Bring on the good conditions

British winter time is here, and with it is my favourite time of year. Yes, the days might be shorter and the weather colder, but we get cosy nights in front of the fire and there are improved propagation conditions and the chance to catch Dutch MW pirate signals here in the UK from early afternoon compared to much later during the height of summer.

Today, for example, at just after 2.30 local time I heard Vrolijke Mijnwerker, followed by Mosfet and Nachtzwerer. Just a few weeks ago I would have been lucky to hear signals at 6pm.

And so I'm ready for a busy autumn and winter tuning around to catch signals, high power and low power, and letting you know all about my catches right here. You'll have noticed that the blog has been gathering dust for the last few months without any updates. It is much easier to update wen I can hear plenty of stations, so you can expect regular bulletins from me as I continue working from home with my radios beside me on the desk!

The Wellbrook loop antenna is pointing towards the Netherlands and here are the stations I've been hearing recently: 

Freq Time Station name SINPO

Monday, November 1, 2021

1660 1431 Vrolijke Mijnwerker 25342-35443 (t)

1620 1447 Mosfet 35333-45444 (q)

1647 1454 Nachtzwerver 25222 (q)

1638 1527 Arizona weak signal (m)

1620 1529 Zwarte Boekanier 35333 (r)

1620 1603 Baanbreker 25222 (q)

1660 1637 Turfsteker 25222 (q)

1665 1647 Digitaal 35343 (q)

1629 1716 Al Capone 35443 (m)

1611 1717 Twentana 35333, 45444 at 1902 (m) 

1629 1720 Admiraal 32442 (q)

1620 1725 Drukstroomjager 45444 (q)

1645 1729 Belladonna 25222-35333 (q)

1635 1734 Drukstroomjager 55444-55555 (q)

1620 1745 Mosfet 45444 (q)

1646 1757 Eigen Risico 35333 (q)

1655 1811 Belladonna 25222-35333 (m)

1665 1827 Vrolijke Mijnwerker 45444 (m)

1620 1829 Wilskracht 35333 (t)

1674 1905 Noordzee 45444 (q)

1646 1945 Oldtimer 45444-55444 (m)

1629 1955 Bluebird 55444 (m)

1616 2006 Zwarte Boekanier 45444

1638 2039 Eigen Risico 35443 (m)

(m) = station was broadcasting a music programme
(q) = station was qsoing
(r) = station asking for a reception report from another station
(t) = station was testing

Observations

• A busy day on the band and cracking signals from some of the big players - Vrolijke Mijnwerker, Mosfet and Bluebird, while Twentana and Oldtimer also had some superb peaks.

• It was interesting to be able to hear station Arizona so early in the day. He usually runs only around 40 watts carrier, so he was doing very well to make it such a distance before nightfall, albeit with a weak signal. Possibly the most interesting catch today was Wilskracht, who was testing on 1620 kHz - quite an unusual frequency for him as he can usually be found higher on the band around 1655.

Saturday, October 30, 2021

1625 2050 Blauwe Koe 35333 (m)

1636 2055 Keizer en de Keizerin 34433 (m)

1640 2055 Yogi Bear 35443-45444 (m)

1652 2055 Moby Dick 45444 (m)

1494 2130 Buzz FM 24422 (m)

Observations

• I didn't manage a huge amount of listening today, but it was good to catch my old pal Dave Norris on 1494 kHz with his dance music station Buzz FM, which was a mainstay of the East Midlands pirate scene in England during the 1990s and lives on via the internet with occasional appearance on MW. The signal here might not have been strong but it was perfectly listenable.

Thursday, October 28, 2021

1620 1638 Admiraal 25332 (r) 

1660 1724 Vrolijke Mijnerker 45434 (r) calling Balkan pirates

1629 1740 Interpol 35333 (q)

1646 1743 Eigen Risico 35333 (m) 

1620 1746 Mosfet 45444 (q)

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

1655 1656 Belladonna 25222-35443 (m)

1665 1737 Digitaal 25222 (m)

1647 1755 Dageraad 25222-35333 (r )

1647 1803 Baanbreker 25222-35333 (q)

1665 1837 Concorde 25332 (m) 50 watts and low antenna

1617 1840 Marianne 35333-45444 (m)

1660 1841 Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444-55555 (q) report for Belladonna

1660 1855 Astronaut 25222 (q)

Monday, October 25, 2021

1611 1515 Zorro 25232 (m)

1616 1519 Zwarte Boekanier 25342 (m)

1665 1607 Josje Power 35333 (m)

1620 1804 Al Capone 24322 (m)

1665 1815 Vrolijke Mijnwerker 45434 (m)

1645 1818 Oldtimer 35333 (m)

1620 1900 Atlantic 35343 (m)

1637 1907 Turftrekker 25332 (m)

Thursday, October 21, 2021

1611 1633 Zorro 25222-35333 (m)

1629 1633 Mosfet 35333-45434 (t)

1655 1633 Belladonna 25222 (m)

1629 1748 Al Capone 25322 (m)#

1636 2043 Orban 45444 (t)

1638 2056 Alabama 45434 (m)  

