Anthony's Radio Blog

Birmingham pirates and more

2010-10-03T19:31:00.004+01:00

Visited Birmingham today, for the demo outside the Tory Party conference. While in Birmingham, the following were heard:

89.1 Big City Radio (community station), RDS = Big City, Big City Radio website
89.6 Deep FM (pirate). Mono, no RDS. Format house and rave music. Heard as far as Tamworth on the coach home.
91.3 Raaj FM from Sandwell. Raaj FM website
92.0 Hot FM (pirate). RDS = www.hot92.net , Hot 92 website
93.5 Unity FM (community radio). Unity FM website
94.2 Skyline Radio, Wolverhampton (pirate). RDS = SKYLINE
97.5 Stingdem.com (pirate). Mono, no RDS. Stingdem.com website
98.7 Newstyle FM (community). RDS = NEWSTYLE. Newstyle FM website
99.4 Irie FM (pirate). RDS = IRIE UK , adverts for Wolverhampton businesses
106.9 Unidentified station with Christian religious programmes. Mentioned West Bromwich

On the coach home, the journey went along Dudley Road - past where the old PCRL HQ used to be! Also went near Castle Vale - that area's certainly changed since the late 80's and early 90's, the days of Classic FM 94.2 etc!

Fast FM Bradford and more

2010-08-28T19:25:00.003+01:00

Visiting the Bradford Unity festival today, the Ramadan RSL Fast FM was heard on 87.9, RDS = Fast FM

On the way home from Bradford on the coach, also heard near M1 junction 42 was Ramzan FM 87.7, RDS = RamzanFM

From junction 34 on the M1, Ramadhan FM Sheffield was heard on 87.7, RDS = Ramadhan , PT flag was Arts. Ramadhan FM Sheffield was also heard at home in Clowne

London pirates

2010-07-05T17:26:00.001+01:00

Following heard over Marxism weekend, not far from Euston station:

87.9 Shine 87.9 , no RDS
88.3 Vision Radio, scrolling RDS = vision \ radiouk
88.6 House FM RDS = HOUSE FM
89.4 Unknown FM, scrolling RDS = Unknown \ fm.net \ 07930 \ 800 904
89.8 Station FM. RDS =,STATION - PT = Other Music
90.1 Point Blank FM, scrolling RDS = LOG ON \ WWW.POINTBLANK.FM
90.4 Raw FM , no RDS
90.6 Fresh PT = Other Music
90.8 Lightning Radio , no RDS
91.6 Genesis Radio , no RDS
92.0 Scream 92 FM , no RDS
91.8 Passion FM , RDS = PASSION
92.2 Metro Love Radio
92.7 Energy Radio , no RDS
92.9 Love FM , RDS = LOVEFM , website = lovefmlive.com (promo for recruitment and advertising)
93.7 Vibe (?) 93.8 FM , no RDS
94.6 Kool FM , RDS =KOOL FM
95.1 Origin FM , RDS = ORIGINUK.NET
95.5 On Top FM (announced) - also ontopfm.net
96.1 RDS = S-DANCE
96.3 Hot 96 (announced)
96.6 Rhythm FM (announced)
96.9 (Choice FM - ILR)
97.6 RDS = BLAZING
97.9 Passion FM , RDS =PASSION
98.1 Mystic Radio (announced)
99.3 RDS = SelectUK
99.5 Galaxy Radio (announced) scrolling RDS
99.7 Flex FM , RDS = FLEX
101.1 unidentified
103.9 RDS = MUZIK FM
106.5 RDS = FORCE

All above stations were heard on the 2nd floor, using a Roberts EcoLogic 1 radio

A peace of history returns

2009-11-10T23:07:00.004Z

It is a very welcome return of the Voice Of Peace, in many ways. The ex-offshore pirate has now returned online, also with an announced frequency of 1540 (presumably MW, transmitting from the Holy Land).

I remember the VOP was a legend even while still on-air back in the 80's, and - as a pacifist - I always had a lot of respect for the station even though I was unable to hear it myself (except via airchecks). Now I am able to hear and fully appreciate the station.

Format is mostly music interspersed with peace propaganda - hardly surprising, since the VOP was set up to end war and bring peace between Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land. The 'across the board' music policy is reminiscent of Laser 558, yet Caroline's influence is equally obvious - not least with the station promoting Lovin' Awareness.

Abie Nathan, the VOP's founder, was an equally legendary figure. An Iranian Jew who was living in (the current state of) Israel, his commitment to peace went well beyond the radio station. He was jailed for meeting Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, and I remember news reports of 'toy exchange' programmes (promoted by the VOP) where kids could exchange war-glorifying toys (eg tanks and fighter aircraft) for peace-promoting toys.

Sadly, Abie is no longer with us. But the VOP's current operators seem to have created a station Abie would doubtless be proud of :)

But don't just take my word for it - to hear the station, visit their site ...

Voice Of Peace website

RFT Gale meets his Nemesis

2009-10-11T21:25:00.006+01:00

Nemesis Revival 87.8 made its final broadcast (at least in 2009) today. Was announced that Nemesis intends to return in 2010.

Due to the shorter days, the broadcast hours were changed slightly; programmes started at 2:30 pm and finished at about 5:45 pm

Perhaps it's just as well the broadcasting hours were brought forward (not least for Mr Gale's underpants!). About 5 minutes after the broadcast ended, as Mr Gale was packing the equipment away, a car pulled up next to the transmitter location (shown by the green arrow on the map). An old man got out of the car and asked Mr Gale what he was doing there; since the broadcast had now ended, Mr Gale replied that he had been "conducting radio experiments".

The old man, preseumably working for the land owner (or maybe the landowner himself) then told Mr Gale that he shouldn't be there, as it was private land. Mr Gale apologised rather than having "Mr Twatt" (anyone who's seen "The Boat That Rocked" will know why I'm calling him that) end up calling the Police, but alo pointed out that there were no signs anywhere saying that this was private land. (It was also apparent that this land was less than well cared for, while at the same time hardly ideal for wildlife).

Having packed his gear away, Mr Gale returned home. 2009's last broadcast of Nemesis Revival had gone smoothly, all equipment remained intact ready for 2010, all Mr Gale needs to do now is find a new transmitter location. All in all, it could have been a googolplex times worse!

Even so, it seems kinda ironic that "Mr Twatt" has picked on a pirate radio station when the place had more important issues. Mainly the fire which is constantly burning there, and has been noted during every broadcast since July. What's more, by the looks of the cartons and packaging being burnt, the fire appears to have been of commercial waste.

Then again, I guess this is just a microcosm of the fact that the authorities continue to clamp down on pirate radio, while at the same time, you're likely to get threatened or even beaten up while going out to a local pub or nightclub. Small wonder, I guess, that Nemesis Revival also announced today that they had taken on board Radio Caroline's concept of Lovin' Awareness !

Peace in the valley

2009-09-06T17:23:00.003+01:00

On the way back from Blackpool, at Manchester Oxford Road train station, I heard Peace FM 90.1 testing.

RDS = Peace FM

Good signal, was atill audible on the train, some way to the east of Stockport.

Back to Manchester Oxford Road, other stations heard include:

87.7 Mahay Ramzan (Oldham)
96.0 BBC Radio Shropshire - mono signal
96.2 The Revolution, RDS = THE REV
96.9 All FM (Manchester), RDS = ALL FM
106.1 Rock Radio (Manchester), RDS = ROCK RAD

Ramadan Oldham and Preston

2009-09-04T17:12:00.002+01:00

En route to Blackpool by train, I heard 2 Radio Ramadan RSLs while west of the Pennines.

The first was Mahay Ramzan 87.7 from Oldham, which was heard at manchester Picadilly train station and some way north.

Then, near Preston, I heard Radio Ramadan Preston on 87.9

No RDS noted in either case.

Diabolical Advertising Bull****

2009-09-03T16:48:00.002+01:00

Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against DAB digital radio. But I do think the latest advert for DAB - which includes 'interference' from what sounds like a cliched London pirate - is rather 'below the belt' by reinforcing the myth that pirate radio causes interference.

Besides, it is also a myth to suggest that DAB has no interference, and is either perfect sound or impossible to receive. Anybody listening to a distant multiplex on DAB (ie all of them, in many areas!) will notice times when the station sounds like you're listening underwater! (appropriate for Radio Mi Amigo, perhaps :P )

Still, it's interesting that pirate radio is obviously still popular enough to be a thorn in the side of the radio Establishment, so they want to discredit it. Could this have something to do with the increasingly poor quality of independent radio in the UK, where even the 'music' stations seem to have 20 minutes of verbal diarrhea for every record played? And the fact that the promotions are increasingly getting 'preachy', encouraging us to take up exercise when all we want is to listen to the music? No wonder, then, people are deserting ILR for the pirates. And without a root-and-branch change in format of British legal radio, DAB isn't going to help.

