Re: [DX] [FM] FM-DX-annoucement: SPECULATION OVER FM-DX-WORLD RECORD INDISTANCE

Thank you very much for this information!

I appreciate very much our community, who does not believe in cheating!

Keep up the good work,

Best 73

Jim Solatie, Espoo, Finland

SPECULATION OVER FM-DX-WORLD RECORD IN DISTANCE

A group of Scandinavian FM-DX-listeners and radioamateurs would like to make an
announcement over speculation of TA-FM-skips (FM-band signal-skips over the Atlantic,
from the Americas to Europe, 88-108 MHz). This topic has spread over DX-communities

during the summer of 2009.
During summer 2009 there has been a topic of FM-band-skips recorded in Romania.
There is a radio hobbyist in Romania who has produced Youtube video-clips of receptions

of Venezuelan and Brasilian FM-stations among many more.

It seems these clips on Youtube are jokes, or even hoaxes. However, they are made very

carefully and credibly.

EXAMPLES:
This Youtube-video of La Mega FM from Venezuela is very credible and all the
facts fit very well, but it seems there is no La Mega on this frequency, 88.7 MHz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuVbgDZ5F68&NR=1

Also Brazilian station from Londrina on 88.8 MHz in this clip below seems to be a joke.
After the point 6 min 22 sec a portuguese language station comes up after Iran.
This station is tracked to be Radio Jovem Pan from Londrina on 102.9, but on this clip it is

on 88.8 MHz. FM-stations in Brazil are all using only odd frequencies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkkIzV4IOGs&%20feature=channel_%20page

So far we know, this Romanian listener speaks poorly English so it has been very difficult

to have more information. However, these clips have spread all over the world as a new

record in distance on the FM-band.

This Romanian hobbyist seems to have skills in electronics. In this clip below he is using his

own pirate-transmitter (88.7 MHz). He makes also his own RDS to this signal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n416B1TpG8A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKiJ2HFW6rI&feature=related

It is very simple to make fake Sporadic-E reception by taking a live-feed from the internet
to a private little FM-transmitter.

Because of wide publicity all over the world we want to make an announcement about this.
We want to warn FM-DX-listeners about these videos and to look at these critically

although many videos there are real.
So far we know, that the world record in FM DX-ing is made from Northern Ireland to Alabama,
USA over a distance of 6456 km (WVAS, Montgomery, Alabama, 90.7 MHz).

Made on June 26, 2009.

- A Group of Scandinavian FM-DX-listeners and radioamateurs -