SKYWAVESProduced by the British FM & TV Circle

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SUTTON-IN-ASHFIELDNottinghamshire

NG17 1HF

Issue No. 91 Ð September 2004

DX News, Loggings andInformation for FM & TV

DXers

Hello and welcome to Skywaves 91.

With the summer probably now behind us, itÕs time to look forward to the busy time of the year for meteor shower openings. The firstmajor event is the Orionids which occur October 15-29 2004 with the maximum predicted on October 21st at 01:30 UTC. Check theSkywaves home page http://www.skywaves.info for links to meteor shower information sites.

The feature article this month details the method of accurately measuring tv station carrier frequencies using IcomÕs PCR1000receiver. This can provide a fascinating insight into propagation as well as giving you early warnings of potential path openings, egTrans-Atlantic or Asia. Although it doesnÕt replace the thrill of watching pictures and/or hearing the sound, it does allow you to seewhatÕs happening when signals are too weak to be resolved any other way.

Julian Hardstone has some further information for people interested in the MEMBERS' AERIAL SCHEME

Update - The carriers have now qualified the terms of the £7.05 carriage fee. This will be doubled for deliveries toScotland, Devon and Cornwall, so please bear this in mind when calculating your payment.

Solar Chart courtesy of

Jan Alvestad

DX Listeners Club

Norway

www.dxlc.com

Edited by Ð William Kitching3 Prince Charles Crescent

MalinsleeTelford

Shropshire TF3 2JX email:william.kitching@skywaves.info

Deadline Ð 1st of every month

DXTV DIARY FOR AUGUST 2004

2nd August {SFI: 85, A:16}First reporter of the month is John Faulkner:

1805 A2 55.250.1851807 A3 61.240.391 drifting down1808 A3 61.258.7761810 A4 67.249.9181810 A4 67.250.0071819 A5 77.239.947 / 950 double peak1823 A5 77.258.9341829 A4 67.240.0271830 A5 77.250.028 / 030 double peak

I'm not certain if the double peaks were due to propagation or that there may have been two signals close together. They could alsohave been a product of the carriers of course.One thing for sure, these were a different set of carriers to the usual ones.Brief audio on A4 at one point, sounded like American English but too noisy to be sure.

Second reporter this month is Cyril Willis in Norfolk with:0930 E2- Tele A1830 E4 HRT 1 E3 SLO 1 Kum, Slovenia E2 ARD1855 A & B RAI 1 A3 61.2499892045 TVE logo trhc

3rd August {SFI: 88, A:4}Cyril Willis logs a mixture of tropo and Es with:0850 A RAI 1 E29 Ned0900 L2

4th August {SFI: 85, A:3}Once again Cyril Willis logs a mixture of Es and tropo as his log shows:0835 R1 & 2 Ukraine1410 R2 Ukraine R1 unid1950 DAB Kent/Concertzender/747AM2150 E27 Ned 2 Lopik, Netherlands2200 E21 TDF, Lille, France E30 Ned 3 Lopik E32 Ned 2 Goes E39 Ned 1 Wieringmeer E41 German E42 Ned 3 Wieringmeer E43 Belgium E50 German E53 German E29 Ned 1 Goes

5th August {SFI: 89, A:5}Tropo today as John Faulkner notes: ÓFirst spotted this at 05:00, still with it at 09:30, even E4 is very much enhancedÓ!

Cyril Willis continues to enjoy the good tropo and submits this log for today:0520 E7 DR E9 & 11 ARD E21 German sound E22 Dutch sound E23 Unid NE E24 German sound E25 VRT 2 Waver, Belgium E25 Unid NE E26 Omtoep Flevoland, Lelystad, Netherlands E27 Ned 2 Lopik E28 Omrop Fryslan, Irnsum, Netherlands E29 NED 1 Goes E30 NED 3 Lopik E31 NED 2 Roermond E32 NED 2 Goes E33 Germany E34 Germany E34 NED 3 Roermond E36 TV Noord, Hoogezand, Netherlands E37 Germany E39 NED 1 Wieringmeer E40 German sound E41 ARD + unid German (different sound) E42 NED3 Wieringmeer E43 NED 3 Arnhem E45 Unid classical music E46 VRT 2 Egem, Belgium E46 German sound E47 VRT2 Genk, Belgium E49 Unid SE French sound. Sankt Chrischona, Switzerland 200k? Although an old listing shows it carrying the Italian

not the French service. Any ideas anyone please? E50 NED 1 Arnhem E55 TV Nooerd- Holland, Wormer

7th August {SFI: 95, A:18}David Hamilton from Scotland notes activity today with Iceland on E4, Sweden on E2 and E4, Belarus R1, TV Nova on R2 and SF1on E2.

Next today is Cyril Willis with:0930 E2 TVE0940 E3 TVE1000 E3 RTP1800 poss A21830 E2, 3 & 4 NRK delay of 2 seconds approx on E2 sound and vision. Anyone know the cause of this?2120 E3 YLE E2, 3 & 4 SVT

8th August {SFI: 105, A:5}Cyril Willis in Norfolk enclose this report for today:1200 E2 TVE1920 E2- Tele A

9th August {SFI: 114, A:11}Jozef Jenniskens from Helmond in The Netherlands logs today:07.50 E2 Spain with sound + Portugal without sound

David Hamilton was also active today and noted TVE1 E2 and Iceland on E4 with weak video, only lasting about 5 minutes.

Cyril Willis is next on the list with:0915 A & B RAI 1 E2- Tele A E2 TVE1120 E3 RTP

11th August {SFI: 131, A:14}John Faulkner and Tim Bucknall report China today, here is JohnÕs comments:ÒThanks to an alert from Paul I discovered all R channels were open up to R5 and with good signals.Checking the Chinese channels showed increased "noise" levels and C3 had a distinct fading carrier with 50 Hz sidebands, offset:67.749.001. I had to go out and so did not have too much time to make notes, but this would be around 11:30 hours.It seems to be worth checking the Chinese channels every time there is an opening to eastern Europe. China is probably a lot morecommon that we have previously thought.

David Hamilton up in Scotland was also active today and logged:Iceland E3 and E4 with a cartoon.David also comments about the Perseid Meteor Shower: ÓBand 1 is a mess with msÓ

Cyril Willis in Norfolk sends this report for today:0850 R1 & 2 Ukraine1205 E2 & 4 SVT T/C E3 & 4 YLE

12th August {SFI: 147, A:10}David Hamilton reports some TA activity with:15.11 local 55.240.066 +60hz

16th August {SFI: 134, A:6}Cyril WillisÕs log for today:0910 E2 unid1215 E3 RTP E2 unid1550 R1 Fencing Latvia R2 Movie unid

Next is David Hamilton in Scotland with:LTV R1ETV R2

David took this picture of Estonia.

18th August {SFI: 140, A:10}Cyril Willis in Norfolk reports an unid at 0920 today on E3 .

19th August {SFI: 121, A:5}Today Cyril Willis logs at 1600 RI 1+1 logo Ukraine.

25th August {SFI: 100, A:7}Today I Logged:17:21 Slovenia Kum E317:40 Croatia Labinstica E417:44 Germany Grunten E218:21 Slovenia Kum E318:26 Czech Rep Budejovice R2

David Hamilton enjoyed reception from Italy tonight as his picture shows

27th August {SFI: 91, A:6}David Hamilton logged Spain today:TVE 1 E2 E3 E4

Roving Report from Tim Bucknall in LlandudnoJust got back from Llandudno North Wales there was some very interesting "pipeline" ducting to North east England (all logs werepictures not carriers on Icom R3 handheld) I was Walking along the seafront from east to West and all of a sudden Calbeck poppedup on 34 I walked a few yards either way and the signal vanished, when I came back to the spot an hour or so later, I wasdisappointed to find nothing there, but I carried on walking and found that the"sweet spot" had moved a few hundred yards down theseafront!!I've never seen Ducting so Precisely Demarcated as this- walking a few yards or even raising or lowering the rx reduced the signalsfrom watchable pictures to the point where the carriers were in some cases undetectable:

E28 ITV, CaldbeckE29 ITV, BilsdaleE32 Channel 4, CaldbeckE34 BBC 2, CaldbeckE35 Channel 5, BilsdaleE37 Channel 5, Emley MoorE39 BBC 1, Chatton!! ( 42, 45 & 49 were wiped out by an unusualy enhanced Moel-y-parc)E41 Emley MoorE44 Emley MoorE47 Emley MoorE51 Emley MoorE54 Channel 4, Pontop PikeE58 BBC 1, Pontop PikeE61 ITV, Pontop Pike

There was a bit of patterning on Winter Hill (55,59,62) so I think Selkirk is possible from there, I forgot that that tx existed when Isaw the cci and didn't follow it up

on carriers:E21 Channel4/S4C x3E22 BBC 1 x3E23 ITV x3E24 ITV x4

Equipment Used by reporters:

Tim Bucknall, in Congleton Cheshire.Icom R75 & Welbrooke ALA 1530 Outdoor un tuned loop for band 1 and for band 3 , D100 fed by Triax 6element on roof top rotator into Daewoo Combo.

