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Old 6th Jul 2017, 8:21 am   #61
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Yes, they tried to influence the outcome of a General Election (temporarily changing their name to Caroline for the exercise) but the "last laugh" was with the authorities because even though there was a change of government the jamming continued.
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Old 6th Jul 2017, 10:02 am   #62
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

This particular escapade probably did more damage to the cause of 'free radio' than anything else before or since.
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Old 6th Jul 2017, 11:01 am   #63
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

IIRC, it's the only time a British government have ever jammed broadcasts aimed at the UK
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Old 6th Jul 2017, 12:22 pm   #64
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Caroline really should have been established on land years ago - especially with the arrival of national commercial radio - making a real contribution to the broadcasting scene but the station has long been a thorn in the side of various governments down the years. The 1967 act and its equivalent in other European countries was good enough to close down all but the most determined offshore operators but ultimately Caroline was only silenced by the most draconian of legislation put on the statute book over twenty years after the original act.

However, if Caroline had been established on land in the 1990s, when MW was still viable for broadcasting, would it have subsequently become yet another pawn in the takeover game that has resulted in the homogenization of commercial radio, its very essence destroyed?
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Old 7th Jul 2017, 8:34 am   #65
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Hello All,

For those interested in the type of music that Caroline will be / is playing, their current schedule is on their website is at http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/#schedule.html.

They can be listened to online, on mobile app, and even on DAB in certain parts of the country. I am lucky enough to be living in one of their DAB coverage areas and listen to it daily. The DAB coverage maps are also on the website and these areas include Aldershot/Woking, Norwich, Portsmouth, Glasgow, Birmingham and Brighton.

Cheers,

Peter
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Old 8th Jul 2017, 6:19 pm   #66
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

I seem to remember the jamming being on 244 metres so, at least up here in the midlands, there was almost as much interference to Radio 1 on 247 metres.

Happy days!

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Old 8th Jul 2017, 6:51 pm   #67
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

I found that by very careful positioning of a portable radio, it was possible to almost 'null-out' the jamming. I made a recording of it where the jamming was only very faint in the background (unfortunately long gone now) and yes it was on 244. I seem to remember RNI were slightly retuning the transmitter slightly HF or LF of 244 in an effort to beat the jamming. When the jamming also retuned, RNI simply retuned the other way so they sort of 'chased' each other about for a while. It caused local interference to R1 when that was on 247. Happy days!
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Old 8th Jul 2017, 7:19 pm   #68
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sideband View Post
A few years after the pirates had gone (and before Caroline returned in 1972) RNI (Radio Nordsee International) in 1970 was jammed by a transmitter from Orford Ness. I believe there is an interesting story regarding this transmitter on the Radio Caroline website
Here is the interesting story regarding Radio Caroline, the Mi Amigo and RNI. It's actually on the Ross Revenge website. You need to go at least 2/3rd down the page where it starts 'It's now late 1965....'
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Old 2nd Aug 2017, 4:17 pm   #69
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Hi. I always believed that Orford Ness played a major part in jamming frequencies during the so-called "pirate radio" era. Jamming transmissions just makes the situation many times worse than it actually is.
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Old 2nd Aug 2017, 4:20 pm   #70
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

I have read that there is an event for Caroline in September at Felixstowe, Suffolk - something to look forward to. Are there any other events to celebrate 50 years since 1967 closure?
Cheers
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Old 2nd Aug 2017, 6:33 pm   #71
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

I shall raise a glass at 3pm on the 14th of this month to the 50th anniversary of the close-down of "Big L" Radio London. I can vividly remember sitting in my old Mum's lounge counting down the minutes to close down, it was very moving and upsetting, strange as it seems today. Caroline and Big L were 'our' stations and how dare the government interfere

How can it be 50 years ago?
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Old 2nd Aug 2017, 8:11 pm   #72
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Somewhere I have a cassette with a few minutes of the RNI jammed transmissions. By suitably orienting my portable it was possible to reduce, but not totally eliminate, the jamming.

We went on a cruise from Harwich in 2007 at the time Caroline was broadcasting (with permission) from a light ship moored in the estuary. Unfortunately it was bucketting down with rain at the time (and continued at near gale force all the way up the North Sea the following day), hence the poor quality of the attached photo.
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Old 2nd Aug 2017, 8:24 pm   #73
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

I, too, remember the closedown of 'Big L' at 3.05PM or thereabouts on 14th. August 1967. The final news bulletin and closedown announcement was, IIRC, made by Paul Kaye. Don't recall how, or at what time, the other 'pirates' closed down, although I do recall Caroline's 'carrying on' message at midnight on 14th. August. I think they played 'We Shall Overcome'
Like most then young people, I felt that Radio One was a somewhat pale imitation of 'Big L' doing the best it could with the restrictions placed on it at the time.
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Old 2nd Aug 2017, 9:49 pm   #74
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

