UK Offshore Radio 1964-1968
 
Medium wave usage

Under the Copenhagen Plan of 1948 the medium wave was divided into 121 channels, each 9 kHz wide. These were then allocated to the various European countries although many frequencies were taken by unauthorised stations and numerous channels were occupied by broadcasters who were not licensed to use them. The offshore stations used many frequencies - both on official channels and off - but we have only listed the ones that were used for a substantial period of time.
 
In sixties Britain it was more usual to refer to the wavelength (in metres) that a radio station used, rather than its frequency, the measure which is more commonly used today. In many cases the announced wavelength was slightly different from the one actually used. This was because the claimed wavelength was thought easier to remember or rhymed with the station's name (�Caroline on 199�, �...259� etc.). At a time when radios did not have digital displays, a precise figure was not considered important.


ACTUAL WAVELENGTH ANNOUNCED WAVELENGTH FREQUENCY STATION ALLOCATED TO
186.9 metres 188 metres 1605 kHz Radio City (1964-5) not an official channel
194.6 metres 197 metres 1542 kHz Radio Sutch (1964) not an official channel
197.4 metres 199 metres 1520 kHz Caroline / Caroline North (1964-6) Czechoslovakia
200.9 metres 201 metres 1493 kHz Radio Atlanta (1964) USSR
200.9 metres 199 metres 1493 kHz Radio Caroline South (1964-6) USSR
221.7 metres 222 metres 1353 kHz Radio Essex (1965-6) not an official channel
222.4 metres 222 metres 1349 kHz BBMS (1966) France, USSR
225.4 metres 227 metres 1331 kHz Radio England (1966) Italy
226.9 metres 227 metres 1322 kHz Radio England (1966) USSR
227.3 metres 227 metres 1320 kHz Britain Radio (1966) not an official channel
236.8 metres 236 metres 1267 kHz King Radio (1965) not an official channel
238.3 metres 224 metres 1259 kHz Radio Scotland (1966) Poland
241.7 metres 242 metres 1241 kHz Radio Scotland (1965-6) France
252.7 metres 259 metres 1187 kHz Radio Caroline South (1966-8) Hungary
256.6 metres 259 metres 1169 kHz Radio Caroline North (1966-8) USSR
264.8 metres 266 metres 1133 kHz Radio London (1964-7) Yugoslavia
269.1 metres 270 metres 1115 kHz Radio 270 (1966-7) Italy, Norway
290.1 metres 299 metres 1034 kHz Radio City (1964-7) Italy
304.6 metres 306 metres 985 kHz Radio Invicta (1964) not an official channel
355 metres 355 metres 845 kHz England / Britain / 355 (1966-7) Italy
388.1 metres 390 metres 773 kHz Radio 390 (1965-7) Sweden

With grateful thanks to Offshore Radio by Gerry Bishop.
 
See the next page for an equivalent look at the frequencies used during the seventies.
 
Back to the previous page.
 
There is a chart of European radio stations as of November 1965, published by Wireless World magazine, here.


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