Skegness Log: 2016-04-27 (MW Transatlantic)

1580 0353 CAN CKDO Oshawa ON. right here on CKDO Weak  5613 km
1350 0357 ARG LS6 Radio Buenos Aires RBA, Burzaco (ba) OM Radio Buenos Aires ID Weak  
              11301 km
1390 0359 USA WEGP Presque Isle ME. EWTN. Network station IDs Weak  4760 km
1440 0400 USA WMKM  Inkster MI. WMKM Inkster ID heard. Thanks Simon Beaven 
              and Real DX for help. V weak  6012 km **

1440 0404 USA WHKZ Warren OH. ID as AM 12-20 The Word Weak  5940 km

** Personal First

Surprised to receive these as the flag was aiming towards South America! 

Equipment: Perseus SDR Receiver

Antenna: 3m x 7.7m Movable Flag Antenna

Software: Jaguar Wild Cat

Spring Snowstorm

We didn't have a single flake of snow over winter, but we've been having snow showers for the last few days in Skegness. The shower we just had was fairly heavy for a time. We also reached a whopping 12C today too! If you think that's cold, it's been 6C in recent days. Perhaps we'll skip spring (and summer no doubt) this year and head straight to autumn.

Ice build-up on shack window 

Unseasonal spring weather!

 Unseasonal spring weather!

Unseasonal spring weather!

Unseasonal spring weather!

 Unseasonal spring weather!

Crystal, one of our fearless Rottweilers, was terrified of the snow!

A little spring hail!

A little spring hail!

A little spring hail!

We had no snow over the entire winter, then we get this - and it's almost May!

Preview: Skegness Log: 2016-04-26 (Europe)

1350 0121  I  I AM Radio, Pirate (Lombardia) I Am Radio IDs and pops Weak  1063 km

Catching up with a few loggings.

I came across this one with the flag pointing south while I was looking for Botswana. It signs off around 2300 and carries NPR News from America on the hour, otherwise it's a trip down Disco Memory Lane! Not 100% sure but I think this is a pirate station.

I AM Radio dominates the frequency in the evenings, but no LPAM stations can be heard in this direction once it's closed down.

Good DX!

John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1m ASL
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.com

Receiver: Perseus SDR
Antenna:  10ft x 25ft movable flag antenna, at 28 degrees.
Software: Perseus v4.1a; Mestor; Jaguar.

Skegness Log: 2016-04-25 (MW Tanzania)

http://www.mwlist.org/mw_logmap.php?omid=1003&datum=2016-04-25

Skegness Log: 2016-04-25 (FM Es: Algeria)

http://www.fmlist.org/fm_logmap.php?datum=2016-04-25&omid=2149

Skegness Log: 2016-04-24 (MW Africa)

1530 0300 STP Voice of America, Pinheira/Ponta Praião (sao) Singing on. ID and Yankee Doodle Fair  5908 km

Good DX!

John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1m ASL
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.com
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver: Perseus SDR Receiver
Software: Jaguar Big Cat
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Skegness Log: 2016-04-24 (FM Es: Italy)

Band 2 Sporadic E:
 87.9 1744  I  Virgin Radio, Reggio Calabria/Fortino di Pentimele (rc)  5241 2043km
 88.5 1744  I  Radio Cuore (RMB Belpasso), Reggio Calabria/Fortino di Pentimele (rc)  522F
               __CUORE_ 2043km
 89.8 1744  I  Radio Maria, Scilla/Frazione Melia-Monte Scrisi (rc)  51CC R.?????? 2035km
 90.4 1744  I  Radio Deejay, Scilla/Frazione Melia-Monte Scrisi (rc)  5214 2035km

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

Receivers:
Elad FDM-S2 (Meteor Scatter and sporadic E)
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c mod. (Tropo/Scatter)

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is approximately 3 metres asl, 1km from the sea.
Fringe Electronics 20dB pre-amp.

Software:
Elad FDM-SW2, SDR Console File Analyser & RDS Spy via VAC.
XDR-GTK v0.3.1 for the Sony XDR-F1HD

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

Early Start To The Sporadic E Season!

This has been the earliest start to a sporadic E season I can remember, although I haven't really checked so early in April before now.

The first Es opening of 2016 came shortly before midday on April 18th with a small opening to Russia on the OIRT band. Nothing was heard on band 2.

The second Es opening reached band 2 just after midday on April 19th. Arabic programming was heard for a minute or two, very weakly on 87.6. It was definitely sporadic E.

The third opening came today, April 24th, during the early evening, when the Reggio Calabira area in southern Italy came through, the MUF reaching 90.4 MHz.

A sign of things to come? Of course not ;O) The Es will happen as and when they want. This probably means nothing at all, but how nice to have such an early start to the season.

Good DX!

Skegness Log: 2016-04-23 (MW: Africa)

 917 0201 NIG Radio Gotel Yola, Jabura/Modire (adw) OM ID. Thanks to Matthias Hornsteiner for
              spotting this.  Weak  4996 km

Good DX!

John Faulkner, Skegness, Lincolnshire (JO03dd) 1m ASL
Blog: http://skegnessdx.blogspot.com
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/skegnessdx

Receiver: Perseus SDR Receiver
Software: Jaguar Big Cat
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Skegness Log: 2016-04-21 (FM Tropo: Germany)

Band 2 Troposheric:
 89.0 0610  D  89.0 RTL, Brocken (san) D0DB ??????TL 712km
 89.9 0612  D  NDR Kultur, Torfhaus (Harz-West) (nds) D383 NDR_Kult 707km
 91.5 0613  D  MDR JUMP, Brocken (san) D3C2 MDR_JUMP 712km
 92.1 0613  D  NDR 2, Torfhaus (Harz-West) (nds) D382 _NDR_2__ 707km
 94.6 0614  D  MDR Sachsen-Anhalt, Brocken (san) D4D1 MDR_S-AN 712km
 95.3 0615 HOL SLAM!, Amsterdam/Alticom Toren (nho) 82A5 __SL???? 320km
 97.4 0616  D  Deutschlandradio Kultur, Brocken (san) D220 DKULTUR_ 712km
 98.0 0616  D  NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Torfhaus (Harz-West) (nds) D381 707km
103.5 0617  D  Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Torfhaus/DTAG (nds) D210 707km
106.3 0620  D  Antenne Niedersachsen, Torfhaus/DTAG (nds) D389 ANTENNE_ 707km

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

Receivers:
Elad FDM-S2 (Meteor Scatter and sporadic E)
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c mod. (Tropo/Scatter)

Aerials:
Körner 9.2 @ 5.5 metres agl. QTH is approximately 3 metres asl, 1km from the sea.
Fringe Electronics 20dB pre-amp.

Software:
Elad FDM-SW2, SDR Console File Analyser & RDS Spy via VAC.
XDR-GTK v0.3.1 for the Sony XDR-F1HD

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