Border Archives - Page 5 of 13 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

21st June 202321st June 2023

Border series: Don Allen heard in Norway on Radio Star Country

Don Allen (RIP) was a familiar voice on the Irish pirate scene and did a stint at Monaghan station Radio Star Country in 1989 and the early 1990s. This recording of Radio Star Country features Don with his live afternoon American country music show, as received in Norway due to the magic of AM propagation. Don is also heard on promos and adverts, as is station founder and owner Gerry Byrne.

The recording was made from 1632-1645 on 17th January 1990 from 981 kHz in Solsvik on the western Norwegian coast using a Drake SPR-4 receiver with a 200-metre antenna facing the southwest and Ireland. Audio quality is poor with deep fading and the Algerian station also broadcasting on 981 kHz dominates for a time, all part of the fun of DXing. Thanks to Svenn Martinsen for the donation.

1st June 202314th August 2023

Border series: Radio Star Country heard near and far

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One of the joys of AM broadcasting is its propagation that allows radio waves to travel long distances beyond the core listening area during the hours of darkness. In our focus on border station Radio Star Country, today we begin a series of posts showing how the Irish pirate sounded on the west coast of Norway in the late 1980s and 1990s. Recorded over 1,200 km from the transmission site on the Monaghan/Tyrone border, these tapes capture the unique audio quality of skywave reception of distant radio signals at dawn and dusk between October and March.

The first such recording begins before 0900 on 17^th November 1988, a few months after Radio Star Country began broadcasting from the Swan Lake Hotel in Monaghan Town. On air is station founder and owner Gerry Byrne with a promo for the forthcoming Radio Star Country Music Awards in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone. The recording was made in Bud, western Norway from 891 kHz on a Hammarlund SP-600 JX1 receiver with a 500-metre Beverage antenna aimed towards the southwest. The antenna ran behind the barn to the left of the large white house (the rectory) on the right in the photo and received stations from Ireland, the UK, southwest Europe, Brazil and Argentina.

We thank Svenn Martinsen for his donation of these unique recordings.

24th May 202324th May 2023

Border series: Mother’s Day requests on Radio Star Country

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This recording of Radio Star Country was made on Mother’s Day in 2021 and features one of the Monaghan station’s popular DJs, Country Girl Claire presenting her Sunday morning breakfast programme. The recording begins just after Showers of Blessings, one of the station’s many religious shows. Claire promises the best of country and Irish music, a gospel corner every hour and community notices. Reflecting the station’s cross-border existence, a phone number in Co. Monaghan is given out for requests, along with a UK mobile number for text messages. The postal address for letters is in Portadown, Co. Armagh. News on the hour is from Sky and Claire promotes another religious show, Let the Bible Speak, coming up later that afternoon. Although there are plenty of listeners’ requests, only a handful of adverts are heard, in stark contrast with earlier recordings in this series.

The recording was made from the station’s webstream on 14^th March 2021. Part 1 above runs from 0940 and Part 2 below from 1040.

Part 2 from 1040-1200.

Radio Star Country broadcasts on 981 kHz AM and online.

17th May 202314th November 2023

Border series: Radio Star Country on Christmas Eve 2010

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This recording of border station Radio Star Country was made on Christmas Eve 2010, during the coldest weather in decades. On air is Stevie King with copious requests from all over mid-Ulster and as far afield as Derry and Antrim. Adverts are heard for various country music stars and for businesses in Armagh, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone. An advertising promo thanks advertisers and listeners for their support during the year. Reflecting the mixed political or religious allegiances along the border, Stevie announces events linked to both sides of the community including a céilí and a concert by the Royal British Legion.

Due to a technical issue, no news bulletin from Sky is aired for the first few hours and there are several periods of dead air, which Stevie attributes to the adverse weather. The drivetime show is to be presented by Rita but given the continuous music after 4pm, it seems she did not make it through the snow. Reception is fair to poor as the tape was recorded in Blackpool in England and co-channel interference and fading increase as darkness falls. The recording was made from 981 kHz from 1208-1630 on 24^th December 2010 and is courtesy of DX Archive.

10th May 202314th August 2023

Border series: Radio Star Country prepares for Christmas 2010

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This recording of border station Radio Star Country was made in the week before Christmas 2010 when Ireland and the UK were paralysed by a severe cold snap. There was snow on the ground where the station was located north of Emyvale in Co. Monaghan, but DJ Rita plays the usual country and gospel music and shares plenty of seasonal requests from listeners. There are adverts for businesses in Antrim, Armagh, Fermanagh and Tyrone including jarring references to ‘Southern Ireland’. A promo thanks listeners and advertisers for their support during 2010 and businesses are invited to advertise by contacting sales representatives on UK mobile numbers. The religious programme New Life in Christ is broadcast from Killeen Gospel Hall in Co. Armagh and Rita is followed at 4pm by ‘The Cowboy’ on the drivetime programme.

This tape was recorded from 981 kHz from 1435-1640 on 16^th December 2010. Made in Blackpool in England, it suffers from worsening co-channel interference and fading as darkness falls. The recording is courtesy of DX Archive.