Favourite Radio Stations past and present.

[knobtwiddler]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

Yes.

I lived in SW London until the mid-1990s, and always had my old Rogers tuner in the workshop tuned to stations like Fantasy, Medina, Powerjam, Lightning etc.

They were all on FM, usually mono without RDS, often accompanied by a lot of mains hum, but sometimes sounding as good as the big boys with slick presentation, very professionally-done ads, and music that was light years ahead of what was on Radio 1 etc.

I went to university in Birmingham in 1993, and was astounded to find the airwaves dead in comparison, with not a single pirate station on FM as far as I could hear. BRMB and Radio WM weren't quite the same!

There was one audible in Oxford about 5 years ago ("UK's Finest") which had scrolling RDS with a phone number for text "shouts" and adverts for raves, but it didn't last long. It seemed to come from the Thame area.

My sets are all tuned to BBC Radio 3 or 4 these days.

Earlier on in the 80s there were a handful of soul / electro / hip hop pirates in the SE London area. Names that spring to mind are Horizon, Solar, LWR and Starpoint. Solar and Horizon both dabbled in stereo. I remember that it took a while for the penny to drop when, seeing the stereo indicator illuminate, I thought I had found an IBA station or similar. I sat there, perplexed, wondering why it was playing the latest release on Prelude or Streetwave - not your usual fayre for Capital (with the notable exceptions of Greg Edwards and Mike Allen). It got to a point where they'd lig onto the ITN news! Stereo and Trevor McDonald -) They all made bids for licenses, but as we know, failed due to the FM dial being sewn up by corporates. Don't even get me started on my dealings when we looked into an early digital station. A total stitch up, making it unsurprising that pirates filled the void.

One bit of tech history for you. A regular spinner on Solar and the like was Froggy - pioneer of the 'mash up' mix, well before the term was coined. As a young lad I noted the other DJs talking about him in hushed tones. He famously engaged the services of Matt Matthias of Matamp to design him a mixer, with P+G faders no less!

Legend has it that Sunrise radio went without a raid for the best part of a decade, between early 80s and 90s. The reason being that Fantasy, Centreforce et al were far higher on the authorities' radar, on account of their promotion of warehouse parties. Sunrise didn't dabble in such, and if memory serves me right, ran a tight ship technically, I.e. not interfering with the emergency services.

[emeritus]

At least China Radio broadcasts stuff that is listenable- to. I sometimes picked up Rado Pekin on SW in the 1960's and all you got was Charman Mao's speeches and songs like "Chairman Mao is dearer to us than our parents " ( by a children's choir in Chinese), although I did once hear a solo baritone rendition in English of " The communist system will inevitably overcome the capitalist system". Interesting as a novelty, but no real competition to the pirates!

[bluepilot]

Originally Posted by Nymrod121

I recall my Band II VHF/FM-DX mentor, Bob Dewick (Bradwell-on-sea) saying at the time that the jamming station was probably based at or near Canewdon (one of the first group of AMES 'Chain Home' sites). If so, it must have been a temporary antenna/mast radiator because the last CH tower had long since been relocated to the Marconi Research Laboratories at Great Baddow. Anyone know otherwise?

As far as I remember, the official story was that RNI was interfering with some important maritime communications and so they brought in a more powerful transmitter to ensure the maritime communications would get through. If that's the case then that would tie in with it having been a temporary transmitter. No idea where it was.

It seemed strange that they would use morse for something that important. Did anyone check what data they were actually transmitting?

[Station X]

Originally Posted by Nymrod121

I recall my Band II VHF/FM-DX mentor, Bob Dewick (Bradwell-on-sea) saying at the time that the jamming station was probably based at or near Canewdon (one of the first group of AMES 'Chain Home' sites). If so, it must have been a temporary antenna/mast radiator because the last CH tower had long since been relocated to the Marconi Research Laboratories at Great Baddow. Anyone know otherwise?

Some info towards the bottom of this page. I can't vouch for its accuracy:-

http://www.rossrevenge.co.uk/tx/othertx.htm

[boxdoctor]

The first english speaking foreign station I ever heard (on my home-made detector and 2 L F short-wave receiver) was the "Swiss Shortwave Service" as it was then called, in the 31 metre band. This was in 1951, and I remained a fan until it finally closed in 2004. Their programmes were always interesting, and did not have any great political bias.
I was never a fan of the pirates, with the exception of Radio 390 which broadcast mostly M.O.R. music, came in really strong in Derby, and was free of the nauseating American accented and egoistic D.J.s the others employed. .
Incidentally, parked in the car park of a certain park in Derby I could, in the 60s receive nearly every pirate from Radio Scotland to Radio Veronica on the Philips car radio during the daytime.
Happy days ! Tony.

