Long wave dx

[linescan87]

We're in the middle of what looks like a major power cut here, so I grabbed a portable radio and had a tune around

Just counted 11 stations on long wave including the Allouis carrier. One station down around 150kHz. Another, I think Russian around 265kHz signed off at 11, which would be 1am moscow time.

Medium wave is also jam packed. Amazing what you can hear when all the smp hash is gone. All this on a Roberts Revival (closest to hand with batteries.)

Cheers,

John Joe.

[Julesomega]

You won't have heard Tipaza then It's very strong here and can often hide Clarkestown

A useful list of all LW+MW stations in Europe, Africa and Middle East: MWLIST quick and easy

Stay warm!

[linescan87]

Tipaza can be heard here, in fact quite well if I null out rte by turning the set, though this one hasn't got quite as sharp a null as some others I have. That link is very interesting.

Luckily I have a fire place and plenty of fuel!

[raditechman]

As you posted during a power outage I assume you are using your mobile telephone data for internet connection. Are the mobile telephone masts powered from a different supply or just have back up batteries?
I wonder if during the EMI silence you can hear MW Radio Caroline.
John

[paulsherwin]

Mobile phone cells don't normally have backup batteries or standby generators, so it's the luck of the draw if you can get a signal during a power cut. You need to be in range of a mast which still has power.

Back on topic please.

[hannahs radios]

You may have heard the Czech station on 270 kHz, if you did that's proper DX as now it only runs 50kW.

[linescan87]

That could be it, the reason I thought it note worthy is because I can't ever remember hearing anything above rte.

It was quite an readable signal, I only stopped listening because they signed off.

John Joe.

[dtvmcdonald]

An oddly appropriate thread for me. I've always wanted to pick up
a European LW broadcast station, or even one of our multitude of LW
aircraft beacons. That's for 40 years. I've heard beacon carriers with
my portable, but never the MCW call sign ... despite living 3 miles from one.

A year ago I bought an Airspy with convertor down to DC. I also made
a set of filters to isolate bands. With my usual antenna I was able to copy
a few beacons well, but no LW broadcasts. Still to much manmade noise.

I also bought a BC-453 which heard the beacons.

A couple of weeks ago I tried a different antenna setup. I have a
transistorized preamp with 6kohm input impedance, coupled to coax
through a low capacitance transformer. I tried my car as ground and
100 feet of insulated wire lying on the ground as antenna. What an
improvement! I got beacons on every kHz, and numerous decodeable DGPS
stations, plus lots of logged hams on 630 meters and even one on 2200
meters. And I finally got LW broadcast stations. Oddly, I usually get
only two frequencies, the BBC on 198 kHz and either Ireland or Algeria,
or both at once, on 252. Once I got the station that's the odd one, not
on the 9 kHz grid, near the low end. On good days I can understand
words well enough to know which station it is just by listening.
After 40 years of trying! They come in best just after sunset. Usually
252 is clear for a while, then fades out as 198 comes in. I'm in the central USA.

Why can I only get those two frequencies? the sensitivity and noise is
pretty uniform. Could it just be that those station happen to
have big lobes in my direction?

[Panrock]

That's amazing and the first time I have heard of regular LW reception of Europe in the US. Though it's not really relevant, I am reminded of the reception of BBC Television in the US in 1938!

Steve

['LIVEWIRE?']

I suspect the 'odd' station near the low end of LW may be Europe #1, which transmits on 183kHz from Saarlouis. This is in between two 9kHz channels (180 & 189kHz). IIRC, the frequency was chosen to avoid clashing with a station in the former D.D.R. Whether the latter is still on air since German re-unification I know not. There are only a few LW stations in Europe now - Czech Republic, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, UK, Iceland and France being the main ones.

[Julesomega]

@DTV - Droitwich and Clarkestown are omnidirectional so may be the strongest to the Nortwest.
Saarlouis 183 and Luxembourg 234 use a lot of power but have directional antennas pointing South, while RMC 214 probably beams North. Saarlouis used to have a much lower ERP off-beam but the collapse of one of the three masts in 2012 and never re-built, has broadened the rear lobe - see fr.wikipedia

Do you hear anything on 189kHz? Iceland can be quite strong here late at night, and right now I hear weak music. I've not heard RUV on 207kHz

[Julesomega]

Let me add that I'm listening with a good domestic portable radio: I've largely given up my old enthusiasm for MW/LW since moving to a property with a boundary along the main railway line for the district, Electrified of course

[russell_w_b]

Originally Posted by Julesomega

@DTV - Droitwich and Clarkestown are omnidirectional so may be the strongest to the Nortwest.

Westerglen and Burghead in Scotland also broadcast BBC R4 on 198kHz and are synchronised with Droitwich. They may be contributing to your received signal.

['LIVEWIRE?']

Something which has always puzzled me is why a small Island like Iceland runs two fairly High Power LW Transmitters. Do they carry different programs, or are they sited in different locations, perhaps because Iceland is astride geological fault lines, so that, if one trransmitter should be put off the air, the second should still be available?

[Julesomega]

MWLIST shows they carry the same px, and gives links to Google maps