Peter's DX Corner

The wonderful world of listening to the radio

Tag: LPAM (Page 2 of 4)

QSL Rivierenland Radio, Huissen 891 kHz

January 17, 2024 / / 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 / / 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 / / 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
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 / / 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 / / 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 / / 1 Comment

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.

e-QSL from United Am, Neede on 1008 kHz

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!

Closing announcement of United AM 1008

QSL Radio 1224 Lunteren

September 12, 2023 / / 1 Comment

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.

QSL LPAM Radio 1224 from Lunteren
eQSL LPAM Radio 1224 from Lunteren, The Netherlands

QSL Radio Centrale Milano 1575 kHz

September 11, 2023 / / 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!

QSL Radio Centrale Milano 1575 kHz

August 31, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Within a day I got an email QSL for Radio Centrale Milano 1575 kHz. Thanks to a tip in Hugo’s DX Hoekje I learned that they are testing on 1575 kHz.

You can already listen to Centrale Milano via an internet stream. The station intends to start broadcasting via mediumwave from Alessandria, Italy, as well. Despite a power of only 10 Watts and a distance of 840 kilometers the reception was pretty good August 28th, 23h UTC. During the tests the station transmits a pulse with increasing pitch. That results in a very interesting waterfall on the HDSDR as you can see in the picture below. But it is even nicer to view and listen to a little YouTube clip I made.

Centrale Milano, Alessandria, Italy, testing on 1575 kHz
Centrale Milano, Alessandria, Italy, testing on 1575 kHz

In the email reply on my reception report Enzo at Radio Centralo Milano wrote:

Yes, we are testing our site near to Alessandria where we are authorized to use the 1575khz formerly in charge of the Italian Rai and now assigned to us.

The test are performed with a 50mt folded dipole and 10w carrier. We are authorized to 1kw and it seem we will reach you again probably much better ! The regular programs currently available online will be soon activated replacing the test tones and increased (in quality and number of direct ‘on air’) starting from January next year.

I’m 60y/o, owner of the radio and very happy to meet person as you, with your passion for the radio. Congratulations for you ability to capture a so low signal coming from so far away !

You will receive soon our QSL, for the moment thanks again and stay tuned !

QSL LPAM Radio Monique on 918 kHz

July 29, 2023 / / 1 Comment

When I returned to the hobby I learned that low power broadcasting on AM was legalized in the Netherlands. One of the first stations and QSLs I received was LPAM Radio Monique on 918 kHz. Once broadcasting as an offshore pirate from the famous radio ship “Ross Revenge” they now settled in Velsen-Noord. (Velsen-North is the part of Velsen north of the Noordzeekanaal – North Sea Channel – connecting Amsterdam to the North Sea – got it?)

With their antenna on top of an industrial building in Velsen, providing good grounding, they enjoy quite a big reception area despite their low power of only 100 W. Much to the frustration of other LPAM stations in The Netherlands using the same frequency. For us DX-ers the good news is that they issue a nice eQSL card witnessing their heritage. Send your reports to studio@radiomonique.am.

QSL Radio Monique Velsen
eQSL LPAM station Radio Monique Velsen on 918 kHz
« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2024 Peter's DX Corner

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