Logs from Newfoundland, Dec. 21-27, horrible conditions

[newfoundland dxer]

Hi everyone:

This has been a very dissappointing week. I have been looking forward to my Christmas holidays for months, as an chance to take advantage of the long hours of darkness, and perphaps listen to pirates throughout the day. The last few weekends have proven that all-day reception is possible, so I was doubly excited.

Unfortunately, conditions on shortwave were horrible. I got up early most mornings, but only managed a few weak receptions. Daytimes were completely dead on the bands. To make things worse, a horribly loud, intermittant static noise started on Thursday, became worse on Christmas day (I could only get a carrier from Mystery!), and gradually lessened on Saturday. Even when the noise ended, however, conditions were still poor Sunday morning. The only good points of the week were several new medium wave stations heard Monday and Tuesday (and hearing Radio Mistletoe for the first time).

Readers may note fewer North American logs in my reports. Because of recent disgusting developments in the frn, I will no longer be posting on that site, nor will I be reporting stations associated with the pathetic, and dangerous, goons that really run the frn. (Goons that publish a possible pirates identity, ham call sign, employer and information about their children on the frn, or goons who name his home town and discuss how easy it would be to spread information to his neighbours that he is a pedophile who preys on small children. Both of these posts have since been removed, but the posters are still in the frn, and the possible pirate has been booted.) For your own protection my friends: Beware the frn and anyone who remains associated with it!!!

Monday, Deccember 21
6375,0 . . 1015-1045 . Radio Baken 16 , music and talk, peaked at 24442 around 1030, sounded like a Dutch song, then faded back out
1636,1 . . 2108-2114 . Radio Nooitgedacht , slow weak music (Dutch, I think), ID via Iann's chat, 24341
1645,5 . . 2114-2124 . Radio Calypso , barely audible music, ID via Iann's chat
1665,0 . . 2219-2220 . Radio Monte Carlo , very weak talk in Dutch for 1 minute, then c/d, ID via Iann's chat24341
1663,3 . . 2223-2224 . Radio Fa. Nordzee , very weak music, few words of talk, music and c/d, ID via Iann's chat14341
1645,0 . . 2227-2229 . Radio Euromast , very weak music, louder talk by deep-voiced man, maybe some music, c/d, ID via Iann's chat, 24341
1644,9 . . 2229-2232 . Radio Santana , few notes of music poking through the noise, barely audible, ID via Iann's chat
1645,0 . . 2241-2242 . Radio Kleine Vogel , very weak music, few words of talk, music and c/d, ID via Iann's chat, 14341

Tuesday, December 22
1645,0 . . 2102-2104 . Radio Spanningzoeker , instrumental music, talk in Dutch, music, c/d, ID via Iann's chat, 24342
1666,0 . . 2218-2213 . Radio Armada , polka, talk in Dutch, ID via Iann's chat, 24342
1645,0 . . 2136-2147 . Radio Mustang , weak music and talk, ID via Iann's chat, 24341
3935,3 . . 2213-2220 . Cupid Radio , music, despite horrible ham QRM, managed to catch ID and greetings, 32442
6304,9 . . 2243-2310 . Cupid Radio , music, talk and greetings to listners in Iann's chat, 34342
6305,0 . . 2329-2345 . Radio Caroline , very weak music and talk, ID confirmed by op, 24441

Wednesday, December 23
6308,7 . . 0912-0920 . Sonnet Radio Europe , pop music, ID at 1919, 24442
6420,8 . . 1014-1019 . Radio Dutchwing , music, ID, 24341
6305v. . . 1049-1330 . Radio Mazda , Dutch music, occassional IDs, 24341
6400,0 . . 1231-1240 . Sonnet Radio Europe , barely audible music and talk, ID via Iann's chat
6925,0 . . 1725-1735 . Channel Z Radio (US) , 5th anniversary show, 24331
3890,0 . . 1915-2225 . Skyline Radio , playing classic rock tonight, IDs and greetings, excellent signal tonight (and relatively ham free!), 44443
1655,0 . . 2208-0125 . Radio Blauwe Doffer , very weak music and talk, ID via Iann's chat, 14331
3904,9 . . 2225-2305 . UNID , pop music audible occassionally between the hams, not quite loud enough to recognize the songs, and no announcement heard, 23341

