Starlight Radio

Here's a recording of Starlight Radio in Germany, made in 1985, using 41 metres. No QSL with this one.



(2.28 mins)

Radio Rainbow Int, Ireland

Radio Rainbow Int was set up by Boyneside Radio presenter and engineer Heady Eddie in 1985 and was on air for about three years. Here is a clip from 1985. There is more information on DX Archive




(2.45 mins)


QSL from DX Archive

Channel Radio

Here is a recording from a UK station called Channel Radio which used the Hunstanton maildrop. The recording was made in 1985.



(2.38 mins)

Radio Ridiculous & Radio Tonair

Here are a couple of recordings from Dutch stations that are still around today, although both are not on the air very often. This is how they sounded in 1985.



(2.03 mins)

(1.11 mins)

Radio Rastafari

Here is a clip from early 1985 of a reggae station called Radio Rastafari, heard on 6205 kHz which used a mailing address in the Netherlands.




(1.31 mins)


(Thanks to Eckhard in Germany for supplying the QSL)

Radio Jackie raided (1985)

Radio Jackie first went on the air on medium wave in 1969 with the aim of providing a local radio service for the people of south west London. Its popularity grew and in 1984 a petition was signed by 55,000 people calling for the station to be given a licence. But in February 1985 the station was raided by the DTI and closed down. When a license was advertised in 1996 for SW London, Jackie applied but it was given to a rival bidder, Thames FM. But in 2003 Thames FM was in financial trouble and the Jackie team bought the station and Jackie was back on the air as a legal station, and can still be heard on 107.8FM in south west London.

There is more about the station history and photographs on the Radio Jackie website: http://www.radiojackie.com/

There is also a lot more information and recordings from the 1970s and 80s on the Radio Eric website: http://radio.eric.tripod.com/radio_jackie.htm

The Pirate Archive also has more information and audio: http://www.thepiratearchive.net/jackie.html

Here is a short clip I made of Jackie's final moments on medium wave in 1985, although the final closedown was only heard on FM.




(0.50 mins)

The Radio Jackie theme tune played by the Bob Keene Orchestra

Radio Ireland Int

There were many stations on the air from Ireland during the 1980s. Another was Radio Ireland International. Here is a recording from late 1984.



(1.40 mins)

Radio 47

Here is a clip from a UK station called Radio 47, made at Christmas 1984. Good signal and audio but no QSL from this station.



(4.13 mins)

Radio CLCG, Germany

CLCG stood for the Clandestine Listeners Club Germany and was also heard with Radio CLCG through the 1980s and 1990s. Here are two clips from late-1984.





(2.51 mins & 0.25 min)

KBC Radio

Here is a station that can still be heard on the airwaves, although now as a legal station via high-powered shortwave transmitters. Here is a clip of KBC from 1984 sounding much like they do today!




(1.40 mins)

Future World Radio

Here is a short clip from Dutch station Future World Radio, from 1984.



(0.36 mins)

QSL from http://www.radio-eulenspiegel.eu/

Radio Sound of Switzerland

Here is a station called Radio Sound of Switzerland making its first transmission in September 1984. Here are clips of announcements and signing off.




(2.45 mins)

Crystal Radio

Crystal Radio (not to be confused with another UK station, Radio Kristel) was a Midlands pirate from the 1980s. Here's a couple of short recordings from 1984.





(1.01 & 0.23 mins)

Radio Valleri & Misty Mountain Radio

Here a couple of short clips from 1984 of two stations from either side of the border in Ireland. Radio Valleri was a long-running station from Dublin while Misty Mountain Radio broadcast from Northern Ireland.



(0.54 mins)

A lot more information and recordings of Valleri at: http://www.dxarchive.com/ireland__sw_radio_valleri.html

(0.46 mins)

There's more about MMR at: http://www.dxarchive.com/shortwave_pirates_misty_mountain_radio.html

Radio 101, Germany

Here is a clip of Radio 101 from Germany recorded in 1984.




(1.56 mins)

More information about Radio 101 at http://www.radio101.de/radio101/index-e.htm

London Basin Broadcasting Company

Here is a clip from a London FM station which called itself the London Basin Broadcasting Company (LBBC) from early 1984, featuring Steve Davis, Graham Archer and Chris Miles.



(2.57 mins)

Radio Madison

Here is a recording from January 1984 of Swiss station Radio Madison, offering its own station badges. By the strength of the signal, probably via a relay in the UK or Netherlands.



(4.31 mins)

Spectrum World Broadcasting

Spectrum World Broadcasting was another UK free radio station heard in the mid-80s. Here is a recording made in 1984. Gerry Sinclair of SWB was also involved with a south west London FM pirate called Radio Suburbia.



(4.33 mins)

Radio Invicta & Horizon Radio

Two of the pioneering soul stations in London in the early 80s were Invicta and Horizon. Here are some clips from the two stations from 1983.



(1.29 mins)

There's a lot more audio and information about Invicta at these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Invicta_(London_pirate_station)
http://www.radioinvicta.com/audio/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Invicta-924/146169279003?ref=ts
http://radio.eric.tripod.com/radio_invicta.htm
http://www.thepiratearchive.net/invicta.html


Here is a clip from Horizon. The station formed in 1982 but in 1984 a revolt led to 11 DJs setting up a new station, Solar Radio.



(1.05 mins)

I did find clips of Horizon and many other London pirates at this site: http://www.amfm.org.uk/
There's a lot more about Horizon and more audio at the Pirate Archive: http://www.thepiratearchive.net/horizon.html

In 2017 a new Horizon Radio website was launched: http://horizonradiolondon.com

Radio Enterprise, Netherlands

Here is a recording of Dutch station Radio Enterprise from 1983, relayed by Radio Apollo.



(1.47 mins)