Same here in Lincoln, but I'm getting the Lille stations. 94.7Mhz BLEUNORD and 98.0Mhz CULTURE (horizontal polarization).
Yesterday there wasn't a peep from Lille. Today (in the rain) there is reasonable reception .

Chris.

Yes, that is exactly how mine was, yesterday completely flat, today in the rain better!

Matt.

At 10:30 I received a station with PI 8236 on 87.6 which I have just looked up and it says BNR Radio Shumen/Bulgaria I also got a partial phone No 855 __6 so looking at their website the phone No is 054 855 116.

Andy

Sounds like a good old meteor burst!

Incidentally.... anyone know how strong an FM signal needs to be before getting RDS data?
i.e. does a signal need to be fully quieting (i.e. no noise)?

How many DB above the noise floor does a signal need to be?

Some signals from Poland just now, briefly up to 93 MHz with 3 bars and stereo.

PR 1 on a few channels, up to 3 bars!
Impuls 87.6
Jemne Melodie 87.7

Not bad at all!

Disappeared about the time of my last post above, but a nice surprise past the autumn equinox. All IDs via checking internet parallels as I'm using the KT-1100SD tuner hence no RDS.

What a strange season it's been this year.

Edit: it's back again!
Last edited by Nick_G : 22-09-2012 at 17:13

First day using my Triax FM3 antenna and in vertical polarization pointing South, I have just received Rai Radio 1 on 88.3 and RTL 102.5 on 96.1 both with RDS. Videos coming soon.

Well the Es have gone now. The last signal was heard about 5.40 pm. Before that it was patchy, with signals appearing briefly then quiet for 2-4 minutes then another burst of signal etc. But it did go up to 3 bars on 87.6 when it got going again at about 5.15 pm.

Maybe more tomorrow?

Di not hear anything on FM during this afternoons Sporadic E event but was watching tv pictures from Lithuania and Hungary on the Band 1 channels R1 and R2.

Yesterday morning after making a brew I sat down and put my headphones on and there were signals on 87.6 as I had RDSspy running it had received Radio Shumen so I thought I would upload it although there's no audio as I wasn't recording it at the time.

I have been on the roof today as you do on a nice day rerouting my fm cables well that's my excuse to bring in more cables.

I'll get this posted before the lights go out again.

Andy

What I received today:

88.1 - Rai Radio 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09bzFw8lsYU)
96.1 - RTL 102.5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XxJS54IvlM)
87.9 - R 101 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkaQBhHrhmM)

All received on my Sony ST-SB920 and Triax FM-3 antenna which was in vertical and pointing South.

Nice one Jack. Good luck this happening just after you put your new aerial up.

Interesting how the Es here were concentrated towards central Europe, further north. If you drew a plot of the paths received in Billingham and Whitchurch I'd bet they would cross right over the same mid-point.

I hope there's more of this tomorrow.

Yeah it's been awesome hearing this stuff, especially on my new aerial I know it's quite rare to get Es this time of the year. Also just yesterday I had checked the FM DX tropo map and it was clear across this part of Europe, so I was even more surprised.

I hope also to hear some more stuff tomorrow.

Very good video's Jack it shows your aerial is working ok.

Andy

Well done Jack!

Your FM3 is definitely working. One of your videos shows the aerial is not much above ground level, which proves that SP-E reception doesn't require an aerial very high up.

I think there are advantages in placing the aerial away from the house. You wouldn't believe how much "noise" comes from computers, flat-screen TVs, digital TV boxes and switch-mode power supplies (often used to power these devices). Getting the aerial far away from the house, can only be a good thing!

Using my fixed (south-south-east) 3 element, horizontal roof aerial, I only managed to get RDS on one station, during yesterday's SP-E opening. It was Croatia HRT-HR1 on 87.7Mhz, although there were other stations around the bottom of the band. I heard Italian being spoken as well, but none of the stations showed RDS for me.

Chris (Lincoln).

Indeed, I'm very impressed with the aerial, works really well.


Ah that's cool. I've had HRT-HR 1 before on that frequency. Also had HR 3 I think on 97.3 a while ago while in the car in Billingham, it was only for a few seconds then it faded off.

I was able to get a weak signal yesterday on the aerial from Lincs FM (102.2).

