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Tuesday 31 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-31 (MW: Africa)

 891 2128 LSO LNBS Ultimate Radio, Maseru/Lancer s Gap (msr) Several soul songs, matched against 
                   the South African Kiwi SDR server stream for over an hour. Personal first! 
                   V weak  9541 km **

** Personal First

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: Portable 10ft x 25ft flag

Monday 30 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-30 (Meteor Scatter)

107.2 0512 RUS Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda, Kaliningrad (KA) PI code is 7361, not 7631 as 
               reported in FM List. Received regularly via MS lately. 7361 ??DI???? 1325km
107.7 0516  S  RIX FM, Nyköping/Galgberget Telia RM (so)  E241 ????_F?? 1208km **
107.1 0630 DNK myROCK, Silkeborg/Sorring/Terpvej 37A (mjy) Jingle ID  695km **
103.1 0631 LTU Lietus, Visbutai/LRTC Taurage RTS (Tau)   ????TU?? 1440km
104.8 0631 LTU Žiniu Radijas, Visbutai/LRTC Taurage RTS (Tau)  C158 1440km

** Personal First

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.

Sunday 29 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-29 (MW: Transatlantic)

1470 0514 USA WWBG Greensboro NC. Thank you to Fredrik Dourén and Alan Doherty (RealDX) for 
                   help with this one. V weak  6266 km **

** Personal First

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: Portable 10ft x 25ft flag

Friday 27 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-27 (Tropo: S)

 89.6 0021  S  SR P1, Nässjö/Teracom mast Berg (jo) YLs, as 87.7  1031km
 92.1 0022  S  SR P2, Nässjö/Teracom mast Berg (jo) Piano music, as web  1031km
 99.0 0023  S  SR P3, Nässjö/Teracom mast Berg (jo) Pops, as web  1031km
102.1 0024  S  SR P4, Nässjö/Teracom mast Berg (jo) Pops, behind Rangstrup, as 99.0  1031km
 93.6 0029  S  SR P2, Varberg/Rolfstorp-Grimeton TM (ha) Piano music, as web  882km

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

Skegness Log: 2017-01-27 (Tropo: Sweden)

 89.6 0021  S  SR P1, Nässjö/Teracom mast Berg (jo) YLs, as 87.7  1031km
 92.1 0022  S  SR P2, Nässjö/Teracom mast Berg (jo) Piano music, as web  1031km
 99.0 0023  S  SR P3, Nässjö/Teracom mast Berg (jo) Pops, as web  1031km
102.1 0024  S  SR P4, Nässjö/Teracom mast Berg (jo) Pops, behind Rangstrup, as 99.0  1031km
 93.6 0029  S  SR P2, Varberg/Rolfstorp-Grimeton TM (ha) Piano music, as web  882km

The trailing edge of Thursday evening's tropo.

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.

Thursday 26 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-26 (Tropo: DNK NOR S)

