By Keith Hamer & Garry Smith

[email protected]

[email protected]

MARCH

Reception remained in the doldrums during March, but the 2022 Sporadic-E Season is fast approaching. Keep looking and listening for the first signs of activity – it should be any day now!

On the home front, tropospheric enhancement reared its head towards the end of March. Stephen Michie (Bristol) decoded signals from the Sandy Heath site on the 23^rd. Pictures were visible on channels D24 (ITV/D3&4 multiplex) and D27 (BBC A multiplex). Various FM services from the Croydon transmitter were heard on the 26^th with French signals from Lille making it on the 28^th.

Exotic Successes!

It is always interesting to hear about which countries other DX enthusiasts are receiving in Europe via tropospheric propagation, especially when many of these transmitters would be classed as ‘exotics’ if received within the United Kingdom. In the past, for instance, Austria, Poland and the former Czech and Slovak Republics were received in Band III and at UHF during the more intense openings.

Italy almost made it into East Anglia amidst a jumble of co-channel signals during one intense tropospheric event in the ’70s. One of the most intriguing captures featured images from Klaipėda (Lithuania) on channel R29 which was identified in East Anglia. Reception in the north of England by Peter Barclay in December 2007 included TVP-2 (Poland) on channel R35 from the Zielona Gora outlet (Fig. 1).

Fast-forward to 2022 and the digital age. In France (Épinal), Niels van der Linden and his sons (Jonathan and Lars-Luciën) scored via tropo with television signals from the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Monaco. Fortunately, their location is surrounded by countries within a reasonable reception distance. These captures always seem like exotics to DX-ers in the UK and make interesting reading!

On March 6^th, Italian signals in Band III were visible between 0645 and 0715 on D6 (RAI-1) Piemonte Monte Turo, D7 (Canale Italia 3) Valcava, D10 (Videonord) Varese, and D11 (RAI Crit) Torino.

Later, between 1755 and 1825, the Czech Republic was identified on D28 (MUX-22) from Liberec 32kW, D34 (MUX-22) Plzeň 100kW, D38 (MUX-22) Cheb 20kW, and D43 (MUX-24) Liberec 16kW.

Croatia was identified on March 7^th with reception lasting between 1555 and 1640. The HRT-1 Dnevnik news covering the Ukraine crisis was seen on channel D28 via the Učka 100kW ERP transmitter which is located above the resort of Opatija on the Kvarner Riviera. The reception distance was 647km.

During the same opening, Slovenia on D22 (MUX C) from Mount Nanos in the southwest of the country was present. Also, the D32 (MUX A) and D38 Slovenian multiplexes were decoded. Both signals originated from the 100kW Krvavec transmitter.

Italian Band III signals were also present such as D6 (RAI) Monte Turo 2.2kW, D9 (RAI) Milano 5kW, and D10 (Videonord) Varese 13kW. UHF captures included D26 (RAI A) Monte Penice 250kW, and D27 (Canale Italia) Monte Calenzone 250kW.

Monte-Carlo was received on the 14^th from the Mont Agel transmitter (200kW ERP) on channel D30 between 1945 and 2035 at 495km airing the news programme ‘Monaco Info’.

DAB

On the 6^th, just before returning home to Rotterdam following a visit to his brother in Épinal, Gösta van der Linden identified FM and DAB+ stations from Slovenia and the Czech Republic, thanks to tropo ducting. DAB was also received by Niels from Monaco during the opening on the 14^th on 8A (MCR1) and 12B (MCR2), both from Mont Agel (4kW ERP with vertical polarisation).

Gösta tells us that DAB+ aerials were added to the Eiffel tower on March 15^th (Fig. 2). The 6-metre extension mast means the tower is now 330 metres high.

DX Down Under

Thanks to TEP (Transequatorial Propagation), Tony Mann (Perth, Australia) received weak analogue TV carriers on March 3^rd and 17^th on 49.7488MHz (channel R1/C1) with 50 Hz sidebands, upward drift. Tony also noted similar carriers on March 17^th at 49.7433MHz (channel R1/C1), with 50 Hz sidebands, and downward drift. These low-power analogue TV stations are probably located in east or northeast China, or the Vladivostok region of Russia.

On 50.313MHz, FT8 signals were detected, primarily from Japan, on the 3^rd and 17^th. Tony decoded a 2-hour 6m FT8 recording made on March 17^th and found 72 received stations: one from mainland China (BD6IF, +3dB, Luoyang City, Henan, 35N/112E), three from South Korea (DS3CHK, HL2EIZ, HL3EMT), and 68 from Japan. The Perth 6m beacon on 50.066MHz was received in Japan on both dates.

Stay Tuned!

Our thanks go to all our readers and DX colleagues for submitting this month’s reception reports and information.

Please send DX-TV and FM reception reports, photographs and equipment details to us via the E-mail addresses, shown at the top of this column, by the end of the month.

CAPTIONS TO PHOTOGRAPHS

Fig. 1: TVP-2 from Poland on channel R35, captured during a tropospheric

           opening in December 2007 (Photo: Peter Barclay).

Fig. 2: DAB+ antennas hoisted into position atop the Eiffel Tower (Photo: Gösta van der Linden).

Fig. 3: The attack by Russian forces on the iconic Kyiv radio and TV tower on March 1st.

Fig. 4: Croatia (HRT) on channel D28 (MUX M1) from Učka, 100kW (Photo: Niels van der Linden).

Fig. 5: Monaco on channel D30 (MMD - Monaco Info) (Photo: Niels van der Linden).

Fig. 6: Switzerland from La Dôle (Vaud, 2.4kW ERP) on channel D34V (SWOX F2) (Photo: Niels van der Linden).