My AM Archive : January 2021

 EASTER 2026 has been and gone, Early May Bank Holiday has been and gone - Apologies for the lack of a post since March!  We are, once again, visiting the archive of my loggings of radio broadcasts heard years gone by - Some broadcasters still on air, some aren't - This blog hopes to reflect the changes, especially on the Medium Wave band, that have taken place in recent years.

This post brings memories of broadcasts heard January 2021 on Medium Wave.  A previous post of Medium Wave logs, heard December 2020, can be found here.

Housekeeping notes: Times in UTC (GMT), frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz). Logs transcribed from the original notes. Transmission power in watts or kiloWatts (kW).

Receiver used: Sangean ATS-405.

January 2021 : Medium Wave

• [Tuesday] 12 January [2021]: 1330 UTC: 774 kHz: BBC Radio Bradford  Strong to good reception, 500 watts via Farnley, Yorkshire.  Programming: Music: Kellie Marie 'Feels Like I'm In Love' Traffic and travel update with details relating to the [Covid] lockdown. Weather with Lisa Gallagher. Music: One Direction 'Story of My Life' Female host Charlie Smith says it is Zayn Malik's birthday (28). Music: Doobie Brothers 'Listen To The Music' ID, trailer for Planet North.
  Razwan Ul-Haq is an artist from Bradford, who is exhibiting his art, Industrialised Heart, Solo Exhibition, at Bradford Industrial Museum. Music: Kygo + Tina Turner 'What's Love Got To Do With It' Sanchez Payne and Beth Parsons had their own bake off - Bread making. Host Charlie Smith, along with [colleagues] Richard and Neil, judged the BBC Bradford bake off.
  Logged to 1352 UTC.

                 Break

• 12 January: 1543 UTC: 900 kHz: RAI Radio 1  'Viva Voce' Female host with male speaking on the phone, male often uses 'politica' during the speech, female host speaks of a 'recovery plan'
  Strong to fair reception, 50 kW via Milan, Italy.
  Logged to 1555 UTC.
  [ Listen via RaiPlaySound ]
• 12 January: 1559 UTC: 909 kHz: BBC Radio 5 Live  Drivetime News: Irish homes for Children and Mothers, Covid - Largest number of deaths in 2020, highest since 1940. Police fines rise. Supermarkets will decline customers without face masks. Supply chains must not promote slave labour. Space junk. ID. Travel update.
  Strong to good reception, up to 200 kW via Moorside Edge, West Yorkshire.
  Main interference / noise is like a stop-start buzzer. Multiple transmission audio, too.
  Logged to 1611 UTC.

Images: Demolition of Trasmettitore Milano Rai 900kHz, c. October 2023, images from Google Maps - Original Google Street View imagery featured in this blog post.

Listen to the last closedown announcement of RAI Radio Uno on 900 kHz, courtesy of Josh's Radio Paradise YouTube post.

