Your New Year Resolution for 2010

CHRISTMAS 2009 is now behind us and I hope you enjoyed your presents. Thinking ahead to the New Year which arrives this week, have you made a New Year resolution, or thinking of making a resolution?

May I suggest that you take a moment to consider making a donation to the charity which will gain from the monumental effort to be put in by Sarah Cowin (pictured right) in the Summer of 2010.

Sarah is to join a group who will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in June 2010 to raise money for the charity Scope, who work to help those with Cerebral Palsy.

Please sponsor Sarah by visiting her fundraising website at:

http://www.justgiving.com/sarahinafrica

Please give generously!

Wallpaper of the Week, 26 December 2009

WALLPAPER of the Week returns to RFTFT and as it is deepest mid winter, take heart from a photograph I took during the Summer of 2009, showing the track bed of the now long gone Stainmore Railway and the road bridge which still bears the soot of the steam trains which passed under it. It is close to this point that the British Transport Film 'Snowdrift At Bleath Gill' recorded the recovery of the goods train from Kirkby Stephen which became trapped by a snowdrift around half a century ago.

I hope you enjoy the image and are enjoying the festive season.

Radio Round up, 2009

WELCOME to my end of year radio listening round up, details include Short Wave and Medium Wave logs made June to December 2009 :

June 2009 :

• 9510 kHz [Short Wave], IRRS - Shortwave, English to Europe & Middle East via Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia.
• 9895 kHz, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, Dutch to France, Spain, Portugal and the Balearics.
• 12040 kHz, Voice of Russia, English to Europe, Middle East and Asia via Moscow, Russia.

August 2009 :

• 585 kHz [Medium Wave], BBC Scotland via Dumfries.
• 594 kHz, HR Info via Frankfurt, Germany.
• 603 kHz, BBC Radio 4 via Wrekenton, Newcastle - Upon - Tyne.

October 2009 :

• 12040 kHz, Voice of Russia, English to Europe via Moscow, Russia.
• 12080 kHz, Voice of America, VOA Special English to Africa via Botswana.
• 12095 kHz, BBC World Service, English to East & South Africa via Cyprus.
• 12160 kHz, WWCR-3 Nashville TN USA to America and Europe.
• 13590 kHz, 1Africa, English to Africa via Lusaka, Zambia.
• 13780 kHz, Deutsche Welle, German to East Africa via Skelton, Cumbria, UK.
• 13790 kHz, China Radio International, English to Europe, Africa, Asia & America via Urumchi, China.
• 13845 kHz, WWCR-2 Nashville TN USA, English to Africa (University Network).
• 15225 kHz, Radio Kuwait, Main Arabic Programme to Europe and North America.
• 15400 kHz, BBC World Service, English to West Africa via Ascension Island.
• 15580 kHz, Voice of America, English to Africa via Botswana.

November 2009 :

• 603 kHz, BBC Radio 4 via Wrekenton, Newcastle - Upon - Tyne.
• 603 kHz, France Info via Lyon, France.
• 612 kHz, RNE1 [Radio Nacional Espana] via Vitoria, Spain.
• 621 kHz, RTBF1 via Wavre, Belgium.
• 630 kHz, NRK Euuropakanalen via Vigra, Norway.
• 630 kHz, Voice of Russia, German via Germany / Russia.
• 639 kHz, RNE1, Football commentary in Spanish.
• 639 kHz, Czech Radio 2 via Prague, Czech Republic.
• 648 kHz, BBC World Service via Orford Ness, Suffolk.
• 666 kHz, Sudwestrundfunk via Rohrdorf, Germany.
• 675 kHz, Radio Maria, Dutch via Lopik, Holland

December 2009 :

• 15575 kHz, BBC World Service, English to Middle East via Cyprus.
• 15585 kHz, Radio Exterior de Espana, Spanish to Europe.
• 15595 kHz, Vatican Radio, Angelus (Liturgy) with Pope Benedict XVI to Europe, Asia via Santa Maria di Galeria, The Vatican.
• 15650 kHz, Voice of Greece to Europe, Middle East and Asia.
• 17760 kHz, Radio Romania International, English to Europe and Africa.
• 11675 kHz, Polish Radio External Service, English Section to Europe via Moosbrunn, Austria.

That is all my radio reports for 2009. Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas, 2009

I WOULD just like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Christmas!

Four more stations, celebrity gossip.

APRIL 2009 Short Wave Logs:

Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 6205 kHz, English Service: News headlines follow Prayer. Website: english.irib.ir .

