RTL 6095 kHz

[jbriggs]

From today 9th April 2004 please post comments about 6095 kHz here.
Thanks, James

[carknue]

Ok, I start with 600 minutes. Voltage Hitradio Paris. First I thought that I was a test loop, because most of the songs were played every hour again. But that is what they call heavy rotation;)

A lot of fading and not the strongest signal today. Sound quality was quite good.

[simone]

Hi all,
here are the typical results for RTL (on both frequencies) in the morning
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Great reception again, though I only logged it for 1hr 40mins(ish) it's been solid all day, comes in about 8am and stays.

Paul

[radiomann]

Hi all
yet another 8 hour solid performance, see below.

Paul

[simone]

Hi all,
good results later this morning, see attachment
73, Simone

[carknue]

Good reception until 19 UTC. Very weak in the morning. Today the RTL programme with the best sound quality. But I noticed some strange dropouts that were not caused by reception problems. Sometimes the audio feed is interrupted for several seconds. It does not matter what programme is on 6095 khz

[lx1nw]

Dear all,

now that most modifications on our 5990kHz transmitter are applied, we will proceed to some additional transformations on the 6095kHz transmitter. For this reason there will be no DRM broadcast on 6095kHz during the next 2-3 days. Hopefully we will be on air again for the weekend.

Regards,

Michel

[lx1nw]

Never the less, here are my results on todays' RTL DRM transmissions, about 40 km south-west of the transmitter site.

RX: TS-440S, 10kHz IF filter
Ant: Wellbrook active magnetic loop

73 Michel

[lx1nw]

Hi,

unfortunately we have not been able to finish our modifications before the start of the weekend, so the transmitter will not be in operation until monday or tuesday.

Regards,

Michel

[lx1nw]

Dear all,

our modifications seem to take more time than expected. We nevertheless hope to be able to be back on air as soon an possible.

Regards,

Michel

[simone]

Hi Michel,
surprisingly found RTL back on air on 6095 kHz this afternoon, using 20.9 kbps param. stereo when I started, later reduced bitrate (17.4 kbps mono), see results of 2.5 hours log attached
73, Simone

[CT1ADT]

Hi Michel

For my location the frequency of 5990 kHz is better that 6095 kHz... reason? The transmiter has more power or the antenna has more gain? or I am in the target area of the antenna ?

[radiomann]

Here's my 10 hour or so log, very good, also like the new schedule, more music.

Paul

[carknue]

Very strong signal this morning from 6-7 UTC. It was the french RTL 2.

[radiomann]

This evenings log.

Paul

[radiomann]

Todays log.

Paul

[carknue]

Todays log.

[carknue]

A long log today.

[radiomann]

Yesterdays 12 hour log.

Paul

[simone]

Hi all,
a very bad start this morning, see attachment
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Todays 12 hour log.

Paul

[lx1nw]

Dear all,

after weeks of finetuning causing some unannounced interruptions on both RTL DRM frequencies, we'd like to integrate some external driver components into the existing transmitter structure. Therefore we must shut down the 6095 kHz transmitter for a short time. We hope our recent and present modifications will guarantee a stable DRM operation in the future.

Regards,

Michel

[dk8cb]

We hope our recent and present modifications will guarantee a stable DRM operation in the future.

I think any attempt for improvements should also include measures by the management to eliminate interference at the source, e.g. trying to convince Radio Yugoslavia to shut down their transmissions on 6100 kHz. I can't really imagine, that somebody in Europe with a double sideband receiver can hear them well with the "interference" from BCE's DRM signal, so shutting this 6100 kHz transmission down would benefit both BCE and Radio Yugoslavia. One doesn't necessarily have to tell them that a few people can hear them on USB...

dk8cb

[tacitus-ms]

RTL 6095 can hardly be decoded because of an interfering station although RTL 6095 uses only 14,48 kBit/sec 16 QAM. dk8cb wrote that this station was Radio Yugoslavia. (6100kHz)
I added a screenshot of the DRM software.

Late at night there is a second strong interfering station on 6090 Khz and the S/N decreases to 5 -10 dB!

These logfiles are very short, but typically for the reception of both RTL stations in the evening. (Münster / Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany).
>>>>
DRMSoftwareRadio-MERLIN-00000859
Software Version 2.0.34
Starttime (UTC) 2004-05-04 18:48:14
Frequency 5990 kHz
Latitude 52°04'N
Longitude 7°42'E
Label RTL DRM 2
Bitrate 14.48 kbps
Mode B
Bandwidth 10 kHz
Comment

MINUTE SNR SYNC AUDIO TYPE
0000 20 150 1500/10 0
0001 20 149 1500/10 0
0002 20 149 1500/10 0
0003 20 150 1500/10 0
0004 19 150 1500/10 0
0005 21 150 1490/10 0

SNR min: 17.5, max: 21.5

CRC: 0x815a
<<<<


>>>>
DRMSoftwareRadio-MERLIN-00000859
Software Version 2.0.34
Starttime (UTC) 2004-05-04 18:55:22
Frequency 6095 kHz
Latitude 52°04'N
Longitude 7°42'E
Label RTL DRM
Bitrate 14.48 kbps
Mode B
Bandwidth 10 kHz
Comment

MINUTE SNR SYNC AUDIO TYPE
0000 16 148 760/10 0
0001 11 150 0/00 0
0002 14 149 510/10 0

SNR min: 8.9, max: 17.2

CRC: 0xdaca
<<<<

[radiomann]

Here's my 16 hour log from yesterday.

Paul

[lx1nw]

Hi,

to allow for a few manual interventions on the 6095 kHz transmitter (enhancements in the driver cooling system), DRM transmissions will start somewhat later today.

Best regards,

Michel

[Leemkuil]

For this moment reception of RTL is very good posible with both receiver.
S/n ratio 18 to 27db

Receiver 1 Elektor dds controlled receiver with extra IF filter and preselector.
Receiver 2 Tentec RX320 with extra IF filter.

