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: Winter 2007-2008

WHAT more could you ask for, on Valentine's Day, during a pandemic, than memories of medium wave radio broadcasts, thirteen to fourteen years ago. Well, that's the situation we're in, so let's make the most of it.

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: October 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.

December 2007 : Medium Wave

• [Thursday] 27 December [2007]: 1650 UTC: 1557 kHz: France Info  French speaking female with French speaking male on telephone. Monitoring Monthly [magazine] (February 2006) shows France Info via Nice, France, 300 kW. Fair to poor reception - Poor signal. Female speech at 17 UTC, stronger signal: Excellent to good reception. Male and female speaking to a reporter regarding an explosion and murder of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan. Fade out to 1710 UTC.
• 27 December: 1718 UTC: 1575 kHz: Voice of Russia  Female and male speech - British DX Club indicates Voice of Russia via Berg, Germany - German language broadcast. Fair to poor reception. Female speech in German language, to 1740 UTC.

BBC Radio Nottingham logo, early 1990s.

• 27 December: 1743 UTC: 1584 kHz: BBC Radio Nottingham  Male speech, ID at 1744 UTC for BBC Radio Nottingham - Male host (Alan Clifford) in conversation with male on telephone: "Tell me about yourself"; Music: America 'Horse With No Name'; Baccara 'Yes Sir I Can Boogie'. Female speech, music, female on phone. Music: 'You've Got A Friend'.
  Co-channel interference from a commercial radio station - Ad break - British DX Club shows Tay AM / London Turkish - Most likely Tay AM.
  BBC Radio Nottingham details: 1 kW via Nottingham (Clipstone). Drivetime with Alan Clifford.
  Female speech at 1800 UTC: "Six o'clock news"... Reaction to murder of Benazir Bhutto... Weather. Music: Gerry Rafferty 'Baker Street'.
  Tay AM details: 210 watts via Perth (Friarton Road) but no IDs. To 1805 UTC.
• 27 December: 1812 UTC: 1602 kHz: Radio Vitoria  Voices and sound effects from Radio Vitoria via Vitoria, Spain. Good to fair reception, 25 kW. Female and male voices. Spanish language broadcast. To 1824 UTC.
• 27 December: 1834 UTC: 1611 kHz: Vatican Radio  Male voice, broadcasting to Central and East Europe - Poor reception, Lithuanian language. 1840 UTC: Vatican Radio ID signature tune, Latvian language on Europe 2nd Programme. Speech, music, female speech, tune, male speech. To 1855 UTC.

February 2008 : Medium Wave

• [Saturday] 23 February [2008]: 0842 UTC: 567 kHz: RTE Radio 1  Excellent reception; 500 kW via Tullamore. 'Positive Age' programme: Doctor Pierce Lyons returns to Ireland from USA to discuss food production on a global scale. Next week's guest: Professor Gerry Boyle.
  'Farmweek' hosted by Damian O'Reily. Ad break.
  0900 UTC: RTE News: Arrests in Cork. Fire at Shell oil depot in Co Mayo. Drogheda drugs raid. Aer Lingus new works practices. Weather. Press review. Sport: Ireland v Scotland in Rugby Union Six Nations match. Ad break.
  Eammon Dirvan interviews Martin Maguinness. To 0928 UTC.
• 23 February: 0950 UTC: 585 kHz: BBC Radio Scotland  Excellent reception; 2 kW via Dumfries. Gregor Townsend in the studio to discuss Scotland in the Six Nations Rugby Union Championship. 'Sports Weekly'.
  10 UTC news: British Airways employees tribunal. No plans for DNA database. Shannon Matthews of Dewsbury still missing. Stealth bomber crashes in Guam. Stamp duty rose to 60%. Sport: 6 Nations: Ireland v Scotland, Wales v Italy, France v England. SPL football; Golf. England lose to New Zealand in Cricket. Travel news, weather.
  The Janice Forsyth Show: Music: The Associates 'No Sign Of Life' from 'Young America' album. Parakeets in Scotland. Music: Ryan Adams. Today's guest is Omid Djalili. Music: Sting 'Englishman in New York'; Aswad 'Shine'. To 1030 UTC.
• 23 February: 1151 UTC: 603 kHz: BBC Radio 4  Excellent reception; 2 kW via Wrekenton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 'From Our Own Correspondent' hosted by Kate Adie: Report from an eyesight clinic in Bangladesh. Producer: Tony Grant. Trailer: Eric Coates.
  12 UTC news: DNA. To 1203 UTC.

BBC Cymru Wales postmark, July 2005.

