20 seconds. This enhanced activity lasted for an about an hour and then faded away a little, only to return later in the evening. I don't think I have heard such intense meteor scatter before. Meteor bursts were overlapping meteor bursts!

I didn't record much at the time as I still had plenty of recordings to get through, plus I wanted to play around with the HS Publications Antenna Phaser while the going was good, in an attempt to bag some more MS on new frequencies. Belmont 90.9 and Stoke Holy Cross 106.1 were the latest transmitters to buckle, allowing a fairly predictable Czech transmitter through on 90.9 with full RDS and an unexpected surprise on 106.1 when I put the 9.2 vertical.

Good DX!

John Faulkner
Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver:
Elad FDM-S2

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is 3 metres asl.
Triax FM3, one metre above the ground as a phasing antenna.
Fringe Electronics 20dB & Labgear 30dB band 2 pre-amps.
HS Publications Antenna Phaser.

Rotator:
Yaesu G-5500 azimuth & elevation rotator, allowing antenna to be vertical, horizontal, etc.

Skegness Log: 12-12-14 (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
 90.0 0208  G  BBC Radio 2, Multi-tx Morning Mantras, as 88.8. Weymouth being the furthest 
               tx at 343 km **
 92.2 0214 POL PR 1, Plock/Rachocin (MW) 3211 POLSKIE  1289km
 89.9 0227 AUT Ö2 - Radio Wien, Wien 1/Kahlenberg (wie) AC0C  1247km
 92.0 0227 AUT Ö1, Wien 1/Kahlenberg (wie) A201  1247km
 91.1 0237  F  France Musique, Niort/Maisonnay (79) F203  774km
 88.4 0251  D  MDR Figaro, Leipzig Wiederau (sac) D3C3 MDR  843km
 90.4 0251  D  MDR JUMP, Leipzig Wiederau (sac) D3C2 MDR_JUMP  843km
 91.1 0317 POL PR Radio Merkury, Kalisz/Mikstat (WP) 3755  1210km **
 87.6 0330  D  BR Klassik, Dillberg (bay) D314  878km
 91.4 0334  F  France Culture, Angers/Rochefort-sur-Loire (49) F202  650km **
 89.7 0351  G  BBC Radio 2, Muit-tx Unsure which site. Probably not Redruth as 91.9 did 
               not have BBC Radio 3. Alvin Stardust tribute promo, as 88.8 **
 88.2 0354  S  SR P4, Tåsjö/Hoting-Tåsjöberget TM (jm) E224  1518km **
 89.9 0354  S  SR P1, Tåsjö/Hoting-Tåsjöberget TM (jm) E201  1518km **
 87.6 0356  S  SR P1, Hudiksvall/Forsa-Storberget TM (ga) E201 SR  1365km
 90.2 0356  S  SR P2, Hudiksvall/Forsa-Storberget TM (ga) E402  1365km
 89.1 0402 NOR NRK P2, Halden 1/Høyåsmasten (of) F202 N  958km **
100.7 0447  D  Energy Stuttgart, Güglingen (bwü) 1309  758km **
101.7 0513  D  Radio Salü, Saarbrücken/Schoksberg (saa) Ad for Saarbrucken Skoda Partner 
               dealership  628km
103.0 0513  I  RAI Radio1, Menconico/Monte Penice (RAI) (pv) 5201  1136km
103.4 0529  F  France Info, Lyon/Mont Pilat (42) F206  917km
102.8 0540  S  SR P4, Sundsvall/Södra Stadsberget TM (vn) EE24  1429km **
103.0 0548 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Komádi / Heréskert (HaB) B203  1649km
103.8 0548 ROU SRR Radio România Actualitati, Arad/Siria (AR) EE00  1706km
104.1 0548 ROU SRR Radio România Actualitati, Oradea=Nagyvárad (BH) Pops, as 103.8  1677km
100.2 0551 NOR Radio Norge, Reinsfjell (mr) Christmas song, as 102.5  1174km **
100.6 0551 NOR Radio Norge, Lønahorgi (ho) Christmas song, as 102.5  916km **
101.2 0551 NOR Radio Norge, Nordfjordeid (sf) Christmas song, as 102.5  1030km **
101.4 0551 NOR Radio Norge, Gulen/Bråsviksåta (sf) Christmas song, as 102.5  923km **
101.8 0551 NOR Radio Norge, Stord/Kattnakken (ho) Christmas song, as 102.5  811km **
102.0 0551 NOR Radio Norge, Lyngdal, Førde  or Grong Christmas song, as 102.5 **
102.5 0551 NOR Radio Norge, Bergen or Tron F21A -N
103.2 0551 NOR Radio Norge, Bremanger (sf) Christmas song, as 102.5  1009km **
103.9 0551 NOR Radio Norge, Oslo or Sogndal Christmas song, as 102.5
104.2 0551 BEL AFN PowerNet, Casteau-Shape (wal-hnt) 6307 POWERNET  386km
102.0 0555  S  SR P4, Gävle/Skogmur TM (ga) EB24  1310km
103.4 0605 POL PR Radio dla Ciebie - RDC, Siedlce/Losice (MW) 3B3B  1512km
101.3 0610  S  SR P4 Dalarna, Borlänge/Teracoms mast Idkerberget (da) E624  1204km
102.8 0929 NOR Radio Norge, Probably Gamlemsveten  Christmas song, as 102.5 **
103.8 0929 NOR P4 R Hele Norge, Mosvik/Skavlen (nt) F214 P4_NORGE  1329km **
104.0 0929  G  BBC Radio 4 FM, Blaenplwyf (WA-CDN) Desert Island Discs. Checked against 
               podcast. Only burst visible at this time.  311km **
103.3 0938 POL PR 3, Konin/Zólwieniec (WP) 3233  1211km
103.3 1002 HNG Class FM, Budapest - Széchenyi-hegy (Bud) B205  1460km **
104.8 1002  D  hr1, Heidelstein (Rhön) [bay] (hes) ID by news correspondent  729km
105.3 1002 HNG MR 3 Bartók Rádió, Budapest - Széchenyi-hegy (Bud) B202  1460km
105.6 1002 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Gerecse (KoE) B203  1418km **
107.3 1002  D  hr4, Heidelstein (Rhön) [bay] (hes) D364  729km
107.8 1002 HNG MR 1 Kossuth Rádió, Budapest - Széchenyi-hegy (Bud) YL news as 105.6  1460km

** Personal 'First'

Countless meteor bursts every few minutes in each 6 MHz range I recorded, the vast majority of them just fleeting pings and far too weak for RDS. These were punctuated by solid bursts or longer scattered activity almost every minute. Many of the regulars have been omitted.

I was really surprised by two of the catches tonight. BBC Radio 2 on 90.0 is a mystery, but the most likely and most distant transmitter is probably Weymouth at 343 km. Also BBC Radio 4 on 104.0 from Blaenplwyf comes in even closer at 311 km. The signal was too weak for RDS but a check against the schedule showed that Desert Island Discs was being aired at the time of the logging and I was able to match 104.0 with the podcast. 311 km!!! Is this the shortest band 2 meteor catch ever?

The antenna direction was around 70 degrees this time. A change is in order for tomorrow night.

Good DX!

John Faulkner
Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) <3m ASL.
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.co.uk
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver:
Elad FDM-S2

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is 3 metres asl.
Triax FM3, one metre above the ground as a phasing antenna.
Fringe Electronics 20dB & Labgear 30dB band 2 pre-amps.
HS Publications Antenna Phaser.

Rotator:
Yaesu G-5500 azimuth & elevation rotator, allowing antenna to be vertical, horizontal, etc.