Pages

Sunday 8 March 2015

Skegness Log: 08-03-15 (FM)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
102.5 0649  E  RNE Radio Nacional, Quirós/Gamoniteiro (AST-O) E211 RNE_1___  1200km
103.0 0649 POR RFM, Serra da Marofa (gua) Brief music, as 104.0  1473km **
104.0 0649 POR RFM, Guarda/P.Vento (gua) 8231  1517km **
104.1 0719 POR RFM, Porto/Monte da Virgem (prt) Vlcal ID  1497km **
104.7 0742  I  RTL 102.5, Fiorano Modenese (mo) or Marano sul Panaro (mo) 5218.
               Both txs in Modena (mo)

102.4 0744  E  Factory FM, Madrid (MAD-M) E850 FACTORY_  1448km **
103.0 0744  E  Unika FM, Villaviciosa de Odón/Pinares Llanos (MAD-M) E42C UNIKA_FM  1458km
107.2 0744  E  Fiesta FM, Madrid (MAD-M) E033 ____2___  1448km **
102.4 0745  E  Onda Cero, Zaldiaran (PVA-VI) E2EE ONDA__RO. AFs point to this tx  1174km **
104.9 0745  E  RNE Radio Nacional, Villadiego (CAL-BU) E211 RNE_1___  1216km **

Band 2 Tropospheric:
102.1 0038  F  RCF, Lannion/Porz al Lan (22) YLs, as web  564km **
101.6 0044  F  Skyrock, Lannion/Croaz Dibenn (22) Dr Dre song, as web  553km **
 99.0 0050  F  Radio Bonheur, Lannion/Pradic Glaz (22) French pops, as web  554km
 96.5 0056  F  NRJ, Guingamp/Castel Pic (22) Club music, as web  565km **
 93.6 0101  F  MFM Radio, Brest/Place de Strasbourg (29) French song, as web  626km **
 89.0 0108  F  RCF, Brest/Croas ar Vossen (29) French YL, as web  624km
107.3 0112  F  BFM Business, Brest/Lescaouidic (29) French OMs talking business, as web  629km
100.8 0113  F  MFM Radio, Landerneau/Léavéan (29) French song, as web  611km **
 99.4 0115  F  RKB Radio Kreiz Breizh, Carhaix-Plouguer/Berrien (29) Local Breton music,
               as web  600km

101.8 0116  F  Skyrock, Brest/le Rody (29) Modern R and B stuff, as web  625km **
 98.1 0120  F  RTL 2, Guingamp/Castel Pic (22) French slow pops, as web  565km **
 95.0 0124  F  Radio Neptune, Brest/9 Rue Pierre Mac-Orlan (29) Jazz, as web  630km **
 87.8 0137  F  Radio Courtoisie, Cherbourg-Octeville/Bélier (50) French OM, as web  415km
104.7 0145  F  Europe 1, Brest/le Rody (29) Discussion, as web  625km **
104.3 0146  F  RTL, Brest/Lescaouidic (29) Ads, as web  629km
105.5 0148  F  France Info, Brest/Lescaouidic (29) French OM, as 105.2  629km **
105.9 0149  F  RFM, Brest/le Rody (29) Earth Wind and Fire song, as web  625km **
 92.0 0209  F  Radio Kerne, Douarnenez/Kermeur (29) Rock track, as web  656km **
106.5 0224  F  RKB Radio Kreiz Breizh, Guingamp/Ploumagoar (22) Romantic song, as web  567km **
 92.4 0232  F  RMC, Brest/11 Rue Pierre-Mac-Orlans (29) French OMs, as web  630km **
100.2 0235  F  Radio Nova, Brest/11 Rue Pierre-Mac-Orlans (29) Pops, as web  630km **
 95.9 0238  F  France Musique, Cap-de-la-Hague/Omonville-la-Petite (50) Plinky plonky
               violin music, 
as web  415km **
 91.4 0239  F  France Culture, Cap-de-la-Hague/Omonville-la-Petite (50) French OM,
               as web  415km **

 94.0 0251  F  Mouv', Brest/Lescaouidic (29) Rap track, as web  629km **
105.3 0511  F  France Info, Multi-tx Echo, so more than one tx. Antenna vertical so no
               Lille on 105.2

 95.1 0518  F  Variation, Guingamp/Castel Pic (22) Acoustic song, as web  565km **
 93.3 0531  F  France Culture, Le Havre/Harfleur (76) YL, as web  406km
102.9 0540  F  RKB Radio Kreiz Breizh, Callac/Maël-Pestivien (22) Sounds like Balkan music.
               Accordion 
and signing, as web  588km **

Unidentified:
 95.2 0440  F  UNID. French talks. Web address/ID for RFI (Radio France International)

** Personal 'First'

There was a big increase in signals from the Brest transmitter late evening yesterday, reading 58dBf on the XDR-GTK software. Take off 20dB for the pre-amp of course but that is still a healthy signal, the kind of strength where it's time to flip the antenna to vertical to look for local stations. Brest disappeared once the 9.2 was vertical, but it must have grown even stronger shortly after this as it managed to push through clearly despite the wrong polarisation.

After midnight, once vertical, local Breton stations started to appear, bringing me my largest personal haul from the region. The band started to resemble Land's End! I knew I was in for a long, sleepless night. Daylight was well upon me before I finally pulled the plug and even then I left the FDM-S2 recording.

Having holidayed in Brittany several times over the last 15 years or so I have become sort of familiar with some of the stations over there. Hearing the beautiful Breton music on Radio Kreiz Breizh and Radio Kerne is a joy. They both have web streams, but to hear them live via a tropo is just amazing, even if the signals were mostly quite weak.

Needless to say when I awoke at midday this morning I was bleary eyed, extremely lethargic and totally incoherent. I have discovered a new use for matchsticks! The problem for me though is that it usually takes two days for the effects of a lack of sleep to catch up on me.

I didn't expect to hear any meteor scatter as the band was full of inland UK stations by local sunrise, nevertheless, there was some activity and I uploaded some videos of this to https://www.youtube.com/user/g1vvp

Hopefully somebody knows who relays RFI (Radio France International) on 95.2 overnight. This one is a real mystery.

Zzzzzz!

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
Sony XDR-F1HD with Konrad i2c mod.

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 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.

No comments:

Post a Comment