• 23 February: 1216 UTC: 657 kHz: BBC Radio Wales  Two male hosts with ID for BBC Radio Wales, fair to poor reception, 2 kW via Wrexham. Build up to Six Nations Rugby: Wales v Italy, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Singing of Italian National Anthem. To 1230 UTC.
• 23 February: 1254 UTC: 666 kHz: BBC Radio York  Music: Sheryl Crow. ID for BBC Radio York. Traffic and travel. Richard Allinson, The Albums Show. Music: Joni Mitchell. Excellent to good reception; 500 watts via Fulford, York.
  13 UTC news: Bedale man wins £1 Million at a betting shop in Thirsk. Shannon Matthews of Dewsbury still missing. School visits to Auschwitz. Thefts. Knaresborough Castle restoration. Sport: Football: York City; Harrogate Town. Six Nations rugby; Cricket. Weather.
  Richard Allinson, The Albums Show: Music 'Here Come The Girls'; The Rolling Stones 'Start Me Up'; Holly Rose 'Apple'. To 1330 UTC.

• 23 February: 2045 UTC: 675 kHz: Radio Maria Netherlands  Continual music, with a religious theme, with choirs, with songs from musicals. Excellent reception. To 2101 UTC.
• 23 February: 2126 UTC: 684 kHz: RNE 1  Live La Liga football on RNE 1 via Seville, E (Spain), 600 kW. Excellent to good reception. Fixtures: Sevilla v Real Zaragoza. Valencia 1 - Rec Huelva 1. To 2136 UTC.
• 23 February: 2140 UTC: 693 kHz: BBC Radio Five Live  France 13 - England 24. Excellent to good reception. Multiple transmissions. Six Nations Rugby Union live commentary: France 13 - England 24 Full Time. Ian Robertson commentary from Stade de France, Paris. Interview with Nick Easter of England. To 2151 UTC.
• 23 February: 2208 UTC: 711 kHz: France Bleu / France Info  French speaking female. Excellent to good reception; 300 kW via Rennes. Sport report from Stade de France, Paris: Two males, French language, Six Nations Rugby Union result: France 13 - England 24. To 2214 UTC.

WDR QSL.

•  23 February: 2223 UTC: 720 kHz: WDR 2 Germany  Good to fair reception; 85 kW via Langenberg, D (Germany). Music, speech by male host. Music: Cornershop 'Brimful of Asha'; Queen 'We Will Rock You'. To 2235 UTC.
• 23 February: 2241 UTC: 720 kHz: BBC Radio 4  Excellent to fair reception; 10 kW via Lisnagarvey, Northern Ireland. Round-table discussion regarding suicide. To 2248 UTC.

Notes:

Contact details:

Radio Maria Nederland

Postbus 67, 5482 WH SCHIJNDEL (Holland)

[Email address withheld]

RNE 1

Radio Nacional de España, Casa de la Radio, Emisioñ Inglesa, PO Box 156.202 MADRID 28080 ESPAÑA (Spain)

[Email address withheld]

WDR 2

Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln, 50600 KÖLN (COLOGNE) (GERMANY)

[Email address withheld]

Thank you for visiting Reporting From The Fox Tower!

Spring - Summer 2004 on Short Wave Radio

Radio Bulgaria QSL verification card, April 2004.

April 2004: Short Wave

• 14 April [2004]: 2042 UTC: 5800 kHz: Radio Bulgaria Strong to good reception. French to Europe, male host, news: Bulgaria links with Paris. Israel & Turkey. Music at 2046 UTC.
• 14 April: 2128 UTC: 6065 kHz: Radio Sweden English to Europe. Strong to good reception. Bill Schiller, news: Danish troops in Iraq. Swedish Ministry of Defence. Norway's King Harald. '60° North'.

May 2004: Short Wave

• 30 May: 5815 kHz: 2145 UTC: World Music Radio - Denmark. Strong to good reception, 10 kW via Karup, Denmark. Boston, Boy George, Boy Meets Girl.

June 2004: Short Wave

• 18 June: 1848 UTC: 5815 kHz: World Music Radio Denmark: Jingle "WMR - World Music Radio" Strong to fair reception via Karup, Denmark. WMR, P O Box 112, DK - 8900 RANDERS  DENMARK  wmr @ wmr . dk  10 kW transmission. Music: The Rolling Stones 'Don't Stop'.
• 18 June: 1912 UTC: 6065 kHz: Radio Sweden Swedish to Europe, Africa, Middle East via Hörby, 500 kW. Strong to fair reception. Male and female hosts, speech regarding politics.
• 18 June: 1943 UTC: 6075 kHz: Deutsche Welle German language service. News from Sao Paulo, Brazil, news from South America. Strong to good reception. To 1948 UTC.

World Music Radio QSL verification card, Summer 1994.

