Chinese FM Tropo: Shandong & Jiangsu from Korea
Locations: 37° 03' 30.54" N 127° 03' 51.80" E (188 ft) | 37° 04' 12.51" N 127° 04' 40.51" E (494 ft)
29 mi. s of Seoul / 150 mi. sse of Pyongyang / 54 mi. sse of North Korea border (Demilitarized Zone)
These lists were last updated July 2013  |  Station list and all recordings by Chris Kadlec
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Yellow Sea Tropo Events   |   View the complete 2011-2013 Chinese tropo log

    Imagine hearing stations from a foreign land in a foreign language, stations that are so close yet so far away. That's been my experience since 2011. Being fascinated by over-water reception and having studied it in the U.S. for more than a decade, hearing China on the radio never gets old. A lot of fellow radio hobbyists have always asked me, "can you hear China and Japan on the radio in Korea?" I never could, until I moved to Songtan. Home of Osan Air Base and nearby Camp Humphreys, both US military establishments, Songtan has, more or less, a clear path to the Yellow Sea, just twenty miles to open water. My apartment was beside a small hill called Banjisan, home to a nice park that included stairs over the southern side of the hill. The path atop this hill was in a great spot to weaken stations to the north, mainly Seoul, less than 30 miles away, and catch any signals from the west and southwest. And that's where China comes into the picture.
    Tropo conditions to China are best in the spring and fall months, taking a break for some pesky summer weather patterns such as monsoon season. I have some fantastic memories on the side of that hill. Surprising late-night catches, one early June tropo event that continued for nearly a week (thankfully a long holiday weekend) with a repeat holiday opening two years later, and shortly before I left Songtan for good, some wonderful late-night catches from Nanjing.

 


Click the above station map to enlarge

    However, DXing (or "BCL," as the Chinese call it) is hardly a picnic in the park. Finding tower locations can be more than just a hassle, but an outright impossible task in some cases. The Chinese government agency - SARFT - which handles all these matters, as well as media censorship, is less than forthcoming with precise information. And fellow Chinese DXers? Not always helpful to foreigners. Complicating matters further was the fact stations are received off-frequency much of the time, typically 0.05 MHz above or below the listed frequency and in a few cases, a full 0.1+ MHz off, keeping in mind China uses a 0.1 MHz spacing system. Sometimes this is due to interference from local frequencies. Other times, not. What is that 104.3 I keep hearing? Why, it's 104.4! Is that 93.45 blasting in like a local 93.4 or 93.5? It's anybody's guess! Occasionally, that station heard on 92.7 last night is on 92.8 today. What?! As difficult as that sounds, there were major perks to this complication.
    In the event of two stations running on the same frequency closeby or even hundreds of miles apart, the offset frequencies help determine, or even rule out, which stations are being heard. While that station on 99.60 is always 99.6 Weifang, 99.65 is a whole other station - 99.6 Yancheng. Better yet, there are a few relatively open frequencies on the Korean peninsula, such as 94.9 and 103.3. Anyone who regularly listens to the radio knows with the right conditions, a station can travel many hundreds of miles, and with the open waters of the Yellow Sea and marine tropo conditions enveloping the Shandong Peninsula, which sticks 200 miles out into the water, these open frequency stations come in crystal clear up to 700 miles (possibly more with some unidentified mystery stations) and I should add, that's on my main radio on which all these stations were received and recorded: the Korean-made Samsung Yepp Q2 MP3 player, using just a beat-up earphones cord as an antenna.



