Logs 18 Jan 2021

1638 2207 Radio Bluebird. SINPO 54444.
1665 2215 Radio Alabama. SINPO 54444. QSO
1665 2218 Radio Josje Power. SINPO 34433. QSO
1645 1743 Radio Weg Piraat. SINPO 44433.
1647 1747 Radio Mebo 3. SINPO 34433. Report to Weg Piraat
1652 1651 Radio Mebo 3. SINPO 34433.
1665 1625 Radio Concorde. SINPO 24432.
3905U 1553 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 45444.
4875 1713 Radio Mystery 21. SINPO 54444.
5140 1602 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 34333.
6265 1535 Radio Nora. SINPO 44433.

Radio Turftrekker & Premier Radio eQSLs

 

Radio Turftrekker is one of the stronger Dutch medium wave pirates. On Saturday night his signal was powering in to South West England. This eQSL is for a report from October. 

Premier Radio's eQSL comes after I heard him on Sunday morning on 6295.

Logs 17 Jan 2021

1494 2227 Buzz FM. SINPO 23432. 
1655 2217 Radio Witte Raaf. SINPO 34433.
3890 1655 Radio Jennifer. SINPO 24332.
3905U 1705 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 44433. Move from 3935
3920 1647 Radio Piepzender. SINPO 54444.
3935L 1105 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 35443.
3940 1100 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 34433. Parallel to 6280
4875 2210 Radio Mystery 21. SINPO 54444.
5015 1020 Radio Deltracks. SINPO 24332. 
5140 1335 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 24332.
5780 1030 Radio Harmony. SINPO 55444.
5880 1025 Radio Rock Revolution. SINPO 34433.
6020 1327 Radio Delta. SINPO 44433.
6205 1043 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 44433.
6280 1050 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 54444. Different programme, in parallel with 6205 for afternoon live shows
6290 1612 Radio Pioneer. SINPO 44433.
6295 1035 Premier Radio Int. SINPO 34433.
6305 1318 Radio Merlin Int. SINPO 34433.
6380 1622 Radio Joey. SINPO 54444. 

Logs 16 Jan 2021

1611 1648 Radio Eigen Risico. SINPO 44433.
1620 1655 Radio Uniek. SINPO 33433.
1625 2242 Radio Turftrekker. SINPO 54444.
1645 1637 Radio Nachtzwerver. SINPO 54444.
1648 1702 Radio Keizer & Keizerin. SINPO 44433.
1655 2237 Radio Yogi Bear & Einstein. SINPO 44433.
1670 2230 Radio Speedy Gonzales & Mexicano. SINPO 54444.
1670 2320 Radio Vonkentrekker. SINPO 24432.
1673 1641 Radio Digital. SINPO 44433.
3870 2215 WMBR. SINPO 22332. Co-channel US hams
3911.5 2155 Radio Technical Man. SINPO 54444.
3920 1520 Radio Piepzender (pres). SINPO 55444.
3935L 1155 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 44433.
3940 1201 Coast FM. SINPO 34433. Also on 6280
5140 1535 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 34333.
5780 1147 Radio Harmony. SINPO 54444.
5880 1140 Radio Rock Revolution. SINPO 34433.
6205 1128 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 44433.
6280 1120 Coast FM. SINPO 544444.

Logs 15 Jan 2021

1620 1635 Radio Alabama. SINPO 54444.
1630 2148 Radio Pandora. SINPO 54444.
1631 1623 Ros AM Radio. SINPO 44433.
1635 1703 Radio Lotus. SINPO 44433.
1646 1658 Radio Karel Doorman. SINPO 34433.
1655 2140 Radio Witte Raaf. SINPO 44433.
1665 1649 Radio Digital. SINPO 44433.
3935L 1605 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 35443.
3945 2133 Coast FM. SINPO 54444.
5140 1641 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 24332.
5780 1559 Radio Harmony. SINPO 24432.
6205 1615 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 34433.
6280 1550 Coast FM. SINPO 44433.