• 18 June: 2004 UTC: 6155 kHz: Radio Österreich 1 International (formerly Radio Austria International) ["German only these days"] News: American hostage beheaded in Saudi Arabia by al-qaeda. 'Nachtjournal' to 2014 UTC, 'Kontext'. Strong to good reception to Europe via Moosbrunn.
• 18 June: 2030 UTC: 6195 kHz: BBC World Service News: New European Union constitution. Los Angeles pays tribute to the Late Ray Charles, tributes from Stevie Wonder and B B King. Clare Balderstone with 'Newshour': Paul Johnson, American hostage, beheaded by al-queda in Saudi Arabia. Strong to fair reception.
• 18 June: 2047 UTC: 7150 kHz: Wales Radio International 'Celtic Notes' reports from a slate quarry near Bangor, North Wales. Strong to good reception via Moosbrunn, Austria. Website for Welsh Slate.

August 2004: Short Wave

• 8 August: 1426 UTC: 7265 kHz: Sudwestrundfunk Germany. Speech from two male hosts. Strong to good reception.
• 8 August: 1447 UTC: 9400 kHz: Radio Bulgaria Russian language service to Europe. Music, male & female hosts. Fair reception.
• 8 August: 1504 UTC: 9410 kHz: Radio Sweden Swedish service to Europe. Female host, news. Strong to good reception via Hörby.

Radio Sweden QSL, June 2004.

• 8 August: 1530 UTC: 9545 kHz: Deutsche Welle German language service, male host, Islam in Germany. Strong to good reception.
• 8 August: 1549 UTC: 9630 kHz: Radio Finland (Y L E) Female host, Finnish language. Strong to fair reception. To 1557 UTC.
• 8 August: 1559 UTC: 9645 kHz: Vatican Radio Good to fair reception. 16 UTC: French - English edition. News headlines in French.
• 8 August: 1750 UTC: 11500 kHz: Radio Bulgaria English to Europe, 'Events and Developments' male host. Good to fair reception.
• 8 August: 1813 UTC: 11600 kHz: Radio Sweden Swedish service to Europe. Female host, outside broadcast. Strong to good reception.
• 8 August: 1823 UTC: 11615 kHz: Radio France Internationalé Good to poor reception. French language service, music programme, news headlines.

Radio France Internationalé

• 8 August: 1840 UTC: 11625 kHz: Vatican Radio Rosary to Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, 1st and 2nd Programme. Strong to good reception. To 1845 UTC.
• 8 August: 1852 UTC: 11630 kHz: Voice of Russia English to Europe, Middle East, Africa. Religious programming. Strong to good reception.
• 8 August: 1909 UTC: 12070 kHz: Voice of Russia World Service 'Sunday Panorama' News headlines: Georgia - Russia separation. Strong to good reception. Russia G D P increase. Mayor of Hiroshima, Japan, accuses USA of developing "mini-nukes" on the 59th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. News from Iraq.
• 8 August: 1928 UTC: 13590 kHz: Deutsche Welle English to Middle East and Africa via Wertachtal, Germany. Fair to poor reception. Rick Faulker with classical music.

📻

Thank you for taking an interest in my radio listening logs from April - August 2004.

The previous post was logs from Autumn 2003, that can be found here.

Finally, if you found some of the terms above needing more clarity, then I hope these housekeeping notes are of use:

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

Thank you for visiting Reporting From The Fox Tower!

📻

My DX Archive: Winter 2000-01

QUIRKY is one way to describe these posts recounting radio broadcasts of years gone by, as we are now mid-July, it must be time to recount the broadcasts of Winter 2000-01.
A previous post, covering October - November 2000, 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.

December 2000: Short Wave

• 25 December [2000]: 1247 UTC: 5805 kHz: Radio Free London Music: 'Step Into Christmas' Elton John. DJ Kenny Myers. Music: Kate Bush. Fair reception. English... to Europe? Music: Beach Boys 'Little Saint Nick'. Adrian Cooke, Dave Small.
• 25 December: 1307 UTC: 5955 kHz: Radio Nederland Wereldomroep Radio Netherlands Dutch language service to Central Europe. Music, Female host. Strong to good reception. Music: 'Silent Night'.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide logo.