102.5 1248 NOR Radio Norge, Bergen/Ulriken (ho) Pops, as 92.6  860km
 99.0 1249 NOR NRK Petre, Bergen/Ulriken (ho) Petre ID by YL  860km
 88.0 1342 NOR NRK P1, Gulen/Bråsviksåta (sf) Pops and OMs, as web  923km
 91.8 1343 NOR NRK Petre, Bjerkreim/Urdalsnipa (ro) Jovial studio chat  703km
 91.1 1344 NOR NRK Petre, Bokn/Grønnestadvegen (ro) Jovial studio chat, as 91.8  745km
 97.6 1345 NOR NRK Petre, Gulen/Bråsviksåta (sf) Studio discussion, as 91.8  923km
101.4 1346 NOR Radio Norge, Gulen/Bråsviksåta (sf) Phone caller and ads  923km
 98.7 1347 NOR NRK P2, Bjerkreim/Urdalsnipa (ro) YL, as web  703km
 99.6 1347 NOR NRK P2, Stord/Kattnakken (ho) YL, as 98.7  811km
101.8 1348 NOR Radio Norge, Stord/Kattnakken (ho) Dire Straits song, as 102.5  811km
102.8 1349 NOR P4 Radio Hele Norge, Bokn/Grønnestadvegen (ro) Pops, as web  745km
103.4 1349 DNK Nova, Holstebro/Mejrup/Kalsgårdvej 11 (mjy) Ads, as web  644km
 90.2 1352 DNK DR P1/DR P2, Holstebro/Mejrup/Kalsgårdvej 11 (mjy) YL, as web  644km
 88.3 1826 NOR NRK P2, Lyngdal/Kalåskniben (va) Song, as web  696km
 95.0 1827 NOR NRK Petre, Lyngdal/Kalåskniben (va) Rock song, as web  696km
104.9 1829 NOR P4 Radio Hele Norge, Greipstad/Eidsåvegen (va) Pops, as web  734km
101.0 1831 NOR Radio Norge, Bjerkreim/Urdalsnipa (ro) Ads, as web  703km
102.0 1832 NOR Radio Norge, Lyngdal/Kalåskniben (va) Ads, as 101.0  696km
102.7 1839 DNK Radio 24syv, Aalborg/Frejlev/Svenstrupvej 25 (njy) 9204 24syv___ 740km
103.0 1839 DNK Radio 24syv, Århus/Søsterhøj/Ny Moesgårdsvej 61 (mjy) YL, as 102.7  715km
 97.5 1843 DNK DR P4, Næstved/Øverup/Køgevej 291 (sjl) Pops, as web  782km
 96.8 1846 DNK DR P4, Sønder Højrup/Sdr. Højrupvejen 21 (sdk-fyn) Reggae song, as 99.9  
                      700km
 99.9 1847 DNK DR P4, Rangstrup/Gammel Tøndervej 28 (sdk-sjy) Pops and ID  617km
 90.8 1851 DNK DR P2, København/Gladsaxe/Isbanevej 4 (hvs) Applause, OM and YL, as web  
                      836km
 97.0 1853  S  SR P3, Hörby/Sallerup TM (sn) YL ID  913km
 92.4 1858  S  SR P2, Hörby/Sallerup TM (sn) Classical, as web  913km
 87.8 2000 NOR NRK P1, Hovdefjell (aa) ID and news  805km
 92.5 2007 NOR NRK P2, Greipstad/Eidsåvegen (va) Classical, as web  734km
 97.3 2008 NOR NRK P2, Bokn/Grønnestadvegen (ro) Classical, as 98.7  745km
 96.0 2009 NOR NRK Petre, Hovdefjell (aa) Pops, as 91.8  805km
 94.2 2010 NOR NRK P1, Bjerkreim/Urdalsnipa (ro) Pops, as web  703km
 97.0 2021 NOR NRK Petre, Greipstad/Eidsåvegen (va) Petre ID and pops  734km
103.9 2059 DNK Nova, Næstved/Øverup/Køgevej 291 (sjl) Ads, as 103.4  782km
106.0 2123 DNK Nova, Aalborg/Frejlev/Svenstrupvej 25 (njy) YLs, as web  740km
 87.7 2144  S  SR P1, Halmstad/Oskarström/Teracoms mast Fjällgime (ha) YLs, as web  899km
 95.4 2145  S  SR P3, Halmstad/Oskarström/Teracoms mast Fjällgime (ha) Rap, as web  899km
 88.2 2147 NOR NRK P1, Skien 1/Vealøs (te) Jazzy vibes, as web  889km
105.2 2149 NOR Radio Norge, Skien 1/Vealøs (te) Pops, as 102.5  889km
 91.7 2158 DNK DR P3, Århus/Søsterhøj/Ny Moesgårdsvej 61 (mjy) Pops, as 92.9  715km
 92.9 2158 DNK DR P3, Holstebro/Mejrup/Kalsgårdvej 11 (mjy) Pops, as web  644km
 90.7 2159 DNK DR P3, Vejle/Gl. Højen/Tårnvej 66 (sdk-sjy) Pops, as web  656km
 97.7 2245 DNK DR P4, Ølgod/Baunshøjvej 7/Baunshøj (sdk-sjy) Cher song, as web  608km
 88.7 2247 DNK DR P1/DR P2, Ølgod/Baunshøjvej 7/Baunshøj (sdk-sjy) Classical, as web  
               608km
 89.0 2248 DNK DR P1/DR P2, Sønder Højrup/Sdr. Højrupvejen 21 (sdk-fyn) Classical, as 88.7  
               700km
 90.4 2249  S  SR P1, Varberg/Rolfstorp-Grimeton TM (ha) YL, as 87.7  882km
 91.2 2250  S  SR P2, Halmstad/Oskarström/Teracoms mast Fjällgime (ha) Classical vocalist, 
               as web  899km

