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Old 31st Aug 2014, 2:05 pm   #1
Junk Box Nick
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Default The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act came into force at midnight forty years ago today. That saw the end of Radio Veronica, Nordsee International and Atlantis. Radio Caroline, as in 1967, continued.

Back then my regular means of listening was already 'vintage' using a 1950s HMV vanity case valve set that I had been given by a friend of my mother. Instead of using HT and LT batteries I wired it to enable it to be plugged into another gift - a vintage Amplion variable power supply with selenium rectifiers that a science teacher at school, noting my interest, had given me.

The vanity case set had remarkable sound quality and pulled in Caroline and RNI on medium wave particularly well. I also listened to the RNI 'World Service' on short wave on a Unica UNR-30 general coverage set (warm it up for 30 mins first because it drifted like fury!).

I would regualrly fall asleep listening to RNI. My mother learned to power-down the PSU turning down the HT first!

The vanity case set was retrieved from the loft and has been in the 'Round To It' pile a while. The Amplion PSU turned up when I cleared the shed at my parents' house. Could be a jolly useful item if it is restorable.
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Old 31st Aug 2014, 4:31 pm   #2
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Default Re: 40 years ago today

I used to listen to RNI's HF service on a Philips 170A, and the audio quality of the transmissions was surprisingly high compared to the usual 49m band broadcasters - maybe because they weren't subject to regulation. But of course, subject to deep fading at times.
Somewhere I probably still have my off-air recordings of the final day of programmes.
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Old 1st Sep 2014, 12:27 am   #3
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

Hi,

I worked PA40VRON on 40 metres today, set up to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the legalised Radio Veronica. It originally started in 1960, and I believe it was the earliest of the pirate stations set up on ships.
It was never a strong station in the early 60s, but I always used to listen for it when I went on holidays to Suffolk.

Kind regards

Dave
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Old 1st Sep 2014, 2:00 pm   #4
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

I heard PA40VRON special event station on 40m on Sunday I tried to work them but there was a lot of stations calling so I gave up. I heard them work a Birmingham station so might have been you Dave!.
John
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Old 1st Sep 2014, 2:40 pm   #5
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

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Originally Posted by Dave757 View Post
It originally started in 1960, and I believe it was the earliest of the pirate stations set up on ships.
Veronica was the second 'offshore pirate' radio station. Radio Mercur was the first, off the Danish coast, commencing in July 1958.

Ask the average person (of a certain age) in the street and they will probably tell you that Radio Caroline was the first pirate but by the time it came on the air in 1964 there had already been regular broadcasts from six offshore stations, including Veronica, to Europe stretching from Belgium to Sweden.
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Old 1st Sep 2014, 7:33 pm   #6
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

If you tune between 1611 and 1700 kc/s on most evenings there are still a few Dutch pirates about. The quality of programmes and the signals varys a lot but they are always entertaining.
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Old 2nd Sep 2014, 12:58 pm   #7
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

Hi. I had a day out in Scarborough, Yorkshire, during the weekend, and listened to Radio Waddenzee. They had a bit about the 40th anniversary of the Dutch M.O.A in the afternoon. The theme tune for Radio North Sea was played ("Man of Action" by Les Reed Orchestra), and also "Peace" by Peter (this seems to be featured by "pirate" radio stations a great deal).
I thought that there would have been a lot more added to the programme, though.
Cheers
Mike
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Old 2nd Sep 2014, 2:06 pm   #8
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

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If you tune between 1611 and 1700 kc/s on most evenings...
It is still illegal to deliberately listen to unauthorized broadcasts (and much more), I do hope this was by accident!
 
Old 2nd Sep 2014, 3:22 pm   #9
Maarten
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

Wow! I never knew this would be illegal in the UK. In the Netherlands, only unauthorised transmission is illegal (except for a few years during WWII when listening was restricted as well). Much more practical from a law enforcement point of view and also more logical (listening could occur unintentionally and doesn't do direct harm).
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Old 2nd Sep 2014, 4:03 pm   #10
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

I should have specified the UK, indeed it is a bit silly.
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(except for a few years during WWII when listening was restricted as well)
I don't think it was the Dutch that brought in that law, not directly anyway.
 
Old 2nd Sep 2014, 6:50 pm   #11
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

I believe that the (UK) Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 made it illegal to listen to unauthorised broadcasts. Thus, it seems, it was always illegal to listen to Radio Caroline, London, City, 390, etc.

