Long Wave Stations heard in Cork, Ireland

Freq. (KHz)	Station Name	Location	Power (KW)	Distance (kms)	Notes
153	Deutschlandfunk	Donebach, approx 50 kms SE of Frankfurt	500	1300	This station is present at daytime but the signal is very weak.
162	France Inter	Allouis, Approx 40 kms E of Tours	2000	950	Always a good signal, day and night.
171	Radio Rosiya	Bolshakovo, Kaliningrad (Russian Baltic enclave)	600	2000	Nightime only. Weak signal.
171	Radio Mediterranee International	Nador, N coast of Morocco	2000	1900	Nightime only. Very weak.
177	Deutschlandradio Berlin	Zehlendorf, just N of Berlin	500	1500	This station is present at daytime but the signal is very weak.
183	Europe 1	Felsberg, Saarbrucken, Germany.	2000	1100	Always a good signal, day and night.
198	BBC Radio 4	Droitwich, SW of Birmingham	500	460	Very strong.
207	Deutschlandfunk	Aholming, approx 50 kms NE of Munich	500	1570	This station is present at daytime but the signal is weak. Of the 3 German signals on the band, this seems to be the strongest one during daylight hours.
216	Radio Monte Carlo / Trans World Radio	Roumoules, approx 50 kms NE of Marseilles	1400	1410	Moderate signal during the day. Good at night.
225	Polskie Program 1	Solec Kujawski, C Poland	1000	1910	Nightime only. Weak.
234	RTL	Beidweiler, E. Luxembourg	2000	1080	Good signal day and night.
252	RTE Radio 1	Clarkestown, Co.Meath. Approx 40 kms NW of Dublin.	500	260	Big signal here on the South coast of Ireland. Suffers a lot at night from interference from the Algerian station.
252	Alger Chaine 3	Tipaza, Algeria	1500	1900	Heard at night underneath the RTE signal.
270	Casky Rozhlas 1	Topolna, Czech Rep.	650	1840	Nightime only. Weak.

Some Notes...

1) Equipment - All signals were heard using a Kenwood TS-140 radio and a 40 metre long wire antenna approx 5 m above ground level.

2) General Hi-Fi Radios - All signals heard on the Kenwood could also be heard on a small SONY 3-in-1 type Hi-Fi system. The SONY has an internal antenna (ferrite rod) which seems to work very well on Long Wave. This would suggest that perhaps any decent type of radio should be capable of giving good performance on Long Wave.

3) Noise - The biggest problem on Long Wave seems to be noise. Many of the signals are very strong but the amount of electrical and electronic noise can be very high. Computers, Televisions, some power supplies and some security systems can generate an awful lot of noise on the Long Wave band.

4) Daylight - The stations that can be heard during daylight hours (near midday) are shown in RED. The 3 German stations can also be heard but they are very weak and buried in the noise. If you live further East, like in the UK, then you may be able to hear them during the day. Near sunset, the stations shown in PURPLE start to appear and last until sunrise.

5) 252 khz - One of the most unusual features of the Long Wave band here in Cork is how strong the Algerian station is on 252 khz. Even though the RTE Radio 1 transmitter on 252 khz is only 260 kms away and has a very strong signal, the Algerian station can nearly always be heard underneath the RTE signal at night. It seems to be a lot stronger than other stations located approx 2000 kms away. One factor that may explain this is that most of the path from the transmitter in Algeria to Cork is over a sea path. Only 300 kms of the 1,900 kms is over land (NE of Spain) with the balance over the Mediterranean and Atlantic. (Note - Long Wave & Medium Wave signals travel a lot further over water paths due to the high conductivity of salt water).

6) 252 khz interference solution - If, for example, you live in the UK and you suffer from this interference problem on the RTE signal on 252 khz, there is a simple solution. Assuming that your radio has an internal antenna for Long Wave reception, then all you need to do is to rotate your radio. As you rotate it, you will find one point where the RTE signal will get weak. You will also find another point where the Algerian signal will get weak and the interference on the RTE signal should disappear.

© John Desmond 2007. Last Updated May 2007