This is my kind of music http://www.carolineflashback.co.uk/#home.html
I notice that they say they are now a land based broadcaster The Ross Revenge is only used for special occasions.
Mike
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Old 2nd Aug 2017, 10:33 pm   #75
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 'LIVEWIRE?' View Post
I, too, remember the closedown of 'Big L' at 3.05PM or thereabouts on 14th. August 1967. The final news bulletin and closedown announcement was, IIRC, made by Paul Kaye.
I, too remember it well. I was 14 and on school summer holidays. All day I was in our living room with the radiogram on (can't remember what radiogram it was but it had the classic octal valve line-up of 6K8, 6K7, 6Q7, 6V6 and 5Z4 with an EM34 tuning indicator). Their last programme was 'Their Final Hour' and I remember all the DJ's coming on and saying their goodbye's. It was very sad at the time because you felt like you were losing an old friend (which I suppose we were in a way). At 3pm, Paul Kaye announced 'Big L time is 3 o'clock and Radio London is now closing down'. I think they then played 'Big Lil' theme tune in it's entirety and even when it finished, I waited until the EM34 opened up indicating that the transmitter was finally switched off......that would have been around 3:05pm. I tuned around to the other pirates, some had gone, others were on the point of closing. Radio Caroline of course carried on and paid tribute to Radio London, I think they held a minutes silence....not sure.

Radio was never the same again.
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Old 2nd Aug 2017, 10:48 pm   #76
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 'LIVEWIRE?' View Post
I do recall Caroline's 'carrying on' message at midnight on 14th. August. I think they played 'We Shall Overcome'
Like most then young people, I felt that Radio One was a somewhat pale imitation of 'Big L' doing the best it could with the restrictions placed on it at the time.
Yes...I sat up and listened on the same radiogram (probably the longest it had ever been continually used......well over 16 hours). Johnny Walker made the speech and it sounded like they were well and truly drunk........

Apart from the adverts during the day and the fact that they now had a Dutch address, they sounded pretty much the same.....at least until the money started running out and then they went silent in March 1968 not to be heard again until 1972...
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Old 3rd Aug 2017, 7:46 am   #77
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

The Radio Authority had allocated 558KHz to Spectrum Radio, and when it came on air
it effectively jammed Laser 558. As this was not successful, Spectrum were temporarily
allocated 990KHz until the ship went off - Laser had been seen as a much greater threat
than the old pirates.
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Old 3rd Aug 2017, 8:27 am   #78
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by emeritus View Post
We went on a cruise from Harwich in 2007 at the time Caroline was broadcasting (with permission) from a light ship moored in the estuary. Unfortunately it was bucketting down with rain at the time (and continued at near gale force all the way up the North Sea the following day), hence the poor quality of the attached photo.
That would be Pirate BBC Essex which broadcast for several days around the clock on BBC Essex's medium wave frequencies for the 40th Anniversary.

Many ex-pirate DJs were aboard: Johnnie Walker, Roger Day, Dave Cash, Keith Skues, Norman St John, Emperor Rosko, Tom Edwards and Ray Clark to name a few. There was a real sense of realism for the DJs broadcasting afloat and following old routines such as remembering to give the hand pump a couple of strokes each time they passed it to keep the supply of drinking water topped up.

There was another event during Easter 2009 to coincide with 45 years with the launch of Radio Caroline and the film The Boat that Rocked but this time the ship was moored at the quayside.

There is an event coming up:

http://www.lv18radio.uk/
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Old 3rd Aug 2017, 8:42 am   #79
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ITAM805 View Post
I shall raise a glass at 3pm on the 14th of this month to the 50th anniversary of the close-down of "Big L" Radio London. I can vividly remember sitting in my old Mum's lounge counting down the minutes to close down, it was very moving and upsetting, strange as it seems today. Caroline and Big L were 'our' stations and how dare the government interfere
I was a Caroline listener and though pleased that they were defiant I felt a massive sadness. I think, despite the defiance, we rather knew it couldn't last. The signal from the South ship seemed to get worse - probably reducing power to save fuel - and there was ultimately the second sadness when the ships were towed away in March 1968. I remember an announcement that it was "for a few weeks" but deep down I knew that was it.

At a young age I didn't understand all the implications but it was now Radio One, Luxembourg, AFN and whatever else I could find twiddling around the medium waves (I never could hear Veronica on 192/1562kHz) until another pirate era arrived.
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Old 3rd Aug 2017, 8:45 am   #80
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Default Re: Radio Caroline to return on Medium Wave.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Restoration73 View Post
The Radio Authority had allocated 558KHz to Spectrum Radio, and when it came on air
it effectively jammed Laser 558. As this was not successful, Spectrum were temporarily allocated 990KHz until the ship went off - Laser had been seen as a much greater threat than the old pirates.
Laser 558 was a stonking signal in the midlands - much stronger than any of the previous pirates - I used to listen regularly on the car radio in the daytime.
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