[Restoration73]

Prior to the change to ssb in January 1982 I used to enjoy listening to Shannon Air Radio.
I remember it being on 5, 8, and 13MHz. A man in a deadpan voice would read out live
"Met reports" with the accompanying background of teleprinter, teacups and the odd
distant conversation punctuated by laughter.
I could also hear the weather from coast stations. Wick Radio around 2MHz was strong at night.

[G6Tanuki]

Of the 'official' broadcasters, AFN was one of my medium-wave nighttime favourites - they broadcast *live* boxing, baseball et, something you never got to hear on the BBC.

Radio Free Europe was usually a strong signal, bringing Western jazz to Eastern Europe's musically-impoverished hordes. Radio Nederland's English service was a short-wave favourite too. I never got on with the BBC World Service though - it was just too much like an international version of Radio4: utterly 'worthy' but also utterly soporific.

[Reelman]

In the 60s we, as a family listened to far more radio than we do now. During the day the TV would only be on if I was off sick from school and the schools programs were available. I looked forward to them but there was always a gap of some minutes between each one; remember the one minute countdown clock?
Dad’s favourite at weekends was 390 and I remember it so well especially, for some reason, the Silexine paint advert. I can still sing it word perfectly after all this time. During the evenings I would sit, tape recorders poised, ready to record a favourite chart sound from either Radio London or Caroline. It was in those days I realised why the BBC was called “Auntie”. Still, who can forget Bob Miller and the Millermen on the Light program....

Very glad to have lived through those days,

Peter

[Jolly 7]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

Of the 'official' broadcasters, AFN was one of my medium-wave nighttime favourites - they broadcast *live* boxing, baseball et, something you never got to hear on the BBC.

Radio Free Europe was usually a strong signal, bringing Western jazz to Eastern Europe's musically-impoverished hordes. Radio Nederland's English service was a short-wave favourite too. I never got on with the BBC World Service though - it was just too much like an international version of Radio4: utterly 'worthy' but also utterly soporific.

Fans of Radio Nederland and particularly Media Network will be delighted to know that Jonathan Marks has made a massive effort to make the archived programme content available free of charge to listen to:
https://jonathanmarks.libsyn.com

I still have some of Radio Nederland's QSL cards verifying reception of their programmes from their Madagascar transmitter !

['LIVEWIRE?']

Like you, Jolly 7, I used to listen to AFN, from their 'Key Station' in Frankfurt on, IIRC, 872kHz, Radio Nederland Wereledomroep (Dutch speakers forgive any mistakes) English service. There was a regular feature called the 'Happy Station' and a name . Eddie Starz, which I associate with that. I also listened at various times to the English Services of various other stations, including Canada, the VOA, Deutschlandfunk/Deutsche Welle, BRT Brussels, one of whose QSL cards bore the callsign ORU, not that I ever heard them announce as ORU. Similarly Radio Prague was OLR Podebrady, not that I ever heard them announce on air as OLR. The use of call signs is, after all, mainly a North American convention, no doubt due to the large number of stations there, though few broadcast on Short Wave. One I do recall hearing was WRUL, later WNYW, New York, the latter indicating 'Radio New York Worldwide.

[emeritus]

I recall picking up Radio New York Worldwide on my uncle's late 1940's radigram in the 1960's and wondering if the broadcast was actually coming frm the USA or from a European relay station. I think I still have a recording on RTR tape that incudes the station's name. Reception wasn't briliant but as the aerial was a couple of yards of bell wire, indoors, perhaps that wasn't surprising. They used the statn's full name, not letters.

I just dug out a cassette that recalled has a recording of RNI. It turned out to be of one of their early test transmissions, loud and clear, with no jamming. About a quarter of an hour, one Sunday afternoon, including a 2.00PM tme check coutesy of Bulova, and an annoucement that it was a test transmission from MEBO II on 244m. I think I do have a later recording with the jaming but haven't found it yet. I sometimes used to record parts of random radio progammes on the unused ends of tape rather than leave them blank, but didn't always log them in my book of what was recorded on my cassettes or note the date.

[Jolly 7]

Here is my QSL card for Radio Luxembourg on 1440 kHz MW. The programme I heard was in German from what I recall. I was probably not around when they were broadcasting on long wave .

[Jolly 7]

And here is another of my QSLs, from Radio Norway International, on Medium wave.

