The wonderful world of listening to the radio
December 1st, 1924, was the day on which the VLF transmitter in Grimeton with call sign “SAQ” was taken into service. The station connected with telegraphy transmission across the Atlantic to Riverhead and Rocky Point on Long Island, New York.
The quality of the Centennial Transmission was exceptionally good… better than any of my SAQ receptions so far.
Apologies for not posting for a while but I was busy with a) some admin stuff for the Benelux DX Club, and more importantly: b) the finalization of the documents to be sent to the potential builders of our new house… From a DX perspective I see it as an investment in a low QRM future!
But I still owed you this one: an e-QSL for NDB KF Keflavik on 392 kHz. My first QSL for an NDB on Iceland. An e-QSL but it is scanned. And as everything I post on this site has to be scanned anyway… you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference!
Keflavik is the largest airpot in Iceland. And the government tries to promote it as a transfer hub with the option to explore a bit of Iceland on your journey.
I am a fan of NDB listening. Not only because you get nice QSL replies, but also because the NDB List group organizes a “Coordinated Listening Event” every month. It is fun and you can compare your own reception results with those of other enthusiasts.
On the 309th listening evenent running from October 25th-27th the aim was to log up to 8 beacons from each Maidenhead square. Maidenhead is the locator system used by radio amateurs.
Conditions to the north and north west were not good. But that was more than compensated for by good conditions to Russia on the first night. In total I logged beacons from 19 Maidenhead squares and I was able to reach the max 8 for 8 of them. You can see the results below.
CLE 309 results: date/time/frequency/call/distance/ITU/location
| HM 26.10.2024 0300 380.0 FIL 2993 AZR Horta / Faial Island HP 25.10.2024 2030 392.0 KF 2065 ISL Keflavik IM 25.10.2024 2345 432.0 HMB 1920 ALG Hammam Bou Hadjar for Oran 25.10.2024 2015 382.0 LAR 1812 POR Arruda 26.10.2024 1900 415.0 ON 1868 ALG Oran / Es Senia 26.10.2024 1945 356.0 SGO 1435 ESP Sagunto 27.10.2024 0200 292.0 MIA 1968 MEL Melilla 27.10.2024 2315 407.0 BCR 2343 ALG Bechar 27.10.2024 2045 425.0 EVR 1805 POR Evora IN 25.10.2024 1930 410.0 C 1389 ESP La Coruna 25.10.2024 1930 401.0 COA 1381 ESP La Coruna 25.10.2024 1930 389.0 ZRZ 1242 ESP Zaragoza 25.10.2024 1730 359.0 LOR 766 FRA Lorient / Lann Bihoue 25.10.2024 1745 351.0 OSA 811 FRA Ouessant 26.10.2024 1845 417.0 CVT 1465 ESP Madrid / Cuatro Vientos 27.10.2024 2015 383.0 ALD 562 GSY Alderney 27.10.2024 2015 329.0 JW 595 JSY Jersey IO 26.10.2024 0215 347.0 NQY 709 ENG Newquay 25.10.2024 2345 361.0 CFN 933 IRL Donegal / Carrickfin 25.10.2024 1800 328.5 EGT 857 NIR Londonderry / Eglinton 25.10.2024 2245 401.0 BBA 985 SCT Benbecula 25.10.2024 2345 344.0 WCK 864 SCT Wick 25.10.2024 2345 351.0 SBH 947 SHE Sumburgh Head 25.10.2024 1715 388.5 CDF 573 WLS Cardiff 26.10.2024 2215 395.0 KW 906 ORK Kirkwall / Orkney Isl. IP 25.10.2024 1930 337.0 MY 1340 FRO Myggenaes JL 27.10.2024 0230 450.0 AOO 2907 LBY El Sharara ? (ROO) 27.10.2024 2015 470.0 WF 2618 LBY Wafa JM 26.10.2024 1830 423.0 BJA 1715 ALG Bejaia / Soummam 26.10.2024 2345 