On the high seas (sort of)

For the last week I've been at sea. Well, my family and I were on some of Britain's canals, gently coasting along at around four miles an hour. And as we relaxed and enjoyed the great weather I noticed a few things that reminded me of the pirate hobby . . . 

It's been a little while since I heard Odynn on MW, but he was testing with a new antenna a couple of months ago and will hopefully be active during the autumn and winter months. As for Alaska, looking back at the logs I see it was just about 12 months ago I last heard him, and before that he was making it across the North Sea on New Year's Eve 2012. 

Anyway, it was nice to be reminded of the pirates as we meandered along some countryside waterways, and I even managed a little listening with my old Sony ICF 2001d and small portable loop. Now, tuning the bands while inside a metal box isn't ideal and there was all sorts of interference, even with most appliances switched off. So, on Thursday night in the pitch dark I took the receiver and loop outside and sat at the front of the boat and was very surprised to hear some cracking signals, none more so than Professor Sickbok, who was very strong on 1640 while qsoing with Casablanca. 

We're back home now and I've been doing some antenna maintenance. Yesterday I replaced the coax cable in the shortwave dipole antenna and tomorrow I'll be reinstalling the outdoor loop antenna which has been on the sidelines for a couple of weeks waiting for a new part. I can't wait to get it back in working order - it's essential for pulling in weaker signals on AM, and I've been lost without it. Trying to listen to MW, for example, with a SW antenna is not ideal and it's frustrating when signals are being received with only a fraction of the strength they should be, together with loads of noise as well. The right antenna for the job is so important . . . 

Antenna work

Today I've been busy with my MW coil antenna, making the earth connections to the mast, and there's not much more to do now. Soon, as well as the loop antenna I use for listening to all the pirates, I'll have the coil antenna in action as well. I used this a couple of years ago for a short time, but the earth I had was minimal so I abandoned it. But this summer I've placed lots of copper pipe in the ground which should help it work better. As many of the Dutch pirates use this antenna to transmit with, I'm hopeful to get an improvement in reception. Also, two good MW antennas on the go will mean that, with the help of the noise cancelling enhancer I've got, it will be much easier to null any unwanted local interference. In short, the antenna situation here will be improved this autumn and I'll be ready to hear lots of pirate signals from across the North Sea.

The band seems to be getting a little busier again following a drop in activity levels following some work from the Dutch authorities, issues warning letters to some MW pirates and paying the odd visit here and there. Also, now the days are becoming shorter, signals can be heard for longer over here, which is a real plus. Whereas during the summer it is often late evening before stations are audible, I can already hear them from around 1700 utc - as the weeks pass by and the clocks change later this month, the signals will start to arrive earlier and earlier.

There has been some excellent propagation just recently as well. Take Sunday evening, when there were some tremendous signals to be heard. Have a listen to this mp3 and you'll see what I mean.  

Dutch pirate signals on MW heard in England (September 28, 2014) by Mw_Pirate Fan on Mixcloud

That mp3 kicks off with Quintus, who is followed by Pontiac, Moonbreker, Schaduwjager, Viking, Witte Tornado and Blue Star Star. The standout signals are Pontiac and Schaduwjager. Both are usually very strong here, but they were local quality this time. Amazing!

Time now for the latest logs from this side:

Monday, September 29, 2014

1645       1723       Blauwe Reiger 35443 qsoing

1633       1734       Vrijevogel 25222 music programme

1643       1736       Baanbreker 34333 qsoing

1640       1753       Pecon 45434 qsoing

1640       1756       Free Netherlands (Klaverboer) 25222 qsoing

1613       1804       Black Power 45444 short test

1620       1824       Calipso 55444 music programme

1655       1901       Carona 35333-45344 music programme

1646       1902       Zwarte Bizon 45344 qsoing

1655       2150       Wilskracht 35343 music programme

1636       2230       Pandora 55444-55555 testing

1647       2236       Jeneverstoker 35333 report for Pandora

Sunday, September 28, 2014

1620       0510       Santana 45344 music programme

1647       1703       Witte Tornado 35343, 45444 at 1740, 55444 at 1828 music programme

1671       1734       Viking 25332, 45444 at 1900 music programme

1629       1755       Quintus 45434-55444 music programme               

1620       1828       Moonbreker 34333-45444 music programme

1636       1830       Schaduwjager 55555 testing

1660       1842       Pontiac 55444-55555 music programme

1655       2211       Vliegende Schotel 35333 asking for a report

1636       2217       Pandora 55444 music programme

1630       2325       Bluestar 35333 testing

Saturday, September 27, 2014

1647       1645       Casablanca 34333 qsoing

1620       1650       Akai 34333 qsoing

1636       1650       Keizer en Keizerin 34343 music programme

1646       1654       Vendor 25342 qsoing

1630       1708       Bonte Specht 25332-35333

1648       1712       Zeewolf weak signal qsoing 

1648       1801       Pecon 35333 qsoing

1655       1841       Relmus 45434 music programme

1648       2043       Moby Dick 55444 music programme

1665       2049       Polkaman 25222 music programme

1630       2053       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 43443-54444