John Faulkner, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Notts.Icom PCR1000 & HS D100. HS 4 element band 1 dipole

Paul Farley, nr Eastbourne, Sussex.Thomson 10" portable, HS D100 + Notch. 5 element Beam and Vertical Dipole. Icom 706mk2G.

David Hamilton, in Scotland.Alnico DX 70th. 2 element Band 1 Yagi. Icom PCR 1000 DSP for offsets. Various spectrum programs

Mike Fallon, in Saltdean, East Sussex.PCR1000/ Log-Periodic/Digipan s/ware

Cyril Willis, in Kings Lynn, Norfolk.D100 PCR1000 4 element

All times are in U.T.C.

Edited by Ð Mark Hattam16 Kilpatrick Way

HayesMiddlesexUB4 9SX

E mail:mark.hattam@skywaves.infoStandard Deadline Ð 1st of every month

Ionospheric logbook

FREQ TIME DATE ITU STATION RDS CODE SIGNAL M RP

87.5 1935 02/08 I Radio Venere, Parabita-Cima Terrisi, Le or Lecce. Music 5A4A MUSICA__ fr/brief E LT87.5 0829 09/08 I Radio Venere. // 87.7 Talking with Adverts then Music 5A4A R-VENERE good E LT87.6 1733 02/08 ALG Cha�ne 3, Kef El Khal. French Talking. strong E WK87.6 1900 02/08 ALG RTA Cha�ne 3, Kef el Khal good E MF87.6 1801 06/08 ALG RTA Cha�ne 3, Kef El Khal?. French speaking OM fair E LT87.6 1802 06/08 ALG Cha�ne 3, Kef El Khal. French Talking. v strong E WK87.6 1840 06/08 ALG RTA Cha�ne 3, Kef el Khal good E MF87.6 0953 04/08 CZE Radio Impuls, Brno - Kojal 2203 _IMPULS_ v strong E WK87.6 0527 13/08 CZE Radio Impuls, Brno - Kojal. Unattended Reception 2203 _IMPULS_ E LT87.6 2254 13/08 D Bayern 4 Klassik, Dillberg bei Neumarkt/Opf. Likely D314 BAYERN_4 E LT87.6 0642 02/08 E EDFM12 ?, Orense. Unattended Reception E235 FMAD7.E_ E LT87.6 1827 25/08 HNG Slager Radio, Gyor B206 _SLAGER_ strong E WK87.6 0724 25/06 I Tam Tam Network TAM__TAM good E DMS87.6 1601 25/08 I Lattemiele Radio, Unknown 5355 LATMIELE v strong E WK87.6 0655 02/08 POR Radio Seixal FM, Seixal. Unattended Reception 8042 SEIXALFM E LT87.6 1436 12/08 S Sveriges Radio 1, Multiple TX. YL Talking E201 -SR_P1-_ fr/brief E LT87.6 1837 25/08 SVN Slovene Tourist Radio (STR), Unknown 98AB RADIO_pJ strong E WK87.6 1217 23/06 TUN Radio Tataouine, Zarzis RG-Tatao good E DMS87.6 0817 03/08 TUN Radio Tataouine, Zarzis 7205 RG-Tatao good E MF87.6 1806 06/08 TUN Radio Tataouine, Zarzis 7205 RG-Tatao v strong E WK87.6 2137 12/08 TUN Radio Tataouine, Zarzis 7205 RG-Tatao good E MF87.7 1809 06/08 ALG RTA Regional, Ain NÕsour. French Talking. strong E WK87.7 1424 09/08 E Euskadi Irratia, Unknown TX. Unattended Reception E301 EU?????? E LT87.7 1433 11/08 E Cadena Dial Santander, Santander, Can. E274 ??ND???? E LT87.7 1235 16/08 E Cadena Dial Santander, Santander, Can E274 CAD-DIAL E LT87.7 1257 06/08 F France Culture, Strasbourg/Nordheim. F202 _CULTURE E LT87.7 1128 09/08 F Rire et Chansons, Nice/ch. Du Cont�o or Vallauris/Mont Pezou?.

Unattended Reception F226_RIRE_&_ E LT

87.7 1339 05/08 FIN YLE Radio 1, Eurajoki or Lisalmi. Unattended Reception 6201 YLE_YK?? E LT87.7 1218 11/08 FIN YLE Radio 1, Eurajoki or Lisalmi. Unattended Reception 6201 YLE_YKSI E L87.7 2002 02/08 I Radio Dimensione Suono, Imperia, Im. English Music 5264 *_RDS_*_ fr/brief E LT87.7 1218 09/08 I Radio Dimensione Suono, Imperia 5264 *_RDS_*_ v strong E WK87.7 1551 25/08 I R Venere, Lecce 5A4A R.VENERE strong E WK87.7 1559 25/08 I ANNI.60. (R Italia Anni 60,ed), Imperia, Im. 52DD ANNI.60. E LT87.7 1617 25/08 I Tele Radio Buon Consiglio. 5263 T_R_B_C_ strong E WK87.7 1521 04/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Konin. Unattended Reception 3222 *DWOJKA* E LT87.7 0541 06/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Konin. Unattended Reception 3222 E LT87.7 0030 09/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Konin. Unattended Reception 3222 E LT87.7 1233 11/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Konin. Unattended Recpetion 3222 ????Jn?? E LT87.7 1011 12/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Konin. Unattended Reception 3222 *DWOJKA* E LT87.7 1218 12/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Konin. Unattended Reception 3222 __PR_II_ E LT87.7 2054 13/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Konin. Unattended Reception 3222 *DWOJKA* E LT87.7 1721 17/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Konin. Brief burst of Piano music 3222 _KONIN__ fr/brief E LT87.7 0321 19/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Konin. Unattended Reception 3222 __PR_II_ E LT87.7 2314 21/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Konin. Unattended Reception 3222 __PR_II_ E LT87.7 1109 09/08 POR RDP Antena 1, Multiple TX Lousa or Sao Domingos. 8201 ANTENA_1 E LT87.7 2133 05/08 S Sveriges Radio 1, Multiple TX. Unattended Reception E201 E LT87.7 1052 12/08 S Sveriges Radio 1, Multiple TX. Unattended Reception E201 ????-Sm- E LT87.7 1519 11/08 SVK Fun Radio, Multiple TX, Maybe Kosice Ð Dubnik. 5340 FUNRADIO E LT87.7 2041 12/08 SVK Fun Radio, Multiple TX, Maybe Kosice Ð Dubnik. Music 5340 FUNRADIO strng/brf E LT87.7 1651 19/08 SVK Fun Radio, Multiple TX, Maybe Kosice Ð Dubnik. 5340 FUNRADIO E LT87.8 1658 02/08 ALG RTA Cha�ne 1, Mecheria. Arabic singing fair E LT87.8 1735 02/08 ALG RTA Regional, Mecheria. Arabic Talking and Music. v strong E WK87.8 1808 06/08 ALG RTA Regional, Mecheria. Arabic Talking and Music. strong E WK87.8 1840 06/08 ALG Radio Mecheria, Mecheria good E MF

87.8 0942 08/08 ALG RTA Cha�ne 1, Mecheria. Arabic Singing strng/brf E LT87.8 2007 02/08 I Radio Subasio, Frosinone 53FD SUBASIO_ v strong E WK87.8 1713 02/08 POL Polskie Radio 2, Tatarska Gora. Classical Mx. 3222 PRPR_II_

