Greetings from the radio room high in the sky in the centre of the UK, where I have been busy listening to lots of Dutch pirates since the turn of the year. I promised to update the blog more often during 2024 than I managed last year, so I'm staying true to my word with my second update of the year. Here's what I've heard recently:
(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
I switched on the radio this evening to find three stations on air. I soon got some identifications, finding out Soto was using 1621 kHz, Moonbreaker was broadcasting on 1647 kHz, and that low-power pirate Kleine Beer was on 1638 kHz. I have heard the Little Bear a few times recently but I didn’t know anything about him and his station. However, I made contact with him through WhatsApp this evening and he tells me that he runs just 100 watts of power, with his coil antenna standing at nine metres high. Many of the Dutch pirates have antennas at great height which often explains why their signals get out so well. However, although the Kleine Beer’s antenna is not so high (the coil sits just above the top of his house), he is still getting a good signal across the North Sea and he was very happy with my report. He even sent across some photos to share with you, and you can see the studio, transmitter and power meter here:
Saturday, January 13, 2024
16411634Turftrekker 35533-45444, 55555 at 2057 (m)
16291649Tarzan 25332 (m)
16201756Philadelphia 25232 (m)
16201833Delfzijl 44444 (m)
16291842Blauwe Fazant 35333 (m)
16351912Schaduwjager 45444-55555 (m)
16552009Kristal 35443-55444 (m)
16652036Technical Man 45444 (m)
Wednesday, January 10 2024
16381802Mike 45444-55555 (m)
16471807Dikke Berta 45444 (m)
16601857Black Power 35333 (m)
16381929Kleine Beer 25332 (m)
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
16321403Dutchman weak signal (m)
16381448Dikke Berta weak signal
16651645Digitaal 45444-55555 (m)
16291646Optimod 45444 (t)
16381647San Antonio weak signal (m)
16151736Waterman 25322 (m)
16501749Stem vanaf Drenthe 35333-45444 (q) report for Optimod
16651756Armada weak signal (m)
16221829Polkaman weak signal(m)
16401841Nachtrijder weak signal (m)
16201934Marianne 44444 (m)
16651946Kleine Man 45444 (m)
16382000Luka 25222 (m)
Monday, January 8, 2024
16321529Dutchman weak signal-25322 (m)
16201529Zwarte Boekanier 25322 (m)
16461534Eigen Risico weak signal-25322 (m)
16401635Studio Friesland 25442 (q)
16291640Stem van Twente 24332-35443 (m)
16201712Monza 25332-35443 (t)
16371712Lotus 45444-55555 ( r)
16351746Bonanza 35333 (q)
16401748Casablanca 45444-55555 (t)
16291748Schaduwjager 55444-55555 (q)
16311754Lotus 55444-55555 (q)
16401814Nachtrijder weak signal-25322 (m)
16421935Oldtimer 45444-55555 (m)
16291940Mike 45444-55555 (t)
16651954Armada 35333 (m)
16552020Eigen Risico 35333 (m)
Observations
Again some cracking signals this evening and plenty of maximum sinpos. One of those belonged to Mike Radio, who was on air to test out a transmitter that he wants to sell! He gave out all the details during the broadcast, making this the first time I've heard a sales pitch on air!
The other big-hitters on air tonight were Oldtimer, Lotus, Schaduwjager and Casablanca. It's been a good while since I heard Hans from Emmen on my radio, so I made a little video of the reception:
As well as the power stations, there were some low-power operators on air, including Nachtrijder, who I don't hear very often and Studio Friesland, who I was hearing for the first time in several year.
Sunday, January 7, 2024
16351657Moonbreaker 35443, 45444 at 1846 (m)
16471657Witte Tornado 35433 (m)
16651658Digitaal 45444-55555 (m)
16561844Delfzijl 45444 (m)
16952210Korenklopper 45444 (m)
Saturday, January 6, 2024
16292125Turftrekker 35433-45444 (m)
16752126Technical Man 35443-45444 (m)
16452127YogiBear 44444-55555 (m)
16652128Digitaal 45444-55555 (m)
16252140Polkaman weak signal-23422 (m)
16202156Philadelphia weak signal-25422 (m)
16292215Blauwe Koe 45434-55555 (m)
Observations
Some wonderful signals audible from the Netherlands this evening. Yogi Bear (1645 kHz), Digitaal (1665) and Blauwe Koe (1629) all hit the magical sinpo of 55555 during their broadcasts.
I hope you all had the most wonderful Christmas and have started the new year in fine style. It has been a long while since I wrote on the blog, but it's more that time so often gets away from me than anything else. I've been listening to the radio most days, I've met up with great radio pals in the last few weeks and I have plenty to write about, so my resolution for 2024 is to update this blog as regularly as I can. Now, I have said this before and then failed, so I will be trying my very best this year!
