Merry Christmas 2011

I'D JUST LIKE to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and hope that you have enjoyed your day. Congratulations go to the Military Wives Choir who are the 2011 Christmas Number One with their recording of 'Wherever You Are'. The Doctor Who special will no doubt be pulling in a few million television viewers as I write, so it must be Christmas Day... Enjoy.

Wallpaper of the week: 18 December 2011

The ducks at Grassholme Reservoir, 9 September 2011.

Wallpaper of the week, 12 December 2011

This is Grassholme Reservoir, south of Middleton - in - Teesdale.

This picture was taken 9th September 2011. Enjoy.

December 2011 update!

APOLOGIES for not keeping RFTFT up to date during November, so I'm using today's entry to catch up with everything that has been going on. As with the previous post below, I'm beginning with Carlisle United's results for November:

Sat 5th: npower League One: Exeter City 0 - United 0
Sat 12th: FA Cup Round One: Alfreton Town 0 - United 4
Sat 19th: npower League One: Sheffield United 1 - United 0
Sat 26th: npower League One: United 1 - Colchester United 0

And those are the results for November 2011.

Introducing Eden FM...

EDEN FM is the new community radio station for Penrith and the Eden Valley, broadcasting on a Restricted Service Licence (RSL) from 25 November to 23 December 2011 on 87.7 MHz FM and continuously online at edenfmradio.co.uk . I am pleased and honoured to be part of Eden FM, I do hope you will take some time to listen to our programmes.

From FM to Short Wave...


I spent the evening of Monday 28 November 2011 listening to the Short Wave band of my Roberts R881 and heard a variety of broadcasts, listed here. Times in UTC (=GMT), frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz):

1950 UTC, 7485 kHz : Voice of America, English Service 'Special English' programme regarding 'rhetoric' speech, references to the Presidential television debate between Nixon and Kennedy; Martin Luther King.

2040 UTC, 7550 kHz : All India Radio, General Overseas Service, including the English Service programme.

2115 UTC, 7560 kHz : Voice of America, English service to Afghanistan. Music programme taking a look at the life and work of Johnny Cash.

2210 UTC, 7580 kHz : Radio Farda, music, female host with 'Radio Farda' ID, music, speech from female and male hosts.

2250 UTC, 9420 kHz : Voice of Greece, Greek language service to Europe, Atlantic Ocean territories, North America. Music, female host.

New music from Lindi Ortega...


I am currently listening to the album 'Little Red Boots' by Canadian musician Lindi Ortega. Ortega, 32, released the album in the summer of 2011 and plans an extensive UK tour in the new year of 2012. Here is the album sleeve, so keep a look out for it. I highly recommend this great album.

And finally...


This edition of RFTFT closes with a 'Wallpaper of the week', which is where I post an image which I allow you to steal and post as your wallpaper on the desktop of your PC or laptop. This image is of Wain Wath Falls, to the west of Keld, North Yorkshire, on the B6270 road. Enjoy.

Thanks for visiting!

Carlisle United results: October 2011

ONE month at a time is how I like to record Carlisle United's results here on RFTFT, so here are the results for October 2011. If you wish to share your views regarding the results, please use the methods of communication listed at the bottom of this post.

October 2011:
Saturday  1st: Walsall 1 - United 1
Saturday  8th: United 2 - Brentford 2
Saturday 15th: Yeovil Town 0 - United 3
Saturday 22nd: Charlton Athletic 4 - United 0
Tuesday 25th: United 3 - Sheffield Wednesday 2
Saturday 29th: United 3 - Oldham Athletic 3

United's fixtures for November 2011:
Saturday  5th: Away at Exeter City (0-0)
Saturday 12th: FA Cup Round 1 Away at Alfreton Town
Saturday 19th: Away at Sheffield United
Saturday 26th: Home v Colchester United

GOOD LUCK to the Blues for the November fixtures!

And finally...
...for this week at least: I spent an evening recently tuning the Medium Wave band of my Roberts R881 radio and to be honest, I didn't hear much as darkness had fallen and several stations of similar transmission power cancelled each other out, but I did hear France Info on 1377kHz with a strong signal. Usually, I post a link to the station website, but if you put France Info Radio into a search engine, you probably won't go far wrong. To compensate, here is the France Info logo. That's all for now, see you again soon.

A (final) July Day in Whitby: #5

FOR the final image in the series of photographs of Whitby, please enjoy this image of Whitby Abbey, Whitby, North Yorkshire.

A July Day in Whitby #4

A BEAUTIFUL view of the West and East Piers of Whitby, North Yorkshire, July 2011.