• 25 December: 1531 UTC: 6110 kHz: Brother R G Stair Strong to good reception. Brother R G Stair preaches on an email from England regarding child's life, God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Write to Walterborough, South Carolina 29488 USA. Telephone 00-1-843-538-4202. News stories.
• 25 December: 1750 UTC: 9410 kHz: BBC World Service 31mBand. Music: 'Optimistic' Radiohead (album: 'Kid A'), speech featuring 'White Ladder' (David Gray), 'Play' (Moby), and the Beatles ('1'). Music: Toploader 'Higher State' (album: 'Onka's Big Mocka'). "This Is London". Signature tune. 1800 UTC.
• 25 December: 1820 UTC: 9735 kHz: The Voice of Vietnam Good to fair reception. English speaking male talks of Junior Vietnamese Chess Champion. Music, ID, Close at 1828 UTC.
• 25 December: 1843 UTC: 9740 kHz: BBC World Service 'Outlook': 'Utopia' closes, male wishes 'Happy New Year'. Queen's message in 1 hour, ad for 'Poems by Post'. Now: 'Patterns of the Faith', African Americans' spirituality. Good to fair reception.
• 25 December: 1901 UTC: 9775 UTC: Voice of Russia World Service Strong to good reception. English. Male host, news: President Putin to consider new arms productions, Productivity increases in Russia, Russian ships and submarines to carry less weapons. Russia and the EU to work closer in 2001, state Messrs. Prodi and Putin.
• 25 December: 1945 UTC: 11990 kHz: Radio Kuwait Steve Hughes with music and comedy, Music: Modjo 'Lady (Hear Me Tonight)', Texas 'In Demand'. Strong to good reception. The Corrs 'Give It All Up'. English to Europe and North America. Comedy track: Man becomes coal miner. Music: David Bowie 'Dad's Army'.

Ministry of Information postcard.

• 25 December: 2032 UTC: 12160 kHz: WWCR Nashville TN USA Strong to good reception. English 'Genesis Radio Network' Male talks of a book regarding the Boer war, written by a Mr Packenham and how it relates to modern day. Talk of 'Council on Foreign Nations' / 'Secret Society', South Africa / Europe. Host: Dr. Stan.
• 29 December: 2139 UTC: 6010 kHz: Wales Radio International Good to fair reception. English via Skelton, Jenny O'Brien with music: Female classical singer, interview with lady regarding music festival. Station ID, Cardiff International Airport, KLM-UK. Contact details. Guest: Dr Brian Johns. New Year celebrations.
• 30 December: 1310 UTC: 12095 kHz: BBC World Service Good to fair reception. Steve Wright: 'Wright Round The World' Music: Five 'Keep On Movin''. Listener feedback. Music: Baha Men 'Who Let The Dogs Out'. 'Entertainment Quiz' winners receive The Beatles album '1'. Elton John interview, music: 'I'm Still Standing' (Live).

January 2001: Short Wave

• 12 January [2001]: 2125 UTC: 6010 kHz: Wales Radio International Music ID, intro to 'Celtic Notes' with Jenny O'Brien, speech: food hampers, holiday brochures. Interview: Chairman of Welsh Tourism? Fair to poor reception. Music: Classical female vocalist, Sain record label. KLM Global Alliance via Cardiff Airport.
• 16 January: 2032 UTC: 13710 kHz: Voice of America Good to fair reception. English to Africa via Botswana. Sport: Interview with Boxer, re: Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. Football, track and field (athletics). 'Africa World Tonight': Sport in Nigeria.
• 16 January: 2053 UTC: 13750 kHz: Radio Havana Cuba Music. Fair to poor reception. English to Europe. News: Government of Iran / Iraq, Middle East Security Council. Sanctions in Iraq. First Gulf War started ten years ago today. Reports from Baghdad. Unexploded bombs. Depleted Uranium in Iraq. International Olympic Committee.

Radio Havana Cuba QSL, January 2001.

• 16 January: 2152 UTC: 15400 kHz: BBC World Service Strong to fair reception. English to West / Central Africa via Ascension Island 'Newshour' followed by 'Focus On Faith': Islam revolution and reform. BBC World Service ID followed by News at 22 UTC.

February 2001: Short Wave

• 11 February: 1017 UTC: 15175 kHz: Radio New Zealand International Strong to good reception. English to Australasia, 'Sports World' Rugby: New Zealand Sevens, Cricket. Advert: Concert 'The Sound Of Scotland': Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. 'Sports World' Horse racing. To 1030 UTC.
• 18 February: 1056 UTC: 15175 kHz: Radio New Zealand International Strong to good reception. English to Australasia. News: 11 UTC, Baghdad air strikes.

Letter from BBC Atlantic, Ascension Island, 2001.

• 28 February: 2010 UTC: 15400 kHz: BBC World Service Strong to good reception. English to Africa via Ascension Island, BBC Atlantic Relay Station. 'Newshour' with Clive Marden. Twenty groups banned in the UK. New President in the Congo, who also receive aid from the United Nations. Also news from Uganda & Rwanda.
• 28 February: 2056 UTC: 15565 kHz: WYFR Family Radio Okeechobee FL USA 'Reading Service' with Alan Fair. Choral singing. Good reception. Ad for 'Mailbag' with Alan Fair and Karen Johnson on Saturdays. English to Africa. ID, frequencies, signature tune, 21 UTC: Hour begins with a reading: Mark 16, 14:16.
• 28 February: 2130 UTC: 15580 kHz: Voice of America 'News Now' News headlines: Iranian group supporters fundraising in USA stopped. Britain bans 21 militant groups. Pacific earthquake affects USA: Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington. President George W Bush tours the United States.

