A QSL for NDB PEP on 297 kHz from Prilep, North Macedonia. My 2nd QSL from this country. The beacon is located 1733 kms from my QTH. The Cyrillic text on the email translates as “keep up the good work”!
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Asfalttelegrafen was on air from December 23rd until January 5th. I tried a couple of times around Christmas, but I couldn’t get a decent signal here in Woerden. Tracking some KiwiSDRs I learned that the signal reached the German coast, but then it quickly deteriorated.
On January 4th however I was lucky however. And although a strong noise source on 1495.25 kHz forced me to notch everything between 1000 and 1500 Hz I could recognize the various titles played and picked up a clear ID (at 24 secs in the clip).
A day later I received a lengthy and detailed email QSL from Torleif Roos, who is DXer and HAM operator as well. Asfalttelegrafen is located in Ludvika, Sweden, 1097 km from my QTH. I noticed the name is sometimes also spelled as Asfaltstelegrafen.
The station got its name from “Asfalttelegrafen”, a program on the Swedish National Radio 3rd program on FM around 1975. In the late Sunday nights before midnight it brought rock music. Unfortunately private individuals can’t obtain a permanent license in Sweden, so Torleif has to apply for a 14 day license every time he want’s to broadcast. More information can be found on the radio sweden international website.
The transmitter is a 1 kW Hercules. It is connected to a “L” antenna, 48.5 meters long above an earthplane created by 16 cables of 50 meters each. Broadcast times were 20:00 – 03:55 h UTC, which is the window created when Radio Moldova is not in the air. During those hours the frequency is empty in Europe, with the next station being in Iran.
Several program providers were very active during the Christmas season. I already reported on RNEI and friends, active on 5940 kHz, but hampered by Radio Piepzender…. The 100 kW Marathon organized by SM Radio Dessau was more succesful. Good reception without interference. While I listened to Dessau and DARC I provided details on the other stations… which cost me browny points 😜. I promise to do better next year mr. Max Berger from SM Radio Dessau!
I sent reports to some of the individual contributors… So far only Intensiv Radio from RadioDXfreunde replied…
Yesterday I wrote about the reactivation of Galei Zahal on 1287 and 945 kHz. In the evening hours both frequencies could be received very well here in The Netherlands. This morning the QSL for Galei Zahal 1287 kHz showed up in my email box. Galei Zahal (or Galatz) is the radio station of the IDF (Israeli Army).
The transmitter on 1287 kHz is located in She’ar Yashuv, in the North of Israel, only 3 kilometers away from the border with Lebanon.
Galei Zahal from Israel has reactivated their medium wave transmitter on 1287 kHz (50/100 kW), and there are also reports that 945 kHz is active. Galei Zahal is the broadcasting station of the Israeli Army IDF. It’s also abbreviated as “Galatz”.
I only tried briefly to receive this station this morning as I was busy with finishing the Collective Listening Event 299 on NDBs. The local LPAM station Kilrock on 1287 kHz was dominating the frequency. But guess what? They sent a message in response to listeners complaining about interference in the evening, explaining that it was Galei Zahal causing the issue. Check this YouTube recording of the Kilrock message (in Dutch obviously).
In 1999 I received Galei Zahal on 6895 kHz, for which I received a QSL. But for more than a decade they have been active on FM only.
UPDATE: received the station today (3JAN24) on 1287 kHz, around 17:30 h UTC, fading in/out over local LPAM Kilrock, up to near perfect quality. Later in the evening also audible on 945 kHz, here well over Radio Romania Actualitati.
Of the 4 SAQ Grimeton broadcasts I was able to listen to in 2023 this was by far the best reception with a clear CW signal, S4. A week later I received their e-QSL!
SAQ Grimeton is a former wireless telegraph station in Sweden. It generates radio signals using an AC generator (called an alternator) designed by the Swedish engineer Alexanderson. This technology was used prior to the development of vacuum tube oscillators. You can learn more about the history of this station and its planned transmissions on the website of the Alexander assocation.
A 21 (!) page PDF file served as a QSL from Weekend Music Radio 6295 kHz. Including a fully detailed QSL card, legacy QSL cards, and lots of background information and photo’s from Weekend Music Radio.
For the reception of the Yule Marathon on December 25th I received this QSL from RNEI (Radio Northern Europe International) & friends. The broadcast came from the 125 kW transmitter in Woofferton, United Kingdom.
I sent a report to Radio Carpathia via radiocarpathia@gmail.com for their part of the program. A separate report was sent to RNEI as well, but I understand from their own website that they are at least 1 year behind in answering reports.
The 125 kW should have guaranteed excellent reception quality. Unfortunately the frequency planners at Woofferton had not foreseen that Radio Piepzender, a low power station from Zwolle, The Netherlands, would also use this frequency on a Monday (normally they are only active in the weekend). They were relaying Radio Experience. Shortly before the broadcast an email request was sent asking them to move to 6185 kHz. But that was not honored. And so the RNEI transmission was partly ruined by interference.
It is remarkable that Piepzender with their advertised 150 Watt could produce interference with a 125 kW station as far as Italy and Ukraine, so maybe their power output is a bit higher.
This is the final post of this year… see you back in 2024!
A nice surprise at the end of this year was this traditional QSL card for my reception of SAH Bjuröklubb with a NAVTEX message on 518 kHz. With 1656 km this is the most distant station from the three NAVTEX stations in Sweden. The other two SAA Gislovhammer and SAS Varberg are just over 700 km away.
Unfortunately, the location Bjuröklubb was not indicated on my QSL. And I don’t think it is hidden below the stickers that Post NL apparently needed to put all over the card ☹️. I sent my report to swedentraffic@sjofartsverket.se . Please note that JRCC Göteborg is responsible for DSC safety watch.
After 50 (!) weeks I received this scanned letter from Radio Timișoara for my reception of their broadcast on 630 kHz. The email was sent by Dana Florea, “Redactor” and “Marketing-Publicate”. Attached were some nice photo’s of Timișoara as well. Email address: office@radiotimisoara.ro
For more information about this station please check my post on the Radio Timișoara QSL I received via the English desk of Radio Romania International a few weeks ago.
VERON : NL 14228
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