ABC England

[thepostieles]

I used to listen to a shortwave stn back in 1975 called ABC England, does anyone remember it? Used to come from Bristol area. Gave out Arran Close mailing address in Cambridge. Quite enjoyable.

[Gary Phillips]

Hi Les. Yes, I heard this station a few times, it was pretty good too. I have one or two of their recordings to add to the Merseypirates site soon, but in the meantime there are a couple of recordings already on the site, just in case you didnt know! They've been up for quite a while. I'll try and dig out the other recordings soon

cheers
Gary

[thepostieles]

Yeah that would be good Gary. Do u remember FRBC, think it was Free Radio Broadcasting Company, came from Holland, was a really powerful signal on the shortwave

[Gary Phillips]

FRBC?....I've heard the name Les, but I was mostly a medium wave listener in those far off days, so cant say I remember it particularly well.

[cosmo]

Hi we used to be based in Cambridge but we broadcast from a village about 10 miles outside the city, until we got caught. Then we came from Norfolk and around London with the help of Mike Knight.

[thepostieles]

Oh I thought u came from Bristol area? Mustve been mixed up with other station

[pugwash]

Gday from sunny Melbourne
I started ABC England. I used the name Roger St John. I had been involved in mw stations around Cambridge / Newmarket area for a few years with Chris Cortez of 42 Arran Close fame and Dave Caine a well known Cambridgeshire dj and Radio Caroline night watchman, as he had some stints minding the lady together with two hams John and Phil, later to be Gary Day. I see cosmo already posted here. Chris and I were visiting another pirate in Colchester and he gave us a 10 watt sw tx.
It had been used by a station called Radio 69. I took it back to Mildenhall and on the Sunday Dave and myself put out a test. Chris had told us na no good you wont get far its not strong enough. Well by the following Thursday heaps of mail and ABC England was on air. We had an inverted vee antenna. Reports were coming in by the sack full. Chris started his ABC Calling dx section. That just took off and I think we were the only English shortwave pirate to make it into the World Radio TV Handbook.
I left and moved to Germany. Chris, Dave and Gary Day continued for a long time. I still have contact with Chris, saw him two years ago when last in the UK.
Great times, a few court cases but we did give Mr Hawkins and the radio inspectors a heap of Sunday overtime and met a heap of nice people. Dave Cain, Chris Cortez, Freddy Archer (Radio Caroline SW) many hams and a lot of people who ended up working for offshore stations VOP, Caroline and others.
I'm now 56 and will always on a Sunday flip down the band from 7mhz and have a quick listen on 6270
Wishing all the fellow pirates all the best for 2009

take care 73

Roger

[cosmo]

Hi Roger glad you are ok. Dave is still driving his taxi in Newmarket. Have not seen Chris for a long time. He has moved from 42 Arran Close. If you have not got his new address pm me. All the best Paul

[pugwash]

Another thought on the subject of ABC England and the other sw pirates of the time, I wonder what happened to a few swl's that wrote reports on an almost weekly basis, the like of Uwe Lippert (East Germany) and Werner Girlich from Dortmund who I did get to meet in Germany and a heap of Danish Swedish swl's.
Anyone know
Roger

[Gary Edwards]

Didn't the people behind FRBC later run Sunshine Radio in Ludlow?

[Gary Phillips]

Hi to Gary Edwards. Thanks for posting and joining Merseypirates.

A bit confusing this FRBC station which has been mentioned throughout this thread. Les says it came from Holland and you're suggesting that they may've been behind Sunshine Radio in Ludlow. Confusing eh I wonder if these were two totally different stations then, as I can't imagine it to be the same one, but interesting nonetheless.

Hello also to the other two members in this thread that I haven't spoken to before, that's pugwash and cosmo. Interesting chat guys regarding ABC England. If you have any other interesting information regarding this station it would be appreciatively read by all us Anoraks here And hey pugwash any pirates down under?

[Gary Edwards]

Thanks for the welcome.

I have some recordings of FRBC and they feature James Harding, who was later the main man behind Sunshine Radio in Ludlow.

They do give out a mailing address in Holland. I don't know where they broadcast from, it could have been Holland as well.

Maybe (and I'm guessing here) they were UK based but sent tapes to Holland for broadcast?

I also have a vague idea FRBC had connections with ABC Europe??

[Gary Phillips]

Thanks for the info Gary. Your theory is probably right. I mean lots of stations used to give out distant mailing addresses as compared to the actual broadcast location. As an example, I myself used to give out a mailing address in Cornwall at one time and my shortwave station, Radio Electra, was actually based in Liverpool.

[pugwash]

hi from downunder
just wishing you all a great christmas and a happy new year
the sunspot activity is climbing so wont be long before we caN HEAR
EUROPE again i have been working england on 28mhz and 20mts is a doddle

all the best 73

de roger vk3fz

[pugwash]

again this year merry christmas all
will check out 48mts boxing day
cheers

[Gary Phillips]

Merry Christmas pugwash If you hear anything interesting let us know