In recent days, tropospheric passage on VHF has often been observed. In particular, last night from 23 to 0 o'clock I received a Finnish radio station on a frequency of 90.9 MHz on a car radio in the city of St. Petersburg. Signal level from 55 to 58.

Introduction

Reception of Finnish stations is not only of utilitarian interest - to determine the presence of transmission on VHF, but also allows you to get acquainted with the culture of the neighboring people - the Finns. Although relations between our states have deteriorated recently, I do not think that this will affect culture and society - after all, after the Second World War (for the USSR - the Great Patriotic War), our countries and peoples were friends.

Legal aspect

In light of recent events after February 24, 2022, one has to wonder: is the amateur radio hobby of receiving foreign radio stations legal? For example, the website of the Finnish broadcasting company yle.fi on June 2, 2022 it was blocked by Roskomnadzor.

Thus, reception of radio stations from a neighboring state is permitted from the point of view of the Russian Constitution. There is no ban on receiving radio stations in laws or regulations. Even in the USSR people were not sent to prison for listening to the “Voice of America”. I don’t think that in our time they can be charged with administrative or criminal charges for receiving Finnish radio.

Relations between the Russian Federation and foreign media are regulated by Article 54 media law:
"Article 54. Dissemination of foreign information
Citizens of the Russian Federation are guaranteed unhindered access to messages and materials from foreign media."

The new law “on control over interference in the affairs of the Russian Federation” (“foreign influence”) is in draft status: the RBC website provides a list of points of this law that define foreign influence:

1. political activity;
2. targeted collection of information in the field of military and military-technical activities of Russia;
3. distribution of messages and materials intended for an unlimited number of people, as well as participation in the creation of such messages and materials.

More details on RBC:
https://www.rbc.ru/newspaper/2022/04/25/6262eed69a79472666361d78

While there is no law enforcement practice of the law “on foreign influence”, there is no legal practice. The draft law can be found on the State Duma website.

Radio engineering situation

Like Russian ones, Finnish radio stations operate on different frequencies and are united in a network of transmitters. Horizontal polarization is used, which is advantageous from the point of view of less attenuation on wet foliage when propagating in wooded areas and a high installation height of the antennas, over 130 meters. Most VHF transmitters have a power of over 10 kW, which makes it possible to receive them in the so-called “border territories”, and under good conditions, also in the city of St. Petersburg.

Finland is located north of St. Petersburg, only 180 km. The nearest cities in Finland, radio stations from which can be received in St. Petersburg are Joutseno and Anjalankoski. Mikkeli is a little further.

From the town of Joutseno in the Lapeenranta region, radio stations operate:

A list of Joutseno radio stations can be found here:http://suomi.fm/taajuudet/joutseno.

88.0 - YLE_YKSI from Joutseno: the first program of the Finnish radio YLE-1 is not received in St. Petersburg because of the Retro FM radio on this frequency. P=30 kW.
But it begins to be heard from Sosnovo, Orekhovo and the Igora Drive automobile racing track.
90.9- YleX from Joutseno - youth program, music and talk show (Finnish). In St. Petersburg it is often heard during an anticyclone.
98.5- YLESUOMI from Joutseno - Finnish radio, in St. Petersburg used to be received often, now much less often: interference from the powerful radio station ROYAL on 98.6.
100.7- YLE PUHE / YLE Radio Peili from Joutseno can be received in the Sosnovo area. In St. Petersburg - less often.
103.8- Radio NOVA from Joutseno, with some interference from "Children's Radio" on 103.7. Radio station Nova has a beautiful website https://www.radionova.fi/.

Distance from the receiver to the transmitter is 166-174 km in a straight line. The direction from St. Petersburg to the transmitter is azimuth 325. Antenna height (AGL) is 155 meters. Altitude relative to sea level (ASL) - 103 meters. Transmitter antenna coordinates: 61.131389, 28.541111. The power of these transmitters is 30 kW. Polarization: horizontal.

From the western direction, with strong traffic from the cities of Kotka and Kouvola, at a distance of 200 km (azimuth 300), radio stations from the city of Anjalankoski can sometimes be heard.

A list of Anjalankoski radio stations can be found here:http://suomi.fm/taajuudet/anjalankoski

88.5 - YLE_YKSI from Anjalankoski: the first program of the Finnish radio YLE-1 (cannot be heard due to interference from Avtoradio on 88.4).
90.0 - ROCK from Anjalankoski (inaudible due to interference from 90.1). Power 10 kW.
91.4 - YLE PUHE from Anjalankoski (interference from 91.5).
92.8- YLEX from Anjalankoski can be heard often with good coverage, but in the last 5 years there has been interference from radio Izvestia, now from Vera, on 92.9 MHz.
96.9- YLESUOMI from Anjalankoski - Radio Finland, Also with good passage from the sea it can be heard confidently. Interference from Radio Dacha on 97.0.
99.5- YLE VEGA from Anjalankoski - radio, as far as I remember, in Swedish. 15 kW, but sometimes you can hear it at the same level as 98.5, because propagation of radio waves over water.
102.7 - BASSO from Anjalankoski (interference from 102.8).
105.7- Radio NOVA from Anjalankoski.

