Shortwave Pirate Radio
Shortwave pirate radio broadcasters, unlike
LPFM, produce
programs designed for
international listening. SW pirate radio should not be confused with SW
clandestine radio. While both pirate and clandestine stations operate without the tacit authority of
national authorities, clandestine stations focus on
spy transmissions and propaganda. Most pirate programs contain music and
idle commentary.
Shortwave pirate radio began in the mid to late
1960's in response to stodgy
BBC domestic programming.
Radio Caroline and its ilk broadcasted off Britain in
international waters, spinning the singles and
B-sides shrugged aside by the
Establishment. Moored off the
Isle of Man, Radio Caroline blanketed
Britain with fresh pop music talent from 1964 to 1967. Eventually shut down by a
Parliament caught unaware by innovation, Radio Caroline and other pirate stations forced the BBC to diversify programming. Many of today's pirate broadcasters model their work on the great 1960's offshore broadcasters. Like Radio Caroline, modern SW pirates offer a perspective not shown on other media outlets including SW broadcasting. Perhaps
bizarre at times, SW pirates produce patently
different programming.
Unlike clandestines who have a whole
WRTH section, pirates use a set of unofficial pirate
channels outside of SW broadcast bands. The most common frequency channels in kHz:
5000 -- 5900
6925
6950
6955
6975 -- Rarely pirate broadcasts. Most often occupied by
Israeli Defense Forces Radio in
Hebrew. Features news and music for personnel.
7415 --
WBCQ, once a pirate, now legal for-profit
below 13999 -- above 14500, (around the 20m ham band)
below 26999 -- above 26300 -- the
CB pirate
Freeband
In general, an occasional scan near amateur radio band boundaries might produce a stray pirate or two. Keep in mind that most pirates are using ham equipment. Certain older transceivers' operating limits fall 200 kHz or so outside each band. Even modern general coverage receivers prohibit transmissions on some frequencies not directly adjacent to ham bands.
Most North American and many European pirates occupy the "6900" corridor. Sparsely populated except for the IDF
and some
numbers stations, pirates find clear channels without the noise of broadcasters piled high on one another.
Pirate stations do not use sophisticated multiple-
kilowatt transmitters, so transmission quality is often marred by erratic power drops. To avoid detection, pirate stations stay on for an hour at the most.
Pirate stations do not use
interval signals or any identification, so be prepared to suddenly find a strong signal when
bandscanning. Pirate stations come in two main genres: the all music station and the talk/humor station. Talk/humor stations specialize in
Howard Stern rebroadcasts,
Andrew Dice Clay, and satire of
FCC officials among other things. All music stations feature any conceivable music genre and some unrecognizable. All music stations include
deejay announcements. The level of
humor sophistication ranges from
infantile to
sophisticated.
Listen closely to the DJ or commentator, since he or she will often drop an email address or P.O. Box for
QSLs. Many pirate stations send back intricate QSLs, often numbered in series. Stations might also produce commemorative cards for
Christmas,
Fourth of July, and other holiday and civic events. Many
radio hobbyists find the QSLs more interesting than the broadcasts themselves.
Given their illegal status pirate stations operate infrequently. Many can be found from late Friday to late Saturday
Universal Time or on major
holidays. 0000 UTC
corresponds well with most American pirates, with Europeans signing on earlier according to their evening hours. Sign on to pirate enthusiasts' sites for listener logs and chat with the on-air personalities themselves. Many times, stations will post a
schedule on hobbyist message boards a day before transmitting.
Serious humor, bored
nerds. Listen in on the lunacy that is shortwave pirate radio!
http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/History.htm --- A nice history of Radio Caroline and other offshore pirates
http://www.frn.net/vines/ --- The FRN Grapevine, a pirate radio hobbyist board with logs and message boards