Dropouts less than 2% from 6 to 10.00
Dropouts less than 6% from 10.00 to 14.00
Dropouts less than 2% from 14.00 to 18.00
Dropouts less than 2% from 18.00 to 24.00

Some dropout was cause by some experiments.

Used antenna
Combiner with a broadband magnetic loop antanna and a CP6 vertical antenna
(Noise reduction trick)

Gerard PE7GL

[simone]

Hi all,
good conditions this morning and high SNR, see attachment
73, Simone

[carknue]

Hi all,

indeed very high SNR the whole day, that I never had before. Sometimes 30 dB.

The sound quality is really good!

[carknue]

Hi,

the SNR has really improved since some days.

[radiomann]

Yes, got to say RTL is coming in really well.

Paul

[rad]

RTL is detectable in Jakarta, Indonesia. Screenshot attached.

[tacitus-ms]

I was about 3 weeks on holiday. When I returned on Sunday, 24 May of 2004, I realized, that RTL 6095 can not be received any more, but RTL 5990 still worked. RTL 6095 kHZ has only between 10 and 15 dB SNR the whole day, so that only during that time when RTL uses 16-QAM - 14,5 kbit/s the signal can be decoded. Signals coded with 64-QAM - 20.9 kBit or 17 kBit/s can not be decoded any more.
I tried several antennas: Magnetic Loop, long wire, with no success.

My dates: Place: Münster in Westfalen/Germany, 51°58' N, 7°38'E
Receiver: modified Yaesu FRG 100 and "Sat-Schneider" mixer module
PC: Intel P4 2GHz with DRM-Softwareradio.

Now I read that RTL modified its antennas of the 6095 kHz station and the antenna of the 5990 will be modified by the same way. Did this modification cause that the "Dead Zone" became larger? Or did RTL reduce the gain of the antennas or did RTL modify the diagram of their antennas? Will RTL 5990 also dissappear too in the near future?
Any chance to receive RTL in the future in Münster?

[radiomann]

Here is my 15 hour log from today, very good until 7pm then unstable as usual.

Paul

[carknue]

Hi all,

sound quality with 20.9 kbps parametric stereo is really excellent. Today I recorded The Fugees with real stereo effects!

SNR dropped back to normal, below 28 dB.

[simone]

Hi all,
no chance for audio decoding in the first half hour, but then results improved soon, see attachment
73, Simone

[simone]

Hi all,
good results and great audio quality this morning, see attachment
73, Simone

[simone]

Hi all,
good results at the start, but no reception from 0655, see attachment
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Hi Simone
I never get anything from 6-7am but from 7 it is perfect, did'nt try to day

Paul

[tacitus-ms]

RTL can't be received any more in Münster/Germany. A few weeks ago RTL 6095 disappeared and now RTL 5990 has disappeared too. Only when RTL uses the 14 kbit mode (16 QAM) sometimes the signal can be decoded. Of coure, the sound qualty of 14 kbit/s is out of the question! The whole day the signal noise ratio willl never be better than 14 - 15 dB. It is very sad, when RTL started last year until April of this year, often up to 24 dB were possible and the sound quality of 21 kbit/s (64 QAM) was really very good. All other statons still work very good, e.g. DW from Sines or even China (!!!) . In former times, when RTL broadcasted its analogue signal, here in Münster RTL on short wave could be received very good. Therefore these problems can not be caused by the dead zone and the short wave propagation. If THESE reception results are typical for the new digital future, then DRM is only absolutely ridiculous and should be stopped immediately.


Location: Münster Westfalen / Germany. (about 250 km to RTL Junglinster)
Receiver: Yaesu FRG 100 with SAT-Schneider mixer module,
DRM-Software and Dream-Software on Intel P4 2 GHz
Antennas: long wire and magnetic loop can be selected.

[simone]

Hi all,
quite different results compared to yesterday, see attachment
73, Simone

[Leemkuil]

Result over 11/2 month 1-5 to 9-6 2004
Result RTL from 6.00 to 24.00
Time Smeter S/N ratio audio
6.00 to 7.00 S9+10 18 to 24 99%
7.00 to 10.00 S8 to S9+10 15 to 24 98%
10.00 to 13.00 S7 to S9 13 to 22 96%
13.00 to 16.00 S5 to S9 11 to 22 85%
16.00 to 18.00 S8 to S9+10 17 to 24 97%
18.00 to 20.00 S9+10 S9+20 19 to 24 99%
20.00 to 24.00 S9+10 S9+20 19 to 24 95%

from 20.00 many dropout caused by other radio station at 6090kC and 6100kC.

Conclusion
Propagation on this moment is very low.
Last year I received RTL with a signal strength of S9+40 to 50dB.
About the earial of RTL I have heard from a radio engineer that the people from RTL are experimenting with the arial.

Regard Gerard PE7GL

[simone]

Hi all,
here are my results from this morning, no decoding from 0700 to 0811, see attachment
73, Simone

[Leemkuil]

Hello
Here my short report

>>>>
DRMSoftwareRadio-MERLIN-00000194
Software Version 2.0.34
Starttime (UTC) 2004-06-13 09:41:50
Frequency 6095 kHz
Latitude 52°16'N
Longitude 6°58'E
Label RTL DRM
Bitrate 20.88 kbps
Mode B
Bandwidth 10 kHz
Comment rx320 receiver cp6 antenna preamplifier