After all, perfect-sounding crap is still crap!

Radio Ramadan Sheffield

2009-08-22T21:48:00.002+01:00

The Muslim festival of Ramadan is with us again, and so is the network of Radio Ramadan RSL's.

One of the more significant (at least in terms of coverage) seems to be Radio Ramadan Sheffield, who are on 87.7 FM.

Audible easily in Clowne, listenable signal in Chesterfield.

RDS = RAMADAN

More info on the Radio Ramadan Sheffield website

and Goodbye Radio Ability

2009-08-16T22:02:00.001+01:00

Radio Ability has announced it is closing down. The reason given was that the original dream of Radio Ability - namely, a community radio station for people with disabilities - has now been realised full-time, in the form of Able Radio. The person behind Radio Ability gives his full backing to Able Radio.

Old programmes will continue to be available on Radio Ability's website - which is to be re-designed as a historical site dedicated to Radio Ability. With this in mind, it is planned to add a few extra old programmes - some dated back to 1993 - to the site.

Au Revoir Nemesis Revival

2009-08-16T21:52:00.004+01:00

Nemesis Revival 87.8, a pirate from somewhere in North Derbyshire, announced today it was closing down until the autumn.

From 3pm to just after 6pm, Nemesis Revival was on-air today and also on Sunday 2nd August.
Nemesis Revival was heavily based on the pirate Radio Nemesis, which used to broadcast to the North Derbyshire area back in 1987 - the DJ even called himself Richard 'Force Twelve' Gale (could it be the same one as operated the original Nemesis?), and the old Nemesis 'You will not ...' promo was aired.

Format was mostly dance music with minimal chat; although Radio Ability - aired from 4pm to 5pm - was 'across the board' music by recording artists with disabilities and disability info.

It was announced that Nemesis Revival hopes to return, possibly in October. In the meantime, plans are afoot to sort out web streaming, hopefully (it was announced) within the next fortnight. Watch this space ...

Disabled but very Able

2009-08-10T17:13:00.002+01:00

Found a new web radio station for people with disabilities, namely Able Radio.
Format seems to be a mix of music and talk, with many periods of non-stop music but also - mostly in the evening - a number of programmes covering across the disability movement, such as youth, arts and sports related programmes.
Mistly, the music played seems not to have a bias towards disability. However, on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, a one hour programme called Able Showcase features music by artists with disabilities.

Very good to see a full time station for people with disabilities (even if it does mean Radio Ability is now redundant, lol).

All quiet on the Western front

2009-07-28T13:46:00.002+01:00

Springwell Radio has now closed down. Leaving the low end on the FM band (ie 87.5 to 88.0 MHz) eerily quiet.

But hopefully not for long ...

Springwell Radio

2009-07-24T16:38:00.000+01:00

Springwell Radio, from Springwell school in Staveley, are doing an RSL on 87.7

Was clearly audible this morning, all the way from Clowne to south Chesterfield (Derby Road).

RDS = SPRING

Dead carrier (with RDS) has been heard on a few evenings - programmes must be aired during daytime only

London pirates

2009-07-06T14:26:00.007+01:00

Just returned last night from Marxism 2008, the annual socialists' event in central London.

While there, I was staying on the 4th floor of student accommodation. Using my Roberts ecologic 1 radio, the following free radio stations were heard on the night of Friday 3rd July 2009:

87.5 Dockland FM (?) , no RDS
87.8 Shine FM, RDS = SHINE879
89.8 Station FM , no RDS
90.1 Point Blank, scrolling RDS = POINT
BLANK
90.6 Unknown FM, scrolling RDS = UNKNOWN
FM
91.8 Passion FM, RDS = PASSION
92.7 Freeze FM , scrolling RDS = Freeze
FM_92.7
93.8 Ragga FM , no RDS
94.0 Touch FM, RDS = TOUCH'94
94.6 Unidentified, string of repeating adverts, scrolling RDS advertised coming events
95.5 Upfront 955, no RDS
96.1 S-Dance, RDS = S-DANCE
102.8 ULR - Urban Love Radio , no RDS
105.6 Jiggy Radio , scrolling RDS = JIGGY
RADIO
108.0 Unknown FM, no RDS, announced as unknownfm.net

In addition there were more Unidentified stations on 88.2 (rave) , 88.6 (rave) , 89.35 (rave) , 90.8 (reggae) , 91.6 (rave) , 93.0 (reggae) , 95.1 (rave) , 97.5 (reggae) , 99.5 (reggae) , 99.8 (reggae) , 100.4 (dance) , 101.2 (R&B) , 102.5 (reggae / lovers rock) , 103.6 (Asian) , 103.8 (reggae) , 105.2 (dance / R&B) , 106.5 (rave) , 106.7 (rave)

And the ILRs heard included:
95.8 Capital FM , RDS = CAPITAL
96.9 Choice FM , no RDS
97.3 LBC , RDS = LBC_97.3
100.0 Kiss FM
101.4 On FM - website
102.2 Smooth Radio
104.9 XFM , RDS = X_F_M
105.4 Magic
105.8 Absolute Radio
106.2 Heart FM, RDS = HEART
107.1 Choice FM , no RDS
107.5 Time FM
107.8 Radio Jackie

The following morning, at 08:40 am, the following were also heard:

97.9 Passion FM , RDS = PASSION
99.1 Irie FM (?) , no RDS

And at 23:00, another was added:

87.8 Hightz Live , RDS = www.hightzlive.com

Farewell West Yorkshire

2009-06-30T17:55:00.004+01:00

Well, today was my last day at Arqiva. So. it seems a good time for a final round-up of what's on air in the Leeds area:

Roundhay Radio are doing an RSL on 87.7 FM. RDS = ROUNDHAY

Fresh FM 95.6 and Peoples FM 104.5 are still on-air. Haven't heard Radio Frequency 88.1 for about a week now - raided?

Ah well, still haven't found a new job yet so it looks like I'm on the 'rock 'n' roll' for now. Nevertheless, I'm determined not to let my radio skills go to waste ... and I've plenty of time on my hands to pursue my latest 'project' ...

Sheffield 103.1 is BCR

2009-06-18T18:17:00.002+01:00

While visiting Sheffield this evening, the station on 103.1 was positively ID'd as BCR.
Back to full programmes again :)

Catching up ...

2009-05-19T22:01:00.002+01:00

Apologies for the lack of posts lately, I've been ultra-busy. Well I've finally found a few microseconds of free time, so I'll try to fill you in on what I've heard on the radio recently ...

In the West Yorkshire area, there are currently 3 regular pirates on-air, namely Fresh FM 95.6, Peoples FM 104.5, and Radio Frequency 88.1

In addition, right now there are 2 Asian RSL's; Leeds-based Hum FM 87.9 - RDS is their phone number - and Bradford-based Asian Air 87.7

Penistone FM, who have previously done RSL's, have won a full-time licence on 95.7 and are currently testing. RDS = PENISTONE . Signal is audible as far north as Garforth, although a slight annoyance is that their frequency is adjacent to Fresh FM 95.6 - hence Fresh's range to the south is somewhat reduced due to splatter from Pensitone FM. Also, Penistone FM's range is curtailed to the south by splatter from BBC Radio Nottingham on 95.5 (Mansfield TX).

Finally, on 103.1, non-stop music with no announcements has been heard on 103.1, both tonight and on at least 3 occasions over the last 2 weeks when I visited Sheffield. This was Burngreave Community Radio's allocated frequency, now sounds like test transmissions - are BCR getting set for a re-launch, or is this a completely new station testing?

Hopefully I'll have some answers next time I make a blog entry. Which hopefully won't be too long!

Gizza job

2009-05-16T21:46:00.003+01:00

Just been on the Birmingham March for Jobs, called by the Unite union. I have a particular interest in this cause, as I will be laid off from my current job on 30th June :(

Of course, I took my Roberts EcoLogic 1 radio along with me, and logged a number of stations at Centenary Square:

87.7 South Birmingham Community Radio, RSL.
89.1 Aston FM, small community station. RDS = ASTON FM
91.3 Raaj FM, an Asian community radio station. RDS = RAAJ FM , info text was the phone number
92.0 Hot FM, pirate. RDS = www.hot92.net
94.2 Skyline Radio, pirate? Weak, no RDS. Is this the same Skyline Radio which used to broadcast from Wolverhampton in the early 1990's ?
95.1 Kris FM, pirate
98.7 New Style FM, local non-profit community station (similar to Sheffield Live). RDS = NEWSTYLE
101.5 Silk City FM, pirate, with scrolling RDS
107.5 Sting FM, pirate. Strong signal, mono, no RDS

Also of note: heard BBC Radio Stoke on 94.6

Real Radio all at sea

2009-04-04T22:56:00.002+01:00

This afternoon from 1pm to 2pm, Yorkshire regional IRR station Real Radio aired a programme about the offshore pirates of the 1960's. Named "When Pirates Ruled The Airwaves" (more details on Real Radio website), this included interviews with ex-offshore pirate DJs, and also airchecks of stations like Caroline, Swingin' Radio England, and Big L Radio London.

