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Thursday, 31 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-31 (MW)

1200 0000 USA WXKS Newton (MA) Bloomberg IDs Weak  5251 km
1540 0100 USA WDCD Albany (NY) WDCD Albany ID heard in 1548 splatter Weak  5389 km
 640 0300 CAN CBN Saint John s (NL) CBC News Fair  3731 km
 760 0500 USA WJR Detroit (MI) WJR call letters heard. Very weak but clear Vweak  6009 km
1270 0501 USA WXYT Detroit (MI) Late ESPN Radio IDs at almost 0502 Weak  6028 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
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Wednesday, 30 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-30 (MW)

 770 0100 USA WABC New York NY. Immensely splattered but WABC call clearly heard Weak
              5536 km

 540 0200 CAN CBT Grand Falls NL. CBC Radio ID and news jingle Weak  3838 km
 710 0200 USA WOR New York NY. ID WOR, The Voice of New York Fair  5543 km
1640 0400 USA WTNI Biloxi (Gulfport) MS. ID - ESPN Radio and online at 1640thechamp.com
              V weak  
7294 km
 760 0500 USA WJR Detroit MI. Barely audible but could make out WJR call letters V weak
              6009 km

 880 0500 USA WCBS New York NY. WCBS Newstime ID and CBS News Fair  5519 km
1190 0500 USA WLIB New York NY. "This is your home for gospel, inspiration and information"
             
Fair  5544 km
1320 0500 USA WATR Waterbury CT. WATR Waterbury ID lifted out of the noise.  V weak  5422 km **
1410 0500 USA WPOP Hartford CT. Presumed. ID - Newsradio Fourteen Ten .... (obscured) an 
              i-Heart Radio Station. Mucho splatter Weak     5394 km

** Personal First

An improvement over yesterday morning, but still not great. Very pleased with WATR on 1320, as personal first and quite a rare one in the UK.

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
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Tuesday, 29 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-29 (MW)

 660 0500 USA WFAN New York/High Island (NY) "Six Sixty WFAN
              The Fan" ID Weak  5519 km

 680 0500 CAN CFTR 680 News, Toronto/Grimsby (ON) "CFTR six eighty News and online at
              680news.com" ID Weak  5712 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
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Monday, 28 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-28 (MW)

1400 0100 USA WOND Pleasantville (NJ) Newstalk Fourteen Hundred WOND heard under CBG Weak
              5673 km

 680 0200 PTR WAPA San Juan (PR) Weather, full on-hour ID mentioning all calls on
              the network.  Weak  6806 km **

 650 0300 CAN CKGA Gander (NL) 590 VOCM relay. Mixing Spanish station. Weak  3775 km

** Personal First

A new one overnight for me was WAPA 680, which I heard on the Isle of Skye last December.

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
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

'Closed' DX Clubs & Societies: Is There A Place For Them Today?

I have been wondering whether to make this post as I know it will probably come across in the wrong way, but here are a couple of things I have been pondering lately.

I was browsing through a well-known DX club's printed bulletin a few months ago, reading through the various articles and browsing their DX loggings section, and it got me wondering to myself if the traditional paid subscription type of hobby radio club still has a place in our society.

This is probably going to read like a rant, but I hope not. I am not criticizing DX club/s in general, but two thoughts keep coming back to me:

1. Is there still a place in today's society for the traditional "paid subscription" type of DX radio club.
2. Sharing loggings in realtime so everybody benefits: Do you mind other people getting DX tips from you?

Back to the DX bulletin I was reading: The first thing which crossed my mind was how 'elitist' the bulletin seemed. Some of today's DX clubs and societies began 20 or more years ago. We didn't have the internet back then and online magazines and DX forums wouldn't have been considered as an option by most of them.

In the late 90s, a few groups were forward-thinking enough to look at possibilities of going 'electronic' and ultimately ditching their printed publication in favour of something free and more accessible to everybody. The British FM & TV Circle was one such group, now simply known as "Skywaves".

The British FM & TV Circle did start out by having a paid subscription system, which worked perfectly well. Once the internet started becoming popular, we soon introduced a free pdf version of our DX magazine so people could download it free of charge. Those who still preferred to have a 'hard copy', delivered by post, could still do this, but the printing costs which had to be met. No profits were made.

