For anyone not aware, Radio Caroline is now testing on 648Khz (462 metres for vintage radios....). My infallible Bush VHF80 can receive a good signal here in Croydon...the RF amp (on AM only) makes a huge difference to reception and it receives a good signal just with the ferrite rod. Other mains sets without an RF amp can receive it with considerable noise. I'm going to try my Philips 170A that also has an RF amp. The Roberts P4A doesn't receive it at all. It's essentially for the Essex area but there are reports from the south coast and Preston. They are asking for reception reports.
See if you can hear it.
We'ell......
There's something mumbling in the back of the box on my Roberts R9921 (modern) world radio.
11/10/2017, 21:15hrs, 10 miles East of Selby, N. Yorkshire - - N. Yorks./EastRiding of Yorks. county boundary.
Signal-very weak, intelligibility-almost nil, noise-lots and varied.
It's impossible to know what it is other than something that could be pop music of some sort, but didn't sound like modern stuff.
If this to be a regular service, I'll try to locate my 'really good' world radio - don't laugh, it's a Saisho, also branded Sangean (ATS-803A), and Sony amongst others!
Same as this;
Marion
I can receive it pretty good here in Chatteris Cambs on the RGD radiogram (spot on BBC THIRD), fading a bit at this time of night, 11pm, but will listen again tomorrow daytime.
To understand the black art of electronics is to understand witchcraft. Andrew.
When is Radio Luxembourg coming back?
I miss the chart countdown on Sunday night, and especially the sound fading out just as they announce the number one record! 
Loud and clear here in the sticks on a 50,s Ferranti.
Katie_Bush said
We'ell......There's something mumbling in the back of the box on my Roberts R9921 (modern) world radio.
It's impossible to know what it is other than something that could be pop music of some sort, but didn't sound like modern stuff.
Marion
As far as I can gather from their website, the MW service will focus mainly on 60's and 70's music since that is the era when Caroline was at it's most popular and to which most people associate their 'heyday'.
I tried last night and this morning with a 1970’s transistor radio, nothing, I also tried the University of Twente SDR, last night it was receiving another European station, this morning Caroline is quite strong.
websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/m.html
I will try later today on one of my 1950’s valve radios, never know but the transistor radio as excellent performance so I do not expect much.
Frank
sideband said
As far as I can gather from their website, the MW service will focus mainly on 60's and 70's music since that is the era when Caroline was at it's most popular and to which most people associate their 'heyday'.
I've been listening since 8 am this morning and it (at the moment) has 80's too. I like it, and all radios i've tried receive it well. Even those with an internal aerial work well enough for good listening. Right now is "As Tears Go By" The Rolling Stones.
I don't have many radios to chose from though....
One of my favourites for sound quality...
A Pye P76F
To understand the black art of electronics is to understand witchcraft. Andrew.
Unlike many stations these days, it was good to hear it fall silent at exactly 11 o'clock this Sunday morning, although the actual 11th day was yesterday.
To understand the black art of electronics is to understand witchcraft. Andrew.
Nothing to heard with my radios, I will try again tonight but I don’t hold much hope. BBC Radio Wales have a 2Kw transmitter in Wrexham on 657Khz about 40 miles away which in the day is excellent, night times not quite as good but ok. This makes finding 648Khz easy to find on the old dials.
I didn’t realise but RC have a number of low power DAB+ transmissions, very local, I think they are part of a test by Ofcom, they hope to keep them working as a standard licence after the tests finish I think next year. Not in my area though, see web site.
Fifty years ago I would be happy listening to a station with selective fading but not anymore. Not that I want HiFi, my ears need all the clarity I can get.
Frank
Had it on most of the afternoon and not heard any repeats! Quality seems better than Gold with more bass...maybe they are using less compression. Slight fading as it got dark but now clear again. The VHF80 has done itself justice but I'd rather find an AM only set that receives it well. I prefer to keep VHF sets tuned to VHF....the ECC/UCC85's last longer!
Great signal on the car radio as well...better than I thought as most modern car radio's don't seem to work very well on AM.
I prefer to keep VHF sets tuned to VHF....the ECC/UCC85's last longer!
I sometimes perform a slight modification by fitting a high value resistor to allow a small voltage on the anode of the FM stage valve(s) whilst switched to AM. Something like 20-30 volts is enough just to keep the cathode awake, but not enough to allow the oscillator to run.
To understand the black art of electronics is to understand witchcraft. Andrew.
I'd rather find an AM only set that receives it well.
Great signal on the car radio as well...better than I thought as most modern car radio's don't seem to work very well on AM.
The Bush AC41 receives it well enough and it sounds particularly good....better than Gold with more natural bass. It doesn't sound over-compressed.
Tried it on the car radio this morning on the way to work.....it's a very long time since I listened to AM in the car....! Well the signal followed me all the way to work (Merton near Wimbledon) about 9.5 miles from home. There are a couple of dead spots with nothing more than severe hash, probably caused by local electrical interference rather than screening of the signal so it looks like it will cover the London area quite well. Quite a mix of music from 60's to 80's so if that is anything to go by, it will make a pleasing change from Gold.
I probably won't listen in the car very much, if at all simply because AM quality is just not good enough. However some of my AM sets at home will now be permanently tuned to it. It's odd how I can quite happily listen to AM on a vintage radio and put up with the pops, crackles and lo fi yet it never sounds right on a modern car radio or hi fi system.
The web site reports that the tests have completed and are no longer transmitting. They will be back with normal programs in due course.
http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/#home.html
Frank
Something here in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire this morning. Romping in on the Kelvedon hatch SDR , showing it's a bit "wide" ... excellent !
The web site reports that the tests have completed and are no longer transmitting. They will be back with normal programs in due course.
http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/#home.html
Just like the old days when they disappeared for weeks/months (years after the Mi Amigo sank) and then returned......!
The transmissions appear to have ceased for now. Very good signal received in the car on my way to work this morning with some fading. It was still dark so not able to assess daytime reception .
I'd imagine the signal to be weak yet stable Perhaps I should try it on this Marconiphone T56 radio with Till's frame aerial when it starts regular transmissions. I used to have the more attractive HMV 1131 clone of this radio when listening to 319 frequently in the last '70s and still have some recordings directly from it.
Unfortunately in this location overhead power lines are present in the front and back of the house which gives the area a very period look yet detrimental to weak AM radio reception.
Just tried it here just south of Lincoln on a synthesised Philips multi-band receiver but just a trace of speech and interference.
As there was never a Caroline on 199* or 259§, will they keep up the tradition with Caroline on 459, I wonder?
* 1520kHz 197.4m and 1493kHz 200.9m
§ 1187kHz 252.8m and 1178kHz 254.7m
When all else fails, read the instructions
My faithful Pilot X65B is ready and waiting to receive radio Caroline when full time transmissions begin.
648Khz = 462 metres.
Coupled up to the tunable frame aerial which is similar to Brian's I'm sure the sensitive Pilot will receive the "new" station. The old receiver gives a good account of itself considering the old fashioned valves it employs: type 78 RF amplifier. 6A7 pentagrid first detector. Type 78 IF amplifier. Type 75 second detector, AVC and audio amplifier. Type 42 output. Type 80 HT rectifier. The tuneable aerial consists of seven turns of wire wound around a one square meter frame. Tuned by four BB510 varicap diodes. Brian's aerial uses a conventional 500pF tuning capacitor, at least I think it does and it's all the better for that. In fact I'm thinking about replacing the varicaps with a normal type capacitor. Signal take-off winding consists of two turns around the frame.
Till Eulenspiegel.