PRPR_IA*strong E WK

87.8 1827 02/08 SVN Radio Fantasy, Celje-Svetina 62F4 FANTASY_ strong E WK87.8 1840 06/08 TUN Radio Gafsa, Kebili good E MF87.9 1806 06/08 ALG RTA Cha�ne 1, Tebassa. Arabic singing fair E LT87.9 1824 06/08 ALG Cha�ne 1 relay via Cha�ne 3, Tebessa. Arabic Talking. strong E WK87.9 1844 06/08 ALG RTA Cha�ne 1, good E MF87.9 1001 05/08 FIN YLE 1, Espoo 6201 YLE_YKSI v strong E WK87.9 1504 12/08 FIN YLE Radio 1, Espoo Likely. 6201 YLE_YKSI E LT87.9 1536 23/06 I R Arcobale ARCOBALE fair E DMS87.9 1006 05/08 S SR1, Unknown E201 -SR_P1-_ v strong E WK88.0 1732 02/08 ? Arabic OM Talking weak E LT88.0 0749 09/08 GRC NET 105,8, Thessaloniki-Ayios Athanasios, Music 1201 THES/NK_ fair E LT88.4 1804 06/08 ALG RTA Cha�ne 2, Nador. French speaking OM weak E LT88.7 1824 06/08 F France Musiques, Lille. OM Talking F203 MUSIQUES weak E LT88.8 1846 06/08 ALG Radio Adrar, Adrar fair E MF90.2 1940 25/08 HNG Slager Radio, Nagykanizsa. Pop Mx, ID's. B206 _SLAGER_ good E WK91.0 1135 11/08 EST R Uuno, Parnu. TodayÕs Best Music, This is Raadio UunoÓ fr/good E JF91.4 1118 11/08 EST R Elmar, Valgj�rve 2222 ELMAR___ fair E JF92.0 1456 24/06 E LP Radio, Valencia LP_RADIO good E DMS92.0 0856 25/06 TUN RTCI RTCI____ fair E DMS92.7 1140 11/08 EST UNID. Suspect R P�rnu, P�rnu Jingle ID included the word

ÒMaximumÓ Over a much reduced Sutton Coldfield!fair E JF

92.7 0811 25/06 I R Cuore CUORE___ good E DMS93.0 1805 06/08 TUN Radio Jeunes, Sfax-Ghraba 7201 Rd-Jeune v strong E WK95.2 1139 11/08 EST R Sky Plus, Tallinn (900W) fair E JF98.0 0825 25/06 I R Capital CAPITAL_ good E DMS98.5 0906 09/08 LBN Loubnan al-Horr (Radio Liban Libre), Beirut. Arabic OM Singing weak E LT98.5 0917 09/08 LBN Radio Liban Libre, Beirut Ð with music and talks in Arabic and

French. In // with Arabsat 3A feedfr/good E MF

101.8 1126 11/08 RUS R Starry Port, Velikiy Novgorod. Jingle ID between soft local popssongs 7A89

fair E JF

102.3 1124 11/08 EST ER-2, P�rnu. // 103.6 fair E JF103.0 1132 11/08 EST ER Klassikaraadio, Tartu (500W). // 107.0 fair E JF103.6 1124 11/08 EST ER-2, Valgj�rve 22E2 RAADIO_2

_SELGE__OTELA+22

fair E JF

107.0 1132 11/08 EST ER Klassikaraadio, Viljandi (1kW) or Kuressaare (750W) 22E2 KL?????? weak E JF

Meteor logbook

FREQ TIME DATE ITU STATION RDS CODE SIGNAL M RP

87.6 1656 12/08 CZE Radio Impuls, Brno Ð Kojal again at 1924 2203 _IMPULS_ v strong M WK87.6 1910 11/08 POL Polskie Radio, Tarnawatka 3223 *BISKA*_ strong M WK87.6 1727 12/08 SVK SR1, various sites 5201 good M MF87.7 0126 02/08 F France Culture, Strasbourg F202 _CULTURE v strong M WK87.7 0659 03/08 F France Culture, Strasbourg F202 _CULTURE strong M WK87.7 2141 09/08 F France Culture, Strasbourg F202 _CULTURE strong M WK87.7 1543 13/08 F France Culture, Strasbourg again at 1722 F202 _CULTURE v strong M WK87.7 1344 16/08 F France Culture, Strasbourg F202 _CULTURE strong M WK87.7 1912 11/08 S SR1, Halmstad E201 -SR_P1-_ strong M WK

Tropospheric logbook

FREQ TIME DATE ITU STATION RDS CODE SIGNAL M RP

87.6 0703 07/08 BEL Radio Mango, Oostende. English Pops, Dutch Talk. weak T WK87.6 04-08 05/08 HOL Yorin FM, Smilde fair T JF87.6 0641 02/08 IRL United Christian Boraodcasting, Wicklow fair T WK87.7 2222 18/08 D MDR Figaro, Chemnitz/Geyer. D3C3 T LT87.7 0756 05/08 F Radio Chretiennes en France, Dieppe F851 __RCF___ strong T WK87.7 2041 11/08 F France Culture, Strasbourg/Nordheim. OM Talking F202 _CULTURE fair T LT87.7 0501 19/08 F France Culture, Strasbourg/Nordheim. F202 _CULTURE T LT87.7 04-08 05/08 HOL Yorin FM, Lelystad fair T JF87.7 0641 05/08 HOL Yorin FM, Smilde 83D2 YORIN_FM strong T WK87.7 0731 05/08 HOL Yorin FM, Lelystad. Station ID followed by Bob Marley song 8300 Yorin_FM fair T LT87.7 0717 07/08 HOL Yorin FM, Smilde weak T WK87.7 1805 12/08 HOL Yorin FM, Lelystad. OM Talking with verbal station ID 8300 Yorin_FM fr/brief T LT

