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Old 13th Nov 2017, 9:56 am   #161
Phil G4SPZ
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quite remarkable reception quality at 0850 this morning on the car radio in my wife's Citroen parked near Kidderminster. Steady, strength 2, smooth noise, occasional static crashes and some sideband noise from 657kHz, but altogether very reminiscent of daytime reception back in 1967.
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 9:59 am   #162
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Caroline's website says that these were short term tests and will now have ceased. There is no saying that these were done at full power so when they start properly it's possible that reception could improve.
They say they have had a huge number of reception reports which will take a while to analyse.
I'm surprised that so many people in the Northern counties could receive a signal at all!
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 10:13 am   #163
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

I first heard the Radio Caroline tests on Saturday 11/11 at about 4.30pm using my Grundig Satellite 700. They were playing the intro song.
The signal was weak and fadey but listenable and competing well with the local noise, and the co channel signals from Spain and Slovenia.
I tried again yesterday during the middle of the day and could only just hear it through the local noise.
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 10:34 am   #164
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

I've been listening to the transmission this morning. Non-stop music but there was an ident around 9am.

I'm using a Sony ICF-480L which is a small portable dating from the late 80s which is handy to be able to position around the room for best reception.

The signal is there with just the internal ferrite rod aerial but of course improved with the Tecsun loop placed alongside. Not fantastically strong but it is above the noise about on a par with Radio Wales on 657 and Three Counties on 630 (Luton Tx 200w). There is some long fading.

I will have to dig out the Grundig Party Boy as R Wales used to be easily listenable on 657 on that set with just the ferrite rod.

The quality and the strength of the daytime signal reminds me very much of listening as a kid to the pirates in the 1960s on my little Philips portable which goes to show how desperate I was to hear pop in those days!

"Love Cats" playing as I write this - sorry, forgotten the name of the group.
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 10:37 am   #165
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

It seems stronger this morning than it was yesterday at about the same time. Yesterday it was barely audible but now it's borderline listenable. Keep tweaking, lads.
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 11:33 am   #166
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Are they still transmitting?
Its very faint but I could hear Rikki don't loose that number followed by the Yardbirds 'for your love' around 10:25... not really listenable but good fun trying (distracting me from my work).
This is the first time I've picked up anything in daylight.
If it's not Caroline then I'm hearing someone else playing 60's music back to back ... can anyone confirm?

I'm listening on a Cossor CR4212A with long wire strung up in the loft.

John

Last edited by stitch1; 13th Nov 2017 at 11:43 am. Reason: typo
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 11:36 am   #167
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Still on air at time of posting.
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 11:37 am   #168
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Heard just now on a Trio/Kenwood R1000, noisy but you could hear the music. Aerial a wire round the loft. Better reception on a Funcube dongle with a shorter wire also in the loft. Both systems were a bit better last night around 2200.

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Old 13th Nov 2017, 12:05 pm   #169
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

I'm surprised it's so poor in Kent, Gordon. It's actually perfectly listenable here in Manchester today. Have you considered a loop antenna. My Wellbrook 1530 knocked my noise problems on the head at a stroke!
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 12:30 pm   #170
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Stich1: You were on the right station.
I have my Roberts R200 on top of a cupboard & I heard The Yardbirds too. I sent Caroline a reception report of their test transmission.
A pity they couldn't turn up the wick a bit, but not bad for one kilowatt to get to Yorkshire. Strangely the ferrite rod of the Roberts is aligned approx East-West
I could just get it on a Inscol TR 661. Just the sort of little pocket radio boys might have illicitly listed to the station on.

Inscol TR 661: https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/unknow..._661tr_66.html
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 12:37 pm   #171
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Thanks Neil, I could just about make out a short announcement with a gentleman saying thanks for listening.... time to try some other radios and AE's before they go off line (maybe too late).

Sadly I don't think they will be able to turn up the wick as it looks like the best they'll be allowed is community AM radio which I assume has limited power.

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

John
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 12:47 pm   #172
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

1kW can cover a surprising distance. It all depends on the aerial efficiency....how much is radiated and how much is lost in the feeders. I would think that the efficiency would be pretty good compared to how they tuned a mast on a boat bobbing about in the North Sea.....!

I seem to recall that K.I.N.G radio (back in '67) used an ex beacon transmitter on one of the forts off the Essex coast and that easily reached Croydon and the south coast on 1kW.
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 1:01 pm   #173
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stitch1 View Post
Are they still transmitting?
Its very faint but I could hear Rikki don't loose that number followed by the Yardbirds 'for your love' around 10:25...
Yes that played.

Signal has improved with no fading and is quite listenable on the little Sony with the Tecsun loop.

Still on air with announcement around the hour and half hour - Sheryl Crow playing just now.
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 1:20 pm   #174
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Did they switch the transmitter off at, or just after mid-day?
I turned the Roberts back on after eating my lunch and Caroline was gone.
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 1:23 pm   #175
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

It's off air at present.
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 2:03 pm   #176
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sideband View Post
1kW can cover a surprising distance . . .

. . . I seem to recall that K.I.N.G radio (back in '67) used an ex beacon transmitter on one of the forts off the Essex coast and that easily reached Croydon and the south coast on 1kW.
I've listened to BBC Hereford & Worcester 738kHz (440W) in Somerset on a latter day not particularly sensitive car radio. Sunshine 855 (Ludlow) with a mere 150W had a sizeable 'ordinary Joe' listenership in the Birmingham area for the specialist programmes it used to broadcast on the weekends.

The difference between 1kW and 50kW is less than 3 S-points and, with its good ground wave propagation, 648kHz is a very useful frequency to have.

I wonder if the transmitter tests have been run at full power?
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 3:35 pm   #177
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

I have read on a couple of other forums that the test transmissions were from Orfordness, but not sure if those reports are reliable.

https://tinyurl.com/ybar56xc

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Old 13th Nov 2017, 4:20 pm   #178
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sideband View Post
1kW can cover a surprising distance. It all depends on the aerial efficiency....how much is radiated and how much is lost in the feeders. I would think that the efficiency would be pretty good compared to how they tuned a mast on a boat bobbing about in the North Sea.....!
OTOH compared to anything you can realistically construct on land, a ship's steel hull directly coupled to highly-conductive salty-water for 500 wavelengths in all horizontal directions would have been one hell of a ground-plane to match your quarter-wave vertical antenna against.
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 4:45 pm   #179
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Station X View Post
It's off air at present.
Yes the test transmissions have ceased for the present so now it's a question of watching the website and listening out for the scheduled transmissions to start.

Just like the old days when Caroline disappeared for weeks/months/years and then returned.....!
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Old 13th Nov 2017, 5:13 pm   #180
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

How many hours each day are they allowed to broadcast, given that these are just Test Transmissions?
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