Late-night listening under the duvet!

Greetings from England! Last night we went for a couple of drinks to the pub and then to bed - but before sleeping we switched on the radio and who was there? With an enormous signal and sounding like a local MW station it was Radio Barones. Watch the short movie taken from under the duvet - all you can see is the lights on the receiver!

Happy times

Good evening from a wet and rainy England (again)! Right now we are listening to the Vrolijke Mijnwerker (the Happy Miner) on 1646 kHz. There are some static crashes on the MW band this evening, but a fine signal from the eastern part of the Netherlands. Have a look at the video . . . 

Saturday night fever!

For most of Saturday I was working, but I arrived home at around 2200 UTC and after watching a little TV, I switched on the radio at around 2300. With recent conditions on MW very poor for listening in the UK, it was a very nice surprise to hear some fine signals on 186 metres. Here are the stations we heard, together with some other recent logs . . . 


Saturday, June 16, 2012

1650       2320       Batavier 33533 music programme

1650       2320       Moby Dick 33533 (later 44444) music programme

1647       2323       Monte Carlo 42543 qsoing

1665       2325       Polkaman 24422-35443 music programme

1636       2328       Repower 33333-44444 qsoing

1645       2331       Spakenburg 44444-54544 qsoing

1657       2334       Napoleon 55534 music programme

1645       2348       Monte Carlo 44433 qsoing

1640       0004       Monte Carlo 45444-55444 qsoing

Thursday, June 14, 2012

1629       2258       Calipso 42542 (later 54444) qsoing

1630       2304       Barcelona 42542 (later 44544 music programme

1646       2313       Casablanca 34533-44544 music programme

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

1630       1950       Unidentified station playing Donna Summer I Feel Love. Nice audio

1645       2011       Kristal 25422-45434 music programme

1672       2054       Armada 35433-45434 music programme

1630       2108       Noordzee 33533 music programme     

1646       2146       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 54444-55444 report for Noordzee

1630       2200       Barcelona 35433-55544 music programme

1646       2214       Casablanca 34433-45544 report for Mijnwerker      

1647       2221       Noordzee 35433 report for Mijnwerker

1645       2231       Pandora 35433-55555 qsoing

Saturday observations

• Listening to 1650 was interesting. Batavier was broadcasting a music programme with Relmus behind the microphone, but Radio Moby Dick was also on the channel. There was no hetrodyne, just two signals mixing and the stations taking it in turn to peak. One minute Batavier was coming though and the next it was Moby Dick.... much to the annoyance of Mr Relmus! Later in the evening, at around 0050 UTC, just Moby was on the frequency and he was coming in very well. Listen here
• Very nice to hear Napoleon with some late-night music on 1657. The signal was very good and at first it sounded a little like Barones - and with some of his music as well! Click here for a short recording
• Spakenburg was coming through with a very fine signal as usual, together with Monte Carlo, who tried a few different frequencies but was best of all on 1640
• There was a well-known voice on 1636 but with a different name to usual! Radio Repower had some nice peaks on his signal. Click here for a listen

Relaxing sounds

Monday night was not a busy one for reception of the Dutch pirates in the UK, but there were several stations on the band, with Vrolijke Mijnwerker leading the way with some relaxing music . . . 


Monday, June 11, 2012

1651       2140       Amigo 33433 music programme
1646       2140       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55434 music programme
1660       2141       Centraal maybe? 25322 music programme
1665       2141       Polkaman 25322 music programme
1647       2239       Casablanca 45434 report for Mijnwerker
1646       2242       Monte Carlo 35333 report for Mijnwerker

Observations

• The first station we came across last night was Amigo. We usually hear him qsoing, but he was playing some music this time and coming in very nicely on the peaks
• The Happy Miner was the strongest station on the band. He was busy testing a new antenna, which was working very well. There was some fading on the signal but the strength was excellent - you can take a listen by clicking here
• When Vrolijke Mijnwerker closed down he got reports from Monte Carlo and also Casablanca, who could be heard with his trademark song Boom Boom from the Internationals

Plenty of action

Another busy evening at the top of the MW band!

As usual, signals started arriving in England just before 2100 UTC and we heard a steady flow of stations . . . 

