Longwave Awakening

Good news! Longwave is perking up these days.

Nothing new to log, but last night Radio Algerienne was loud and clear on 252 kHz and as was navigational beacon AY in St. Anthony, Newfoundland (1000 watts over 1043 miles) on 356 kHz.

Equipment used: ICOM IC-R8600 receiver and 80-meter dipole antenna.

Beyond My First Transatlantics

NIST radio site in Fort Collins, Colorado

Since I heard my first transatlantic stations with my "new" radio, I have been sticking around the low end of the long waves to hear what I can hear.

WWVB was loud and clear on 60 kHz. The Fort Collins, Colorado, time signal transmits 50 kW, 1661 miles to the west-northwest. I might have been able to log it before, but this was the first time I tuned around that part of the band. (I checked a few older top-of-hour-recordings and sure enough, I heard WWVB on each recording).

I also heard an AM station at 216 kc at 0400 UTC, but I could not identify it. It was too weak for intelligence, but it definitely was not English... probably French or Spanish. Radio Monte Carlo is the only station listed for 216 kc, so that is what I probably heard... with transmitters in nearby France (Roumoules) using 900 kW, 3855 miles to the east-northeast.

In this morning's 0400 UTC top-of-the-hour recording, I again hear Radio Mediterranee Internationale (Medi 1) (171 kc, Nador, Morocco).

I hear France Inter (162 kc, Allouis, France) again and again in my top-of-the-hour recordings. I even heard it live and in person at 2300 UTC Tuesday.

During the first transatlantic excitement, I forgot to mention two other new loggings made that morning:

AY navigational beacon on 356 kc transmitting 25 watts, 1043 mile northeast in St. Anthony, Newfoundland,

WGOP on 540 kc transmitting 243 watts, 283 miles south-southwest in Pocomoke City, Maryland.

Equipment used was my ELAD FDM-S2 SDR receiver with my 80-meter inverted Vee antenna.

Transatlantic

Recorded the 0500 UTC top-of-hour Sunday morning and upon playback, I was very surprised to hear my first transatlantics with my newest radio:

France Inter from Allouis, France, on 162 kc, 1000 kW over 3585 miles

Radio Mediterranee Internationale  (Medi 1) from Nador, Morocco, on 171 kc, 1600 kW over 3712 miles

BBC 4 from Droitwich, on 198 kc, 200 kW over 3278 miles

RTE Radio 1 from Clarkstown, Ireland, on 252 kc, 300 kW over 3096 miles

Also heard a carrier on 153 kc; likely suspect is Antena Satelor in Brasov, Romania, 200 kW over 4598 miles

Also logged AY (navigational beacon) from St. Anthony, Newfoundland, on 356 kc, 25 watts over 1043 miles

Equipment used was an ELAD FDM-S2 with an 80-meter inverted Vee.