1620       2105       Calipso 54444 music programme

1630       2235       Blue Star 35443 testing

1655       2239       Wilskracht 24332-34333 music programme

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

1640       2007       Wadloper 35333-45444 testing modulation

1620       2231       Calipso 55444 music programme

1636       2255       Pandora 45444 report for Calipso

1648       2255       Monte Carlo 35333 report for Calipso

1640       2306       Monte Carlo 35333 report for Calipso

Monday, September 22, 2014

1636       2146       Mi Amigo 25222-35333 music programme

1648       2228       Monte Carlo 35333 report for Mi Amigo

Saturday, September 20, 2014

1629       1907       Quintus 35333 music programme

1645       1908       Batavier music programme

1611       1908       Barones 35333 music programme

1636       1912       Keizer en Keizerin 35333 music programme

1647       2247       Nachtzwerver 35333-45344 qsoing

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

1650       0032       Jeneverstoker 25222 qsoing

1636       2204       Romax 44444 music programme

1620       2205       Calipso 55555 music programme

1650       2205       Mi Amigo 35333

Observations

• Because of the recent AT activity some stations have been changing their name. So, you might hear one that you think is new when actually it's an old hand with a different ID!
  

• It was good to hear Blauwe Reiger for the first time in a while on Monday. Also good to catch Wilskracht a little later in the evening. When I was in the Netherlands in August I was driving around with Relmus and we went down the street where Wilskracht lives. I was looking at his antenna when we suddenly noticed the man himself chatting to his neighbour! We had a little talk, and that was another Dutch pirate I've had the pleasure of meeting. Strange for him that a listener from England should suddenly be driving past his home!
• On Sunday morning I set the computer to record 1620 kHz from 6am local time (0500 utc) thinking I might hear Zonnester with his regular programme. When I listened back to the recording, there was indeed a station on the frequency, but it was Santana and with a fine signal, too
• Moonbreker was a new name for me on Sunday evening. He was broadcasting from Twente and giving out the email address moonbreker@gmail.com
• On Saturday it was good to hear Zeewolf on MW for the first time in a while. Although the signal was weak, it was around 1700 utc and so still early and before the sun had set. He was using only 40 watts

The Calipso jukebox

Monday night has been exceptionally quiet at 1611 kHz and upwards. In fact, I've been tuning around since 2100 and, over three hours later, I've heard only three stations. It seems most operators are still lying low. 

One who has been braving the airwaves is Calipso, who is just about to close down on 1620 kHz as I write these words. He's been playing requests throughout the evening and pumping a strong signal into the UK. As our regular reader Terry from Bristol commented on my last post, Calipso is always heard well in the UK, and tonight was no exception, as you can hear from this recording . . . 

Calipso 1620 (September 15, 2014) by Mw_Pirate Fan on Mixcloud

There was a nice surprise on 6397 kHz at around 0900 utc on Monday morning when Good Ship Venus was playing out a programme of Weekend Music Radio that aired over the weekend. The signal from Scotland was very good here, and further evidence that propagation is changing as the summer drifts away and autumn starts to arrive.

Like I say, MW has been quiet recently because of all the AT activity and I haven't posted any logs for some weeks, so let's bring things up to date:

Monday, September 15, 2014
1620       2112       Calipso 55444-55555 music programme
1636       2229       Mi Amigo 24322-34333 music programme
1630       2254       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444-55555

Saturday, September 13, 2014
1620       1828       Calipso 55544-55555 music programme
1637       1831       Keizer en Keizerin 35343 music programme
1611       2021       Turftrekker 34443-55544 qsoing
1630       2021       Pioneer 35333 testing
1648       2021       Moby Dick 45444-55544 music programme
1620       2029       Schaduwjager 55444 qsoing
1620       2034       Akai 34333-45444 qsoing
1629       2057       Python 25222 testing
1651       2156       Turfsteker 33433-44444
1666       2219       Digitaal 55444 music programme              
1628       2219       Zwarte Panter 24332-35443 music programme
1641       2222       Monte Carlo 55444 qsoing
1655       2226       Turfsteker 34443-44444 qsoing