MINUTE SNR SYNC AUDIO TYPE
0000 22 132 1180/10 0
0001 25 150 1490/10 0
0002 23 142 1270/10 0
0003 22 150 1500/10 0
0004 22 149 1500/10 0
0005 22 148 1450/10 0
0006 22 150 1500/10 0
0007 22 150 1500/10 0
0008 22 150 1500/10 0
0009 22 150 1450/10 0
0010 22 150 1500/10 0
0011 22 150 1500/10 0
0012 23 150 1500/10 0
0013 23 150 1500/10 0
0014 21 107 900/10 0
0015 20 150 1270/10 0
0016 21 121 880/10 0
0017 22 150 1420/10 0
0018 22 150 1500/10 0
0019 22 150 1500/10 0
0020 23 150 1500/10 0
0021 23 150 1500/10 0
0022 23 150 1470/10 0
0023 23 149 1500/10 0
0024 22 150 1500/10 0
0025 22 150 1500/10 0
0026 23 150 1500/10 0
0027 23 150 1500/10 0
0028 23 150 1500/10 0
0029 23 150 1500/10 0
0030 22 150 1500/10 0
0031 22 150 1500/10 0
0032 22 150 1500/10 0
0033 22 150 1500/10 0
0034 22 149 1500/10 0
0035 22 150 1500/10 0
0036 22 150 1500/10 0
0037 22 150 1500/10 0
0038 22 150 1500/10 0
0039 22 135 1230/10 0
0040 22 150 1500/10 0

SNR min: 0.0, max: 25.5

CRC: 0x6dae
<<<<

Receiver Tentec RX320
Preamplifier tunable 2 to 30MC Gain about 20dB.
Antenna Diamon CP6

At some moment each day from 11.00 UTC I need a preamplifier to prevent dropouts.
The propagation on this time is very bad.

Gerard PE7GL

[G3VRF]

Hi

Please find attached my log for RTL

John.
=====================
Rx: Home brew superhet
Ant: Tuned Loop 3 metres square

[simone]

Hi all,
good results right from the start this morning, see attachment
73, Simone

[radiomann]

12 hours from RTL today.

Paul

[Leemkuil]

Hello here a comparidion test for RTL
for indoor antenna and uotdoor antenna.


>>>>
DRMSoftwareRadio-MERLIN-00000194
Software Version 2.0.34
Starttime (UTC) 2004-06-16 07:28:41
Frequency 6095 kHz
Latitude 52°16'N
Longitude 6°58'E
Label RTL DRM
Bitrate 20.88 kbps
Mode B
Bandwidth 10 kHz
Comment Tentec RX320 receiver 1 meter indoor antenna

MINUTE SNR SYNC AUDIO TYPE
0000 21 150 1500/10 0
0001 21 148 1500/10 0
0002 22 150 1500/10 0
0003 18 150 1000/10 0
0004 19 150 1450/10 0
0005 19 150 1310/10 0
0006 20 143 1280/10 0
0007 19 150 1220/10 0
0008 20 150 1490/10 0
0009 19 150 1440/10 0
0010 21 150 1500/10 0
0011 22 150 1500/10 0
0012 20 149 1500/10 0
0013 20 150 1500/10 0
0014 20 150 1500/10 0
0015 19 146 1440/10 0
0016 19 146 1440/10 0
0017 18 149 1470/10 0
0018 18 147 1400/10 0
0019 18 143 1500/10 0
0020 19 148 1500/10 0
0021 20 142 1500/10 0
0022 19 141 1300/10 0
0023 20 147 1500/10 0
0024 20 149 1500/10 0
0025 22 148 1410/10 0
0026 21 148 1490/10 0
0027 21 150 1500/10 0
0028 20 149 1390/10 0
0029 21 148 1500/10 0
0030 20 148 1410/10 0
0031 18 150 1220/10 0
0032 17 150 860/10 0
0033 18 150 1340/10 0

SNR min: 0.0, max: 22.7

CRC: 0xdd61
<<<<


>>>>
DRMSoftwareRadio-MERLIN-00000194
Software Version 2.0.34
Starttime (UTC) 2004-06-16 08:03:31
Frequency 6095 kHz
Latitude 52°16'N
Longitude 6°58'E
Label RTL DRM
Bitrate 20.88 kbps
Mode B
Bandwidth 10 kHz
Comment Tentec RX320 receiver Diamon CP6 antenna

MINUTE SNR SYNC AUDIO TYPE
0000 19 147 1500/10 0
0001 21 150 1330/10 0
0002 20 149 1120/10 0
0003 21 150 1360/10 0
0004 22 150 1440/10 0
0005 22 149 1490/10 0
0006 21 150 1330/10 0
0007 16 146 480/10 0
0008 20 150 1470/10 0
0009 19 150 1300/10 0
0010 17 148 960/10 0

SNR min: 12.3, max: 22.2

CRC: 0x3166
<<<<

At some moment I need to adjust the gain for microfone input of the sound card.

Regard Gerard PE7GL

[simone]

Hi all,
two hours of perfect reception this morning, see attachment
73, Simone

[simone]

Hi all,
again good results this morning, see attachment
73, Simone

[simone]

Hi all,
same results as the past days, this has become a reliable transmission in the morning, see attachment
73, Simone

[tacitus-ms]

RTL with strong interferences in the evening (16.07.04, Start 18:28, End 20:56 GMT)

The signal of RTL 6095 was very strong, but had also strong interferences (main carrier 6100 kHz). So the signal had a lot of dropouts when 64 QAM with 17,4 kbit was used. But when RTL could be decoded, the signal sounded good, although only 17,4 kbit/s were used! At about 19:00 GMT RTL switched to 16 QAM with 14,5 kbit/s. Although the interferer became stonger and stronger, the signal could be decoded with no dropouts until about 19:35 GMT. But then the interferences were to strong and the signal could mostly not be decoded any more until the end of my reception test at 20:56 GMT.

Equipment:
Software DRM SW
Yaesu FRG 100 modified for DRM
Long wire antenna outside of the house.

regards tacitus-ms

[simone]

Hi all,
quite good results this morning, some problems at 0805, see attachment
73, Simone

[simone]

Hi all,
bad propagation conditions especially in the 49m band, so results were not so good, see attachment
73, Simone

[lx1nw]

Dear all,

during the next two weeks, some important maintenance works are carried out at RTL's transmitter sites Junglinster and Beidweiler. That's why our daily DRM transmissions on 5990 kHz will only start at 1400UTC. At the same time, the old analogue control interface of the 6095 kHz transmitter will be entirely replaced by a modern microcomputer-based remotecontrol system. As this is a major intervention, DRM transmissions on 6095 kHz will be interrupted for about two weeks.