Logs 14 Jan 2021

1618 1653 Radio Pontiac. SINPO 55444.
1620 1739 Radio Uniek. SINPO 34433. QSO
1629 2115 Radio Turftrekker. SINPO 43433.
1630 2210 Radio Nordsee. SINPO 34433.
1635 2145 Radio Marskramer. SINPO 54444.
1645 1658 Radio Casablanca (Twente). SINPO 34433.
1647 2124 Radio Spakenburg. SINPO 54444.
1660 1713 Radio Digital. SINPO 54444.
3935L 1609 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 35443.
6205 1550 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 34433.
6280 1557 Coast FM. SINPO 44433.
6305 1616 Radio Merlin Int. SINPO 34433
6319 1627 Radio Pamela. SINPO 34433. 

Logs 13 Jan 2021

1632 1955 Radio Valkenster (tent). SINPO 44433.
1645 1948 Radio Turfsteker. SINPO 34433.
1670 1701 Radio Digital. SINPO 44433.
3935L 1631 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 44444.
5140 1650 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 34433.
5780 1620 Radio Harmony. SINPO 34333.
6205 1610 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 44433.
6280 1600 Coast FM. SINPO 54444.

Logs 12 Jan 2021

1632 1752 Radio Nimmerzorg. SINPO 34433.
1633 1653 Radio Alabama. SINPO 54444.
1645 1735 Radio Schaduwjager. SINPO 54444.
1660 1803 Radio Belladonna. SINPO 34433.
3935L 1520 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 54444.
5140 1645 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 34433.
5780 1507 Radio Harmony. SINPO 54444.
5790 1458 Radio Parade Int. SINPO 34433.
6295 1639 Radio Fox 48. SINPO 34333.
6305 1450 Radio Merlin Int. SINPO 24432. Fair peaks
6985 1713 The Vault. SINPO 33333. Some SSB QRM

Logs 11 Jan 2021

1620 1757 Radio Zwarte Boekanier. SINPO 34433. QSO 
1630 1748 Radio Weg Piraat. SINPO 44433. QSO
1638 2209 Radio Bluebird. SINPO 55444. 
1640 1744 Radio Casablanca. SINPO 54444. QSO
1670 1738 Radio Digital. SINPO 44433.
3903 1635 Radio Parade Int. SINPO 34433.
3935L 1645 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 45444.
5140 1658 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 34333.
5780 1627 Radio Harmony. SINPO 54444.
5790 1619 Radio 319. SINPO 44433.
6205 1610 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 44433.

Premier Radio Int eQSL

 

A new eQSL from Premier Radio International. Thanks Jimmy.

Logs 10 Jan 2021

1647 1707 Radio Witte Tornado. SINPO 54444.
1655 2221 Radio Witte Raaf. SINPO 34433.
3900 1559 Radio Jennifer. SINPO 34433.
3935L 1125 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 55444.
5015 1055 Radio Deltracks. SINPO 34433.
5140 1100 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 34433.
5780 1050 Radio Harmony. SINPO 55444.
5790 1045 Radio 319. SINPO 44433.
5880 1040 Radio Rock Revolution. SINPO 34433.
5995 0930 Radio Face de Blatte. SINPO 44433.
6020 1110 Radio Delta. SINPO 55444.
6130 0940 Radio Casanova. SINPO 45444.
6205 1029 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 44433.
6210 0949 Radio King Shortwave. SINPO 33433.
6260 1010 Radio Scotland Int. SINPO 55444.
6260 1540 Radio Monique. SINPO 54444. Move from 6330
6273 1616 Radio Fox 48. SINPO 34433.
6280 1029 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 54444. Different programme to 6205, later in parallel
6294 1004 Radio Zeeewolf. SINPO 33433.
6305 1019 Radio Merlin Int. SINPO 34433.
6320 1034 Time Radio. SINPO 34433.
6330 1512 Radio Monique. SINPO 54444. Carrier on 6329 trying to jam signal

