Sunday, January 29, 2017

Super Saturday

It's been a long time since I can recall a Saturday quite like this. In fact, I don't think I've ever known one. I heard a couple of Dutch pirates first thing in the morning before the signals faded down as the sun came up. But at around 1300 local time the signals started arriving once again from across the North Sea - three and a half hours before sunset and a very rare occurrence. 



Sure enough, those pirates heard during early afternoon were weak, but sometimes the signals came up and were perfectly listenable. And from around 1500 they became stronger and stronger, and there were more and more of them. In fact, take a look at the list and there is an incredible amount. A quick count up and I made it 37 pirates during just the one day - and there would have been others I didn't log.

Nice to catch some different names, too - a couple of new pirates, some I haven't caught before and some returning after a break. Here's the rather long list:

Saturday, January 28, 2017
1620       0600       Rode Rover 45434 music programme
1620       0704       Zwarte Bouvier 25222-35333 music programme



1610       1259       Drukstroomjager weak signal asking for report
1628       1310       Drukstroomjager weak signal qsoing
1620       1320       Moonbreaker weak signal qsoing
1635       1323       Golfbreker weak signal-25342
1620       1334       Omega weak signal-25342 testing
1611       1345       Nachtzwerver weak signal
1620       1409       Marskramer (Friesland) weak signal testing
1623       1411       Relmus 25342 testing
1611       1438       Mike 25342 testing
1620       1514       Columbia weak signal asking for report
1612       1528       Pontiac 35333 qsoing
1646       1534       Zwarte Bizon 25222 qsoing
1638       1558       Friese Piraat 25222 music programme
1610       1600       Anton 24322 qsoing
1620       1604       Moonbreaker 25332-35343 qsoing
1640       1605       Brugwachter 35443 report for Friese Piraat
1650       1605       Batavier 25332, 35443 at 1621 report for Friese Piraat
1645       1609       Kamelen Boer 25322 report for Friese Piraat
1620       1610       Omega 25332 qsoing
1620       1617       Digitaal 35333 qsoing
1632       1626       Alaska weak signal qsoing
1638       1633       Osaka 25222-35333 qsoing
1670       1648       Digitaal 45334-55444 music programme
1638       1656       Brugwachter 55444 qsoing
1634       1708       Keizer en Keizerin 34443, 45444 later music programme
1620       1708       Columbia 35343-45444 music programme
1645       1747       Casablanca (Twente) 35343 music programme
1614       1800       Waterman 24222 music programme
1656       1815       Nachtzwerver 24322-45444 music programme
1635       1831       Yogi Bear en Einstein 44444 testing. Switched to 1638  
1625       1947       Barones 55444 music programme
1630       1948       Polidor 33433-44444 testing
1611       2258       Utopia 33433-44444 music programme
1650       2259       Lotus 55444 qsoing



1650       2309       Snowman 25222 music programme
1625       2309       Scotland 45434 qsoing
1655       2312       Batavier 45444
1629       2313       Monza 34433 qsoing
1647       2319       Nachtzwerver 34333 music programme
1625       2324       Napoleon 44444 music programme
1620       2326       Musky 33333 music programme
1629       2336       Blauwe Koe 34433 music programme
1643       2341       Adje 45444 music programme
1650       2350       Monte Carlo 34333 qsoing
1650       2353       Digitaal 44444-55444 qsoing
1632       0026       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 55444 music programme



Friday, January 27, 2017
1630       1533       Vrolijke Mijnwerker 35443-45444 short music programme
1634       1755       Golfbreker 25222-35333 
1646       1759       Zwarte Bizon 34333 qsoing
1655       1801       Dikke Betta 55444 music programme
1645       1805       JB 45444 testing



1629       1814       Columbia 35333-45444 testing
1620       1821       Relmus 25222-45444 music programme
1494       1826       Coast FM 34333-55544 relay 
1638       1842       Casablanca (Twente) 25332 qsoing
1638       1917       Admiraal 34333
1611       1919       Utopia 24332, 44434 at 1935 report for Columbia
1630       1939       Moonbreaker report for DB
1615       1944       Mosterdboer 35333-45444 music programme
1629       1955       Malibu 25222-35333 music programme
1646       1958       Kristal 55444 music programme
1611       2215       Malibu 24222-34333 music programme
1660       2216       Twentana 25222-44444 music programme
1655       2217       Batavier 35333 music programme
1650       2223       Batavier 35333 music programme