There are a number of difficulties with enforcing such legislation. First it is necessary to define what constitutes an unauthorised broadcast. Would a land-based station in a foreign country flouting the band-plan be considered unauthorised. What is authorised in on territory might not be considered authorised in the UK. Secondly, in the case of the 1960s offshore stations, prosecution of 10 million people or more was clearly impractical!
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Old 2nd Sep 2014, 7:09 pm   #12
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

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It is still illegal to deliberately listen to unauthorized broadcasts (and much more), I do hope this was by accident
The terms of my amateur licence require me to take steps to ensure my transmissions do not interfere with broadcast transmissions; so if I just happen to leave the 'harmonic-detector' listening on frequencies that might inadvertently be interfered-with . . .
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Old 3rd Sep 2014, 3:33 pm   #13
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

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I don't think it was the Dutch that brought in that law, not directly anyway.
Hi Merlinmaxwell. You were probably right on this Dutch law. I don't think that the Dutch government brought this law directly in to force. From what I read once, Radio Veronica was actually accepted for many years. It was only until later on that they tried to close it down, and even then I believe that they were probably told to get it closed down!
Cheers
Mike
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Old 3rd Sep 2014, 9:01 pm   #14
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

I think merlinmaxwell was referring to the German occupation of The Netherlands.
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Old 3rd Sep 2014, 9:43 pm   #15
Junk Box Nick
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

Radio Veronica quickly became an accepted part of the establishment. It found itself secure enough that, when another Dutch pirate Radio Noordzee (not to be confused with the later RNI) arrived in 1964 on a specially constructed offshore platform - the 'REM Island' - and commenced transmissions not only of radio but also TV that the Dutch govenment quickly acted against it. The legislation was carefully drafted to outlaw Radio Noordzee's activities whilst not affecting Veronica. The REM Island was raided and the stations closed, though the structure remained for many years afterwards. Governments in Holland have invariably been coalitions, Veronica was immensly popular and any party putting it off the air was bound to lose votes.

Despite the pirate boom off the coast of the UK in the 1960s, Radio Veronica remained secure and untroubled until 1970 when Radio Nordsee International arrived on the scene. What went on between the two stations is too long to document here but it's fair to say that the arrival of the very powerful RNI was destined to rock Veronica's boat. RNI first only broadcast in German and English, then anchored of the Essex coast for a while and was jammed from the UK, returned to the Dutch coast and closed down for some months.

However, the 1970s then saw a mini offshore radio boom along the Dutch coast with Capital Radio (not to be confused with the London commercial station), Radio Condor and Radio Atlantis arriving on the scene at various times and, of course, the most famous pirate of the lot, Radio Caroline, sneaked out of Amsterdam in 1972 to join the throng.

There had been various incidents up and down the coast, including the firebombing of RNI, and with more stations arriving and probably more planned it was clear that the situation was getting out of hand. In the same way that the shooting of Radio City's Reg Calvert had revealed another side of the pirate radio business and gave the UK Government reason to act, the Dutch Government now had reason to act too, and if not an overwhelmingly popular decision it was at least justifiable, and thus the the legislation came in at midnight on 31 August 1974.

Crikey - where have those 40 years gone?
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Old 5th Sep 2014, 2:09 pm   #16
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Default Re: The Dutch Marine Broadcasting Act is 40 years ago today

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Originally Posted by Maarten View Post
Wow! I never knew this would be illegal in the UK. In the Netherlands, only unauthorised transmission is illegal
Hi Maarten. The Dutch authorities (from what I have read) were far more flexible in their approach to so called "pirate" radio than the U.K authorities, especially when it lasted so long.
It was a great pleasure to visit Holland and to see one of the former vessels of Radio Veronica (M.V Nordeney) in Leewarden in 2000. As a small country, Holland did very well to have such a radio station such as Veronica, which became a way of life for them. I enjoyed listening to the many rock and pop groups from Holland in the 1960's & 1970's. Radio Veronica helped to make quite a few of those popular world wide!

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I think merlinmaxwell was referring to the German occupation of The Netherlands.
Hi Graham. The stations off the Dutch coast were being judged by the authorities in the same way that the U.K authorities were judging the ones off the English coast. It only took some incidents to bring a similar law in to operation in Holland. In other words, they had been planning to close the Dutch stations down, and the problem with R.N.I secured the plan.
Mike
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