Voice of America logo.

• 28 February: 2209 UTC: 15590 kHz: KTBN Salt Lake City Utah USA Music at 2210 UTC. English to America 'Trinity Broadcasting Network' Fair reception. 'Praise The Lord' recorded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. On air to 2230 UTC.

Thank you for taking the time to enjoy the memories of these broadcasts, as transcribed from my logbooks of the time. I do hope you enjoy visiting Reporting From The Fox Tower!

📻

My DX Archive: September 2000

AUTUMN of the year 2000 is where the next pick of radio logs comes from, this post looking at what I heard in September of that year.
The previous post, My DX Archive: Summer 2000, can be read here.
For the following broadcast logs, housekeeping notes: Times in UTC (GMT), frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz). Transmission power in watts or kiloWatts (kW). Logs transcribed from the original notes.

September 2000: Short Wave

Notes: CHU (Canada) Time Signal Station, Frequencies & power: 3330 kHz - 3 kW, 7335 kHz - 10 kW (or try 7355 kHz), 14670 kHz - 3 kW. CHU broadcasts 24 hours. ([Information credit:] British DX Club)

"You can send reception reports (not forgetting reply postage) to: BBC Atlantic Relay Station, English Bay, ASCENSION ISLAND, South Atlantic Ocean. Tel: 4458 / 4533. Fax: 6117". (BDXC)

• 10 September [2000]: 1445 UTC: 17810 kHz: RTE Sport Special - All Ireland Gaelic Hurling Final. English to Africa // 13720 kHz to North America, 15360 kHz to Australasia, 15240 kHz to Central & South America, 15270 kHz to South East Asia. Good to fair reception. Male commentator, hectic speech. Co-channel interference. 1500 UTC.

The Roberts R881, pictured, working 11615 kHz, some time ago.

• 17 September: 1628 UTC: 11605 kHz: Feba Radio English to Asia. Signature tune, Female host "This is Feba Radio". Co-channel interference is Israel Radio, Romanian & Hungarian to Central Europe on 11605 kHz. Fair to poor reception. Male speech: 'Biblical genealogy' Creation of the Universe, 'give thanks each day'.
• 22 September: 2034 UTC: 7325 kHz: Wales Radio International Good to fair reception. English to Europe via Skelton 'Celtic Notes' Jenny O'Brien. Male talks of a Church. Music from Sain. Jenny O'Brien interviews lady regarding Wrexham, Welsh names (Jones), research. The Drovers Inn, Public House. Literature.
• 22 September: 2100 UTC: 7325 kHz: Global Sound Kitchen Good to fair reception. English to Europe via Skelton // 3955 kHz, 6140 kHz - "Best reception on 3955 kHz!" Music: Rise, Ettienne French hip hop, drum 'n' bass. www.globalsoundkitchen.com [Website no longer active]
• 29 September: 1808 UTC: 7100 kHz: Two male operators on CB.
• 29 September: 1817 UTC: 7300 kHz: Voice of Russia World Service Fair reception 'Commonwealth Update' Female reporter: 'Friendship Society'. Islam in politics. Visit from US delegation: Shirley Hunter, Jeffrey Thomas. Finally: Helicopter rescue, 26T helicopter, male reporter. Music. Email: letters @ vor.ru (English to Europe) To 1834 UTC.
• 29 September: 1839 UTC: 7345 kHz: Radio Slovakia International Fair reception. Female reporter, communities in Slovakia. English to West Europe via Rimavská Sóbota (2 x 250 kW transmitters), Velké Kostol'any (100 kW transmitter). Email: englishsection @ slovakradio.sk To 1858 UTC.

Radio Slovakia QSL, September 2000.

