Tag: LF (Page 1 of 7)

Mainflingen antennas demolished… and what about my old QSL?

November 22, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

Maybe it is “old man” emotional, but then again. In Germany they are destroying communication infrastructure like they are destroying energy infrastructure, while at the same time they tell us “we are at war with Russia”.

So in Mainflingen (well known to us DX-ers) 3 antennas went down. Their demise can be seen in this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pA9vgduChA

Mainflingen is the home of DCF77, the time signal station that transmits on 77.5 kHz. And no worries… DCF77 is still alive and kicking. But Mainflingen was also the backup station for the Deutschlandfunk, broadcasting from Donebach on 153 kHz. And of course I QSL-ed this station in the 80-ies… but rather than 153 it had 155 kHz on the QSL. Was it the backup from Mainflingen I received 45 years ago?

Another thing I didn’t know but found out: the antennas in Mainflingen are part of the logo of the community of Mainhausen which Mainflingen is a part of.

QSL NDB 340-GJ Gjögur Airport

November 4, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

During the CLE-321 event I heard 5 new beacons from the north coast of Iceland. Beacons from the south and south-west are heard more often here in the Netherlands. My guess is that they benefit from transmission over water. This time there were excellent conditions to the Arctic regions allowing me to pick up these beacons including NDB 340-GJ Gjogur Airport.

Gjogur –. .— on 340 kHz as registered with Pskov software

Earlier I wrote about the two beacons serving Akureyri Airport, a bigger international airport. This post is about 340-GJ for Gjogur Airport, or Gjögurflugvöllur.

Gjogur is one of the airports that is purely there for the benefit of the local population, most likely sponsored by the Icelandic government. It is staffed part-time by an AFIS controller, and only opens for Norlandair flights, which are twice a week in the winter and once a week in the summer. In the winter, the airport is the only means of access to the entire district, as the access road is impassable.

There is a very nice slideshow “Descent into the Fjord” by Rajan Parrikar available on the internet that gives a nice impression of a flight to Gjogur Airport.

QSL NDB 387-NB and 415-OE Akureyri Airport

October 31, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 1 Comment

The weekend of September 27th I participated in a Collective Listening Event (CLE 321) of the NDB-list group. I just fitted my make shift antenna in the garden (5x5x5 delta with NTi Megaloop FX box). And stations came booming in… Not only did I receive 6 beacons from Nunavut (I will write about that later), but I also received 5 new beacons from Iceland. In hindsight I guess that exceptional conditions were more important than my antenna… but judging my other medium wave receptions my antenna is working well! Hjalti Guðmundsson from Isavia was so kind to confirm my reception.

The first two beacons I’d like to comment on in my blog are NB on 387 kHz and OE on 415 kHz. Both are serving as navigation beacons for Akureyri Ariport. Akureyri Airport – or Akureyrarflugvöllur in Icelandic – was established in 1954. Already in 1928 there were flights to Akureyri, but those were seaplanes from Reykjavik landing on the fjord of Eyjafjörður. Today there are seasonal international flights from the UK, Switzerland and The Netherlands serving tourism.

I struggled a bit to find the location of both beacons, but I guess the map below is correct. I tried GoogleMaps to find a picture of the beacons… but so far I wasn’t successful. If you are… please let me know in the comments.

UPDATE: Patrick ON4CDJ informed me that by using the coordinates provided by several sources for NDB OE you end up on an industrial parking lot. Between the light poles there is one strange mast – occupied by a seagull. Is this NDB OE?

QSL NDB CA-281 Cartwright

September 15, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

My first QSL for a Canadian beacon was YMH Mary’s Harbour. But the first NDB I received from Canada was NDB CA on 281 kHz for Cartwright Airport. With 4022 kilometers the distance is a little bit further than YMH at 4009 kilometers.

Jennifer from Navcanada was so kind to confirm my reception report. And we exchanged some ideas for the exchange of QSL cards from Navcanada (which would be great!).

QSL letter for NDB CA Cartwright on 281 kHz

Below an audioclip of the reception of NDB CA… for those not familiar with morse code… it is -.-. .- (dah-di-dah-di di-dah) that you will hear:

Cartwright Airport has only one gravel runway of 1200 meters. Twice a week there are flights to Goose Bay (the biggest airport of Labrador) and Black Tickle, an Inuit settlement on the Island of Ponds.

If you want to explore Cartwright Airport, you could use the webcam… but there is not a lot to see.