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

Skegness Log: 2017-01-26 (Tropo: Scandinavia)

Band 2 Troposhperic:
102.5 1248 NOR Radio Norge, Bergen/Ulriken (ho) Pops, as 92.6  860km
 99.0 1249 NOR NRK Petre, Bergen/Ulriken (ho) Petre ID by YL  860km
 88.0 1342 NOR NRK P1, Gulen/Bråsviksåta (sf) Pops and OMs, as web  923km
 91.8 1343 NOR NRK Petre, Bjerkreim/Urdalsnipa (ro) Jovial studio chat  703km
 91.1 1344 NOR NRK Petre, Bokn/Grønnestadvegen (ro) Jovial studio chat, as 91.8  745km
 97.6 1345 NOR NRK Petre, Gulen/Bråsviksåta (sf) Studio discussion, as 91.8  923km
101.4 1346 NOR Radio Norge, Gulen/Bråsviksåta (sf) Phone caller and ads  923km
 98.7 1347 NOR NRK P2, Bjerkreim/Urdalsnipa (ro) YL, as web  703km
 99.6 1347 NOR NRK P2, Stord/Kattnakken (ho) YL, as 98.7  811km
101.8 1348 NOR Radio Norge, Stord/Kattnakken (ho) Dire Straits song, as 102.5  811km
102.8 1349 NOR P4 Radio Hele Norge, Bokn/Grønnestadvegen (ro) Pops, as web  745km
103.4 1349 DNK Nova, Holstebro/Mejrup/Kalsgårdvej 11 (mjy) Ads, as web  644km
 90.2 1352 DNK DR P1/DR P2, Holstebro/Mejrup/Kalsgårdvej 11 (mjy) YL, as web  644km
 88.3 1826 NOR NRK P2, Lyngdal/Kalåskniben (va) Song, as web  696km
 95.0 1827 NOR NRK Petre, Lyngdal/Kalåskniben (va) Rock song, as web  696km
104.9 1829 NOR P4 Radio Hele Norge, Greipstad/Eidsåvegen (va) Pops, as web  734km
101.0 1831 NOR Radio Norge, Bjerkreim/Urdalsnipa (ro) Ads, as web  703km
102.0 1832 NOR Radio Norge, Lyngdal/Kalåskniben (va) Ads, as 101.0  696km
102.7 1839 DNK Radio 24syv, Aalborg/Frejlev/Svenstrupvej 25 (njy) 9204 24syv___ 740km
103.0 1839 DNK Radio 24syv, Århus/Søsterhøj/Ny Moesgårdsvej 61 (mjy) YL, as 102.7  715km
 97.5 1843 DNK DR P4, Næstved/Øverup/Køgevej 291 (sjl) Pops, as web  782km
 96.8 1846 DNK DR P4, Sønder Højrup/Sdr. Højrupvejen 21 (sdk-fyn) Reggae song, as 99.9  700km
 99.9 1847 DNK DR P4, Rangstrup/Gammel Tøndervej 28 (sdk-sjy) Pops and ID  617km
 90.8 1851 DNK DR P2, København/Gladsaxe/Isbanevej 4 (hvs) Applause, OM and YL, as web  836km
 97.0 1853  S  SR P3, Hörby/Sallerup TM (sn) YL ID  913km
 92.4 1858  S  SR P2, Hörby/Sallerup TM (sn) Classical, as web  913km
 87.8 2000 NOR NRK P1, Hovdefjell (aa) ID and news  805km
 92.5 2007 NOR NRK P2, Greipstad/Eidsåvegen (va) Classical, as web  734km
 97.3 2008 NOR NRK P2, Bokn/Grønnestadvegen (ro) Classical, as 98.7  745km
 96.0 2009 NOR NRK Petre, Hovdefjell (aa) Pops, as 91.8  805km
 94.2 2010 NOR NRK P1, Bjerkreim/Urdalsnipa (ro) Pops, as web  703km
 97.0 2021 NOR NRK Petre, Greipstad/Eidsåvegen (va) Petre ID and pops  734km
103.9 2059 DNK Nova, Næstved/Øverup/Køgevej 291 (sjl) Ads, as 103.4  782km
106.0 2123 DNK Nova, Aalborg/Frejlev/Svenstrupvej 25 (njy) YLs, as web  740km
 87.7 2144  S  SR P1, Halmstad/Oskarström/Teracoms mast Fjällgime (ha) YLs, as web  899km
 95.4 2145  S  SR P3, Halmstad/Oskarström/Teracoms mast Fjällgime (ha) Rap, as web  899km
 88.2 2147 NOR NRK P1, Skien 1/Vealøs (te) Jazzy vibes, as web  889km
105.2 2149 NOR Radio Norge, Skien 1/Vealøs (te) Pops, as 102.5  889km
 91.7 2158 DNK DR P3, Århus/Søsterhøj/Ny Moesgårdsvej 61 (mjy) Pops, as 92.9  715km
 92.9 2158 DNK DR P3, Holstebro/Mejrup/Kalsgårdvej 11 (mjy) Pops, as web  644km
 90.7 2159 DNK DR P3, Vejle/Gl. Højen/Tårnvej 66 (sdk-sjy) Pops, as web  656km
 97.7 2245 DNK DR P4, Ølgod/Baunshøjvej 7/Baunshøj (sdk-sjy) Cher song, as web  608km
 88.7 2247 DNK DR P1/DR P2, Ølgod/Baunshøjvej 7/Baunshøj (sdk-sjy) Classical, as web  608km
 89.0 2248 DNK DR P1/DR P2, Sønder Højrup/Sdr. Højrupvejen 21 (sdk-fyn) Classic, as 88.7  700km
 90.4 2249  S  SR P1, Varberg/Rolfstorp-Grimeton TM (ha) YL, as 87.7  882km
 91.2 2250  S  SR P2, Halmstad/Oskarström/Teracoms mast Fjällgime (ha) Classical, as web  899km