ID Freq.   Actual  

Location

  Transmitter   Radio Network / Station Name   Distance   Direction  

Power

  Map   Web   MP3
                                               
* 87.5   87.50   ZJ Taizhou   浙江 台州 海门街道枫山*   Taizhou News Radio FM98.7 (台州新闻综合频道)   664 mi.   211°   SSW   N/A   map    
  88.1   88.10   SD Yutai   山東 济宁 鱼台县   CNR 1 Voice of China (中央人民广播电台中国之声)   600 mi.   260°   W   0.3kw   map    
* 88.1   88.10   SD Rizhao   山東 日照 黄山   Rizhao Traffic Life R. (日照广播交通生活)   442 mi.   258°   WSW   3kw   map    
* 89.4   89.35   SD Rizhao   山東 日照 黄山   CNR 1 Voice of China (中央人民广播电台中国之声)   442 mi.   258°   WSW   3kw   map    
* 90.3   90.30   SD Yishanshan   山東 潍坊 临朐 沂山   Shandong News Radio (山东广播新闻频道)   473 mi.   265°   W   3kw   map    
  90.7   90.70   SD Weihai   山東 威海 耐固山   Weihai Music Fashion Radio (威海音乐时尚广播)   275 mi.   278°   W   3kw   map    
* 91.5   91.50   SD Qingdao   山東 青岛 青岛电视塔   Simul Radio (青岛人民广播电台音乐体育广播)   380 mi.   262°   W   3kw   map    
  92.6   92.65   SD Huangdao   山東 青岛 黄岛 烟固墩山   Qingdao City Life R. (青岛西海岸城市生活广播)   390 mi.   261°   W   3kw   map    
* 92.7   92.70   JS Lianyungang   江蘇 連雲港 锦屏山   Lianyungang Traffic Radio (连云港交通电台)   478 mi.   251°   WSW   N/A   map    
* 92.8   92.70   SD Mengshan   山東 临沂 平邑县 蒙山   Shandong Arts Ch. (山东人民广播电台文艺频道)   524 mi.   261°   W   3kw   map    
* 92.8   92.80   SD Yantai   山東 烟台 莱山区 岱王山   Yantai R. Economic Ch. (烟台电台经济生活频道)   313 mi.   277°   W   0.25kw   map    
* 93.4   93.45   SD Kunyushan   山東 威海 文登 昆嵛山710   Shandong News Radio (山东广播新闻频道)   292 mi.   274°   W   3kw   map    
* 93.6   93.60   JS Lianyungang   江蘇 連雲港 锦屏山   CNR 1 Voice of China (中央人民广播电台中国之声)   478 mi.   251°   WSW   N/A   map    
  93.6   93.65   SD Jinan   山東 济南 掘子山   Jinan Literary Arts Radio (济南文艺广播)   556 mi.   270°   W   3kw   map    
* 93.7   93.70   JS Nanjing   江蘇 南京 江苏广播电视塔   Jiangsu News Radio (江苏新闻广播)   586 mi.   237°   WSW   10kw   map    
* 94.8   94.90   SD Haiyang   山東 烟台 海阳 朱吴镇   Haiyang People's Radio (海阳人民广播电台)   327 mi.   270°   W   1kw   map    
* 94.9   94.90   SD Dongying   山東 東營 东营广播塔   CNR 1 Voice of China (中央人民广播电台中国之声)   463 mi.   276°   W   3kw   map    
* 94.9   94.90   JS Yangzhou   江蘇 扬州 梅岭电视塔   Yangzhou Music Radio YesFM 949 (扬州音乐广播)   539 mi.   236°   SW   N/A   map    
* 95.2   95.25   SD Qingdao   山東 青岛 青岛电视塔   Qingdao Story Radio (青岛电台故事广播)   380 mi.   262°   W   3kw   map    
* 95.3   95.30   SD Zhaoyuan   山東 烟台 招远市 罗山   Yantai Traffic Radio (烟台交通广播)   363 mi.   276°   W   3kw   map    
* 96.1   96.10   SD Weihai   山東 威海 耐固山   Weihai Traffic Opera R. (威海交通文艺广播)   275 mi.   278°   W   N/A   map    
* 96.4   96.35   SD Qingdao   山東 青岛 青岛电视塔   Qingdao Art Radio (青岛文艺广播)   380 mi.   262°   W   3kw   map    
* 96.7   96.70   SD Yishanshan   山東 潍坊 临朐 沂山   CNR 1 Voice of China (中央人民广播电台中国之声)   473 mi.   265°   W   3kw   map    
* 96.9   96.90   SD Yantai   山東 烟台 塔山风景区   Shandong Rural Channel (山东广播乡村频道)   314 mi.   277°   W   3kw   map    
* 97.1   97.10   SD Qixia   山東 烟台 栖霞 翠屏街道   Qixia People's Radio (栖霞人民广播电台)   344 mi.   275°   W   1kw   map   -  
* 97.1   97.10   SD Weifang   山東 潍坊 浮烟山风景区*   Shandong News Radio (山东广播新闻频道)   448 mi.   269°   W   3kw   map    
* 97.5   97.50   SD Yantai   山東 烟台 塔山风景区   Shandong Life Ch. FM105 (山东广播生活频道)   314 mi.   277°   W   3kw   map    
