April 11 2025

MHz Block UTC ITU Ensemble + Location Details Remarks km TII
197.65 8B 0108 F Métropolitain 1, Sablé-sur-Sarthe/le petit Martin (72) Tent. due to colliding subID 506km 0202
197.65 8B 0201 F Métropolitain 1, Blois/Erigny (41) Tent. due to colliding subID 450km 1002
197.65 8B 0209 F Métropolitain 1, Saint-Denis-d’Orques (72) Tent. due to colliding subID 487km 0209
204.64 9B 0332 D Antenne DE, Heilbronn/Schweinsberg (bwü) Tent. due to colliding subID 386km 4303
197.65 8B 0408 F Métropolitain 1, Laval/le Chênot (53) Tent. due to colliding subID – or Nogent-le-Rotrou? 510km 0201
197.65 8B 0408 F Métropolitain 1, Nantes/Sillon de Bretagne (44) Tent. due to colliding subID 621km 0301
204.64 9B 0433 D Antenne DE, Stuttgart/Frauenkopf (bwü) Tent. due to colliding subID 406km 4301
197.65 8B 0452 F Métropolitain 1, Tours/les Rochettes (37) Tent. due to colliding subID 493km 1009
197.65 8B 0452 F Métropolitain 1, Saint-Épain/le Buisson (37) Tent. due to colliding subID 528km 1001
197.65 8B 0641 F Métropolitain 1, Saint-Denis-d’Orques (72) Tent. due to colliding subID 487km 0209
190.64 7B 0727 D hr Radio, Rimberg (hes) 333km 0614
208.06 9D 0727 D Mein NRW DAB+, Köterberg (Lügde-Rischenau) (nrw) 333km 3608

Map

April 10 2025

MHz Block UTC ITU Ensemble + Location Details Remarks km TII
199.36 8C 2126 F Métropolitain 2, Antran/la Barbotterie (86) Tent. due to colliding subID 548km 0404
197.65 8B 2142 F Métropolitain 1, Angers/le Ronceray (49) Tent. due to colliding subID 553km 0307
197.65 8B 2150 F Métropolitain 1, Ancenis/les Brulons (44) Tent. due to colliding subID 577km 0308
199.36 8C 2226 F Métropolitain 2, Pont-l’Évêque/Reux (14) Tent. due to colliding subID 377km 0906
199.36 8C 2226 F Métropolitain 2, Saint-Malo/les Bergerons (35) Tent. due to colliding subID – Tours? 544km 0402
199.36 8C 2226 F Métropolitain 2, Arconsat/Pardelières nord (63) Tent. due to colliding subID 572km 0104
199.36 8C 2248 F Métropolitain 2, Paimpol/Parc Langen (22) Tent. due to colliding subID 608km 2202
199.36 8C 2306 F Métropolitain 2, Thiers/sous Chabannes (63) Tent. due to colliding subID 578km 0910

Map

April 8 2025

MHz Block UTC ITU Ensemble + Location Details Remarks km TII
197.65 8B 0730 F Métropolitain 1, Saint-Denis-d’Orques (72) Tent. due to colliding subID 487km 3608
197.65 8B 0741 F Métropolitain 1, Sablé-sur-Sarthe/le petit Martin (72) Tent. due to colliding subID 506km 0202
199.36 8C 0700 F Métropolitain 2, Plounérin/la Poste Neuve (22) Tent. due to colliding subID 650km 0209
199.36 8C 0700 F Métropolitain 2, Guingamp/le Lannec (D100) (22) Tent. due to colliding subID 628km 1201
199.36 8C 0730 F Métropolitain 2, Blois/Erigny (41) Tent. due to colliding subID 450km 0403
204.64 9B 0734 HOL DAB Lokaal 35, Den Haag/DVB-T mast (zho) 121km 1203
208.06 9D 0731 D Mein NRW DAB+, Köterberg (Lügde-Rischenau) (nrw) 333km 3501

Map

April 7 2025

MHz UTC ITU Program + Location Details Remarks km
89.30 1644 G BBC Radio 2, Holme Moss (EN-WYK) 529km
89.10 1645 G BBC Radio 2, Wrotham (EN-KNT) 311km
88.60 1646 G BBC Radio 2, Bow Brickhill (EN-BKS) 389km
88.10 1649 G BBC Radio 2, Manningtree (EN-ESX) 272km

