4th Dec 2017, 9:28 pm | #281 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
I think I read that the adjustment is at its limit and they are looking into it. EDIT: Ah, here we are - "Frequency accuracy. Yes, we are approximately 3Hz low, on 647.997. Although our transmitter was fully tested and setup before it was shipped to our transmitter site, for some reason when it was installed, it was running slightly low. It is adjusted to its maximum, but we appreciate the need to be more accurately on channel and reduce the nighttime flutter experienced in fringe areas. This will be attended to in due course though the OFCOM and ITU limit is for 10Hz, so we are well within the required specification."
From http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/#reports_round_up.html
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6th Dec 2017, 12:08 pm | #282 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
I was listening to the car radio while driving to pickup SWMBO from work. This was between 16.40 and 17.00. Wasnt sure it was Caroline until the announcement at 17.00. The signal was not too strong, but listenable with a little flutter and faint background stations. The music was varied; some of it to my taste, some not. Turned off when they played Coldplay!
Cheers Aub
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6th Dec 2017, 2:56 pm | #283 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
Getting it fine on 648kHz early this afternoon on the Bush VHF81 with its ferrite rod, whilst the Trio with wire antenna brings in nothing but noise. Sad that the music is far too near the hard rock end of the spectrum for my taste. A bit disappointed; perhaps I had wrongly expected some music from the 60s, jingles, DJs and so on. Back-to-back rock music tracks just don't float my boat, sorry
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6th Dec 2017, 3:45 pm | #284 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
Reception seems to have fallen into a pattern now. Good early morning on the portable, then beginning to fade due to daytime conditions taking over. Good for a few more hours on my Wellbrook loop + SDRPlay receiver using reduced b/w and sync detection. After lunch it's all downhill until darkness approaches.
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6th Dec 2017, 4:04 pm | #285 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
I've been up to Battlesbury Hill a few times now Caroline hunting. Even when I can't hear Caroline at home each time I have gone to the hill which is only some three miles away from me I have been met with a good solid signal at all times of day and night. (Battlesbury Hill is on Salisbury Plain next to the garrison). This works out at some 185 miles from the Caroline transmitter and I assume the signal must be arriving via ground wave. Some ground wave! The ASL is about 500 feet.
There is another hill next to it - Cradle Hill - famous for its UFO activities. This hill has just one telephone cable running the full length of the hill on poles carrying the comms' signals for the entire tower and carries data hash which totally wipes out the whole medium wave. |
6th Dec 2017, 5:01 pm | #286 | |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
Quote:
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6th Dec 2017, 6:28 pm | #287 | |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
Quote:
Nowadays, in order to force the digital stream through, BT/Openreach seem to have thrown away the rule book, resulting in gross MF interference for the rest of us. For that kind of reason, I find Caroline has a rather poor signal to noise ratio here in Cambridge on a long wire aerial, but that improves dramatically with a loop aerial: it then sounds very good. With the loop, even their sister station, Manx Radio is listenable here in the evening - its signal is rather reminiscent of the fading of '208' Luxembourg in the olden days. Martin
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6th Dec 2017, 6:55 pm | #288 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
But I thought that normal transmissions had started...
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6th Dec 2017, 9:34 pm | #289 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
As far as I know, they are still test transmissions. I listened yesterday on the way home and they only gave one station ID at around 4:30 and then requested reception reports.
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7th Dec 2017, 12:19 am | #290 | |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
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7th Dec 2017, 12:48 am | #291 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
Not so good reception up here tonight. A bit difficult to make out. Don't know what's changed.
Alan. |
7th Dec 2017, 7:59 am | #292 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
At that time of night the two Spanish stations are dominant. The signal is usually slightly better just after sunset, before the sky wave starts to introduce the competing transmissions. In the morning the competing stuff drops away before the sky wave effect drops away entirely.
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7th Dec 2017, 10:01 am | #293 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
Bill, surely if you were in Manchester in the 1960s, you would have been tuned to Caroline North, which (a) IIRC had a 10kW transmitter, and (B) Ramsey Bay is much nearer to Manchester than Orfordness. Presumably you can receive Manx Radio on 1368kHz where you live?
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7th Dec 2017, 11:22 am | #294 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
Yes, you are quite correct, Caroline North. I was really alluding to the age of the sets I have been trying. Am I expecting too much of a 65 year old Bush to receive a bit of the 1kW RF from Orfordness? Also, Andrew2 , apparently quite near here reports sometimes reasonable reception , though it seems I may have to obtain an SDR, which sounds quite boring (no valves in it?) to get reception.
Bill |
7th Dec 2017, 11:54 am | #295 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
Bill, you shouldn't need an SDR. They are not necessarily 'better' than conventional receivers, but they are far more twiddle-able! On a good night I can hear Caroline on the better transistor radios in my collection. As we are so close you should be getting comparable reception, but I wonder if you have a high noise level? If so, can you take that nice Beolit out into the garden, away from some of the noise?
Or maybe a tuned loop antenna placed near the radio? The night-time signal can be pretty good, so you should get something. Livewire. Manx Radio on 1368 KHz can be problematical around here. We have a local MF site just up the road (probably closer to Bill than to me) with 'Asian Sound' on 1377 KHz. If your radio is a bit wide, Manx just gets hammered to death. This is where the twiddle-ability of an SDR comes in handy. Also on that site is Gold 1458, with a huge signal and Magic 1152, also a whopper. Could be that Bill is seeing a generally raised noise floor. A tuned loop sounds like the answer.
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7th Dec 2017, 12:08 pm | #296 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
I didn't know that there was a station local to your area on one of the two channels adjacent to that used by Manx Radio, not having been up to the North West for many years.
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8th Dec 2017, 1:31 pm | #297 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
At the risk of being accused of cheating, the Caroline MW signal is being carried on this SDR which is located at Bedford. Signal is solid 24/7. No hardware needed.
http://remoteradio.changeip.org:8073/ |
16th Dec 2017, 7:13 pm | #298 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
I made a note in my diary and promptly forgot that Radio Caroline transmissions will be coming from MV Ross Revenge today and tomorrow (16/17 Dec').
I went to Andover today and had a rock solid signal on the car radio on 648kHz all the way there and back. Caroline North via Manx Radio put in a show on 1368kHz but was not really of usuable quality. |
16th Dec 2017, 8:17 pm | #299 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
As far as I am aware, these are still only test transmissions which just use back to back music. There is still no official start date, but I suspect it might be the New year.
Music wise, they have three options. Either they can use their main stream or their 'flashback' stream which is much more '60's based. Alternatively, they could have a third stream just for MW. At this stage, they have not said what they propose to do. I suspect it won't be that 'heavy' when it does start. All the best Nick |
17th Dec 2017, 10:13 pm | #300 |
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Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.
Hi Folks
Just listened to the end of this month's broadcast on 1368, and the chaps on the Ross whilst not actually announcing a date for the start of the 648 service, did suggest that anyone interested might want to be tuned in at 7.00 AM on this Friday coming Regards Stu |