87.8 1138 14/08 BEL RTBF Radio Liege, Liege fair T MF87.8 04-08 05/08 HOL Yorin FM, Utrecht fair T JF87.9 0631 02/08 F Contact FM, Lille. Pop Music. F931 CONTACT_ strong T WK87.9 0410 04/08 F France Inter, Toulouse [31] fr/good T MF87.9 0425 18/08 F France Inter, Toulouse [31] fair T MF87.9 0940 25/08 F France Inter, Toulouse [31] poor T MF87.9 0630 26/08 F France Culture, Parthenay [79] poor T MF87.9 0615 27/08 F France Culture, Parthenay [79] F202 _CULTURE good T MF87.9 04-08 05/08 HOL Omroep Zeeland, Goes fair T JF88.0 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-2, Smilde fair T JF88.0 0823 05/08 HOL NOS 2, Smilde. OM Talking followed by station ID fair T LT88.1 04-08 05/08 HOL Yorin FM, Hilversum fair T JF88.3 0505 27/08 F France Culture, Dreux [28] F202 _CULTURE good T MF88.4 04-08 05/08 HOL ID&T R, Roosendaal fair T JF88.7 0801 01/08 F France Musiques, Lille. YL speaking then piano music F203 MUSIQUES fr/qrm T LT88.7 04-08 05/08 HOL R Noord Holland, Hilversum, presumed fair T JF88.8 0510 27/08 F Europe 2 Vallee de Seine, Mantes-la-Jolie [78] fair T MF88.9 04-08 05/08 HOL R Noord Holland, Amsterdam fair T JF89.0 0530 15/08 F Radio France Internationale, Paris [75] good T MF89.1 0632 02/08 IRL RTE1, Kippure 2201 _RTE__1_ v strong T WK89.1 0632 14/08 IRL RTE1, Kippure 2201 _RTE__1_ v strong T WK89.1 0601 16/08 IRL RTE1, Kippure 2201 _RTE__1_ v strong T WK89.2 04-08 05/08 HOL Rebecca R, Zwolle-Marslanden fair T JF89.4 04-08 05/08 HOL R Oost, Losser-De-Lutte, presumed fair T JF89.5 0700 26/08 F France Culture, Limoges [87] poor T MF89.5 04-08 05/08 HOL RTL FM, Utrecht fair T JF89.6 04-08 05/08 HOL Business Nieuws R, Smilde fair T JF89.6 0633 02/08 IRL RTE1, Mount Leinster 2201 _RTE__1_ v strong T WK89.6 0633 14/08 IRL RTE1, Mount Leinster 2201 _RTE__1_ v strong T WK89.6 0602 16/08 IRL RTE1, Mount Leinster 2201 _RTE__1_ v strong T WK90.4 04-08 05/08 HOL Arrow FM, Hilversum, Presumed fair T JF90.6 0826 05/08 D WDR 5, Teutoburger Wald/Bielstein. OMÕs Talking D396 fair T LT90.6 0520 27/08 F France Inter, Nantes [44] fr/good T MF90.7 04-08 05/08 HOL Arrow FM, Lopik fair T JF90.8 04-08 05/08 HOL R Drenthe, Smilde fair T JF91.0 0525 27/08 F France Musiques, Alencon [61] F203 MUSIQUES good T MF91.0 04-08 05/08 HOL ID&T R, Markelo fair T JF91.1 0840 27/08 F France Musiques, Niort [79] poor/fr T MF91.1 04-08 05/08 HOL ID&T R, Hilversum fair T JF91.3 0634 02/08 IRL RTE2, Kippure 2202 RTE_2FM_ v strong T WK91.3 0634 14/08 IRL RTE2, Kippure 2202 RTE_2FM_ v strong T WK91.3 0603 16/08 IRL RTE2, Kippure 2202 RTE_2FM_ v strong T WK91.4 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-2, Markelo fair T JF91.6 04-08 05/08 HOL Veronica, Haarlem fair T JF91.7 1010 06/08 E Radio Euskadi, Ganeta fair T MF91.8 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-1, Smilde fair T JF91.8 0635 02/08 IRL RTE2, Mount Leinster 2202 RTE_2FM_ v strong T WK91.8 0635 14/08 IRL RTE2, Mount Leinster 2202 RTE_2FM_ v strong T WK91.8 0604 16/08 IRL RTE2, Mount Leinster 2202 RTE_2FM_ v strong T WK92.0 0809 01/08 F France Musiques, Rouen/Grand Couronne. YL Speaking F203 weak T LT92.2 04-08 05/08 HOL Omroep Fryslan, Smilde fair T JF92.6 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-2, Lopik fair T JF92.8 0830 27/08 F France Musiques, Auxerre [89] poor T MF92.9 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-2, Weiringermeer fair T JF93.0 1400 29/08 F France Bleu Breiz Izel, Brest [29] FF05 BLEU.BRE good T MF93.1 0538 15/08 F Aligre FM, Paris [75] FE46 _ALIGRE_ good T MF93.2 04-08 05/08 HOL Waterstad FM, Irnsum fair T JF93.3 0545 15/08 F Nostalgie, Arras/St Jean [62] fr/good T MF93.3 04-08 05/08 HOL Ujala FM, Amsterdam fair T JF93.5 0636 02/08 IRL RTE Radio Na Gaeltachta, Kippure 2204 RTE_RNAG v strong T WK93.5 0636 14/08 IRL RTE Radio Na Gaeltachta, Kippure 2204 RTE_RNAG v strong T WK93.5 0605 16/08 IRL RTE Radio Na Gaeltachta, Kippure 2204 RTE_RNAG v strong T WK93.6 04-08 05/08 HOL ID&T R, Zwolle-Marslanden fair T JF93.8 04-08 05/08 HOL RTL FM, Haarlem fair T JF93.9 04-08 05/08 HOL R Noord Holland, Weiringermeer fair T JF94.0 0637 02/08 IRL RTE Radio Na Gaeltachta, Mount Leinster 2204 RTE_RNAG v strong T WK94.0 0637 14/08 IRL RTE Radio Na Gaeltachta, Mount Leinster 2204 RTE_RNAG v strong T WK94.0 0606 16/08 IRL RTE Radio Na Gaeltachta, Mount Leinster 2204 RTE_RNAG v strong T WK94.3 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-4, Lopik fair T JF

94.7 2016 27/06 F France Bleu, Lille. ID BLEUNORD strong T DMS94.8 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-4, Smilde fair T JF94.9 1755 25/08 F France Inter, Bourges [18] fr/good T MF95.1 0535 27/08 F France Inter, Laval [53] fr/good T MF95.2 04-08 05/08 HOL ID&T R, Alphen fair T JF95.9 1700 21/08 G BBC Radio Humberside, High Hunsley, Hull. ID, News fr/qrm G LT96.1 0700 16/06 BEL RTBF-1, Wavre. Time check good T DMS96.2 1100 21/08 G 96 Trent FM, Mapperley Ridge, Nottingham. ID then Local News fair G LT96.4 0845 27/08 F France Culture, Niort [79] fair T MF96.6 0540 27/08 F France Bleu Mayenne, Laval [53] FC05 BLEU.MAY good T MF96.6 1415 29/08 F France Bleu Breiz Izel, Concarneau [29] Ð 200w! fr/good T MF96.8 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-3, Lopik fair T JF97.4 0540 27/08 F Rire et Chansons, Paris [75] good T MF97.6 04-08 05/08 HOL City FM, Rotterdam fair T JF97.8 0545 27/08 F France Culture, Brest [29] fair T MF97.9 0655 27/08 F France Culture, Troyes [10] fair T MF98.0 2030 07/06 F France Culture, Lille. ID _CULTURE good T DMS98.0 0715 01/08 F France Culture, Lille. OM's Talking F202 _CULTURE strong T LT98.0 1620 20/08 F France Culture, Lille. OM Talking F202 _CULTURE fair T LT98.0 04-08 05/08 HOL City FM, Amsterdam fair T JF98.1 0545 27/08 F France Culture, Chartres [28] F202 _CULTURE good T MF98.2 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-4, Loon-op-Zand fair T JF98.4 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-1, Markelo fair T JF98.6 0859 01/08 BEL Radio 2 Omr.Oost-Vlaanderens, Egem, Wvl. ID recorded weak T LT98.7 04-08 05/08 HOL Rebecca R, Drenthe fair T JF98.7 04-08 05/08 HOL Rebecca FM, Smilde fair T JF99.0 0555 15/08 F Radio Latina, Paris [75] fr/good T MF99.2 0550 27/08 F France Inter, Orleans [45] fr/good T MF99.2 0638 02/08 IRL Lyric FM, Mount Leinster 2203 RTELYRIC v strong T WK99.2 0610 16/08 IRL Lyric FM, Mount Leinster 2203 RTELYRIC strong T WK99.4 0845 27/08 F France Inter, Niort [79] poor T MF99.9 04-08 05/08 HOL Business Nieuws R, Ugchelen or Wormer likely fair T JF

100.4 0550 06/08 F France Bleu Basse Normandie, Lisieux [14] Ð 300w fair T MF100.4 04-08 05/08 HOL R Nordzee, Smilde fair T JF100.7 0710 27/08 F (TENT) France Bleu Azur, St Raphael [83] poor T MF100.7 0740 27/08 F France Inter, Gueret [23] fair T MF100.7 04-08 05/08 HOL R Nordzee, Lopik fair T JF100.9 0639 02/08 IRL Today FM, Kippure 2205 TODAY_FM v strong T WK100.9 0639 14/08 IRL Today FM, Kippure 2205 TODAY_FM v strong T WK100.9 0607 16/08 IRL Today FM, Kippure 2205 TODAY_FM v strong T WK101.0 04-08 05/08 HOL Sky R, Smilde fair T JF101.2 04-08 05/08 HOL Sky R, Hilversum fair T JF101.2 0801 05/08 HOL Sky Radio, Hilversum. News followed by ID 83C6 SKYRADIO strong T LT101.2 1304 15/08 HOL Sky Radio, Hilversum. Traffic report then station ID 83C6 SKYRADIO fair T LT101.3 04-08 05/08 HOL Sky R, Roosendaal fair T JF101.4 0640 02/08 IRL Today FM, Mount Leinster 2205 TODAY_FM v strong T WK101.4 0640 14/08 IRL Today FM, Mount Leinster 2205 TODAY_FM v strong T WK101.4 0608 16/08 IRL Today FM, Mount Leinster 2205 TODAY_FM v strong T WK101.6 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-4, Weiringermeer fair T JF101.8 04-08 05/08 HOL Waterstad FM, Leeuwarden (500w) or Emmeloord (200w) fair T JF102.1 04-08 05/08 HOL R 538, Hilversum fair T JF102.3 04-08 05/08 HOL R 538, Possibly Roermond fair T JF102.5 04-08 05/08 HOL R 538, Tjerkgaast most likely fair T JF102.7 04-08 05/08 HOL R 538, Rotterdam fair T JF103.0 04-08 05/08 HOL Veronica, Lelystad fair T JF103.1 04-08 05/08 HOL Veronica, Losser-De-Lutte likely, or Markelo fair T JF103.4 0810 27/08 F France Info, Lyon [69] poor T MF103.4 0815 27/08 G BBC Radio Devon, N Hessary Tor off the side of the beam fair T MF103.5 04-08 05/08 HOL R Gelderland, Ugchelen fair T JF103.6 04-08 05/08 HOL Yorin FM, Amsterdam fair T JF103.7 2022 07/06 F France Inter, Lille. Discussion _INTER__ good T DMS103.8 0901 05/08 HOL Yorin FM, Rotterdam-Weena or Tjerkgaast or Emmen. News,