A year or two after Skywaves became electronic, most of the original paying members were taking advantage of the free pdf version. As expected, the number of those paying to receive the posted version decline. At the time, I remember a certain co-ordinator of a well known medium wave DX club, publically stating in their DX bulletin, that the move from 'printed' to 'electronic' had caused the downfall of the British FM & TV Circle! This is totally incorrect and I have no idea whay they reached this conclusion and also stated such. Or have I? Going digital and becoming free had the exact opposite effect! The group became known simply as "Skywaves" and its publication became fully 'public', thus developing into a much larger and global community as a result. 'Membership' was open to everybody, free of charge, and everybody could help each other in 'realtime' as a result! What could be better?

I don't have a problem with paid membership groups, personally. I'm a bit of a traditionalist myself when it comes to having a printed bulletin you can touch and feel. I was actually slightly sceptical myself when it came to migrating the Skywaves bulletin from 'printed' to 'electronic' as it was an unknown, but it has worked very well indeed so far, far better for everybody and in many ways! Well, apart from one individual - the very last person who was in regular receipt of the printed bulletin. We continued this until the end of the year, but then decided to pull the plug  on it completely.

The comments made by that medium wave DX club were rather cruel and not called for. I still cannot imagine why on earth they continue to insist that members paying for the printed version of their bulletin if they only wish to receive the pdf version. Surely that should be free? Why would there even need to be a charge for a free digital publication if propit were not in mind? Well, that's their prerogative I suppose, but I think it's completely wrong. Just my opinion.

When I post my loggings in the FM List or MW List, my loggings are then shared, so other DXers can see what I have heard and when I have heard it. If they so wish, they can then check the bands at the same time as me to see if they have heard the same thing. This is mutually beneficial to us all. I usually always give credit to the original logger if I receive something thanks to another DXer's logging.

I have to ask myself "Do I understand why DXers want to keep loggings to themselves?" I think I 'get it', in a way. Coming from an amateur radio perspective, there are DX contests where people collect totals in order to come top of a league table or to win a certificate, etc. They call it Radio Sport and I see the fun in this. I have entered such DX contests myself for the fun of it, though I haven't come close to topping any table. I do understand that side of the hobby, but to keep loggings to yourself? Well, people clearly do and I suppose I shouldn't knock that too heavily. Each to their own, but there's so much benefit for us all when everything is shared. DXing is a great hobby and it's such a shame that a few do not wish to share. Would you mind other DXers receiving a rare catch you had one day?

Some years ago, I received a Brazilian station on 1470. I'm fairly sure it was a 'European First' and I only received this thanks to another DXer having received it himself. I still had a recording of that particular overnight session and checked the frequency on hearing the good news. I too had the same station at the same time! I thus concluded that this was now a joint European First. The originating DXer was not amused! He was furious that I did this and still managed to claim the European First solely for himself. Other DXers also agreed that what I did was completely wrong. I was chastised for this in no uncertain terms.

Looking back at this, I believe the originating DXer should definitely be able to claim the European First as it was he who spotted it. It's all about giving credit where the credit is due. Had it not been for him, I probably wouldn't have heard this station. He was King. But am I right to take the view that there is some form of snobbery involved here? I suppose it all boils down to giving him that original 'credit'. Had it not been for him. etc. I was thankful that he told me. Oh well, each to their own.

So, just what are the pros and cons of having a closed group system in a DX club? I've stuck my oar in and given my opinion here, but I don't expect everybody to agree with the above. What are your opinions? Especially if you disagree? Please tell me why. We all have different views and it's good to talk and get a balance.

Sunday, 27 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-27 (MW)

1560 0400 USA WFME New York (NY) familyradio.org. This is Resurrection Sunday. Good
              signal! 
Good  5538 km
1320 0426 USA WDER Derry (NH) Sounds like WDER ID by YL at 04:26:43. religious
              programming. 
Tip from MW List/Worldwide Visual Logbook and Christoph Ratzer,
              
Austria. Presume WDER are on daytime power. V weak  5217 km **
 950 0450 CAN CKNB Campbellton (NB) Id as Ninety Five CKNB, then pops. Fair  4583 km
1270 0459 USA WTSN Dover (NH) YL This is WTSN AM 12-70 V weak  5168 km
1200 0500 CAN CFGO Ottawa (ON) This is TSN Twelve Hundred, CFGO AM Ottawa, a Bell Media 
              radio service. Fair  5334 km
1330 0500 USA WRCA Waltham (MA) Late ID and views and opinions disclaimer.
              Well-splattered. 
Fair  5251 km
1380 0500 USA WABH Bath (NY) WEHH FM call heard in pile-up Weak  5634 km
1390 0500 USA WEGP Presque Isle (ME) Crucifiction update. Call letters over
              programming, 
including WEGP's. Fair  4760 km
1380 0509 CAN CKPC Brantford (ON) YL ID in pile-up, then country music Weak  5767 km
1580 0511 CAN CKDO Oshawa (ON) Classic Hits CKDO Fair  5613 km
1570 0513 USA WMVX Nossa Radio, Beverly (MA) Spoken "Nossa Radio" jingle ID with YL slogan,
              
suddenly peaked above CJLV. Must be using day power.  Fair  5210 km **
1020 0530 USA KDKA Pittsburgh/Allison Park (KDKA Drive) (PA) Award winning KDKA Radio ID
              