• 12 January: 1624 UTC: 936 kHz: Dales Radio  Music: Snow Patrol 'Take Back The City' Keith Fletcher is the host. Update from the County Council, regarding recycling centres. Music: Pointer Sisters 'I'm So Excited'.
  Strong to good reception, 150 watts via Brunt Acres Road, Hawes, North Yorkshire.
  Ingleton Post Office open one day a week. Rob Stevens will be on air later. Music: Bill Withers 'Lovely Day' ID, music: Bob Marley 'Buffalo Soldier'.
  Logged to 1636 UTC.
• 12 January: 1646 UTC: 954 kHz: Český rozhlas Dvojka  Music: Boney M 'Holiday' ID, programme: Kolotoč, presented by Terezou Stýblovou. Music.
  Dvojka, Strong to good reception, up to 200 kW via Dobrochov, Czechia.
  Music: Milli Vanilli 'Girl I'm Gonna Miss You' 1700 UTC news: Oxford Astra-Zeneca [Covid] vaccine; Czech President; Israel; Marks And Spencer in Prague; Brexit. Music at 1704 UTC.
  Logged to 1705 UTC.
• 12 January: 1708 UTC: 963 kHz: Sunrise Radio  'What's on TV tonight - Watch comedy on Sky channel - ' 'This is the biggest Asian station' Music. Paul Shah on air 'Back to back songs, by the Sunrise app' Bollywood anagram: B A H A M A H A R T. Programme: 'Drive on Sunrise' Ad break: Cooking sauces, Covid ad, Southall Travel, Police recruitment, ceramic tiles importer. Boilers, Covid ad (2), Bollywood on Sony Max 2.
  Strong to poor reception, 950 watts via Hackney.
  Sunrise time check (5:18pm), travel. Bollywood music.
  Logged to 1723 UTC.
  [Sunrise Radio, Unit 2, 694-712 London Road, HOUNSLOW TW3 1PG]
• 12 January: 1731 UTC: 972 kHz: Sunrise Radio  Ads: McDonalds, Covid-19, contact the ads team at Sunrise Radio. Programme: 'Drive on Sunrise' Traffic and travel update. Sunrise Radio available via Amazon Smart Speaker and YouTube channel. Music.
  Good to poor reception, 1 kW via Southall.
  Male host Paul Shah speaks about song just played; Bollywood anagram competition.
  Logged to 1741 UTC.
  [Main switchboard: 0208 574 6666]
• 12 January: 1744 UTC: 981 kHz: Radio Algerienne - Chaine 2  Male speech, Arabic language programming, music.
  Strong to poor reception, up to 300 kW via Ouled Fayet, Algeria (ALG).
  Music. Male speech at 1752 UTC. Music.
  Logged to 1754 UTC.
• 12 January: 1758 UTC: 990 kHz: BBC Radio 5 Live  Conor McNamara with live football commentary of Sheffield United v Newcastle United.
  Good to poor reception, 1 kW via Tywyn, Wales.
  Logged to 1822 UTC.
  

  

  Frequencies, contacts for Great Yorkshire Gold

• 12 January: 1758 UTC: 990 kHz: BBC Radio Devon  Music: Lenny Kravitz 'It Ain't Over, 'Til It's Over' Traffic and travel at 1804 UTC: Exeter, Ilfracombe, Newton Abbot - Call BBC Radio Devon travel line on 0808 100 2829. Music: Keane 'Somewhere Only We Know'.
  Good to poor reception, 1 kW via Exeter, Devon.
  Music: Dua Lipa and Miley Cyrus 'Prisoner' BBC Make A Difference update: Donate a laptop. Music: Erasure 'Love To Hate You'.
  Logged to 1824 UTC.
  [BBC Radio Devon, PO Box 1034, Plymouth PL3 5BD - Main switchboard 01752 260323]

Medium Wave: March 2017

ANOTHER Sunday afternoon, another selection of radio broadcasts I have heard. From the logbook, an evening of broadcasts heard on Friday 3 March 2017. Housekeeping notes for those new to these posts: Times in UTC (GMT), frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz) and transmission powers in watts or kiloWatts (kW).

March 2017 : Medium Wave.

• 3 March: 1813 UTC: 639 kHz: CRo2 Dvojka, Czech Republic. Strong to good reception, 1500 kW via Prague. 'Radio Club Junior' with Klara Novakova and guest David Svoboda, a London 2012 Olympian. Music, speech including the phone-in segment of the show, various greetings in the Czech language, including the informal 'Ahoj'. Music, speech.
• 3 March: 1835 UTC: 639 kHz: RNE Radio Nacional, Spain. Good reception, up to 600 kW via various transmission sites. Speech from a female, brief speech from a male, female speaking at length. Male speech with ID: 'Radio Nacional Espana'. Music: Leonard Cohen?.
• 3 March: 1856 UTC: 657 kHz : Rai RadioUno, Italy. Good reception, 100 kW via Pisa. 'Zapping' - A programme dedicated to looking at the week's news in small segments: Male in studio, male on phone. Male and female voices.

