DLF, France Musique and other high power stations were heard. Maximal MUF was 97 MHz, but most of the time 90 or under. These low band conditions seemed to continue till 1200 UTC (left work at 0730 UTC).
These evening condx can be described as private conditions, because the reflecting cloud was so small, that it gave MUF 108 only for Uurainen, but not for other localities in inner Finland. The diameter of such a cloud must be less than 30 km. Usually those ”private” conditions can offer stations up to 108 MHz, but there are lot of empty frequencies. If the reception area is small, so are the transmitters heard only from small geographical area. Condx started with OIRT, probably MDA and UKR. First CCIR ID was local commercial spot of Radio Pyatnitsa from Rivne, soon turning to Romania (mostly networks), but also some Serbian local stations: Radio Mig 107.3 MHz and Radio Gong 93.6 MHz.
After a short break the conditions started again from BUL, ROU and some Italians on the band too. MUF rised again over 100 MHz and opened rare direction: Istanbul (2400 km). The maximal skip is rarely open over 100 MHz. In the end it turned back to ROU..
Full logs will follow later in Visual log book. I just reached my goal: 100th Russian FM QSL, so it is time to concentrate to other countries. Italians of 29 May are still unreported, so are couple of French stations and so on..
Based on last days, seasonal trends seem to be middle of Russia (Komi/Tatarstan), Bulgaria and France – exactly as it seemed to be in the beginning of season. Interesting variety!
Another kind of pretty rare ID
What a DXpedition that was! Conditions every single day from June 8th to 19th (except the 11th)!
Saturday was the last full day at the camp. Morning brought us France and a little Spain, the afternoon some good quality Italy starting from Rome, and the evening a slow, jumpy and at times boring opening to the Balkans and thereabouts. Sunday caught us tearing down the rigs, cleaning the place and packing up under an all-sorts up and down opening.
After lunch on Saturday we were lazying in the beautiful warm sunshine with no wind at all. Luckily we had taken a look at the weather forecast that showed clearly that we were right in the eye of a serious low pressure system. We just managed to get the big Körners down before the system moved and we got all the wind & rain in the world from its edge.
The storm arrived with the antennas gone except one 8 element Triax (pic: MB).
Here’s the hasty log of Saturday 18/6:
87.900 18.6. 0827- E: Cadena 100, Pamplona. Local px and ads to Navarra. 2458 km. Utö17
89.500 18.6. 1306- I: Radio We, Roma. JTK/Utö17
91.900 18.6. 0700- F: Neptune FM, L’Ile d’Yeu (85). JTK/Utö17
94.000 18.6. 1325- I: R Classica, Milano. RDS ID. JTK/Utö17
94.600 18.6. 1319- I: R Hinterland, Binasco (MI). JTK/Utö17
94.600 18.6. 1736- ROU: Argeş Express, Curtea de Argeş (AG). Old station, new name. JTK/Utö17
96.300 18.6. 1330- I: R Panda, Garbagnate Milanese (MI). JTK/Utö17
96.600 18.6. 1735- ROU: R Somes, Bistrita. Utö17
97.700 18.6. 2023- + GRC: Avena FM 97.7, Alexandreia. JTK/Utö17
99.700 18.6. 1737- ROU: Atlas FM, Alba Iulia. ”Join us at www.atlasfm.ro”. JTK/Utö17
99.800 18.6. 1310- I: R M100, Roma. New name. JTK/Utö17
106.900 18.6. 1310- I: R Mambo, Roma. JTK/Utö17
106.900 18.6. 1316- + I: R Miele, Trento. Moena (TN)-tx. HPI confirmed that this is station #19 ever heard in Finland from Trento. JTK/Utö17
107.400 18.6. 2001- GRC: Libero 107,4, Thessaloniki (25). JY/Utö17
88.000 18.6. 1722- ROU: R Impuls, Bucureşti (BU). JJS/Utö17
89.100 18.6. 1820- UKR: R Dacha, Sevastopol (KR). JJS/Utö17
89.600 18.6. 2034- TUR: Anadolunun Sesi, Istanbul (mam-ist). JJS/Utö17
93.800 18.6. 1734- ROU: Focus FM, Buzau (BZ). JJS/Utö17
94.100 18.6. 1904- SRB: Hit FM R, Beograd. JJS/Utö17
94.200 18.6. 1833- KOS: Radio Kosova e Lirë, Prishtina. JJS/Utö17
95.500 18.6. 1902- BIH: R Grude, Grude. JJS/Utö17
95.500 18.6. 1948- BUL: R 1, Sofia. Myös 90.3 aiemmin. JJS/Utö17
96.900 18.6. 1936- ROU: Gold FM, Bucureşti (BU). JJS/Utö17
97.200 18.6. 1959- GRC: Athlitko Metropolis, Serres (28). JJS/Utö17
100.000 18.6. 2002- GRC: FM100, Thessaloniki (25). JJS/Utö17
101.700 18.6. 1739- BUL: R Bumerang, Gabrovo. JJS/Utö17
104.400 18.6. 1956- + SRB: R Belle Amie, Niš (Srb). Tx Dimitrovgrad /Basara. JJS/Utö17
104.700 18.6. 2015- GRC: Rock R, Thessaloniki (25). ex-Geronimo Groovy probably JJS/Utö17
…plus hundreds of Romanian and Bulgarian network outlets…
Until next year! 🙂
Yesterday Friday was a big teaser. As a game-changer the best part came already before lunch with a stomping three-minute full band opening to Libya. Presumably a case of Mediterranean tropo with a continuation ticket with Es. (At least the F5LEN tropo forecast maps have been all red there recently.)
