Tag: LPAM (Page 1 of 3)

LPAM Kilrock 1287 kHz off air from June 1st

April 2, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

One of my favorite LPAM stations because of their music selections, Kilrock 1287 kHz, will go off air June 1st as the owner is relocating. As they write on their website (translated in English):

Dear medium wave listeners,

KilRock currently broadcasts radio on 1287 kHz AM. These broadcasts will have to be stopped for a longer period of time as of June 1. Our program offering remains available online via kilrock.nl and the websites that offer KilRock radio on their own pages.

Why does KilRock stop broadcasting on 1287 AM?

Willem moves to another home. Our transmission system will have to move with us, as it is located at Willem’s home. There is no other installation location available, unless a temporary installation location for our transmission installation can be found elsewhere in the Hoeksche Waard. We do not expect to be able to realize something like this in the short term. The move is scheduled for July 2024. The antenna mast and transmitter must be dismantled well in advance and ready for transport. The disassembly work will start on June 2. That is why KilRock will no longer be receivable via 1287 kHz from Saturday, June 1 after 6:00 PM. The intention is to resume medium wave broadcasts from the new location as quickly as possible.

New start date unknown.

It is still unclear from what date we can switch the channel back on. This depends, among other things, on how quickly we can obtain an environmental permit at the new location; Such a permit is required if you want to install a transmission tower over eleven meters high. We will inform you via our Facebook page and this website if there are any new developments. Always keep in mind that KilRock is a hobby project. There are often more important things in life than pursuing a hobby. A move should be considered one of the most important things in life, whether it is fun or not…

QSL Backyard AM 1116 kHz

March 15, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 1 Comment

Received on my little Grundig G6 Aviator while spending some time with family in Akersloot: Backyard AM, a low power AM station from Zaandijk. Somehow I did not yet receive them on my home QTH in Woerden. My guess is that this is because they are active weekends only. More importantly: Danko Radio from Hungary might get in their way. That said, according to their schedule they are a little bit longer in the air on Sunday’s than Danko Radio (between 20 and 21 h UTC) so that could provide a window of opportunity.

Their beautiful QSL shows one of the most iconic views of the Netherlands, the “Zaanse Schans“, close their QTH Zaandijk.

Older DX-ers might remember that 1116 kHz was once the frequency of Radio Bloemendaal. This religious broadcaster was the first religious broadcaster in the Netherlands, and for a long time the only legal station other than the state radio company that was heard on medium wave. But I will dedicate another post to them!

QSL Rivierenland Radio, Huissen 891 kHz

January 17, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

Since December 29th the LPAM station Rivierenland Radio can be heard on 891 kHz. Their 100 W transmitter is located in Huissen near Arnhem. That is only 74 kilometers east from my QTH. The only other station on this frequency is Radio Algerie which, coming from the south, can be “nulled out” easily with my loop antenna. So pretty good reception here!
I sent my QSL request to rivierenland-radio@rivierenlandradio.nl

Email QSL and logo of Rivierenland Radio, Huissen, 891 kHz

There is quite a bit of variety among the Dutch LPAM stations. Some of them, like Album AM, are hobby stations interested in technical aspects and DX reception. Other stations are a legal continuation of a former Free Radio station, bringing a few hours of music a week, mostly during weekends only.

And there are stations like Rivierenland Radio who have a more professional 24/7 approach, and where the AM presence is a just an extension of what they are already doing on DAB+ and internet. Via DAB+ Rivierenland Radio can be heard between Arnhem and Eindhoven, in the eastern part of the Netherlands.

QSL Zuid West Brabant AM 1467 kHz

January 8, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

Zuid West Brabant is a low power medium wave station from Heerle. A little village between Bergen op Zoom and Roosendaal in the province Noord-Brabant in The Netherlands. With 100 Watt they are active on weekends. Within a day I got their QSL via zuidwestbrabant@hotmail.com.

QSL Zuidwest Brabant AM, Heerle — eQSL from LPAM station Zuid West Brabant AM from Heerle on 1467 kHz

Funny detail: I happened to come across this station while listening via a KiwiSDR in the North of Scotland. At 970 kilometers distance reception was still quite good. Nevertheless I switched to my home QTH, only 80 kilometers away from Heerle.

QSL Asfalttelegrafen 1494 kHz

January 6, 2024 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

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.

eQSL from Asfaltstelegrafen, Ludvika, Sweden

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.

The Hercules transmitter of Asfalttelegrafen

QSL Amica Radio Veneta 1017 kHz

December 9, 2023 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

Thanks to a tip from René van Hoof I was able to receive Amica Radio Veneta in the late afternoon. A day later I received this nice QSL letter from Amica RAdio Veneta 1017 kHz. They are broadcasting from Peraga di Vigonza, near Padua, Italy. I sent my report to amicaradioveneta@yahoo.com .

I made little YouTube clip with a clear station ID. They were broadcasting nice Italian music.

