Medium Wave, May 2017

IT is a mid-May Monday and it is raining. So stay sheltered, put the heating back on (but only if you need to) and enjoy this post here on Reporting From The Fox Tower, as I bring you a list (or a log, to use the term in radio broadcast reporting circles) of broadcasts received on the Medium Wave band of the Roberts R881, throughout the day of Sunday 7 May 2017.
Housekeeping notes: Times in UTC (GMT), frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz) and transmission powers in watts or KiloWatts (kW).

• 7 May: 1113 UTC: 810 kHz: BBC Radio Scotland, UK. Moderate to poor reception, up to 100 kW via Westerglen, Scotland, UK. Football: Scottish Premier League: Partick Thistle v [Glasgow] Rangers. Update from the EFL (English Football League) Championship: Blackburn Rovers lead in their match. 'Sunday Sportsound on BBC Radio Scotland'. Joe Garner is in the Rangers team. GOAL: Thistle 1 - Rangers 0. To 1135 UTC.
• 7 May: 1146 UTC: 837 kHz: BBC Radio Cumbria, UK. Moderate reception, 1 kW via Barrow in Furness, UK. Music: Eddy Arnold 'Make The World Go Away'. Music of the 1960s, presented by Joe Costin. Now playing: 'I've Put A Spell On You'. Speech by Joe Costin, ID (spoken by Richard Nankivell), music. Joe Costin gives telephone, text and email contacts. Music. To 1156 UTC.
• 7 May: 1214 UTC: 855 kHz: BBC Radio Lancashire, UK. Moderate to poor reception, 1 KW via Preston, UK. Constant broken tone, speech at an OB [Outside Broadcast] with crowd noise - Football? To 1228 UTC.

• 7 May: 1233 UTC: 882 kHz: BBC Radio Wales, UK. Strong reception, up to 100 kW via Washford, Somerset, UK. Actress Alison Steadman is the studio guest; Music: 'You've Got A Friend'. Ms Steadman talks about her acting career, the shows 'Little Voice' and 'Pride And Prejudice' and awards. Music: The Red Army Choir. I believe the male host speaking with Alison Steadman was Aled Jones!  Continuity weather update, traffic and travel update.  1300 UTC news and sport update: General election campaign news from the major parties. Sport: Blackburn Rovers have been relegated from the EFL Championship to EFL League One. Cricket: Glamorgan. Time check: "Three minutes past one".  On air now: 'Lynn Bowles on Sunday'. Now playing: U2 'Desire'. Contact details; Question: "Have you switched your heating off yet?' Music: Texas 'When We Are Together', Harry Styles 'Sign Of The Times'. To 1310 UTC.
• 7 May: 1338 UTC: 909 kHz: BBC Radio Five Live, UK. Strong reception, up to 200 kW via Moorside Edge, UK. One Day International cricket, England v Ireland at Lords. The England innings has ended on 328 runs. Football: Liverpool 0 - Southampton 0. Boxing: Tyson Fury issues a challenge to Anthony Joshua; The thoughts of Steve Bunce. Football: EFL Championship final day: Newcastle United are Champions (Brighton & Hove Albion are runners-up); Blackburn Rovers have been relegated to EFL League One. Horse racing news. Football: Live to Anfield: Penalty: Saved (Missed by James Milner of Liverpool). Liverpool 0 - Southampton 0. News update from the British & Irish Lions. Football: Preview of Arsenal v Manchester United. Golf update. Football: Live interview with Rafa Benitez, Manager of Newcastle United, winners of the EFL Championship.  To 1359 UTC.
• 7 May: 1405 UTC: 936 kHz: Dales Radio, UK. Strong reception, 150 watts via Brunt Acres Road, Hawes, UK. Community Radio for the Yorkshire Dales. Music: Denice Williams 'Let's Hear It For The Boy'. ID, time check, Rob Stevens, music: K.T. Tunstall. "Taking a look at the Dales Diary soon", music: REM 'Losing My Religion', Evelyn 'Champagne' King 'Love Comes Down'. ID "What's on in the Dales" Giggleswick Gliders. ID. Music: Robbie Williams 'Old Before I Die'.  To 1425 UTC.

• 7 May: 1440 UTC: 999 kHz: Rock FM 2, UK. Moderate reception, 800 watts via Longton (Preston / Blackpool), UK. Ad for insurance provider, ID, music: Human League 'Don't You Want Me', ID, Alannah Miles 'Black Velvet', ID, Lynyrd Skynyrd 'Sweet Home Alabama', ID, Kate Bush 'Running Up That Hill'.  To 1452 UTC.
• 7 May: 1508 UTC: 1053 kHz: TalkSport, UK. Moderate reception, up to 500 kW via Droitwich, UK. Football: Commentary highlights of Liverpool v Southampton, phone-in with Liverpool supporters. Live updates from the Emirates Stadium: Arsenal 0 - Manchester United 0. Promo, ID, ad break: Car sales, eBay, Just Eat app, Trade Point. Interview with Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool FC Manager.  To 1520 UTC.
• 7 May: 1528 UTC: 1071 kHz: TalkSport, UK. Moderate reception, 1 kW via Wrekenton, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK. Ad break, football promo. Conversation regarding Liverpool Football Club. Updates of the final day of the EFL Championship. Cricket update from Lords: ODI: England v Ireland. Interview with Arsene Wenger, prior to Arsenal v Manchester United. Further Premier League updates, contact telephone number for 'The Full Time Phone In', ad break.  To 1542 UTC.

