Messages

421

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: radio merlin is on 6305khz

« on: June 24, 2019, 2231 UTC »

only 20 watts and the aerial is a half wave dipole facing east west about 4 mts high

Thanks for the info.  In that case your antenna is radiating efficiently, despite lack of height and with only 20 watt.

So, the reason for your strong signal over the UK tonight is: E layer refraction over the UK at 100 kms height

I tend to check Chilton Ionosonde graphs for propagation conditions over the UK, and they clearly showed strong e-layer reflection locally tonight, at a height of 100 km, this is why Radio Merlin's 20 watt signal was belting out strongly at  S9+10 db levels in the UK, further away on the continent your signal will probably have reverted to being refracted by the normal F layer at about 300 kms height

This is the reason for tonight's good local propagation on 48 meters... of course it helped that there was little thunder interference,  tonight, which hasn't happened in a long time, this month!

422

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: radio merlin is on 6305khz

« on: June 24, 2019, 2126 UTC »

thanks just check on the SW UK SDR still s9+10 tonight http://southwest.ddns.net:8073/

Hi, thanks for the programme. How much power are you transmitting tonight, and is your antenna a standard half-wave dipole?

423

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: radio merlin is on 6305khz

« on: June 24, 2019, 2058 UTC »

SINPO 44454  Good signal in Northern England via local e-layer propagation conditions over UK at the moment - some QRM at times

2055 Automatic - Pointer Sisters

2102 It's Magic - Pilot

424

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Unid 6955 AM 1834 utc 24 Jun 2019

« on: June 24, 2019, 2025 UTC »

on 6954.95
1834 music, fair, 1835 Weather Girls "It's raining men", fading down, 1840 talking?
1842 up again, weak music
lost by 1845

Radio Parade International - moved to 6950 khz 2030 utc

425

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Unid 6955 AM 1834 utc 24 Jun 2019

« on: June 24, 2019, 2010 UTC »

SINPO 45434  Very good clear signal at times but with a few deep fades here

1823 Jump - Van Halen
1826 Like a Virgin - Madonna
1830 Station ID and e-mail - Radio Parade International
1830 Never Ending Story - Limahl
1834 It's raining Men - The Weathergirls
1841 Station ID and e-mail - Radio Parade International
1841 Dr Beat - Gloria Estefan

2014 Like a Virgin - Madonna - some QRM on USB

2030 Holiday - Madonna - Freq move 6950 khz
2038 Robert de Niro - Bananarama

426

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: King Shortwave tent. 6210 AM 0801 utc 23 Jun 2019

« on: June 23, 2019, 0942 UTC »

SINPO 42443  Steady strong signal but another weaker carrier underneath

0935 Bongo Bong - Manu Chao
0939 Tears Run Rings - Marc Almond (audio undermodulated) ( CW morse QRM)
0944 TX off?  Now a Fax carrier heard

427

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Baken 16 6250.4 AM 0918 utc 23 Jun 2019

« on: June 23, 2019, 0932 UTC »

SINPO 44333

0920 From the End Till the Beginning - Earth & Fire
0928 Hipit Rautaa - Eppu Normaali (In Finnish language)
0934 Jingle Baken 16 (zestien) in Dutch
0934 Amaranth - Nightwish
0935 DJ announces ID return to music

428

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Coast FM tent. 6230 AM 0849 utc 23 Jun 2019

« on: June 23, 2019, 0854 UTC »

Just above noise level here...  but not the type of music Coast FM would play!  I think a Dutch pirate

0850 Thank you for my world -
0851 DJ barely audible
0851 The locomotion - Little Eva

429

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Radio Merlin Int. 6305 AM 0831 utc 23 Jun 2019

« on: June 23, 2019, 0837 UTC »

0837 No trace of carrier here

430

European Pirates and Private Stations / Radio Parade Int 6925 AM 0818 UTC 23 Jun 2019

« on: June 23, 2019, 0828 UTC »

SINPO 34323  moderate signal with fading into noise

0818 I just called to say I love you - Steve Wonder
0820 Station ID and email
0820 Freedom - Wham
0823 Hello - Lionel Richie
0826 Station ID and email
0826 Glad it's all over - Captain Sensible

0830 Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr
0833 Station ID and email

Barely able to copy now, into the noise

431

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Unid 6280 AM 0808 utc 23 Jun 2019

« on: June 23, 2019, 0823 UTC »

Very strong signal here SINPO 44244 

Distorted overmodulated audio and very wide splatter upto 20 khz from carrier from this Dutch pirate.... TX could do with some adjusting by operator?

432

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Re: FAO 'UNLICENSED AM MODE OPERATORS'

« on: June 22, 2019, 1849 UTC »

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/spectrum-offences/illegalbroadcast

Copied and pasted from the ofcoM link above is the following:.