This was part 1, so I'll definitely have to listen in again next week for part 2. I also plan to see the film "The Boat That Rocked", set on an offshore free radio ship, sometime over Easter.

London log

2009-03-28T22:21:00.004Z

Was in London today, for the big "Put People First" demo against job losses.

On the coach down, an unidentified pirate was heard some way north of London (approx junction 7 of the M1) playing a loop tape of an advert for an event in Reading. By junction 6, this had been replaced on the frequency by the London pirate Platinum FM.

After the march arrived in Hyde Park and before the speeches started, I put my new radio to good use. It's a Roberts ecologic 1 DAB/FM with RDS radio. The RDS is actually more versatile than that on a car radio; as well as the station name, you can also see the Programme Type (PTY) and scrolling programme info. Not that the Programme Type is of much use in practice - many of the pirates selected "Talk" or "News" for this flag!

Anyroad, here is the list. Mostly pirates (or presumed pirates), unless otherwise stated.

87.5 Platinum FM, no RDS
87.7 NME Radio (RSL), RDS = N_M_E
89.4 Unknown FM, RDS = UNKNOWN
90.6 Unknown FM, RDS = UNKNOWN
90.8 Lightning FM, RDS = LIGHTNIN
91.6 Genesis Radio, no RDS
91.9 Pulse FM, RDS = PULSE_FM
93.8 Vibes FM, RDS = Vibes FM (Do not adjust your screen - it seems it is possible to have small letters in a station's RDS name!). Scrolling info RDS = "Vibes 93.8 FM. The People's Choice."
94.0 Touch FM, RDS = TOUCH'94
95.5 On Top FM, RDS name was scrolling
96.0 RDS = S-DANCE
96.4 Hot 96, no RDS
97.9 Passion FM, RDS = PASSION
99.3 RDS = SELECT_UK
99.5 Radio Galaxy, RDS = galaxy
106.4 Village Radio, no RDS
108.0 Unknown FM, RDS = UNKNOWN, scrolling info RDS included studio text number

Unidentified stations thought to be pirates (all no RDS except 94.5) were heard on 88.6, 89.8 (Station FM?), 92.2, 92.3, 94.5 (RDS name scrolling with an ad for an event), 97.6, 98.2, 99.1, 99.7, 100.2, 100.4, 101.2, 101.7
(Believe it or not, this is probably not an exhaustive list!)

In addition, ILR's Radio Jackie 107.8 (the ex-pirate) and 96.5 The Eagle were also heard.

KBFM Leeds returns

2009-03-02T18:40:00.000Z

Leeds based Asian RSL KBFM heard this evening, on 87.7. The RDS appeared to be the station's phone number.

Another Asian station heard more weakly (near Leeds) on 87.9, thought to be Radio Milad FM from Bradford.

Unique pirate

2009-02-01T22:30:00.002Z

Unique FM 87.8 was heard tonight, on Hickenwood Lane overlooking Clowne.
Believed to be from Nottingham, as most adverts and announcements seemed to mention Nottingham.
Format was reggae.

Thought to have been heard weakly on previous nights (weekday nights included), in Whitwell and Bolsover, but has not been ID'd until tonight.

Also heard on Hickenwood Lane was Sheffield pirate Bounce FM 88.0

Bounce back and feel the Vibez

2009-01-27T19:29:00.002Z

Huddersfield pirate Vibez FM 90.6 heard tonight on the M1, near Barnsley (junction 37).

RDS = VIBEZ FM

Signal faded out soon afterwards, but was still audible as far as junction 36.

In Sheffield, Bounce FM 88.0 was heard for the first time in ages. Although no RDS, a strong signal was still audible almost as far as Clowne.

In Leeds, the usual pirates - namely Peoples FM 104.5, Fresh FM 95.6, and Radio Frequency 88.1, were all heard on the way home just after 4pm.

In addition, an Asian RSL was heard on 87.9. Adverts mentioned Bradford, so station is probably Apni Awaaz FM.

BTW yes, I've just found out how to use colour on Blogger :-)

Leeds Asian extravaganza

2008-12-23T17:55:00.004Z

First, welcome back to Leeds Asian pirate Vibe FM 94.7, who were heard testing this morning.

Also heard today was Asian RSL Big FM 87.7 from Leeds. No RDS noted

Another Asian RSL also noted weakly on 87.9 - possibly Radio Muharram from Bradford

On a less positive note, at the end of January I am being made redundant from my current job, so there will be far fewer reports of activity from the West Yorkshire area. Ah well, at least I won't have to drive 50 miles to work and back each day ...

Another Hajj RSL

2008-11-20T23:17:00.003Z

Another Asian RSL, Hajj FM from Bradford, was heard this evening near Garforth on 87.9

Weak but listenable signal in Garforth, no RDS noted

Heard south down the A1 and onto the M18, as was Huddersfield's Radio Hajj 87.7

Leeds based RSL Akash FM 99.9 was heard as far south as Doncaster, but was experiencing 'splashover' from Kingston ILR KCFM on 99.8

Also this evening, Leeds pirate Fresh FM 95.6 had returned. Peoples FM 104.5 and Radio Frequency 88.1 also on-air, the latter being heard almost as far as Clowne!

Radio Hajj and Akash FM

2008-11-18T22:04:00.000Z

Radio Hajj from Huddersfield was heard today on 87.7, from Garforth and onto the M1 (junction 47). An Asian RSL believed to be celebrating the Muslim Hajj.

RDS = RADIOHAJ

Still audible near Barnsley.

Also heard near junction 46, and south as far as junction 39, was Leeds RSL Akash Radio on 99.9

RDS = AKASH FM

On the pirate front, Peoples FM 104.5 and Radio Frequency 88.1 were heard from 4pm, but Fresh FM 95.6 was missing.

Amber Sound win full licence

2008-10-18T22:12:00.001+01:00

Amber Sound, from the Amber Valley (around Ripley) in Derbyshire, now have a full licence to broadcast on 107.2 FM

Signal is obviously quite strong, audible in the valley below Bolsover (near Coalite). Also audible quite well in Bolsover itself. Not a brilliant frequency however; near Chesterfield there is bleedover from Peak FM on 107.4, and in Clowne the signal is virtually swamped by that of Trax FM Doncaster on 107.1

Amber Sound FM website

Akash-ing in Leeds

2008-10-17T21:07:00.003+01:00

Akash FM are on-air again, with another RSL on 87.7 from Leeds.

Signal near Garforth is good enough to read RDS = AKASH FM

Clear frequency (for a change nowadays), means Akash FM can be heard weakly as far as near Rotherham on the M18 motorway.

Akash Radio profile on MySpace

Blackpool here I come

2008-09-25T18:31:00.004+01:00

My journey to Blackpool today took me over the Pennines on the M62. Despite having hills on both sides, radio reception was at times really good; RTE 2 FM from Eire was noted on a number of frequencies, probably the strongest being 91.8 FM (possibly from Mount Leinster)

Also audible on the M62 was BBC Radio Cymru on 104.3, from Llangollen in north Wales. Then again, I remember hearing this in Clowne back in the 1990's. Llangollen is an excellent location; I vaguely remember visiting the site back in 1992, when I used to work for BBC Transmission (which was later privatised), and was impressed by the view :-)

But before joining the M62, my journey took me through Halifax. Near here, on 87.7, I heard a Radio Ramadan (not the one from Sheffield). This had RDS = RAMADAN

I'm here in Blackpool until Sunday 28th.

But enough blogging for now, I'm off to explore Blackpool :-)

More Ramadan RSL's

2008-09-04T21:59:00.002+01:00

The Asian RSL audible near Leeds on 87.7, was tonight ID'd as Ramzan Radio from Leeds. Near junction 42 of the M1, signal was strong enough to read RDS = RAMZAN , although signal in east Leeds is very weak. This implies that Ramzan Radio from Leeds is from south Leeds, and either low powered or in a poor location - especially since, soon after junction 41, Ramadan Radio Sheffield was already competing for the frequency.