I had the aerial fixed to my tripod stand which I use for my Triax TD88 satellite dish. I was also using the coaxial cable I use for my satellite setup. I need to order a taller tripod for the antenna and another coax. run. We recently got a caravan and I want to take the antenna and tuner with me to DX. I'm in Stockport next weekend so hopefully I'll get some good results from it.

Some evidence of Es at 50Mhz within Europe today, leading to some TEP extension into Africa. French station in Brest is reporting reception of a 50Mhz beacon in Reunion so worth keeping an eye out.

Hi Jack,

Yes, HRT-HR 1 on 87.7Mhz is quite a frequent visitor during the Summer SP-E season. It was good to receive it at such an unexpected time of year .

Lincs FM 102.2Mhz gets out very well from our local Belmont transmitter.

Is Bilsdale you local transmitter? I can receive analogue TV quite well from there, even in "flat" conditions. (Not for much longer though, due to DSO stage 2 very soon). I can't get BBC A (high power) on UHF channel 26, but know I will during a "lift".

I can also receive Real Radio 100.7Mhz from Bilsdale.

Chris.

Hi Chris,

Yes, Bilsdale is my local transmitter. I think it must be one of the best sites in the UK, due to it's height and everything. I quite like to see how far TFM on 96.6 gets out and I've had it as far North almost close to the Scottish borders (I think it can be received there with a good antenna), also audible all over Cumbria and into South Yorkshire/Nottinghamshire. Can you hear TFM where you are?

I have a friend in Tonbridge, Kent who is not happy about analogue TV going off because of all the memories he has of it and wanted to get an antenna like my FM3 so he could receive Bilsdale's Analogue TV during a lift, not sure if that would even be possible as far south as Tonbridge!

More news on my new antenna, today I have ordered a 4 meter pole to mount my antenna on. Friend in Tonbridge voiced his concerns about how it may be too tall and the neighbours could complain. Of course I am not planning to have it up all the time, plus if there's any problems I don't have to put it up to the full 4 meters! Need to get some guy rope next to keep it up! Hopefully I'll get even better reception with the antenna high up.

Hi Jack.

My FM5 is on top of a chimney-mounted 12ft pole so it's well above the roof (we live in a bungalow too). It has been up for 6 years and 4 months and I've never had any complaints from the neighbours here. You can but try!

Hi Jack.

Sometimes I can get TFM, but I can only get it on my Blaupunkt Casablanca CD52, as this has the sharx filters.

I have always wanted to put my FM3 with rotator on the chimney, but as I live in a end terraced house I am worried about a big wind coming along and my antenna and rotator being no more.

Hi Jack,

No, 96.6Mhz is busy here in Lincoln, due to Heart Northampton being on that frequency.

Your friend won't receive UHF TV on an FM3, because that is designed for Band II (87.5Mhz-108.0Mhz). He'll need a high-gain UHF aerial.

When a "lift" is on, UHF TV reception from Bilsdale gets all over the UK.
In times gone by, The Channel Isles transmitter used to receive ITV from Stockland Hill (Devon) and re-broadcast it. On occasions, Bilsdale (on the same frequencies) used to cause co-channel interference with incoming signals from Stockland Hill.

Digital TV can travel long distances. I have received German TV, here in Lincoln ->

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxR7PLeMbPo

Of course, with digital TV, it's a case of all or nothing (digital cliff effect), so reception is either perfect or non-existent.

Good luck with your 4 metre pole. It will certainly improve reception during "flat" conditions. If you keep to vertical polarization, you'll most likely receive The Netherlands and Belgium. Try 102.7Mhz RADIO538 from The Netherlands (Lopik) or 95.7Mhz Radio 1 from Belgium (Egem).

Chris.

Hi Jim,

You can't put an absolute figure to it which is probably why no one has answered. There are a number of factors - one is how much power the station puts into the 57kHz sub-carrier - another is how clean the signal is. There is a pirate on 87.5 MHz which gives RDS on a very low signal whereas at other times strong DX signals just don't respond.

For me a general rule of thumb is that if the signal is noise free mono it ought to produce an RDS code on RDSspy and using a computer software interface to the tuner will give you better sensitivity than that of the tuner.

David

Sittingbourne

I'll give it a try anyway, I'm planning to use it when I'm out in the caravan too, so hope there will be no problems using it on site.


That is always a concern!