Summary of offences

Anyone involved in illegal broadcasting is committing a criminal offence and could face up to two years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both. See sections 36 to 38 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006.

You may be committing an offence if you know, or have reasonable cause to believe, that unauthorised broadcasts are being made, and you:

•   keep a station/apparatus available for its use;
•   allowing your premises to be used;
•   advertise;
•   promote;
•   provide content;
•   or otherwise enable the broadcasting, including managing or rendering any service that will facilitate the operation.

'Think' may not turn out to be exact! Unlike my grammatical assessment of ofcoM's 'Summary of offences'!

Let's hope they are equally sloppy when it comes to catching 'UNLICENSED AM MODE OPERATORS' and their supporters

"Provide content"!!!... so if a pirate station broadcasts a speech by HM The Queen, basically she's committed an offence by "providing content" used in contravention of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006... that should be interesting.  That's two years prison and an unlimited fine, ma'am.  I bet she'll just get a police caution like Prince Philip, after that almost deadly car accident, last winter ....

433

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Re: FAO 'UNLICENSED AM MODE OPERATORS'

« on: June 22, 2019, 1729 UTC »

So broadcasts coming from foreign countries are not unauthorized by Ofcom,
and Ofcom not taking action against those unauthorized transmissions is an accomplice of a criminal action, at least should jam any transmission coming from abroad,
otherwise, that means the Ofcom is a criminal organisation ?

As long as foreign broadcasts, like for example former Radio Luxembourg's English service on 1440 khz, are legal in the country of origin and using agreed frequencies and power levels designated by the I.T.U. then that foreign broadcast service is automatically legal as far as Ofcom is concerned.  However, an unlicenced radio broadcast from outside UK territory, but receivable in the UK is still a contravention of UK broadcast law.  So, let's say a Dutch radio pirate get's found out while in the UK, he can still be prosecuted in the UK, despite never having broadcast from UK territory, but from Holland or on a ship in international waters.

For further information see:

 EUROPEAN AGREEMENT
FOR THE PREVENTION OF BROADCASTS
TRANSMITTED FROM STATIONS
OUTSIDE NATIONAL TERRITORIES
Strasbourg, 22.I.1965

....which can be found somewhere online in PDF format by using google.

This agreement was made as a direct result of European off-shore pirate radio in the 1960s, and is still legally valid today, as far as I know

434

European Pirates and Private Stations / Re: Re: FAO 'UNLICENSED AM MODE OPERATORS'

« on: June 22, 2019, 1305 UTC »

Copied and pasted from the ofcon link above is the following:
 

"Ofcon"  ?  Fraudian slip?

It's wise to stay clear of emergency frequencies and controversial political content... most pirates do, but I know of recent examples who don't regarding Brexit and recreational drug use.

It's a bit ironic if ofCON is still so concerned about keeping the HF airwaves "clean" yet so much modern technology adds masses of interference and noise to local neighbourhoods in the MF and HF spectrum...

I am also aware that many "non-pirates" seem to pick and choose frequencies in the HF spectrum irrespective of international frequency plans... most notable Russian OTH radar signals etc.... they can pop up almost anywhere, it seems

435

Pirate Radio History / Re: Reflections Europe [was: Re: Religious broadcast 6295 AM 2020 UTC 16 June 2019]

« on: June 19, 2019, 1433 UTC »

Reflections Europe broadcasts from Donegal, Ireland... and the Irish authorities are not giving out legal shortwave broadcast licenses, so the signal is unlicensed, hence a pirate broadcast, irrespective of religious programming.... and considering some of it's rather right wing content, I don't think they would probably get a broadcasting license even if they wanted to... at least not in Ireland.  The fact that they have been broadcasting for many years simply means that the Republic of Ireland is a relatively safe haven for unlicensed shortwave broadcasting, generally.... and has been for quite some time

The definition of pirate is outdated and needs to be changed.

US CB radio operators and Part 15 radio station operators are two examples or stations that aren't licensed, are legal, and no one would call them "pirates."

If Ireland -- as a policy -- allows unlicensed broadcasters to operate in the country, without penalty or enforcement action, those stations are de facto legal.

What makes a pirate station a pirate station is that it's illegal.

Reflections Europe isn't a pirate.

Reflections Europe is an unlicensed radio broadcaster/Pirate Radio station from the Republic of Ireland, broadcasting in contravention of the legal provisions of the current Irish Broadcasting Act 2009.

The Republic of Ireland does not allow unlicensed radio broadcasts from its territory on HF frequencies, especially those which are internationally allocated to maritime communications.  Shortwave pirate radio prosecution has a low priority amongst Irish law enforcement... unless there is serious interference.

Just because someone isn't caught doing something against the law in the Republic of Ireland, doesn't "de facto" make it legal.