Station ID then Music // 87.7 8300Yorin_FM fair T LT

103.9 04-08 05/08 HOL West Friesland R, Hoorn (150w) fair T JF104.1 04-08 05/08 HOL Yorin FM, Arnhem fair T JF104.8 04-08 05/08 HOL NOS-1, Roermond fair T JF104.9 0825 01/08 G XFM, Crystal Palace. Audible station ID heard weak T LT105.0 1450 29/08 F France Bleu Armorique, Pleneuf - 100w! //103.1 fair T MF105.2 0818 01/08 F France Info, Lille. OM talk with what sounds like film reviews F206 __INFO__ strong T LT

105.8 2058 04/08 G Galaxy 105, Idle - Tapton Hill/High Hunsley. Kylie Minogue (In youreyes ?) C3AA

_GALAXY_ strong T LT

106.2 1948 07/08 G Heart 106.2, Croydon. Music then station ID C3A6 _Heart__ fair T LT106.7 0600 15/08 F Beur FM, Paris [75] F229 good T MF106.8 04-08 05/08 HOL UNID Dutch local station. Stads FM, Amsterdam listed. Hmmm fair T JF

WHO USED WHATDMS = Dave Smith Crayford, Kent Roberts R861 & telescopicJF = John Faulkner Sutton-In-Ashfield, Notts.. Kenwood KT6040 tuner (modified IF filters to 80 kHz), 2 x Triax

FM8 aerials at approx 15Õ agl, both with Fringe Electronics pre-amps. modified CD whip for mobile work

LT = Lynton Towler Peterborough, Cambridgeshire 4 Element Horizontal Yagi with Maplin Electronics RotatorDenon TU260LII or Sony ST-SB920 TunerBoth with standard filters in the IF.

MF = Mike Fallon Saltdean, East Sussex Kenwood KT-6050 with 80/110 kHz filter mod. RDSS v0389 software.Triax FM8 (horizontal)/Create Log-Periodic (vertical)

WK = William Kitching Telford, Shropshire Pioneer F737, Conrad RDS Manager, 5 element beam

COMMENTS from John Faulkner

I have listed the times of my tropo loggings as Ò04-08Ó which indicates logged between 04:00 and 08:00 hours GMT.

London FM Pirate BandscanAlexandra Palace, North London Ð Sunday 29 August 2004

43 illicit stations heard this time on the car radio by IAN KELLY

87.6 Flava FM UK garage Flava_FM87.9 Shine FM UK garage SHINE879 DDBC88.2 Rude FM Drum and bass88.4 Vision 88.4 Reggae88.6 House FM House HOUSE_FM F90489.4 Sweet FM Soul Sweet_FM CF3389.6 Select UK Soul SELECTUK 896089.8 Station FM Soul STATION_ 898090.2 Unknown FM Soul UNKNOWN_90.4 UnID (Woah FM???) Soul90.6 Y2K FM RnB Y-2-K_FM 906090.8 Lightning FM Gospel LIGHTNIN 686991.6 Genesis Reggae92.0 Powerjam Gospel92.3 D�j� vu Soul _Dejavu_92.9 Klimaxx R Jazz93.8 Vibes FM Reggae Vibes_FM CF3694.0 Touch FM Soul TOUCH-FM 940094.2 Blues FM Gospel94.4 UnID (Flames FM?) Gospel94.6 Kool FM Drum and bass KOOL94.6 946095.2 Origin FM Drum and bass ORIGIN_FM 515895.6 Rise FM R&B, reggae96.1 UnID Old school house/garage97.1 UnID (Shake FM?) House97.9 Bassline Soul98.1 UnID (Mystic?) Soul99.3 9nine3 Drum and bass www.9nine3.com99.5 Galaxy Gospel (jingles ann 102.5)99.8 UnID (Millennium Supreme?) Soca

101.1 UnID (Naija FM?) Gospel101.3 UnID (Eruption?) House101.7 Xtreme UK Garage _XTREME_ 1017102.0 Chillin House CHILLIN_ 1020102.4 UnID R&B102.8 WBLS Reggae/African103.8 Empire R African104.2 Rude Awakening Rap104.7 Sub Jam Soul105.1 Itch FM Dancehall Itch_FM_ C6B3106.0 Hot 97 UK Soca/calypso HOT_97UK 6999106.5 Force FM House108.0 Afric FM African

FM & DigitalNews Desk

Edited by Ð Mark Hattam16 Kilpatrick Way

HayesMiddlesex UB4 9SX

E mail:mark.hattam@skywaves.info

UNITED KINGDOM

SAGA 105.2 Glasgow

Heard with test broadcast in the afternoon on 10 August on 105.2 MHz with a test loop announcing that full programming will start at0600 on Tuesday 7th September, playing music from the last 6 decades. (Allan McKellar via BDXC-UK)

CLAN FM relaunched

Lanarkshire station Clan FM has re-launched today (16th August) as Ò107 the edgeÓ. The main Transmitter (107.9) has moved to asite near Hamilton. Erp is now 200w mixed. (Dave Thorpe via BDXC-UK)

SUSY Radio RSL

SUSY Radio, the well-known RSL station of the SUssex & SurreY Radio Group has a 16-day RSL licence from Ofcom for Reigate25 Sept-10 Oct on 87.7 MHz rather than 531 kHz mediumwave channel used in recent years. This is SUSY's 10th year ofbroadcasting and they will use studios at the RNIB College in Redhill for the broadcast. (Alan Pennington via BDXC-UK)

The group are also aiming for one of the new community radio licences:"The group's mission is to campaign for one of the Government's planned new community radio licences for the Reigate and Redhillareas. These new stations will be different to the existing BBC and independent radio services in that they will be operated on a "notfor profit" basis, and will not be able to be commercially sold. Any operating surpluses will be ploughed back into improving the radioservice to the community, or the community itself." (http://www.susyradio.com)

Ofcom advertises new FM commercial radio licence for Kidderminster

Ofcom today (18|08|04) advertises a new local FM commercial radio licence to cover Kidderminster and the immediatelysurrounding area. Ofcom estimates that this licence could achieve coverage of an area with an adult (aged 15+) population ofaround 100,000. The exact coverage will be determined by the location of the transmission site and other technical characteristics.

The closing date for the submission of applications is 5.00 p.m. on Thursday, 18 November 2004 . A non-refundable fee of £1,500will be payable for each application submitted. The full details for this licence, including the guidelines and procedures for thesubmission of applications, can be obtained from the Ofcom website at:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/licensing_numbering/radio_sound_broadcasting/commercial_radio/radio_adv_kidderminster/

The licence will be issued for a twelve year period. All applications for this licence will be published on the Ofcom website as soonas is practicable after the closing date. The anticipated timing of the licence award decisions will be announced within two weeks ofthe closing-date.

Ofcom invites applications for new Community Radio licences

Ofcom today (01|09|04) invites applications for a new type of low-cost local radio licence, in accordance with the requirements ofSection 104(1) of the Broadcasting Act 1990 (as modified by the Community Radio Order 2004).