510.0 BL 1741 ALG Blida 26.10.2024 1845 424.0 GRS 1914 ALG Ghriss 27.10.2024 0130 394.0 IZA 1493 BAL Ibiza 27.10.2024 0215 384.0 ADX 1408 BAL Andraitx for Palma de Mallorca 27.10.2024 0100 412.0 SIG 1816 SCY Sigonella (CT) 27.10.2024 1915 316.0 CAL 1468 SAR Cagliari / Elmas JN 25.10.2024 1800 340.0 BLK 1197 BIH Banja Luka 25.10.2024 2015 715.0 C 778 CZE Caslav 25.10.2024 1930 436.0 SME 1078 HNG Sarmellek / Balaton 25.10.2024 2245 412.0 HUM 1320 HRV Humac 25.10.2024 2215 420.0 GO 1535 MNE Podgorica 25.10.2024 1815 463.0 CL 1034 SVN Cerklje 26.10.2024 1730 375.0 GLA 642 SUI Gland for Geneva / Cointrain 27.10.2024 2030 375.0 CV 1101 COR Calvi / Ste Catherine JO 25.10.2024 1715 360.5 MAK 159 BEL Mackel for Brussels Ntl 25.10.2024 1715 352.5 DD 172 BEL Oostende 25.10.2024 1715 355.0 ONW 105 BEL Antwerpen / Deurne 25.10.2024 1715 352.0 LAA 107 DEU Niederrhein 25.10.2024 1800 357.0 KD 474 DNK Kolding / Vamdrup 25.10.2024 1845 373.0 NW 139 HOL Maastricht / Beek 26.10.2024 1915 375.0 EKO 507 XOE Ekofisk L 26.10.2024 1745 380.0 ULA 571 XOE Ula / BP Platform JP 25.10.2024 2330 345.0 STM 1652 NOR Strommen / Mo I Rana 25.10.2024 2330 348.0 SAD 1840 NOR Leknes / Sandsund 26.10.2024 2200 368.0 OY 1243 SWE Sveg 27.10.2024 0100 414.0 STA 1036 XOE Stafjord A Platform 27.10.2024 0100 414.0 STC 1030 XOE Statfjord C 27.10.2024 0100 615.0 STB 1027 XOE Statfjord B Platform 27.10.2024 2330 328.0 DK 1547 SWE Vilhemina 27.10.2024 2245 364.0 VNA 1566 SWE Vanja KN 25.10.2024 2230 399.0 KMN 1999 BUL Burgas / Kamenar 25.10.2024 2345 297.0 PEP 1733 MKD Prilep 25.10.2024 1830 521.0 BSW 1767 ROU Bucuresti / Baneasa 25.10.2024 2100 349.0 OPE 1778 ROU Bucuresti / Otopeni 25.10.2024 2100 470.0 QL 2482 RUS Taganrog 25.10.2024 1800 405.0 JST 1574 SRB Nis / Justic 25.10.2024 1900 425.0 KE 1220 SVK Kosice 25.10.2024 2030 580.0 KC 2252 UKR Kacha KO 25.10.2024 2015 920.0 G 1295 BLR Grodno / Obukhovo 25.10.2024 2015 840.0 KR 1090 KAL Kaliningrad / Khrabovo 25.10.2024 1800 407.0 PN 1143 LTU Palanga 25.10.2024 1800 437.0 NP 1048 POL Tomaszow-Mazowiecki / Porter 25.10.2024 2100 770.0 B 2151 RUS Moscow / Sheremetyevo 25.10.2024 2015 1215.0 WT 2174 RUS Kartino 25.10.2024 2015 732.0 AO 2209 RUS Aksinyino 25.10.2024 2345 478.0 MF 2286 RUS Larionovo KP 26.10.2024 2115 329.0 WU 1578 SWE Umea 27.10.2024 2300 377.0 OL 1782 SWE Lulea / Kallax LM 27.10.2024 0345 355.0 ARB 3670 IRN Ardabil LN 25.10.2024 2130 486.0 KL 2538 RUS Krasnyy Sulin 25.10.2024 2015 876.0 WG 2783 RUS Volgograd / Gumrak 25.10.2024 2030 618.0 NK 2939 RUS Akhtubinsk 26.10.2024 0230 618.0 TB 2939 RUS Akhtubinsk 25.10.2024 2030 777.0 ST 2723 RUS Sirotinskaya LO 25.10.2024 2200 705.0 PX 3250 RUS Perm / Bolshoye Savino 25.10.2024 2230 995.0 DW 2922 RUS Nikolskoye 25.10.2024 2345 672.0 M 3131 RUS Bugulma 25.10.2024 2015 905.0 UD 2623 RUS Buturlino 25.10.2024 2015 932.0 KR 2783 RUS Krasnoarmeysk 25.10.2024 2015 965.0 BL 2890 RUS Kazan 25.10.2024 2015 960.0 RP 2505 RUS Sosnovkoye 26.10.2024 2015 963.0 KCh 3374 RUS Orenburg-2 MO 25.10.2024 2330 1130.0 YS 4425 RSE Kalachinsk MP 25.10.2024 2030 752.0 BB 3616 RSE Beryozovo |
The control tower boasts “International” but Kunovice Airport is not a public airport. Instead it is home to three aircraft manufacturers: Czech Sport Aircraft, Evektor-Aerotechnik and Let Kunovice. (source: Wikipedia).