• 3 March: 1924 UTC: 666 kHz: BBC Radio York, UK. Strong to moderate reception, 500 watts via Fulford, York. Music from George Harrison 'My Sweet Lord', female host - Georgie Spanswick, talking about what is coming up on the show and the topic of a 'free lunch' - Listener reaction with food and drink related stories, reaction from Simon with a red wine story. Text: 81333, Idents for Georgie Spanswick and BBC Radio York. Music: Jackson Five 'I Want You Back'. Traffic + Travel report - Call in on 0330... Music: Eric Carmen 'Hungry Eyes'. Call the show on 0345... [Notes: BBC Radio York was the dominant broadcast on the channel. The above QSL card, verifying reception in 1996, is from my collection.]
•  3 March: 1954 UTC: 684 kHz: RNE Radio Nacional, Spain. Strong to moderate reception, 600 kW via Seville. Strong, clear, male speech, music (a Zither!). Time signal for 20 UTC. Female speech - News headlines? Speech is TOO QUICK for me to understand the words! Brief speech from male, female continues speaking. News from France: Marine Le Pen. Feeds from the Friday night football fixtures. Female completes the bulletin, handover to new programme with males. Music: Fatboy Slim 'Praise You'.
• 3 March: 2016 UTC: 693 kHz: BBC Radio 5 Live, UK. Strong to good reception, up to  150 kW via Droitwich, Worcestershire / 50 kW via Stagshaw, Northumberland. The 'Friday Football Social' - Studio guest is Michail Antonio. Live updates from current sporting fixtures: Leeds United v Birmingham City; Cricket: West Indies 147-4 against England in Antuiga; Rugby League updates. Michail Antonio (West Ham United) talking about being called up for England and life as a Premier League player. 2030 UTC news update: Northern Ireland politician Mike Nesbitt has resigned.

• 3 March: 2048 UTC: 720 kHz: BBC Radio Four, UK. Good to moderate reception, 10 kW via Lisnagarvey, Northern Ireland. 'Test Match Special' - West Indies v England LIVE from Antigua. A West Indian wicket had fallen just as I tuned in, the next Windies batsman is now at the crease and the over has begun. Male commentator with female summariser.
• 3 March: 2116 UTC: 738 kHz: RNE Radio Nacional, Spain. Good to moderate reception, 500 kW via Barcelona. Male and female Spanish voices, female speaks of Casablanca.
• 3 March: 2137 UTC: 756 kHz: BBC Radio Cumbria, UK. Moderate to poor reception, 1 kW via Brisco, Carlisle. Music from Rod Stewart 'Maggie May', speech from Georgie Spanswick, speaking to a female on the phone about her plans for the weekend.

• 3 March: 2155 UTC: 756 kHz: Radio Romania Actualitati, Romania. Moderate reception, 400 kW via Sibiu, Romania. Male speech, folk music, male voice with ID, off air at 2200 UTC.
• 3 March: 2205 UTC: 756 kHz: BBC Radio Cumbria, UK. Moderate reception, 1 kW via Brisco, Carlisle. [BBC Radio Cumbria 'in the clear'] Two Beatles songs back to back: 'Please Please Me' and 'Penny Lane' on the 'Decades Show' with Joe Costin. Music: The Strawbs 'Part of the Union'. Val Armstrong with the lyrics quiz 😊 Music: Bonnie Tyler 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'. ["Joe Costin: The World's Oldest Man" - R. Nankivell]
• 3 March: 2230 UTC: 774 kHz: RNE Radio Nacional, Spain. Good to moderate reception, 20 - 100 kW via various transmission sites. Male conversation at length, includes a clear mention of Brexit!

That concludes the logs for March 2017.

Until the next time, keep listening!

📻