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Poll

How long until a station is no longer active?

1 Month
0 (0%)
2 Months
1 (16.7%)
3 Months
0 (0%)
4 Months
0 (0%)
5 Months
0 (0%)
6 Months
0 (0%)
7 Months
0 (0%)
8 Months
0 (0%)
9 Months
0 (0%)
10 Months
0 (0%)
11 Months
0 (0%)
1 Year
5 (83.3%)
Longer (please specify in a reply)
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 6

Voting closed: April 09, 2023, 0442 UTC

Author Topic: How long until a station is no longer active?  (Read 1310 times)

Offline Shortwave_Listener

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How long until a station is no longer active?
« on: April 02, 2023, 0442 UTC »
I frequently edit the list of pirate emails and stations that do not QSL on the Wiki: https://www.hfunderground.com/wiki/index.php/Pirate_radio_station_email_addresses

I have a separate section for old emails and stations that did not QSL. This makes searching for currently emails easier while still retaining the old ones. My question is: how long should it be before a station is moved to the "Inactive" category? For example, if a station is not heard for a month, is that pirate "Inactive"? Obviously there are exceptions for stations that are usually less active (e.g. DB Cooper Radio is only heard once per year, so a one month absence is normal), and such stations will be kept on the list. The options are assuming the station was active more often than the specified time period. I hope people can understand this post, I am not sure if it makes sense.
Lucas Bandura
eQSL appreciated! lucasnerite@gmail.com
Songs are identified with Shazam if needed. I usually use KiwiSDR receivers. Reception from my QTH is using an SDRPlay RSP1A for SWL with a 40 meter band Inverted V at 40 feet. Kenwood TS-570D for ham use.
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Offline Pigmeat

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2023, 0646 UTC »
There are number of stations that will pop up out of blue after being inactive for awhile, WJFK is one that springs to mind. Solid Rock Radio turned up after years of being off the air last year. Some stations have two or three different ops using the same station name. I did Radio Al Fansome, but so did two other guys that I know of, there may have been more. A lot of stations use id's that are infectious and work like a ladder conspiracy. There's a Ramones song called, "Do You Remember Rock n' Roll Radio" that ends with a 60's era sounding Boss DJ announcing, "This is Rock And Roll Radio. Stay Tuned For More Rock And Roll", it sounds so slick and it's so easy to lift, I've heard several stations using it. I know I did. I don't know who the others were, and by putting this in a public forum there's a decent chance some wannbe or existing pirate will read this and do it again?

Pirate radio is all about having fun from the op's viewpoint. Some heathen might put his studio back together and "Whammo!" the Voice of The Epileptic Catfish is back on the air. It's tough to say who is active and who isn't, they could also be using revolving station names and transmitters. I always had a minimum of three stations going at any one time, one primary station, a secondary one, and one that I used every few months for special things. Most ops I knew had several stations going at once, we sure joked about it a lot. I think the late George Zeller wrote ,"There are 30 to 40 pirate stations and 4 transmitters." which was very close to the truth.

That may help and it may not, but it's a guide to the op's side of things and why stations pop up and disappear. One major reason stations go silent is these folks have lives. Things come up that are more serious than playing radio. It may be long term, or they might be back in a short amount of time, you just don't know.

At the moment I'm wondering if Bud Bigly is doing ok? He was on the air regularly for a few months and he's been MIA for a few weeks. If anyone knows anything PM me.   

Offline Shortwave_Listener

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2023, 0705 UTC »
There are number of stations that will pop up out of blue after being inactive for awhile, WJFK is one that springs to mind. Solid Rock Radio turned up after years of being off the air last year. Some stations have two or three different ops using the same station name. I did Radio Al Fansome, but so did two other guys that I know of, there may have been more. A lot of stations use id's that are infectious and work like a ladder conspiracy. There's a Ramones song called, "Do You Remember Rock n' Roll Radio" that ends with a 60's era sounding Boss DJ announcing, "This is Rock And Roll Radio. Stay Tuned For More Rock And Roll", it sounds so slick and it's so easy to lift, I've heard several stations using it. I know I did. I don't know who the others were, and by putting this in a public forum there's a decent chance some wannbe or existing pirate will read this and do it again?

Pirate radio is all about having fun from the op's viewpoint. Some heathen might put his studio back together and "Whammo!" the Voice of The Epileptic Catfish is back on the air. It's tough to say who is active and who isn't, they could also be using revolving station names and transmitters. I always had a minimum of three stations going at any one time, one primary station, a secondary one, and one that I used every few months for special things. Most ops I knew had several stations going at once, we sure joked about it a lot. I think the late George Zeller wrote ,"There are 30 to 40 pirate stations and 4 transmitters." which was very close to the truth.

That may help and it may not, but it's a guide to the op's side of things and why stations pop up and disappear. One major reason stations go silent is these folks have lives. Things come up that are more serious than playing radio. It may be long term, or they might be back in a short amount of time, you just don't know.

At the moment I'm wondering if Bud Bigly is doing ok? He was on the air regularly for a few months and he's been MIA for a few weeks. If anyone knows anything PM me.

