Rothera Research Station, Adelaide Island, Antarctica (Image Source: British Antarctic Survey)
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Richard Langley and Mauno Ritola, who shared frequencies and times for the test transmissions in advance of the BBC Midwinter broadcast next week (June 21).
I didn’t get their tips in time to post prior to the transmissions yesterday, however, Mauno believes there may be another test transmission today.
This schedule was originally posted by Martin Goulding on BDXC-UK list–times are GMT:
ASCENSION
2130-2145 7360 kHz
DHABAYYA
2130-2145 – 6035 kHz
WOOFFERTON
2130-2145 7230 kHz
2130-2145 5985 kHz
Please comment if you log a test transmission today (or if you logged one yesterday)
As in years past, I plan to record the actual broadcast next week and share all of your recordings here on the SWLing Post as well.
Click here to browse the Midwinter recordings from last year.
Thumbs up. I tried to listening on all freq and I’m getting reception on 7360 kHz ASCENSION and good reception on 5985 kHz WOOFFERTON. You can find the whole transmission on my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RalfBender
succesfully rx on 5985 on JN55XI starting at 21.30 utc. I used an AOR 1500 with long wire antenna, recording with zoom h4. light fading and a small rtty station overlap. is possible qsl ?
Confirmed. Nothing yesterday, at least on the frequencies used on Wednesday, using my own gear and the U. Twente receiver.
No joy for me in London, and I had been getting fair reception from these three sites earlier in the evening. Thanks for trying to give a heads up though 🙂
Yes, I tried listening yesterday and didn’t hear a thing. I think they must have gathered all of the info they needed from the tests on Wednesday. Thanks for the report!
“If you like Pina coladas”
🙂
Last years was awesome….going to record it again this year.
If only they still issued QSL’s…
Why? Are QSLs important?
When I started listening 50 years ago they were a part of the hobby. Interesting mail from exotic places.
Here in NB, just outside Fredericton, using a Tecsun PL-880 outdoors away from the house using just its whip antenna, 7360 kHz from Ascension had the best signal. Fair but fully understandable with negligible QRM. Programming seemed to be standard BBC WS fare with interviews of voters in the general election. 7230 kHz from Wooferton was also fair. 5985 kHz from Wooferton could also be heard but it was weak. 6035 kHz from Dhabayya could not be heard.
Last year, 7360 kHz provided the best reception here in NB, while 5985 kHz was best in Europe (at least for the U. Twente WebSDR receiver):
https://shortwavearchive.com/archive/bbc-world-service-british-antarctic-survey-annual-midwinter-broadcast-june-21-2016?rq=antarctic
and
https://archive.org/details/BBCWSBASAnnualMidwinterBroadcast7.360MHz21June20162130UTC