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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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30th May 2020, 1:29 pm | #1 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saltburn-East, Cleveland, UK.
Posts: 1,784
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Radio 2 Spanish interference
Hi, I’m currently sat in the garden listening to Paul Gambaccini’s top 20 and am suffering from interference from what appears to be a Spanish speaking radio station.
We’re in a relatively high location albeit with hills from the Cleveland way and North York Moors to the South West. The FM transmitters covering us are Bilsdale and Pontop Pike, I’m reasonably certain that my Roberts R600 is tuned to Pontop Pike. Has anyone else experienced interference such as I am at the moment due to the current bought of high pressure? Andrew |
30th May 2020, 2:20 pm | #2 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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Re: Radio 2 Spanish interference
When the eclipse happened in the UK in 1999 there was a call to listen to an AM station to see if the Appleton Heaviside layer reappeared quickly. As Radio 2 is on VHF/FM now the last bit probably irrelevant, but VHF is getting a lot of DX at the moment because of the weather. Great for DXers, crap for listeners.
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30th May 2020, 2:24 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 7,548
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Re: Radio 2 Spanish interference
It can happen at this time of the year. I'm no expert on propagation but I think it's called 'Sporadic E' and it's due to the layers that make up our atmosphere. These vary in height and thus can affect how far certain radio transmissions can travel. Very often here in Croydon I can receive French and Dutch FM stations at certain times and under exceptional conditions I have received a German one. Any interference is usually intermittent or 'sporadic'.
Not noticed anything here at home yet but it is more likely to happen on the car radio. One of the local stations I listen to has actually had poorer recption recently probably caused by the high pressure.
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30th May 2020, 2:24 pm | #4 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
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Re: Radio 2 Spanish interference
The weather seems to be affecting some of the Freeview channels down here where I am as well.
Lawrence. |
30th May 2020, 2:56 pm | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 9,427
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Re: Radio 2 Spanish interference
Lots of information about Sporadic E On the web.
https://www.electronics-notes.com/ar...radic-e-es.php Information on tropospheric propagation https://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/help...ng-on-freeview Sporadic E was a common problem for Band 1 interference and can cause problems for VHF radio. Tropospheric seems to cause problems with the higher UHF frequencies.
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Frank |
30th May 2020, 2:57 pm | #6 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saltburn-East, Cleveland, UK.
Posts: 1,784
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Re: Radio 2 Spanish interference
I appears to be a German or Dutch station and is definitely sporadic. In fact German or Dutch makes more sense seeing as how we are only two miles inland from the North Sea with Denmark and Sweden 300 miles or so across the water.
In the analogue tv days back in the early 80’s I have received Grampian and Sweden (in one case with fuzzy colour) in some local areas due to bouts of high pressure. As I type the interference has returned and a re tuning attempt has radio 2 with multiparth distortion Andrew |
30th May 2020, 4:19 pm | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,316
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Re: Radio 2 Spanish interference
In the late 1970's, before the FM band filled up with commercial and local radio, I could usually receive several French and Dutch FM stations (and Radio Oxford) in stereo all year round using nothing more complicated than a budget Alba UA 600/700 tuner and amp combo and a loft-mounted home-made horizontal dipole made from 15mm copper tube cut for 100MHz. I was then living in Chadwell Heath, between Ilford and Romford, about 70' above O.D. The FM band is too crowded for foreign reception now, other than under high pressure conditions.
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30th May 2020, 9:26 pm | #8 |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Cambridge, Cambs. UK.
Posts: 2,196
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Re: Radio 2 Spanish interference
Here in Cambridge, FM stereo reception is often disrupted by continental stations, even with a 4-element roof-mounted antenna feeding a high quality Denon tuner. Mercifully, it’s rare for it to affect R3, though it can frequently be heard as a ‘birdie’ on R2.
DAB, despite its inherent limitations, is a refreshingly quiet alternative. Martin
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1st Jun 2020, 12:51 pm | #9 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Yarm, North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 535
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Re: Radio 2 Spanish interference
Yes, sporadic E is enabling it. Here in Yarm, I am picking up a portugese station.
Colin |