A birthday milestone

Since we last spoke I hit a bit of a milestone with my 40th birthday. We kept it low-key with a few days hidden away in west Wales by the sea, staying in a log cabin without even a radio in sight! If we go there again, though, I will definitely take a receiver - neighbours were few and far between and the noise level would have been non-existent.

I had some great presents - plenty of real ale - and a very fitting gift from my girls . . .

I also had another radio for the collection - a very nicely restored Cambridge International tube receiver from 1953. I already have one, but it got a little smashed recently and had started to go a bit deaf, but the replacement is a very good-looking model which tunes very well and has no crackling on any of the switches. I'm having a bit of a move around in the radio room at the moment, but I will post some pictures soon and some videos of the new radio in action. For the moment, though, here's a picture of my old Cambridge looking a bit sorry for itself . . . 

I must say a big thank-you to all my radio friends in the UK, Netherlands and around Europe for the very kind birthday wishes that were greatly appreciated. And a special mention to Alf from Sweden, who I met in the Netherlands last year at the Summer Meeting and spent a very pleasant day with when visiting various Dutch pirates the following day. He sent me a wonderful recording of a station calling itself Tripple L Radio (the man with a thousand different names is perhaps slightly better known as the Black Bandit) and sending out a special birthday message to me. I didn't hear the broadcast myself, so it was great to get this in my inbox, which I'm sharing with you now. It certainly brought a smile to my face:

On to some logs now. Not a huge amount of activity to report as signals are now arriving later in the day from across the North Sea and propagation has generally been well down:

Freq       Time       Station name SINPO

Monday, April 3, 2017

1632       1742       Bizon 35443 qsoing

1670       1752       Batavier 35333 music programme

1640       1801       Veronica 25322-35333 music programme

1655       1911       Relmus 35333 music programme

1640       2139       Monte Carlo 35333 report for Veronica

1633       2140       Ruimzicht 25222-35333 report for Veronica

1633       2144       Barcelona 45333 report for Veronica  

1620       2238       Monte Carlo 35333 qsoing

Saturday, April 1, 2017

1636       1825       Keizer en Keizerin 35333 music programme

1630       1828       Yogi Bear en Einstein 35333-45444 music programme

1620       1831       Brandaris 35333-45444 asking for report

Observations

• Brandaris isn't on the air much these days, but he has a lovely depth to his modulation which makes him quite easy to spot when he is on the band. Great to catch him tonight for only the third time during 2017

Friday, March 31, 2017

1620       1836       Eldorado 24322-45444 music programme

1655       1836       Relmus 25222-35333 music programme

1641       2156       Monte Carlo 35333 qsoing

1630       2208       Blauwe Daihatsu 35333 qsoing

Thursday, March 30, 2017

1620       2122       Utopia 35333-45444 music programme

1629       2159       Jack Sparrow 45444 report for Utopia

1633       2200       Barcelona 55444 report for Utopia

1625       2207       Monte Carlo 34333 report for Utopia

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

1630       1645       Digitaal weak signal music programme

1638       1659       Noordzee 25342 qsoing

1620       1702       Sterrenboog weak signal qsoing

1636       1709       Torpedojager (Twente) weak signal qsoing

1620       1753       Moonbreaker 25342 asking for report

1638       1757       Dageraad weak signal qsoing

1632       1806       Toulouse 25332 qsoing

1645       1904       Casablanca (Twente) 25222 music programme

1611       1904       Twentana 33433-44444 music programme

1620       1906       Meteoor 45444 qsoing

1655       1946       Relmus 35333 music programme

1620       2200       Spanningzoeker 55444-55555 qsoing

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

1620       1649       Sterrenboog 25332 asking for report

1638       1650       Friese Piraat 25332 music programme   

1620       1656       Digitaal 25332 report for Sterrenboog

1645       1718       Oldtimer 35333 report for Friese Piraat

1638       1721       Digitaal 35343 qsoing

1630       1722       Blauwe Daihatsu weak signal report for Friese Piraat

1650       1759       Rodester 45444 qsoing

1645       1840       Odynn 25222 music programme

1630       1844       Marianne 35333-45444 music programme

1623       2005       Napoleon 44444 music programme

1647       2215       Barones 55444 music programme

Observations

• Good to catch two of my favourite stations Napoleon and Barones tonight. I listened to both for a good while before eventually heading to bed. The Grundig Hit Boy was was in the bedroom so I had a quick tune around not expecting to hear much without a loop. But, sure enough, there was Baro, fading up and down very slowly, and sounding very strong when the signal was on a high

Monday, March 27, 2017

1640       2140       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444 qsoing

1655       2142       Wilskracht 45444 qsoing

1629       2142       Bluebird 55444 music programme

1640       2145       Veronica 35434 qsoing