Scandinavian Sound – Erewash Sound reaches far afield in Summer months

Jari Luoma (credit) with his listening equipment in Finland.

Warmer Summer weather has left local people reaching for ice creams, cold drinks and fans but in Scandinavia, it has led one radio buff to reach for his listening equipment.

Jari Luoma contacted Erewash Sound from Southern Finland, having picked up 103.5 FM broadcasts on two occasions, in what he described “an exceptional moment for UK radio reception”, adding that he was thrilled to receive our low power signal.

Jari, a radio DXer who operates a remote listening station using specialist equipment on Haapasaari, an island in the Gulf of Finland, said that wasn’t the first time Erewash Sound broadcasts had been heard there, adding that his friend Jim Solatie had also picked up output from the 96.8FM transmitter in the Summer of 2014.

Erewash Sound is licenced on comparatively lower power compared to other radio stations, due to its targeted service and community licence for the borough – and the low power is a fact not lost on Jari who said: “Low power community radio stations are very rarely heard here — especially when there are real high power transmitters from the UK on the same frequency!”

So, if Erewash Sound has such low power coming from its transmitters, how did programming reach Scandinavia? Jari has an answer for that. He said: “I believe this reception was made possible by ionospheric reflection, where signals bounce back to Earth like a mirror.”

However, for Jari, it was important for Erewash Sound to validate what he had heard so that his experience could be entered into a log of heard stations, according to rules of the Finnish DX Association.

Happy to help, breakfast show presenter Paul Stacey said: “This is the first time I can recall atmospherics carrying our radio station so far.

“It is usually the case that we notice interference from the Netherlands during such conditions, but it is great to know that our signal (approximately 100w) is occasionally making it to Finland.

“I can certainly confirm that the recording you provided is our radio station – we hope you enjoyed listening to our broadcasts.”

Ionospheric reflection occurs when radio waves are bent or refracted by the ionized layers of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, allowing long-distance communication beyond the horizon. This is particularly more prevalent during certain environmental conditions such as warmer weather.

DXing is the pursuit of making radio contacts with stations in far-off locations, often across continents. It is a central activity in amateur radio, combining technical skill, knowledge of radio propagation, and strategic operation. DXers aim to log as many unique contacts as possible, sometimes competing in contests or chasing rare countries and islands.