The address of the radio transmission center is Anjalankoski Kouvola-Liikkala, Sopasenpolku 40 (ky).
Transmitter coordinates 60.692222, 27.046389, installation height of the AGL antenna is 250 meters, height of the antenna base above sea level: 66 meters (ASL). Power 30 kW unless otherwise stated.

Other frequencies that can be heard in the St. Petersburg region are from a more distant transmitter in Mikkeli - 245 km.
Azmiut is approximately halfway between Joutseno and Anjalankoski.
The antenna installation height is 148 meters ASL, the power is also 30 kW.

A list of Mikkeli radio stations can be found here http://suomi.fm/taajuudet/mikkeli

88.9 - YLE YKSI from Mikkeli. The frequency is occupied by "Humor-FM" from St. Petersburg.
92.1 - YLEX from Mikkeli. Interference from Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda on 92.0.
94.6- YLESUOMI received directly from home. ODX=242 km.
101.8- YLE PUHE from Mikkeli
106.3 - Radio NOVA from Mikkeli completely overlaps 106.3 "Radio Record". You can listen on TV tower prevention days (Monday mornings):Short-term broadcast outages in St. Petersburg

Long-distance Finnish stations 30 kW, which can be heard with a good receiver and antenna:
99.3 - YLESUOMI (Jyväskylä) - Jyväskylä/Taka-Keljo Ronsuntaipalentie - 358km.
103.2 - YLE Puhe Kerimäki/Yläkuona-Yläkuonantie - 240 km.

A map with the range of the nearest radio stations could be viewed on the website:
FMSCAN.org . - as of 06/03/2022 it gives a 404 error.

Examples of maps (the link worked yesterday https://fmscan.org/net.php?m=m&pxf=YLE+Puhe, today error 404)

In addition to these radio stations, there is broadcasting from the city of Vyborg (Russia). Distance 125 km, azimuth 320.
The most powerful radio stations in the city of Vyborg:
Polarization vertical:
99.8 Love Radio Vyborg (2 kW)
104.6 Radio Russia Vyborg (4.1 kW)
105.5 NRG Vyborg (4 kW)
107.9 Autoradio Vyborg (4 kW)

Source:vcfm.ru Vyborg

Distance from St. Petersburg 126 km. Mount Papula (Papulanpuisto), Vyborg TV Tower (Vyborg RTPS), coordinates 60.72063 North, 28.77177 East.
The height of the TV tower is 225 meters, the installation height of the VHF antenna is 169 meters AGL, Mount Papula above sea level is 40 meters ASL.

Low-power local radio stations operate not from Vyborg itself, but from Sokolinskoye (a village south of Vyborg, mast coordinates 60.6603298 SSH, 28.7309871 VD, distance from St. Petersburg - 116 km):

95.2 - Fashion Radio, Sokolinskoe
97.1 - Russian Radio, Sokolinskoe
106.0 Europe Plus Vyborg, Sokolinskoye, (0.45 kW)
106.7 Road radio Vyborg, Sokolinskoye (0.45 kW)

Source:VCFM Sokolinskoye.

Table of frequencies of FM radio stations for entering into the receiver memory

Finding a place for the best reception in St. Petersburg

Coverage at such a long distance of 160-200 km represents separate “flaps” or “windows”, where the level of field strength is increased compared to average values and allows long-range reception at levels of electromagnetic field strength of the VHF transmitter of 1-10 µV/m.
In the city center, reception of long-range VHF radio stations is impossible due to high-rise buildings. Preferred suburbs, "dormitory" areas overlooking the coast of the Gulf of Finland.
Interestingly, the best reception in most squares is at the Decathlon club in the Baltic Pearl, on Kronstadt Square and at the intersection of Gorkavy-Chekistov streets (next to Novoznamenka park), where there are no obstacles in the northern direction and there is an elevated terrain of 14-16 meters above sea level.

Coordinates of the best VHF reception of Finnish radio stations in the south of St. Petersburg:

1) st. Valor, near the Church of the Intercession: latitude: 59.8538545, longitude: 30.1756917
2) near the house st. Chekistov, 26 and st. Volunteers: latitude 59.8441525, longitude: 30.1648727
3) near the intersection of Marshal Zhukov - Peterhofskoye Highway: latitude: 59.8432567, longitude: 30.2098388
4) near Kronstadt Square on Dachny Prospect: latitude: 59.8509423, longitude: 30.2381335
5) coast of the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Boulevard: latitude: 59.8674612, longitude: 30.1515895
6) beach on Baltiysky Boulevard: latitude 59.8712524, longitude: 30.1557249
7) st. Admiral Tributs at the Decathlon club: latitude: 59.8542895, longitude: 30.1476130
8) “Pearl Coast” beach (not checked): latitude 59.8621373, longitude: 30.1403242
9) Novoznamenka Park: latitude: 59.8453031, longitude: 30.1327046
10) park "Novoznamenka": st. Border guard Gorkavy - intersection of st. Chekistov: latitude: 59.8449792, longitude: 30.1473408

Links:

• Radiomap.eu Vyborg
• http://suomi.fm
• https://spb.rtrs.ru/press/breaks/
• Radio stations in Sosnovy Bor
• Radio stations in Kingisepp

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