THE OFFSHORE CHUNK

    RADIO NORTH SEA INTERNATIONAL

Frequencies: 186mtrs 6210 KHz sw, FM 102 Mhz (Feb 28th 1970); Mw change to 182mtrs due to interference to Dutch pilot service; April 10th 1970 190mtrs; Jamming starts from UK April 15th 1970; May 1st 217mtrs - jammed on this frequency;  May 13th 1970 244mtrs; August 3rd 1970 also on 31mtrs sw as well; August 23rd 1970  220mtrs; change to 100Mhz FM 49m and 31m shortwave.

The amazing Mebo 2 riding at anchor in the North Sea - Picture courtesy of Offshore Radio Site

 

 

Radio North Sea International was a very welcome addition to the Radio Scene when it arrived off the Dutch coast in 1970.  Initially it was right at the base of the medium wave and not everyone's radio could pick it up.  I was delighted to find that the Luxembourg bandspread on my GEC radio could pick the station up very well. I was delighted to find that Roger Day was doing programmes on it, but initially a bit miffed to find that there were German programmes on it from a chap called Hannibal.  I soon became a fan of their output though and used to the German music shows.    Occasionally I can still recollect the station was swamped by morse code when it was on the , this bears out the reason for trying to change the frequency so soon in its life.  

The station jingles were an absolute delight.  In the sixties some jingles had been overplayed and were losing their appeal.  The station theme by Les Reed and the Orchestra titled "Man Of Action" was a superb instrumental and it was regularly played up to the hour.   Also a tune called "Peace" by Peter was regularly played after an appeal for UNICEF.  This had a marvellous haunting tune behind the lyrics.

The seventies was an amazing time for pop music, everything from Andy Williams to Progressive rock.   I was delighted to find that they played a wide range of European and world music, sometimes in local languages like French etc.  I remember Daniel Gerard's Butterfly and others well.

My favourite presenter was the lovely Carl Mitchell, the weird beard - he had such a lovely deep voice and his theme tune, which he allowed to play in for a few bars before speaking was excellent.   The most bizzare I felt was the Australian Graham Gill.  I really liked Larry Tremaine the programme controller who very occasionally did a show when he came out to the ship.  He had worked on the same station as Wolfman Jack in the USA and did a really off-the-wall show he called himself "Deegeta - the man with the Big Heater" or something like that to my recollection.

For many radio fans all over Europe this was a superstation and with the exception of the FM transmissions, which I never heard.   The thrill of switching on an old valve radio in our front room at home and hearing the station fading powerfully in and out on the short-wave was a real pleasure.

Do you have memories of RNI to share here - a few sentences or a whole page of information - even corrections - although this has been compiled from memory and the frequencies from "To be a Pirate King" by Paul Harris.  Please email the waffler at wirewaffle@hotmail.com with this and head up "RNI Memories" on the email so it does not get submerged in spam.