Community Radio licences are available to groups interested in broadcasting to smaller areas, usually within a 5km radius, on a not-for-profit basis for local social benefit.

The licences are being offered on either the FM or AM waveband in most parts of the UK. However, in some areas the availability ofsuitable radio frequencies may limit opportunities. Ofcom is not specifying where these radio stations should be. Instead, it is invitingapplicants to identify the community or communities they wish to serve.

Further details including an application form and accompanying notes of guidance can be obtained from the Ofcom website at:www.ofcom.org.uk/licensing_numbering/radio_sound_broadcasting/commun_radio/. Or by writing to:

the Radio Planning & Licensing Team (Community Radio),

3rd Floor, Ofcom, Riverside House,2a Southwark Bridge Road,London SE1 9HA.

Email: communityradio@ofcom.org.uk.

A plain English summary setting out what Community Radio is, who can be involved, and how to apply for a licence is availablefrom the Ofcom website at: www.ofcom.org.uk. Or from the

Ofcom Contact Centre,Ofcom,Riverside House,2a Southwark Bridge Road,London SE1 9HA.

Email: contact@ofcom.org.uk.

Telephone: 0845 456 3000 or 020 7981 3040.

The closing date for the submission of completed applications is 5pm on Tuesday, 23 November 2004. A non-refundable applicationfee of £600 is payable for each application submitted.

Licence applications will be assessed against statutory selection criteria, and awarded for a maximum of five years.

IRELAND

DUBLIN:Nova 947 is back on air in Dublin this evening. They are the first of the bigger Dublin pirate stations to make a return followingrecent increased pressure from ComReg. The dance music station are broadcasting on their usual 94.7MHz FM frequency.

(www.radiowaves.fm 6/8/2004)CORK103FM County Sound launched on 10 August a new low power relay transmitter for the Carrigaline/Cobh area of County Cork on103.5MHz. This had been on test for the past few weeks transmitting just a blank carrier on 103.5.This new relay is co-sited with the 'Carrigaline' relay transmitter for sister station 'Cork 96FM' (recently moved from 95.4 to 96.0).This new Carrigaline relay for '103FM County Sound' is fed by 102.6MHz from the Hollyhill transmitter. (Skywaves Yahoo Group)

UK DTTITV3 - ITV's newest digital station - will initially launch on Freeview only. The channel which will launch on November 1st, will betargeted at over-35s with a line-up of movies, drama repeats and behind-the-scenes spin-off shows.

ABC1 has appeared on Freeview at channel number 15. This is a placeholder for Disney's upcoming entertainment channel whichofficially launches on September 27th. Viewers may need to perform a scan/retune in order to receive the channel. The service willbroadcast on multiplex A between 6am and 6pm and will not be available in Wales. The service is not encrypted.

QVC has launched on Freeview in Wales on 1st September on channel 16. Previously the service was not available in Wales. Theservice shares a video stream with S4C2 and broadcasts 24hrs a day Friday to Monday and 6pm to 9am Tuesday to Thursday.

Bid-up.tv has reduced its transmission hours (in Wales only) to 6am to 7pm every day, as of 1st September.

Talk radio station TalkSport and Premier Christian Radio have begun transmissions on Freeview, on channels 94 and 96.

Julian sent along this ÒoldÓ advertisement from 27 years ago.

MEASURING CARRIER OFFSETS using the PCR1000by Julian Hardstone & John Faulkner

The Skywaves Magazine for August & September 2002 carried my article "Band 1 Video Offsets" in which I described thetechniques needed to identify many TV transmitters from precise measurement of the carrier frequencies. The TV-DX communityhas had more experience of the technique in the past two years, and interest in the technique is growing, so I felt it was time tobring this article up to date, and also make it available for newcomers to the technique.

USING VIDEO CARRIER OFFSETS

The fact is that there are not that many DXers in the world who use this technique for band 1 television DXing.

When there is an opening on band 1 television you may find there are several signals fighting to take control of a particular channel.Just listen to the noise or watch the co-channel interference and you can see this for yourself.

While there may be one individual signal that dominates, there could be half a dozen others that donÕt get through and probablyyouÕll never know what they were. Many of the signals are very weak and may only be detectable on a scanner. WouldnÕt it beinteresting to find out the identity of these signals, but how do you go about doing so?

TV video carriers transmit in the AM mode, so by listening in SSB mode you can hear the carriers, even when they are very weak.Scanners have a distinct advantage here as they have much narrower bandwidth than a TV receiver, so the weakest signal may bereceived relatively easily, however you usually need quite a strong signal in order for it to be visible on a television, and even themore sensitive D100. Furthermore, there are various software Òspectrum analysersÓ freely available from the internet which you canuse on your PC and these can play a very important role in the identification of these carriers. If you take an audio feed from yourscanner into your computer sound card, the software can ÒseeÓ and display carriers that are so weak that they are not audible to thehuman ear.

Now this is getting quite far removed from the more traditional methods of our DXing hobby. We are no longer listening to the audiofrom a TV station or looking at its picture. But just how accurate is this method of carrier detection when using a scanner? This isone of the questions I have been asked recently.

Personally, I donÕt think there can be any replacement for the traditional spoken or visual ID. The system of measuring TV carriers issimply an aid to discovering the location of some of those weaker and otherwise unidentifiable pictures. By recognizing the carrierswe are usually able to get a good idea of what is being received. But whichever way you look at it you have to admit this doesprovide an interesting slant on the hobby and gives you useful information that would not otherwise be available. So how muchguesswork is involved?

Fortunately for us, video carriers on band 1 are not always Òon frequencyÓ. Given that channel E2 video is 48.250 MHz, and R2 is49.750, etc. you might expect to find all the stations Òbang onÓ frequency, but in practice a system of 'frequency offsets' is used bybroadcasters to minimise the subjective effect of co-channel interference. It has been found that offsets which are integer multiplesof 1/12th of the line frequency give less objectionable interference when propagation opens up than when carriers are more closelysynchronised. Hence the offsets are agreed among neighbouring transmitting authorities. This disperses the nominal frequenciesaround each channel frequency, and when the frequency errors of individual transmitters can be distinguished, we have a possiblemeans of identifying the transmitter without ever having to resolve the video!

Some transmitters are inclined to drift around a little but this is not usually a problem due to the wide spacing of carriers. In fact, itcan in fact be a positive boon! Not only can we see these carriers with computer software, but we can watch them fade in and out,see how clean they are, and any other properties that they might exhibit.

As you may know, there are two standards for line and field frequencies in use globally. The spacing between video and audiocarriers are also different. So the moment a carrier becomes available it may not be difficult to work out what you are receiving. Theoffsets are only one clue, but you can also check the sound and vision spacing (assuming you are receiving the sound). Use of the6m propagation maps on the internet at http://6m.dxers.info/index.php can point you in the right direction too, as can actuallylistening to the audio on your scanner if the signal is strong enough. Usually with a sporadic E opening on band 1 you can work outa ÒfootprintÓ or general area of reception. So you can see there is probably not as much guesswork in this as you might havethought.

Scanners can give you the possibility to receive some very low power outlets of TV stations. In the UK we may be able to receivedouble hop E signals which tend to be weaker. As an example, countries like Syria, Iran and Jordan have been received regularlyhere in the Midlands. Transatlantic TV has also been possible on many occasions Ð from north and south America and theCaribbean!

Now I will explain the method I use to calculate the offsets and show you some screen grabs of stations received using SpectrumLaboratory software http://www.qsl.net/dl4yhf/spectra1.html.

PRECISION: As we are looking at precise frequency measurement here you will find that some band 1 video carriers drift a little,but usually only by a few Hz. However, a few transmitters like the E2 transmitters at Grunten in Bavaria Ð 48.260.422.0 andBantiger in Switzerland Ð 48.250.000.0 are precisely ÒlockedÓ on a set frequency which never alters so you can use thesetransmitters as reference frequencies to help you calibrate your receiver. Another one is the Austrian transmitter at St Polten on E2aÐ 49.750.000.0.

OFFSETS: Offsets are sometimes referred to as being ~p or ~m (i.e. an "8p" offset or a "5m" offset, etc.) which again indicatesroughly how far plus or minus the offset is.

