My AM Archive: May Bank Holiday 2008

MY AM Archive is a continual thread of my Medium Wave logbooks, bringing them online for posterity, and for other like-minded radio listeners to enjoy.

Logs of Short Wave broadcasts are also on this blog, under the My DX Archive thread.

The previous post in this thread, My AM Archive: Winter 2007-2008, can be found here.

Logs in this post are dated Monday, May 5, 2008.

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

May 2008 : Medium Wave

• [Monday] 5 May [2008]: 0705 UTC: 720 kHz: BBC Radio 4  Fair reception; 10 kW via Lisnagarvey, Northern Ireland. News: Childline director says more should be done to help children. Medieval artefact to go on display. Paul Gascoigne involved in incident in West London hotel. Interview with an advisor of Gordon Brown. To 0717 UTC.
• 5 May: 0739 UTC: 747 kHz: Radio 747 / Radio 5  Old-time dance hall music, with speech in Dutch, from Holland. Fair reception; 400 kW via Flevoland. Male host, music, female caller on telephone. Music. To 0747 UTC.
• 5 May: 0753 UTC: 756 kHz: BBC Radio Cumbria  Gordon Swindlehurst, interview with crew member of Barrow in Furness Lifeboat, music: Texas 'Say What You Want'. Excellent to good reception; 1 kW via Carlisle.
  Traffic & Travel news: Martin Plenderleith, "4 minutes to nine" weather, motorways, cattle on Temple Sowerby bypass A66. A595-A596 road works, Ambleside gas works, Hilltop. Buses & trains: Virgin Euston - Birmingham New Street (Rugby - Milton Keynes). 0845 305 3939 Travel line. 0845 305 1122 to call Gordon & Martin.
  0800 UTC (0900 BST) news: Will Tillotson. Cocaine seized. Employers prosecuted for hiring illegal immigrants. Prisoners in open prisons. Gordon Brown gets support. Josef Fritzl is mentally ill. Business is down in Lakes. To 0809 UTC.
• 5 May: 0821 UTC: 774 kHz: BBC Radio Leeds  ID, music: Isley Brothers 'This Old Heart of Mine', male host, details of forthcoming guests on BBC Radio Leeds. Music: Randy Crawford 'Rainy Night in Georgia'. Male speech, ID for BBC Radio Leeds, caller to the station, mention for John.
  0930 (BST) traffic & travel: M62 / A62, junction of M1 ? ID for BBC Radio Leeds.
  Music: The Police 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic'. Fair reception; 500 watts via Farnley, Leeds. Male speech, ID, time check "25 to ten", Kate has contact the show. Music: Robbie Williams 'Let Me Entertain You'. Speech by male, music: Elton John 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me'. To 0838 UTC.

BBC Radio Leeds information pack, c.1997.

• 5 May: 0858 UTC: 810 kHz: BBC Radio Scotland  'Good Morning Extra' Male host, caller regarding overcrowding in prisons. Fair reception; 100 kW via North and / or Central Scotland.
  0900 (10 BST) news: Man in hospital believed to be father of dead children. Referendum in Scotland? Parents of young children passed out in Portuguese hotel room after heavy drinking, children in care. Typhoon overseas. Employers prosecuted for illegal immigrant workers. Aberdonians have bad lifestyle. Sport: Football: SPL, Euro, Prem. Snooker, cricket, tennis.
  Travel. Weather. To 0910 UTC.

• 5 May: 1125 UTC: 837 kHz: BBC Radio Cumbria  Val Armstrong live from the Isle of Man, interview with the former Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, Sir Miles Walker.
  Excellent to good reception; 1 kW via Barrow in Furness. ID from Val, traffic & travel news: M6 ok, A596, A595 road works. Birmingham New Street - London Euston rail works. 0845 305 3939. Trailer for TV Licensing. 'The Guide' Car boot sale at Lanercost Priory - Cartmel. May Day Carnival in Penrith. To 1141 UTC.
• 5 May: 1143 UTC: 855 kHz: BBC Radio Lancashire  Two men speaking on the subject of Cricket; Live coverage of Lancashire CCC! Fair reception; 1 kW via Preston. Lancashire v Scotland? Two man commentary team of cricket. To 1155 UTC.
• 5 May: 1204 UTC: 882 kHz: BBC Radio Wales  Sport: Ronnie O'Sullivan leads snooker final, travel news from Wales, weather, ID for BBC Radio Wales, trailer for Wales national football team. Neil Kinnock presents part 7 of 'Alive & Kicking' history of Wales National football team: Failing to qualify for Euro 2004.
  Excellent to good reception; Up to 100 kW (1 kW Forden, Powys; 5 kW Tywyn, Gwynedd; 10 kW Penman, Gwynedd; 100 kW Washford, Somerset). To 1219 UTC.
• 5 May: 1228 UTC: 909 kHz: BBC Radio Five Live  Live football from the City Ground, Nottingham: Women's FA Cup Final: Arsenal Ladies v Leeds Ladies, 0-0 at 30 minutes.
  Excellent to good reception; Up to 200 kW (Moorside Edge, West Yorkshire).
  Leeds have a goal ruled offside. Mark Clemmitt at pitchside. To 1238 UTC.