Map

MHz Block UTC ITU Ensemble + Location Details Remarks km TII
197.65 8B 1725 F Métropolitain 1, Nantes/Sillon de Bretagne (44) 621km 0301
197.65 8B 1733 F Métropolitain 1, Le Mans/la Noé (72) 468km 0208
197.65 8B 1736 F Métropolitain 1, Ancenis/les Brulons (44) 577km 0308
197.65 8B 1750 F Métropolitain 1, Saint-Denis-d’Orques (72) 487km 0209
197.65 8B 1753 F Métropolitain 1, Tours/les Rochettes (37) 493km 1009
197.65 8B 1810 F Métropolitain 1, Saint-Épain/le Buisson (37) 528km 1001
197.65 8B 1810 F Métropolitain 1, Blois/Erigny (41) 450km 1002
197.65 8B 1832 F Métropolitain 1, Saint-Nazaire/Pornichet (44) 657km 1106
199.36 8C 1925 F Métropolitain 2, Saint-Malo/les Bergerons (35) or Tours? 544km 0402
199.36 8C 1933 F Métropolitain 2, Antran/la Barbotterie (86) or Rennes? 548km 0404

Map

April 6 2025 – Headless TEF

Already owning two TEF6686 radios (12) I was fascinated by the concept of a ‘headless’ TEF: just a board and connectors.
It can be neatly tucked away and hooked up to a webserver or to XDR-GTK software.

I was able to order one from Mihail Popa (ROU) with a case, an audiohat (if you want the audio on separate speakers via a jack) and two FM antenna and one AM antenna rabbit ears plug.

Hooking it up is pretty easy especially if you already have a portable TEF connected to the same computer.
Mind you to connect the TEF668X audio in the audio configuration (W11 over here) to listen to this device and broadcast to the computer speakers to avoid audio feedback loops. Thanks Mihail for the advice.
You can then use the same usb cable as used with a portable to connect the headless TEF to your computer and feeding it with data and audio.

If you want to continuously scan and record you should change two lines in the scanner.json file in the plugins_configs directory of your webserver.
Make sure these two lines are set to false!
“Autoscan_PE5PVB_Mode”: false,
“Search_PE5PVB_Mode”: false,

My portable TEFs listen to COM3 while the headless TEF needs COM4 although both are connected to the same USB port (not simultaneously). You can easily change this in the webserver set-up tuner tab (device).

Updating the firmware is NOT like the updates on a portable TEF. You need this firmware and this bootloader from KKonrad.

I haven’t tried a firmware update yet as this headless is running the latest firmware.

What about the performance of a headless TEF? I compared it to my Deepelec DP-666 and found no difference at all. The headless TEF performs just as well.

A headless TEF is very often used by radio buffs who want to connect their TEF to a public FM-DX webserver.
You can find numerous public TEF FM-DX webservers here.

Scanning
Scanning away
Webserver working hard

March 28 2025

MHz Block UTC ITU Ensemble + Location Details Remarks km TII
199.36 8C 0200 F Métropolitain 2, La Ferté-sous-Jouarre/Croix de Mission (77) 257km 0508
199.36 8C 0537 F Métropolitain 2, Mantes-la-Jolie/les Carrières (78) 312km 1807
218.64 11B 0648 F Paris-Etendu, Paris/Hotel Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile (75) 293km 0701

Map

March 27 2025 – AbracaDABra 3.1.0

Petr Kopecký has just released AbracaDABra 3.1.0 with quite a few new features.
You can download AbracaDABra 3.1.0 from Petr’s Github release page.
Petr welcomes your feedback and bug reports on his Github issues page.

AbracaDABra 3.1.0 is not backward compatible from 2.9.2: you will lose the service list and audio recording schedule! It is therefore recommended to backup your current application settings.
Check out C:\Users\***\AppData\Roaming\AbracaDABra.
No worries if you upgrade from 3.0.0.

What’s new in 3.1.0? Make sure Expert mode UI is on!

  • AbracaDABra now remembers the position of previously opened widgets. Enable this in the settings, tab ‘Others’.
Widgets position retained
  • New settings in the DAB signal overview widget. The spectrum refresh rate can be set and the SNR value can be viewed in a large font.
    Click on the three dots.
    Fit spectrum in view now also available in the DAB signal overview settings or by right-clicking in this widget as in 3.0.0.
New in DAB Signal overview
New in DAB Signal overview
  • In the settings (TII tab) you can have the TII decoder remember (or not) to show transmitters that are no longer detected and also when no longer to show them (check the time-out and set the desired duration).
TII decoder settings
  • Service Programme Information (SPI) progress icon can be made persistent in the User applications settings.
    It can take a few seconds for the icon to (re)appear.
    Not all stations support SPI.
Setting SPI progress icon
Setting SPI progress icon
SPI progress
SPI progress
  • The Service logo can be shown by pointing your mouse.
Service info
  • A confirmation dialog pops-up when you want to clear service list.
Confirm clearing the service list
Confirm clearing the service list
  • A timeout can be set in the Record raw data in the Ensemble Information widget.
Timeout set in the Record raw data
Timeout set in the Record raw data
  • The antenna height has been added to the transmitter details in the TII decoder map.
Antenna height in transmitter details
Antenna height in transmitter details
  • Bug fixes.