Long distance radio stations picked up

[George 1978]

In around 1994 I experienced atmospheric conditions on my radio (it also happened to the TV, although as one doesn't tune in modern sets unlike radios or old TV sets) it rarely is noticeable. On the TV I got Anglia, the London region and even a bit of Meridian!

I know that as I was in Nottingham where I grew up, I managed to get BBC Radio Norfolk and Kent on 104.4 and 104.2 respectively, I think. Also managed to get BBC London in what East Midlanders would have got BBC Radio Lincolnshire on 94.9. Capital FM in London even had a few calls from people in the Midlands saying that they could pick up the station variably. And then around four hours later, they all disappeared except in their areas of origin of course.

On a more regular basis, back home I used to pick up a few East Anglian stations - we got TV programmes from the Waltham transmitter back then which meant that the aerial on our roof was in the South East direction, and so therefore the signal was stronger in that direction. Used to pick up BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and listened to Richard Spendlove who ironically enough came from Nottingham like I do. Found the late Roy Waller on BBC Radio Norfolk; Didn't get Suffolk as the station doesn't have MW frequencies, but I got a good Three Counties Radio signal (even listened to Timmy Mallet doing Drivetime on the station circa 1999, as I saw his name mentioned in an East Anglia Radio Times on the Local Radio pages!) Found BBC Essex and surprised their Drivetime presenter by letter, saying that I can pick them up in Nottingham! Even found BBC Radio Kent once as well on there. I am certain that BBC Radio Wales and Scotland have been picked up as well.

Now I live north of the city and have a stronger, digital radio, I have managed to pick up BBC Radio Sheffield on 104.1; and even BBC Radio Cymru on 104.3 despite being nowhere near Wales. BBC Radio Stoke has been found on 94.6, and even a very faint Humberside signal was found when I put the radio near the bedroom window. Leeds came up when I was retuning once. And that was on the analogue waveband, may I add. I have an older radio and got BBC Radio Ulster on the MW as well.

Turning the tables, I have always wondered whether BBC Radio Nottingham can be heard south of Leicester (BBC Radio Leicester can be heard north of Nottingham); east of Grantham; in Chesterfield and so on. I suppose that the internet and the fact that most radio stations are available online anyway has taken away all the excitement of that, but back in the 1990s and before, it was so exciting to get radio stations from so far away. Different frequencies of national radio stations don't count of course, and I suppose getting the former Radio Luxembourg doesn't really count either (taken over by a German music radio station by 1994) - neither does the Voice of Russia of a winter's morning a few years back.

Has anyone pick up any "out of bounds" radio stations so far away from where they live on their radio? - The internet doesn't count of course - it has to be an ordinary analogue radio.

[Moonraker]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

In the early 80s use to listen to Radio Laser and Radio Caroline. Both, I think we're illegal broadcast on ships; probably outside British waters.

[Richard1978]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

Occasionally my car radio picks up traffic reports from stations a distance away, Radio Stoke & Radio Shefield are common.

[80sChav]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

Great thread you have created here George mate! I am very much in awe of your far flung locations you have picked up Living on the East Coast in the 1990s - the Yorkshire/the Humberside area/County (as it was known, then) side I definitley recall picking up a TV Station from Holland 9though admitt it's not Radio and the qaulity was good) as we could pick up Tyne-Tees on Telly and now looking back on your thread it has brought my memory back of watching Sunderland's return as loosing Cup Finalists to Liverpool in 1992 on TT!!

As for Radio Stations no I never picked too far up out of reach .... just the Neighbouring County's and City's and Towns and I never got as far as picking up Middlesbrough news on the Radio like on TV - even though in those it was in the now defunct County of Cleleland but has now gone full swing from being formaly in the North Riding of Yorkshire to being back in the "Cerominal County of North Yorkshire". I never asociate Sunderland and Newcastle with Middlesbrough - and the North East in that respect and it's a sticking point they would argue their not North Eastern-ers or Yorkshiremen either way

Going again back to TV - I once recall our local Yorkshire ITV 's Football Programme one Sunday addoinng highlights of a Notts County game ( I guess to make up the Numbers) but as you say since you can get it all online it's not the same I''d say now but if I am into a Football Match and say for arguments sake it involves a great Manchester Team v a Lancashire one (as was prior to the 70s re-oranisation) then I'll go on "Auntie" and decet the highlights from each County's or Areas Station - has each then would have a slightly jaundist view!