Southern Norwegian transmitters are alive and well, for now!

I missed the Norwegian opening in the early part of the day but I am thankful that conditions returned during the evening.

Signals were weak to fair and conditions were not strong enough to support the reception of local stations.

In additional to Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the Flensburg and Heide transmitters were heard weakly from the north of Germany.

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.

Southern Norwegian transmitters are alive and well, for now!

I missed the Norwegian opening in the early part of the day but I am thankful that conditions returned during the evening.

Signals were weak to fair and conditions were not strong enough to support the reception of local stations.

In additional to Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the Flensburg and Heide transmitters were heard weakly from the north of Germany.

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.

Skegness Log: 2017-01-26 (MW: Transatlantic)

 680 1720 USA KBRW Barrow AK. Recruitment drive for Alaskan National Guard. Weak  6061 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: Portable 10ft x 25ft flag

Sunday 22 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-22 (MW: Transatlantic)

1460 0655 CAN CJOY Guelph ON. Songs matched playlist. Severe splatter. Fair  5731 km
1380 0700 USA WABH Bath NY. WABH Bath (Hammondsport?) ID Weak  5634 km
1430 0700 USA WENE Endicott NY. 14-30 WENE Endicott. Fox Sports Trending ...  Now! Weak  5572 km
1530 0700 USA WCKY Cincinnati OH. Full ID over UK stuff Fair  6332 km
1550 0700 CAN CBEF Windsor ON. Local Windsor ID given in ID Fair  5988 km
1610 0700 CAN CHHA Toronto ON. Lengthy and detailed Spanish ID on the hour Fair  5664 km
1320 0706 CAN CJMR Oakville ON. Booming through with late ID Fair  5703 km
1480 0717 USA WGVU Kentwood MI. Real Oldies 14-80 ID Weak  6103 km **

** Personal First

More catch-up!

I've been hanging on to my files from January 22nd in the hope of checking them more thoroughly, but time has got the better of me.

The 22nd was a reasonable day for transatlantic DX here and conditions haven't come close since.

