107.6fm

[wisemanbluff]

1076 well shit frequency

[Albert H]

Time (like Jackie) were allocated more power because of the "pirate" interference they usually suffer. They're also on (relatively) low sites, so their increased power is to compensate.

Back in the days of the pirate London Greek Radio, it used to come from a single dipole on a 5m pole above a Greek Restaurant on Muswell Hill Broadway. The pole is still attached to the side of the building, last time I looked! The place is now called "Crocodile Antiques" - the Greek place shut down some years ago.

The first rig that was ever connected to that dipole did just 40 Watts, but with a combination of a properly matched antenna (Pawsey Stub), good coax, a clean rig, a clear channel and lots of height, it could be heard throughout most of London!

[chesney79]

Interesting info Albert H.

Think they are looking to cover parts of South, Surrey & Kent. Some people don't feel the need to cover London as that seems to bring a whole set of other problems as it is so busy on the dial these days.

[famefm]

Jackie gets out miles towards the west it's seems like a London wide station?

[Albert H]

Jackie is only meant to be "The Sound of South-West London". It's coming off Tolworth Tower.

Their aerial must be very basic (or buggered), because I got a fully noise-quietening stereo signal pretty much throughout London from that site with just 200W on ~102MHz into a colinear on a short pole.

[4therecord]

Jackie certainly gets a 'little bit' beyond SW London .... I think you can get it on the moon in the right conditions!

[famefm]

I knew it is on the tolworth tower and I was told they are on 800 watts?

[teckniqs]

Originally 100w and launched as Thames FM around 96, changed to Jackie around 2003.
I think it was around 2009/10 that they were given the HUGE increase after continuous complaints to Ofcom regarding pirate radio related interference...

[Effemm]

Mate, LGR certainly did boom out back then... I was in living in E17 at that time with a basic portable boombox n could get it crystal clear without the aerial up !! There was a few around aly paly at the time bit like the good ol days on westoe hill Crystal Palace

[famefm]

Yes even 25 miles to the west it's almost as strong as the big London wide stations?

[teckniqs]

Mate, LGR certainly did boom out back then... I was in living in E17 at that time with a basic portable boombox n could get it crystal clear without the aerial up !! There was a few around aly paly at the time bit like the good ol days on westoe hill Crystal Palace

I could get it solid all the way out near Woking in Surrey back in 1993/94, 4 signal lights out of 5.

[Albert H]

Mate, LGR certainly did boom out back then... I was in living in E17 at that time with a basic portable boombox n could get it crystal clear without the aerial up !!

That's the advantage of a lower noise floor, clear frequency, lots of height and a properly clean rig. I remember reports of George's original LGR being heard in High Wycombe and Colchester!

[famefm]

In 1993 lgr was legal on 1033 where they are now the pirate finished in 1988

[Albert H]

The first rig that I remember from the Restaurant on the Broadway was 40 Watts, and that was in late 1981. Pyers had put an earlier VFO rig in, but it drifted badly and eventually the PA failed. The one I replaced it with was a small pair of diecast boxes - exciter in one and PA in the other - bolted inside a larger aluminium box (an H.L. Smith's special) with the power supply. The PA was a 12V job, using an MRF238 for the final. The mains transformer was a slightly re-wound Halfords car battery charger transformer (a favourite trick)!

The exciter used a simple fixed-frequency PLL, and there was a basic compressor and deviation limiter built in, since the programme source (at first) was a tape recorder downstairs, and the levels could be a bit variable!

That rig lasted for about 8 months before they were raided.

[zach_dx]

I received Jackie 108.7 FM in Hatfield. The signal was very strong at that time.

[Albert H]

I hope that you mean 107.8MHz, or Jackie will be in serious trouble!

Their coverage is actually pretty poor for the power they're running. I used that same site with a colinear and 200 Watts and could be heard pretty well in most of London. My rig was on 102MHz back then - and I suppose that the noise floor was much lower - but I got out a lot better (in stereo, too) than Jackie.

[famefm]

Jackie is to powered as far away as Slough it's like a local station there