* 97.9   97.90   SD Dazeshan   山東 青岛 平度 大泽山621   Shandong Economic Ch. (山东广播经济频道)   390 mi.   271°   W   10kw   map    
* 97.9   97.90   SD Qingdao   山東 青岛 崂山区 崂山   Shandong Economic Ch. (山东广播经济频道)   363 mi.   262°   W   3kw   map    
* 98.2   98.35   SD Taishan   山東 泰安 泰山 616   Shandong Economic Ch. (山东广播经济频道)   556 mi.   267°   W   10kw   map    
* 98.6   98.65   SD Qingdao   山東 青岛 青岛电视塔   Shandong News Radio (山东广播新闻频道)   380 mi.   262°   W   1kw   map    
* 98.8   98.85   SD Kunyushan   山東 威海 文登 昆嵛山710   CNR 1 Voice of China (中央人民广播电台中国之声)   292 mi.   274°   W   3kw   map    
  98.9   98.95   SD Rizhao   山東 日照 黄山   Shandong Life Ch. FM105 (山东广播生活频道)   442 mi.   258°   WSW   3kw   map    
* 99.5   99.50   SD Jiaonan   山東 青岛 胶南 牛心山   Qingd. Econ. Happy 603 (青岛经济广播 快乐603)   406 mi.   260°   W   0.3kw   map    
* 99.6   99.60   SD Weifang   山東 潍坊 浮烟山风景区*   Shandong Economic Ch. (山东广播经济频道)   448 mi.   269°   W   3kw   map    
* 99.6   99.65   JS Yancheng   江蘇 盐城 盐城电视塔   Yancheng News Radio (盐城广播电台新闻)   467 mi.   239°   WSW   N/A   map    
* 100.1   100.10   SD Kunyushan   山東 威海 文登 昆嵛山710   Shandong Economic Ch. (山东广播经济频道)   292 mi.   274°   W   3kw   map    
  100.1   100.15   SD Cangshan   山東 临沂 苍山 塔山公园   Cangshan People's Radio (苍山人民广播)   528 mi.   256°   WSW   10kw   map   -  
* 100.7   100.70   SD Qingdao   山東 青岛 青岛电视塔   Qingd. Econ. Happy 603 (青岛经济广播 快乐603)   380 mi.   262°   W   1kw   map    
  100.8   100.85   SD Jiaonan   山東 青岛 胶南 牛心山   CNR 1 Voice of China (中央人民广播电台中国之声)   406 mi.   260°   W   0.3kw   map    
* 101.3   101.30   SD Yishanshan   山東 潍坊 临朐 沂山   Shandong Arts Ch. (山东人民广播电台文艺频道)   473 mi.   265°   W   3kw   map    
  101.4   101.35   SD Haiyang   山東 烟台 海阳 朱吴镇   Yantai Radio News Ch. (烟台电台新闻综合频道)   327 mi.   270°   W   1kw   map    
  101.4   101.40   SD Laiyang   山東 烟台 莱阳 人民商场   Yantai Radio News Ch. (烟台电台新闻综合频道)   351 mi.   271°   W   N/A   map    
* 101.7   101.70   SD Jimo   山東 青岛 即墨 马山   Jimo People's Radio (即墨人民广播电台)   374 mi.   265°   W   3kw   map    
* 102.1   102.10   JS Lianyungang   江蘇 連雲港 锦屏山   Lianyungang Radio News (连云港电台新闻)   478 mi.   251°   WSW   10kw   map    
* 102.4   102.45   SD Yantai   山東 烟台 莱山区 岱王山   Yantai Traffic Lit. Ch. (烟台交通文艺频道)   313 mi.   277°   W   0.25kw   map    
* 102.9   102.90   SD Qingdao   山東 青岛 青岛电视塔   Qingdao Econ. Ch. (青岛人民广播电台经济频道)   380 mi.   262°   W   0.3kw   map    
* 103.3   103.30   JS Xuzhou   江苏 徐州 徐州电视塔   Xuzhou Traffic Radio FM1033 (徐州交通广播)   589 mi.   254°   WSW   N/A   map    
* 103.8   103.85   SD Kunyushan   山東 威海 文登 昆嵛山710   Shandong Arts Ch. (山东人民广播电台文艺频道)   292 mi.   274°   W   3kw   map    
* 104.1   104.10   SD Qingdao   山東 青岛 青岛电视塔   CNR 2 V. of Economy (中央人民广播电经济之声)   380 mi.   262°   W   0.3kw   map    
* 104.3   104.30   JS Nanjing   江蘇 南京 浦口 老鹰山   Nanjing Sports Radio (南京体育广播)   591 mi.   237°   WSW   N/A   map    
* 104.4   104.30   SD Dazeshan   山東 青岛 平度 大泽山619   Shandong News Radio (山东广播新闻频道)   390 mi.   271°   W   10kw   map    
* 104.7   104.70   SD Yishanshan   山東 潍坊 临朐 沂山   Shandong Life Ch. FM105 (山东广播生活频道)   473 mi.   265°   W   3kw   map    
  104.8   104.80   JS Lianyungang   江蘇 連雲港 锦屏山   Lianyungang Story Radio (连云港电台故事广播)   478 mi.   251°   WSW   N/A   map   -  
* 105.1   105.10   SD Kunyushan   山東 威海 文登 昆嵛山710   Weihai News Channel (威海广播新闻综合频道)   292 mi.   274°   W   3kw  