• 7 May: 1549 UTC: 1089 kHz: TalkSport, UK. Moderate reception, up to 400 kW via Moorside Edge, UK. Football: Update from the Emirates Stadium: Half Time: Arsenal 0 - Manchester United 0. Telephone callers. Speech regarding Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool Football Club. Speech from Jose Mourinho (Manchester United), Arsenal update.  To 1555 UTC.
• 7 May: 1748 UTC: 1152 kHz: Metro Radio 2, UK. Moderate to poor reception, 1.8 kW via Greenside, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK. Music: Queen 'I Want To Break Free', ID, Duran Duran 'Rio'. Male speech, contact details, female speech, ad break. News at 1800 UTC: General Election 2017 campaign.  To 1800 UTC.
• 7 May: 1808 UTC: 1170 kHz: TFM 2, UK. Moderate reception, 320 watts via Stockton-on-Tees (Teesside), UK. Music: Kenny Rogers 'The Gambler', ID, Old Crow Medicine Show 'Wagon Wheel', ID, male host with link giving studio text number. Music: Robbie Williams. ID. Link to Country music show!  To 1820 UTC.

📻

Until the next time - Enjoy!

April's AM Airtime

MONDAY 11th April was a day spent beside the Roberts R881, still going strong in its seventeenth year. I was tuned to the extended Medium Wave band (just making the point that, on that receiver, the Medium Wave band goes up to 1710 kHz, rather than 1602 kHz, as on most receivers) and here is a record of what I heard that day.

[Housekeeping: Times in UTC (GMT); Frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz); Transmission powers (where applied) are watts / kiloWatts (kW).]  *Please add one hour to the times for British Summer Time.*

1130 UTC: 936 kHz: Dales Radio. 150 watt transmission via Brunt Acres Road, Hawes, North Yorkshire. Strong reception. Lee Moulsdale. Comedy feature: 'The Bradshaws'. Music: Billy Joel 'Innocent Man'. IDs. Chaka Khan 'I'm Every Woman'. 'Dales Diary' events guide: 'Ride + Stride' walks with the Settle - Carlisle railway; Yorkshire Society survey. ID. Music: Divine Comedy 'National Express'. To 1145 UTC.

*Dales Radio website*

1222 UTC: 999 kHz: Rock FM [Presumed]. 800 watt transmission via Longton for Preston / Blackpool. Poor reception. Darren Proctor. Music: ABBA 'Voulez-Vous'. ID. Climie Fisher 'Love Changes Everything'. Speech, ad break. ID. Music: Jackie Wilson; ABC. To 1238 UTC.

*Rock FM on iTunes*

1308 UTC: 1053 kHz: talkSPORT. Up to 500 kW via Central England [Droitwich, Worcestershire] - Reception is awful! Hawksbee & Jacobs. Conversation regarding football management and their relationship with referees. Ad break. To 1315 UTC.

*Listen again to Hawksbee & Jacobs*

1324 UTC: 1071 kHz: talkSPORT. 1 kW transmission via Wrekenton, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Moderate to poor reception. Hawksbee & Jacobs. Speech regarding Manchester United. To 1332 UTC.

*talkSPORT Radio website*

1406 UTC: 1089 kHz: talkSPORT. Up to 400 kW via Moorside Edge, West Yorkshire. Moderate to poor reception. Hawksbee & Jacobs. Speech regarding European football; Diego Simeone; Gael Clichy of Arsenal Football Club; German football; David De Gea of Manchester United. To 1415 UTC.

*talkSPORT homepage*

1442 UTC: 1170 kHz: TFM 2. 320 watt transmission via Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside. Good reception. Paul Hayes. Music: Eurythmics 'There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)'. ID. Louis Armstrong 'What A Wonderful World'. Speech regarding the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge visiting India. Music: Andrew Gold 'Lonely Boy'; Toto 'Rosanna'. To 1457 UTC.

*TFM 2 website*

1513 UTC: 1215 kHz: Absolute Radio. Up to 200 kW via Moorside Edge, West Yorkshire. Good reception. Danielle Perry. Music: Fun. 'We Are Young'. Text: 81215. Ad break. Traffic & Travel with Melanie. Music: The Zutons 'Valerie'; Kate Bush 'Hounds of Love'. To 1527 UTC.

*Absolute Radio website*

1540 UTC: 1242 kHz: Absolute Radio. 1 kW transmission via Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside. Good reception. Danielle Perry. Ad break; Promo; Traffic & Travel with Melanie. Music: Derek & The Dominoes 'Layla' [FULL version]. ID. Muse 'Feeling Good'. To 1554 UTC.