Thanks for the very detailed reply, much appreciated! There are certainly a lot more names in use than different ops as you said. In November I made an estimate that out of 56 names used about 24 are actually different stations.

I have been wondering the same thing, why hasn’t B Side Radio been on air for a while? Hopefully he shows back up again some time soon.
Lucas Bandura
eQSL appreciated! lucasnerite@gmail.com
Songs are identified with Shazam if needed. I usually use KiwiSDR receivers. Reception from my QTH is using an SDRPlay RSP1A for SWL with a 40 meter band Inverted V at 40 feet. Kenwood TS-570D for ham use.
My website: https://swl7.wordpress.com/
Shortwave Radio Archive: https://www.youtube.com/@SW_Archive
https://archive.org/details/@shortwave_radio_archive

Offline John Poet

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2023, 0339 UTC »
After "one year", they are certainly no longer "active"---

until they become "active" again!


 ;D

John Poet

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Offline John Poet

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2023, 0347 UTC »
There are number of stations that will pop up out of blue after being inactive for awhile, WJFK is one that springs to mind. Solid Rock Radio turned up after years of being off the air last year. Some stations have two or three different ops using the same station name. I did Radio Al Fansome, but so did two other guys that I know of, there may have been more. A lot of stations use id's that are infectious and work like a ladder conspiracy. There's a Ramones song called, "Do You Remember Rock n' Roll Radio" that ends with a 60's era sounding Boss DJ announcing, "This is Rock And Roll Radio. Stay Tuned For More Rock And Roll", it sounds so slick and it's so easy to lift, I've heard several stations using it. I know I did. I don't know who the others were, and by putting this in a public forum there's a decent chance some wannbe or existing pirate will read this and do it again?

Pirate radio is all about having fun from the op's viewpoint. Some heathen might put his studio back together and "Whammo!" the Voice of The Epileptic Catfish is back on the air. It's tough to say who is active and who isn't, they could also be using revolving station names and transmitters. I always had a minimum of three stations going at any one time, one primary station, a secondary one, and one that I used every few months for special things. Most ops I knew had several stations going at once, we sure joked about it a lot. I think the late George Zeller wrote ,"There are 30 to 40 pirate stations and 4 transmitters." which was very close to the truth.

That may help and it may not, but it's a guide to the op's side of things and why stations pop up and disappear. One major reason stations go silent is these folks have lives. Things come up that are more serious than playing radio. It may be long term, or they might be back in a short amount of time, you just don't know.

At the moment I'm wondering if Bud Bigly is doing ok? He was on the air regularly for a few months and he's been MIA for a few weeks. If anyone knows anything PM me.



There is at least ONE station that was inactive for 20 YEARS----   but then came back with incessant broadcast on multiple frequencies for many years, and created "Sunday night" as a pirate radio institution to equal Friday and Saturday, singlehandedly !

I will name no names.... lol

Howdy, Pigmeat!   Glad to see you still rambling around here...

 8)

John Poet

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Offline Pigmeat

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2023, 0928 UTC »
Oh, I'm always around. When Al Fansome passed on, then resurrected as "Lord of The Penguins", I filled the vacuum much like Paul of Tarsus, spreading the word of Fansomism to the unwashed masses. Can I get a "Belinda!" from the flock?

Offline Pigmeat

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2023, 0941 UTC »
BTW, you also have studio pirates who have their shows relayed and special occasion pirates, such as "The Voice of Pancho Villa" along with various holiday pirates that turn up around the 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas, etc.. WJFK used be one on November 23, the day of his assassination, but I haven't seen it reported in quite some time.

Offline ChrisSmolinski

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2023, 1306 UTC »
BTW, you also have studio pirates who have their shows relayed and special occasion pirates, such as "The Voice of Pancho Villa" along with various holiday pirates that turn up around the 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas, etc.. WJFK used be one on November 23, the day of his assassination, but I haven't seen it reported in quite some time.

Quite a few of the "seasonal" pirates haven't been heard for several years now, here's a list of what was on the air circa 2015: https://www.radiohobbyist.org/blog/?p=1725
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Offline clobdell

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #8 on: May 02, 2023, 1559 UTC »
Interesting list .... I did hear D.B. Cooper for the first time this year ...
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Offline Pigmeat

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #9 on: May 03, 2023, 1442 UTC »
I once got a QSL and gelt from Happy Finster of Happy Hanukkah Radio.

Victory Radio involved the Texas-Texas A&M football game. When A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC the rivalry ended. Texas is heading to the SEC in 2024, Victory Radio could show back up, but Miss Edna's Chicken Shack in LaGrange is long gone. The winning team got to go there for a free roll in the hay back in the day. It's what "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and the
ZZ Top song "LaGrange" were about, uh-huh,haw,haw...

Offline Professor Plum

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #10 on: June 11, 2023, 1149 UTC »
"Pirate radio is all about having fun from the op's viewpoint." This is what it is all about, for sure. Its about having fun.

Offline Pigmeat

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Re: How long until a station is no longer active?
« Reply #11 on: June 16, 2023, 2053 UTC »
Seeing that Fred Flintstone showed up after a couple of decades of being MIA the other day, I don't know how to call it. Will Captain Ron be next? Or is he still in that box under Old Man Fansome's trailer?