[Hybrid tellies]

This brings back further happy memories when I bought my first short wave radio back in 1973 when I lived in west Cornwall. It was a fully valved HMV 1124 which covered most of the shortwave bands. I loved listening to the news and music from stations such as Voice of America, Radio Canada International, BBC World Service and Radio Australia. The English service of Radio Moscow was also an interesting listen especially to their news which always had a different slant than other stations and their jingles or music they played before there news together with the Kremlin Bells was something to behold.

['LIVEWIRE?']

I haven't swl-ed for quite some while. Other than a small multi-band portable, I don't have the means, though in a cupboard I still have a receiver I built well over 40 years ago to a PW design, using Denco plug-in coils, which, with the coils I have (had?) covered from about 540kHz to 30Mhz. It also used OC170 (AKA AF117) transistors, so by now is probably suffering from the 'tin whisker' syndrome, and would need an overhaul before it could be used again, but i wonder what is left on SW broadcast bands worth listening to now. I used to listen to, among others, TWR from both Monaco and Bonaire, R. Canada, as already mentioned, R. Australia, VOA from various locations, including Monrovia, plus most of the then eastern Europeans such as Prague, East Germany, R. Sofia, etc. By now probably none of those have an international service.

[Graham G3ZVT]

I must have binned my broadcast QSL cards.
SBC sent me programme schedules long after I sent anything to them at "CH3000, Berne 16"
Radio Moscow sent them to me for even longer, always printed on thin poor quality paper:

News
Commentary
The Soviet Scene
Review of the Soviet Press
Russian by Radio

The North American Service what quite different
"Vietnam fights back"

I wonder if my name was on a "list" at MI5 for getting regular mail from what was effectively the Kremlin?

Can anyone remember a feature on Deutsche Welle called "News-feed", "A non governmental public service"? it was ostensibly for consumption by other News agencies a and each story was preceded with "three, two, one". Any references from a Google search are likely to be from me, asking the same question in the past.

[Junk Box Nick]

Originally Posted by Reelman

Dad’s favourite at weekends was 390 and I remember it so well especially, for some reason, the Silexine paint advert. I can still sing it word perfectly after all this time.

Okay - here goes from dim memory - pleased to be corrected!

Silexene emulsion, Silexene gloss
get it from the manufacturer (?) at half the cost
put it on your paint brush, so it can be seen
no other paint is half as good as Silexene

Originally Posted by Reelman

It was in those days I realised why the BBC was called “Auntie”. Still, who can forget Bob Miller and the Millermen on the Light program....

It was always Caroline South for me and only one of the others if C South was off.

I think if those days were now I'd rather enjoy 390. Serenade Radio has jingles to the same 'riff' as "Hallmark of quality Britain Radio" (though Radio 2 also used the riff for their jingles in the 1970s).

Bob Miller was a good musician! It's funny how tastes can change: I quite enjoy the Music While You Work sessions on Serenade Radio and when I hear Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 I don't think so much of Brief Encounter or Eric Carmen but rather Semprini Serenade and Sunday afternoons in the car with my parents (whilst impatiently waiting for Alan Freeman to come on).

Christmas before last a whole hoard of us sat down to Christmas Day Lunch to the sound of a Cliff Adams Singers (Sing Something Simple) Christmas CD I had found in a charity shop. I semi-expected derision to be heaped but it turned out that all (of a similar age to me) enjoyed it enough for it to be played twice!

I hardly ever listen to pop radio these days - Radio 1 and its ilk are decades in the past and I'm now too old for Radio 2 - and the Smooths, Magics, etc., are just too repetitive and predictable.

Way back, another occasional listen was Radio Sweden's Saturday Show on 254m and Radio Monte Carlo 205m, though the arrival of BBC local radio on 206m rather did for the latter.

These days, the only big signal on short wave seems to be Radio Romania. I last listened to it on 41m (or was it 31m?) when I gave my Unica UNR-30 - a four valve superhet and almost totally deaf by 30MHz - a run out.

[MurphyNut]

It might seem a bit boring but BBC Radio 3 for me.
I got into classical music quite early, as a kid in the evenings I use to borrow my parents fidelity portable radio, take it to my bedroom and listen to concerts while my parents were watching the TV downstairs.
I've never lost that love of that station and have grown with it over the years.

[ITAM805]

SBC sent me programme schedules long after I sent anything to them at "CH3000, Berne 16"

They sent me my one and only QSL card, circa 1968

[Junk Box Nick]

Nothing boring about Radio 3 - lots to enjoy and lots to discover!