I enjoyed an email conversation with Dicky Denkers, the man behind the transmitters and antennas of LPAM stations Radio Emmeloord and Radio 0511. The antenna of Radio 0511 is located in Easternijtsjerk (in Frysian) or Oosternijkerk (in Dutch). In the north of the Netherlands, close to the Waddenzee. It is an inverted L , mounted on a windmill as you can see in the picture below:
Radio Emmeloord was stronger than Radio 0511 at my holiday location near Appelscha, some 50 kms away in the Drents-Friese forests. Dicky explained to me that the longer wave length might help getting through an area surrounded by forests. Being an experienced mediumwave broadcaster – going back tot the days of Radio Veronica and MiAmigo – he mentioned that stations in the past also struggled in this respect.
I received Radio Emmeloord while camping in Appelscha on June 18th and sent a reception report to info@radioemmeloord.nl . Dick Offringa is the man behind Radio Emmeloord as you can read in this article of De Ondernemer. He sent his regards via my website and forwarded my report to Dicky Denkers who sent a nice email with some details on the station which is located near Harlingen in Pietersbierum.
QSL Radio Emmeloord 747 kHz
For a LPAM transmitter the station in Harlingen has an impressive antenna, a T antenna between two 30 meter masts. Unfortunately it is almost impossible for me to receive this station in my home QTH in Woerden, as MCB from Alphen a/d Rijn(15 km) dominates the frequency. In the evening I can indeed hear MCB in the background here in Appelscha.
Radio Seabreeze has two transmitters operational. On 1395 kHz from Grou in the northern province of Friesland they use a 100 Watt transmitter. On the same frequency they operated a transmitter from Laren. As that resulted in issues with interference they moved the Laren transmitter to 1098 kHz.
As Laren is situated in the south-east corner of the province of North Holland (still with me😉?), this will benefit listeners in the central part of the Netherlands. More information on the Seabreeze website. Reception reports are welcome via their webform.
I recorded the announcement of their new frequency on this YouTube link.
I received a beautiful e-QSL Radio 182 Waddinxveen 1485 kHz. Accompanied by a friendly and detailed email from Gert Voogd. With 4 Watts PEP only this is truly a low power AM (LPAM) station. The 1485 kHz frequency is allocated in the Netherlands to stations with an effective power of 1 Watt max. Obviously this is done to avoid interference from the bigger 100 Watt LPAM stations. In the evening hower the SER stations with 10 kW from Spain will provide a challenge to the DX listener.
Despite being a small AM station it has very mature 24/7 programming. And that is because the little AM outlet is more or less a fun addition to Radio 182 on DAB+ for the “Midden Holland” region. Basically this is the area between Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht, also know as the “Green Heart” of the Netherlands. They are really looking forward to reception reports, either via the webform or email: info@radio182.nl
QSL of Radio 182 Waddinxveen, showing the landmark lift bridge (built in 1936)
What I like about their QSL card is that it shows the Lift Bridge in Waddinxveen across the river Gouwe. Together with a similar bridge a few kilometers north in Boskoop it was constructed in 1936, a real piece of industrial heritage. On my cycling tours these bridges are real landmarks, as they can be seen from miles away in our flat polder landscape.
The 4 Watt PEP transmitter of Radio 182The antenna of Radio 182.
Waddinxveen is about 18 km from my QTH. But based on the strength of the signal they probably enjoy a relatively big reception area. This is facilitated by their antenna being placed on a huge steel roof that provides perfect ground effect. The SINPO written on the QSL card is in fact incorrect, it is more like 45454 here in Woerden.
These days most stations respond to reception reports with an email or – if you are lucky – an e-QSL. But Radio SeaBreeze is “old school”. For my reception report to info@radioseabreeze.nl I received this very nice QSL card by traditional mail.