REFERENCE FREQUENCY: In order to measure a carrier frequency accurately, it is necessary to calibrate the receiver to therequired degree of accuracy. We are fortunate in western Europe in having several standard frequency transmissions easilyavailable, which can be used in various ways to calibrate the receiver.

SPECTRUM LABORATORY: I use a software spectrum analyzer called Spectrum Laboratory, or SpectrumLab for short. This ispacked with useful features and lets you zoom in close on the carrier so you can take very precise measurements to accuracies ofless than 1 Hz. It is available free of charge from http://www.qsl.net/dl4yhf/spectra1.html

METHOD: I feed the audio from my Icom PCR1000 receiver into the computer's sound card. I use the Buxton amateur radiobeacons on 50.000.000.0 & 70.000.000.0 MHz as my markers because these have a precise and stable frequency as stated ontheir website at <http://www.buxtonras.freeuk.com/nick/buxtonboxes.htm>. However, it may be necessary to find an alternativereference frequency if you cannot receive Buxton. It seems that Buxton has a coverage area of roughly 100 miles radius, judging byreports from DXers. The Band I TV transmitters at Bantiger, Switzerland and Grunten, Germany are derived from atomic standardsand can also be used as references for our purposes. Using the narrow-band techniques we are discussing, these can normally be'seen' constantly in the English Midlands, and are probably available throughout much of Western Europe. If received at a distance,it will be necessary to ignore any spectral 'streaking' due to aircraft or meteor scatter. Western Europe also has available a wealth ofLF & MF Standard Frequency transmissions, and while these are unsuitable for direct calibration of the PCR1000, they can beeffectively multiplied up by the use of an off-air frequency standard. We used an off-air standard locked to Droitwich 198kHz, andobserved the harmonics of the 10MHz output; these were easily visible up to 200MHz. This way it would be easy to calibrate within20Hz at 200MHz , whereas direct measurement of the 198kHz carrier would require resolution better than 0.02Hz, which is notreally feasible.

Elsewhere in the world, it may be necessary to look to the few remaining HF Time & Frequency Standard transmissions. WWV isstill available on 10,000 and 15,000kHz, and the Moscow station RWM http://www.irkutsk.com/radio/tis.htm is on 9,996 and14,996kHz, between them probably covering half the globe. You need to set your rx within 1Hz at 10MHz to be within 5Hz at Band I.GPS-conditioned frequency standards are the current method of choice in the scientific community, and if you can borrow one, usethe harmonics to calibrate at VHF. Unfortunately, the use of standard frequencies via TV line synchronising pulses is obsolescent,as digital distribution protocols remove the need to transmit real-time sync pulses. It is no longer useable in the UK.

CALIBRATING THE PCR1000: By tuning the PCR1000 to 49.999.000 in USB I get an audible tone from my 50MHz Buxtonreference. This can be seen clearly on SpectrumLab, and should be at 1.000kHz. If the SpectrumLab frequency offset is set to Ò0ÓHz, this will compensate for the 1kHz offset of the receiver tuning, and the received tone should be at the 1000Hz mark. A setting of-500 to +500Hz for the SpectrumLab display width should allow you to see the initial error, and you can zoom in closer as youcalibrate.

To calibrate the PCR1000 it is necessary to use the engineering mode software ÒEX2099 for IC-PCR!1000Ó current revision 1.0,which is available from http://www.arpa.org/radio/software/pcr/ex2099/. But beware this is engineering software and improper usemay cause damage to your PCR1000.

Firstly, you will need to close any PCR1000 controlling software that may be in use, then run EX2099. Switch the Òpower onÓ, andinput the required frequency (49.999 MHz USB in this example) making sure you turn up the AF gain as this may be too quiet bydefault. In the ÒAdjustment panelÓ select ÒEEPROMÓ and click ÒSTARTÓ. Then select ÒXtalÓ. Adjust the ÒRef AdjustmentÓ up or downwhile monitoring the (Buxton) carrier. Making note what happens to the positioning of the carrier in Spectrum Lab. Once you havegot the carrier as close to zero offset as possible click on ÒRx SetÓ. Mission accomplished!

When making adjustments to the ÒRef AdjustmentÓ you will see that, although you are adjusting the oscillator frequency in roughly1Hz steps, the carrier at 50MHz will appear to move by around 4Hz at a time as the receive frequency is controlled entirely by the10.250MHz reference oscillator, and the steps are scaled pro rata. But you can compensate for this in Spectrum Lab by adjustingthe frequency bar in order to get the carrier spot on to 0Hz. DonÕt worry if you are unable to get the initial carrier adjustment spot onto 0Hz, simply adjust the frequency bar. You can be safe in the knowledge that, at 50MHz the calibration will be accurate to 1Hzright across band 1. This can be demonstrated here with BuxtonÕs transmitters at 50MHz and 70MHz.

Note that this software is not particularly user friendly and has a tendency to revert back to a default frequency in mid-adjustment,so you may need to reset the frequency, mode and AF levels all over again.

Also make sure your receiver has warmed up sufficiently before making these adjustments. My own PCR1000 takes several hoursto stabilise though about three hours should be sufficient to make adjustments with the EX2099 software - the longer the better.

By using the reference oscillator adjustment dialog box, it is possible to alter the receiver frequency in steps of approximately 4Hz at50MHz, or pro-rata at other receive frequencies, until the tone moves to the 0Hz mark. It appears that one can generally set aPCR1000 freq. calibration to better than 5x10-8. It should therefore be possible to reduce the calibration error to within ±2.5Hz at50MHz or ±10Hz at 200MHz (short-term).

In use, add 1000Hz to the indicated receive frequency and add the SpectrumLab frequency scale reading (plus or minus) to get thereceived carrier frequency.

But donÕt just take my method as THE only way to measure offsets. The alternative is to use a locally-generated referencefrequency source, for example a spectrum of harmonics derived from an accurate oscillator, and make corrections to the indicatedreceive frequency at each frequency. Read the methods of Ian Roberts and Todd Emslie on their website athttp://www.geocities.com/toddemslie/todds_tvdx_frequencies.html

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OFFSETS

Offsets are nominally arranged in units of 1/12th of the line frequency so in the case of 625 line pictures 1 offset unit is 1.302 kHzthus giving us:

OFFSETS FOR E2 TRANSMITTERS

8m 48.239.5847m 48.240.8666m 48.242.1885m 48.243.4904m 48.244.7923m 48.246.0942m 48.247.3961m 48.248.698zero offset 48.250.0001p 48.251.3022p 48.252.6045p 48.256.5106p 48.258.8127p 48.259.1148p 48.260.4169p 48.261.718

OFFSETS FOR R1 / E2a TRANSMITTERS

8m 49.739.5847m 49.740.8866m 49.742.1885m 49.743.4904m 49.744.7923m 49.746.0942m 49.747.3961m 49.748.698zero offset 49.750.0001p 49.751.3022p 49.752.6043p 49.753.9064p 49.755.2085p 49.756.5106p 49.757.8127p 49.759.1148p 49.760.4169p 49.761.718

OFFSETS FOR A2 [nom.55.250MHz] with 525-line 60Hz field video:

Negative 55.240.000zero offset 55.250.000Positive 55.260.000

Although these are the listed offset frequencies you may find there is slight variation (a couple of hundred Hz at the very most frompersonal experience and usually within 50Hz) but you shouldnÕt find anything in between these. There are no mÕs and pÕs as used inEurope.

Thankfully, in practice transmitters are only "nominally" on these offsets, which makes it possible to separate and identify individualtransmitters.

For instance, the EBU list gives Kuldiga in Latvia as R1 with an "8p" offset, which gives us a nominal frequency of 49.760.416. Thetransmitter is in fact on 49.760.459 (most recent readings) but the "8p" figure gives us a rough idea of where to look. The "actual"frequency can be lower or higher than the nominal offset. Or, on E3 both 55.273440 and 55.247.552 count as "2m" which isnominally 55.247396. Note that the quoted frequencies are not immutable, but will be subject to the same sort of drift-with-time asyour receiver. If the transmitter is subject to periodic maintenance, it is quite likely that the transmitter frequency may occasionallybe altered, so that we are dependent on updates from those who are able to identify and measure the carrier frequencies. All of usmay be able to contribute to the updating of the databases, if we can achieve the required measurement accuracy.