• 5 May: 1357 UTC: 936 kHz: Fresh Radio  Music: Shaun Mullins 'Lullaby'. ID for website, ads: Skipton Self Store, Freshfields community care, Roger & Jim Car Radio Skipton.
  1400 (1500 BST) news: Trailer but no newscast! News ticker but no news, re-run of news ticker... News is on now. Cyclone in Burma.
  Excellent reception; 1 kW via Hawes, N Yorks. To 1405 UTC.

Google Street View of the 936 kHz transmission site.

• 5 May: 1423 UTC: 999 kHz: Magic 999  Ad for Sainsbury's, ad for Legal Discount, ad for Lufthansa, ID for Magic 999, music: Ben E King 'Stand By Me'.
  Fair reception; 800 watts via Longton, Preston - Blackpool. Music: Jackie Wilson. ID. Stevie Wonder 'Superstition'. To 1435 UTC.
• 5 May: 1447 UTC: 1053 kHz: TalkSport  traffic & travel update: Surrey, Bristol (M4), Oxfordshire (M40), Blackpool (M55).
  St James' Park: Newcastle v Chelsea, ko 4pm.
  Good to fair reception; Up to 500 kW (Droitwich).
  Text messages. Snooker Championship at the Crucible. Movies: 'Rocky' is voted best movie in sport circles. To 1456 UTC.
• 5 May: 1506 UTC: 1071 kHz: TalkSport  Speech regarding the relegation from The Championship to League One of Leicester City. Update from snooker: O'Sullivan v Carter.
  Fair to poor reception; 1 kW via Wrekenton (Newcastle-Upon-Tyne). To 1518 UTC.
• 5 May: 1525 UTC: 1089 kHz: TalkSport  Poor reception; Up to 400 kW [Presumed Brookmans Park]. Male speech. To 1530 UTC.
• 5 May: 1553 UTC: 1170 kHz: Magic 1170  Music: 'Mustang Sally'. ID for Magic, music: 'Listen To The Music' by The Doobie Brothers, male reading schedule for rest of today.
  Traffic & travel: Trailer 01642 607111. Ads: Sainsbury's home insurance. Magic Breakfast. Solicitor. British Gas. Barrett Homes. Island Cruises with Nick Wright.
  News (16 UTC / 17 BST): Mother pays tribute to her dead sons. Murders in Scotland, Leeds, Rugby, Warwickshire. Burma cyclone. Prince Harry receives medal. Russia to waive visa for Champions League final. Newcastle 0 - Chelsea 0 at start of second half.
  'Motown Magic' Good to fair reception; 320 watts via Stockton on Tees, Teesside. To 1615 UTC.

Thank you for visiting Reporting From The Fox Tower!

📻

My AM Archive: May 2007

 AS SPRINGTIME approached Summertime in 2007, I present Medium Wave logs from the month of May, 2007.

My AM Archive is a continual thread of posts of my Medium Wave logbooks, bringing them online for posterity, and for other like-minded radio listeners to enjoy.
Logs of Short Wave broadcasts are also on this blog, under the My DX Archive thread.

This post, as stated above, brings logs from May 2007.

The previous post in this thread, My AM Archive: Winter 2006-2007 : February 2007, can be found here.

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

May 2007 : Medium Wave

• [Thursday] 17 May [2007]: 1810 - 1830 UTC: 936 kHz: Fresh Radio  1 kW; Excellent to good reception via Hawes [Yorkshire Dales National Park / North Yorkshire]. 'Hitcall' programme, station ID, telephone, text, email address contacts for the show.
• 17 May: 1908 - 1916 UTC: 990 kHz: BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal  1 kW; Good to fair reception via Redmoss, Aberdeen, Scotland, G [G is the international country code for Great Britain / United Kingdom]. (BBC Radio nan Gàidheal is a Scottish Gaelic language radio station owned and operated by the BBC.)
• 17 May: 1924 - 1938 UTC: 999 kHz: Magic 999  800 watts; Excellent to good reception via Longton, Preston - Blackpool [Lancashire]. Ads.

Letter verifying reception of Fresh Radio (17 May).

