Free Radio Service will be on air the coming weekend. For more details visit their website. QSLs will be awarded!
Tag: The Netherlands
Not exactly DX from my location, but I am also a QSL collector and the Dutch Coastguard issues this nice QSL email. So here it is. I received my QSL Dutch Coastguard Den Helder 518 kHz for one of their NAVTEX transmissions.
The Dutch Coastguard has a nice website in English, but their history is best told on the site in Dutch (use Google to translate). Coastguard activities in the Netherlands started following a tragic incident with a Navy ship “Zr.Ms.Adder” in 1882. The ship sank near Scheveningen, but nobody noticed the ship was missing. Only when the first bodies washed ashore alarm bells went off. From 1882 onwards the crews on the lighthouses – which were already there as navigation aids – had to monitor traffic actively and had to report incidents.
Over the years 6 different departments in The Netherlands developed activities on the North Sea. Fishery, Traffic, Justice, Defense, Finance and Internal Affairs. In 1987 it was decided these departments had to work together from a central location in IJmuiden. I have a PPC QSL from 1993 indicating that in those days radio traffic was limited to emergency frequencies (2182 kHz and VHF) only. Telephony/telegraphy including weather and navigational warnings were broadcast via PCH Scheveningen Radio.
In 1994 it was concluded that the cooperation between the 6 departments needed improvement. The Coastguard was established as an independent entity, with its operations coordinated under responsibility of the Royal Dutch Navy. As a consequence the Coastguard centre moved to Den Helder which is the main port of the Navy.
With more an more communication going via satellite Scheveningen Radio closed in 1998. My guess is that since then navigational warnings via NAVTEX were transferred to the Coastguard.
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 !
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!
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.
Radio Piepzender (Peep-sender) is a station that can be heard in the 41 m band during the weekend. The station is also testing on various other bands, but as far as I know there is no regular schedule.
I got this email for my reception report of their transmission on 7405 kHz. As you can see power is 150 watts. The transmitters of Piepzender are quite impressive: robust Rohde and Schwarz.
Stationmanager Henri asked me to make it explicit that reception reports should go to radioqsl@hotmail.com. Other email addresses are not monitored anymore.
You can also get a paper QSL if you send 5 Euro to:
PO Box 2702
6949 ZG HERTEN
The Netherlands
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.
VERON : NL 14228
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