Fair  5930 km

** Personal First

Much improved conditions with lots of co-channel North American station around 0500+

Nossa Radio is a personal first. Recording: 1570 WMVX Beverly MA 0513 27-03-16 https://app.box.com/s/c9kofnostpt46ivi7o4o5cacdc16wexe The ID leaps out 14 seconds into the recording.

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
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Saturday, 26 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-26 (MW)

1430 0201 DOM HIC54 Radio Emanuel, Santiago de los Caballeros (sto). Vocal IDs around the 
              top of the hour in OM anns. V weak  7032 km **
1440 0300 USA WHKZ Warren OH. AM 1220 The Word ID V weak  5940 km

** Personal First

Glad I recorded early tonight, otherwise I would have missed hearing the Dominican Republic on 1430. It was very weak but peaked at 0201 to give a clear ID (26 seconds into the recording). https://app.box.com/s/223xtt5xmg2k0u8fcki68mk9u5k5zuii This is a personal first here.

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
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Thursday, 24 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-24 (MW)

1280 0358 PTR WCMN NotiUno, Arecibo (PR) Lively anns and IDs Weak  6849 km
1400 0400 USA WOND Newstalk-1400, Pleasantville (NJ) 'Fourteen Hundred WOND' call
              letters heard mixing CBG Vweak  5673 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: Elad FDM-S2 SDR Receiver
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Wednesday, 23 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-23 (FM)

Band 2 Troposhperic:
 92.0 1640  F  Radio 6, Boulogne-sur-Mer/Mont d'Herquelingue (62) Lots of jingle IDs in promo
               288km

 93.3 1641  F  Rire et Chansons, Boulogne-sur-Mer/Mont Lambert (62) French wit, not as
               good as Radio 6 92.0  285km

 91.8 1642  F  Radio Uylenspiegel, Hazebrouck/Cassel (59) French folk music, as web  300km
 94.0 1653  G  Touch FM, London pirate Vocal ID between aggressive drum and
               base **

 94.7 1658  G  Saint FM, Burnham-on-Crouch/Mayland Hill (EN-ESX) DJ, etc. as web  168km

** Personal First

Some birthday tropo. Nice to hear the conditions up a little.

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.

Saturday, 19 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-19 (FM)

Band 2 Tropospheric:
 94.6 1820  D  MDR Sachsen-Anhalt, Brocken (san) Level 42 song then ID  712km
 98.4 1827  D  SWR3, Hornisgrinde/SWR (bwü) German OM, as web  748km
106.3 1827  D  Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Hornisgrinde/SWR (bwü) OM, as web  748km
 99.6 1905  D  hr-info, Sackpfeife (Biedenkopf) (hes) IDs  612km
105.6 2053 SUI Radio SRF 3, Säntis (ar) Weak and mixing Donnersberg. Pops, as web
               917km

107.3 2059  D  SWR4 Baden-Württemberg, Raichberg (bwü) ID and news  813km
102.9 2101  D  RPR 1., Bad Marienberg (rlp) ID after news  592km
 87.7 2106  F  France Culture, Strasbourg/TDF Nordheim (67) OMs, as 98.0  709km
101.4 2106  F  France Bleu Alsace, Strasbourg/TDF Nordheim (67) YL and pops, as web  709km
 89.6 2116 IRL RTÉ Radio 1, Mount Leinster (CW) Irish music (94.0 Na Gael also present). 
               Well above RDS level but not RDSing  480km

Fleeting bursts of troposhperic activity, the areas propagating moving around quite rapidly. One minute Strasbourg was received weakly, then 15 minutes later, it would be south-east UK stations. Then minutes later, Luxembourg 100.7 lifted up.

Ireland was a surprise, noticed while beamed south-east, horizontally! Swinging the beam around to the west, vertically, brought Mount Leinster in very well, but it would not RDS, in spite of being in the 50s dB.

All gone by local midnight.

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.

