As much as I lament the passing of my own golden era of UK-based free radio on shortwave, I often found bank holidays to be, much like today's weather, something of a damp squib.
The public holidays in April (Easter), May, and August would frequently coincide with poor listening (and broadcasting) conditions, which at times made 6 MHz, predominantly the band of choice in the 1990s, out of bounds.
I would also somehow miss broadcasts made by some UK operators - despite actually conducting continuous bandscans whilst they were apparently on. The most obvious 'ghost' station was Total Control Radio, later known as The Nitrozone, who I never ever heard despite often listening when it was on the air. These of course were days before real-time message boards and fora which now keep those interested up to date as it happens, but my Venturer 2959 analogue set up never managed to pull in the low power Nitrozone, or its predecessor.
The real broadcasting action, at least what I managed to hear, would take place in the evenings and overnight initially on 6 MHz, but increasingly so on 76 metres. These were the days of there usually/always being something worthy to listen to after 11 pm, and thereon in as the pubs emptied! Subterranean Sounds would frequently be received before the likes of Live Wire, Radio Armadillo, and the Wizard (WMS) took the controls. Weekend Music Radio might also pop up, either with a late night impromptu broadcast or that of a pre-recorded nature.
Heading back to bank holiday daytimes on 6 MHz, the band could be strangely quiet for a day when their was obvious potential for attracting a reasonable audience. Radio Mutiny, now the famous Xenon Transmitting Company, Radio Orion, Britain Radio International, Radio Pamela, West and North Kent Radio, and Radio Merlin (formerly Galaxy) could be heard, but this was by no means certain. Whether they were broadcasting is another matter, but my basic listening station and conditions which perhaps skipped signals out to the continent meant I often only found out about transmissions after the event, usually from reading logs in magazines such as the one produced by the British DX Club, and the weekly Free DX news sheet.
As my interest in the scene ebbed and flowed to a point where it eventually hit terminal decline, Galaxy International (not to be confused with Radio Merlin's forerunner Radio Galaxy) was a collective of well-known free radio operators that went back to the old school in not just their music policy but by broadcasting out in the field, from sites only accessible by vehicles from which they often took calls from listeners. The two main protagonists were Dave Norris of a certain Radio Blackbeard that can still to this day be heard on 1512 KHz, and Paul Stuart from the mysterious Station Sierra Sierra that made Kim Appleby famous! Paul can nowadays be heard on a legal station in the English Midlands region.
Otherwise, daytime listening on a bank holiday could often be disappointing. Perhaps many operators had several too many the night before, had better things to do (shock horror!), or were simply not heard by yours truly. It is therefore at odds with many of my memories of the 1990s UK shortwave scene that in general, very little was gained from listening to 6 MHz during daylight hours on a bank holiday. Perhaps I should have got myself more of a life, something I am still struggling to achieve!
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