When I'm tuning the bands, this is where I can be found, hidden away at the top of the house. I have a variety of receivers here, and it's still all old-style - no SDRs. The radio I tend to use most of all is the Kenwood R-5000 but the piece of kit doing most of the work is the Wellbrook loop. The company who made this excellent apparatus closed down last year so I'm not sure what I will do when the antenna comes to the end of its life, but it's still going strong and I hope that is the case for many more years to come.
As it has been so long since I last wrote on here, there is a lengthy gap in the log book. I'm not going to fill in all the missing dates, but I'll take it back to the beginning of December:
16382236Montecarlo 35333-45444 (r) report for Spakenburg
(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
Interesting to hear Radio Korenbloem this evening. His is a name that does not crop up too often for me, so when I find out that he is running only 90 watts this evening and with his antenna at only ten metres high, then it even more impressive that a listenable signal is arriving from across the North Sea on 1674 kHz.
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
16201950Marianne 43433-45444 (m)
16332210Monte Carlo 34333 (m)
Monday, January 1, 2024
16381359Alabama weak signal (m)
16361555Mi Amigo 25332, 35443 at 1623 (m)
15121635Buzz/Blackbeard 25322 (m)
16471702San Antonio weak signal (m)
16361706Bonanza 25222-35333 (m)
16461741Rietvink 35333, 45444 at 1849 (m)
16201818Marskramer 35333-45444 (m)
16561849Concorde 24332-34333 (m)
16401913Marconist 35333-45444 (m)
16461924Oldtimer 45444 (m)
Observations
The first day of a brand new year and the first thing I notice when switching on the receivers is that the noise level has dropped. People in the neighbourhood must have switched off their Christmas lights, so that’s a great boost for me when it comes to listening to the Dutch pirates. One of the most important things for listening, in my opinion, is a low noise level - get that down as far as possible and the signals will come through, even from those stations running very low power.
At just before 2pm in the UK I can hear traces of Alabama on 1638 kHz. A couple of hours later he is somewhat stronger and, when he ends the broadcast, Mi Amigo switches his transmitter on to 1636 kHz. A little later I hear Rietvink on 1646 kHz from the Veluwe and, when he closes down, station Marconist from the same region switches on to 1640 and spins an interesting collection of records, including plenty of British music. I always enjoy it when stations co-operate on the frequencies in this way - it shows a lovely collaborative spirit and proves that by and large the pirate family is a nice place to reside.
Later in the evening, Turftrekker was busy playing music on 1642 kHz. I missed this, but my comrade Nigel in the centre of the UK was listening and made this ace video of his reception:
Sunday, December 31, 2023
16451758Barones (m)
16551759Eigen Risico 24322 (m)
16201839Rebel 24222 (m)
Observations
It's always good to hear Radio Barones on my radio, especially on the last day of the year as we reflect on what has gone by. Baro was one of the first pirates I met in the Netherlands, and that was now over 30 years ago! Nice to see his signal is getting out well, as this recording from YouTuber AlexBLR in Belarus - some 1,500 Km away - demonstrates:
Friday, December 29, 2023
16381907Alabama 45444 (m)
16201907Philadelphia weak signal-25332 (m)
16291907Bizon 44444 (m)
16302143Polkaman weak signal-24332 (m)
16352216Electron 25332 (m)
16352332Pandora 35333-45434 (r) report for Electron
Observations
The best signal of the evening belonged to Alabama. Here's a taster of how he was received here:
Thursday, December 28, 2023
16202134Marskramer 35443 (m)
16292135Delfzijl 34333-45444 (m)
16452135Kristal 35443 (m)
16562135Spakenburg 45444 (m)
16702135Blauwe Koe 45444 (m)
16302233Polkaman weak signal-25322 (m)
Monday, December 25, 2023
15121635Buzz FM 24432 (m)
16291636Musky 25332-35333 (m)
16361645Twee Gebroeders 24332-35333 (m)
16551654Turfsteker 24222 (t)
16292045Orban 44444-55555 (m)
16442050Blauwe Koe 35333-45444 (t)
16552103Eigen Risico 25332-35333 (m)
Observations
Christmas Day 2023 and I’ve slipped away to the radios before we eat. It’s dark here in the UK now and my first stop on the dial is 1512 kHz where I am expecting to hear my old mate Buzz FM. He’s been a regular on MW recently and his signal can get out pretty well, particularly earlier in the evening. Sure enough, I hear the classic 90s dance music on the frequency and I know I have found him. The signal is peaking pretty nicely and I send him a reception report which he is grateful to receive.