Also on-air in Leeds were the pirates Fresh FM 95.6 and Peoples FM 104.5

Also audible down the M1, from Leeds to the Woodall service station (not far from Clowne), was Radio Ramadan Bradford on 87.9 - although covering such a wide area, signal down the M1 was never strong enough for the RDS to be readable.

As for Radio Ramadan Sheffield ... near Barnsley on the M1, and also in Bolsover (near Clowne), the signal was strong enough for the RDS to be readable. Was also clearly audible in Whitwell. Appropriately, one of their jingles is "From the mountains of Mecca to the hills of Sheffield, this is Radio Ramadan" ... well, I don't know about the mountains of Mecca, but I suspect their TX may well be located on one of the hills of Sheffield!

Ramadan RSL

2008-09-02T19:40:00.003+01:00

As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is upon us, a number of Islamic radio stations have opened to celebrate Ramadan and promote Islam.

Radio Ramadan Sheffield on 87.7 is audible in Clowne, and as far as Doncaster on my way to work.
RDS = RAMADAN

Other Asian stations, presumably Ramadan-based, have been heard nearer Leeds on 87.7 and 87.9, but their locations have not yet been ID'd

Radio Sangam

2008-08-07T19:25:00.004+01:00

Driving down the M1 this afternoon, I positively identified the "other station" on 87.9 (apart from Hum FM Leeds) as Radio Sangam from Kirklees.

Radio Sangam appears to be run by Communities Together, and can be heard live online via their website.

Appropriately, "Sangam" in Hindi means "understanding".

Strangely, the Radio Sangam RSL wasn't listed of Ofcom's current RSL's list.

Also this afternoon, an RDS display was noted for Hum FM 87.9 - it seemed to be the station's phone number. Down the M1, Hum FM and Sangam seemed to be competing with the frequency; I can verify Hum FM as being heard as far south as the Wooley Edge service station (by its adverts, which mentioned Leeds).

Vibe FM 94.7 was missing at 4pm, but Fresh FM 95.6 and Peoples FM 104.5 were still on-air.

Hum hum hum hum

2008-08-05T22:27:00.004+01:00

The Leeds station on 87.9 has been positively ID'd as Hum FM

Moderate signal in Garforth, but no RDS noted.

Soon after joining the A1 at junction 42, another - as yet unidentified - station playing Asian music started to compete with Hum FM on the frequency (which made range checking extremely difficult). Meanwhile, 87.7 was completely empty.

Leeds got the Vibe

2008-08-04T20:34:00.002+01:00

Vibe FM was heard this morning and early afternoon, in Garforth, on 94.7

Thought to be a pirate

No RDS noted.

Format was dance and Asian bhangra music

Announced as from Leeds

An advert was aired for advertising on Vibe FM "from £25 per week"

Signal audible in Garforth, but even before I reached the A1, it was competing with BBC Radio Sheffield on the same frequency.

Also on air in Leeds, from 4pm this afternoon, were the pirates Peoples FM 104.5 and Fresh FM 95.6, and an RSL on 87.9 playing Asian music (possibly Hum FM)

New Leeds station Jew on air soon

2008-07-31T21:40:00.002+01:00

Radio Jcom, a community radio station for Jews, is currently testing on 1386 MW.

Radio Jcom website

The test transmissions feature quite a wide range of music, interspersed with announcements mentioning Jcom's mail address and website.

Start date for full broadcasts is as-yet unknown.

Signal heard as far as Barnsley and Doncaster with a reasonable signal (daylight hours).

ELFM

2008-07-30T21:33:00.002+01:00

East Leeds FM, or ELFM, are doing another RSL on 87.7

RDS = ELFM

(Have been heard for a few days actually, but I've only just got round to updating this blog!)

Springwell watch

2008-07-17T21:02:00.002+01:00

Springwell Radio, from Springwell School in Staveley, are having another RSL on 87.7

RDS = SPRING

Clear signal in Clowne.
Signal heard as far as M1 junction 32, and then for a short while on the M18.

Earlier tonight, approx 16:45, they were interviewing Staveley town councillors (although I didn't catch any names, or which parties they were representing).

Just a Miraj

2008-07-14T18:59:00.000+01:00

Near Garforth, the Asian RSL Miraj FM from Bradford was heard on 87.9

Signal strong enough to read RSL = MIRAJ FM

Still heard on the A1 near Doncaster, and even heard occasionally on the M18 near Rotherham.

Deja vu

2008-07-05T19:53:00.000+01:00

One addition to the London pirates list this morning. Namely Deja Vu 92.4, which was heard from 10am. At the time, they were having a phove in on what TV shows, listeners used to watch when younger.

More London pirates

2008-07-04T23:34:00.004+01:00

In addition to yesterday's log, the following pirates were heard tonight:

94.6 Kool FM
96.1 Supreme Dance
97.1 Energy FM

Off-topic, tonight at the Marxism event, there was a showing of the film I Cento Passi (which translates to English as The Hundred Steps). This Italian film is the story of a Sicilian trade unionist who stood up against the Sicilian Mafia, back in the 1970's. To spread his message, he started a small-scale radio station, Radio Aut.

London pirates log

2008-07-03T23:45:00.001+01:00

Arrived in London this afternoon, for the SWP's Marxism 2008 festival. Staying in student flats near Euston railway station. In my flat on the 2nd floor, from 14:40 to approx 15:00, I can hear the following:

87.9 Shine FM
88.6 House FM
90.3 Point Blank FM
90.6 Unknown FM (?)
93.8 Vibes FM
99.2 Unknown FM
100.2 True FM - Dirty Outlaws mix programme at the time
101.3 Unique FM
107.9 Unknown FM

Unknown FM was on 3 different frequencies, namely 90.3, 99.2 and 107.9 - is this nearby micro-transmitter owned by someone listening to Unknown FM online, so close that it's 'sprogging all over the band'?

Later, at 23:15, I also heard:

94.4 Tempo FM (?) - reggae music format

Also at that time, Unknown FM had disappeared from 107.9, meaning the ex-pirate Radio Jackie 107.8 could be heard.

Roundhay and around

2008-07-01T19:55:00.000+01:00

Roundhay Radio 87.7 of Leeds was heard this evening. Understood to be a school radio RSL.

RDS = ROUNDHAY

Signal still audible on the A1 near Doncaster, also occasionally on the M18 between Doncaster and Rotherham.

Also on air at 4pm, the Leeds pirates Fresh FM 95.6 and Peoples FM 104.5

Lincolnshire Show Radio 87.9

2008-06-17T22:08:00.002+01:00

On 87.9 is Lincs FM Lincolnshire Show Radio, from Lincoln.

Format is news of the Lincolnshire Show, traffic news relating to the Lincolnshire show, and music (similar to that heard on the ILR Lincs FM 102.2)

Lincs FM have in the past done RSL's, generally for forthcoming ILRs (eg Rother FM from Rotherham). But this seems to be an unusual case of them not only doing an RSL in their home town, but also using the name Lincs FM in the RSL's station name.

A cup of PG

2008-06-10T22:25:00.002+01:00

Leeds school RSL PGFM is having another RSL, on 87.7

Signal still audible south of Darrington on the A1, but even before I joined the A1 (junction 42) it seemed to be competing with another, as yet unidentified, station on the same frequency.

Carsington Water - Pirates ahoy!

2008-06-08T20:10:00.004+01:00

Visited a RSPB/Springwatch event today at Carsington Water, near Alfreton.

Around 6pm, in the car park there, the following pirates were heard:

89.6 Deep FM, playing house oldies from the late 1980's
95.3 Kriss FM, playing dance/rave music
97.5 Vivid FM
107.8 Radio Azaad (?), Asian

All are believed to be from the West Midlands.

Signals were especially good from the south west and south east, legal stations heard include:

97.2 Beacon FM (Black country)
102.4 Touch Radio (Staffordshire)
104.3 BBC Radio Cymru
105.2 Kerrang (West Midlands)
107.6 Radio Dawn (Nottingham)

Kinda surprising, considering Carsington Water is in a valley and surrounded by hills !

Burngreave Community Radio 103.1

2008-05-21T11:13:00.004+01:00

New radio stations are like buses, you wait for ages then 2 come at once. So is the case in Sheffield, where Radio Hallam ruled the roost from the early 1970's, and (at least legally) it seemed that the boom in small-scale local radio was passing Sheffield by.

Things suddenly changed last summer, when Sheffield Live 93.2 started testing, followed by full broadcasts in the autumn. Now another community radio station has started, this time from northern Sheffield ...

Burngreave Community Radio, aka BCR, is now testing on 103.1

Full programmes are due to start on Saturday 31st May. Broadcasting hours will be 7am to midnight daily.