A July Day in Whitby #3

THIS is St Mary's Church, at the top of the 199 steps, Whitby, North Yorkshire, July 2011.

A July Day in Whitby: #2

ENJOY this view of a magnificent memorial in the grounds of St Mary's Church, Whitby, North Yorkshire.

A July Day in Whitby: #1

AS Summer 2011 seems to have belatedly made a last-gasp reappearance, I present the first of a selection of images of Whitby, North Yorkshire, taken by me on a day trip to the town on July 28 2011. Please enjoy this image of the harbour.

A July Day in Haltwhistle: The Centre of Britain

JULY 26 in Haltwhistle, Northumberland: The Centre of Britain.

This fingerpost has the 'Haltwhistle - Centre of Britain' disc on the top, which has Haltwhistle marked on the map of the British Isles (if you look closely) and the fingers point to Bowness on Solway, Wallsend, Portland Bill, Orkney and Northumberland National Park via Haltwhistle Burn.

Carlisle United Results, September 2011

CARLISLE United's fixtures for September 2011 have been completed and here are the results from all competitions:

npower League One: Saturday 3rd: United 1 - MK Dons 3

Johnstone's Paint Trophy, Round 1: Tuesday 6th: Accrington Stanley 3 - United 2

League: Saturday 10th: United 1 - Hartlepool 2

League: Tuesday 13th: Tranmere Rovers 1 - United 2

League: Saturday 17th: Chesterfield 4 - United 1

League: Saturday 24th: United 1 - Stevenage 0

UNITED have six fixtures scheduled for October 2011, beginning Saturday 1st, away at Walsall.

Away from football, may I take this opportunity to congratulate Mark Cavendish on becoming Cycling World Road Race Champion in Denmark today (Sunday 25 September).

September Short Wave Results

AFTER an early start on the morning of Sunday 18 September for the Rugby World Cup, I spent most of the day listening to the Short Wave band of the Roberts R881. The following list of broadcasts I received includes times in UTC (GMT), frequencies in kHz (kiloHertz) and a link to the broadcasters websites:

• 1139 UTC, 6075 kHz : Deutsche Welle, German language to Europe via Rampisham transmitter site, UK. 'Magazine' programme, Sport programme: Bundesliga football. 1200 UTC news: Afghanistan. Deutsche Welle website.
• 1332 UTC, 6190 kHz : Deutschlandfunk, German language to Europe via Berlin, 17 kW (kiloWatts). Classical choir music. Deutschlandfunk website.
• 1405 UTC, 6295 kHz : Jack Van Impe Ministries, English language to Europe via Reflections Europe, Republic of Ireland. Religious ministry. Reflections Europe website and Jack Van Impe Ministries website.
• 1439 UTC, 6305 kHz : Radio Merlin International, English language to Europe, via the Netherlands? Music: Transvision Vamp, The Real Thing, Beats International, Derek & The Dominoes, The Specials, Gary Newman & Tubeway Army, The Love Affair. Radio Merlin International website.
• 1550 UTC, 6930 kHz : Irish Music Radio, English language to Europe, via West Coast Ireland? Music: Amelie, The Bee Gees, David Guetta. Irish Music Radio email address.
• 1639 UTC, 7250 kHz : Vatican Radio, Slovenian language to Europe via Santa Maria di Galeria, Vatican State.Male speech, act of worship, male speech, music, female speech. Vatican Radio website.
• 1800 UTC, 7275 kHz : Radio Exterior de Espana, Spanish language to Europe. 'Tablero Deportivo V (5)'. Spanish football commentaries. Radio Exterior de Espana website.
• 1840 UTC, 7290 kHz : The Overcomer Ministry [Brother R G Stair], English language to Europe, Middle East via Nexus-IRRS [Italian Radio Relay Service], Slovakian/Romanian transmitter site. Religious ministry. Nexus-IRRS website and The Overcomer Ministry website.
• 1922 UTC, 7400 kHz : Radio Bulgaria, German language to Europe. Male speech, female speech, female guest on telephone. Radio Bulgaria website.
• 1945 UTC, 7485 kHz : Voice of America, VOA Special English to Middle East via Iranawila, Sri Lanka. 'Words and their stories', 'People in America'. Voice of America website.

Sunday was a rather good day with the radio!

Midweek Wallpaper: The End of Summer 2011

AS today, Wednesday 31 August 2011, is officially the last day of Summer, I'm posting a view of the River Eden at Musgrave, taken July 2011, for your enjoyment. Mr Malcolm Cowin can be seen on the right of the picture.