There are two NDBs for this airport: KUN on 416 kHz and KNE on 434 kHz. Mr. Najman from ANS Czech Republic was so kind to confirm my reception. He also included the photos of the beacons:
Together with the QSLs for NDBs GE-421 and CVT-417 the Enaire email also served as a QSL NDB EAL Almagro, Spain on 332 kHz. But the usual Enaire info slide was not available, as the beacon is run by the military:
Le confirmamos que la recepción de las estaciones NDB con indicativos GE, CVT y EAL es correcta. Estos sistemas están operativos actualmente en España y apoyan procedimientos de aproximación. Se adjunta para su información datos relativos a la ubicación y características de dichas instalaciones. En el caso del NDB EAL, pertenece al Ejército no a Enaire, luego solo disponemos de los datos publicados en AIP.
NDB con indicativo EAL:
– Ubicado en el Helipuerto de Ciudad Real/Almagro. Instalación perteneciente al Ejército que da apoyo a los procedimientos instrumentales del Helipuerto.
– Frecuencia 332.000 kHz
– Coordenadas publicadas en AIP. ETRS89: 38º57’10.0”N 003º45’17.0”W
The Almagro airbase is named after “Coronel Sánchez Bilbao”. It is the home of the Attack Helicopter Battalion #1 — BHELA I of the Army Airmobile Force. Which sounds wonderful in Spanish: Fuerzas Aeromóviles del Ejército de Tierra.
A QSL for NDB CVT-417 Madrid/Cuatro Vientos. Like Getafe Airport the Cuatro Vientos Airport is one of the oldest airports of Spain, established in 1911. Quatro Vientos translates as “Four Winds”. I received my QSL and a photo of the beacon via informacion@enaire.es.
One of the oldest Airfields in Spain!
NDB GE-421 Madrid/Grinon is a navigation aid for Getafe Air Base, a military base 14 kilometers south of Madrid. Established in 1911 Getafe is one of the oldest airfields in Spain. In addition to a logistics squadron from the Spanish Air Force the base hosts Airbus manufacturing facilities where the Eurofighter Typhoon is produced.
I sent my report to informacion@enaire.es and after a reminder got an email reply within a day including the photo of the beacon and the usual Enaire info sheet.
Campbeltown is a small airport located on the tip of the Kintyre peninsula at the west coast of Scotland. Mr. Tom Harper from HIAL was so kind to confirm my reception report for NDB CBL for Campbeltown on 380 kHz.
Like so many other airports in the United Kingdom Campbeltown started as an Royal Airforce base. Since 1960 it served the US Marine Corps as the airport was used to guard the entrance to the Firth of Clyde where the US had stationed nuclear submarines. In 1995 the US Navy handed the airport back ending NATO operations. But this little aerodrome still features the longest runway of all airports in Scotland, with apparently only 2/3 off it leased to HIAL.
A friendly email from Sumburgh ATC to QSL my reception of the beacon SBH Sumburgh Head, 351 kHz on the Shetland Islands. Sumburgh is one of the bigger airports operated by HIAL with flights to various cities in the UK as well as Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands.
Chloe form Sumburgh ATC also sent a nice picture of the runway with the red and white box containing the NDB transmitter clearly visible.
QSL for NDB RBU on 401 kHz and NDB RS on 336 kHz. Both are serving Roros Airport, a small airport in mid Norway. Wideroe operates flights to Oslo from here. Like NDB NMS-329 Namsos the beacon is inspected by FNT Midt at Avinor. Mr. Aune was so kind to confirm my reception.
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