Pirate Radio Report, June 1997
Hi and welcome to another PIRATE RADIO REPORT. Sorry about last month but a rather large schedules section got us bumped out of the line up. Anyway, we’re back and all information for both the May and June editions is included in here.
Return Of The AM Pirates!
When I talk to many DXers about listening to pirate stations, one of their main complaints is that the stations broadcast in sideband, the signals are drifty and hard to tune in, plus the music sounds terrible in sideband.
Well, I’ve got good news for you. The month of May brought the appearance of two new pirates who broadcast in AM. Both stations have very nice sounding audio and strong signals throughout North America.
Who are these pirates you ask?
Well, the first one to make an appearance was KRAP. KRAP was first noted on May 5th putting in a great signal on 6950 kHz around 0030 UTC.
The station op goes by the name of Fred Flintstone [gee, I wonder if he’s related to Yabba Dabba Doo of Radio Two?]. The format for this one seems to be classic rock from the 70’s and 80’s. According to the maildrop operator, they will be using Box 109, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214 as their forwarding address.
The second station, RADIO METALLICA WORLDWIDE was first heard here around 0025 on May 10th on 6955 kHz.
This outlet likes to play hard rock as its name implies. Dr Tornado is what the operator calls himself. He claims to be “the most powerful pirate station in the nation” and says he’s operating a full 10 kw!
No one knows if he’s telling the truth of course, but he’s been heard in Scotland, Germany and Uruguay so one thing’s for sure, he’s definitely not using one of those 10 watt “grenade” transmitters. RADIO METALLICA WORLDWIDE has yet to announce a maildrop but promised an internet address soon. As soon as we find out what it is, we’ll announce it here in the PIRATE RADIO REPORT.
Radio Ship Project Floundering
As I mentioned last month, I got in touch with Allan Weiner, who is in charge of outfitting the ocean going tug Electra as a floating radio station.
What Allan said was that the religious group funding the project has failed to come through with a promised $20,000-30,000 that would complete the repairs to the ship’s hull and pay for the transmitters.
The project is in limbo until the money is received, if it is received at all. Weiner did disclose the destination of the ship was to be a Caribbean country.
I guess we’ll just have to see if this project sinks or floats!
1997 Pirate Radio Directory Available
The 1997 edition of the Annual Pirate Radio Directory edited by George Zeller and Andy Yoder is now available.
This soft cover, 8.5 x 11 inch format book from Tiare Publications lists all North American shortwave pirates that were heard in 1996.
The book lists addresses, format information, DJ names and includes a brief history of the station’s activities.
You can buy this from Andy Yoder’s Cabinet Communications for $11.00 plus $2.00 shipping and handling in the USA. PA residents must also add sales tax. Make checks or money orders payable to Cabinet Communications. Their address is Box 642, Mont Alto, PA 17237. It will also be available from Universal, Grove and direct from Tiare Publications as well.
Radio KAOS Calls It Quits!
I’m afraid to say that another popular pirate has made it’s last broadcast. This popular station was heard from coast to coast with a nice blend of music and comedy. Joe Momma and company, you will be missed!
Book Review
ACCESS TO THE AIRWAVES-MY FIGHT FOR FREE RADIO by Allan H. Weiner [as told to Anita Louise McCormick]. ©Loopanics Unlimited, soft cover, 1997.
Did you ever wonder why Allan Weiner would go through so much toil and trouble to set up two radio ships only to see them fail?
Well, this excellent new book on the life of Weiner shows what makes him tick. It traces his life as a boy who used to take radios apart and put them back together, through his high school years where he was constantly in trouble with the authorities all the way up to the present.
I found the book to be great reading! All the information about the outfitting of the Radioship Sarah and Radio New York International is in there as well as ill fated Fury 5/Brother Stair radio ship project.
There are some interesting segments of the book which cover Weiner’s involvement in legitimate radio undertakings in New York and Maine which demonstate his desire to make radio profitable under adverse circumstances.
I think you’ll find ACCESS TO THE AIRWAVES an interesting read. You can order the book directly from Loompanics Unlimited by calling toll free 1-800-380-2230 [360-385-7471] The book is $17.95 plus $4.95 S&H in the USA. My book arrived in about a week.
Loggings
Thanks to Dan McCarthy in Georgia, we have loggings!
MYSTERY RADIO was noted from 0130-0200 UTC on April 13th with uninterrupted music and a couple of IDs on 6955 kHz USB. They use Box 146, Stoneham, MA 02180 as their maildrop. [McCarthy-GA]
RADIO EUROGEEK was noted on April 7th on 6955 kHz from 0217-0244 with parodies of movies, pills and an announcer sounding like Harpo Marx. Write to them at Box 28413, Providence, RI 02908 [McCarthy-GA]
RADIO KAOS was heard on April 13th with their last broadcast on 6955 kHz USB from 0002 UTC but the signal was covered by two other pirate signals. Not much was heard. [McCarthy-GA]
WREC/Radio Free East Coast was heard on 6955 USB from 0225-0245 UTC on April 13th with a comedy program. You can write to them at Box 1, Belfast, NY 14711. (Mcarthy-GA)
Come on guys, how about supporting your club and sending in a few logs for next month?
Vote In The Pirate Poll!
I’m still looking for your votes for your THREE FAVORITE PIRATES! If you can’t think of three that you like, just send in one or two choices, that’s fine! Also, if there’s a particular pirate program that you liked, past of present, let’s hear about that too! Because last month’s column was missing, we are extending the voting period until July 1st. Also, please send your pirate logs as we need them! They can be sent via Fred Kohlbrenner or directly to me. I’ll be waiting for them!
With the longer days, the 43 meter pirate band should propagate longer into the evenings. Remember to tune to either side of 6955 because if you don’t check the adjacent frequencies, you may be missing something!
Until next month, Happy Pirate DX!