Weekend logs: 4/25-4/27/14

Torrential downpour here (OK, it just rained a lot), so I watched the Pirates (baseball) on TV lose again and I scrubbed out some old Pepsi bottles so that I can try my hand at making homemade root beer. But I do have a logging:


Radio Focus International: 6284.7, 4/26, 0352+ One of the strongest signals you'll find from a Europirate in the Midatlantic states on 48 meters, but the thunderstorm noise is tremendous tonight. UK-accented DJ with a variety of pop and rock music, such as John Fogarty "Rock'n'Roll Girls," Foreigner "Cold as Ice." Clear IDs & announcing 6285 kHz. I was thinking that I had a QSL from Focus, but I guess I just heard the station last year. A lot of DXers in North America should be able to hear Focus tonight.

Beautiful day & doing some outdoor work. Missed Radio Black Arrow from Holland testing on 19m, but am now hearing a pirate:

Unid: 6875, 4/26, 1800-1803* "Deck the Halls" & other Christmas music, then a phone number & into James Dobson for a few seconds and plug pulled.

I think I'll try to dig another wheelbarrow load of dirt, but right now I have:

Island Radio: 6221, 4/26, 2355+ Really strong carrier with decent audio now. Light pop music, but nothing that I've been able to ID yet.  At 2359, I heard what sounded like an ID break, but I started getting some USB QRM on the frequency. Jari in Finland says this is Island Radio. Nice signal & I've never heard the station before.

Radio Focus International: 6284.7, 4/26, 2350+ This one had a weaker carrier, but stronger audio than 6221. Judging by the frequency, I think this is Radio Focus International, but I didn't check it out. I thought I'd start recording 6221 in case it was a new station for me (and it is).

Undercover Radio: 6925U, 4/27, 0009- Shoutouts to atrainradio & RAFman. Talking about new Undercover Radio t-shirts and the possibilities of going to Moogfest in Nashville. "You never know...if you see someone wearing an Undercover Radio t-shirt, it could be Dr. Benway." Said to e-mail him if you'd like a PDF of the Undercover Radio interview in the latest issue of CQ+.

Radio Experience: 6240, 4/27, 0021+ Older ('70s?) dance music with announcement breaks. Um, that's not a lot of details, but the signal actually is pretty good here. OK, now a tangible detail: "Under Pressure" by Bowie and Mercury. Sam Cooke "Wonderful World," Kinks "Lola"

MAC Shortwave: 6950, 4/27, 0015+ DJ James Stewart talking to himself, talking about It's a Wonderful Life, etc. Big signal.

Radio Free Whatever: 6925U, 4/27, 0049+ Tuned in to hear one of their pre-recorded IDs, into music. Another really nice signal.

Wow, can't believe how many stations have been coming in from around the world tonight. Nice conditions! Some great signals + some signals from Europe that are strong enough that my ears aren't ringing from trying to strain through the static!

Borderhunter: 6295, 4/27, 0104+ Nice signal here tonight. Hearing pop dance music and some announcements by Frans. Best signal from Europe tonight. Pretty awesome to hear four different Europirates in just over an hour!

Metro Radio International (tentative): 6974.1, 4/27, 0107 Just a carrier right now

Wolverine Radio: 6945U, 4/27, 0200-0219* Wonderful signal with crazy theme. Right now (0219) is the final SSTV image and it's not nearly as clear as the signal has been. After show, Dick Weed and a couple of other guys QSOing. One guy said that he used to pirate on 6200 kcs years ago from the south side of Chicago. These two guys are trying to encourage Dick to put on a show.

Radio Free Whatever: 6945U, 4/27, *0025- "OK, sing along if you know the lyrics." Request for Chris Lobdell... a singer from Sweden

My weekend logs: 2/21-2/24/14

Undercover Radio: 6925U, 2/22, 0300-0351* Dr. Benway with prerecorded programs and live shoutouts to listeners. Talk about the new t-shirts and helping Wounded Warriors. Into QSO with Redhat (X-FM) and Blues Traveler. I've never heard the latter. If Blues Traveler is reading this, I recorded the QSO at the end and can send an MP3, if you'd like.

Blues Traveler: 6925U, 2/22, *0400-0406* Blues Traveler thanks Dr. Benway again, then starts playing Gerry Rafferty "Baker Street." Presumably, this is still Blues Traveler. Not sure if that's the name of the op or the station. I guess Dr. Benway inspired someone else to give pirate radio a shot. Fair signal here & the audio sounds good. Off with "Man, I appreciate everything you do for the Wounded Warriors. God Bless." Please QSL?

Red Mercury Labs: 6925U, 2/22, 0407-0414* I just left the radio on after Blues Traveler and I can hear faint music underneath. Maybe Emerson, Lake, & Palmer? I think I'm hearing keyboards along those lines. Talk at 0414, but really weak. According to Bowman1 on HFU, this was actually Red Mercury Labs playing Doors "Riders on the Storm." Ha!

Unid: 6925U, 2/22, *0419+ "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Nice signal & audio, but off with no IDs.

Cool AM: 6925, 2/24, 2304+ Turtles "Happy Together," Blue Brothers "Soul Man" etc. I'd probably call this good/fair signalwise. 

My weekend loggings: 2/15-2/17/14

WRR: 6925U, 2/14, ca2230+ Tuned in, but had to leave, so I hit Record. Layers of pescador QRM here, with WRR somewhere near the top. Easy to pick out the old country music, but tough to copy when he went to talking because everyone was talking at the same time. Copied a Radio Totse SSTV during the broadcast.


Unid: 6867, 2/15, 1433-1441* Devo "Praying Hands," "Shrivel Up," & "Strange Pursuit." Static crashes, but pretty nice signal here. Off with no IDs. Maybe a homebrew transmitter test? If so, the audio sounded great here.

Unid (but Cool AM relay per HFU): 6924.5, 2/15, 1645 I was trying to save some of the accumulation of unsaved pirate recordings currently on the recording laptop when I turned the R-5000 back on & had a carrier near 6925. I punched in a few freqs to try to get it more accurate (the tuning knob is frozen on my R-5000) and the signal disappeared. Per Chris Smolinski on HFU, it was Cool AM.

Cool AM relay: 6925, 2/15, 2027 Here with Golden Earring "Twilight Zone" at 2027. Clear ID at 2035. Fair signal

Heat Man Radio: 6935U, 2/15, 2255+ Good signal with Velvet Underground, into song "Television will Not Be Revolutionized," computer music & now SSTV

CYOT: 6960, 2/15, 2255 Don't have much here aside from the carrier. ID from logs on HFU

WEAK Radio: 6925U, 2/15-16, 2338+ Pretty good signal with music. Clear computer-voiced IDs from when the station was on regularly five years ago. Kraftwerk "Pocket Calculator" and more. Great to hear WEAK back on the 3rd anniversary of its raid!"Sweet Home Alabama," Minor Threat "Small Man, Big Mouth"--interesting mix

Radio Free Whatever: 6925U, 2/16, 0105-0206+ Sign on with USSR national anthem, Dickweed & Stephen talking about progress with the t-shirt campaign. Super signal here. Reel Big Fish "Sell Out" and more

X-FM: 6925, 2/16 Tuned in during Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody"Good signal

Bangalore Poacher: 6925U, 2/16, 2026+ Numbers station parody with an Indian-sounding numbers announcer. fair signal

Undercover Radio: 6925U, 2/16, ca2340+ Incredible signal, with stories about Dr. Benway's 1st broadcast in 1977, setting his Viking II on fire. Into old shows, such as New Year's 2003/2004, etc. More than 30 people logged this one on HFU, and it was well heard in Europe!