Best Regards,

Michel

[ChrisMuc]

Hi,
this morning I was very surprised about the good signal of RTL Radio, now transmitting in German. Good stereo-sound quality, nice program.
Greetings,
Chris

[hsseppo]

Hi!

RTL 6095 kHz at 06:25 - 07:10 was 94.7 % Good Signal and sound quality.

...Seppo

[ChrisMuc]

Hi everybody,
since I discovered the nice program of RTL Radio in German yesterday I'm listening most of the time to this station ;) The sound quality in stereo ist quite good!
Here ist my report from today, recording the reception from about
08:34 - 11:53 UTC. You can see some heavy drop-outs and a correctly decoded audio of 86,5% over that period.
Greetings,
Chris

[simone]

Hi all,
some problems due to propagation in the early morning, later good results and good audio quality, see attachment
73, Simone

[simone]

Hi all,
bad conditions at the beginning, perfect results after 0700, see attachment
73, Simone

[Richard Beales]

Hi,

There's a nice little slideshow of transmitter pics and station logos running on 6095 now...

[Per]

Hi,

Listening time today: 16:55 until 18:00 UTC. The change of bitrate at 17:55 was very noticeable, i.e. music does not sound good @ 14.5 kbps. Prior to that it was really good.

[Owdjim]

RTL Radio Lëtzebuerg program good for a few minutes here in NZ today from 06:00 UTC sign-on.

Cheers, Chris

[simone]

Hi all,
some problems in the first hour, then perfect results, see attachment
73, Simone

[carknue]

More than 10 hours with more then 99 percent audio.

[ka2hzo]

I wonder if some of those signal drops may have something to do with computer activity?

[simone]

Hi Ron,
the dips in my log are caused by bitrate changes from RTL, also they change the configuration with and without multimedia
73, Simone

[radiomann]

I found in the summer I had much better reception on 6095 but I have recently moved house and my antenna has been cut from 30m to about 8m.

Paul

[Owdjim]

Very nice reception on 6095 kHz for 20 minutes today. What's the correct name for the language? I presume it is "what the people in Luxembourg speak" but that's a bit of a mouthfull ;-)

Cheers, Chris

[Baldo34]

Hi Chris,
the language is "Letzeburgesh".
73, Klaus

[simone]

Hi all,
some problems before 0800, see attachment
73, Simone

[F5NSL]

Attached logs for comparizon:
6h30-6h45 5990kHz aac mono 14.5
6h45-7h00 6095kHz aac sbr mono 17.4
7h00-7h15 5990kHz aac sbr mono 17.4
7h15-7h30 6095kHz aac sbr mono 17.4

Rx: Sangean ATS909 + dipole 2x 5m

[F5NSL]

with attachement...

[Per]

Hi,

The stereo broadcast from RTL, with the program from RTL2, was today only available in the right channel!?
Listening time: 08:10 until fade out at 09:15 UTC.

Program in French and text message in English/German:
Saturday/Sunday: RTL Radio - Die besten Hits mit Gefühl

[radiol]

Next reception results from Cracow, Poland.
This evening, 19:00 UTC till now.
Nearly 100% correctly decoded audio frames till 22:30 LT (20:30UTC) when VOA (exactly on 6095 kHz!) became heavy enough to cause disruptions of DRM signal (the AM signal is strong - one may listen to VOA news!)

[radiol]

After adding an inductor to my active antenna circuit. Nice reception on 6095kHz . 100% audio and S/N ratio as I’ve never seen before on this frequency on my receiver. This is because my antenna didn’t work well in 49 m band (even if it worked well in a circuit simulation program).
Results posted here, even if concerning 6095 kHz, because of previous posts.

[F5NSL]

Log attached

[F5NSL]

Log attached

[radiol]

Hi all,
They transmit nice picture from Junglinster in parallel with the radio program on 6095 kHz just now! See in the attachment or turn on your radio

[F5NSL]

Log attached (17h55= change from aac sbr 17.4 to aac 14.5)

[radiomann]

Here is my report from the 24th, no where near as good as it used to be.

Paul

[lx1nw]

Dear all,

due to maintenance works the DRM transmitter on 6095 kHz will be off air today, Oct. 27th, 2004 till late afternoon.

Best regards,

Michel

[radiol]

Fresh results: 6095 kHz, 21:00-22:20 UTC.

[simone]

Hi all,
good results in the morning as it used to be, see attachment
73, Simone

[radiol]

Here is my report from 19:00 - 21:30. Generally good results except 2 synchronization problems due to transmitter problem or hard computer usage whilst listening.

[radiomann]

Have RTL changed direction on 6095? I always got 98-99% audio from 7am to 7pm (ish) whats going wrong?

Paul

[simone]

Hi Paul,
looks like nothing has been changed in our direction, still the same good results as before, see attachment
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Hi Simone
Your results are what I used to get, I have moved house since but I get the same results on all other frequencies if not better than before, but RTL really strugles on both of their frequencies, my setup is the same as before, a mystery. I wonder if anyone else in the UK has noticed any differance?

Paul

[radiomann]

Better this morning.

Paul

[F5NSL]

Log attached

[radiol]

Hi all,
Reception results 7:00-10:30 UTC
Good reception on this frequency only in the morning.

[Owdjim]

Hi All

Managed a brief logging of RTL 6095 kHz around 06:00 UTC today. Using my AOR AR-7030 for a change.

Cheers, Chris

[simone]

Hi all,
like last winter, problems early in the morning, quite good later today, see attachment
73, Simone

[F5NSL]

Log attached

[radiomann]

Could RTL please find out why the sound keeps going every 20 seconds or so though the signal is ok, it did it yesterday as well.