Logs 9 Jan 2021

1615 2010 Radio Turftrekker. SINPO 53443.
1625 2018 Radio Monza. SINPO 34433.
1625 2026 Radio Uniek. SINPO 34433.
1633 1700 Radio Dolfijn (MW). SINPO 54444.
1660 1626 Radio Concorde. SINPO 34433.
1670 1642 Radio Digital. SINPO 54444.
1670 1947 Radio Matrix. SINPO 34433.
3920 1612 Radio Gaar via Piepzender. SINPO 54444.
3935L 1430 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 35443.
4830 1637 Radio Dolfijn. SINPO 43433.
5140 1408 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 34333.
5780 1150 Radio Harmony. SINPO 54444.
5790 1143 Radio 319. SINPO 44433.
5880 1135 Radio Rock Revolution. SINPO 34433.
6020 1203 Radio Delta. SINPO 44433.
6205 1230 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 44433.
6280 1225 Coast FM. SINPO 55544.
6290 1219 Time Radio. SINPO 33433.
6305 1214 Radio Merlin Int. SINPO 34433.

Logs 8 Jan 2021

1620 2030 Radio Ruimzicht. SINPO 44433.
1640 1740 Ros AM Radio. SINPO 54444.
1645 1654 Radio Turfsteker. SINPO 44433.
1670 2049 Radio Vonkentrekker. SINPO 33433.
1674 1747 Radio Digital. SINPO 54444.
3935L 1732 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 55444.
5015 1539 Radio Deltracks (pres). SINPO 34433.
5780 1725 Radio Harmony. SINPO 54444.
5790 1600 Radio 319. SINPO 44433.
6205 1608 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 34333.
6260 1522 Misti Radio. SINPO 34433.
6260 1545 Radio Tidalwave. SINPO 54444.
6270 1718 Premier Radio. SINPO 33433. Splash from 6280 
6280 1515 Coast FM Tenerife via relay. SINPO 54444.

Radio Black Molly eQSL

 

I've received an eQSL from Dutch medium wave pirate Radio Black Molly. Many thanks. 

Logs 7 Jan 2021

1629 1658 Radio Schaduwjager. SINPO 55444. QSO
1645 1651 Radio Boomerang. SINPO 55444. QSO
1655 1654 Radio Digital. SINPO 54444. QSO
1655 1719 Radio Belladonna. SINPO 34433.
3935L 2127 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 44433.
5140 1623 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 24332.
6260 1609 Radio Monique. SINPO 44433.

Shortwave pirates heard in 2020

The year 2020 was one most of us would rather forget. But in lockdown it did give us more opportunity
for radio listening. I've been through my logs for the past 12 months to see how many European pirate stations I've heard, and how it compares to previous years.

In 2020, I logged 153 different shortwave pirates, which (surprisingly) is down from 183 in 2019, while in 2018 it was 179. The majority of these stations came from The Netherlands - 74, but that was down from 95 in 2019.

The list includes stations that might have only been on air once or twice during the year, and others which were heard regularly, such as Laser Hot Hits, Radio Merlin and Charleston Radio Int.

Some operators like to use more than one name - Radio Johnny Tobacco can be heard IDing as Radio Black Bandit or Radio Abu Dhabi. I've counted these as one station.

Pirate activity from the UK was up from the year before, from nine in 2019 to 12 last year. One station, XTC, who has been around since the 1990s, became quite a regular on the 48 metre band, and I've already heard him a few times this year. 

Activity from Ireland increased from six stations in 2019 to 12 last year, although most of these tended to play non-stop music and ID jingles, rather than produce actual programmes.

The final figure is a rough guide to free radio shortwave activity over the past 12 months. It doesn't include relays of internet or FM stations. Other stations might have been on the air in 2020, but I didn't hear them.

Also I haven't included relays from licensed stations, such as Radio Piepzender or Channel 292.