Friday, 18 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-18 (FM)

Band 2 Tropospheric:
106.8 2052  G  Original 106, Durris (SC-ABS) ID and pops. Weak but noise free  461km
103.7 2056  D  NDR Info, Molbergen-Peheim (Cloppenburg) (nds) Phone-in, as web. Good but
               no RDS due to enhanced Lille mixing  504km

 88.3 2100  D  Nordwestradio, Bremen-Walle (bre) ID on the hour  565km
 93.8 2101  D  bremen eins, Bremen-Walle (bre) D341 B??????1 565km
 93.8 2104  D  bremen eins, Bremen-Walle (bre) D341 BREMEN_1 565km
 91.1 2109  D  NDR 1 Niedersachsen, Steinkimmen (nds) Very good signal! D381 NDR1_NDS 543km
102.0 2150  D  Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Lingen-Damaschke (nds) D210 __DLF___ 477km

One of several low-level tropo events which have struggled to develop further in the long-lasting high pressure we've had over the last week.

Other minor enhancements have been to Belgium or North Wales. I haven't had a lot of time to listen.

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.

Monday, 14 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-16 (MW)

1270 0557 USA WRLZ Radio Luz, Eatonville (FL) Back end of ID "... doce setenta, La Estación
              del Pueblo". Thanks to Fredrik Dourén at RealDX for help. Weak  6975 km **

1310 0600 USA WLOB, Portland (ME) Sung jingle, OM ID - WLOB Portland wlobradio.com
              Fair  5100 km

1430 0600 USA WKOX Mia 1430, Everett (MA) "14-30 WKOX Everett ... an i-Heart Radio Station".
              Thanks to Paul Crankshaw at RealDX for spotting the ID Fair  5236 km


** Personal First

A good morning, but not the best one for hearing IDs with stations fading on the hour, etc., but there were a lot of interesting things happening. 1340 had a station with a fair to good signal, but the splatter from adjacent 1341 kept it at bay. 1340 is an extremely difficult frequency.

1460 had a US station with EWTN religious programming. There are two possibilities there.

1490 had a partial top of the hour ID which seemed to suggest a religious format as I'm sure I could hear "(We are)? The Love W1 (the one)? .... ".

There were Latin stations all over the place. This would have been a big log had I been able to identify everything heard, but that's medium wave for you.

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: Elad FDM-S2 SDR Receiver
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Saturday, 12 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-12 (MW)

1700 0500 USA KVNS Brownsville TX. Fox Sports Weak  8225 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: Elad FDM-S2 SDR Receiver
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Friday, 11 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-12 (MW)

1380 0359 USA KRCM Beaumont TX. ID before the hour. Other IDs also heard between 0331 and 0359. 
              (Using their daytime power at night.) Thanks to everybody who confirmed the IDs. 
              V weak  7764 km **

** Personal First

Glad I caught this one before they fix their night time transmitter power-down problem is fixed.

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: Elad FDM-S2 SDR Receiver
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag

Wednesday, 9 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-09 (MW)

1520 0159 CLM HJLI Su Presencia, Bogotá. "Su Presencia 15-20 AM" ID. Thank you Mauricio
              Molano at RealDX for spotting the ID for me. V weak  8555 km **


** Personal First

Heard a few times when I lived in Nottinghamshire when it was called Radio Libertad, this is the first time I've heard this in Skegness.

Good DX!

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

Receiver: Elad FDM-S2 SDR Receiver
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag (home) Various Beverage antennas 'on location' in rural Lincolnshire.

Saturday, 5 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-05 (MW)

1150 0600 USA WHBY Kimberly WI. News-Talk 11-50 WHBY ID Fair  6176 km
1270 0600 USA WXYT Detroit MI. This is WXYT .... WXYT Detroit Weak  6028 km
1540 0600 USA KXEL, Waterloo IA. ID - "The voice of eastern Iowa, News-Talk 15-40 
              KXEL Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids ... Fox News Radio, I'm Carl ... "
              Fair  6547 km

A slight improvement here this morning.

Good DX!

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

Receiver: Elad FDM-S2 SDR Receiver
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag (home) Various Beverage antennas 'on location' in rural Lincolnshire.

Tuesday, 1 March 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-03-01 (MW)

1270 0628 CAN CJCB, Sydney (NS) "Lots of country and lots of fun too. This is Cape Breton's country music station, 12-70 CJCB" Fair  4290 km

Good DX!

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

Receiver: Perseus SDR Receiver
Antenna:  Movable 10ft x 25ft flag