Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

[WaveyDipole]

I’m picking it up on 648kHz, annoucement just confirmed Radio Caroline. Its 13:50. Signal is steady - no fade, but singal strength of just 1 on the 1-5 signal strenght meter. There is quite a bit of static type noise that accompnies the signal.

I can just about pick up a very faint signal on 1368kHz but it seems to be an echo of a very strong signal at 1362kHz.

This is just using my Tecsun PL-660 and Roberts R9962 portables on their internal ferrite antennas with radio turned in the direction for best reception.

[Station X]

Since the test transmissions started my restored valve radios have seen a lot of use. I even put up a new wire aerial for them. I expected some of them to fail after a few hours, but the only problems are noisy potentiometers and wave change switches. Time to get out the Servisol.

[llama]

Just read this from Johnny Lewis on facebook:

Radio Caroline AM service to open
Weather and technology permitting, our programmes on 648Khz will commence originating from the Ross Revenge at 7.00AM on Friday 22nd December.

The changed schedule for the day will be :
7am Johnny Lewis
9am Top Fifteen
10am Ray Clark – with the official launch at midday.
2pm Kevin Turner
5pm Resume normal programmes

No doubt Bob Lawrence, Martin Fisher and Jerry Wright will personalise their evening shows to mark the day.

Of course we are delighted to have found and secured what must be the best possible AM transmission site for our service. We thank Cobra Mist Ltd for this facility whilst noting that this is a private site which cannot at this time be visited.

So, another date for the Radio Caroline calendar of events and the inevitable question. Where do we go from here?
Graham

[Boom]

EDIT:- 'Weather and technology permitting, our programmes on 648Khz will commence originating from the Ross Revenge at 7.00AM on Friday 22nd December.'

http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/#home.html

[WaveyDipole]

Well its 10:00pm and the signal now is very fluttery and unlistenable to.

[Boom]

Cracking signal again here in Wiltshire on the hand held transistor. Maybe they are firing up the after burners for tomorrows big launch at noon?

[Andrew2]

VERY good on 648 KHz this afternoon. Fully listenable on the Wellbrook + SDR. Detectable on the Sony portable.

[telstar]

Hi. I managed to receive Radio Caroline last night in Leeds about 3 a.m The signal strength was quite good for a while.
Mike

[ionburn]

Picking it up all day. I got the official opening at mid-day, although turned off just afterward. I don't know if it is the conditions, or they have reduced power (by S meter reading perhaps just conditions), but signal was a little noisy. The usual distant station interference came in this evening.

[frankmcvey]

Due to a fairly recent imagery upgrade on Google Earth (Sep 2017) we can now see the former trawler and pirate radio ship MV Ross Revenge at her mooring in the Blackwater off Bradwell at 51°44'5.29"N, 0°51'28.59"E

Copying and pasting that lat/long into the GE Viewer search window should take you there. I'd have added a proper .kmz placemark, but the UKVRR vBulletin software doesn't support the .kmz format.

Not had a lot of success in listening to 648 here in Rutland - I can hear hear the signal but there's usually so much hash and adjacent channel interference that it's no pleasure to listen to.

Cheers,

Frank

[Boom]

Try this during the daytime Frank. It's cheating but let's you follow Caroline on 648 kHz without the buzzing and digital rubbish.

http://remoteradio.changeip.org:8073/

[Boom]

Following is from Radio Carolines Ofcom license application form. I'm 186 miles from the transmitter and receive Caroline on my car radio loud and clear most of the day but I won't tell Ofcom if no one else does. I understand that
Caroline has also been received in Japan'!

'It is Ofcom policy that community radio stations usually serve an area of up to 5 kilometre from the transmission site'.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/asse...ation-form.pdf

[Station X]

They have been having technical problems since at least yesterday afternoon and continuing as I post this.

The carrier is constant, but the audio keeps disappearing. Sometimes a "Normal Service will be resumed....." announcement is heard.

A problem with the audio feed I assume.

Looking at their webpage, it says:-

"We have been having some connectivity issues which may impact on our 648 AM service".

[AC/HL]

Perhaps they're "all at sea" as we say!

[linescan87]

I was recieving Caroline on 648Khz on the car radio into work, good clear signal. Can't here it now I'm in Dublin city with all the smps hash.

John Joe.

[Boom]

From Radio Caroline main web page:

'Service message: We are told that the broken fibre-optic cable at our 648AM transmitter site has been fixed and 'final end to end testing' is underway. If successful we will be able to switch back to a much more stable studio-to-transmitter link.'

[Station X]

Radio Caroline is to feature on BBC Radio 4's "In Touch" programme in a few minutes time.

[Boom]

I won the first Radio Caroline daily quiz of 2018. Well chuffed, won a CD and a signed sticker from Pat Edison

[Boom]

Good news for Wiltshire listeners of the 1368kHz service.

I tuned in today and BBC radio Wiltshire is issuing a service message saying that the frequency is no longer being used by the BBC and to retune if you want to continuing listening.

As Radio Wiltshire was the only station that I could hear clashing with Caroline North/Manx Radio on 1368kHz the sooner the BBC carrier is turned off the better!

EDIT:- Pat Edison of Radio Caroline has just emailed me that the BBC are shutting down thirteen of their local transmitters this month. Will we see such as 'Big L' back as well using the empty channels? We can but hope ...

[Phil G4SPZ]

Look what came in this morning's post!

Phil