Although Radio Orangutan was one of the first free radio stations I ever heard on shortwave, I always favoured the output of UK-based stations over that of their continental counterparts. That is not to say there wasn't anything worth listening to from outside the United Kingdom, but as a very young man at the time it was always inevitable that I'd prefer English language broadcasts to those in foreign tongues.
Of all the European pirate stations who broadcasted during the 1990s, I probably only contacted half a dozen or so compared to somewhere between 40-50 UK and Irish-based operators. Those from memory would have been France's Radio Waves International, Sweden's Radio Fusion, and the Dutch quartet of Radio Baanbreker, one of the Radio Deltas, Radio Silverbird, and the mighty Radio Barones. There may well have been others who don't readily come to mind, but I doubt it.
In more recent times I have become frustrated with what I regard as disrespectful behaviour from some continental operators who fail to check the band before switching on their rigs, often with the result of swamping stations who have already commenced broadcasting. In mitigation atmospheric conditions can result in stations who are audible in the UK not being so in for example Germany or the Netherlands, but this is where the expedient use of Software Defined Radio receivers located in other countries can help overcome any potential antisocial behaviour, inadvertent or otherwise.
A contemporary station with a towering signal and to me at least a superb dedication to dance music, Radio Joey has I believe upset other stations in the past by obliterating the band with its significant presence, but in more recent times appears to be far more aware of those with whom it should coexist. I have witnessed Joey move frequency to presumably avoid interference and/or to be respectful of other stations, for which the operator should be applauded.
Between Christmas and new year I heard a fairly brief but positive music-dominated broadcast from Radio Joey, accompanied by the usual strong signal and superb modulation. I haven't asked anyone for a QSL card in the last twenty five years but I was nevertheless surprisingly pleased to receive the below in response to my email to the station:
The golden days of free radio in the vein of how it became known to me are now as far off ago to almost feel like they never existed, but for just one brief interlude whilst listening to Radio Joey I was taken back to the power house signals of Live Wire Radio and Weekend Music Radio, both of whom had the chat and music policy to retain the attention of their listeners. Musical taste is highly subjective, but for me at least the duality of a big signal and a pleasing soundtrack briefly reminded me of much of what initially attracted me to free radio some thirty two and a half years ago.
