FM radio stations picked up in Letterkenny with Tecsun PL-606

While staying over in Letterkenny (The Elms area), I did a scan of the FM band using the Tecsun PL-606 with its antenna extension positioned vertically. This is a high sensitivity DSP FM radio which picks up fringe FM stations normally only picked up by a good car stereo or roof-mounted FM aerial.

The following table has three sets of readings for each station. The first column is from an upstairs window facing North West, the second is another upstairs window facing South East and the third column is with the radio connected to a loft-mounted circular omnidirectional FM antenna.

For reference, the following is what to expect from the readings:

• NA – Total static to barely understandable speech.
• 0dB – Noisy static, but speech still understandable.
• 1dB – Moderate hiss, speech is clearly heard.
• 2dB – Light hiss, unnoticeable with most music on internal speaker.
• 3dB – Light hiss during speech/silence only on internal speaker.
• 6dB – Hiss barely audible on internal speaker during silence.
• 12dB – Stereo sound with considerable hiss.
• 15dB – Stereo sound with hiss mainly heard during speech.
• 20dB – Light hiss in stereo, noticeable during speech/silence.

For a rough comparison to a typical FM radio, this Tecsun radio’s sound quality in stereo is roughly what a typical radio picks up in mono. Most stations with a reading below 10dB either give pure static or obscured by a nearby stronger station when tuned on a typical FM radio positioned in the same spot. For example Q Radio on 101.2MHz comes in perfectly clear on this Tecsun radio, but on another radio I tried in the same spot, the much stronger nearby station Today FM on 101MHz is instead picked up on 101.2MHz.

MHz	Station name	NE S/N	SW S/N	Loft S/N
88.2	RTE Radio 11	1dB	20dB	9dB
88.7	BBC Radio 27	28dB	10dB	28dB
89.2	RTE Radio 12	40dB	30dB	39dB
89.4	BBC Radio 28	2dB	20dB	14dB
89.7	RTE Radio 13	1dB	9dB	NA
89.8	RTE Radio 14	4dB	NA	8dB
90.1	BBC Radio 29	4dB	7dB	11dB
90.4	RTE 2FM1	6dB	21dB	17dB
90.9	BBC Radio 37	29dB	17dB	24dB
91.4	RTE 2FM2	36dB	21dB	35dB
91.6	BBC Radio 38	4dB	20dB	8dB
91.8	RTE 2FM5	NA	NA	2dB
92.0	RTE 2FM4	6dB	15dB	NA
92.3	BBC Radio 39	12dB	11dB	21dB
92.6	RTE RnaG1	4dB	20dB	21dB
93.1	Radio Ultser7	30dB	20dB	25dB
93.6	RTE RnaG2	44dB	29dB	40dB
93.8	Radio Ulster8	4dB	22dB	5dB
94.1	RTE RnaG3	NA	NA	2dB
94.2	RTE RnaG4	12dB	20dB	NA
94.5	Radio Ulster9	18dB	5dB	14dB
94.7	Highland11	6dB	10dB	NA
94.9	BBC Radio 47	30dB	12dB	NA
95.2	RTE Lyric FM6	1dB	6dB	1dB
95.4	Radio Ulster10	3dB	NA	3dB
95.6	BBC Radio 48	21dB	28dB	19dB
96.0	BBC Radio 49	20dB	1dB	19dB
96.4	Downtown10	4dB	NA	NA
96.6	Downtown15	19dB	27dB	19dB
96.9	iRadio NW16	44dB	22dB	23dB
97.4	Cool FM17	1dB	NA	0dB
97.8	Lyric FM1	20dB	25dB	18dB
98.3	BBC Radio 17	32dB	16dB	24dB
98.8	Lyric FM2	41dB	27dB	40dB
99.0	BBC Radio 18	7dB	22dB	12dB
99.4	Lyric FM4	8dB	20dB	1dB
99.7	BBC Radio 19	22dB	7dB	20dB
100.0	Today FM1	8dB	30dB	14dB
100.5	Classic FM7	30dB	21dB	30dB
101.0	Today FM2	34dB	24dB	43dB
101.2	Q Radio15	7dB	21dB	7dB
101.6	Today FM13	24dB	16dB	20dB
101.9	Classic FM17	25dB	12dB	24dB
102.1	Highland12	28dB	30dB	25dB
102.4	Downtown7	28dB	16dB	20dB
102.7	Radio RnaG6	3dB	3dB	NA
102.9	Q Radio7	23dB	16dB	19dB
103.3	Highland13	41dB	24dB	43dB
104.4	iRadio NW1	0dB	5dB	NA
104.5	Highland14	1dB	NA	NA
104.8	iRadio NE6?	NA	1dB	NA
105.0	Ocean FM18	3dB	10dB	0dB
105.3	Drive FM7	27dB	6dB	20dB
105.5	Today FM6	4dB	5dB	NA
106.3	Fresh FM7	31dB	17dB	27dB
106.9	Newstalk2	53dB	44dB	49dB
107.2	Newstalk6?	7dB	2dB	2dB
107.4	Newstalk1	9dB	34dB	25dB

Transmitter based on tuned frequency (? = Guessed)

1. Truskmore
2. Holywell Hill
3. Ballybofey
4. Fanad
5. Aranmore
6. Clermont
7. Derry
8. Brougher Mountain
9. Divis
10. Limavady
11. Finn Valley
12. Castlefin / Lifford Border
13. North Donegal
14. Inishowen
15. Dungannon/Enniskillen/Omagh
16. Donegal
17. Belfast
18. Barnesmore
19. Castlebar

The following are additional stations (including Cool FM above) with careful positioning of the radio to achieve the highest reading I could get.  For Cool FM and U105, I positioned the antenna horizontally.

MHz	Station name	Max S/N	Antenna / Window
87.8	RTE Radio 16	0dB	Horizontal NE
94.1	RTE RnaG3	9dB	Horizontal SW
74.1	Cool FM17	10dB	Horizontal SW
99.3	Lyric FM3	13dB	Horizontal SW
100.8	Owenea?	0dB	Vertical SW
103.7	iRadio NW19	0dB	Vertical SW
105.8	U105 Belfast17	8dB	Horizontal NE