Thursday, December 24
1645,0 . . 0049-0100 . Radio Santana , very weak music faded in for about 10 minutes, ID via Iann's chat, 14331
6416,7 . . 0912-0942 . Radio Marconi , dance music, "Stairway to Heaven", ID, 24342
6415.0 . . 0955-1015 . Radio Lowland , barely audible music and talk, ID via Iann's chat
6417,0 . . 1030-1035 . Radio Marconi , returned after Lowland c/d, music, much weaker than earlier, ID via Iann's chat, 14341
6375,0 . . 1035-1038 . Radio Baken 16 , barely audible music, ID via Iann''s chat
6305,0 . . 1928-0100 . Overijssel Radio , Dutch music, female announcer, 24241 (but occassional nice peaks)
1636,0 . . 2323-2345 . Radio Orban , weak music and talk, fading in and out, heard a few clear words, but were in Dutch, ID via Iann's chat, 24331
1664,3 . . 2350-2353 . Radio Jan de Roos , weak talk and music, ID via Iann's chat, 14341

Friday, December 25
6925,0u . 0145-0215 . WTCR (US) , music, IDs, 44242 until 0210, then 44444.
6220,0 . . 1748-1818 . Radio Marabu , music and talk, ID via Iann's chat, 34241

Saturday, December 26
6309,3 . . 0900-0905 . Sonnet Radio Europe , barely audible music, ID via Iann's chat, 14341
6212,0 . . 0908-0917 . Radio Mistletoe , I could not hear this station at all on Christmas Day, but managed to catch very weak talk and music this morning, 34341
5815,0 . . 0914-0920 . Orion Radio , I knew it was going to be a very poor morning when I could barely understand what John was saying, but I did pick out an ID and greetings, 24341
6300,0 . . 0928-0933 . Radio Brandaris , barely audible music, ID via Iann's chat
6295,0 . . 0955-1007 . Radio Shadowman , "Dreadlock Holiday" and "Land Down Under" barely identifiable above the noise on fade ins, ID via Iann's chat, 24331
6420,0 . . 1020-1030 . Radio Lowland , weak music, ID via Iann's chat, 24341
9290,1 . . 1200-1205 . Mike Radio , weak music, jingle ID poked through the noise, 24341
6960,0 . . 1344-1500 . X-Ray Radio (Canada) , continuous classic rock music, 44343
6240,2 . . 1443-1740 . WNKR via Channel Z (US) , pop music with British anouncer. I listened for hours, but the noise was just too high to catch an ID, ID finally thanks to Achim in Iann's chat, 24241
3890,0 . . 2035-2045 . Skyline Radio Int. , weak music (Dutch I think) and talk, including ID, with moderate ham QRM at this time, 33342
6925.0u . 2048-2100 . Spider Radio (tent), pop music, fairly clear at first (24342), but fading out almost entirely by 0255. I am almost sure I heard a few notes of "EL Silenzio" at 2057, and no sign of signal after 2100.
6264,2 . . 2106-2115 . WNKR via Channel Z (US) , pop music with British anouncer, ID, slightly better than previous broadcast, 34332

Sunday, December 27
5815,0 . . 0904-0914 . Orion Radio , 20 announcement in German or Dutch, instrumental polka, couple lines of "We Love the Pirate Stations" at 0907, rock song, 34342 at start, but fading out rapidly
6305,0 . . 0914-0919 . Radio Malaisy , very weak dance music, ID via Iann's chat, 24341
6309v. . . 0919-0930 . Radio Mazda , got a decent fade in of about 10 minutes with Dutch music, then faded almost out, 34332 at peak
6202,0 . . 0940-0945 . Radio Scotland , barely audible music, ID via Iann's chat
5799,9 . . 0947-1100 . Free Radio Service Holland , barely audible at start, but improved to 24342 by 1045 (the only station to fade back in this morning).
6298,1 . . 1010-1025 . Voice of the Netherlands , weak music and talk, ID via Iann's chat, 24341
7685,0 . . 0956-1100 . Free Radio Service Holland , very weak at first, but up to 34342 by 1100 with pirate news
7685,0 . . 1356-1415 . Free Radio Service Holland , pop music, IDs, 34342
9301,1 . . 1430-1440 . Free Radio Service Holland , talk about the station, music, 24342

Cheers, Terry

Receivers: JRC NRD-525 & Yaesu-Musen FRG-7
Antenna: 75 m long wire, 30 m from house
QTH: Conception Bay South, Newfoundland, Canada

Abbreviations and references:
(US) = United States
IS = Interval Signal
u = usb (upper side band)
L = lsb (lower side band)
v = variable
tent = tentative
pos = possible
QRM = interference
QSO = conversation
ham = licensed radio amateur operator
c/d = close down (transmitter off)
op = operator
othr = over the horizon radar
frn = Free Radio Network (US) http://www.frn.net/vines/
Iann's chat = http://www.easyshopdiscountzone.com/rad ... e/english/

[Caroline]

Hello Terry,
many, many thanks for your reception report of 22.12. at night!
It was only 5watts, but from tomorrow on your chanche to get us will be much better, because we will use our new 35w-transmitter.

Best wishes and all the best for the year 2010,

Radio Caroline International.

[JoJo]

Thanks Terry for all the reports, happy new year.