QSL Amica Radio Veneta, Italy — e QSL from Amic Radio Veneta, an LPAM station near Padua, Italy

According to MW List Quick and Easy Amica Radio Veneta is on air until 1800 UTC only. They are broadcasting with 1 kW, which is on the treshold of being an LPAM (Low Power AM station). That said, at 17 hrs UTC they dominated the RNE station from Burgos with 10 kW on the same frequency.

QSL Album AM 846 kHz

November 13, 2023 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

René L’Baum, PE0RL, sent me a comprehensive email to QSL my reception of Album AM on 846 kHz. Album AM is one of many LPAM stations that are active in The Netherlands. The station is located in Uden, 66 kilometer from my QTH.

Compared to a few other stations at comparable distance their signal is very strong, almost always better than SINPO44444 (in the evening hours there might be some interference from Irish pirate Radio North). That is so strong that I was wondering whether they started up a relay at Linschoten (only 3 km away) as Album AM bought the right to broadcast from this location/frequency as well. But if I understood René correctly that was not the case.

Contrary to some other LPAM stations who try to bring a program to a local audience, René is mainly interested in being received over the longest distance possible. So far René has received reception reports from 14 countries. Recently he organized a DX event, transmitting with a little offset to the 846 kHz frequency to avoid Radio North. The most distant report came from Murom, 300 km east of Moscow (2410 km). Listening from a car with simple receivers and a small (23 cm) loop antenna, the morse ID “Album AM” was picked up on the hour.

I think it is very well possible that René will organize future DX events, so suggest you monitor his website albumam.nl !

QSL United AM, Neede 1008 kHz

October 2, 2023 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

Yesterday I was cleaning up my email inbox and to my surprise I found an e-QSL that I forgot I had. Late 2021 I was thinking about what I wanted to do when I retired and I started to explore the radio bands a bit again. I soon found out that a lot had changed. With my JRC ND535 attached to a simple long wire for example, I struggled to hear anything because of high noise levels. So I tried the Twente WebSDR.

But not only the reception conditions had changed, the whole band use had changed as well. For many years 1008 kHz was a key frequency for Dutch national radio broadcasting. Initially from Lopik (only 15 kms from my QTH in Woerden) and later from Flevoland with a powerful 400 kW transmitter. In 2004 national radio left mediumwave, and the frequency went up for auction. Radio 10 – a commercial broadcaster – took over. From 2007 Groot Nieuws Radio, a radiostation with a religious backgrond, used the frequency until New Years Eve 2018.

Soon after the frequency was made available to LPAM stations. United AM from Neede started broadcasting on this frequency and as they are located close to Twente University and their WebSDR I was able to receive them very well. I decided to give it a try and sent a reception report. I got a nice e-QSL showing the huge antenna setup near a relatively small house.

But after 5 years United AM shut down as well… and like their big brother on New Years Eve. Their QSL is still my first QSL from the new Dutch LPAM scene!

QSL Radio 1224 Lunteren

September 12, 2023 / Peter Reuderink / 0 Comments

I received this beautiful e QSL Radio 1224 Lunteren. With 100 Watts this is one of the many legal LPAM stations that are active in the Netherlands.

Lunteren is only 50 kilometers away from my home QTH. Compared to other LPAM stations reception in Woerden is worse than I would have expected. The city of Utrecht and the Utrechtse Heuvelrug (a slightly – 50 meters – elevated forest area) are in the reception path. My guess is that this plays a negative role.

Operator/owner Teun (who is also a licensed HAM: PA3GDL) writes that they are active for 4 years now. Programs are presented by a team of 12 DJs who work remotely (from their own home) for convenience. You can learn more about Radio 1224 on their website where you can also submit your reception report.

eQSL LPAM Radio 1224 from Lunteren, The Netherlands

QSL Radio Centrale Milano 1575 kHz

September 11, 2023 / Peter Reuderink / 2 Comments

UPDATE!: Today I received another email from the Centrale Milano Team. I received their testsignals – with only 10 Watts – a few weeks ago. I was promised a QSL Radio Centrale Milano 1575 kHz and here it is:

QSL Centrale Milano from Alessandria, Italy — eQSL from Centrale Milano, Alessandria, Italy on 1575 kHz

I’m really pleased with this QSL. It confirmed the low power and it shows the beautiful Cathedral in Milan which I had the opportunity to visit some 20 years ago.

Enzo from Centrale Milano wrote this in his email:

Here our QSL for your archive and some other picture of the studios and myself (Enzo) recently and during the seventies in American Radio Milano.
I was a former DJ in many Italian radio station and a speaker/voice actor for many years.
Now, my mission is to keep alive the Medium Waves in Italy and in Europe if possible….. with 10w and more (:).
We are authorized to use the historical Rai 1575Khz frequency up to 1kw so, it seem it should work very well.

Thank you very much again.
Stay Tuned !

Enzo
Radio Centrale Milano
www.centralemilano.com

On the pictures below you see Enzo today and Enzo in the past! Stay tuned for this new station as they prepare for regular broadcasts!