There is little if anything the current UK free radio scene on shortwave has in common with that of the comparatively golden era of the 1990s. As though was again proven yesterday, bank holidays have to this listener usually been a washout - both meteorologically and for their radio silence.
Three decades ago the action on bank holidays would usually take place in the evenings, and overnight. For whatever reason - apathy, poor conditions, it being more risky to broadcast during daylight hours, and operators having other/better things to do - 48 metre band would in the main be very quiet, and subsequently very disappointing. There were of course always exceptions to the rule, but the extra UK bank holiday to celebrate King Charles' coronation undoubtedly reverted to type.
Where the respective eras also share common ground relates to those who were actually heard during the weekend, rather than on the bank holiday itself. Stalwarts Radio Pamela and Radio Pandora - the two Steves - continue to bang the drum amidst the dying of the light. Elsewhere, relative newcomer Radio Parade intermittently broadcasts an eclectic array of music on differing frequencies among the 3, 6, 8, and I think 9 MHz bands.
Otherwise, the gradual but inexorable decline of shortwave free radio continues, with the absence of Radio Clash, Valley Wave Radio, Radio Jennifer, amongst several others continues to be noted. The venerable Matt Roberts of the Xenon Transmitting Company was not heard this bank holiday, but was active the weekend before which yes, was another albeit annual Monday off rather than one 'celebrating' those in ermine who resemble adults that have raided a particularly bad fancy dress shop.
The weekend as a whole was not though without some leftfield interest. From Friday evening through to late Sunday a strong signal, mostly on 6295 kHz, was heard broadcasting old shows by the Scottish broadcasting leviathan himself, Jack Russel of Weekend Music Radio(WMR). Something similar happened to WMR twenty years ago or more, when a transmitter of unknown location and ownership inexplicably began broadcasting taped shows from times past. For whatever reason, this has started to happen again, with shows aired from for example 2014.
It was a surreal experience for this unashamedly geeky 1990s free radio chronicler to again here WMR. Even though Jack has never completely ruled out returning to the airwaves, for his unmistakable voice to once more grace 48 metres took me back to far better times when free radio had charisma, characters, and interaction in an era before technology and email addresses replaced conversation and snail mail contact. It was almost as if the indirect re-emergence of WMR was an inadvertent rebuke of the current scene, which is (un)arguably at an all time low. Incidentally, I wonder if the Coleraine address previously used by WMR will get any mail as a consequence of these wildcat broadcasts?
The theory goes that the transmissions which are not really a relay emanate from the Republic of Ireland - I too have my theories which I won't make public. The Eire connection is perhaps given greater credence by the absence of these broadcasts on bank holiday Monday, which of course was a UK-only affair. Whatever the motivation and QTH, these broadcasts of a free radio legend added a frisson of interest, whilst representing a microcosm of what true free radio once was. The diverse chat and musical output from likeable personalities such as Paul Stuart, Bill Lewis, Steve Midnight, Mr. Armadillo, The Wizard, Roger Davis, The Bogus Jobseeker/Mike Wilson, Jack Russel and others are echoes to another time which are now represented by the likes of Matt Roberts, and Radio Blackbeard's (1512 kHz) Dave Norris.
Mysteries like these which in all likelihood will never be solved are a component part of what made free radio/hobby pirates so interesting. Perhaps there is a hidden message in the rogue WMR broadcasts to prompt Jack to get back on the bands, or maybe they are simply a case of mischief making. Either way, when transmissions airing shows the best part of a decade old, and not being done so by the voice behind them, quickly become the highlight of the free radio weekend, it speaks volumes of what the UK free radio scene on shortwave has now become.
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