• 29 September: 1924 UTC: 9400 kHz: Radio Bulgaria 'Keyword Bulgaria' Strong to good reception. Programme content: Minerals. 'The Sofia Initiative'. Station ID. Report: Confederation of Independent Trade Unions. Poverty. English to Europe. Email: rbul @ nationalradio.bg 'Time Out For Music'. 1942 UTC.
• 29 September: 1945 UTC: 9410 kHz: BBC World Service Europe. Strong to good reception. English to Europe, North Africa via Cyprus. Male reporter visits the Indian Subcontinent. 'Calcutta Stories: Essential Guide'. Email: worldservice.letters @ bbc.co.uk 20 UTC: 'Newshour'.
• 29 September: 2014 UTC: 9500 kHz: Radio Australia Strong to good reception. English to Asia, Australia via Shepparton, Australia. 'Pacific Beat - Week In Review' male host, New Zealand in talks with China, Japanese tourism links with North Mariana Islands, public service in the Cook Islands. Pacific Islands Festival 2000 at New Caledonia.
• 29 September: 2051 UTC: 9650 kHz: All India Radio Good reception. English to Europe, Middle East, Australia. Music, ID, music. 21 UTC: News.
• 29 September: 2108 UTC: 9760 kHz: Voice Of America Good to poor reception. English to Europe, North Africa, Middle East via Woofferton, Shropshire, UK. 'VOA News Now' Denmark votes 'No' to European Union. Interview regarding the British currency with Michael Portillo (Conservative Party). Sport: Athletics (1500 metres race).
• 29 September: 2136 UTC: 9990 kHz: Radio Cairo (Egypt) Good reception. English to Europe. News. To 2134 UTC.

Homer loves his radio!

• 29 September: 2150 UTC: 10000 kHz: WWV Time Signal Station, Boulder, Colorado, USA. Strong to good reception.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, thank you for your support of Reporting From The Fox Tower!

📻

My DX Archive: Summer 2000

JUNE-July-August of the Year 2000 is our destination for this selection of broadcasts heard on the Short Wave radio band.
The previous post, My DX Archive: Spring 2000, can be read here.
For the following broadcast logs, housekeeping notes: Times in UTC (GMT), frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz). Transmission power in watts or kiloWatts (kW). Logs transcribed from the original notes.

June 2000: Short Wave

• 4 June [2000]: 1820 UTC: 5805 kHz: Radio Free London Good to poor[-ish] reception. Male operator, music: Monkees 'Last Train To Clarkesville', Beatles 'Paperback Writer', Tremeloes 'Here Comes My Baby' operator unable to answer phone. 1973 Mungo Jerry, Swinging Blue Jeans 'Hippy Hippy Shake'/'Good Golly Miss Molly'. Telephone: 07930 11 34 30 Email: RFL @ England .com 101b Kings Cross Rd, London WC1X 9LP

A4 sized Global Sound Kitchen QSL verification card, May 2000.

Notes: Global Sound Kitchen www.globalsoundkitchen.com/cooking.html [Website no longer active] Space D and Lady Sophia Telephone 0207 453 1610 Email: studio @ globalsoundkitchen.com Post: Claire Marshall, G-One Ltd, 50 Lisson Street LONDON NW1 5DF (Weekends on Shortwave).

July 2000: Short Wave

• 19 July: 1939 UTC: 2350 kHz: Radio Sweden Fair reception. Interview regarding medical negligence, weather. 'Money Matters' share issues in Sweden. 'Sixty Degrees North' Interview with a web developer. Chris Boswell closes the show. [Spurious broadcast?]
• 19 July: 20:04 UTC: 2395 kHz: Voice of America Good to fair reception. VOA-Africa report from Monrovia, Liberia. Nelson Mandela hosts meeting. United Nations report lack of food in Angola. Report from Geneva. Financial help for Zambia. White farmers quit Zimbabwe. Money to fight AIDS. [Spurious broadcast?]
• 19 July: 2025 UTC: 2530 kHz: BBC World Service Good to fair reception 'Newshour' Male speaks of Queen Mother's Birthday. Business news: oil. Headlines at 2030 UTC: Middle East meeting at Camp David, Korean summit regarding missiles. Nelson Mandela speaks of Burundi. Madrid protests against ETA. [Spurious broadcast?]
• 19 July: 2132 UTC: 3915 kHz: BBC World Service Fair to poor reception. English to East and South East Asia and Australia via Kranji, Singapore. BBC Sport: Tour de France, Open Golf.
• 19 July: 2140 UTC: 3975 kHz: Radio Budapest Strong to good reception 'Hungary Today' Abortion laws in Hungary. Currency exchange rates. Michael Flatley performs 'Feet of Flames' in Budapest. Music: 'Riverdance'.

Radio Budapest sticker.