map

   
* 105.1   105.10   SD Huangdao   山東 青岛 黄岛 烟崮墩山   Shandong Life Ch. FM105 (山东广播生活频道)   390 mi.   261°   W   3kw   map    
* 105.5   105.50   SD Rizhao   山東 日照 黄山   Shandong Arts Ch. (山东人民广播电台文艺频道)   442 mi.   258°   WSW   N/A   map    
  105.8   105.85   SD Zhangqiu   山東 济南 章丘 府前街   Jinan Music Radio Music 887 (济南音乐广播)   532 mi.   271°   W   1kw   map    
* 105.9   105.90   SD Yantai   山東 烟台 塔山风景区   Yantai R. Economic Ch. (烟台电台经济生活频道)   314 mi.   277°   W   3kw   map    
  106.6   106.60   SD Zhaoyuan   山東 烟台 招远市 罗山   Zhaoyuan People's Radio (招远人民广播电台)   363 mi.   276°   W   1kw   map   -  
* 106.6   106.65   SD Dazeshan   山東 青岛 平度 大泽山622   Shandong CityFM (城市之音 山东广播音乐频道)   390 mi.   271°   W   10kw   map    
* 106.6   106.65   SD Qingdao   山東 青岛 崂山区 崂山   Shandong CityFM (城市之音 山东广播音乐频道)   363 mi.   262°   W   3kw   map    
  106.7   106.70   JS Changzhou   江蘇 常州 金坛 晨风路   CNR 1 Voice of China (中央人民广播电台中国之声)   562 mi.   232°   SW   N/A   map    
* 106.7   106.70   SD Zibo   山東 淄博 沂源县 鲁山   Zibo Private Car Radio (淄博私家车广播)   503 mi.   267°   W   1kw   map    
* 106.8   106.75   SD Wendeng   山東 威海 文登 峰山公园   Wendeng People's Radio (文登人民广播电台)   276 mi.   274°   W   N/A   map    
* 107.3   107.30   SD Weihai   山東 威海 耐固山   Weihai News Channel (威海广播新闻综合频道)   275 mi.   278°   W   N/A   map    
  107.3   107.30   SD Xuecheng   山東 枣庄 薛城 奶奶山   Xuecheng People's Radio (薛城人民广播电台)   567 mi.   257°   WSW   N/A   map   -  
* 107.5   107.45   SD Rongcheng   山東 威海 榮成 青山公园   Rongcheng People's Radio (荣成人民广播电台)   256 mi.   273°   W   N/A   map   -  
* 107.6   107.55   SD Qingdao   山東 青岛 青岛电视塔   Qingdao R. News Ch. (青岛人民广播电台新闻频道)   380 mi.   262°   W   0.3kw   map    
                                               
UNID:   83.75 (Ch 4), 87.50 (经济之声), 87.75, 88.10, 92.05, 92.75, 93.50, 93.65, 93.75, 94.90, 95.30, 96.30, 97.05, 97.65, 99.20, 99.35, 102.95, 103.10, 103.30, 103.95, 104.30, 105.05
    105.55, 105.70, 105.85, 106.65, 106.70, 107.90 (frequently received unknown frequencies are displayed in bold; 87.50 is an undocumented CNR Voice of the Economy station).
                                               