Thursday, September 11, 2014
1650       2005       Kristal 35333-45444 music programme
1629       2046       Golden Oldy (Atletico) 25222-35333 music programme 
1655       2158       Plof Kip (Witte Kat) 35333 qsoing
1654       2201       Studio 69 35333-45444 qsoing
1621       2205       Pioneer 35333 testing

Monday, September 8, 2014
1633       1940       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444 report for Vrijvogel

Sunday, September 7, 2014
1655       2050       Studio 69 35333-45444 music programme
1638       2055       Bluebird 45444-55555 music programme
1665       2057       Polkaman 34333 music programme
1647       2057       Witte Tornado 45444-55444 music programme

Saturday, September 6, 2014
1620       2043       Schaduwjager 55444-55555
1611       2044       Barones 44444-55544 music programme 
1643       2046       Batavier 35333 music programme
1648       2046       Moby Dick 55444 music programme
1635       2053       Yogi Bear 23322-44444 music programme
1653       2054       Nachtzwerver 25332-35333 music programme
1656       2113       Nachtzwerver 25332-35333 music programme

Monday, September 1, 2014
1638       2140       Bluebird 45444-55444 music programme
1620       2146       Spanningzoeker 45434-55544 qsoing
1647       2154       Monte Carlo 34333-44444 qsoing
1648       2227       Casablanca 45434 qsoing
1620       2228       Soerabaya 25222 qsoing
1620       2240       813 25222 qsoing
1650       2250       Spanningzoeker 55444 qsoing
1634       2305       Jeneverstoker 35333 qsoing

Thursday, August 14, 2014
1611       2116       Armada 24322-35333 music programme
1620       2117       Calipso 55544-55555 music programme
1655       2117       Mohammed Ali, Drentse Variant & James Bond 55444-55555 music
show for Carona
1640       2118       Noordzee 35333-45444 music programme
1625       2119       Atletico 23322-34443 music programme
1645       2120       Batavier 25222-35433 music programme
1663       2201       Nachtzwerver 25222-35333 testing
1637       2205       Toulouse 35443-45444 report for Noordzee
1620       2216       Montecarlo 44444 report for Noordzee
1636       2217       Repower 35433 report for Toulouse
1636       2226       Romax 35433-45444 qsoing
1655       2230       Carona 45444 report for James Bond etc
1648       2232       Jeneverstoker 35433 report for James Bond etc
1663       2246       Monte Carlo 35433-45444 qsoing
1620       2350       Soerabaya weak signal
1650       0010       Jeneverstoker 25332-35333 testing
1636       0039       Pandora 44444-55444 report for Jeneverstoker

Saturday, August 9, 2014
1476       1950       Edelkampioen 33533-45544 music programme

Friday, August 8, 2014
1620       1908       Sterrekijker 35453 music programme
1620       1956       Calipso 35453
1645       1908       Relmus 35453 music programme

Thursday, August 7, 2014
1611       2115       Brugwachter
1620       2120       Schaduwjager 55444 qsoing
1620       2126       Meteoor 35333-45343 qsoing
1671       2126       Armada 35333-45444 music programme
1638       2126       Bluebird music programme
1654       2127       Kristal 35333-45444 music programme
1629       2129       Atletico 25222-35333 music programme
1615       2150       Polkakanon 25232 music programme
1662       2154       Wilskracht 34333 qsoing
1655       2331       Studio 69 45333-45444 qsoing

Worrying times

I've been a little quiet with my words on the blog in the last few weeks - there's always something to keep me busy. But I've been tuning the bands and doing plenty of radio listening, although the top of the MW in particular has gone very quiet of late. The reason: the Agentschap Telecom (AT) has been very active in the Netherlands. 

In the last few years the proliferation of high-power FM pirates has kept the AT very busy, but as more and more of these stations have been taken off air while fines become ever bigger, it seems attention has been turned to pirates broadcasting on MW.

A few weeks ago I heard that Radio 0511 was taken off air, a station that has been broadcasting every Sunday for some time. Another who can be heard with a regular weekend programme is Radio Sanussie on 1512. However, I understand they had a visit from the AT last Sunday. From what I hear, other stations who have been told to cease transmissions include Denappel, Sterrekijker and Bluebird. They could also be facing payment of a hefty fine.

So, if you think MW is a little quiet when you are tuning around for pirates, increased AT activity could be the reason as stations take a slightly lower profile.

Back from pirate land

So it's been a little while since I posted on the blog. The reason? A holiday in pirate land! It had been a couple of years since we visited the Netherlands, so on July 30 we headed across the North Sea for a week in the sun and to visit some pirate friends. 

I must say a very big thank you to Radio Batavier, Relmus, Barones and Zeewolf for being so kind with looking after me and wife and two girls so well and for making sure we had a great time. Thank you also to everyone else we visited who made sure our trip was just perfect.