Country breakdown (figures for 2019 in brackets)
The Netherlands 74 (95)
Unknown 26 (40)
United Kingdom 12 (9)
Germany 12 (15)
Ireland 9 (6)
Italy 9 (9)
Finland 2 (2)
Belgium 2 (2)
Czech Republic, Portugal, Ukraine, Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Greece (1 each)

The UK stations I logged were: The Bodge, Radio Duck, Radio Jennifer, Laser Hot Hits, Little Feat Radio, Radio Merlin Int, Radio Nova, Radio Pamela, Radio Pandora, Radio Parade Int, Wizard FM & XTC.

For my list of European shortwave pirates heard in 2020 click here

The MW Free Radio blog has done his annual survey of the Dutch MW pirates he heard in 2020. To see his list go to https://mwfreeradio.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-class-of-2020.html

It is good to see free radio activity is still strong so keep tuning in to the pirates and let them know you're listening either by email or through Iann's pirate chat room.

Logs 6 Jan 2021

5140 1640 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 34433.
5780 1210 Radio Harmony. SINPO 55544.
6205 1629 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 54444.
6305 1200 Radio Merlin Int. SINPO 44433.
6612 1145 Radio Pamela. SINPO 34333.
6946 1333 Radio Enterprise. SINPO 34433.
6934U 2224 "Insurrection Radio" (USA). SINPO 24432. Talking about the dramatic events in Washington today

Logs 5 Jan 2021

1617 1736 Radio Black Molly. SINPO 44433.
1634 1749 Radio Schadwjager. SINPO 55444.
1643 1755 Radio Telefunken Int. SINPO 34433.
1645 1758 Radio Valencia. SINPO 34433.
1660 1731 Radio Digital. SINPO 54444.
3935L 1228 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 35443.
5140 1709 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 34333.
5726 1035 Radio Pamela. SINPO 33433.
5780 1047 Radio Harmony. SINPO 55444.
5790 1725 Radio 319. SINPO 44433.
6205 1220 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 44433.
6305 1214 Radio Merlin Int. SINPO 44433.

Logs 4 Jan 2021

1630 1753 Radio Weg Piraat. SINPO 44433.
1638 2156 Radio Bluebird. SINPO 55444.
1647 2143 Radio Armada. SINPO 44433.
1655 1738 Radio Yogi Bear. SINPO 54444.
1655 2150 Radio Delfzijl. SINPO 54444.
3935L 2138 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 54444.
5140 1807 Charleston Radio Int. SINPO 34333.
6140U 2224 Mix Radio Int (USA) (tent). SINPO 22432. Co-channel with China R Int. Music heard on USB, but not LSB

Logs 3 Jan 2021

1655 1720 Radio Belladonna. SINPO 34433.
3920 1225 Radio Piepzender. SINPO 35433.
3935L 1231 Zenith Classic Rock. SINPO 35443.
5015 1026 Radio Deltracks. SINPO 34433.
5780 1050 Radio Harmony. SINPO 55444.
5820 1218 Radio Saturnus. SINPO 34433.
5880 1045 Radio Rock Revolution. SINPO 34433.
5995 1020 Radio Face de Blatte (tent). SINPO 34433.
6095 0954 Radio Scotland Int. SINPO 55444.
6205 1038 Laser Hot Hits. SINPO 54444.
6255 1213 Free Radio Victoria. SINPO 44433.
6275 1015 Time Radio. SINPO 34433.
6275 1238 XTC. SINPO 44433.
6275 1454 Radio Lowland. SINPO 34433. Using 10W
6275 1513 Radio Zeewolf. SINPO 34433. Report to Lowland
6285 1008 Premier Radio Int. SINPO 34433.
6285 1208 Radio Baken 16. SINPO 44433.
6295 1248 Panda Radio. SINPO 34433.
6305 1003 Radio Merlin Int. SINPO 34433.
6320 1440 Radio Joey. SINPO 44433. 
6330 1400 Radio Batavia. SINPO 54444.
6450 1422 Radio Discovery. SINPO 34433.
6875 1032 Radio Europe (Italy). SINPO 24332.
6920L 1440 Radio Jan Van Gent. SINPO 35443.
6940 1055 Radio Nova (UK). SINPO 44433.