Thanks.

[df8uo]

I monitored the same effect as radioman did this morning. Signal OK. Periodically no sound. Unfortunately i do not have a log for this time.

Daniel

[radiomann]

Hi Michel,
The interruptions are all day both yesterday and today.

Paul


Originally posted by lx1nw
Hi,

are the audio interruptions present all over the day or do they just occur at certain times?

Michel

[lx1nw]

Thanks for the monitoring, seems to be a problem on a digital microwave unit.

73 Michel

[Per]

Hi,

Todays bad result can't be blamed on "digital microwave unit", but strange propagation. Time: 15:50 - 16:25 UTC.

[radiomann]

Hi all
Still not as good as it used to be I loose it @ 5pm every night, I wonder if this frequency will be for the German service?

Paul

[Per]

Hi,

Big variations in readability today. (Se attachment)
Listening time: 15:05 - 16:30 UTC.

[G3VRF]

RTL on 6095 seems to be off the air today although 5990 is ok. Seasonable propagation will be an issue. At the moment RTL's audio drops out quite frequently compared to the summer months when reception throughout the main part of the day was reliable. Skip may be lengthening a little due to coming into winter. It would be interesting to see if anyone in Ireland or the West of England, is having better reception.

Log attached for date 16/11/04 and RTL on 6095kHz

John
G3VRF

[LX1RE]

Hi,

6095 kHz was scheduled for maintenance this morning.

73's

Eugene

[simone]

Hi all,
perfect from 0710 this morning, see attachment
73, Simone

[G3VRF]

Attached is an 11 hour log of RTL on 6095kHz for 19th Nov 2004. Not sure what the drop out was around mid-day, however the virus checker on this PC had automatically kicked in at some point and this could have disrupted the decoding. Looking at the suddeness of the drop out on the DreamLogLong.csv and the period over which the dropouts were happening, this may well have been the case. Alternatively RTL could have dropped transmission.

Don't know if this is of interest to anyone, using a home brew receiver with an AD9852 DDS synthesiser, AD831 Mixer, 2x AD603 chips in the IF, AM detector and a 12kHz DRM detector, crystal controlled by dividing down a 8.867237MHz colour TV Xtal. Antenna is a square 85cm tuned loop in the attic space approx 11 metres above ground.

John
G3VRF

[radiomann]

Here is my morning log, not to good in the mornings either. :confused:

[carknue]

And another comparision between DWT & wire with AOR & loop. This time my notebook ran without power supply. The DWT is really not bad if you think about the different quality of the antennas!

Uploaded thre wrong screenshot, now changed!

[Per]

Hi,

Today there is a multimedia show, @ 3.8 kbps, running on RTL. See screenshot.
Good reception beteween 14:48 and 15:40 UTC.
Result: 97 %.

[radiomann]

Here are a couple of screenshots from RTL 6095 & 5990 I also did one of 6090, why is there no sign of a DRM signal? I know 6095 gets attacked by 6100.

[radiomann]

Here's 5990.

[radiomann]

And just for the sake of it 6090 which seems a totally clear channel in the evenings.

[radiomann]

I know this is in the wrong place but just to show my system is working 3995.

[G3VRF]

Todays log for RTL 6095kHz.
Antenna is a square 85cm tuned loop in the attic space approx 11 metres above ground.

[G3VRF]

Todays log for RTL 6095kHz.

[radiol]

Hi all,
Short log (70 minutes) from today's listening. Good reception possible only till 8:20UTC.

[G3VRF]

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz.

John
G3VRF

[G3VRF]

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz.
Many drop outs. Not sure why a loss of reception just before midday - break in Tx?

John
G3VRF

[LX1RE]

Hi,

Breakdown around 12:00 UTC yesterday was due to antenna switching.

73's

Eugene;)

[G3VRF]

Thanks for the information Eugene.

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz.

Looks like poor propagation today - log shows many drop outs.

Antenna is a square 85cm tuned loop in the attic space approx 11 metres above ground.

Regards

John
G3VRF

[radiomann]

You did better than me John.

Eugene is this frequency going to be for the German service or will it be 1440 or both?

Paul

[simone]

Hi all,
quite good this morning after 0730, see attachment
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Hi all,
still poor, to many dropouts

[G3VRF]

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz.

The major dropouts just before 12:50, just before and just past 14:11 were due to sound card decoding being disrupted due to local computer glitch when closing a program. All others appear to be propagation.

John
G3VRF

[tradio99]

I did not get the second service, tried for 1 hour, multimedia started to download, but unsuccessfully (DRM SR screenshot)

[G3VRF]

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz.

Antenna is a square 85cm tuned loop in the attic space approx 11 metres above ground.

Regards

John
G3VRF

[G3VRF]

Was there any transmission throughout the middle part of the day?

[radiomann]

I did a bit better but not much.

[G3VRF]

Hi Paul

Just looked at my loop and I might have bad connection which I am about to sort. I sent you an e-mail re the loop aerial, its very straightforwarded - don't know if you received it.

Regards

John
G3VRF

[radiomann]

Hi John,
I did get anemail from you but with no information on it? Can you resend it to bedfordpaul1@aol.com please.

I thought there was somthing strange with your log you usually do better than me.

Many thanks
Paul

[G3VRF]

Paul

I have resent the e-mail.

Regards

John

[radiomann]

Oh dear was this me or RTL?

I got your email this time John, I have sent you one back.

Thanks again.
Paul

[G3VRF]

I had similar results Paul. I was able to monitor in real time and RTL were off the air on both frequencies for a while.

John
G3VRF

[LX1RE]

Hello,

Indeed we were off air with both frequencies due to some urgent maintenance.

73's

Eugene

[G3VRF]

Thanks for the info.

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz - not so good during the middle part of the day.

John
G3VRF

[radiomann]

Only got an hour, thanks to my 2 year old daughter whilst I was at work.