Notes:   Shandong Arts Ch. (山东人民广播电台文艺频道 / iRadio), began [also] branding as Shandong Female Anchor Ch. (山东广播女主播频道) on January 1, 2012.
      87.5 Taizhou, Zhejiang (台州新闻综合频道) tower site is undocumented. Parent simulcast station 98.7's tower site on Fengshan is used.
      97.1/99.6 Weifang: Fuyanshan (浮烟山) tower location used; however, 山东广播潍坊调频发射台 undisclosed tower site is reported to be in Changle (昌乐县).
      97.65 UNID: 烟台FM97.7 (中央人民广播电台中国之声) 是空频 / Yantai 97.7 (CNR 1), although allotted by SARFT, is not on the air.
      99.5 Jiaonan (Qingdao News R. / 青岛人民广播电台新闻频道) became //100.7 (Happy 603) in Oct. 2012. 100.7 turned off in July 2013 with 99.5 replacing it.
      104.1 Qingdao News Life Radio (青岛电台新闻生活频道) changed frequencies to 97.3 in Sept. 2011, while 104.1 became CNR 2 (中央人民广播电经济之声).
      106.7 Zibo changed from Zibo Economic Radio (淄博人民广播电台经济广播) to Private Car Radio (淄博私家车广播), January 31, 2012, but IDs as both.
       
** Station names in the above log may have changed since logged. The station/network name for each frequency is the name of the station at the last date of logging.
       
 

Total stations identified: 55 of approximately 69 known stations (97 total) over the course of 21 days total

 




Top: All-female anchor Shandong Arts Channel (iRadio) network banner from 2013.
Bottom: Clockwise from top right: Qingdao TV Tower, Jiangsu Radio & TV Tower in Nanjing, a panorama of Yantai, the changing Nanjing skyline in 2012, Xuzhou, and early 1900s German architecture in Qingdao's Shinan District.
 

    So what is the cause of tropo from China? Reasons vary, although one possibility is the westerly winds blowing the dry air of mainland China over the humid sea air, thus creating a temperature inversion, while higher level regional tropo, unrelated to the presence of water, is another cause. The former is often the most likely cause. As Bill Hepburn's tropospheric propagation forecast maps often show, strongest conditions often stretch in a narrow band from Shandong east to the Korean coast, quickly dissipating upon reaching land.
    During any single opening to China, a dozen or more stations - sometimes as many as two dozen - may be heard, often quite perfectly. Kunyushan, a scenic 3,028-foot (923 m.) peak just under 300 miles to the west on the border of Weihai and Yantai, is home to arguably the most common catches. Of these five stations most often heard, 100.1 is the strongest. Due to their transmitters, this group of stations is notoriously distorted when heard from afar, but can be extremely strong. To date, 100.1, an affiliate of the Shandong Economic Channel, is just one of three stations to have been received on seek, multiple times at that. It's also the sole tropo indicator, being the first station heard during any opening, often following unusually strong reception of Gwangju stations, in the relatively low-lying land in the southwest of Korea.
    While Kunyushan stations are very common, Qingdao, at 380 miles, is almost just as common. Many of these stations broadcasting from the 761-foot (232 m.) Qingdao TV Tower, also a local tourist attraction in this former German colony of 3.7 million, are on the same frequency as local stations, yet have little issue being heard. Dazeshan, a 2,418-foot (737 m.) peak in Pingdu, is home to another very common open-frequency station, CityFM on 106.6, that is heard clearly without issue, although often distorted much like Kunyushan's 100.1.
    The same Chinese stations are so often heard from the Korean peninsula that once familiar with them, identifying them takes little effort, especially with most being heard slightly off-frequency. Despite the distance, Rizhao and Lianyungang can be heard strongly, while Nanjing, nearly 600 miles (965 km.) to the southwest, is also heard now and then. On open frequencies, such as 94.9 and 103.3, distant stations have no competition and 600 miles is often quite effortless. As unlikely as it would seem, Zibo (500 miles) and surrounding inland cities come in during stronger openings. Anhui province, in excess of 600 miles and a significant distance inland, has also been heard numerous times, although cannot be confirmed due to lack of station IDs, often on outright unlucky days.
    Since the first Chinese reception was heard during the week-long opening of Memorial Day weekend in 2011, Chinese tropo has been of great interest to me. Another large opening took place two years later on the Memorial Day holiday in 2013, typically the peak of tropo season before tropo dies out with the unstable monsoon season weather patterns of summer. In a one-month period starting in May 2013, 44 stations were received and identified with numerous others, mainly from the Jiangsu and Anhui areas, which remain unidentified.

Interested in similar content? Check out the bandscan of local FM stations from the site at which the above Chinese stations were logged, including tower maps and 129 top-of-hour IDs:

Songtan & South Capital Region Korea FM Bandscan (2011-2012)

 

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URL: http://www.beaglebass.com/dx/dx_china.htm