The evening gave us a long run to Russia (Krasnodar region) and Ukraine. These conditions never really took off but didn’t move or fade away, either.
Today three listeners left the island. But as I write this, Es keeps on teasing us with a French half-opening. Hopes are high with some 197 MUF spots around the Balkans, so far out of reach from here.
The best of Friday 17th:
68.000 17.6. 0720- RUS: Russkoye R, Rostov (RO). Loval ads. JJS&JTK/Utö17
88.000 17.6. 1020- I: Radio Toscana. JJK/Utö17
88.000 17.6. 1703- RUS: Elektron FM. QTH missing. JJS/Utö17
88.200 17.6. 1021- I: Radio Modena 90. JJK/Utö17
88.300 17.6. 1250- RUS: Radio Dacha, Krasnodar. JJK&JTK/Utö17
88.900 17.6. 0847- + LBY: R Ram, Misratah. RDS ID. Koran reading. 3079 km. Utö17
90.000 17.6. 1647- RUS: Russkoe R, Belorechensk (KD). Local ads without even mentioning the city, but Eldorado can be found at Ulitsa Mira 75 and a Yandex search will tell the rest. ID & local telephone in the end of the ad block. JJS&JTK/Utö17
90.400 17.6. 1655- UKR: Retro FM, Mariupol (DO). JJS&JTK/Utö17
90.500 17.6. 0847- + LBY: Tentative: BBN FM Benghazi. PI:5000, rolling PS: ”EuroTel Broadcasting Spa”. Utö17
90.600 17.6. 1645- RUS: NRJ, Krasnodar. Local ads and telephone 2555211 JTK/Utö17
91.600 17.6. 1330- UKR: Tentative: Lux FM, Kryvyi Rih (DP). ID + local sounding ad with Kryvyi Rih mentioned. JTK/Utö17
91.600 17.6. 1649- RUS: R Shanson, Belorechensk (KD). JJS/Utö17
101.000 17.6. 1630- RUS: Pervoye R, Krasnodar. Mighty IDs JTK/Utö17
102.400 17.6. 1300- RUS: Kazak FM, Krasnodar. JTK/Utö17
103.600 17.6. 1341- UKR: Lubimoe R. Kryvyi Rih (DP)-tx. Just the network ID between songs. JTK/Utö17
104.000 17.6. 0849- + LBY: Sawt al-Madina, Tripoli. Full speed programme and a fine ID! PI: D031. OSY/Utö17
Libyans rammed the band for a few minutes.
Utö sunset seen through heavy rain at 22.45 local time.
Otso the bear surrounded by two wolves, ready to head home aboard M/S Eivor
After excellent Utö logs some more ordinary catches from Central Finland. Couple of posts ago I described OIRT as ”a less interesting band” but it has something more to offer than Radio Rossii. Today Radio Askhadar 66.68 was heard tentatively and Kunel Radiosy 67.79 with clear ID’s, both from Tatarstan. Gomel FM jingle from Belarus surprised on 66.98. Radio Shanson network ID came on 71.72, it is just a bit over 1000 km to Kaluga – interesting oblast. Unfortunately no local commercials heard or local programmes going on Radio Rossii.
QSL Qazaq Radïosi, UNID-TX 101.9 MHz brought verified FM country # 40
Thursday was the 7th day of Es conditions during the DXpedition and, as I’m writing this, Friday will be another one as well. Not bad.