• 17 May: 1939 - 1954 UTC: 1008 kHz: Radio 10 Gold  400 kW; Excellent to good reception, presumed via Flevoland, Holland.
  Music by Bruce Hornsby & The Range.
• 17 May: 2040 - 2100 UTC: 1017 kHz: Classic Gold WABC  630 watts; Good to poor reception via Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
  Music: The Beatles.
• 17 May: 2040 - 2100 UTC: 1017 kHz: Sudwestrundfunk  100 kW; Excellent to fair reception via Wolfsheim, D [Germany].
  Male speech.
• 17 May: 2112 - 2116 UTC: 1044 kHz: MDR Info  20 kW; Excellent to good reception via Dresden, D [Germany].
  Female speech, speaking of the French elections.
• 17 May: 2122 - 2132 UTC: 1053 kHz: TalkSport  Excellent to good reception; Multiple transmitters causing some delays and echo.
  James Whale on the air.
• 17 May: 2146 - 2153 UTC: 1089 kHz: TalkSport  Excellent to good reception; Multiple transmitters causing delay and echo.
  James Whale on the air, with guest Jodie Marsh.

Thank you for visiting Reporting From The Fox Tower!

📻

My AM Archive: Summer 2005

 SUMMER 2005 brings us memories of Medium Wave broadcasts from the dates of Tuesday 14 June and Thursday 18 August 2005.

The previous post in this thread, My AM Archive: April 2005, can be found here.

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

June 2005 : Medium Wave

• 14 June [2005]: 1412 UTC: 837 kHz: BBC Radio Cumbria  Excellent to good reception via Barrow in Furness, 1 kW. The Tony James Show.
• 14 June: 1430 UTC: 855 kHz: BBC Radio Lancashire  Good reception via Preston, 1 kW. News headlines: Michael Jackson proved innocent, Tony Blair meets Jacques Chirac in Paris. News from Burnley. Graham Liver. Music: Robert Palmer 'Addicted To Love'. Pink Floyd, Live 8.

Letter from BBC Radio Lancashire, verifying reception: 14 June 2005, 1430 UTC, 855 kHz.

• 14 June: 1524 UTC: 882 kHz: BBC Radio Wales  Excellent to good reception  'Good Evening Wales'  Weather with Derek: Lleyn Peninsular: rain with sunny breaks. Outlook. Travel: A55 Anglesey, Wrexham; Northern Rail Wales. Felicity Adams and Phil Payne. News.
• 14 June: 1614 UTC: 909 kHz: BBC Radio Five Live  Excellent to good reception. Peter Allen and Jane Garvey 'Drivetime'. Lottery news.
• 14 June: 1741 UTC: 936 kHz: Fresh Radio  Excellent reception via Hawes, 1 kW 'Drivetime' Entertainment guide sponsored by Black Swan Ravenstonedale. Travel news with Johnstone's of Kirkby Stephen. Music: Bruce Hornsby & The Range. Jeremy Gartland.
• 14 June: 1846 UTC: 999 kHz: Magic 999  Excellent to good reception via Longton (Preston-Blackpool) 800 watts  'Red Rose Magic 9-99' Music: Bob Marley.
• 14 June: 1933 UTC: 1008 kHz: Radio 10 Gold  Good-fair-poor reception via Flevoland, Holland, 400 kW.  Music: George Benson, male host, ID.

August 2005 : Medium Wave

• 18 August: 1951 UTC: 1008 kHz: Radio 10 Gold  Fair reception via Flevoland, Holland. Music: The Animals 'House of The Rising Sun', Counting Crowes 'Big Yellow Taxi'. ID, news, Dutch.

Google view of where the Flevoland mast stood.

• 18 August: 2051 UTC: 1053 kHz: TalkSport  Excellent to good reception  'Evening Kick Off' comes to a close. News followed by the James Whale show: New show 'Whale on Sunday' starting this coming Sunday at noon. Telephone: 08704 202020. Text: 81089.

That concludes the logs for Tuesday 14 June and Thursday 18 August 2005.

In the intervening fifteen years between the above days of reception and the posting of these logs, there are some differences to report.

Fresh Radio, after changing hands three times, would come under the ownership of UKRD in January 2012. UKRD promptly ceased transmission at 6pm on the same day they took ownership.  Move forward to October 2013 and a successful application for a Community Radio license saw Dales Radio go on air on 936 kHz, from the same transmission site in Hawes.

Magic 999, under the ownership of Bauer Media, would become Rock FM 2 (as a 'sister' to Rock FM in Preston), though is now part of the Greatest Hits Radio network.

Radio 10 Gold would rename as Radio 10 and move to FM transmission. The Flevoland sites would be demolished in early 2019, as shown by the footprint in the above left image.

Thank you for visiting Reporting From The Fox Tower.