Saturday, June 9, 2012

1640       2044       Grutte Pier 35544 music programme

1636       2044       Keizer En Keizeren 24232 music programme

1629       2045       Unidentified station playing non-stop music 
1512       2052       Jaknikker 32532 music programme

1672       2100       Armada 35533-45444 music programme

1640       2122       Professor Sickbok 34333 music programme

1630       2139       Barcelona 45333-55444 music programme

1655       2157       Spakenburg 45333-45444 music programme

1675       2219       Nachtzwerver 25222 asking for report

1665       2231       Digitaal 44333-44444 report for Nachtzwerver

1646       2325       Casablanca 34333-45444 music programme

Observations

• One of the strongest stations of the evening was Spakenburg, who was playing some music and English tunes on 1655 and getting a good response with plenty of messages on the telephone. Click here for a short recording
• There was an interesting station on 1629 playing non-stop music from from The Shadows, Hermans Hermits, The Searchers, Mamas and Papas, Tom Jones and much more. No ID was heard but the signal had some good peaks
• Nachtzwerver was a nice catch around 1675 in qso with Digitaal, who you can listen to by clicking here
• Jaknikker was busy on 1512. The signal was fair but there were the usual foreign stations on the frequency. Batavia also tried the channel with a test, but we were unable to hear him
• As I write this at 0100 UTC, Barcelona and Casablanca are still going strong with their music programmes

Easy listening

Well Friday night on the MW band was a real pleasure. Conditions were good from around 2100 UTC and there were several stations on air with music programmes . . .

Friday, June 8, 2012

1646       2107       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 45534 music programme

1665       2107       Polkaman 24532-35543 music programme

1640       2117       Grutte Pier 33533-45534 music programme

1629       2118       Rebel 25532-35543 music programme

1670       2120       Matrix 34533 music programme

1653       2150       Barones 55544-55555 music programme

1640       2151       Professor Sickbok 35533-45544 music programme

Observations

• Rebel was using just 30 watts of power and coming in really well on the peaks and with very nice quality. It really is amazing what can be done with low power when the conditions are right. Listen to a recording here
• It was good to hear Matrix for the first time in a while. Also running low power at less than 100 watts, his signal was coming in well - nice jingles also!
• Barones was the strongest signal on the band as usual, with a super, long programme until around 0100 UTC. We started off by listening in the radio room and then listened in bed with a portable receiver! Take a look at the movie and you will see and hear near perfect reception

Another great blog

So Radio Zeewolf started a new blog recently, which is recommended reading... and now the Blue Heron - Blauwe Reiger also has his very own page with plenty of logs and news from the MW pirate scene. 

Click here to go straight to the page for another valuable insight into the busy Dutch pirate scene on MW and some interesting pictures of the Blauwe Reiger's studio and transmitter

Here comes the static!

Greetings from a wet and raining England! Signals from the Netherlands started arriving at our location at around 2000 on Saturday evening, but it took another couple of hours before they gained full strength. However, eventually stations were coming through very well, but with thunderstorms around the UK and Europe, there was a lot of static on the band, which made listening a little more difficult. However, the band was busy and this is what we heard . . .

Saturday, June 2, 2012

1650       2002       Moby Dick 25442. Later 45344 modulation test and music programme

1645       2003       Barones 35543. Later 54344 music programme

1625       2019       Relmus 44344 at 2300 music programme  

1645       2246       Digitaal 44344 report for Barones

1620       2248       Spakenburg 45344 qsoing

1633       2248       Barcelona 45344-55444 music programme

1655       2249       Euromast 35333 music programme

1675       2300       Orion West 35243 music programme

1665       2303       Polkaman 35243 music programme

1620       2305       Monte Carlo 35333 qsoing

1675       2315       Delmare 25232-35243 report for Orion West

1633       2321       Monte Carlo 35333 qsoing

1660       2330       Monte Carlo 35233 qsoing

Observations

• Very nice indeed to hear Relmus back on MW with a powerful signal. He has made successful broadcasts with very low power in recent months, but he cranked up the big transmitter this evening and was broadcasting at the same time on 6210 kHz SW. The programme celebrated the birthday of Radio Wadloper, who was in the studio along with the Batavier, Doctor Einstein and Witte Reus. A full house! Click here for a recording from near the end of the show when the guests had gone home
• Radio Barones was pumping out a powerful sound on 1645 (click here for a short recording), while Barcelona was also very strong on 1633, along with Spakenburg and Digitaal
• Orion West has been a little quiet of late, so it was great to hear him on 1675 with some music before a qso with Delmare. Both stations had some good peaks through the static
• Moby Dick was on the air for many hours, testing modulation and playing music until closedown at around 0200 UTC. You can listen to a recording of his signal by clicking here