Green circle is Cartwright NDB on 281 kHz. The water aerdrome is marked with a cross, and Cartwright airport with the purple plane.

QSL NDB RUS-424 Reus

September 12, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

A QSL for NDB RUS operating on 424 kHz for Aeropuerto de Reus in Spain. Checking the statistics on NDB list this shouldn’t be a difficult catch. But despite receiving many Spanish NDBs, July this year was the first time I received RUS.
And my reception was far from perfect. In the Pskov recording I made you can see that the beacons was briefly visible with RUS in morse: .-. ..- …

Enaire was again so kind to confirm my report and included their usual data sheet. I sent my report to informacion@enaire.es .

Most flights from Reus Airport are seasonal, carried out by budget airlines like Ryanair and Jet2.com.

QSL NDB LRD-404 Lerida

September 10, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

I write Lerida as the call sign of this beacons is LRD and it is know as Lerida, but the formal name of the city in Catalan is Lleida. The NDB LRD is operated and maintained by Enaire who verified my report with the usual fact sheet. It shows that it is one of the typical Sistema radiante de tipo T antennas fed by a 200 W transmitter.

Factsheet NDB LRD Lerida at 404 kHz provided by Enaire

Now I’m not entirely sure if you can associate this beacon with Lleida-Alguaire Airport or not. But if so, while most of the NDBs from Spain I got confirmed were either associated with an Aena Airport or the military, Lleida-Alguaire airport is operated by Aeroports de Catalunya. It was constructed in 2010 by the Government of Catalunya at the cost of 130 million Euros.

Lleida Alguaire Airport… new, modern, but not much used

LRD is one of the Spanish beacons heard most easily at my QTH, and reported by European NDB listeners. But the airport seems to be less of a success though. Airnostrum seems to operate flights to Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca. But that’s all. For that reason the airport seems to target “aeronautical services” today. That means niche businesses as flying schools, aircraft storage and maintenance services.

QSL NDB SGO-356 Sagunto

September 4, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

NDB SGO on 356 kHz is another typical ENAIRE beacon: 200 Watts in a “Sistema radiante de tipo T”: three horizontal wires between two towers. The navigational function is linked to Valencia Airport. The beacon is located in Canet d’en Berenguer, north of Valencia. I’m not an expert, but when I checked on flight radar I noticed that flights pass north of Valencia, making a U-turn to land in an easterly direction.

The info sheet for NDB SGO shared by Enaire

If search for the beacon on GoogleMaps you will see that it is a bit of a weird location, in front of a hotel and in right in the centre of a nice beach resort and yacht club. But I guess the beacon was already there when the development of the resort started around 2001.

NDB SGO Sagunto is located next to the lighthouse, in front of a hotel (GoogleMaps).

My report was confirmed via informacion@enaire.es .

QSL NDB ECV-319 Colmenar-Viejo

September 3, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

ENAIRE confirmed my reception of the NDB ECV-319 at Colmenar-Viejo airbase in Spain. This is the home of the Fuerzas Aeromóviles del Ejército de Tierra (FAMET), the Spanish Army Airmobile Forces. There are 4 helicopter batallions that have Colmenar-Viejo as their base, including BHELTRA V who fly Chinook (which is cool as my nephew and godson flies a Chinook as well).

Chinooks at Coronel Maté base Colmenar-Viejo

I sent my report to informacion@enaire.es

QSL NDB PI-420 Madalena/Pico Island

August 27, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

My 6th and final Azores beacon confirmed (there are only 6 active NDBs on the Azores) is PI on 420 kHz. This beacon is located on Pico Island. Pico Airport is also a smaller airport operated by Sata Aeródromos. But in addition to flights to the island of Terceira and Sao Miguel it also offers flights to Lisbon in mainland Portugal.

My report was confirmed by Marco Figueiredo from Nav Portugal.

QSL NDB GC-428 Santa Cruz de Graciosa

August 26, 2025 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

During the night of July 25th/26th I heard three new NDBs from the Azores. GC on 428 kHz on Graciosa Island was one of those and it was confirmed with the other two by Mr. Figueiredo from NAV Portugal:

The bigger airports of which I received other beacons (Horta, Ponta Delgada, Flores) are managed by ANA Aeroportos de Portugal. Smaller airports like Graciosa are managed by SATA Aeródromos. They also operate the airports on Islands Corvo, Pico and São Jorge. SATA is the abbreviation of Serviço Açoriano de Transportes Aéreos and they also operate the daily flights to Graciosa to Lajes and Ponta Delgada.