Signal easily reaches as far as Woodhall Service Station on the M1 southbound, and a very weak signal can be heard in Clowne (although there is splatter from adjacent stations). No RDS noted yet, and no website found.

On Emley Moor baht 'at

2008-05-20T18:44:00.004+01:00

Visited Emley Moor today, for an IOSH Health & Safety course. (Now I'll at least know the safe way of installing antennas in dodgy places, LOL). This time, I stayed long enough to do a (almost) full bandscan:

87.7 Asian Air - Bradford - RSL - ASIANAIR
92.4 BBC Radio Leeds - BBC Local - BBC LEED
94.9 BBC Radio Lincolnshire - BBC Local - BBCLINCS
95.0 BBC Radio Tees - BBC Local
95.1 BBC Radio Manchester - Holme Moss - BBC Local - BBC MANC
95.3 BBC Radio Leeds - BBC Local
95.5 BBC Radio Lancashire - BBC Local - BBC LANC
95.9 BBC Radio Humberside -BBC Local - BBC HUMB
96.1 Rother FM - Rotherham - ILR
96.3 Radio Aire - Leeds - ILR - RAD AIRE
96.6 TFM Radio - Bilsdale - ILR - TFMRADIO
96.9 Viking FM - Hull - ILR - VIKING
97.2 Stray FM - Harrogate - ILR / community
97.5 Pulse FM - Bradford area - ILR
99.8 2BR - Burnley - ILR
100.0 Unidentified - very weak, splatter from Classic FM
100.7 Century Radio - North East - IRR
101.8 Branch FM - Dewsbury, West Yorkshire - ILR / community (Christian radio)
102.0 Dearne FM - Barnsley area - ILR
102.5 Pulse FM - Bradford area - ILR - PULSE1
102.7 BBC Radio Leeds - BBC Local
102.9 Hallam FM - South Yorkshire - ILR
103.2 Sunrise FM - Bradford ILR / community (Asian) - SUNRISE
103.4 Hallam FM - South Yorkshire - ILR - HALLAM
103.7 BBC Radio York - York - BBC Local - BBC YORK
104.1 BBC Radio Sheffield - Holme Moss - BBC Local - BBC SHEF
104.5 Peoples FM - Leeds - Pirate - PEOPLES
104.7 Minster FM - York - ILR - MINSTER
105.1 Galaxy - Emley Moor - IRR - GALAXY
105.4 Century Radio - North West - IRR
105.8 Galaxy - Yorkshire - IRR - GALAXY
106.2 Real Radio - Emley Moor - IRR - REAL
106.6 BCB - Bradford ILR / community - BCB 106-6
106.8 Ridings FM - Wakefield - ILR
107.1 Trax FM - Doncaster - ILR
107.6 Real Radio - Yorkshire - IRR - REAL
107.9 The New Pennine FM - Huddersfield - ILR - PENNINE

I didn't bother logging the 'nationals', as it sometimes gets difficult to tell which is a 'on-frequency' distant TX, and which is bleedover from a more local TX.

Tropo continues

2008-05-15T22:36:00.003+01:00

This evening, from 8pm onwards, Dutch radio was again heard at the lower end of the FM dial.

On 88.0, Dutch Radio 2 was heard, strong enough to read RDS = RADIO 2
On 91.8 was Dutch Radio 1 ("Radio En")
Unidentified Dutch stations also heard on 91.8 and 93.9

Earlier this evening, around 4:45, the following were heard overlooking Kippax near Leeds:

87.7 Asian Air - Bradford - RSL
87.9 Leeds 11 FM - Leeds - RSL
88.1 Radio Frequency - Leeds - pirate (welcome back after a long absence!)
93.2 Sheffield Live - Sheffield - community radio station
94.7 BBC Radio Sheffield - Chesterfield TX
95.3 BBC Radio Derby
95.6 Fresh FM - Leeds - pirate
104.5 Peoples FM - Leeds - pirate
107.4 Peak FM - Chesterfield ILR

Also, I notice the Huddersfield ILR on 107.9 - which started out in 1998 as Huddersfield FM before becoming Home FM - is now IDing as The New Pennine FM. (The original Pennine Radio, which started in Bradford back in the 1970's, changed its name to Pulse FM in the 90's).

Slight lift from Holland

2008-05-13T21:20:00.003+01:00

Slight tropo noticed this evening, a number of stations heard with variable-weak signals from 87.6 to 88.1 FM. None strong enough for RDS.

Only one was ID'd, namely Arrow Classic Rock on 87.7

Asian Air Bradford RDS

2008-05-12T18:32:00.000+01:00

Today, I was visiting Emley Moor for a RF Safety course.

En-route, I finally heard Bradford RSL Asian Air 87.7 with a strong enough to read their RDS:

ASIANAIR

While at Emley Moor, although I didn't log all the stations receivable - there were too many of them! - I did notice that BBC Radio Derby 95.5 was audible clearly, as was BBC Radio Cleveland on 95.0

Leeds RSL Leeds 11 FM 87.9 was audible clearly, as was Leeds pirate Peoples FM 104.5
No sign of Fresh FM 95.6 or Radio Frequency 88.1, however - raided?

Asian Air 87.7

2008-05-09T02:26:00.000+01:00

Bradford RSL Asian Air is on-air on 87.7

Audible weakly in the Garforth area, and on the A1 as far south as Doncaster

No RDS noted to date

Could this be the Asian Air from Bradford, which was on-air as a pirate in the late 1980's / early 1990's ?

Leeds 11 back again

2008-05-07T03:19:00.000+01:00

Leeds Eleven FM are doing another RSL, on 87.9 FM

RDS = LEEDS 11

Leeds Eleven FM website

Akash FM Leeds do another RSL

2008-04-15T03:51:00.000+01:00

Akash FM of Leeds are back on-air with another RSL, on 87.7

RDS = AKASH FM

Format is Asian programmes.

Signal still audible on the A1 as far as Doncaster, and can be heard on some parts of the M18 between junctions 1 and 2.

Tory plans for TV licence fee

2008-04-01T05:49:00.000+01:00

The Conservative Party have suggested that the TV licence fee should fund not only the BBC, but also ITV, Channel 4 etc.

For my views on the matter, see this entry on my political blog, Neither Labour nor Tory.

Leeds pirates gone

2008-03-28T02:50:00.000Z

Early this afternoon, Fresh FM were noted at the Cedar Court Hotel, near Wakefield (off junction 39 of the M1) - some way south of Leeds. Signal was strong enough for the RDS to be readable.

By 4pm this evening, however, no Leeds pirates were heard; Fresh FM and Peoples FM were gone.

Raided?

Starforce Radio International lives up to its name

2008-03-24T18:21:00.000Z

Starforce Radio International, streaming via the web, today reached a milestone with at least one listener in Indonesia!

Starforce Radio International started its life, back in 1997, as the Clowne-based FM pirate Starforce FM.

It seems that web radio is the new short wave; capable of international broadcasting, across borders and even listened to by people who speak different languages. Like short wave, it has the drawback that portable listening is still difficult, often impossible. But unlike short wave, reasonable quality stereo music can be broadcast :-)

This morning, recordings of earlier programmes were broadcast. The next live broadcast will take place on Sunday evening, from 7pm to 10pm. Streaming takes place, using Pirate Radio software, via their website as follows:

Starforce Radio International website

Six of one

2008-03-16T05:34:00.000Z

On the coach back from the Stop The War demo in London, passing near Oxford, I got Six TV Oxford on my pocket portable TV. Was on UHF channel 47, understood to be an RSL TV channel

Six TV Oxford website

First received on the M40 just before turning onto the A32, still receivable near Brackley.

Programmes looked like kids' TV programmes (a bit similar to Bob The Builder etc.)

Radio Milaad Bradford

2008-03-08T01:54:00.000Z

The Asian RSL on 87.7, audible near Leeds, has been positively identified as Radio Milaad from Bradford.

Also heard tonight near Leeds: Leeds RSL Hum FM 87.9, and Leeds pirates Fresh FM 95.6 and Peoples FM 104.5

Hum along to the music

2008-03-06T02:40:00.000Z

The Asian station heard near Leeds is Hum FM 87.9 from Leeds.

RDS is what looks like a phone number.

Hum FM website

This morning, they were announcing as KBFM - maybe a relay of the KBFM Leeds web stream?
Then again, their website does mention that Hum FM is "a new project by an old name in the radio field". Hmm...

As for the much weaker Asian station on 87.7 - this hasn't yet been identified, but may well be Radio Milaad from Bradford. Heard nearly as far as Doncaster, then Redroad FM started to take over the frequency.

