I Picked Up Signals 200 Miles Away With This Setup!

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:01]Using a really cheap dipole antenna hooked up to this fantastic radio, I just managed to pull in stations from all over the region, 106 of them to be precise, from 49 transmitter sites as far away as over 200 m. I spent 20 minutes or so doing a band scan, went home and collected my results, and then went out and did a second to clear up any misidentified stations or listen again to identify some I couldn't previously. Stay tuned towards the end for the final map of stations and the log. It's seriously impressive.

[00:00:33]The radio is the ESP138 handheld. I've left a link to the cheapest I could find in the description. It's not a particularly new radio, but it's very capable. It's dual system, meaning it utilizes the open-source TE 6686 chip that's excellent, and the ESP32 SI4732 chip. As I say, every time I do a product review, I get them with a purpose in mind, and I like to show you some way in which you can use it rather than go through every button and menu option. Instruction manuals do that so much better than I can. So, it has the two selectable modes. In SI 4732 mode, the receive coverage is as follows.

[00:01:12]Longwave from 153 to 500 kHz. Medium wave from 520 to 1710 kHz. Shortwave from 1730 kHz to 30 MHz with SSB mode.

[00:01:23]Airband which actually spans 50 to 200 MHz with full AM coverage from 118 to 138 MHz. This band also covers the FM broadcast band.

[00:01:35]In TE686 mode, the coverage is as follows. Longwave from 144 to 513 kHz.

[00:01:42]mediumwave from 520 to 1720 kHz, shortwave from 1700 kHz to 27 MHz, and airband and SSP aren't supported. It does cover the FM broadcast band though from 65 to 108 MHz and it covers it extremely well. Two reasons I got this radio are the fact that it covers FM broadcast as low as the OIR range for European DX and it decodes RDS. Now, I've tried a few TE686-based radios, and their RDS decoding sometimes leaves a lot to be desired, but this radio does it pretty much instantly on strong stations and within a couple of seconds on weaker stations. With all that in mind, I thought, what a great radio to do some FMDXing from my local Hill and see what I can find. That's not to say it shortwave coverage isn't brilliant either. It's a great all round pocket radio. It has a full metal body, a touchcreen, a long telescopic antenna, easy function controls, and an external antenna socket on the bottom, which is what I use to hook up my cheap FM dipole. I can't remember where I got this antenna from as I've had it for a while. I think it was off eBay. What I've done is lashed it to a tatty old fiberglass roach pole, which actually does okay until I get hold of something better. The pole is fixed into a drive-on mast mount. I've got some Mini8 coax coming down into the car with this connector adapter on the end that goes straight into the radio. What this does is disconnect the radio's telescopic whip and enables it to utilize the dipole.

[00:03:09]I actually did two scans as I explained earlier from the exact same spot on Werner Low in Hyde. You can actually see some local transmitter sites from up here too, but the distant Irish transmitters I picked up, you most certainly can't. Let's do some scanning and I'll explain my log a bit further on in the video. Some stations are quite unremarkable as they're local, but there was plenty of surprises along the way.

[00:03:30]I'll show you some of the transmitter sites I've been to as we go too for a bit of added detail. What's interesting is that some of the distance stations seem to be coming in without the aid of any obvious tropospheric ducting or sporadic e. So, as I said, some of these loggings are pretty unremarkable, but I'll talk you through my band scan and pick out some highlights. The first was on 87.8. This is RTE radio 1 from Ireland. picture. We still don't have the consultant psychiatrist that we need across the system. We have no permanent psychiatrist in Kerry, for example. We have never It was a poor signal with no RDS, but it comes all the way over the Irish Sea from Claremont K transmitting station 180.5 mi away to the west at 47 kW.

[00:04:15]Next was BBC Radio 2 on 88.3 with RDS all the way from Sutton Coldfield Transmitting Station 58.38 miles away to the south at 109.9 kW.

[00:04:26]>> What happened was it got the same surname as a friend from school and it was unusual surname and so I just got that name in my head I think.

