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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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2nd Mar 2018, 12:19 am | #1 |
Heptode
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Meath, Ireland
Posts: 551
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Long wave dx
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. |
2nd Mar 2018, 12:45 am | #2 |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 2,102
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Re: Long wave dx
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!
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2nd Mar 2018, 1:06 am | #3 |
Heptode
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Meath, Ireland
Posts: 551
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Re: Long wave dx
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! |
2nd Mar 2018, 8:28 am | #4 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: West London, UK.
Posts: 867
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Re: Long wave dx
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 |
2nd Mar 2018, 11:25 am | #5 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,936
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Re: Long wave dx
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. |
2nd Mar 2018, 8:40 pm | #6 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Weymouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 422
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Re: Long wave dx
You may have heard the Czech station on 270 kHz, if you did that's proper DX as now it only runs 50kW.
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2nd Mar 2018, 10:38 pm | #7 |
Heptode
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Meath, Ireland
Posts: 551
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Re: Long wave dx
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. |
3rd Mar 2018, 5:56 am | #8 |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Champaign, Illinois, USA.
Posts: 227
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Re: Long wave dx
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? Last edited by dtvmcdonald; 3rd Mar 2018 at 5:57 am. Reason: typos |
3rd Mar 2018, 8:01 am | #9 |
Nonode
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Worcestershire, UK.
Posts: 2,533
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Re: Long wave dx
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 |
3rd Mar 2018, 9:51 am | #10 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton)
Posts: 7,306
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Re: Long wave dx
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.
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4th Mar 2018, 10:19 pm | #11 |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 2,102
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Re: Long wave dx
@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
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4th Mar 2018, 10:34 pm | #12 |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 2,102
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Re: Long wave dx
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
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5th Mar 2018, 10:24 am | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Penrith, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 3,687
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Re: Long wave dx
Westerglen and Burghead in Scotland also broadcast BBC R4 on 198kHz and are synchronised with Droitwich. They may be contributing to your received signal.
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5th Mar 2018, 12:13 pm | #14 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton)
Posts: 7,306
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Re: Long wave dx
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?
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5th Mar 2018, 12:57 pm | #15 |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 2,102
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Re: Long wave dx
MWLIST shows they carry the same px, and gives links to Google maps
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