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.