BBC Radio Humbersplatter on 1485 were kind enough to play a quiet song at 0717, allowing me to dig into 1480 and catch an ID from WGVU. 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
Software: Jaguar Big Cat
Antenna: Portable 10ft x 25ft flag

Tuesday 17 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-17 (MW: Transatlantic)

 680 0010 USA KBRW Barrow AK. Oldies with occasional inserts from OM, as web. Best signal 
                   between 0010 and 0020, then CFTR took over. Weak  6061 km
1000 0400 USA WMVP Chicago IL. ESPN Radio ID V weak  6322 km
1380 0706 USA KRCM Shenandoah TX. Many Radio Vida IDs Weak  7764 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: Portable 10ft x 25ft flag

Monday 16 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-16 (MW: Alaska)

 680 2300 USA KBRW Barrow AK. YL ID in Eskimo. Oldies either side. V weak  6061 km
 850 2308 USA KICY Nome AK. Tentative with v v weak YL audio. Seemingly in // with
              web stream. V weak  6876 km


Once again, thank you to Alan in NI for the tip!

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: Portable 10ft x 25ft flag

Sunday 15 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-15 (Meteor Scatter)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
107.2 0503 RUS Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda, Kaliningrad (KA) Video of reception here: 
               https://youtu.be/Lvwa-0DmMEU  PI logged: 7631 PS logged: 92-1??-2 1325km **
107.8 0503 LTU Pukas, Perkunai (Klp)   PI logged: 4300 1393km
102.5 0506  S  RIX FM, Habo/Fagerhult/Stora Hallebo 1:12 (jo) Pops, as 107.7  1020km **
104.1 0506  S  RIX FM, Västerås/Munkgatan 7/Aros Center (vm) Pops, as 107.7. 20 WATTS via 
               Meteor scatter! Video here: https://youtu.be/dk9WC0qzG-o
               1225km **

104.6 0515  S  NRJ, Mora/Eldris TM (da) Path would appear to confirm Mora  PI logged: 
               E220 1211km
107.4 0515  S  NRJ, Sundsvall/Klissberget (vn) Pops, as 104.6. Path would appear to 
               cofirm Sundsvall  1425km **
103.0 0525 POL PR Radio Zachód, Zielona Góra/Jemiolów (LU)   PI logged: 3467 1008km
103.9 0721  S  RIX FM, Södertälje/Ragnhildsborg TM (st) Pops, as 104.5  1260km **
104.5 0721  S  RIX FM, Eskilstuna/Hällberga/Teracoms mast (so)   PI logged: E241 1212km
107.7 0806  S  RIX FM, Nyköping/Galgberget Telia RM (so)   PI logged: E241 1208km **
106.0 0950  I  AFN Vicenza-The Eagle, Probably Bassano del Grappo PI 9978

** Personal First

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.

Tuesday 10 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-10 (Meteor Scatter)

105.6 0543 HRV Radio 1, Cakovec/Mohokos 2 (ck) 8870 ??????__ Thanks Usman Khan
               for help  1367km **

107.2 0636 POL Radio Maryja, Kielce/Swiety Krzyz (SK) 3232 1436km
107.5 0708 DNK The Voice, Rønnede/Borupvej 54/Sonofons Mast (sjl) 9619 793km **
107.8 0708 LTU Pukas, Perkunai (Klp) 4300 ??????__ 1393km **
102.4 0725 POL PR 1, Warszawa/Raszyn (MW) Messed up scrolling PS3211 Sygnaly_
               Dnia???? 1388km

105.3 0725 POL Radio Maryja, Plonsk/Komin PEC (MW) 3232 ????RY?? 1341km **
107.2 0837  I  Radio Deejay, Castel San Pietro Terme/Monte Grande (bo) 5214 1272km **
107.6 0837  I  Radio Popolare Milano (Pop. Net.), Brescia/Colle Vedetta-via
               Buttafuoco (bs) 524A ????lare 1108km **

107.9 0837  I  R101, Castel San Pietro Terme/Monte Grande (bo) 5215 1272km **
103.0 0904  E  Unika FM, Alcorcón (MAD-M) E42C 1457km
103.2 0914 POL PR Radio Olsztyn, Olsztyn/Pieczewo (WM) 39A1 1334km
105.3 0947  I  Radio Italia SoloMusicaItaliana, Meldola/Frazione Valdinoce-Il
               Botteghino (fc) Vocal ID in long burst  1328km

104.2 1828 POL PR 3, Lublin/Piaski (LB) 3233 __?????? 1548km
105.0 2231  I  Radio Deejay, Scandiano/Monte Evangelo-Via Bottegaro, 2 (re)
               Discussion, as 107.2  1216km

106.0 2231  I  Virgin Radio, Castel San Pietro Terme/Monte Grande (bo) 5241 1272km **

** Personal First

More vertical monitoring of the top of the band.