Redroad FM back again

2008-03-05T05:44:00.000Z

Kiveton based RSL Redroad FM are doing another RSL on 87.7 FM.

RDS = REDROAD

Redroad FM website

Audible in Clowne well enough to receive RDS.
Also audible as far as junction 38 of the A1 (near Doncaster).

Near Leeds, 2 Asian RSL's heard, on 87.7 and 87.9.
More info will be posted when I can positively ID them.

Fresh FM is a thriller

2008-02-23T02:43:00.000Z

From 4pm, DJ GQ on Leeds pirate Fresh FM 95.6 seemed to be dedicating his show to music by Michael Jackson. This was apparently to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his Thriller album.

Well, when he played Thriller itself, it certainly set the atmosphere for the gale-swept drive home down the (often rather bleak) A1.

I also noticed that Fresh FM have again started using dynamic RDS, and were using it to advertise and under-18's disco. (Either appropriate or ironic, depending on your opinion of MJ himself!)

Feeding the birds

2008-02-21T02:19:00.000Z

On the DAB Digital 1 national multiplex, there is now a station called Birdsong, on the slot previously occupied by Oneword. The station lives up to its name, broadcasting nothing but birdsong! (Thanks to Ditchy, the DJ on Real Radio this afternoon, for bringing this to my attention, by mentioning it on-air!)

It kinda brings back memories of 1991, when Classic FM broadcast birdsong in their test transmissions. Likewise, I understand Birdsong is only on DAB temporarily, until they find a station to fill the slot.

But what will this station be? Might it be The Eagle from Guildford? Or Kestrel FM from Basingstoke? Phoenix FM from Brentwood? A hospital radio station like Radio Nightingale from Rotherham, or Radio Robin from Ilkeston? Or maybe, now Radio Mi Amigo's back (see previous post), they could bring back the 1970's offshore pirate Radio Seagull :-)

On a Dutch high

2008-02-20T05:46:00.000Z

As the high pressure area (which has been responsible for the freezing weather lately) dissipates, its swan song seems to be a bumper crop of tropo from the Netherlands and Belgium. This evening from 5pm to 6pm, the following were heard at Woodhall Service Station (north of M1 junction 30):

87.6 Unidentified (weak, music format)
87.7 Unidentified (weak)
87.9 Omroep Zeeland
89.5 Klara (classical music) RDS = KLARA
90.4 Klara RDS = KLARA
91.7 Radio 1 ("Radio En")
94.0 Radio Mi Amigo (Oldies) RDS = MI AMIGO
95.7 Radio 1 ("Radio En") RDS = RADIO 1
97.6 City FM
101.4 Unidentified (weak, rock music)
104.4 Radio 1

Dunno if Mi Amigo is connected in any way with the old offshore pirate, but it's obviously inspired by said; the jingles, and the format, are very reminiscent of the offshore Mi Amigo :-)

A couple of exotic UK stations were also heard; Stray FM on 97.4, and Yorkshire Coast Radio on 102.4

Skip from Eire to Holland

2008-02-19T04:00:00.000Z

Tropo seems to be with us again.

This morning, from 7am to after 9am, RTE Lyric FM from Eire was heard on 87.8 (from the Clermont Carn TX). Heard while driving from Clowne to Garforth.

Also heard at the time, intermittently, was a Dutch station on 87.9. North of Wakefield, said station was competing with the Asian Paradise Radio RSL for the frequency.

On the way home, on 87.9 was Omroep Zeeland from Holland. (Possibly the Dutch station heard this morning on the frequency). This time the signal was at times quite strong (although no RDS received), audible all the way from Garforth to Clowne.

Shameless self-promotion

2008-02-18T06:08:00.000Z

I've just recorded another Radio Ability programme, for February. You can hear this online, streamed using RealAudio, at the Radio Ability website.

Brown all at sea

2008-02-09T03:00:00.000Z

Listening to Radio Caroline (via the web) this afternoon, I was pleased to hear that Caroline had not lost its rebel streak, also that cheeky dedications are still in vogue.

At approx 2:30, the DJ dedicated a record to "Mr Brown in London". The record? The late 1970's cheesy punk song "Jilted John" by Jilted John. (If you're too young to remember the record, you may still get the joke after reading the Jilted John lyrics). LOL LOL LOL.

OK, so it's not quite the Caroline broadcasts from the Mebo II in 1970. But it's still good to hear Caroline having a go at the Establishment :-)

Radio Caroline website

Caroline is also audible on Sky, channel 0199. In fact, they announce on-air as "Caroline 0199", a throwback to their offshore days when their medium wave frequency used to end with a "9" in metres (eg Caroline 319, Caroline 519)

If Asian Paradise is half as nice

2008-02-08T02:51:00.000Z

Asian Paradise Radio from Bradford are currently doing an RSL broadcast on 87.9.

Signal heard weakly in most of Garforth (near Leeds), and down the A1 as far as Darrington.

No RDS receivable

Asian Paradise Radio website

Is this the same Asian Paradise Radio that used to broadcast as a pirate, from the late 80's into the late 90's? Quite possible, the station's vibrant music and presentation are certainly reminiscent of the ex-pirate APR :-)

Frontline back with a vengeance

2008-01-19T03:15:00.000Z

Huddersfield pirate Frontline FM 94.7 heard this evening, for the first time in ages.

Heard in Garforth approx 16:00, still on the A1 south of the M62 (although had disappeared by Darrington). DJ on the station mentioned listeners as far as Sheffield.

RDS noted for the first time = FRNTLINE

Frontline FM's area on MySpace

Frequency FM returns (?)

2008-01-12T05:36:00.000Z

Leeds pirate Frequency FM thought to have returned this evening.
Heard approx 5 pm on 88.1, near Rotherham on the M18, playing dance/rave music.
Still audible very weakly in Clowne (although with much interference from BBC Radio 2, on or near that frequency).

Also audible on way home tonight: Hit Music Radio 100.8 (end of M18 / junction 32 of M1).

Audible in Leeds: Fresh FM 95.6

No RSLs at all heard today :-(

Trivia - Mi Amigo mentioned on TV

2008-01-02T05:04:00.000Z

Tonight on BBC2's "Three Men In Another Boat" programme, when the yacht went near Goodwin Sands in the Thames Estuary, the crew briefly mentioned they were near where the MV Mi Amigo - Radio Caroline's first ship - sank in March 1980.

On that subject, I've go a crap joke for you...

What's the difference between the Mi Amigo and this government?
On the Mi Amigo, fewer records were lost!

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T18:21:00.001Z

Happy New Year 2008.

No RSLs heard today here in Clowne.

A visit to Hichenwood Lane, overlooking Clowne, I did hear 2 stations I haven't heard before:

103.0 The Eye from Melton Mowbray (previously The Wireless Company, TWC)
107.6 Radio Dawn from Nottingham - Asian language progerammes from the Karimia Institute, a Muslim organisation

Also noted was Beacon Radio on 97.2

Another Arrow from Holland

2007-12-20T06:31:00.000Z

In addition to Arrow Classic Rock 87.7, this evening (approx 4pm) I heard Arrow Jazz FM on 90.5

Much weaker than Arrow Classic Rock, but still audible down the A1 motorway as far as the M18. Soon after joining the M18, the signal was sadly lost underneath BBC Radio 2 from Sutton Coldfield, on the same frequency.

Quite enjoyable to listen to, music included hits by groups like the Style Council.

Jingle was similar to that of Arrow Classic Rock, but in a more jazzy/mellow style.

In addition, Dutch Radio 2 on 88.0 and Dutch Radio 1 on 91.8 were still audible.

By 10pm, the tropo has, sadly, gone. Hope it comes back soon ...

Tropo brings N-ether-lands on FM

2007-12-19T04:10:00.000Z

Perhaps this spell of chucking filly (spoonerism) weather may be drawing to a close. At least, the high pressure appears to be slowly moving away.

As a result, today has brought a spell of short-range but relatively consistent tropospheric ducting, meaning a number of Dutch FM stations are now audible - both in Garforth and Clowne, and on the journey to and from said locations.

This morning, I first noted Arrow Classic Rock (Holland) on 87.7 FM. A welcome return (albeit probably short lived) to my radio of a ststion I used to listen to sometimes on 675kHz, when it used to broadcast on MW.

Arrow Classic Rock was still there this evening, now occasionally strong enough to read the RDS, which scrolls as follows:

ARROW
CLASSIC
ROCK
ARROW-NL
*AFLITS*

According to FMLIST, this was from the Lelystad/PTT Toren transmitter (chuffa chuffa whoo whoo, lol)

A number of other Dutch stations were heard this evening, as follows:

88.0 Radio 2 (announced as Radio Tre), RDS = RADIO 2
91.8 Radio 1, RDS = RADIO 1
92.6 FFN (announced thereas)
96.8 3-FM (or was it V-FM?)
100.7 Q-Music

There were other Dutch stations heard, very weakly, but reception of these was very difficult due to fading and/or their proximity of UK-based stations in frequency.