Further up the band I hear music on 1620 kHz, 1629 and 1636. Now comes the game I enjoy - finding out which stations are the ones I can hear. Back in the good old days, the only way to do this was to listen and to wait, but there are various other avenues open to us these days. I do often listen to a particular frequency for a decent length of time, but I also enjoy IDing stations, so I’m often checking the various WhatsApp groups I am in, and also checking in with other listening friends in the UK and the Netherlands to see what they can hear. We then often take a different frequency each and wait for the station identification.
The station on 1636 kHz reveals itself to be Twee Gebroeders from Twente. They are a Christmas regular with long programmes on the frequency and there is a good chance they will be on the channel for the next few days.
After a few minutes a signal arrives on 1655 kHz and I listen to some music before finding out it is Radio Turfsteker with a short test transmission.
After food time I pop back to the radio and find out that 1629 was Musky, but there is another station on the frequency now with a booming signal and awesome modulation, while on 1644 kHz is Blauwe Koe coming in loud and clear.
Sunday, December 24, 2023
16552150Oliebollenbakkers 45444 (m)
15122155Buzz FM 25322-35333 (m)
16382156Moonlight 24332 (m)
16472157Witte Tornado 35333 (m)
16332202Eigen Risico 24232 (m)
Observations
I never like to wrap Christmas presents too early. In fact, it’s almost a tradition that I leave it until Christmas Eve and then do the job while my radio is switched on and the Dutch pirates are blaring out. Today was no exception. At nearly 10pm local time I am up in the radio room making the presents for my wife look pretty while listening to a big signal on 1655 kHz. Now, regular listeners to this part of the band at this time of year will know that a station on this frequency at night time during the festive season almost certainly belongs to the Oliebollenbakkers. And sure enough, it turns out to be them. Oliebollen is a traditional doughnut eaten at this time of the year and the name is one used by a group of stations in Friesland who get together over Christmas - mainly Yogi Bear, Dr Einstein, Relmus and Batavier, together with various others who visit the studio. Many beers are consumed over the course of these broadcasts as the pirates enjoy themselves behind the scenes. What we don’t know is how many oliebollen are actually eaten while the transmitter is on air!
Daytime reception of the Dutch pirates on 1.6 MHz is quite rare at this location, although it does happen sometimes. Facebook can be handy to find out who is on air when conditions don't allow me to hear first-hand, and there can also be some insights from behind the scenes - like this video posted from Zwarte Boer today:
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
16651640Digitaal 45444 (m)
16541736Noordzee 25222
16201806Robin Hood 23322 (m)
16391808Bonanza 35333 (m)
16551808Eigen Risico 25222-35333 (m)
16281809Al Capone 24222 (m)
16201930Marianne 45444 (m)
16381935Bluebird 45444 (m)
15752030Melkbus 25322 testing
Monday, December 11, 2023
16361555Calipso 25222-35333 (m) stream via Mi Amigo
16261605Zwarte Boekanier 25232 (m)
16651659Josje Power 35333 (t)
16201701Zwarte Man 35333-45444 (m)
16601702Ijsvogel 35333 (q)
16301708Schaduwjager 45444 (q)
16201900Black Power 35333-45444 (m)
16291903Columbia 35333-45434 (m)
16471904Nachtzwerver 24222-35443 (m)
16361928Glimlach van Twente (Mi Amigo) 45434 (t)
16561953Eigen Risico 35333 (m)
16402240Monte Carlo 35333 (q)
16352304Pandora 45434 (m)
Saturday, December 9, 2023
16201801Torpedojager NWO 25222 (m)
16281843Mi Amigo 25222-35333 (m)
16551843Oliebollenbakkers 45444 (m)
Friday, December 8, 2023
16461450Digitaal 25342 (m)
16321624Dutchman weak signal (m)
16651644Josje Power 25222-35333 (m)
16401644Musky weak signal (m)
16291644Vrolijke Mijnwerker 35333 (m)
16201720King Kong 45444 (m)
16451802Baanbreker 25232 (q).
16291834Dikke Berta 35333-45434, 55555 at 1907 (t)
16451900Quintus 35333 (t)
16531907Nachtzwerver 25322-35333 (m)
16672310Monte Carlo 35333 (m)
16382313Tarzan 25222 (m)
16552313Nachtzwerver 25222 (m)
Observations
It’s been a long time since I heard anything from the Netherlands on 1.6 MHz during the afternoon, so today I was delighted to hear music on 1646 before 3pm local time. With music from Londonbeat and The Spencer Davis Group playing away, the signal was by no means strong, but with minimal fading it was listenable, and turned out to be afternoon/evening regular Digitaal actually using a slightly unconventional frequency for him as he is often up at 1670 kHz and higher.
