Re: [Longwaveradiolistening] MSF scheduled maintenance shutdown

[Colin Howard]

Mike,

I am unaware of any "domestic-type equipment" capable of receiving signals
on 60Khz. What actually can be heard? I guess bleeps and whistles, this
frequency I would suspect is unable to support a.m modulation of speech, let
alone music!

any possibility of hearing output from immediately above and below this
frequency?

I've not heard anything below 150Khz which I could receive on my Sony radio
back in the early 2000s and before, I'd be interested to know what is below
and how one can listen and at what frequency does speech become impossible!
I would guess there is virtually no drift, would I be correct?

I guess at an extremely low frequency of, say around 20Hz, which I know can
carry sound, we are in the area of being able to hear individual's brain
waves! I am aware, with suitable equipment, as the brain is basically an
electro-magnetic device which generates extremely weak electro-magnetic
waves, brain waves can be heard when the head is close up to the receiving
equipment.

I would be interested in any thoughts or other info sources.

Colin Howard from Southern England.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Terry via groups.io" <miketerry73=btinter...@groups.io>
To: <bdxc...@groups.io>; <W...@groups.io>
Cc: <mw...@groups.io>; <mwci...@groups.io>
Sent: Monday, September 7, 2026 12:32 PM
Subject: [Longwaveradiolistening] MSF scheduled maintenance shutdown


Scheduled:
10 September 2026 -10:00 to 14:00 BST (UTC+1) - Full Shutdown

The MSF radio signal is a dedicated standard-frequency and time
broadcast that provides an accurate and reliable source of UK civil
time. It is available 24 hours a day across the whole of the UK and
beyond. The signal operates on a frequency of 60 kHz and carries a time
and date code that can be received and decoded by a wide range of
readily-available radio-controlled clocks.

The MSF signal is transmitted from Anthorn Radio Station in Cumbria by
Babcock International, under contract to the The National Physical
Laboratory ( NPL). The signal covers the whole of the UK, and can also
be received throughout most of northern and western Europe. It is
monitored against the national time scale and corrected when necessary,
ensuring that the transmitted time is always correct.

NPL regularly takes the MSF radio signal off the air to allow engineers
to safely perform maintenance work on the masts and antennas at
Anthorn.

During these specific windows, radio-controlled clocks, watches, and
wall units cannot sync and may temporarily drift.

If the weather is too poor for engineers to work safely on the masts,
the shutdown will be cancelled, and the service will remain.

A full shutdown is also scheduled for 10 December 2026.

https://www.npl.co.uk/

Mike





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[Colin Howard]

Greetings,

Interesting!

I don't have the technical ability to construct such equipment, wonder if
there is anything commercially available on which I can hear such signals?

Thanks for the comprehensive details.

Colin Howard from Southern England.
----- Original Message -----

From: Pa...@worldofradio.co.uk via groups.io
To: Long Wave
Sent: Monday, September 7, 2026 6:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Longwaveradiolistening] VLF and ELF


Colin


You said earlier today that you were:

unaware of any "domestic-type equipment" capable of receiving signals
on 60Khz. What actually can be heard? I guess bleeps and whistles, this
frequency I would suspect is unable to support a.m modulation of speech, let
alone music!

I think the many clocks and watches must be fall under ‘domestic-type’
equipment.
There are many receivers easily available that tune down to 150kHz and
lower. It is simple to construct a ‘frequency converter’ style front end
that will make LF and VLF transmissions from 15kHz up to 150kHz easily
unable and audible on more common receivers, inc LW and LW.
Audio needs quite a chunk of spectrum (about 5kHz) of course and at LF its
difficult to squeeze into most antennas, though not impossible using very
high power, if you're not scared of the very high voltages! But most of the
hundred or so stations operating at LF (6 of them in the UK) use very
narrowband modulation to get their message thru - usually just plain data.
Mike Terry often plugs the ancient preserved station in Sweden on 17kHz - a
cracking signal over Europe and North America. But listening to most LF
stations with just audio transponder, such s headphones or a speaker, will
just give you a wall of whistles. Indeed, many DXers call them whistlers.
Very few have the receivers to translate the information.


But its all there and receivable pretty much around the clock.
But I think you are on a hiding to nothing trying to tune as low as 20Hz -
that is way down in the bass frequencies! But up at 15kHz or so you will
hear something - probably the Franch HWU transmitter chatting to their
submarines. It used to share with the UKs old GBZ station at Brighton in
Wales, silent now. The lowest UK signal still on is GQD on 19kHz, thats
also at Anthorn. I believe the Crimond station at RAF Rattray (previously a
UK Navy powerhouse on 52 kHz and 81kHz) has now changed to HF.
Mainflingen in Germany on 77kHz is a widely heard and much-used time
signal used in up to a million clocks while the Russian one on 66.6kHz is
also a usable signal.


Hope that assures you that there is still a lot of life from 15kHz up to
150, though the old Decca / Loran C stations have now all gone. I last used
those networks to accurately station the MV Communicator in the Knock Deep
in December 1983, partly just to check the satellite signals from the
Inmarsat birds were correct!)




Paul Rusling


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