In conclusion, it is clear that users of scanning software have a big advantage when DXing during the E season, etc:- the ability todetect signals at lower levels which may result in a greater number of loggings; a possible extension of the E season either side asa result; being able to measure offsets during the F2 season on otherwise smeary and unwatchable pictures; the ability to tune intothe audio and thus work out the sound and vision spacing.

On the following pages are some screen grabs of video carriers.

Above: Two smeary auroral carriers on E3, John Faulkner

Above: Belarus going unstable on R3, Paul Farley

Above: UNID Jumper on R3, Paul Farley

Above: Mess of carriers around zero offset on R1. Note the drifter on the left hand side of the grab, and the fading carriers to theright, Parl Farley.

Above: Zooming into zero offset region on E3 - Liege on 55.250.034.5. Carrier is in the centre and the smeary traces which crossare doppler from aircraft scatter. You can also see other weak carriers at 55.249.984.5 (appears at Ð15.5 on the frequencyreference bar) and meteor scatter just below that at around 55.249.075 to 080 (-20 to 25).

Above & Below: Two grabs showing my PCR1000 warming up and settling down, after being switched off for ten minutes. Thesignal is that of GB3BUX Buxton on 50 MHz.

For the clubÕs complete offset log, visit www.skywaves.info/offsets.html

Happy DXing

John Faulkner & Julian Hardstone

R S L U P D A T E

Updated 1 September 2004

Compiled by MARK PRATT (Devon, UK; e-mail: mark.pratt@skywaves.info)This list is continually updated at the Skywaves website (www.skywaves.info), where email and web addresses formany of these stations can also be found.

Location Freq Station Date On Date OffTelephone Details (and contributor details)Ashton Under Lyne 87.7 Space Station Mossley 11/10/04 07/11/0407786 437 157 Community Arts ProjectBelfast 107.7 Sweet FM 01/09/04 28/09/0402890 757525 CommunityBiggin Hill 87.7 Air Fair Radio 17/09/04 19/09/04020 7261 3691 Air Fair ShowBirkenhead 87.7 Flame FM 13/09/04 10/10/040151 643 1696 Christian broadcastBirmingham 87.7 87.7 Artsites FM 10/09/04 11/09/040121 440 5213 Arts Fest 2004Birmingham 106.9 Aston FM 29/09/04 21/10/0401905 820659 Community broadcastBirmingham 106.8 Garden Radio at Glee 17/09/04 21/09/0401733 775700 Garden show at the NECBirmingham 107.3 Shine FM 06/09/04 17/09/040121 331 5478 On air training for postgraduate journalistsBirmingham 107.3 BURN FM 08/10/04 04/11/040121 414 6718 Student broadcast, freshers' serviceChorley 87.9 Chorley Local Radio 18/09/04 15/10/0407789 655351 TrialDerby 87.7 Radio Donington 18/09/04 19/09/0401280 820438 British Super BikesDundee 87.7 Hilltown FM 05/09/04 11/09/0401382 435872 Community projectEnfield 87.7 Radio Enfield 17/09/04 19/09/04020 8363 6000 Annual ShowForest Gate 87.7 Yarr Radio 06/09/04 03/10/040208 574 6666 Promote DAB and promote YARR RadioGilmerton 87.7 SERVE Radio 06/09/04 03/10/040131 258 0852 Community Radio for Social InclusionGoodwood 87.7 Goodwood Revival R 02/09/04 05/09/0401264 369369 Goodwood RevivalHartlepool 107.5 Hartlepool FM 11/10/04 07/11/04 TrialHull 106.8 Trinity FM 25/09/04 17/10/0407979 853990 Trial

Islington 101.4 Bounce FM 04/09/04 01/10/0407985 330 233 Community broadcast & showcase of localtalent

Kenilworth 107.5 Nationals FM 16/09/04 19/09/04024 7669 8843 British Dressage National ChampionshipsLeicester 87.7 Panjabi Radio Kohinoor 08/11/04 05/12/040116 276 9297 Birth of Guru Nanak Devi Ji/DiwaliLiverpool 105.8 BHM FM 10/10/04 06/11/0407769 580 671 Black History Month CelebrationsLondon N1 101.4 N1FM 02/10/04 14/10/04020 7643 1370 Training Course for Broadcast studentsLuton 87.9 Diverse FM 01/09/04 28/09/0401582 400906 Promoting local charities, community

organisations & voluntary organisationsManchester 87.9 Fuse FM 18/09/04 15/10/040161 275 2941 Student broadcastManchester 106.2 ITC Radio 15/09/04 21/09/040161 237 9789 In the City music conventionNewark 87.7 Boundary Sound 06/09/04 03/10/0407970 795919 TrialNewcastle 107.5 City FM 13/09/04 09/10/040191 278 2957 Community development & education

projectNorthallerton 87.7 Northallerton Local R 13/09/04 09/10/040783 2225988 TrialNorwich 87.7 Exchange Radio

Norwich05/10/04 07/10/0401603 612686 School project involving local primary &

secondary schools in NorwichOxford 87.7 Oxford Local Radio 15/11/04 04/12/0407789 655351 TrialPeterborough 87.7 Radio Ramadan 17/10/04 13/11/04 Holy month of Ramadan and EidPoole 106.3 24-7 Community Radio 20/09/04 17/10/0407817 631178 Community broadcastReigate 87.7 Susy Radio 25/09/04 10/10/04 -1737 217507 TrialSpalding 87.9 Tulip FM 09/10/04 05/11/0401775 712400 Trial broadcastStevenage 87.7 87.7 Lister FM 17/09/04 25/09/0407730 561324 Fund raising eventStroud 106.8 Stroud FM 09/09/04 12/09/0407970 144370 Stroud Fringe FestivalSunderland 102.4 Utopia FM 18/09/04 01/10/040191 515 3079 Freshers weekSwansea 87.7 World Rally Radio 15/09/04 19/09/040870 850 8550 Wales Rally GBTwickenham 96.4 Ref Link 04/09/04 04/09/0401225 83553 Relay of referee's comments to the crowd

at the 'Club Double Header' rugby matchesWoodstock 87.7 Radio Blenheim 09/09/04 12/09/0401280 820438 Horse Trials

BRITISH FM & TV CIRCLE - WHO TO CONTACT

m General Co-ordinatior John Faulkner 15 Boarhill Grove, Ashfield Park, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire NG17 1HF. ( 01623 454790. E mail john.faulkner@skywaves.info

m Membership Secretary Mike Fallon 10 Homebush Avenue, Saltdean, East Sussex BN2 8RD.E mail membership@skywaves.info

m Treasurer Ian Kelly E mail ian.kelly@skywaves.info

m Printing / Mailing David Towers E mail david.towers@skywaves.info

m Publicity David Hamilton 61 Keir Hardie Hill, Cumnock, Ayrshire KA18 1PP.( 01290 426128. E mail david.hamilton@skywaves.info

SECTION EDITORSm On Screen William Kitching 3 Prince Charles Cresent, Malinslee, Telford, Shropshire. TF3 2JX

E mail william.kitching@skywaves.info

m FM Logbook Mark Hattam 16 Kilpatrick Way, Yeading, Hayes, Middlesex. UB4 9SX.( 020 8845 8762. E mail mark.hattam@skywaves.info

m FM Newsdesk Tim Bucknall [vacancy] 33 Churc hill Clos e, Congleton, Cheshir e, CW12 4Q U.( 01260 274775 E mail tim.bucknall@skywaves.info

m Mailbag & Helpdesk Alan Gale E mail alan.gale@skywaves.info

m Features Julian Hardstone E mail julian.hardstone@skywaves.info

m Sat Scan Mark Abbott 16 Cloisters, Church Hill, Newhaven, East Sussex BN9 9LW.( 01273 512247 E mail mark.abbott@skywaves.info

m Links FM David Towers 20 V aliant Close, Glenfield, Leic ester , LE 3 8J H( 0116 233 5744 E mail david.towers@skywaves.info

m RSL Desk Mark Pratt DevonE mail mark.pratt@skywaves.info

WORLD WIDE WEB: http://www.skywaves.info

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