*Absolute Radio YouTube channel*

1620 UTC: 1341 kHz: BBC Radio Ulster. A 100 kW transmission via Lisnagarvey, County Down, Northern Ireland. Moderate reception. Male and female presenting a sports update. To 1630 UTC.

*BBC Radio Ulster website*

1642 UTC: 1368 kHz: Manx Radio [Presumed]. 20 kW via Foxdale, Isle of Man. Moderate to poor reception. Male speaking at length; signal propagation prevents comfortable concentration on the subject of the speech. To 1656 UTC.

*Manx Radio website*

That concludes the list of broadcasts received Monday 11 April 2016. If you have any thoughts you wish to share, please comment below.

Kind regards, Martin.

Midsummer Medium Wave logs

FRIDAY 3 July 2015, the evening of, was spent beside the Roberts R881, tuned to the Medium Wave band and here is what I heard. Times in UTC / GMT; Frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz) :

• 1925 UTC; 999 kHz : Rock FM 2, Preston. Music: The Cutting Crew, speech, ad break. Johnny Cash 'Ring of Fire'. James Blunt. Elvis Presley 'Burning Love'. The Style Council, Maroon 5. Presenter: Ray Rose. Transmission: 800 watts via Longton for Preston - Blackpool. Reception: Moderate to poor.
• 1952 UTC; 1008 kHz : Groot Nieuws Radio, Veenendaal, HOL (Holland). Music, English lyrics, female vocalist. 'Groot Nieuws Radio' translates as 'Great News Radio'. Dutch language service. Reception: Moderate to poor.

Sometimes, the Medium Wave band can be chaotic, and at 2012 UTC, on the frequency of 1035 kHz, came so many possibilities. Some of the programming I heard included female speech, male speech, music: Bob Marley 'One Love'. Just some of the broadcasts on the frequency included Lyca Dilse (Crystal Palace, London), BBC Radio Sheffield (BBC Asian Network), Northsound 2 (Aberdeen), WestSound (Ayr). Reception: Moderate to poor.

• 2035 UTC; 1044 kHz : Cadena SER, SER Euskadi, Radio San Sebastian, Spain. Male and female speech. Transmission: 10kW (kiloWatts) via San Sebastian, Spain. Reception: Poor.
• 2044 UTC; 1053 kHz : TalkSport, Droitwich. Ad break: Vodafone. NatWest T20 Cricket. Male hosts speaking of the FIFA Women's Football World Cup, men's FIFA World Cup, Le Tour de France. Newcastle United Football Club recruit Steve Mclaren as head coach. Tweets. Transmission: Up to 500 kW via Droitwich. Reception: Good.
• 2059 UTC; 1071 kHz : TalkSport, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Speech, ID, news headlines. Wimbledon Tennis: Heather Watson (GB) takes Serena Williams (US) to three sets; Williams wins. 1kW via Wrekenton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Reception: Moderate to poor.
• 2108 UTC; 1089 kHz : TalkSport, Moorside Edge. Speech: Male hosts, films, birthdays. The new head coach of West Ham United is Slaven Bilic. Up to 400 kW via Moorside Edge (North England). Reception: Moderate.
• 2127 UTC; 1107 kHz : AFN Europe, Germany. Speech, ad break, music: Neil Diamond 'Song Sung Blue'. AFN Europe is Armed Forces Network Europe; the American Forces broadcaster in Europe. Transmission via Amberg, Grafenwoehr, Vilseck, Germany.

It could have been the battle of the BBC Locals on 1116 kHz at 2138 UTC, I could hear female speech. Broadcasts listed on the frequency: BBC Radio Derby (1kW) and BBC Radio Guernsey (500 watts), plus whatever else was coming in from Europe at the time.

• 2214 UTC; 1125 kHz : RTBF VivaCite, Wavre, Belgium. Speech - Not BBC Wales.

The battle of the commercials was taking place on 1152 kHz at 2230 UTC. I heard conflicting music tracks from Rose Royce 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore', Whitney Houston, male speech. On this frequency at that time were LBC (London), Clyde (Glasgow), Free (Birmingham), Metro (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), Key (Manchester) and Smooth (Norfolk / Plymouth). I could hear more than one broadcast!

• 2245 UTC; 1161 kHz : Tay 2, Dundee. Music: Crowded House 'Fall At Your Feet', Dionne Warwick? 'All The Love In The World'. Male speech, female speech, ID for Tay 2. Madonna? 'Caught In The Middle'? Reception: Good to moderate. Transmission: 1.4 kW via Greenside Scalp, Dundee. Promo, ad break: Homebase. Midnight news bulletin. ID. Music: Elton John 'Rocket Man', Dexys Midnight Runners 'Geno'. Gerry Rafferty 'Baker Street', Chris Rea 'Auberge / Let's Dance'. Ad break: Motorbikes for sale. George Harrison 'My Sweet Lord'.

At 2325 UTC (GMT), I called it a night.