DX Archives - Page 3 of 11 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

18th September 20239th September 2023

Radio West closes down for the night

Finding suitable frequencies on the crowded AM band of the 1980s was one of the technical challenges facing the Irish pirates and the story of Radio West is a case in point. The midlands station began on 1071 kHz in 1982 before moving to 702 kHz and then 729 kHz, a bad choice given the presence of RTÉ’s Cork opt-out service on the same frequency. Radio West switched to 765 kHz on 27^th June 1983, increasing its range within Ireland and beyond. From 1986-1988, it returned to 702 kHz, rebranding itself as ‘West National Radio 3’ and claiming national coverage on AM and a series of FM transmitters.

This tape was made from 765 kHz in the early hours of Saturday 9^th July 1983 and features the closedown of Radio West for the night. The unidentified DJ signs off in both Irish and English and then plays the iconic Desiderata song, also used by Sunshine Radio in Dublin at closedown each night. The broadcast ends with the national anthem.

There is plenty of fading as would be expected in late-night DX reception outside the core transmission area. The recording was made in the English midlands and is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

7th August 202314th August 2023

Border series: linedancing on Radio Star Country

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This short recording of Monaghan station Radio Star Country from 1997 reflects the linedancing craze that was sweeping rural Ireland at the time, particularly among country music fans. Following the syndicated news from IRN in Britain, a promo airs for a linedancing competition sponsored by Radio Star Country in a pub in Armagh. The extract also includes adverts for local businesses and a station advertising promo. The presenter is Country Girl Claire, who continues to broadcast on Radio Star Country to this day.

The broadcast was recorded on the island of Sotra in western Norway and quality worses towards the end, reflecting the distance from the transmitter on the Irish border. The recording was made sometime in November 1997 between 0858-0910 from 981 kHz. It is kindly donated by Svenn Martinsen.

4th August 202314th August 2023

Border series: Radio Star Country relays United Christian Broadcasters

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Radio Star Country has relied on religious programming since the early 1990s as an income stream. As well as hosting individual gospel programmes, the station has at times relayed other Christian broadcasters. This recording from 1996 is one such rebroadcast of United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) Europe. A postal address in Stoke-on-Trent is announced and Christian music is heard.

The recording was made from 981 kHz from 0717-0723 on 8^th March 1996, using a Drake SPR-4 with a 200-metre antenna facing southwest. Audio quality is poor with co-channel interference and splatter from adjacent stations. Thanks to Svenn Martinsen for the donation.

29th July 202314th August 2023

Border series: Radio Star Country during visit of President Clinton

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This recording of Radio Star Country was made in western Norway in November 1995 during the visit of US President Bill Clinton to Northern Ireland. It begins with continuous music before 0900 interspersed with long commercial breaks taking advantage of the busy run-up to Christmas. Adverts are heard for businesses in Armagh, Down, Tyrone, Derry and Antrim including the outskirts of Belfast, reflecting Radio Star Country’s large coverage area on AM. An unidentified DJ (likely Patsy Jordan) comes on air at 0900 and refers to the Clinton visit during copious requests from listeners. There is an advertisement for a Radio Star Country sales representative for the Lisburn area, with the tagline ‘one of Northern Ireland’s biggest radio stations’. A promo for the gospel programme New Life in Christ is also heard. The recording was made from 981 kHz on Thursday 30^th November 1995. Part 1 above begins at 0828 and Part 2 below at 0902.

Part 2 from 0902.

Audio is of fair quality given the distance with some deep fading but long sections that are quite listenable. Thanks to Svenn Martinsen for the donation.

13th July 202314th August 2023

Border series: breakfast on Radio Star Country as heard in Norway

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Today we feature another recording of Monaghan station Radio Star Country made on the western coast of Norway. It features continuous music at breakfast time, including a promo is heard for “your own 24-hour a day country music station from Monaghan to wherever you are” but with no commercial breaks. The fact that there was no live DJ in a peak listening slot underlines how Radio Star Country sometimes failed to provide a core schedule in the post-1989 period.

Audio quality is fair at the beginning but deep fading occurs after about 20 minutes. There is some wobble but it is not clear if this was on the station’s side or is due to the degradation of the tape over time. The receiver is retuned to an unidentified UK AM station at the very end. The recording was made in Solsvik, Norway from 981 kHz between 0755 and 0840 on 29^th October 1994. The receiver used was a Drake SPR-4 with a 200-metre antenna facing southwest. Thanks to Svenn Martinsen for the donation.