ARLA/CLUSTER: Radio Caroline agradece os múltiplos relatórios de recepção das suas emissões em 647,997 kHz

[João Costa > CT1FBF]

Radio Caroline - Reception reports round-up

Thank you to everyone who has sent in reception reports. We have
literally been inundated with them, and will try to reply to those who
asked for replies over the coming weeks, but it will be a slow
process.

Our best reports so far have been from keen DX'ers in Finland and
Italy, although one report did come from Japan from a listener using
an on-line radio receiver much closer to us! Whilst we appreciate all
reports and understand the excitement of radio DXing, it is the
reports from within our local target area where you are almost all
reporting good and excellent reception on all types of radio which are
the most important to us. Comments such as "no fading while passing
under bridges on A12" are very informative, as are "signal is good
enough in my kitchen that my wife doesn't switch it off"

One or two comments seem to be frequently occurring and we will try
and respond to those here. It is good to know our listeners are
knowledgeable and care enough to bring these to our attention.

Frequency accuracy. Yes, we are approximately 3Hz low, on 647.997.
Although our transmitter was fully tested and setup before it was
shipped to our transmitter site, for some reason when it was
installed, it was running slightly low. It is adjusted to its maximum,
but we appreciate the need to be more accurately on channel and reduce
the nighttime flutter experienced in fringe areas. This will be
attended to in due course though the OFCOM and ITU limit is for 10Hz,
so we are well within the required specification.

Audio processing. Thank you for all your comments on audio processing.
Reports vary from "best AM audio I've ever heard" to "very tiring to
listen to after a few minutes". Although we are running our permanent
audio processor, we are currently using a temporary programme feed to
the transmitter site. Once we have the permanent connection to our
main studio we will adjust the processing carefully. The most common
comment is that the bass is a bit light and the treble a bit crushed.
We will address this once we have a good quality source to find the
best compromise to suit the multitude of different radios in use as we
can.

We've received many comments on audio bandwidth. Our brand new state
of the art DSPx digital audio processor (kindly supplied by our
friends at Broadcast Warehouse) allows us to run audio to +/- 7khz,
yet still be better than 30dB down at 7.5Khz, which is well within the
required limits. On a good quality radio many have said that we sound
very bright. However, with some mid-band pre-emphasis to suit the
filtering in the majority of radios, some of you have said we are too
bright. We will keep an eye/ear on this and carefully adjust the
processing during these tests transmissions to arrive at a best
compromise.

We received a lot of comments over the weekend of 25/26th stating that
our signal appeared weaker than the previous tests over the 11/12th
although a few commented that it was stronger. We can confirm we did
not make any substantial changes during this period and are curious to
establish whether this is accurate or just perceived. We are
investigating this.

We can also confirm that all test transmissions have come from our new
land based transmitter site. The broadcasts over the weekend of
25/26th, although originating from the ship were not broadcast from
the ship.

As expected, those of you in fringe areas can get a good daytime
signal but find the signal is over powered at night time by other
stations. We share the channel with stations in Spain and Slovenia, so
there is not much we can do to improve this other than suggest you
listen online or via a mobile app, or try adjusting the position of
your radio to minimise the other stations.

Modern houses often contain foil-lined insulation in the cavity walls.
In these circumstances you will likely find reception better by
placing the radio close to a window. Modern houses also contain a lot
of computer and switching-power supplies which can generate a lot of
interference. Try moving a portable radio around, or rotating its
direction to improve reception.

There is a lot of difference between different radios, particularly as
manufacturers may not put much effort into providing good performance
for AM nowadays. If you have several radios then try them all.

Some cars can have truly awful AM reception – again manufacturers
often do not put effort into obtaining good performance. The old
fashioned spark plug ignition and alternator interference may not be
as much a problem these days as interference generated by all the
computer modules in a modern car. Generally a car with an external
roof mounted antenna will be better than one which uses elements in
the rear windows or a small "shark fin" type antenna.

If you are thinking of buying a new car (either new or second hand) be
sure to check the radio performance on AM. You may find it only picks
up very strong stations so make sure you try some weaker frequencies.
In and around Suffolk and Norfolk try signals like Spectrum Radio from
London on 558Khz, or Radio 4 on 720Khz. Tune them in, then start the
engine. If performance is not good, ask the salesman why it is so
poor! Easy for a new car – not so easy for a second-hand one.

It's good to hear about the variety of radios you are using – from
vintage 1933 sets to the latest software defined internet connected
systems. For those who posted your age in the comments it is good to
know how many of you have followed us since 1964. So far the ages
admitted to range from 13 to mid 80's and it is reassuring to know we
cross so many age groups.

Thank you to those who have offered to send in mp3 recordings of
reception. This is very kind but we would get swamped by the number of
submissions. We are just glad that you are able to hear our signal. We
have listened to our signal on a number of web connected SDR radios in
various locations so have a good idea of how much interference there
is and what reception is like.

Thank you all for making the effort and taking the time to provide
reports and feedback. We really have read and studied every one of
them.

Radio Caroline