Concept Radio News
Updated to 12 October 2000
See Also Merseyside Free Radio and Other Areas
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The New URL for the World DX Club is: http://www.over.to/contact/ This will be a lot easier to remember. (from Paul Youngs WDXC)
Mike Terry of the British DX Club
sends me the following:
Old pirates never give up!!
From: http://www.radio.gov.uk/
RA Press Release - 04 October 2000
A Stalybridge man has been fined £250 plus £750 costs after
being convicted
of broadcasting on the unlicensed radio station - known as both
Diamond FM
and Oxygen FM - in the Stalybridge area.
Fifty six year old Michael John Chapman of Darnton Road in
Stalybridge
pleaded guilty at Tameside Magistrates Court on 11 September to a
charge of
unlicensed use of radio equipment for unlicensed broadcasting
under
section1(1) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949. He was sentenced
in the
same court on 2 October.
On 30 January 2000 following an anonymous tip off, officers of
the
Radiocommunications Agency monitored unauthorised broadcasts on
106.5 MHz in
the VHF broadcast band.
During the next few months it emerged that the illegal station
transmitted
occasionally and with no regular pattern, and the transmissions
were traced
to Mr Chapman's home address.
Under the authority of a search warrant Radiocommunications
Agency officers
entered Mr Chapman's home on 23 June where radio broadcast
equipment was
found and seized as evidence.
Mr Chapman was in breach of a conditional discharge for a similar
offence.
All seized equipment was ordered forfeit by the court.
From Mike Terry (BDXC-UK)
The above information may only be reproduced if full credit is
given to
the original contributor AND to the British DX Club (BDXC-UK).
DX Information from the British DX Club
(BDXC-UK).
From: http://www.radio.gov.uk/
RA Press Release - 06 October 2000
A Slough man has been fined £250 and ordered to pay costs of
£500 for his
involvement with a pirate radio station after appearing at
Maidenhead
Magistrates court on Monday 3 October 2000.
Daniel Swan of Long Reading Lane, Slough was convicted for
unlicensed
broadcasting of the pirate radio station Rinse FM. He pleaded
guilty to
offences under Section 1 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949.
Equipment
seized by the Radiocommunications Agency was ordered forfeit by
the court.
On 10 May officers of the Radiocommunications Agency traced
broadcast by
Rinse FM to premises in Long Reading Lane, Slough. During this
investigation, the Radiocommunications Agency had received
complaints of
Aircraft Interference, which was attributable to Rinse FM. Any
disruption to
safety of life services is very serious and with the assistance
of police
the Agency entered the premises and seized equipment to resolve
the
situation.
Mike Terry ( British DX Club) http://www.bdxc.org.uk
The above information may only be reproduced if full credit is
given to
the original contributor AND to the British DX Club (BDXC-UK)
Here are some links to offshore pirate radio sites (12/10/00)
http://www.offshore-radio.de
"The Offshore Radio Guide"
http://www.radiocaroline.de
"Radio Caroline - Into The New Millennium"
http://216.32.166.82:12814
"Anorak Radio"
vanderVen@t-online.de
mail@offshore-radio.de
(From Andy Cadier BDXC-UK)
DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). http://www.bdxc.org 06/0700
From Andy Cadier (BDXC News)
Reading the mail about Radio Comm.'s Press releases, one comes to
realise
that whoever has the job of writing this information, complete
with in-built
ads for RSL's, don't really look at the dreadful picture they are
painting
for the benefit of the press.
Here are the same facts presented slightly tongue-in-cheek, but
all
virtually true!
We at The Wireless Investigation Service carried out 1,414 raids
against 239
pirate stations in 1999. This equates to an average of 5.9
raids per
station. From the 1,414 raids we managed to get just 47
convictions, less
than 1% of the people actually involved. The total average
fines amounted
to £11,233 which equates to just £8 per raid. The costs
awarded to the
Radio Bureaucracy amounted to an average of £14 per raid,
totalling to
£30,268 just enough to cover one officials wages for a year.
If you pay us £2,240 and a similar sum to the Performing Rights
Society, we
will not raid you, but issue you with an expensive piece of paper
called an
RSL. There are over 200 licensed commercial stations in
Britain 60% of
which are owned by just 4 media group's, 50% carry the same
format and 20%
broadcasts identical programming. Most of the more popular
licences are
auctioned to the highest bidder and small stations that emphasise
their
local connections in their successful applications are quickly
bought out by
other large companies that have no local interests or
involvement.
The Agency does not accept that pirate broadcasting is increasing
by about
10% per annum. However we do concede that those at the
Radio Authority are
there to destroy radio broadcasting and encourage pirate
activity, while we
at the Radio Agency have the job putting a stop to piracy.
We work as a
team to create employment and security for ourselves while trying
to conceal
how seriously inefficient and expensive we really are.
Suggestions that the
two agencies should amalgamate and manage all aspects of
electronic
communication are unwise as we would have nowhere to hide the
hypocrisy.
"The RA preserving the rights of others to the radio
spectrum in return for
big money."
Someone should tell the East Midlands COI that there is no E in
Holbrook in
the Radio Authorities address "Holbrook House" 14 Great
Queen St. London
WC2B 5DG.
From Andy Cadier (BDXC News)
The above information may only be
reproduced if full credit is given to the original contributor
AND to the British DX Club (BDXC-UK).
RSL UPDATE
Annual Report
The Radio Authority has published it's annual RSL report for 1999 . Last year some 393 stations were licensed compared with 344 in 1998,
Demand for AM licences has steadily declined since 1995 with only 34 stations (9%) of 199 stations using AM ( 39 stations or 11% in 1998) This is despit the fact that in London , AM licences may be the only ones available due to lack of FM frequencies ' many applicants seem to prefer FM or nothing. The vast majority (330 licences or 84%) were for higher power (upto 25 Watts) FM, with only 7% requesting 1 Watt FM licences (a drop of 17% in 1998).
The breakdown of the type of station shows that 21% were trails, 21% were festivals, 13% were religious, 10% sport, 10% students, 9% educational,9% Youth or community, 7% other.
The highest number were in London(38), West Yorkshire (29), W Midlands (24), Balfast/Antrim (12), Kent (12) Leicestershire (12), Berkshire (11), Derbyshire (11) Manchester (10). Once again the lowest interest in RSL's seems to be in Wales and remote parts of Scotland.
( Radio Authority via British DX Club)