[00:04:35]>> Yeah.

[00:04:36]>> Next was RTE radio 1 again this time on 89.6 six with no RDS all the way from Mount Leester transmitting station 205 mi away to the west at 160 kW >> have the resources that they need so if a person at any given time doesn't have access to the supports that they need >> coming from all over Europe bands come from all over Europe all over Ireland and all and a couple of bands from the states this year it's kind of amazing vibe you know >> BBC radio 2 on 90.2 Two was coming in nicely from Pendle Forest. Not too far away, but a first in the log from here.

[00:05:09]29.58 mi away to the northwest at 1 kilowatt.

[00:05:17]>> BBC Radio 3 on 90.5 came in nicely from Sutton Coldfield with RDS 58.38 mi away to the south at 109.9 kW. [snorts] Another [screaming] first time logging which a process of elimination identified as Darwin surprised me. It was BBC Radio 3 on 91.7, 24.3 mi away to the northwest at just 10 W. There's some terrain in the way, but there's just nothing else it could be.

[00:06:03]91.8 brought RTE2 FM in from Ireland at a low signal, but again it came in all the way from Mount Linster transmitting station 205 mi away to the west at 160 kW. is particularly bad. So we can say average of island which is quite bad for example they have 16 different protection groupings all of whom need to be kept separate exercise separate have their visit separately so with a huge >> another first time logging was BBC radio 3 on 92.2 with RDS from Morham Bay transmitter 70.08 08 mi away to the northwest at 10 kW >> emerged in the centuries following where 1492 um but it's still got this fantastic mix.

[00:06:47]>> Then another Irish station which I won't even try and pronounce the name of came in on 94 deadon at signal 4 with no RDS from Mount Lster transmitting station 205 mi away to the west at 160 kW.

[00:07:15]BBC Radio Cumry came in nicely on 94.2 from Flan on the transmitting station out to the west in Wales 86.3 miles away with RDS at 21 kW. No, it isn't. Um I think that it was I know for about a year and a half that question was referred to in the press conferences. He didn't answer it.

[00:07:35]>> BBC Radio 4 came in on 94.3 from Hlingington over in a similar direction to Darwin, further supporting my Darwin suspicions, 21.8 miles away to the northwest at just 83 >> Wating assistance for homeless people. But many burers resented the leg up it seemed to give >> these massive debts with the with the ticker over the inflation aspect. Um those those starter jobs in white collar >> I picked up a week BBC radio 4 transmission on 94.5 but I couldn't identify where this was coming from. It would have been one of these possibilities >> general election the conservative party promised to allow council house tenants to buy their own housing situation. Why do we have a population that's why >> another first in the log then came in the form of BBC radio stoke on 94.6 with RDS from Algeria's Bank 34.69 69 mi away to the south at 6.1 kW.

[00:08:36]>> By line gets it across. Really good play and nobody gambled at the far post.

[00:08:40]Corner cleared away. It was really good play. Switcher play was quick obviously two touches and on second >> BBC radio Wales came in nicely on 94.8 from a transmitting station 86.3 mi away with RDS at 10 kW.

[00:08:54]>> If that flag doesn't go up, you've got to look at him and say, "Well, as you said, just just defend. Just do your job. don't rely on from the uh the >> another first in the log was BBC radio Derby on 95.3 from Stanton Moore 25.13 miles out to the southeast at 1.2 kW >> contact would have made it difficult for them just on his heels wasn't he was one of them where you kind of just make the decision not to go for it and then when everyone else misses it you just >> 95.6 now and a weak but audible signal from Southeast radio from Ireland's Mount Leanster transmitting station 205 mi away to the west at 2 kW News and sports on Southeast Radio ontheast Radio.

[00:09:37]>> 95.7 was another mystery to me with music, but not much else to identify it in the time I had to listen. It could be any one of these stations.

[00:09:58]So, this [snorts] video is the result of two scans two days apart. This is the original paper log I made up on the hill, and when I got home, I typed it up and did my identifications and so on.