Carlisle United Results, August 2011

THE football season 2011/2012 is under way and here on RFTFT we will be following the fortunes of Carlisle United. Results will be published at the end of every month, including results from the league and cup competitions. Here are the results for August 2011:

npower League One: Saturday 6th: United 0 - Notts County 3

Carling Cup: Tuesday 9th: Oldham Athletic 1 - United 1 (McGovern) (United win 4-2 on penalties. Away at Aldershot on Tuesday 30th, Round 2)

League: Saturday 13th: Bury 0 - United 2 (Noble, Berrett)

League: Tuesday 16th: Rochdale 0 - United 0

League: Saturday 20th: United 2 (Taiwo, Byrne own goal) AFC Bournemouth 1

League: Saturday 27th: Leyton Orient 1 - United 2 (Miller x2)

Carling Cup: Tuesday 30th: Aldershot 2 - United 0 (Round 2)

"Win or lose, come on you Blues!"

The Sabbath

AS it is Sunday, The Sabbath, I thought I would post a nice photograph of a Church for your enjoyment.

This is St Theobald's Church, Musgrave, Cumbria, England.

Weekend wireless: August 2011

THE afternoon of Saturday 13 August 2011 was spent tuning the Medium Wave band of the Roberts R881. Here is what I heard [Times in UTC; Frequencies in kHz]:

1415 UTC, 1053 kHz: TalkSport, up to 500 kW via Central England (Droitwich, Worcestershire). 'Matchday Live'. For the TalkSport website, click here and for TalkSport Facebook, click here.

1518 UTC, 1170 kHz: Magic 1170, Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside, 320 watts via Hardwick transmitter, Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside. 'Eighties Magic' Dave Campbell. Website and Facebook.

1600 UTC, 1215 kHz: Absolute Radio, up to 200 kW via Moorside Edge, West Yorkshire, for Northern England. 'Rock n Roll Football'. Website and Facebook.

1624 UTC, 1242 kHz: Absolute Radio, 1 kW transmission via Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside. 'Rock n Roll Football'. Web links as above.

1653 UTC, 1341 kHz: BBC Radio Ulster, 100 kW via Lisnagarvey, Co Down, Northern Ireland. The Ulster Grand Prix (Motorcycling). Website.

Please follow the links provided to the broadcasters, I hope you find their sites of interest and enjoy!

When Taylor met The Beatles!

I LOVE this image of Taylor Swift beside a portrait of The Beatles at Abbey Road Studios, London. Tay was at Abbey Road Studios earlier this year to perform a concert for BBC Radio 2.

July 2011 Short Wave Listening

FRIDAY 8 July 2011 was spent listening to the Short Wave band on the Roberts R881 and here is what I heard. Usual abbreviations apply:

• 0825 UTC, 17730 kHz, Broadcasting Service of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (abbreviated to BSKSA). Arabic to North Africa, 500 kW transmission.
• 0843 UTC, 17790 kHz, BBC World Service, English to Asia via Oman transmitter.
• 0854 UTC, 17830 kHz, BBC World Service, English to West Africa via Ascension Island.
• 0916 UTC, 17880 kHz, Radio Sawa, Arabic to North Africa, 250 kW transmission.
• 1213 UTC, 21540 kHz, Radio Exterior de Espana, Spanish to Ecuatorial Africa, 250 kW transmission.
• 1232 UTC, 21540 kHz, Radio Kuwait, Arabic to Europe, 500 kW transmission.
• 1243 UTC, 21610 kHz, Radio Exterior de Espana, Spanish to Middle East. 350 kW transmission.
• 1300 UTC, 21840 kHz, Deutsche Welle, German to South Asia via Sines, Portugal, 250 kW transmission.
• 1315 UTC, 25000 kHz, Centre for Metrology and Accreditation, Espoo, Finland.

That's it for July - I think!

Here's just a few of my favourite things...

Beginning at the front, the radio with which I listen to the Short Wave and Medium Wave bands and FM is mostly tuned to BBC Radio Cumbria, this is the Roberts R881. Behind is the Crown DAB digital radio, it doesn't get used as much as it should. On the windowsill is a replica Eddie Stobart truck and trailer, I've had that a long while. Next to that, a 'Top Gear - The Stig' branded alarm clock. I received that last Christmas, a gift from one of my work colleagues at Eden Valley Oils. Finally, in the corner is a 2011 calendar received from KBS World Radio, Seoul, South Korea. My interest in international radio means I am fortunate enough to receive gifts as nice as that calendar. Enjoy your week.