KBFM Leeds RDS

2007-12-17T22:07:00.000Z

Leeds based Asian RSL KBFM 87.7 was today received with a strong enough signal to read the RDS.

RDS = 249-7899

Station phone number, perhaps?

KBFM back again

2007-12-11T04:39:00.000Z

Leeds-based Asian RSL KBFM started an RSL today on 87.9.

Weak but listenable signal from Garforth to Darrington (going south on the A1).
No RDS noted.

The Vixen FM RSL on that 87.9 has now finished, so at least KBFM has a clear frequency :-)

Another Asian station was also noted in Garforth on 87.7, very weak, thought to be Hajj FM from Bradford.

Also noted today: Fresh FM 95.6 (Leeds)

Vixen 87 returns

2007-11-16T02:31:00.000Z

Vixen 87 from Market Weighton has another RSL, on 87.9

RDS = VIXEN 87

Signal audible as far as both Garforth and Clowne - although near Garforth, and even on some parts of the A1 north of Darrington, it competes with Sabrang Radio of Bradford.

Sabrang Radio Bradford

2007-11-07T02:25:00.000Z

An Asian RSL on 87.9, believed to be Sabrang Radio of Bradford, was heard today and yesterday.

Signal weak but audible in Garforth, audible also some way south on the A1 (peaking on higher ground).

No RDS noted.

Akash FM Leeds

2007-11-02T01:55:00.000Z

Akash FM are doing an RSL in Leeds, on 87.7 FM.

RDS = AKASH FM

Programmes heard are mostly in an Asian language (Hindi?).

No website can be found, but the station is thought to be connected with the satellite station Akash Radio.

According to Wikipedia, Akash means "Ether" in Sanskrit - so it is an appropriate name for a radio station!

On other matters, Sheffield Live 93.2 have started full programmes. Very obviously a community-based station, programme style (around 5pm at least) reminded me of the black FM pirates in Sheffield back in the late 90s :-)

Redroad FM

2007-10-21T03:57:00.000+01:00

Redroad FM 87.7 is putting out a good signal, heard as far as Chesterfield today.

On the way home, the signal was almost continuously receivable - even in some pretty severe "dips", such as in the valley below Bolsover (near the disused Coalite plant).

Redroad FM

2007-10-16T01:20:00.000+01:00

Redroad FM from Kiveton Park are doing another RSL, on 87.7 FM.

RDS = REDROAD

Signal easily heard as far as Clowne (I'm listening to it as I type this entry!)

Redroad FM website

Sheffield Live returned

2007-10-12T05:09:00.000+01:00

Sheffield Live 93.2 are testing once again, this time with their own test transmissions - the earlier ones were by Ofcom (thanks to Sangita of Sheffield Live for this info). This time, a range of different music is aired, interspersed with announcements - in the morning, 1960's soul was aired, this evening it was a mixture of world music and UK hits.

Sheffield Live website

Also returned tonight (definitely not heard on Tuesday) is Hit Music Radio 100.8. Same coverage/range as before, RDS still HITMUSIC.

Sheffield Live and Hit Music Radio missing

2007-09-28T03:04:00.000+01:00

This evening, I was surprised to find both Sheffield Live 93.2 and Hit Music Radio 100.8 were missing from the FM dial.

Especially surprised to see Sheffield Live gone, as I know for a fact they have been awarded a community radio licence by Ofcom.

Still not sure about Hit Music Radio 100.8 though, nowhere (even on the internet) have I found any information about this web radio station's FM frequency.

Farewell to Blackpool

2007-09-27T05:48:00.000+01:00

All good things must come to an end, and this evening, I (rather reluctantly) started the journey back home to Clowne.

After nearing Manchester, I turned East and took the Snake Pass across the Pennines. As I was reaching the heights, the traffic got rather sluggish so I started playing with my car radio. On 92.2, I heard RTE FM quite clearly (though no RDS). Also in this area, Tameside Radio was heard testing on 103.6 FM.

As I got closer to Chesterfield, the RSLs I heard before I set off - Radio Ramadan (Sheffield) 87.7 and Amber Sound (Ripley) 87.9 were heard once more.

Blackpool Rock

2007-09-26T05:34:00.000+01:00

Well, today the weather's certainly improved following yesterday's gale. (I'd have hated to have been on an offshore pirate last night, those waves were awesome or awful, depending how you see it ...)

All the usual attractions have re-opened, including the rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach - where I spent most of this afternoon and evening. As well as the rides (I love the Infusion!) and arcades, shows etc, Blackpool Pleasure Beach also has its own "closed circuit" radio station played over the speakers throughout the park.

Holiday Rock FM is obviously connected to Rock FM, the Blackpool and Preston ILR on 97.4 - even has the same logo. First, a little bit about Holiday Rock FM - when I last visited Blackpool in 2001, it was called Kit Kat Radio (sponsored by ... guess who!).

Now a little bit about Rock FM - the hit music ILR for Blackpool and Preston, Rock FM started life in 1982 as Red Rose Radio. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, most ILRs started broadcasting different stations on their FM and MW frequencies; in 1990, Red Rose's FM frequencies became Red Rose Rock FM, which eventually morphed into simply Rock FM.

Ah well, enough of the history lesson ... now I'm off to see the famous Blackpool Illuminations!

Blackpool FM log

2007-09-25T01:30:00.000+01:00

Arrived in Blackpool this afternoon, staying until Wednesday.

A stormy day, most of the rides and even the North Pier were closed (I began to wonder if I'd arrived off-season, the town seemed almost 'dead'!)

Ah well, still a good number of stations heard on my car radio ...

88.6 BBC Radio 2 (Winter Hill)
88.9 BBC Radio 2 (Llangollen)
89.3 BBC Radio 2 (Holme Moss)
89.8 BBC Radio 2 (Llanddona)
90.0 BBC Radio 2 (Morecambe Bay)
90.3 BBC Radio 3 (Sandale)
90.8 BBC Radio 3 (Winter Hill)
91.1 BBC Radio 3 (Llangollen)
91.2 Energy FM (Snaefell, Isle of Man)
91.5 BBC Radio 3 (Holme Moss)
92.0 BBC Radio 3 (Llanddona)
92.2 BBC Radio 3 (Morecambe Bay)
93.0 BBC Radio 4 (Winter Hill)
93.3 BBC Radio 4 (Llangollen)
93.7 BBC Radio 4 (Holme Moss)
94.2 BBC Radio Cymru (Llanddona)
94.4 BBC Radio 4 (Morecambe Bay)
94.8 BBC Radio Wales (Llanddona)
95.1 BBC Radio Manchester BBC_MANC
95.5 BBC Radio Lancashire (Hameldon Hill) BBC_LANC
95.8 BBC Radio Merseyside
96.1 BBC Radio Cumbria BBC_CMBR
96.3 Coast FM (North Wales)
96.5 Wave FM (Blackpool - from Blackpool Tower!) WAVE_965
96.9 The Bay FM (Morecambe Bay)
97.1 The Buzz 97.1 (Storeton)
97.4 Rock FM (Preston & Blackpool - from Winter Hill) ROCK_FM
97.7 XFM (Manchester)
98.2 BBC Radio 1 (Winter Hill)
98.5 BBC Radio 1 (Llangollen)
98.9 BBC Radio 1 (Holme Moss)
99.4 BBC Radio 1 (Llanddona)
99.6 BBC Radio 1 (Morecambe Bay)
100.4 Smooth FM (Winter Hill) SMOOTH
101.1 Classic FM (Holme Moss)
101.8 Classic FM (Morecambe Bay)
102.0 Galaxy FM (Manchester)
102.4 Wish FM (Wigan)
102.6 Signal One (Stoke on Trent)
102.8 Chorley FM (Chorley)
103.0 Piccadilly Key 103 (Manchester)
103.4 Marcher Sound (Wrexham)
103.9 BBC Radio Lancashire (Winter Hill) BBC_LANC
104.3 BBC Radio Cymru (Llangollen)
104.5 BBC Radio Lancashire (Lancaster)
105.1 Galaxy FM (Yorkshire - from Emley Moor)
105.4 Century FM (North West) CENTURY
106.2 Real Radio (Yorkshire - from Emley Moor)
107.0 The Bee (Blackburn)
107.3 Abbey FM (Barrow in Furness)
107.6 Juice FM (Liverpool)
107.9 Dune FM (Southport)

Sheffield Live testing

2007-09-19T01:36:00.000+01:00

Sheffield Live are now testing on 93.2 FM.
RDS = SHEFLIVE

A loop tape of music which sounds like ambient music from the late 80s/early 90s is transmitted, occasionally interspersed with a brief announcement.

