Enjoying the weather and the radio

It's been a fine day here in England, with very pleasant weather during the late afternoon. I spent a little time out in the garden, where I'm preparing the ground for some earth radials for my MW coil antenna, which is coming along - very slowly!

Conditions on shortwave this morning were good, with the Rode Adelaar coming in strongly during a short audio test. Propagation went downhill after that, though, and I spent much of the day listening to Radio Caroline and then the internet stream of Dutch SW pirate Radio Telstar while I was working. 

There is some activity at the top of the MW band as I write this. Oldtimer has just closed down from a music programme on 1655 and is now chatting to Vliegende Schotel and Wilkskract. Just down the band on 1620, Nova 4 has been coming in well. It's a little noisy on 1.6 MHz this evening - perhaps some local disturbance in the neighbourhood, although propagation is not particularly good, it seems.

UPDATE AT 2230 UTC Conditions seems to have improved. Studio 69 is playing some good tunes on 1654 kHz and coming in very well indeed despite using only 100 watts of power. His audio sounds very fine as well with a good, deep bass. Here's a recording of his signal at this side: 

Studio 69 1654 kHz (April 28, 2014) by Mw_Pirate Fan on Mixcloud

And here are my my recent logs:

Monday, April 28, 2014

1620       1913       Nova 4 55444 music programme

1655       1913       Oldtimer 55444 music programme

1653       2022       Vliegende Schotel 44334-55444 report for Oldtimer

1652       2028       Wilskracht 33333-45334 report for Oldtimer

1620       2058       Calipso 55544-55555 music programme

1654       2144       Studio 69 35333-45344 music programme

1640       2145       Monte Carlo 44444-55444 music programme

1633       2154       Barcelona 55544 report for Monte Carlo
1644       2253       Monte Carlo 55544 report for Calipso
1653       2253       Jeneverstoker 32432 report for Calipso

Saturday, April 26, 2014
1611       1739       Tower 35333 at 1815 music programme
1620       1739       Anton 45344 music programme
1627       1742       Admiraal weak signal asking for report
1632       1747       Verona 35343 at 1818 music programme
1648       1749       Moby Dick 45444 music programme
1636       1759       Keizer en Keizerin 34333 at 2018 music programme
1625       1959       Barones 54444 music programme
1655       2001       Oldtimer 45344 music programme
1635       2002       Marskramer (Friesland) 34333-44344 music programme
1665       2003       Polkaman 34333 music programme
1615       2003       Tower 44344 music programme
1620       2006       Tower 44344 music programme
1627       2012       Barones 45344-55444 music programme
1692       2115       Blauwe Ster 45344 music programme
1628       2125       Tower 45344 music programme
1655       2130       Barones 44344-55344 music programme

Thursday, April 24, 2014
1630       1919       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444 music programme
1645       1920       Batavier 55444-55555 music programme
1653       1924       Turfsteker 34343 music programme
1660       2206       Snowman 24222-45343 music programme
1650       2206       Klaas Snoek 55444 music programme
1665       2224       Philadelphia 24322 music programme

Tuesday, April 22, 2014
1630       2149       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444
1665       2159       Philadelphia 24222 music programme
1625       2200       King 24322-34333 music programme
1653       2224       Jeneverstoker 35343 qsoing

Monday, April 21, 2014
1619       0558       Zwarte Bouvier weak signal music programme
1658       0713       Twentana weak signal music programme
1642       2047       Wadloper music programme
1655       2048       Studio 69 35333 qsoing
1653       2054       Klaas Snoek 45444-55555 qsoing
1645       2114       Leopard 44444-55544 music programme
1652       2145       Jeneverstoker 35333-45444 qsoing

Sunday, April 20, 2014
1655       1753       Relmus 45444 music programme
1647       1754       Witte Tornado 35333, 55555 at 1826 music programme
1636       1856       Havanna 55444 music programme
1665       1945       Dikke Betta 45444
1636       2017       Akai 44444 music programme
1629       2019       Kruik 45444 qsoing
1630       2030       Schaduwjager 55544 qsoing
1638       2140       Bluebird 54444-55555 music programme
1647       2202       Monte Carlo 54444 qsoing
1645       2210       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444 qsoing
1630       2240       Monte Carlo 54444 qsoing

Observations

• On Sunday it seems Radio Barones was even more popular than usual . . . he signed on 1625 kHz and got his international music programme under way, but was hit with interference from another station. He moved to 1627 and eventually 1655 before escaping

There's only one way to listen to Barones!

• Snowman from Friesland was doing really well last Thursday. He has only 20 watts of power, but on the peaks his signal was hitting a sinpo of 45343
• It was good to hear Leopard on Easter Monday, for the first time in a good while. He was coming in loud and clear. Earlier that day I had been listening to a few stations via the SDR at Enschede and, among others, I heard Poema on 1476. He was playing some records with his six-year-old son who can already speak English better than I can Dutch!