ARLA/CLUSTER: Ainda as est. piratas na Europa...

[Carlos L.R. de A.Gonçalves]

O seguinte é um doc. do DSWCI-Danish Short Wave Club International, de que
sou membro há décadas, e - ainda que pecando por alguma desactualização
(esta rubrica intitulada "Unofficial Radio" tem aparecido esporàdicamente no
boletim mensal SMW-Short Wave News do DSWCI) -, consegue ilustrar o que se
vai passando neste continente quanto a est. "não oficiais."

73.
Carlos Gonçalves.
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DSWCI Short Wave News - February/26 March 2006
Edited By Ken Baird E-mail: < kennybaird.ayrshire  virgin.net>

Editorial: I should really begin these pages by repeating
word for word the editorial I produced to the group last year,
December 2004. But to be less boring, I will highlight a few
words from it. It has been a long time since I have written
anything for DSWCI. A very long time. If this had been any
other club, perhaps I would have been deservedly replaced.
It is not as though I have lost interest in SW or DXing in general,
rather I have made my loggings via the internet, and
indeed via a small dx orientated web site I ran up last year.
www.ayrshirehistory.org/dx

Therefore again, as I have done in recent times, I offer my
sincere apologies for the lack of a decent column. The same
goes, if anyone feels strongly enough about producing a
more regular feature for DSWCI, please feel free to contact
me. This contribution will be 6 pages, with graphics for the
on line version, and probably 1 or 2 pages for the printed vs.
Pirate radio in the form we knew it in the 70s and 80s really
went into a state of decline in the 1990s, till today when the
average punter in the street associates the term pirate radio
with a rather different group of people. In the big cities in the
UK, London and Birmingham in particular, pirate radio is associated
with amongst other things dance music, night clubs
and the thriving drug culture. This is wildly contrasting from
the stereotype hippies who used to carry car batteries to the
woods in their old Morris Minors for a few hours on a Sunday,
and play prerecorded programmes of rock and pop music.

This must be one of the longest winded adverts in the
history of this column, but I have recently obtained a copy of
a DVD which is exceptionally well produced, and features
just these self same hippies from the heddy days of pirate
radio. It is available via the web site
www.pirateradiosales.co.uk and features stations such as
Radio Kaleidoscope, Radio Telstar South, Radio Free London,
Radio Jackie, Radio Susan, and many many more.

Obituary 1: A mention must be made of the death of a
lesser known radio man from Ireland, who featured on a
number of the Irish pirates in their heyday. I talk of Dave C,
alias Dave Cunningham, who I first recall on ARD. As with
many of these fellows, he began his radio career properly
with Radio Dublin. Dave also went on to work on the Voice of
Peace, and back in Ireland, Boyneside Radio, and even after
the broadcast bill 88 came into force, Dave was again on
Radio Dublin for a time. (Good on him!! KB)

Obituary 2: Also passed away at this time, is the one man
who probably was responsible for the continuation of Radio
Caroline in the early 70s. I speak of Sylvain Tack. He was 72
Paul Rusling contributed the following.. We should all thank
Sylvain for far more than Radio Mi Amigo or those delicious
Suzy Waffles (who was that asthmatic Belgian version of
Jimmy Saville in the commercials?). It was Sylvain's money
that kept Caroline going through many a lean period in the
70s, kept the Mi Amigo provisioned and repaired and kept
Caroline going when there was no real organisation or financial
support from the UK. Without Sylvain, Caroline would
have died in late 73 once Chris Cary and everyone else went
off elsewhere. Belgium didn't give the world much (apart
from Poirot and Plastic Bertrand) but Sylvain did more for
offshore radio and Caroline than he and most others will ever
realise. He is a saint - well, of sorts anyway. He really believed
in the whole trip - and was a nice guy too.

Regular Stations: For the newcomer, there are some regular
places on the band where the most unofficial radio activity
is to be found in Europe. These are indeed not limited to SW,
and neither is the reception area limited entirely to European
shores.

Laser Hot Hits: I will begin with the only 24 hour a day service,
and that comes from Laser Hot Hits. This service has
been operating from Ireland for many years, and is to be
found on no less than 5 frequencies. 4025, 6219v, 6285,
7460, 9385. The address remains at PO Box 293, Merlin,
Ontario, Canada, NOP 1WO. Fax Number: 0019542120609.
laserhothits  rock.com is the e mail address. You can also
contact them via their web address, use Google to find the
latest one. <laserhothits.co.uk> was one. Laser has had
some shocking trouble with a rogue station from Italy deliberately
jamming their signals. The station, Mystery Radio
also seems associated with a SW enthusiast from Germany,
Chris Ise, who runs Crazy Wave Radio. CWR has been
heard relayed via the Mystery Radio transmitter a few times.
This sort of conduct is certainly detrimental to the name of
free or pirate radio. It is certainly the sort of operations which
draws attention from unwanted sources. Laser has offered a
reward of a substantial sum for information leading to the
address (as opposed to arrest hi!) of this villain.

