Latest logs and news

It's the early hours of Friday morning as I write these words. I've had a busy couple of days at work without the chance for much radio action, although I was listening to Casablanca and Jeneverstoker qsoing a little while ago and I'm now tuned to a solid signal from Radio North on 846.

Monday and Tuesday evenings were busy on the Dutch pirate band, with plenty of activity between 1611 and 1700 kHz. And on Sunday evening there was a long and enjoyable broadcast from Radio Utopia on 1620. He was testing out a different modulation system and coming in very well here. I made a small video as he closed down . . .

And here are the stations heard since my last blog entry. I've been using the Kenwood R5000 with the outdoor loop antenna for the last week or so  . . . 

Friday, March 22, 2013
1649       0020       Casablanca 45444 qsoing
1655       0027       Jeneverstoker 35333 qsoing

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

1629       1731       Nova 4 35543 qsoing

1646       1829       Twentana music programme

1620       2218       Kolibrie 24422-34433 music programme

1629       2219       Mustang 44444 qsoing

1668       2225       Witte Reus 34433 qsoing

1647       2226       Bravo Sierra music programme

1645       2227       Noordzee 54444 qsoing

1665       2233       Polkaman 24432-35433 qsoing

1635       2243       Babylona 35433 qsoing

1656       2254       Bluebird 34433-45444 qsoing

1669       2302       Bontekoe testing

1655       2326       Jeneverstoker 35443 qsoing

Monday, March 18, 2013

1654       1726       Vuurvogel 35443 qsoing

1655       1733       Zwarte Boekanier 25432-35443 qsoing

1655       1736       Spakenburg 35443 qsoing

1661       1800       Pontiac 55555 qsoing

1645       1801       Casablanca (Twente) 35443 qsoing

1625       1803       Johnny Camaro 35443-45444 music programme

1653       1804       Zwarte Boekanier 55544 qsoing

1633       1805       Vrijevogel 35343 music programme

1646       1807       Blauwe Reiger 45454 qsoing

1644       1814       Baanbreker 44444 qsoing

1662       1821       Oldtimer 34443-55555 music programme

1644       1905       Unidentified station 45434 playing Boney M with Painter Man

1648       1918       Admiraal 44434-54444 qsoing

1655       1923       Monza 44434-54444 qsoing

1620       1926       Unidentified station 55544 non-stop Dutch music

1646       2104       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55555 qsoing

1629       2105       Polidor 44434-55544 music programme

1646       2106       Vuurvogel 45434-55555 qsoing

1640       2112       Caldera 35433-45444 qsoing

1649       2124       Dageraad qsoing             

1638       2130       Batavia 35333-45444 music programme

1645       2140       Caldera 34433-45444 qsoing

1631       2141       Dageraad 45454 qsoing                                                                                  

1637       2144       Monte Carlo 54444 qsoing

1654       2149       Noordzee 54444 qsoing

Friday, March 15, 2013

1615       2302       Babylona 35433 music programme

1652       2310       Uniek 33433-44544 music programme

1646       2310       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55544-55555 music programme

1665       2313       Polkaman 35333 music programme

1640       0023       Jeneverstoker 44534 report for Mijnwerker

Thursday, March 14, 2013

1655       1812       Zwarte Boekanier 44544 music programme
1636       1812       Havanna 55544-55555 music programme
1645       1830       Batavier 45544 music programme
1625       2020       Johnny Camaro 33543 music programme
1645       2040       Caldera 33433 music programme
1647       2107       Bluebird 45434 report for Boekanier
1653       2240       Wilskracht 34433 music programme
1650       2242       Santana 44434-45444 qsoing
1648       2253       Noordzee 35343-55444 qsoing then music programme
1625       2305       Amigo 34443-44444 qsoing
1675       2319       Bravo Sierra 24322-34333 music programme

Observations

• On Tuesday it was good to hear Kolibrie (Hummingbird) for the second time. It seems this is turning into a regular slot for his programmes, so keep an ear out on 1620 next Tuesday
• It's been a while since I heard SW regular Witte Reus on MW, so it was great to hear him back on the band with a short qso. He has plans for further broadcasts
• Bontekoe was testing late on Tuesday night and was coming through with a fair signal on 1669. There was a station with this name many years ago, but I think this is a different one - the cow noises heard on the frequency suggest this station is also active on SW as some listeners might recognise!
• With the clocks going forward soon, reception during the early evening will become more tricky here in England, so it was good to take advantage of some great conditions on Monday when stations started coming through at around 1730. The best signal belonged to Pontiac who, just like the last time we heard him, was hitting the maximum 55555. A little later there was also a very strong signal from a station playing non-stop music on 1620. He was on air for around an hour. 
• Also on Monday, Caldera was doing a great job during his qso, putting in his best signal to date while using a newly-built coil antenna standing 17 metres high. You can take a listen here. We also heard Batavia with better than usual reception. You can download a recording here
• We visited many pirates when we were in the Netherlands last summer, and one of them was Amigo. While we were there he came on air for a few minutes with his BC191 transmitter and it was a real pleasure to see a typical old-style Dutch amateur in action. So, it was great to hear him at the microphone last Thursday evening in qso with Santana, who we visited on the same day last August. And Santana . . . many thanks for the DVD which I watched recently. Great stuff. Both stations were coming in well here, with Amigo putting in a better signal than usual on 1620, a different frequency for him as he can often be found around 1660. Take a listen to a short recording here