[00:10:09]This is quite a painstaking process, but it's a lot of fun if you're a nerd like me. With the original scan colleated, I highlighted stations that I either couldn't identify, ones whose distance seemed too good to be true, and signals from locations I'd not received before, and so required an additional check. I could have done this on location, but I didn't have much time on the day. So, let's continue the scan, and I'll show you the final result at the end. Lots of new loggings then came along. BBC Radio Humberside on 95.9 came in at signal 5 all the way from High Hunsley out near the east coast 66.23 miles away at 8.75 kW an absolutely phenomenal catch >> and seeing the magnificently colored murals that have been painted on the side of buildings. Well, thanks to East Riding of Yorkshire Council >> there anymore among them.

[00:11:01]They're going to finish BBC radio shop 96 deadon was also a first for me with a strong signal and RDS all the way from the Rekin in the south 56.69 mi away at 4.8 kW.

[00:11:17][music] you.

[00:11:24]>> Another nice catch was Capital Northwestern Wales on 96.3 all the way from Clandidno's Grey Torms Head in Wales 74.83 mi away to the west at 1.25 kW.

[00:11:43]I also logged Cross Rhythm City Radio on 96.6 6 down at Hanchurch Duke Lodge in the south 33.86 mi away at just 25 watts.

[00:12:09]BBC radio 1 and 97.9 was a good signal from Sutton Coldfield transmitting station 58.38 mi away to the south at 109.9 kWave.

[00:12:24][music] >> Another strong signal from Sutton Coldfield was classic FM on 100.1 with RDS at 250 kW.

[00:12:40]Sudden Coldfield came in again with Heart West Midlands on 100.7 at 11 kW.

[00:12:53][snorts] >> Mount Linster came in again, weak but audible with today FM on 101.4, 205 mi away to the west at 160 kW.

[00:13:11]Classic FM on 101.8 was a reasonable signal all the way from Morham Bay transmitter 70.08 mi to the northwest at 6.4 kW.

[00:13:28]Another big surprise which again I identified by a process of elimination was BBC radio 4 on 103.8 all the way from Clan Nod Wells in mid Wales 99.75 mi away to the southwest at 2.8 kW.

[00:13:42]>> What happened to you as a a child? I have a backstory that's by no means >> that energy should be produced from the land that energy will be produced from the land.

[00:13:57]>> Another first logging was capital Yorkshire on 105.1 from Emily Moore transmitting station 20.16 miles away to the northeast at 2.58 kW. every >> another surprise catch which identified the game by a process of elimination was greatest hits radio on 107.1 all the way from Silatin 57.82 mi away to the southwest at just 100 W so you can go from home to holiday home with no dramas.

[00:14:35]And finally, 107.9 and another first logging for me was the cat coming in from crew 29.12 miles to the southwest at just 100 watts.

[00:14:53]>> So, I'm sure you'll agree that was a fantastic FM band scan with loads of distant stations coming in. This is the final coverage map showing a huge area centered around the northwest of England. I'm really looking forward to doing another when we have some sporadaky and tropo conditions to really aid things along. It's not uncommon to hear FM stations from all over the UK and indeed Europe under these conditions. This is the final log with all of the information including power levels and distances from my location.

[00:15:22]I'd really recommend the ESP138D radio, even if you only use it for FM listening and DXing. The RDS decoding is fantastic. And you'll notice I included the RDS PI code on my spreadsheet, too.

[00:15:35]This is the program identification, a service provided by radio stations transmitting RDS. It allows the radio to identify the station across different broadcast relay stations. This in turn allows listeners to stay tuned to a network whilst traveling across the service area of multiple transmissions.

[00:15:52]It's not usually displayed on radio receivers, but it is on this one. And when you're receiving multiple relays of the same station, it serves as a great aid in identifying them. So that's my FM band scan efforts with the ESP138D radio. A fantastic piece of kit. And if you want to get hold of one, I'll leave a link in the description below.

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