Logs from Newfoundland, Nov. 4-8, best Sunday ever!

[newfoundland dxer]

Hi everyone:

This past Sunday was, without a doubt, my best Sunday yet for pirate listening. Not because signals were strong ... in fact many of the stations were just above the noise. What made this Sunday unique was the fact that I could hear stations almost all day, including 48m receptions at 1500-1600 UTC, which is mid-day here! This has never happened before, but I hope it is sign of coming winter conditions.

I rose Sunday at 0430 local (0800 UTC), and immediately logged Orion and Paardenkracht with weak but readable signals. Instead of fading out, signals gradually improved until around 0900, then started to decline gradually. Most stations faded out by 1100, but Optimod powered it's way through the daylight path until after 1230!

I checked the higher bands at around 1400, and found Spaceshuttle on 9290. After he closed down at 1503, I decided to check 48 m, not expecting to hear anything. To my complete shock, I logged VOTN, Baken 16 and Borderhunter! Unfortunately, stations then moved to 76m, which does not fade in here until much later.

I hope that these type of daytime receptions will continue, and will get stronger as we get deeper into winter. It is really nice to be able to receive stations all day, instead of being restricted to mornings/evenings.

Other highlights of this past week were a couple very good receptions of Spider Wednesday and Thursday, best ever reception of Spaceshuttle and Likedeeler on Sunday, hearing Black Arrow on 2 more bands (mw and 31m), and new stations Crocodile(US), Monte Carlo and Quintas. (I also heard traces of audio from Radio Waves and Brigitte, but not enough detail for a positive log).

Wednesday, November 4
6925,0u . 0155-0200 . UNID (US?). traces of music and talk, covered by Spider at 0200
6925,0u . 0200-0230 . Spider Radio , on at 0200 with MJ "Beat It", 80's tunes (British I think), IDs at 0213 and 0220, 34442

Thursday, November 5
1710,0 . . 0130-0145 . Radio Soleil Int . and UNID (US), Soleil (a Haitain community station near Boston) featuered talk in Creole and Caribeean music, mixing with a much weaker station, mostly easy listening music, but occassional talk in what may have been Spanish. Soleil: 33441, UNID: 22441
6925,0u . 0210-0220 . Spider Radio , Steve Miller "Jungle Love", ID
6220,0 . . 1840-1850 . Mustang Radio , barely audible music, ID via Iann's chat

Friday, November 6
6925,0u . 0131-0220 . Crocodile Radio (US), weak music, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" at 0152, IDs at 0211 and 0247, 24431
1665,0 . . 2007-2340 . Relmus Radio , IDs, greetings at 2334, country and pop music, weak at first but up to 34443 after 2100
3905,0 . . 2055-2105 . Radio Fox 48 , music fading in and out, talk at 2101, only word distingusihable was "forty-eight", 23431, ham QRM
1656,6 . . 2108-2125 . UNID , Dutch music, talk, no ID heard, 23441, QRM from US station on 1660
1675,0 . . 2148-2151 . UNID , talk in language similar to Russian (maybe Serbian), no music heard so possibly marine traffic, but sounded like part of a pirate QSO., 24331
1675,0 . . 2158-2220 . Radio Black Arrow , barely audible music and talk, just loud enough to tell one from the other, confirmed by op in chat
3900,3 . . 2320-2330 . Skyline Radio Int. , music, greetings, ID, 32431, severe ham QRM

Saturday, November 7
15065,0 . 1124-1135 . Cupid Radio , test to Australia, ID, greetings to listeners, mail address, talk about new antenna, 34443
9290,3 . . 1155-1205 . Radio Spaceshuttle , weak music and talk, ID via Iann's chat, 14441
6310,0 . . 1910-1930 . UNID , a few notes of music poking through the noise every couple of minutes, baely audible, nothing identifiable.
3932,0 . . 1940-1945 . MRF Radio , very weak music, ID via Iann's chat, 14341
1633,0 . . 2030-2040 . Radio Barones , barely audible music and talk, much weaker than usual for Baro, ID via Iann's chat
3925,0 . . 2045-2055 . Radio Pluto , very weak music under ham QRM, ID via Iann's chat, 23441
6955,2 . . 2110-2145 . WMPR (Micro Power Radio) (US), dance music, ID at 2113, 24442
4025,0 . . 2245-2300 . Laser Hot Hits , weak signal, usual mix of DJ and pop music, 24341, nice to see LHH back on the air!
6924,6 . . 2309-2312 . Captain Morgan Shortwave (US), barely audible music poking through the noise, off at 2312. ID via frn.