August 2000: Short Wave

• 17 August: 1923 UTC: 4950 kHz: Voice of America Good to fair reception. English to Africa via Sao Tome, 'African Perspectives' Sport: Football World Cup 2002 Qualifier: USA 7 [Seven] - Barbados 0. ID, 'Ocean Report'. 1930 UTC: 'World Of Music'.
• 17 August: 1954 UTC: 5000 kHz: WWV Boulder, Colorado USA. Strong to good reception. Time Signal station, co-channel interference from Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal, ID signal and music.
• 17 August: 2026 UTC: 5995 kHz: Radio Canada International Good to fair reception. English to Europe and North Africa via Skelton, 'Spectrum' Medical charges. News headlines. Rabbi in North America. E-Coli scare, closure of Scotia Bank. Lobster dispute.
• 17 August: 2100 UTC: 6195 kHz: BBC World Service English to Europe and North Africa via Rampisham, Dorset, UK. News: Sunken Russian Submarine. Echo from 6195 BBC Cyprus!
• 18 August: 2045 UTC: 7325 kHz: Wales Radio International Good reception 'Celtic Notes' Jenny O'Brien, Wales Tourist Board competition, Philip Evans interview, Tourism in Wales. Interview regarding the Welsh language. Mr Thomas. Music: 'The Incredibles' www.flaigh.com / www.sain.com SA41 3QD
• 18 August: 2059 UTC: 7325 kHz // 3955 kHz, 6140 kHz and 1215 kHz (Medium Wave) Virgin Radio relay on Shortwave! To Europe via Skelton, Cumbria, England. Virgin in place of Global Sound Kitchen? Change at 2125 kHz [sic - UTC]: Global Sound Kitchen.

• 18 August: 2130 UTC: 11680 kHz: BBC World Service Strong to good reception. English to South Atlantic via Rampisham, Dorset, UK. 'Calling the Falklands' Repair of a submarine in Gibraltar, interview with a representative of Greenpeace. Interview with Professor Martin Palmer regarding global warming. Letter for auction from Scott and Evans, Himalayan Expedition.
• 18 August: 2148 UTC: 7325 kHz: Global Sound Kitchen Strong to good reception. English to Europe via Skelton, Cumbria, England. Also broadcast on 3955 kHz and 6140 kHz from Skelton.
• 27 August: 1725 UTC: 5805 kHz: Radio Free London Music. Signal: fair, English to Europe, music. Also 1801 UTC, fair to poor reception. Address, phone, email. Music: Beatles 'All You Need Is Love'. Aztec Camera 'Somewhere In My Heart'.

I hope you have enjoyed this look back to the Summer of the year 2000.

It is with great sadness that the Border Television and BBC Radio Cumbria broadcaster, John Myers, has died at the age of sixty. For a tribute from BBC Cumbria, click here.

📻

Medium Wave, March - May 1996

SPRINGTIME 1996 is the next stop on the visit to my listening archives, with extensive logs from March, April and May that year. A gentle reminder of the housekeeping notes regarding abbreviations in the logs: Times in UTC (GMT), frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz). Transmission power in watts or kiloWatts (kW). Logs transcribed from the original notes.

March 1996: Medium Wave

• March 1996: New Talk Radio UK address: Talk Radio UK, PO Box 1089, LONDON W1A 1PP (Moz Dee).

April 1996: Medium Wave

• 8 April: 1823 UTC: 567 kHz: RTE Radio 1 (Ireland) 500 kW transmission. Patti Page performs 'Tennessee Waltz' on 'O'Brien on Song', hosted by Jack O'Brien.
• 8 April: 1857 UTC: 585 kHz: BBC Radio Scotland 2kW transmission from Dumfries. Music programme: 'Jump The Q'.
• 8 April: 1859 UTC: 603 kHz: BBC Radio 4 2kW transmission. Monday Play: 'Uganda'
• 8 April: 19 UTC: 612 kHz: RTE 2FM (Ireland) News: Paul Reynolds reports from the Apprentice Boys stand-off in Belfast, Beef crisis, vandalism at Co Galway fish farm. Weather. Dave Fanning plays Radiohead: 'Street Spirit'. 2FM via Athlone transmitter. Music from Nirvana 'In Bloom', 'Heart Shaped Box'.
• 8 April: 1931 UTC: 648 kHz: BBC World Service Interview with Ian Paisley regarding the Apprentice Boys march in Belfast.
• 8 April: 1934 UTC: 675 kHz: 675 Radio 10 Gold Amsterdam, Holland. Jos Van Heerden presents 'Super Gold' Beatles 'Strawberry Fields'. The Move 'Flowers In The Rain'.
• 8 April: 1955 UTC: 693 kHz: BBC Radio 5 Live Sport: Feathered Gale won the Irish Grand National, Workington Town got beat by Sheffield Eagles in Rugby Super League. Live football: Newcastle United 0, Blackburn Rovers 0.

• 8 April: 2032 UTC: 909 kHz: BBC Radio 5 Live Sport: Alan Green commentates on the football match Newcastle United v Blackburn Rovers, the score is 0-0. Faustino Asprilla has been substituted.
• 8 April: 2038 UTC: 963 kHz: YLE Radio Finland News from Sweden, report from Helsinki. Easter comment. Heavy interference.
• 8 April: 2043 UTC: 1053 kHz: Talk Radio UK Ronnie Barbour discusses family values. Tony from Luton discusses accents. Ad break: Ford Transit vans. News: Belfast, NYSE, slimming pills, skier killed in France. Football result: Newcastle United 1 - Blackburn Rovers 2. James Whale on the air. Callers: David in Glasgow, Deirdre in Belfast.