[G3VRF]

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz.

There are some interesting audio drop outs that show up at specific times which are consistent with other log reports from previous days. Analysing the .csv log for specific times:

7 seconds @ approx 08:55hrs
14 seconds @ approx 10:54hrs
8 seconds @ approx 13:54hrs
8 seconds @ approx 15:54hrs

Is RTL changing mode at these points, Eugene?

Antenna is a square 85cm tuned loop in the attic space approx 11 metres above ground.

Regards

John
G3VRF

[carknue]

Hi,

reception started ca. 30 minutes after local sunrise. After that perfect reception.

[radiomann]

Today's report. it would be interesting to see a report from Germany 7am-7pm or later.

Paul

[radiomann]

Try again,

[simone]

Hi Paul,
better results in Germany, strong and stable signal from 0730, see attachment
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Thanks Simone, whats it like in the evenings 5 (ish) onwards? Now there 24 hours I've tried late at night but nothing, also 5990.

Paul

[simone]

Hi Paul,
reception is quite good all day until it gets dark, today problems with interferences and a weaker signal started about 1545 UTC, see attachment, also DREaM´s new feature gives slightly better results then. Good reception starts again about 0730 UTC in the morning.
73, Simone

[G3VRF]

Another maintenance day I guess.

John
G3VRF

[radiomann]

Couldn't of been another maintenance day John, I got ok(ish) results.

Thanks Simone for your results, the thing is who are RTL aiming at if everywhere loses the signal at night?

Paul



Originally posted by G3VRF
Another maintenance day I guess.

John
G3VRF

[G3VRF]

Today's log for RTL6095; better results today.

John
G3VRF

[G3VRF]

Typical 'Devil's Horns' screen capture of RTL 6095kHz, early evening.

[TimoHannes]

Hello!

Here are my results of yesterday, 06.12.2004 15:28 - 16:30 UTC. Not so good reception, but slide show was interesting!

Timo

[TimoHannes]

Hi!

And here is the picture of reception with slide.

Timo

[lx1rr]

Hi all

RTL 6095 switched off for maintenance .
Hope to be on air again in 2 hours.

73 Ray

[radiomann]

Todays results, plus the 2 hours or so maintenance switch off.

Paul

[G3VRF]

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz.

Antenna is a square 85cm tuned loop in the attic space approx 11 metres above ground.

John
G3VRF

[G3VRF]

Screenshot taken at 17:24hrs showing carriers on and around 6095kHz.

John
G3VRF

[radiomann]

My log for today.
Not as good as yours John, I will try to get that new antenna up and running with your help.

Paul

[G3VRF]

It may be different propagation due to our different distances. Not sure how far you are from RTL's transmitter, Paul.

Anyway the comparisons will be useful. Any questions or problems, pleased to help.


Regards

John
G3VRF

[Per]

Hi,

My report from 15:00 - 16:38 UTC. Very good reception until 15:53, then not so good.

[radiomann]

More stable today, though I never got a signal untill well after 9am.

Paul

[G3VRF]

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz.

John
G3VRF

[G3VRF]

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz.


John
G3VRF

[G3VRF]

Screenshot for RTL at 07:48 UTC

[G3VRF]

Screenshot foir RTL at 17:24 UTC.

[radiol]

Hi all,
This morning reception (2h).
Quite good results in the morning (7:25-8:25UTC) then degradation (as usually in my localisation).

[G3VRF]

Frequency spectrum screenshot of RTL 6095kHz at 07:45 UTC showing upper sideband interference from a strong station located in Germany on 6085kHz.

[G3VRF]

Frequency spectrum screenshot taken at 16:25 UTC showing the typical "devil's horns" carriers from two stations. One on 6090kHz and the other on 6100kHz. The SNR screenshot showing the resulting degradation is in the next post.

[G3VRF]

SNR screenshot for RTL taken at 16:25 UTC.

John
G3VRF

[G3VRF]

Frequency spectrum screenshot taken at 16:49 UTC showing a third carrier beginning to appear on 6095kHz. Reception is still possible for a while with this interference. However, eventually interference combined with propagation kills RTL at this location, currently around 17:15 UTC.

John
G3VRF

[G3VRF]

Today's log for RTL 6095kHz.

Using a home made receiver with an AD9852 DDS synthesiser, AD831 Mixer, 2x AD603 chips in the IF, AM detector and a 12kHz DRM detector using a crystal controlled local osc by dividing down a 8.867237MHz colour TV Xtal. Dividing by 19 comes out nicely around 467kHz, and it's cheap!.

Antenna is a square 85cm tuned loop in the attic space approx 11 metres above ground.

John
G3VRF

[lx1rr]

Hi all

RTL 6095 switched off for urgent maintenance

73 Ray

Hope to be on air soon again

[Richard Beales]

Hi all,

I was surprised by how well Dream was working on RTL this afternoon with strong splatter from 6090, so I took this short comparison log.

blue/red = Dream, with MLC=4, BP Filter and Mod. Metric
yellow / green = Software Radio

[tradio99]

slideshow - today from 15.10 - till 15.40

[simone]

Hi all,
no audio decoding before 0820 this morning, see attachment
73, Simone

[FritzWue]

Signal is quite good, but later interference from am stations +/-5kHz.
My narrow filter attenuates these carriers ~20dB, helps a lot. Will have a longer run later.

[df9rb]

From 0 to 100 within a few minutes this morning

Bernd, Df9RB

[carknue]

Nearly perfect listening to FUN Radio yesterday.

[FritzWue]

Longer log today, at two they started the media browser.

[df9rb]

At 16:00 two stations on 6090 and 6100 kHz started
which made the reception impossible (see screenshot)

Bernd, DF9RB

[carknue]

Complete daylight log today. Perfect reception. The dropouts you see, are mode changes by RTL and of course my local noise from a still unknown source. Can't wait to have die 1440 khz for nighttime reception.

Sound with 20.9 kbps ps is quite good.