In Euro 2016 the afternoon game was between Northern Ireland and Ukraine, while on the band it was about Republic of Ireland against Ukraine. The best catches below.
And the winner of the annual Utö Championships in Huutokauppa (Oh Hell) is… JJS. It was a hands down win without any question from the very beginning. While there was a constant battle for the runner-up position… JTK finally ended up second and JJK third. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_Hell for the rules of this great game. We did it from 13 tricks down to 1 and back up again)
92.500 16.6. 1404- + IRL: Tentative: Phoenix FM. Rose over Corca Baiscim with patient stories. Similar was found in their web stream OSY/Utö17
92.500 16.6. 1401- IRL: Tentative: R Corca Baiscim. Non stop Irish music. Utö17
95.300 16.6. 1400- IRL: Live 95FM, Limerick. Local news. Utö17
95.300 16.6. 1401- IRL: Tipp FM, Tipperary. Utö17
96.200 16.6. 1415- IRL: R Kerry. Cahirciveen/Kilkeaveragh-tx 500W. JTK/Utö17
102.100 16.6. 1418- IRL: iRadio. Derrybrian-tx. Alone up there. JTK/Utö17
OSY behind his control screens
Drizzly foggy sea during our evening walk that was interrupted by a Ukraine alert
A lot of hopeful squares spread around the Sherlock map yesterday, but the openings were really stingy and short-lived.
The first alert brought us running back from the hotel buffet lunch, and the second round interfered with our evening le foot session (however, no Albania present on the band).
We also had the time for the traditional sauna & the first sea swim of the year (for most). The sea was warmer than anyone had expected. Which doesn’t quite mean warm.
Here’s the fish of the day:
72.920 15.6. 1639- UKR: Chernomos’ka Khvilya, Odesa (OD). JJS/Utö17
88.000 15.6. 1715- BIH: R Postaja Orasje, Orasje. JTK/Utö17
88.500 15.6. 1900- I: RCB Radio per passioni, Ostuni (BR). Martina Franca-tx. JTK/Utö17
89.500 15.6. 1711- HNG: Music FM, Budapest. JTK/Utö17
89.800 15.6. 1900- BIH: Radio Slobomir. JJK/Utö17
89.900 15.6. 1717- + BIH: Radio Ask, Sarajevo. MB/Utö17
90.300 15.6. 1715- HRV: Radio Banovici. JJK/Utö17
90.300 15.6. 1715- HRV: Radio Banovici. JJK/Utö17
90.800 15.6. 1823- SVK: R Košice, Košice. Tx Prešov / Lysá hora. MS (or Es triggered by MS?) JJS/Utö17
90.900 15.6. 1716- + BIH: Antena Sarajevo, Sarajevo. MB&JJK/Utö17
90.900 15.6. 1722- HNG: Jazzy R, Budapest (Bud). JJS/Utö17
91.100 15.6. 1908- I: R Cattolica in Blu, Troia (FG). JJS/Utö17
94.500 15.6. 1909- I: R Farfalla, Mottola (TA). JJS/Utö17
95.400 15.6. 1901- I: R Argento, Monopoli (BA). JJS/Utö17
95.500 15.6. 1900- BIH: Nes Radio, Banja Luka. JJK/Utö17
96.100 15.6. 1900- HNG: Magyar Katolikus Radio, Budapest. JJK/Utö17
96.300 15.6. 1900- BIH: R Doboj, Doboj. JTK&JJS&JJK/Utö17
107.600 15.6. 1338- D: Radio Lausitz. MS. JY/Utö17
The shipwreck in front of our antenna field, pictured by OSY from his canoe. Spot the lighthouse through the gape in the hull.
Toasting to Mother E. From the left JTK, JJS, JUS, JJK, MB, JY. Pic:OSY
The Spaghetti Incident between the listening posts of JJK, JTK and JUS.
Another day, another log. A promising Balkan opening in the morning targeted the western shores of the Black Sea. But instead of moving west to the Greek honeypots, Es decided to move north and eventually came too close.