Signal was first heard near junction 35 of the A1, and was still audible when I reached Clowne - although for much of the journey (at the extremes of its range) it was competing with BBC Radio 4 on or near 93.2

Ramzan Leeds and Bradford

2007-09-19T01:26:00.000+01:00

In Garforth (Leeds), the Muslim Ramadan RSL Ramzan FM 87.7 from Leeds can be heard clearly.
RDS = RAMZANFM
Although a good signal near Leeds, as I drive home on the A1 southbound, Radio Ramadan of Sheffield (also on 87.7) soon starts competing with Ramzan FM Leeds, and soon after the M62 junction (41), Radio Ramadan Sheffield seems to be winning the battle.

Also in Garforth, Ramzan FM 89.9 from Bradford can be heard quite weakly, no RDS receivable.
Intrestingly, Ramzan FM Bradford covers a much wider area, and can still be heard dome way down the A1 and on parts of the M18.

Also on the subject of RSLs, Amber Sound 87.9 can be heard as far as junction 32 of the M1 northbound. Soon afterwards, the signal weakens and starts competing with Ramzan FM Bradford.

Amber Sound 87.9

2007-09-15T23:29:00.000+01:00

Amber Sound from the Amber Valley (near Ripley in Derbyshire) has started an RSL on 87.9.

RDS = AMBERSND

Audible weakly in Clowne, Chesterfield and even as far as Shirebrook (although in Shirebrook, it started competing with another station on the frequency - probably Boundary Sound of Newark). Stronger signal, strong enough to read the RDS, in higher areas such as Bolsover.

Amber Sound website

Quite enjoyable listening, in the early afternoon, when the DJ was playing old-school dance/soul music from the 1980s and 1970s.

Boundary Sound of Newark

2007-09-14T05:44:00.000+01:00

An RSL on 87.9 thought to be Boundary Sound from Newark was heard tonight.
Signal was quite weak but listenable in Whitwell, but had become very weak by the time I arrived back in Clowne.

Radio Ramadan 87.7 from Sheffield was also audible as far as Whitwell.

Radio Ramadan Sheffield

2007-09-13T06:18:00.000+01:00

Radio Ramadan 87.7 from Sheffield started their RSL today.

RDS = RAMADAN

Strong signal, audible in both Leeds and Clowne - in both cases with RDS received.

As regards Hit Music Radio 100.8, the plot thickens.
I visited Sheffield this evening, it couldn't be heard in Central or Northern Sheffield, except briefly near junction 34 of the M1 (near Meadowhall).
As I left Sheffield to the south, however, the signal became receivable quite well on the hill top. By the time I reached Eckington, Hit Music Radio could still be heard (albeit weakly) in the low areas.
Location of their TX - and its legal status - remains a mystery.

Notorious Online

2007-08-27T00:59:00.000+01:00

Just heard from the Notorious FM crew that they haven't gone away since the raid ... Notorious Online is now an online web radio station.

Notorious Online website

Pakistan FM Bradford

2007-08-25T01:26:00.000+01:00

The RSL on 87.7 audible in Leeds and down the A1, has been identified as Pakistan FM Bradford.

Pakistan FM Bradford website

In other news...

An unidentified station on 87.8 was heard this evening, very weakly, between junction 32 and 30 of the M1 (southbound).

Leeds pirate Radio Frequency 88.1 is back, with a strong signal reaching as far as junction 30 of the M1 (fading in and out as I travel, though).
Near junction 1 of the M18, it is strong enough to read the RDS = RF88-1FM.
Interestingly, not heard in Leeds at 4pm, but heard at 4:45pm near Rotherham, implies they start broadcasting between 4 and 5pm (4:30?).
Around4:50pm, has been heard playing rave music with MCing over the past few days.

40 years on

2007-08-15T03:38:00.000+01:00

Today, 40 years have passed since the Marine Offences Act was passed. This piece of proto-Blairite legislation effectively outlawed the offshore pirates - although it couldn't stop a station from broadcasting from International Waters, it forbade any British person or company to work on, supply or advertise on, or even publuish programme details of, an offshore pirate radio station.

Wikipedia article on Marine Offences Act

Back in the 1990s, I made the mistake of defending the Labour party for their role in passing this piece of hated legislation. Now, after 10 years of having to live under a New Labour government, I find myself eating the words I said at the time. (Although even a large helping of sauce can't relieve the nasty taste in my mouth, from having once supported a party which has pissed on all our civil liberties - not just those of free radio fans).

One point I made at the time, however, I do stand by. The Tories have been no better, no kinder to free radio. Not only did they not repeal the MOA, they actually strengthened the laws against pirate radio in 1984 and 1990, instigated Eurosiege '85 (the attempt in 1985 to starve Laser 558 and Radio Caroline off-air), and made it legal for the DTI to confiscate records and CDs used on a free radio station.

Again, Labour have not repealed any of the draconian anti-pirate legislation passed by the Tories. In addition, under New labour, we have seen ASBOs placed on pirate radio operators, and station operators sued for supposedly stealing listeners from ILR's.

So, who would I now rather see in power, the Tories or New Labour?

Why do two residential buildings and a rat-borne medieval disease spring to mind ...

Sundial FM 87.7

2007-08-11T02:44:00.000+01:00

New RSL from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Sundial FM 87.7, heard this afternoon.

Heard around 5pm near junction 32 on the M1 motorway, heading south.
Weak signal in Clowne.

RDS plugged in

2007-08-10T02:04:00.000+01:00

It seems some of the micro-transmitters, to enable reception of your mp3 player on a car radio, now have RDS.

While stuck in motorway traffic this morning I was scanning around the FM dial, and heard music on 87.7 - at first very weakly.

After driving a few yards, the signal improved enough for the RDS to be visible: IPLUGRDS

The range of these devices is (obviously) not great and, as the traffic started moving again, I soon lost the signal entirely.

Leeds pirates return

2007-08-07T02:49:00.000+01:00

Both Fresh FM 95.6 and Peoples FM 104.5 were back today.

Fresh FM 95.6 noted in the morning, just before 8am, playing reggae music. Scrolling RDS.

Just after 4pm, Peoples FM 104.5 had also returned. No RDS received.

Also this afternoon, Leeds 11 FM 87.9 had been joined by an as yet unidentified Asian station on 87.7 FM. Very weak signal in Garforth, still audible some way down the A1, implying the station is not from Leeds (Bradford maybe?)

Leeds 11 FM 87.9

2007-08-02T01:44:00.000+01:00

Leeds 11 FM now have an RSL on 87.9 FM.

RDS = LS11_FM

Leeds 11 FM website

Heard this evening from 4pm, at the time they had a programme about medical and health issues relating to pet animals.

Heard on the A1 south as far as Darrington.

Also today, Hull ILR KCFM 99.8 began full programmes at 6am.

No pirates heard again in Leeds, both Peoples FM and Fresh FM are still missing. If (as seems likely) they were raided, it may have been tied in with the forthcoming opening of the Leeds 11 FM RSL - Ofcom (and previously the DTI) often have a set of raids on pirates in an area where an RSL or ILR is due to start broadcasting.

Leeds pirates missing presumed raided

2007-08-01T01:55:00.000+01:00

No Leeds pirates heard today, an unusual event.

Not only was Peoples FM 104.5 totally missing, so was Fresh FM 95.6 - there wasn't even the usual "hiss relay" normally heard on 95.6 when Fresh is off-air (presumably they switch off the link TX at the studio, but leave their main TX transmitting and relaying the hiss received by its link receiver).

Strongly suspect Ofcom have had a round of ether-ic cleansing in the Leeds area.

Hit Music Radio Sheffield

2007-07-21T03:10:00.000+01:00

Hit Music Radio was heard tonight on 100.8 FM, from 17:15.

RDS = HITMUSIC

Mentioned Sheffield numerous times (their traffic news mentioned the M18/M1 traffic jam I was stuck in at the time!), their website mentions broadcasts from Sheffield but implies Hit Music Radio to be an internet radio station. Strange :-$

Was first heard on the M18 near junction 1 (Rotherham), becoming stronger when I joined the M1 (junction 32). Was heard strongly near the Woodall service station, but faded out soon after and had disappeared underneath bleedover from Heart FM 100.7 by junction 30. Not audible in Clowne on FM, but can of couse still be heard via their website:

Hit Music Radio website