[simone]

Hi all,
no decoding until 0820, after that perfect, see attachment
73, Simone

[carknue]

today

[Per]

Hi,

Interesting to observe the drop at 15:55 UTC, when the multimedia show was swithed off. Reception afterwards is not as good as earlier?!

[radiomann]

A lot better for me on this frequency time of year? Or maybe as I am decorating all electric appliances (TV Satellite ect) switched off?

Paul

[df9rb]

Ups RTL reception possible during night time

Bernd, DF9RB

[radiomann]

It does that most nights, so does 5990 not long enoughto enjoy, thankfully I have satellite.:D

[simone]

Hi all,
here is my 11 hours daytime report, at least better than what I get on medium wave.
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Like Simone 6095 is better for me 1440 awful.

Paul

[radiomann]

This frequency seems better for me again:)

Paul

[simone]

Hi all,
much better than on MW at daytime for me, see attachment
73, Simone

[lx1nw]

Hi, some short interruptions today for reasons of software maintenance on the modulator.

Regards,

Michel

[lx1nw]

We will update the DRM Content Server Software this early morning causing a broadcast interruption of approx. 1 hour.

Regards,

Michel

[df9rb]

Hi,

I think that today some softwaretests were done. Before 13:15 UT I observed for example a bitrate of 10 kHz and audio in
phone quality.

The reception was very stable (SNR deviation 0.6 dB).

Bernd

[df9rb]

Hi,

I think that today some softwaretests were done. Before 13:15 UT I observed for example a bitrate of 10 kHz and audio in
phone quality.

The reception was very stable (SNR deviation 0.6 dB).

Bernd

[FritzWue]

Multiple pulses almost all of the time.
First dropout was caused by switching the media browser.

[FritzWue]

RTL switched bitrates today, not much difference here.
The narrow CFW455HT filter helped against the interferences from +/-5kHz.
Spring conditions are here as the reception lasts a lot longer than two weeks ago.

[radiomann]

Yesterdays log.

Paul

[df9rb]

Good reception this morning. RTL now using UEP
IR with 6 pulses, the first weaker than the second.

Bernd, DF9RB

[carknue]

Much better than 1440 khz on day time. Very good that RTL now uses the same bitrate on both MW and SW TX. But I don't see any improvement in using UEP. UEP effects starting in the low twenties.

[simone]

Hi all,
good results again today, not much chance to notice effects from UEP, see attachment
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Todays results, good station to listen to again.

Paul

[simone]

Hi all,
good results for about 10 hours at daytime, see attachment
73, Simone

[radiomann]

my 14 hour log from today, well nearly........

Paul

[df8uo]

Hi all,

find attached a 24h log (most time unattended ;-). Result not as good as Simone's log during day time.

73

Daniel

[FritzWue]

Nice reception as long as there was no interference from adjacent channel.
For me the low bitrate at noon and the higher in the afternoon makes no sense. The other way around would probably be better.

[df9rb]

Very stable this morning

Bernd, DF9RB

[hsseppo]

Hi,

RTL 6095 kHz was at 20:26 - 20:49 UTC 96%. Impulse response was 6 - 7 ms.

Seppo

[radiomann]

Originally posted by hsseppo
Hi,

RTL 6095 kHz was at 20:26 - 20:49 UTC 96%. Impulse response was 6 - 7 ms.

Seppo


Does well this time of the year, suddenly stopped @ 21.40 when 6090 started?
Still don't see the point in this frequency or 5990 from RTL broadcasting 24/7 can anyone pick these frequencies up 24/7 in the target areas?

Paul

[radiomann]

Today's unmaned log

Paul

[hsseppo]

Hi,

just 54 minutes RTL Radio light music. Good reception.

Seppo

[simone]

Hi all,
except a half hour period with an interference results were OK for listening using the Sony radio/ telescopic antenna, see attachment
73, Simone

[Per]

Hi,

54 minutes of good reception:" DRM Transmission from Junglinster/Luxembourg on Short Wave, 6095 kHz".
Time: 15:00 - 15:55 UTC.
Result: CDA 96%.

[simone]

Hi all,
bad conditions today, no audio decoding until 1130, see attachment
73, Simone

[dk8cb]

Hi,

the attached report shows how the signal came out of the noise today.
Mode switching to the higher bitrate (shortly before 08:00 UTC) was done at almost the best suitable time, when the signal was sufficiently good.

Roland

[hsseppo]

Hi all,

RTL 6085 kHz was a good reception (60 minutes) this morning.

Seppo

[Per]

Hi,

Good reception until 09:00 UTC. In total two hours +, 08:15 - 10:25, CDA= 70%.

[carknue]

not really good.

[simone]

Hi all,
propagation is more back to normal with a quite early start at 0630, but signal is still weaker than it used to be, so lots of dropouts today, see attachment
73, Simone

[dk8cb]

Hi,

here is a comparison between Dream 1.2.3cvs and DRMSWR. Dream's latest CVS version of today was used with the new bandpass filter switched on and with interference from a strong station on 6100 kHz.

I think, the result speaks for itself.

Despite what it says on the plot, I was using a telescopic antenna.

Roland

[Victor]

Hi all.

I ask to inform, whence it is possible to load new version Dream 1.2.3 cvs.

[simone]

Hi all,
not bad from 0730 today, see attachment
73, Simone

[simone]

Hi all,
amazingly good results this evening, see attachment
73, Simone

[simone]

Hi all,
again good results in the late evening, this time using the DWT/ wire antenna
73, Simone

[simone]

Hi all,
good reception started quite early this morning, see attachment
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Yesterdays report very poor, signal strenght was right down.:(

Paul

[mitajohn]

Hi All,

Not good reception tonight.

John

[radiomann]

Originally posted by mitajohn
Hi All,

Not good reception tonight.

John

This time last year the signal was great during the day here, really bad now, no real signal strength. This happens a lot though around the 49 metre band?