WWRB, Manchester, TN, USA, 9385 kHz, English Service: Global III transmitter relaying Overcomer Ministry. Website: wwrb.org .

All India Radio, 9445 kHz, General Overseas Service - V (English). Website: allindiaradio.org .

Radio Australia, 9500 kHz, English Service: 'Saturday Extra' programme, reviewing 100 days of Obama's Presidency. Website: radioaustralia.net.au .

Celebrity gossip: Britain's youngest WAG dumped by boyfriend

BRITAIN'S youngest WAG Melissa Reeves, pictured above, has been dumped by Everton starlet Jack Rodwell, after she was featured on the front page of the Daily Star Sunday.

Sexy Melissa, 16, from West Derby, Liverpool, was dumped by Rodwell, 17, after a picture showing her in a racy outfit at a Formula One models launch was published on the front page of the paper.

Rodwell told Mel that her modeling career was giving him unwanted attention, and he even accused her of trying to cash in by becoming another fame-hungry WAG.

"He's finished me for his football. I'm stunned. I'm not bothered about the WAG thing - it’s not my fault I was photographed. I love my modelling but I didn’t want anything to come between us," the Daily Star quoted her as saying.

"Just when I thought things were going so well he's gone and done this. I'm gutted. I feel like my world has ended," she added.

The two had been dating only for a few months when they had been compared to ex-Everton star Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen.

But mates of Rodwell insist he doesn't want to be tarred with the same brush.

"Jack's desperate to make it in the top flight and doesn't want anything to get in the way," one of Rodwell's pals said.

"All those pictures and stories of him with Melissa and comparisons to Wayne and Coleen are not what he wanted.

"He found himself on the front of newspapers instead of on the back page - where he should be.

"Mel was attracting unwanted attention with her modeling so he decided to call it a day.

"Football is his priority now," the friend added.

Radio update May 2008 - March 2009

I PRESENT one year's worth of Short Wave and Medium Wave listening, which I have been neglecting on RFTFT, stations listed below with links to thier websites, beginning May 2008 :

BBC Radio 4 (website), Radio 5 Nostalgie [Holland] (website), BBC Radio Cumbria (website - profile of Gordon Swindlehurst), BBC Radio Leeds (website), BBC Radio Scotland (website), BBC Radio Cumbria (profile of Val Armstrong), BBC Radio Lancashire (Sport : Live Cricket - Lancashire v Scotland), BBC Radio Wales (website), BBC Radio Five Live (Sport), Fresh Radio (website), Magic 999 (Preston), TalkSport (website), Magic 1170 (Stockton on Tees).

June 2008 : BBC Radio Cumbria at Appleby Horse Fair.
Radio Nederland Wereldomroep (Holland - Dutch language).

August 2008 : Vatican Radio (English website), BBC Radio Cumbria (Sport : Live Football - York City v Barrow).

September 2008 : Magic 1170, Radio Sweden (English website), Absolute [formerly Virgin] Radio (website), France Info (French language).

October 2008 : Vatican Radio, Laser Hot Hits (website).

November 2008 : Deutschlandfunk (Germany - German language), Voice of Russia (English website), BBC Radio Ulster (website), Manx Radio (Isle of Man, website), France Info, BBC Radio Gloucestershire (website).

December 2008 : Vatican Radio.

January 2009 : BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Deutschlandfunk, Sunrise Radio (Sunrise website - may ask to download a Quick Time application or add-on, your discretion).

February 2009 : Radio Slovakia International (English website, links also available for Slovak, German, French, Russian, Spanish), Deutsche Welle (Germany, English website, links to other languages in right hand column and bottom of page), Overcomer Ministry (Brother R G Stair, website), Radio Bulgaria (English website).

March 2009 : Sunrise Radio. SER (Spain, Spanish language), France Info, BBC Radio Stoke (website).

You are now up to date with my radio listening, DXing, call it what you will, bar any April listening, which I haven't done yet, but next weekend (Easter 2009) onwards should hopefully change that and I hope to place the results of which here on RFTFT.

As always, any questions or comments, direct them to the comments link below or get on your email and drop me a line.

Take care, see you soon!

Welcome to 2009

A LITTLE BIT of housekeeping is in order, I feel, as I have been neglecting RFTFT for around six months, judging from my last post, the Carlisle United squad list, which I posted in the early stages of the season, September 2008.

May I belatedly welcome you to 2009 through RFTFT and I do hope to get back to posting here more regularly, if I can wean myself off the addictive social networking which has taken hold . . .