Other Regulars: A frequency which has in recent years became
known as a Dutch frequency is the area close to 6305
kHz. Most weekends at some point daytime, many Dutch
stations are heard, some playing short pieces of music and
QSOing, others do actually produce some kind of a programme,
usually in various languages, but based around
Dutch. .

Radio Tower/ Veronique from Holland have a very good
strong signal when they are on air. It always amazes me the
power house signals some of these Dutchies have. Noted
with 40/9 signals here in Scotland 21st January 6306kHz, in
the late afternoon, around 1645UTC. Apparently this was in
preparation for the transmission on 22nd. A phone number
was given out during this programme. 0031651858551, for
SMS text messages.

One place where the new listener can always check if he/
she wants to try and find a pirate station from Europe, is the
area at the top end of the MW band which today is known
as the X band in DX circles. Some frequencies to check
1638, 1643, 1647, 1655, and surrounding areas of the band,
which extends from 1602 - 1700 kHz. One interesting fact
about the 186m / X band stations, is that they are often
Dutch. There is some king of activity every night on the
band.

Irish Update: Ireland is still represented on MW with a rather
unsociable station playing non stop music and very rare live
shows. A single DX friendly show has also been aired from
time to time. The station name is ENERGY POWER AM.
Frequency to check is 1395 at present while Radio London
from Holland is off air.

I was going to list the three 24 hour MW stations still with an
unofficial radio/ pirate status. However during the editing of
this article, one of them has closed in a blaze of glory after a
visit by the Irish government body comreg. UCB on 549 was
very loud and strong here even on a cheap domestic portable.
I know not the output of this former powerhouse, but let
it be documented here that in Ayrshire here in Scotland the
field strength as well as the audio was higher than RTE on
567, which was listed as 500kw, but maybe running only half
that. Power quotes from UCB range from 20kw to 70kw, but I
would not be in the least surprised if it was somewhat more.

Irish Update: Years ago this part of the column used to be
interesting and for ever changing. Now there is virtually only
two left. And a couple of hobby pirates.
Radio Star Country on 981, Co Monaghan Border Radio
North on 846, Nr Redcastle, Co Donegal.
Both are 24/ 7, and heard over a long distance. Radio North
up in the far NW of Eire near would be the widest heard, but
sadly there is virtually no output at nights. I am told the non
stop / automated country music can even be heard in Czech
and Italy now that RAI is off air. As mentioned, Energy 1395
from Dublin is often heard with the same style of programmes
as Radio North have on at night. ie NONE. There
is another transmitter which has also been on 828 // 6260
last year, and has been testing on 1395 during Energy silent
periods, but again, no programmes. This seems to be a
trend with so many stations these days, to leave a PC running
on automatic. Pretty boring for the listeners though.

West and North Kent Radio: A familiar name to many sw
listeners, have treaded dxers to a QRP challenge. They have
been on mw before with only 20w or power, and in fact
logged here in Scotland on 1476. Recently the station has
been broadcasting on the popular freq of 1395kHz. Listen for
the familiar WNKR jingles in the mush around sunset. Nice
to see that some of the traditional hobby pirates are still going
to the woods!!!!

Netherlands: I have had the pleasure of visiting The Netherlands
during October. In fact the weekend I was away was
the very time when west coast North American stations were
heard in the UK, and I missed them! Anyway I attended the
annual radio day in Amsterdam.

I came back with a few nice DVDs of offshore radio nostalgia.
One whose origin I am unsure of is of the illegal raid on
the Ross Revenge, home to Radio Caroline. A very nice fellow
stood at the bar for a time, tuned out to be the operator
of 70s sw pirate, Time Radio. This was one of my first stations
heard, and a true novelty on the sw bands in those
days.

One of the highlights for me was a chappie from Radio Delmare,
who after listening to Andy Archer and Cary's tales of
luxury hotel rooms, and stewards who took your bags on the
mebo, enchanted us with tales of the cops being about 5m
behind them at all times!! So funny.
That's about that for this time around folks. Do hope to be
back again sooner that the last gap!!!! Ken.
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