May 1996: Medium Wave

• 14 May: 1720 UTC: 567 kHz: RTE Radio 1 500 kW transmission from Tullamore, Ireland. 'Farm News' programme, weather forecast now on air.
• 14 May: 1730 UTC: 585 kHz (513 metres?) BBC Radio Scotland : 2kW transmission from Dumfries. 'Coastlines': Ecology report.
• 14 May: 1755 UTC: 666 kHz: BBC Radio York 'North Yorkshire Sport' with racing results. 500 watt transmission from Fulford. Traffic reports: Whitby A174, A684 via Leyburn. 'North Yorkshire Tonight': Report from a hospital union in Sheffield.

• 14 May: 1818 UTC: 675 kHz: Radio 10 Gold 120 kW transmission from Lopic, Holland. Music: Sandie Shaw, 'Puppet On A String'.
• 14 May: 1833 UTC: 756 kHz: BBC Radio Cumbria 1kW transmission from Carlisle. Music with Mark Paxton.
• 14 May: 1837 UTC: 774 kHz: BBC Radio Leeds 500 watt transmission via Farnley. 'Yorkshire Sport': Top table of Neil Back (rugby), Geoffrey Richmond (football) and Mike Edge (swimming coach) discuss tolerance of behaviour by sportsmen towards officials. Cricket report by Jonathan Agnew. 'Night Sport' looks towards Euro 96. Call 0113 244 3222 (Leeds).
• 14 May: 1911 UTC: 882 kHz: BBC Radio Wales. 100 kW transmission via Washford. Sport: Cardiff Arms Park hosts Neath v Pontypridd (Live Rugby). Sending off: Steve Lewis, red card, headbutt. Neath are Champions!
• 14 May: 1924 UTC: 909 kHz: BBC Radio Five 909 kHz = 330 metres. Live Rugby League: Wigan 20 - Halifax 0. Transmitter: Moorside Edge, 200 kW transmission. Rugby League result. Topical sport broadcast: 'Inside Edge' with Rob Bonner.
• 14 May: 1958 UTC: 1179 kHz: Radio Sweden Solvesborg transmitter, 600 kW transmission. English programme: 'Sixty Degrees North' with Sara Larsch, Swedish Youth Culture, Techno art.

• 14 May: 2011 UTC: 1197 - 1215 kHz: Virgin Radio Music : The Police - 'Every Breath You Take'. Ad break. Highlights of this morning's 'Russ And Jono's Breakfast Experience'.
• 14 May: 2017 UTC: 1386 kHz: Voice of Russia Transmitter site: Bolshakovo or Kaliningrad, 2500 kW transmission. Classical music.
• 14 May: 2023 UTC: 1440 kHz: Radio Netherlands Dutch language broadcast via RTL Marnach, LUX (Luxembourg). 1200 kW transmission.

Thank you for reading this post on Reporting From The Fox Tower.

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6 Nations 2017: The Final Results

THIS year's RBS Six Nations Championship is complete - So here are the round-by-round results, with dates and venues:

Round 1:
Saturday 4 February: Scotland 27 - Ireland 22  (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
Saturday 4 February: England 19 - France 16  (Twickenham, London)
Sunday 5 February: Italy 7 - Wales 33  (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)

Round 2:
Saturday 11 February: Italy 10 - Ireland 63  (Stadio Olimpico)
Saturday 11 February: Wales 16 - England 21  (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)
Sunday 12 February: France 22 - Scotland 16  (Stade de France, Paris)

Round 3:
Saturday 25 February: Scotland 29 - Wales 13  (Murrayfield)
Saturday 25 February: Ireland 19 - France 9  (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Sunday 26 February: England 36 - Italy 15  (Twickenham)

Round 4:
Friday 10 March: Wales 22 - Ireland 9  (Principality Stadium)
Saturday 11 March: Italy 18 - France 40  (Stadio Olimpico)
Saturday 11 March: England 61 - Scotland 21  (Twickenham)

Round 5:
Saturday 18 March: Scotland 29 - Italy 0  (Murrayfield)
Saturday 18 March: France 20 - Wales 18  (Stade de France)
Saturday 18 March: Ireland 13 - England 9  (Aviva Stadium)

At the completion of all the fixtures, here is the final table (compiled by me, as a Microsoft Word document):

So it is congratulations to ENGLAND, the Six Nations Champions for 2017!

🏉