[HCDX]: St. Helena report

["Paul B. Peters" <pbpeters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At my QTH, Radio St. Helena was not audible until 1945 UTC. By 2010 UTC,

the signal was still not moving the S-meter, but the audio quality of
the broadcast was steadily improving, QRM was low. At 2137, the General
Manager for Cable and Wireless on St. Helena spoke of his company, their

history as well as local operations. The signal remained weak through
2240 UTC when the St. Helena local news was read by Derek Richards...
all the while the audio was more than an easy copy even for side band.
As 2300 UTC approached, I was surprised Radio St. Helena was using their

final minutes of the broadcast to play music... only to be surprised
with the announcement that Cable and Wireless was giving an additional
few minutes use of the transmitter. Tony Leo spoke the final words from
Radio St. Helena Day at 2319 UTC... the show ended with God Save the
Queen.

Immediately after the anthem, Radio St. Helena went silent. What
happened next was a real surprise. Radio Eurogeek (sp?) appeared on the
frequency for long enough to say he was in Providence, RI and that he'd
be back next year... even if Radio St. Helena was not.

All in all a pretty good day here on the West Coast of Canada for this
DX-er. I hope everyone enjoyed both the broadcast and the challenge to
hear St. Helena one more time. This was year three for me.

Of the two antennas I used today, my 154' dipole produced the best
results. Surprisingly, for yet another year, most of the St. Helena
signal is probably off a small lobe of the antenna... given that I
understand the St. Helena signal is beamed towards the UK.

Paul
--
Paul B. Peters
StoneyGround Station
QTH: 48'42"N x 123'35"W
Cobble Hill, B.C., Canada

Receiver: ICOM R71A
Antenna system consists of:
- 154' dipole at 50' oriented North x South
- 210' Delta Loop at 75' oriented North x South
Both antennas terminate at a KW E-ZEE Match tuner

"Learn to listen... so you can listen to learn"



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