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Sunday 1 March 2015

Skegness Log: 01-03-15 (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
 87.7 0329  E  Radio 4G FM, Santander (CNT-S) E295 ____ad__  1119km **
 92.5 0336  E  RNE Radio Nacional, Vitoria=Gasteiz/El Castillo (PVA-VI) 
               E211 RN_____.  1172km **
 89.2 0351  E  Onda Cero, A Coruña (GAL-C) E2EE  1264km
 87.9 0356  I  Radio Sportiva, Bologna/Colle Barbiano/Via Santa Liberata (bo) 
               5244 ____TI__  1256km
 89.5 0356  I  RAI Radio1, Bologna/Colle Barbiano (RAI) (bo) 5201 ____IO__  1256km
 90.7 0406  E  Onda Vasca, Eibar (PVA-SS) D2DE __VASCA_ GIPUSCOA  1126km **
 88.0 0424  E  Radio Galega Música, Valga/Monte Xesteiras (GAL-PO) E4E1 __MUSI__  1339km **
 89.1 0424  E  Los 40 Principales, Pontevedra/Monte Castrove (GAL-PO) Pops, as 90.6. 
               Conditions point strongly to this tx  1362km **
 90.6 0424  E  Los 40 Principales, Santiago de Compostela (GAL-C) E235   1321km
 91.0 0424  E  Los 40 Principales, A Coruña (GAL-C) Pops, as 90.6  1268km **
 91.6 0424  E  RNE Radio Clásica, Culleredo/Monte Xalo (GAL-C) E212  1277km **
 98.0 0432  E  MegaStar FM, San Sebastián=Donostia/Monte Ulía (PVA-SS) E2DC  1105km **
 93.6 0502  E  COPE, Ribadeo/O Mondigo (GAL-LU) E2CA  1205km **
 95.2 0502  E  Rock FM, Ciudad Real (CAM-CR) E2CF _R______  1610km **
 96.9 0502  E  Radio María, Madrid/Torre de Valencia (MAD-M) OM, as 97.5  1447km **
 97.5 0502  E  Radio María, Aranda de Duero (CAL-BU) E1CC R.MA____  1336km **
 99.1 0502  E  esRadio, Madrid/Torrespaña (MAD-M) E287  1447km **
 97.6 0520  I  Radio Sound (Ferrara), Codigoro/Portomaggiore (fe) 58A1  1261km
 97.7 0533  E  Los 40 Principales, Pinto (MAD-M) E07C __AR____  1468km **
104.0 0610  E  Radio Castilla La Mancha, Chinchilla de Monte Aragón (CAM-AB) E396 CASTIL__  
               1590km **
100.3 0710  E  COPE, Santa Marta de Tormes (CAL-SA) E2CA  1429km **
100.8 0710  E  Cadena Dial, Zamora (CAL-ZA) E231  1373km **
101.3 0710  E  Radio María, León (CAL-LE) E1CC  1252km **
102.9 0710  E  RNE Radio Nacional, El Cabaco/Peña de Francia (CAL-SA) E211. AFs point to 
               this site  1488km **
103.1 0710  E  Onda Cero, Cuéllar (CAL-SG) E2EE  1354km **
103.5 0710  E  Onda Cero, Palencia (CAL-P) E2EE __DA__RO  1291km **
 97.4 2100  S  SR P2, Gävle/Skogmur TM (ga) E402 ___P____  1310km
 98.2 2100  S  SR P2, Svinesund/Strömstad-Svinesund TM (vg) Laurie Anderson, as 97.4  
               944km **
 99.8 2100  S  SR P3, Gävle/Skogmur TM (ga) E203  1310km **
 99.9 2100 FIN YLE Radio Suomi, Tampere-Tammerfors/Kämmenniemi-Vähä - Koveron Tie (pi) 
               6203 YLES__MI  1684km **
101.6 2100  S  SR P4, Östhammar/Valö TM (up) E224  1334km
102.0 2100  S  SR P4, Gävle/Skogmur TM (ga) E224  1310km

** Personal 'First'

An excellent haul overnight, plus some very pleasing results to Scandinavia following a simple modification to the antenna system this afternoon.

In an effort to rid the band of some of the noise I have been getting recently, I mounted the Fringe Electronics pre-amp on the mast about a metre below the antenna. I was very brave and managed to climb FIVE steps up the ladder! That's five small steps for man, but one big improvement in signal to noise.

When the pre-amp was behind the computer monitor in the shack, I had between S9 to S9+10dB when the FDM-S2 was tuned to an empty frequency. Belmont nationals would reach S9+50dB when I pointed the 9.2 at it. Using the same frequencies and beam heading, moving this pre-amp on to the mast has reduced the noise down to between S6 and S7 and Belmont is a full S9+60dB or -29dBi!! That's a serious improvement, as demonstrated by the reception of the low power Svinesund transmitter which displayed the PI code!

And to think, a couple of people told me that it probably wouldn't make much difference if I put the pre-amp on the mast as the coax cable is only a few metres long! I agreed, but the noise/losses being picked up through the extra cables and adapters was more than I had realised. Most of the noise has now gone, but there are still a few bursts every now and again.

I also managed to reduce Belmont 98.3 down to S9 this evening, but still nothing got through on meteor scatter. Something weird happens too when I phase down Belmont. The signal breaks up in such a way that only one half of it is visible on the waterfall. It looks like the USB side has been chopped off.

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.

Software:
Elad FDM-SW2, SDR Console & RDS Spy via VAC.

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

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