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

1645 1758 Meteoor 45333 (m)

1629 1804 Vrije Vogel 25222 (m)

1617 1841 Marianne 35333-45444 (m)

Monday, October 18, 2021

1611 1508 Zorro 25332 (m)

1670 1537 Digitaal 35443 (m)

1640 1618 Batavier 35333 (m)

1620 1625 Zwarte Boekanier 25222 (m)

Sunday, October 17, 2021

1645 2140 Monte Carlo 35443 (r) 

Saturday, October 16, 2021

1615 1930 Quintus 35443-45444 (m)

1625 1935 Philadelphia 23322 (m)

1647 1935 Keizer en Keizerin 44444 (m)

1629 1937 Eigen Risico 35333 (m)

1640 1940 Yogi Bear en Einstein 45444 (m)

1665 2104 Arizona weak signal - 25432 (m)

1636 2114 Noordzee 34333-44444 (m)

1647 2125 Eigen Risico 35443 (m)

1635 2215 Monte Carlo (q) 33443 report for Noordzee

1627 2217 Polkaman 35333 (m)

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

1620 1547 Rietvink 25342-35443 (m)

1665 1553 Digitaal 45444 (m)

1629 1554 Mustang 35443 (m)

1630 1619 Akai 34333 (q) report for Mustang

1611 1622 Twentana 35443 (m)

1640 1632 Batavier 35443 (m)

1655 1650 Telefunken 25332-35333 (m)

1620 1655 Simplex 25222 (q)

1620 1702 Zeewolf 25222-25342 (q) 

1630 1709 Zwarte Boekanier 35443 (r) asking for report

1620 1722 Interpol (q) 35443 report for Zeewolf

1620 1737 Monza 45444 (q)

1656 2002 Eigen Risico 35333 (m)

1629 2050 Spakenburg 45444-55555 (t)

1638 2053 Bluebird 55444 (m)

1655 2054 Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444 (q) report for Eigen Risico

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

1611 1546 Zorro 35443, 45444 at 1802 (m)

1629 1705 Admiraal 35333 (t)

1646 1712 Mike 25332 (t) testing horizontal antenna

1635 1724 Admiraal 35443 (t)

1648 1744 Dageraad 23422

1648 1804 Pacman Show 25222 (m)

1617 1836 Marianne 35333 (m)

1663 1851 Digitaal 55444 (m)

Monday, October 11, 2021

1647 1554 Eigen Risico 25342 (m)

1621 1559 Zwarte Boekanier 25232 (m)

1665 1600 Digitaal (m)

1670 1631 Twentana 35333-45444 (m)

1629 1639 Schaduwjager 45434-55555 (q)

1640 1648 Lotus 45444 (q) 

1655 1734 Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444 (t)

1629 1739 Alabama 55444-55555 (m)

1648 1800 Pereboom 35333 (m)

1645 1903 Oldtimer 35333 (m)

Sunday, October 10, 2021

1630 1724 Sapporo 25332 (m)

1617 1724 Bluebird 34443 (m)

1647 1725 Witte Tornado 45444 (m)

1615 1728 Alpenjager 23432 (m)

1665 1815 Digitaal 55444-55555 (m)

1653 2100 Vrolijke Mijnwerker 54444 (m)

1627 2144 Polkaman 25332 (m)

Friday, October 8, 2021

1624 1628 Professor Sickbok 35443 (q)

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

1665 1643 Vrolijke Mijnwerker 35343 (t)

1647 1644 Alabama 35333, 45444 at 1700 (m)

1657 1700 Digitaal 45444 (m)

1629 1712 Dolfijn 25222, 35343 at 1727, 45444 at 1836 (m)

1639 1720 Telefunken 35343 (m)

1611 1728 Interpol 35333-45444 (m)

1645 1737 Concorde 25332-35443 (m)

1663 1842 Tufsteker 25222-35333 (m)

1625 1859 Sapporo 25222 (m)

1647 1900 Kleine Man 35433-45444 (m)

1665 1920 Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55434 (m)

1615 2018 Batavia 35333 (m)

1629 2018 Pandora 45434-55444 (t)

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

1638 1605 Ros Am 25342-35443 (m)

1645 1629 JB 25332 

1630 1704 Pandora 35443 (q)

1629 1706 Schaduwjager 45444 (q)

1620 1709 Admiraal 35443 (q)

1646 1712 Telefunken 25222 (q)

1644 1725 Concorde 25332 (q)

1647 1738 Concorde 35443 (m)

1620 1847 Meteoor 45444 (m)

1645 1855 Concorde 35333 (q)

1645 1900 Alabama 55444 (q)

1637 1943 Eigen Risico 25332-35343 (q)

Monday, October 4, 2021

1620 1539 Zwarte Boekanier 25242

1611 1801 Zorro 35333 (m)

1656 1909 Armada 35333 (m)

Sunday, October 3, 2021

1655 2115 Wilskracht 45444 (m)

1648 2120 Pereboom 45444 (q)

1630 2240 Pandora 55444 (m)

Saturday, October 2, 2021

1674 1548 Noordzee 25442 (m)

1647 1727 Keizer en Keizerin 35333 (m)