Thursday, January 26, 2017
1629       1530       Rebecca weak signal
1634       1550       Bizon 25222 testing

Wednesday, January 25, 2017
1638       2350       Bluebird 44444-55444 music programme
1641       0012       Orion 35333 qsoing
1649       0016       Monte Carlo 35333 qsoing
1655       1644       Batavier 25222, 35333 at 1812 music programme
1629       1652       Noordzee 25222-35333 music programme
1663       1714       Digitaal 25222-35333 qsoing
1660       1718       Noordzee 25222-35333 qsoing
1663       1744       Paradiso 25222 qsoing
1658       1748       Nachtzwerver weak signal qsoing
1634       1829       Blauwe Panda weak signal
1647       1831       Nachtzwerver weak signal-25222 music programme
1638       1945       Casablanca (Twente) 35333 music programme

Observations

  • There was a nice surprise on Wednesday evening when I heard Orion qsoing with Monte Carlo. 1641 kHz has long been his frequency, but he had been absent for some time. In fact, a look at the logs reveals I hadn't heard him since October 19, 2013. Welcome back!
  • Great to catch Rebecca on Thursday afternoon. I was sitting in the living room watching TV and thought I'd have a quick check on the radio - and there he was coming through. The signal wasn't strong but it was over an hour before sunset.
  • There were two new names on the band on Friday night. Golfbreker was the first. The operator of the station had previously been part of an FM team but has decided to try MW. He purchased a transmitter from another station in Friesland and, with a little help from Melkbus, has got everything working well. The power is 120 watts and the signal here was pretty good. Nice to have a new station on air.
  • The other station on Friday evening that I hadn't heard before was Mosterdboer. I turned detective and recruited a few helpers to try to find out a little more information about this one and it seems this was actually an FM pirate being relayed on to MW, although I'm not sure by who. The signal here was very good.
  • During Saturday's marathon listening session and some very favourable propagation conditions it was good to catch some pirates I hadn't heard in a good while - Roderover, Zwarte Bouvier, Drukstromjager/Pontiac, Alaska, Lotus and Scotland. And again there was a new addition to the airwaves. This time it was Omega, who was testing his antenna. I also heard Waterman for the first time. This is a famous name from the past, but a different station now. Also on Saturday, Kamelen Boer was a new name for me, although the station is a regular under a different name. Some oldtimers may well recognise his voice. Adje is a name that hasn't appeared in my logs either, although the operator has (Black Bandit, Johnny Tobacco anyone?)

7 comments:

  1. Hi, I have been listening to a pirate on Saturday between 1900-2100 UTC on round about 1610-1620 kHz(my SONY ICF-7600DS tuned on 1611, fine tune full+) my cheap analog Soundmaster WE-20 tuned it better. I didn't understand the station name due to fade out. I would like to send an QSL. Do you have an idea which station it was? Maybe contact data?
    Thanx- Joe

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  2. Correction: send RR, get QSL :-)

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  3. Hi Joe. Thanks for getting in touch. I reckon it might have been Waterman. Can you remember any of the music played? Waterman was playing mainly Dutch tunes with the odd English record.

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  4. Hi, yes I have it on mp3....

    And today on same frequency, many german tunes... but I dont know why- fading out due to station announcement. ..
    but thank you. Do waterman have an email?

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  5. Sounds like Waterman to me. It was the first time Id heard that station myself and I dont know the address. If I find out, Ill let you know. Cheers

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  6. thank you.
    I would be glad. there is not much to find in the web. Its my first time contacting pirate stations...
    Joe

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  7. Welcome to the hobby! There's not a great deal of information out there about the Dutch MW pirates, but www.am-forum.nl is a good place to look. And for the SW pirates, there are sites like terrysradioblog.blogspot.co.uk, irishpaulsradioblog.blogspot.co.uk and shortwavedx.blogspot.co.uk that can help you out quite a lot with logs, addresses, that sort of thing.

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