It's interesting that there are so many personal firsts once again. Stations which have appeared for the first time over the last few days have often appeared repeatedly. It's as if each meteor shower has its own refraction properties.

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.

Sunday 8 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-08 (Meteor Scatter)

104.7 0605  S  Mix Megapol, Örebro/Almby (or) Presumed site. Pops, as 106.1  1145km
106.1 0605  S  Mix Megapol, Västerås/Nya vattentornet Skallberget (vm) E243 1226km **
106.3 0605  S  NRJ, Örebro/Almby (or) Pops, as 106.9  1145km **
106.9 0605  S  NRJ, Västerås/Rekylgatan 10 (vm) E220 ??J_??__ 1227km **
105.3 1245  S  Mix Megapol, Uppsala/Rickomberga TM (up) Pops, as 106.1  1290km **
103.8 2047 CVA Radio Vaticana Africa-Asia, Cittá del Vaticano/Palazzina
               Leone XIII (cva) 4103 1542km

105.0 2047 CVA Radio Vaticana 105 Live, Cittá del Vaticano/Palazzina
               Leone XIII (cva) 4104 105_FM__ 1542km

105.3 2047  I  Dimensione Suono Due, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo (rm) 5E49 1568km
106.1 2047  I  RMC - Radio Monte Carlo, Frascati or Segni Pops, as 106.3
106.3 2047  I  RMC - Radio Monte Carlo, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo (rm) 5213 1568km
107.9 2047  I  Radio 24, Rocca di Papa/Monte Cavo (rm) 5245 RADIO_24 1568km

** Personal First

Two sessions recorded today, both concentrating on the top of the band. Antenna vertical, beaming 60 degrees.

Some good, longer bursts in the evening session too, only one of them being strong enough to give RDS.

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.

Wednesday 4 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-04 (Meteor Scatter)

 90.7 0612 HOL SubLime FM, IJsselstein/Gerbrandytoren-Alticom (utr) Sudden burst 
               over scatter  344km
104.9 0824  D  Radio SAW, Leipzig Wiederau [sac] (san) OM vocal ID  843km
103.2 0855 POL PR Radio Olsztyn, Olsztyn/Pieczewo (WM) 39A1 ??S_???? 1334km
105.4 0952 DNK Radio Diablo, Gudme/Kirkegade 14 (sdk-fyn) 9B30 ??AB???? 711km **
105.1 1024  S  NRJ, Stockholm/Nacka-Forum Köpcenter (st) E220 ???J_??__ 1292km
105.4 1024 DNK Radio Nordjyske, Storvorde - Sejlflod/Kirkebakken 14 (njy) 9CFF 753km **
106.9 1024  S  Mix Megapol, Linköping/Ljungsbro-Högsäter Rörstorp (og) E243 ME??POL_
               1120km **

107.5 1024  S  Vinyl FM, Stockholm/Nacka-Forum Köpcenter (st) E2A8 VI????FM 1292km **

** Personal First

Meteor scatter conditions were very much the same as the 3rd with the same Dutch and UK stations received across the same time span, but I avoided duplication here.

The 1024 burst was the only reasonable burst of the last three mornings. This produced several Danish locals, two of which were strong enough for RDS. Conincidentally, both were on the same frequency. Videos here:

Radio Diablo, Gudme: https://youtu.be/HT1YgORovzs
Radio Nordjyske, Storvorde-Sejlflod: https://youtu.be/HT1YgORovzs

Sweden's Vinyl FM appeared on 107.5 during this burst. A station carrying the same programming also appeared on 106.7 at the same time, but I could not see a Vinyl FM there. Maybe a new outlet?

The 1024 burst also brought several networked stations playing Reggaeton music on ten or more frequencies. 103.9 was the strongest and just about at RDS levels. My guess is that these were all outlets of the Rix FM network. It's a great pity I couldn't confirm this as some of these transmitters were very low powered.

Since medium wave is so shockingly poor at the moment, I will probably make more MS recordings over the next few days. Once again I will aim my 9.2 towards the north-east, vertically.

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.