I am very interested in the mezmorising facts and the like of how you describe County's near to you and not - this side of Geography as always interested me and in ways Circa Radio Stations as so - just too like an old-ish (late 90s- early Noiughties) Football and Sports Paper called Yorkshire Sport that came out on a Sunday and went as far as to include Burnley, Grimsby and Middlesbrough amongst major match reports (as if ... that could bso). Well Burnley was an insult to real Yorkshireman as would it be vice vera for a Lnacs Paper adding a Yorkshire team's Match Report no doubt, but I can understand Middlesbrough (for reasons stated above) and in a way Grimsby as that became part of South Humberside at one time when Yorkshire and Humberside got "married"

Though yes it has definitley been a point of interest over the years ad-hockly, and recalling the Sunderland Parade and Notts County game has certainly re-flared my interes once more, though it is not the same one bit now all can be got on-line

Thanks for the memories and the Head's Up here mate!!

80sChav

[George 1978]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

In the early 80s use to listen to Radio Laser and Radio Caroline. Both, I think we're illegal broadcast on ships; probably outside British waters.

Where exactly was Radio Caroline broadcasting from? I know it was somewhere in the North Sea, but how many miles was it from the British mainland? - was it closer to the Netherlands than Great Britain?

The problem is that unlike mainland radio stations, it's very difficult to measure how many miles away the station was in relation to where someone was listening.

[George 1978]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

Occasionally my car radio picks up traffic reports from stations a distance away, Radio Stoke & Radio Shefield are common.

The interesting thing is that both Radio Stoke and Radio Sheffield both use 104.1 as their FM frequency, while Stoke uses 94.6 and Sheffield uses 94.7.

[Moonraker]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

Where exactly was Radio Caroline broadcasting from? I know it was somewhere in the North Sea, but how many miles was it from the British mainland? - was it closer to the Netherlands than Great Britain?

The problem is that unlike mainland radio stations, it's very difficult to measure how many miles away the station was in relation to where someone was listening.

Was it not a pirate station?

[George 1978]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

Was it not a pirate station?

It was indeed a pirate radio station which begged the question as to how many miles it was from the British mainland.

[Twocky61]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

Not a radio station, but you could pick up cordless phones (Pre DECT) on 1600 MW, if you were within range of house where it was used

[Richard1978]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

I remember my Dad's car radio occasionally picked up taxi radios, back when the top end of FM radio (105-108MHz) was still used in the UK for 2 way radios.

[80sChav]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

I remember my Dad's car radio occasionally picked up taxi radios, back when the top end of FM radio (105-108MHz) was still used in the UK for 2 way radios.

This was the same here Richard when we passed certain buildings or whatever - this happened with Taxi Firms in our Car/s too!! A good call/memory you've brought me back here - thanks mate

This eventualy lead me to my love of CB Radio years later (not through Taxi's, but just the thrill of the Radio CB -Wise)

80sChav

[Richard1978]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

This was the same here Richard when we passed certain buildings or whatever - this happened with Taxi Firms in our Car/s too!! A good call/memory you've brought me back here - thanks mate

This eventualy lead me to my love of CB Radio years later (not through Taxi's, but just the thrill of the Radio CB -Wise)

80sChav

One odd thing about them was you could normally only hear half the conversation, as I assume each part was on another frequency.

[George 1978]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

I know that in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the 87.5 to 88 waveband, just before you get to Radio 2, I could even hear what sounded like police radio messages, one way of course on the radio. I assume that the emergency services use the waveband that is prior to the 87 MHz frequencies and that could be left over from that.

I used to see advertised in Sunday newspaper magazines special radios with strong aerials that had all the private wavebands which allowed one to "eavesdrop" into air force, military signals and all that, and even back then, it made me think whether a member of the public owning such an object was actually legal?

[Twocky61]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

Here in the UK; even nowadays, you are permitted to buy scanners that pick up emergency services & other government frequencies. Though, or course, the police have gone TETRA encrypted. As long as you don't listen to the messages, that is lol

Similar to emergency blue lights & sirens (as long as you don't use them)

So, what's the point in that then? lol

[George 1978]

Re: Long distance radio stations picked up

It reminds me of Mutiny on the Buses where Stan Butler and Jack Harper retuned the radio control transmitter so that it picked up police and aeroplane frequencies instead of the bus services.

"SB 17 - can you hear me?"