Radio SeaBreeze is one of the Dutch Low Power AM (LPAM) stations in the Netherlands. They broadcast on 1395 kHz from the village of Grou in the province of Friesland with 100 Watt. What I like about the station is that they have plenty live programs (that is with a DJ). Some of the other LPAM stations just play non-stop music from a computer. I don’t understand the fun of that to be honest.
SeaBreeze is also planning to start broadcasting with 50 Watt on 1098 kHz from the village of Laren in North Holland. At the time of writing I don’t know if they are already in the air. I will check, and provide updates accordingly!
A traditional QSL card is sent by Radio SeaBreeze, Grou
As reported earlier I received the KL85 3rd anniversary program via Studio AM900, Terneuzen, the Netherlands. Via Bart Serlie, station manager, I received this beautiful e-QSL. According to the info I got from Bart, Studio AM900 was in the air at the time with a transmitter power of 34 Watt of which some 25 Watt was effectively used. They are planning to get a stronger transmitter online on May 13th. This one was in use by Groeistad AM Wassenaar and is referred to by Bart as the “Groeistad Griek“. Hopefully this increases the opportunity for other DX listeners to receive this nice and friendly station. Big thanks to Bart and his team for the QSL, the nice email conversation we had, and the opportunity to participate live in the program of Edward Klein last Friday!
Radio Seagull can be heard on 747 kHz AM in the Netherlands. But in Woerden this frequency is dominated by nearby MCB Radio from Alphen aan de Rijn. A good alternative is to listen after 8 pm UK local time to the relay via Carillon Wellbeing Radio from Leicestershire on 1476. This is also a low power AM broadcaster, but despite their 250 Watts “only” this station is received very well here in Woerden. I received a nice email as QSL Radio Seagull 1476 kHz via office@radioseagull.com
Last week I was trying to get a readable signal from LPAM station Studio AM, broadcasting on 900 kHz from Terneuzen, in the Netherlands. In the evening and night this frequency is dominated by COPE Granada. During daylight hours I could pick up a signal, but too weak to positively identify the station. On the 2nd day of Easter that was different, but at first I didn’t understand the station ID? KL85? I happened to tune in to a special 3rd anniversary full day show of KL85, an internet radiostation that is also relayed via Studio AM 900. Their name comes from the city of Kortijk, the river Leie, and postal code 85. I received a nice email on my reception report, but I also won a 50 Euro voucher for a visit to the Museum of the 20th century in Hoorn. Having received over 1000 QSLs that’s a first (although I once got a T-shirt from Radio New Zealand many years ago).
Radio T-Pot is a low power AM station broadcasting from Gasselternijveen, a small village in the province of Drenthe, the Netherlands. I made my reception during a stay in the nearby village of Exloo, some 15 km south of Gasselternijveen. On my home QTH Radio Monique from Velsen is so dominant that it seems impossible to receive Radio T-Pot. Radio T-Pot got his name as parody on the iPod. Note that T-Pot is pronounced as Theepot, which is Dutch for teapot, I guess it adds to the fun! The station is on the air on weekdays between 12.30 to approx 20.30 local time, saturday/sunday from 9.00 to 21.30 h local time, according to their facebook page. Below you can see the e-QSL I received accompanied by a friendly email from station manager Theo Postma via radiotpot@ziggo.nl
QSL Radio T-Pot, a LPAM station from Gasselternijveen, the Netherlands
Earlier this year I received an e-QSL for my reception of Radio Babylona. This station from the province of Groningen in NE part of the Netherlands can be heard at my home QTH, but I made my reception during a stay in nearby Exloo, over a distance of only some 10 kilometers. This explains the excellent SINPO rating. Originally Radio Babylona was on air all week, but this was a bit too much work, so now you can listen to the station in the weekend only. You can read more about this station on their website.
QSL Radio Babylona, a low power AM station in the Netherlands
BDXC : SWL 2262 PRe VERON : NL 14228 If you want to get in touch, just leave a message on one of my posts. Please note that I don't publish email addresses of verifiers which are not part of the public domain. So if you don't see the QSL address, just leave a message and I'll get back to you.
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