Sunday, November 8
5815,0 . . 0801-1032 . Orion Radio , Orion is usually the first station I check for early Sunday mornings, and I was very pleased to hear reasonably clear music (Gordon Lightfoot, I think). The signal peaked at around 0900 at 34432, but was audible right up to c/d at 1031. Multiple IDs and lots of great music.
6209,6 . . 0820-0935 . Radio Paardenkracht , weak music, ID at 0825, followed by instrumental song, 24341 at start, improving to 24442 at 0930, occassional good peaks.
6205,0 . . 0827-0840 . Radio East Coast Holland , music and talk barely above the noise, fading in and out, ID via Iann's chat
6202,0 . . 0855-1049 . Radio East Coast Holland , moved here from 6205, weak music and talk, occassional words were audible up to around 1000, then barely detectable signal until 1049 c/d. 24341
6324,6 . . 0834-0910 . Radio Monte Carlo , barely audible at first, gradually improving, music (polkas, I think), and finally an ID heard at 0910, just before c/d. 23441, QRM form utility station just above.
6375,8 . . 0840-0850 . Sonic Radio , few notes of barely audible music poking through the noise, ID via Iann's chat.
6550,0 . . 0910-0920 . Radio Brigitte , barely audible music and talk, ID via Iann's chat
5800,0 . . 0920-0925 . Antonio Radio , very weak music, ID via Iann's chat, faded out after 0925
6315,0 . . 0926-0935 . Radio Waves Int. , barely audible music and talk, I could measure RWI's carrier all morning, but only got a trace of audio for these few minutes.
6240,4 . . 0953-0959 . Misti Radio , weak music, ID via Iann's chat, 14341
6265,0 . . 0959-1005 . Radio Altrex , music fading in and out, a couple nice peaks, but I did not know the song, talk at 1003 with tent. ID, 24341
5815,0 . . 1034-1058 . Radio Quintas , very weak music, talk at 1036 and again at 1043, but too weak to copy, occassional strong ute QRM, signal faded out about 1058
7610,0 . . 1058-1215 . Radio Amica , barely audible at this time, much weaker than previous weekends, but signal remaining audible long after most stations on 48m faded out.
12257,1 . 1115-1125 . WR International , old pop music, tent. ID at 1122, 24341
15070,2 . 1125-1155 . Radio Scotland Int. , pop music, IDs and talk at 1129 and 1137, signal gradually improving, good music including Stennanwof and Heart, 34332 at end
6301,0 . . 1218-1235 . Radio Optimod , was amazed to hear this signal this late, pop music and weak but clear jingle IDs at 1222 and 1234, 24341
9290,4 . . 1358-1503 . Radio Spaceshuttle , pop music, greetings at 1402, IDs at 1418 snd 1502, cd at 1503, weak at first, but improving to 34342 at c/d.
6880,0 . . 1430-1440 . North Star Radio (US), "Smoking in the Boy's Room", ID, "Locomotion" 24342
6295,0 . . 1511-1526 . Voice of the Netherlands , music and talk, just loud enough to recognize the voice, but a little too weak to pick out words, 24341
6325,0 . . 1515-1520 . Radio Baken 16 , talk at 1515 for a minute, followed by weak music, barely audible, ID via Iann's chat.
9290,0 . . 1531-1605 . Radio Black Arrow , barely audible at first, gradually improving to 24442, ID and greetings at 1557, ID and announced power as 35w at 1602, c/d at 1605 after Eurythmics.
6300,0 . . 1605-1611 . Radio Borderhunter , weak music and talk, ID and greetings, 24341
6375,0 . . 1813-1823 . Radio CoolAM , talk with short piano music bridges, Cool's carrier was easily detectable long before and long after this time, but this was the only few minutes of audio, ID via op in Iann's chat
3898,0 . . 1909-1930 . Radio Pluto , weak music and talk, tent. ID and greetings 1928, occassional ham QRM, 24441
4025,0 . . 1953-2000 . Laser Hot Hits , pop music and talk, fading in early, 24341
7610,0 . . 2005-2010 . Radio Amica , ID, news in Italian, 44333
1629,0 . . 2015-2030 . UNID (Greek?), weak Greek-sounding music, no announcements heard.14331
6924,7 . . 2035-2040 . MAC Shortwave (US), instrumental music, IDs and talk by Ultraman, 44443
3899,9 . . 2241-2325 . Radio Likedeeler , rock music with lots of guitar, talk at 2249, announced freq as "three-nine-double oh" twice, SMS number, ID, more talk at 2256, greetings to Iann (strong ham QRM at this time), greetings to me at 2307 (thanks to Iann for sending the SMS), spelling Likedeeler phonetically, op sounded very happy with my reception, c/d 2325 after spelling name and giving address, 33442 most of time, occassionally completely covered by strong hams.

A very big thank you to all the ops for the shows, and for all the nice greetings.

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
frn = Free Radio Network (US) http://www.frn.net/vines/
Iann's chat = http://www.easyshopdiscountzone.com/rad ... e/english/

[R Spaceshuttle]

Hi Terry, many thanks of reporting Spaceshuttle to be heart during both weekenddays- and really good audibility on Sanday before cd.

Audio file was really enjoyable to listen.

All the best and please tune and tell ever when Spaceshuttle visits you again in there

Best greetings, Dick and 3-> spacefolk

[Dave Jones]

Hi Terry,
Thanks for the mention of WR International in your logs for 8/11/09.
It's good to know that we make the trip now and again.
Cheers
Dave.

[bart]

Hello Terry Thank You for the reports and also for the Paardenkracht.
Greetings Bart

[JoJo]

Thanks Terry, for the log and kind words, much appreciated