Tuesday 3 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-03 (Meteor Scatter)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
 88.0 0607 HOL NPO Radio 2, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Presumed with Swing Out
               Sister song, as 88.2  407km

 88.2 0607 HOL NPO Radio 2, Roermond/Alticom Toren (lim) Presumed with Swing Out
               Sister song, as 88.0  443km

 88.4 0607 HOL SLAM!, Roosendaal/Alticom Toren (nbr) Presumed with rap song,
               as 91.1  334km

 91.1 0607 HOL SLAM!, Hilversum/Media Park-Alticom (nho) Presumed with rap song,
               as 88.4  341km

 92.6 0607 HOL NPO Radio 2, Ijsselstein/Gerbrandytoren-Alticom (utr) Presumed
               with Swing Out Sister song, as 88.0  344km

 87.6 0617 HOL Radio 10, Smilde/Alticom Toren (dre) Burst of song, as Radio 10
               87.7 scatter  407km **

 87.7 0617 HOL Radio 10, Lelystad/Alticom Toren (fle) Burst of song, as scatter
               which appeared a few seconds later.  350km **

 99.9 0851  G  Classic FM, Sandale (EN-CUM) Classical, as others  288km
100.0 0851  G  Classic FM, North Hessary Tor (EN-DVN) Classical, as others  415km
100.4 0851  G  Classic FM, Bow Brickhill or Gillingham Classical, as others **
100.7 0851  G  Classic FM, Caernafon/Arfon (WA-GWY) Classical, as others  307km **
101.6 0851  G  Classic FM, Beecroft Hill, Bilsdale West Moor or Colwyn Classical, as others **
100.6 0852  G  Classic FM, London/Crystal Palace (EN-GTL) OM, as others  194km **
107.2 0902 IRL Newstalk 106-108 FM, Mount Leinster, Castlebar or Knockmoyle. Presumed
               with Irish man talking about the weather, as others **

107.4 0902 IRL Newstalk 106-108 FM, Truskmore most likely Presumed. Irish
               man talking about the weather, as others **

107.6 0902 IRL Newstalk 106-108 FM, Maghera (CE) Presumed. Irish man talking about
               the weather  604km **

107.8 0902 IRL Newstalk 106-108 FM, Probably Kilduff Mountain or Cork. Presumed
               with Irish man talking about the weather, as others **

106.9 1005 IRL Newstalk 106-108 FM, Probably Hollywell Hill but Ardagh also here.
               Irish OM, as others **

103.7 1013  G  BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal, Suspect Forfar but others here too Scottish
               YL, as 104.2 **

103.9 1013  G  BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal, Melvaig (SC-HIL) YL, as 104.2  648km **
104.2 1013  G  BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal, Meldrum (SC-ABS) In all likelihood this
               is probably Meldrum, but other transmitters here too  501km

104.3 1013  G  BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal, Eitshal (Isle of Lewis) (SC-WIL) Presumed
               Eitshal, but other flea powers listed  707km **

104.9 1013  G  BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal, Rosemarkie (SC-HIL) Probably Rosemarkie,
               but flea powered Ardgour also here  570km

106.0 1013 IRL Newstalk 106-108 FM, Three Rock Mountain (D) Irish news, as others  437km **

** Personal First!

This morning's meteor scatter was unusual on several counts:

* The Quadrantids produced only short-range meteor scatter.
* Not a single PI code appeared due to the weak nature of the signals.
* Either this was some kind of backscatter or the meteors were arriving to my west. My antenna was beamed north-east throughout!
* The log is largely the result of five individual meteor bursts. Meteor scatter was poor and infrequent. This was nothing like the Quadrantids I have come to know and love.

I was hoping to hear a few local stations from Denmark, Norway or Sweden. That didn't happen.

Quite a few first timers in there for me. In view of this, I will probably record tomorrow morning, but I wasn't going to bother as meteor scatter has mostly been infrequent.

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.

A Belated HAPPY NEW YEAR! But a disappointing start.


Hull's "City Of Culture 2017" fireworks display, entitled "THE BIG BANG"!

To bring in the 2016 new year, Jane and I drove to the St Helen's Church at West Keal. This hilltop location provides a great vantage point to the south.

Midnight on New Year's Eve offers the only time of year where you can guarantee an abundance of synchronised fireworks. The view from St Helen's Church is quite spectacular. It's not that high at only 70 metres above sea level, but the view over the flat plains of the Fens to the south is quite impressive. There's nothing else quite like it around here.

