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Tuesday, 27 September 2016

Skegness Log: 2016-09-27 (Tropo: NW France & Galicia)

Band 2 Tropospheric:
105.5 1857  G  The Breeze, Beacon Hill/UHF tower (A) (EN-DVN) Wet Wet Wet song, OM ID  405km
 95.4 1911  F  France Inter, Brest/Roc Trédudon (29)  F201 __INTER_ 604km
104.7 1933  G  Island FM, Les Touillets (GUE) ++ C6B2 458km
107.3 1946  F  BFM Business, Brest/Lescaouidic (29) OMs, as web  629km
 92.2 1955  E  SER Galicia, Vimianzo or A Estrada 1314km and 1334km respectively
               (Prob Vimianzo)

 87.7 2001  E  SER, Vilalba/Monte Gondaisque (GAL-LU) ++ Sports commentary, as web  1247km
104.8 2017  G  BBC Radio 4 FM, Pontypool (WA-TFN) ++ Presumed site, as 93.1, etc.
               93.6 BBC R Cymru also in  280km

 93.6 2018  G  BBC Radio Cymru, Pontypool (WA-TFN) ++ Presumed site. BBC R4 104.8
               also in  280km

 91.6 2050  E  RNE Radio Clásica, Culleredo/Monte Xalo (GAL-C) Piano music, as web  1277km
 92.6 2110  E  Radio Voz, A Coruña (GAL-C) Phone in, as web  1266km
 93.6 2112  F  MFM Radio, Brest/Place de Strasbourg (29) Serge Gainsbourg song, as web  626km
 94.0 2114  F  Mouv', Brest/11 Rue Pierre-Mac-Orlans (29) Awful vocoded rap shite,
               as web  630km

 95.0 2115  F  Radio Neptune, Brest/9 Rue Pierre Mac-Orlan (29) Jazz, as web  630km
 96.5 2117  F  NRJ, Guingamp/Castel Pic (22) YLs with childish voices, as web  565km
 99.4 2136  F  RKB Radio Kreiz Breizh, Carhaix-Plouguer/Berrien (29) French song,
               as web. Almost noise free  600km

 88.0 2145  E  Radio Galega Música, Valga/Monte Xesteiras (GAL-PO)  E4E1 RGMUSICA 1339km
 97.1 2151  E  COPE, Santiago de Compostela/Monte Pedroso (GAL-C) ++OMs discussion,
               as web  1316km

102.1 2153  E  Radio Obradoiro, Santiago de Compostela (GAL-C) Phone in, as web  1316km
 88.9 2203  E  Cadena 100, Santiago de Compostela/Monte Pedroso (GAL-C) ++ Pops,
               as web  1316km

 93.7 2204  E  RNE Radio 5 Todo Noticias, Santiago de Compostela/Monte
               Pedroso (GAL-C) ++ E215 1316km

 93.0 2206  F  France Bleu Breizh Izel, Brest/Roc Trédudon (29) Full RDS in vertical!
               F205 BLEU-BZH 604km

 99.9 2208  E  COPE, Santiago de Compostela/Monte Pedroso (GAL-C) YL, as web  1316km
103.1 2212  E  RNE Radio Nacional, Santiago de Compostela/Monte Pedroso (GAL-C)
               ++ E211 1316km

 87.8 2216  E  COPE, Moaña/Monte Faro Domaio (GAL-PO) OMs, as web  1378km
 98.1 2225  E  RNE Radio Clásica, Santiago de Compostela/Monte Pedroso (GAL-C)
               Classical, as web  1316km

100.6 2231  E  SER, Moaña/Monte Faro Domaio (GAL-PO) ++ OM phone in, as web. Not far
               off noise free  1378km

100.9 2231  E  Radio Galega, Valga/Monte Xesteiras (GAL-PO) ++ E4E0 1339km
106.5 2245  G  Sam FM, Bristol/East Dundry (EN-BRI) ++ ID and pops  280km
 90.6 2250  F  France Inter, Nantes/Haute-Goulaine (44) Discussion, as web  675km
 94.2 2254  F  France Culture, Nantes/Haute-Goulaine (44) YL, as web  675km
107.2 2258  G  The Breeze, Winchester/Crabwood Farm (EN-HPS) ++ OM ID after slushy
               night time pops  259km

 87.6 2304  E  esRadio, Santiago de Compostela (GAL-C) ++ ID and jingle. YL talk  1315km
101.2 2311  G  Heart, Kingsbridge/Soar (EN-DVN) Predictable pops, as web  432km
 94.0 2318  E  Kiss FM, Moaña/Monte Faro Domayo (GAL-PO) ++ Pops, as web  1379km
 91.2 2321  F  RMN-FM, Rostronen/Restehouanet (22) Jingle ID and pops  610km
 91.4 2325  E  Cadena Dial, Meis/Monte Castrove (GAL-PO) ++ Jingle ID and Spanish
               pops  1362km

104.6 2331  E  Radio Galega, Vimianzo/Monte Sangre (GAL-C) ++ YLs a nattering, as web  1314km
107.2 2338  E  Radio Cerceda, Cerceda (GAL-C) 2EFF RCERCEDA  1284km
 96.2 2346  E  Radio Galega, Santiago de Compostela/Monte Pedroso (GAL-C) YL and OM,
               as web  1315km

 92.2 2355  E  SER, A Estrada (GAL-PO) ++ Presume, producing echo against Vimianzo.  1334km
 92.2 2355  E  SER, Vimianzo/Monte Sangre (GAL-C) Lively chat, as web  1314km
 94.2 2358  E  Radio Solidaria, Santiago de Compostela (GAL-C) Spanish pops, as web  1315km

An impressive Spanish opening. The Hep and F5LEN got this one just about spot on, showing a finger of tropo pointing almost straight at me then out across the North Sea, over the Netherlands and into Northern Germany, allowing record-breaking distances for some.

The first indication of tropo came from Brest. It was weak at first then increased in strength to a whopping S9+50dB within an hour. It stayed at this strength throughout most of the evening!

Galicia appeared shortly afterwards, again quite weak to begin with, but some transmitters increased to S9+30dB, producing a fair amount of RDS.

I was hoping for Portugal but it didn't happen this time. To be honest, I was surprised I was placed so nicely in the firing line for any of this! Usually, such impressive Spanish DX is reserved for the south or the west side of England.

Luckily, the noise I get from the South-West was absent for the duration of this tropo but, unluckily, the South of England was well enhanced too, giving a lot of channel blocking from the likes of Wenvoe, Rowridge, Wrotham, even Llangollen to the west. But it was nice to hear The Breeze for the first time though.

Many personal firsts were received. If you see "++" in the log, those are my notes which indicate a personal first, but there are others in there which I haven't checked. I am back at the same position I was at this time one year ago - well behind with FM tropo and Es SDR files. There's a fair bit of catching up to do.

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.

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