We travelled all around the Netherlands, starting in the west and moving via the north to the east. We visited plenty of pirates and even had a party with Barones when broadcasters from across the country visited and drank some beers into the early hours of the morning. In fact, it was 0500 when I finally got to bed that day!

Here's the lowdown of the pirate operators I met during our seven-day stay in the Netherlands. Hopefully I haven't missed anybody off the list!

Akai
Arabier
Barones
Batavier
Calipso
Einstein
Foxfire
Havana
MRF

Napoleon
New Wave
Powerliner
Relmus
Sluwe Vos
Snowman
Yogi Bear
Wadloper
Wilskracht
Witte Reus
Zeewolf
Zwarte Non

And there were plenty of antennas to see belonging to pirates we didn't have time to meet, as there were other things to do. For example, we visited the great Waarbeek family fun park in Hengelo and the Speelstad Oranje theme park, which Herman of Radio Zeewolf arranged and took us to. It was perfect for the children, and a great day for the adults too. And we also managed to get a close-up look at the incredible 300-metre radio mast nearby at Smilde, which is billed as being the most important in the country, serving no end of local radio and tv stations. In July 2011 it was hit by fire and collapsed, but to look at it now, you would never know . . .

Another interesting trip we took was with Foppe of Radio Batavier to Harlingen where we saw the lightship Jenni Baynton, home to Radio Waddenzee. Although it was all locked up when we visited in the harbour, it will be out at sea from next Wednesday as it broadcasts live from the ocean for 11 days. Here are a few photos I took . . .

We also paid a short visit to the transmitter site of Radio Waddenzee. Interestingly, some of the pirate antennas I've seen in the Netherlands are somewhat higher . . . 

Once again, a big thank you to everybody who we spent time with during our holiday. And apologies we never got to see some of the people we would have liked - there never seems to be enough time. Hopefully we will return soon and continue our pirate tour!

That makes a refreshing change

I was down in the radio room doing some work today and at about 7pm I switched on the Kenwood R5000. Not much on SW, so I had a quick scan at the top of the MW band, not expecting to hear anything as it was several hours before sunset and conditions are not great at this time of year. But I was very happy to be proven wrong as there were already a couple of stations coming through, and with good signals.

Now the longest day of the year is a few weeks gone, perhaps this is the start of improved reception of the Dutch pirates for me. I hope so.

Here's some of the stations I heard today:

Monday, July 21, 2014

1640       2115       Veronica 44333-44444 qsoing

1655       2116       Sluwe Vos 34333 qsoing   

1625       2116       Zwarte Panter (Oldenzaal) 33333 

1654       2119       Studio 69 34333-44444 qsoing

1633       2121       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444 qsoing

1611       2122       Brugwachter 55444 qsoing

1638       2123       Bluebird 55444-55555 music programme

1644       2123       Uniek 34333 music programme

1617       2125       Soerabaya 24222-34333 testing

1612       2130       Monte Carlo 55444 qsoing

1655       2132       Batavier 44444 qsoing

1666       2133       Snowman 24222-34333 music programme

1655       2136       Vliegende Schotel 44444 qsoing

1631       2143       Monte Carlo 44333 qsoing

1670       2146       Digitaal 55444 qsoing

1658       2225       Monte Carlo 55444 qsoing

1670       2301       Batavier 35333-45444 testing

1648       2322       Casablanca 55444 asking for report

Observations

• The storms we've seen across the UK and the Netherlands over the last couple of days have died away and there was plenty of action on the band, including some low-power transmissions. Snowman continues to do very well and was busy with a music programme on 1665, although his accent continues to confuse me as he sounds very much like fellow Friesland pirate Witte Raaf! 
• It was also good to hear Soerabaya, Uniek and Zwarte Panter, who all use low power
• Brugwachter, Bluebird, Vrolijke Mijnwerker, Digitaal, Casablanca and Monte Carlo led the way with strong signals, although Batavier was pretty strong at times despite running with only 100 watts. He sent these pictures taken in his studio while on air . . .

Fire and Batavier

With some cracking weather in the UK last weekend we spent plenty of time outside. And on Saturday night, the bluetooth speaker was on the patio as we listened to Radio Batavier with a long programme on 1645. He had Wittereus in his studio and was on air for a good few hours playing music. We enjoyed a barbecue and then sat round the fire listening to a signal getting stronger and stronger as the sun went down . . .

Saturday night round the fire - with our
antenna mast in the background

A cracking sunset on Sunday

Batavier is back on air this evening, again around 1645 and with a good signal despite conditions before far from optimum and plenty of static on the band. Also active and audible here are Armada (1611 kHz), Bluebird (1638), Studio 69 (1655) and Soerabaya (1622).