Paul

[mitajohn]

Hi All,

Bad reception tonight.

John

[Janucha]

RTL Radio in Poland today - reception results

[lx1nw]

Dear all,

tomorrow we will switch off both transmitters on 5990 kHz and 6095 kHz for about 6 hours starting at 6:00 UTC as we plan to replace a number of high tension capacities (in use since 1970). We hope to have both transmitters on air a.s.a.p.

Best regards,

Michel

[mitajohn]

Hi all,

This is a rather extensive report about RTL Radio. Not good reception.

John

[Janucha]

RTL today in Poland

[mitajohn]

Hi,

Here it is an overnight unattended report on RTL Radio 6095. Not good results.

John

[mitajohn]

Hi,

This is an overnight unattended report on RTL Radio 6095.

John

[radiomann]

Very poor, not sure why?

Paul

[mitajohn]

Hi,

This is another overnight unattended report on RTL Radio 6095.

John

[simone]

Hi all,
good results at the beginning, but bad results later during the day, no reception after 1430, see attachment
Results lately are a lot worse than they used to be during the past 2 years, have there been any changes at the Tx site?
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Hi Simone,
I've been saying for a long time that RTL 6095 is no where near as good as it was, signal strength is way down to last year, I was getting anything from 97 - 99% audio last year nothing like it now, 30 - 50 % if i'm lucky over 6-8 hours of logging, and it's been like it for most of this year, very disapointing, what have RTL/BCE done? I understand I am not in the target area but seems like Germany is not as good either.

Hope this will be sorted soon.

Regards
Paul



Originally posted by simone
Hi all,
good results at the beginning, but bad results later during the day, no reception after 1430, see attachment
Results lately are a lot worse than they used to be during the past 2 years, have there been any changes at the Tx site?
73, Simone

[lx1nw]

Hi,

no major changes have been done on the 6095 kHz transmitter and antenna system during the last year. All interventions were replacements of old components or improvements on the cooling system etc.

Please note that we currently are at the minimum of sunspot numbers (see http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/sunspots.htm for details) and this affects propagation on shortwave enormously. At the present time, our antenna system doesn't give us much flexibility, but there are ways of improving reception in predefined target areas and the experince of the last years will help us to decide which options to take in the next months and years.

Be assured that your observations and notes still do help us to investigate the behaviour and the constraints of the DRM system.

Regards,

Michel

[radiomann]

Hi Michel,
This may be true with the sunspot and all but all of Spring/Summer last year I was getting excellant reception on 6095 but all this year very bad, I started a log about an hour ago so will see what happens, but the signal @ around S8 - S9 compared to last years S9+10 S9+20 it doesn't look good again but we'll see, may be it's worse now 6085 is being used?

Regards
Paul



Originally posted by lx1nw
Hi,

no major changes have been done on the 6095 kHz transmitter and antenna system during the last year. All interventions were replacements of old components or improvements on the cooling system etc.

Please note that we currently are at the minimum of sunspot numbers (see http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/sunspots.htm for details) and this affects propagation on shortwave enormously. At the present time, our antenna system doesn't give us much flexibility, but there are ways of improving reception in predefined target areas and the experince of the last years will help us to decide which options to take in the next months and years.

Be assured that your observations and notes still do help us to investigate the behaviour and the constraints of the DRM system.

Regards,

Michel

[simone]

Hi Michel,
what about reducing the bitrate during times of bad propagation? Do your monitoring stations show the same problem?
73, Simone

[radiomann]

Hi Michel & all,

A few hours this morning sadly not good for listening again.

Paul

[FritzWue]

Problems today, obviously some switching, signal sometimes suddenly weaker, problems with the audio, 1 to 2 seconds audio missing and then catching up with higher speed.
For me a little bit too bad to stay and had to leave anyway for F1. :D

[simone]

Hi all,
here is a 7 hours log of today, one of the best results during the past two months, but not what it used to be, reception was possible from 0645, good results until 0800 with 17 kbps, many dropouts later (using 19kbps, p-stereo, UEP), although it was better for listening than the audio graph looks like (because of UEP). Some audio problems with short moments of silence despite perfect decoding.
73, Simone

[FritzWue]

Second log for today. Quite good in the afternoon, some audio problems, sent mp3 to RTL, signal going down slowly as it was getting later.

[radiomann]

Hi all,
Maybe as Simone says keep to lower bitrates, I think this time last year they were as mono 17.46kb? This year they are trying stereo 19.0kb? That could be the problem for me as i get a good signal until they change to stereo, the problem i have with 1440 is when on in analogue I get S9+30 0r 40, as soon as it changes to DRM it drops to S9+10 why is this?

Paul

[simone]

Hi all,
here is a 3 hours report from this morning with great results, see attachment
73, Simone

[simone]

... but later today again problems, the lower bitrate today was only a slight improvement, see comparison with yesterdays results attached
73, Simone

[simone]

Hi all,
not too bad this afternoon at the lower bitrate, see attachment
I also noticed the audio problem again.
Now using 20 kbps many dropouts, not worth listening anymore.
73, Simone

[lx1nw]

Hi Simone,

I also closely observed the audio dropouts last afternoon and am currently trying to find the faulty equipment (unfortunately the errors do not occur when I am close to the encoder setup - the usual Murphy phenomena).

Regards,

Michel

[FritzWue]

Last night's unattended log.
Sometimes audio missing for a second or so after 06:00 UTC when I listened.
Audio during nighttime only up to 5kHz sounds worse to me than mediumwave a.m..

[Ager]

I, too, wonder why some better bitrate is not used during nighttime. From some 22:00 to some 04:00 or 06:00 reception is often very good here, and it would be more enjoyable to listen to e.g. 17.4 kbps.

[simone]

Hi all,
a few periods with a very weak signal, but not too bad overall with the lower bitrate, see attachment
@ Michel: I did not notice the audio problem this afternoon, has it already been solved?
73, Simone