The evening of December 31st 2015 was dry and the air was still and crystal clear. At the stroke of midnight, the whole horizon was aflame with thousands of fireworks, providing a display of colour and light, making the horizon look like it was dancing. It was the most bizarre and mesmerising sight. I can't put into words just how magical this was. I had heard reports about how stunning this kind of fireworks-gazing was and we can wholeheartedly concur.

We could see fireworks as far away as North Norfolk. The Boston area was flooded with light. Yet not a sound could be heard, apart from the wildlife on the ground and in the nearby trees.

So we thought we would repeat the same experience again this New Year's Eve. But the display this time was extremely disappointing. At the stroke of midnight, we counted only three small firework displays on the distant horizon. This was an enormous reduction over last year's breathtaking spectacle. Apart from a couple of fireworks at the bottom of the hill, we probably didn't count more than a dozen in the distance. The air was the same. Cold, crisp and beautifully clear.

So why the dramatic reduction in fireworks? Is it now considered bad taste to let off bombs in the air? I could understand that. Or is it because money is tight? I hear that New Year retail sales are considerably down this year. The shops and the roads around Skegness this season are empty! You can see that there is a huge reduction of New Year visitors, which we always have. This follows one of the busiest summer seasons on record for the resort. I think I am opting for the financial reason. Or are fireworks just not in fashion anymore?

Skegness has had all its many fireworks displays cancelled in 2016. I don't know why, but I am not disappointed. Although I love a good fireworks display, I would happily support their ban as I have seen the terrible effects they have on pets.

Driving home from West Keal, feeling a little disappointed, Jane and I discussed travelling to Kingston Upon Hull the following evening. It's a 70 mile (110 km) drive from Skegness, but they were boasting that they were having a fireworks display which would be better than London's! Something I found hard to believe. But 2017 is Hull's "City Of Culture" year, which has many, many events to celebrate the city. Maybe we should go.

Come the following afternoon, we did indeed take the drive to Hull and witnessed their stunning fireworks display. It was probably the best one I have seen. I don't think I would class it as 'better' than London's New Year's display, but the only difference was that Hull didn't have a giant Ferris wheel as a centrepiece. Other than that, it really was a very impressive 12 minute display, carried out on two barges which were moored just off the Marina in the Humber river.

To get a waterfront seat for the fireworks, you had to book a year in advance. It was ticket only, but they were free. All 25,000 tickets were snapped up the moment they were released too.

A little planning on google Earth and Google Street View found us a good spot, right next to the Marina, where we could see the whole display. We chose the car park of the Odeon Cinema. Only a small handful of other people had thought of this. Most other people travelled slightly further away to St Andrew's Dock. But the fireworks were huge, so they could be seen from all points across the city.

According to local newspapers, the display consisted of 15,000 projectiles and weighed 3.5 tonnes. How that compares to the London display I am not sure. I have only ever seen that on the TV, but I have no doubt that the two are very similar in size after seeing Hull's effort.

It was certainly a big fireworks display and the fireworks were very loud, considering they were about half a mile away. One or two car alarms were being set off by the blasts.

Listening to BBC Radio Humberside interviewing the public after the event, I was surprised to find that a lot had gone wrong with the fireworks. It seems there was some problem with synchronicity of the fireworks and the video and soundtrack which were playing for those in the Marina. The fireworks were also slightly late starting, being billed to begin at exactly 2017. I don't know why the rather odd time. They were only about five minutes late, but I imagine this may have upset the timings of other events in the evening's celebrations.

I'll leave my own video effort of the evening's proceedings at the top of the page, but mine is poor by comparison to some of those I have seen on YouTube. I will post a few links to some of the better ones below. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!














Monday 2 January 2017

Skegness Log: 2017-01-02 (Meteor Scatter)

Band 2 Meteor Scatter:
 91.1 0536 HOL SLAM!, Hilversum/Media Park-Alticom (nho) 82A5 ??????__ 341km
 99.9 0753 POL PR 3, Gdansk/Chwaszczyno (PM) 3233 _R????o_ 1195km

We're not quite in the swing of things regarding the Quadrantids, but I thought I would give it a go overnight. Hopefully better things tomorrow.

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.