In the evening we had a patchy Russian OIRT opening, also then most of the stuff came too close for comfort. With interference from the Icelandic football team 😉
Highlights of the day:
87.800 14.6. 1409- NOR: NRK Sørlandet. Hovdefjell-tx. 734 km tropo with regional px. MB/Utö17
89.000 14.6. 0924- TUR: Joy Türk, Istanbul (mam-ist). JJS/Utö17
89.400 14.6. 0855- TUR: R Denge Kurdi, Istanbul (mam-ist). JJS/Utö17
90.700 14.6. 0942- MDA: Aquarelle FM, Chisinau. JTK/Utö17
91.700 14.6. 0905- TUR: Tentative: R Gül, Gebze (mam-koc). 6 minutes of ads to Gebze. JJS/Utö17
92.200 14.6. 0902- TUR: R Gözde, Yalova (Yal). JJS/Utö17
92.200 14.6. 0937- UKR: R Pyatnytsya, Izmayl (OD). Local ads. JJS/Utö17
92.700 14.6. 0913- TUR: Romantik Ses, Adapazari (mam-sak). JJS/Utö17
93.300 14.6. 0943- MDA: R Zum, Chisinau. JTK/Utö17
93.500 14.6. 0942- MDA: Hit FM, Chisinau. Cimişlia-tx. Just network ads, blah JTK/Utö17
93.500 14.6. 0904- TUR: R Mehtap, Istanbul (mam-ist). JJS/Utö17
94.400 14.6. 0906- TUR: R Nikomedya, Izmit (mam-koc). JJS/Utö17
95.400 14.6. 0911- TUR: R Gebze, Gebze (mam-koc). JJS/Utö17
95.500 14.6. 0935- TUR: Bayram FM, Istanbul (mam-ist). JJS/Utö17
96.900 14.6. 0918- TUR: Kemençe FM, Sakarya (mam-sak). JJS/Utö17
97.600 14.6. 0914- TUR: R Müzik, Istanbul (mam-ist). JJS/Utö17
98.600 14.6. 0910- UKR: Grad FM, Odesa. Izmail-tx. Has replaced the Moye103.8 (Odesa) network. JTK/Utö17
99.800 14.6. 0916- TUR: Power Türk, Istanbul (mam-ist). JJS/Utö17
—
If Madeira will be confirmed (it may be tricky since there was no local content in the Radio Renascenca show; however it’s the only known Renascenca transmitter on the frequency and the bearing was just right), it will be FM radio country #71 heard in Finland. The new ones heard in the 2010s are:
#68 LBY 26.05.2010 JY
#69 IND 01.08.2013 MSO
#70 CHN 04.07.2014 MSO
#71 MDR 12.06.2016 OSY/Utö17 (pending confirmation)
(The other 2010s highlights – ARM, CYT, MLT and GEO – were already part of the old count.)
Daily (or better say nightly) OIRT opening came also tonight, offering familiar Komi frequencies, but also Tatar Radiosy on 67.7. Interestingly one of Rossii frequencies had other broadcast going on. Don’t they split some programmes based on time zones!? Must have been Radio Rossii Urala.
Couple of photos from yesterday evening (Uurainen):
Short log by JJH, Jyväskylä
66.89 1928 RUS Radio Rossii, Ishim/Gagarino (TY) 2539km
67.10 1930 RUS Radio Rossii, Barda (PR) 1766km
69.65 1932 RUS Radio Rossii, Serov (SV) 1887km
71.69 1933 RUS Radio Voskreseniye, Serov (SV) 1887km
69.11 1941 RUS Radio Rossii, Puksinka (SV) 2001km
66.92 1945 RUS Radio Rossii, Pechora (KO) 1566km
69.08 1948 RUS Radio Rossii, Inta (KO) 1702km
67.70 2023 RUS Tatar Radiosy, Ulyanovsk/Dom Byta (UL) 1582km
Yesterday Lady E made an appearance during the Republic of Ireland – Sweden match @Euro2016. It was a draw in Saint-Denis, but in Utö the Irish only had a brief upper hand as the regular Swedish tropo stations dominated the band.
Later in the evening there was another Es cloud, this time above Finland, that brought in OIRT stations from the Kola peninsula and Murmansk. But the highest frequency we got was only the TV sound on 83.74 (and most of the crew couldn’t take their eyes off Belgium vs Italy). A pity as there would be a lot to discover there.
Here are the best players of the Irish team:
95.500 13.6. 1639- IRL: LMFM, Drogheda.
96.600 13.6. 1640- IRL: R Kerry. Killarney (KY) tx 100w.
97.300 13.6. 1639- IRL: KFM Kildare.
98.100 13.6. 1640- IRL: 98FM, Dublin. Three Rock Mountain tx.
The Wolves of Uhtua, JUS and JJK, keep themselves busy sweeping the cliffs between Es openings. The weather has improved steadily, all day sunshine and up to +18 C in the shade.