87.7 Liverpool

[Matt]

Yesterday afternoon around 4pm I was driving around South Liverpool, having a scan to see what surprises the bank holiday might have in store.

As well as a couple of the usual stations, there was non stop music on 87.7 which I would describe, ignorantly, as oldies. I'd be surprised if it was a car transmitter as it covered a good few miles and faded slightly in dips and under a bridge. I tuned in later at home and there was nothing there. Anyone got any clues?!

[SD-E1102]

It might have been a Radio Caroline relay as they're quite popular up that way.

[Matt]

Good idea, but I'm not sure about that. It was just music with gaps inbetween. No jingles, no presenter and no real flow to the music.

I've got the impression over the years that there are a few transmitters in lofts and cupboards around here and that, occasionally, one of their owners gets all enthusiastic and fires one up.

This may be just one of those.

[Matt]

It's back on again. Decent signal into South Liverpool. Non stop music again with 5 second gaps between the tunes.

[Albert H]

There's a guy I know near Chester who has been known to connect the output of his "Echo Dot" to a rig and stream random music!

[Matt]

It had occurred to me that it was maybe someone broadcasting their tunes around their house for their own pleasure and making it slightly further than intended... by a few miles! It is quite a local signal. Or maybe a hobbyist putting a rig on just to see how far they can get, just for the sake of it.

It doesn't sound like a real attempt at a station and the music is properly random. It can just as easily be reggae as cliff Richard.

It was off by the evening last Sunday and I haven't heard it since.

[Ironman]

I love the fact there are still people out there willing to put out low powered transmissions whatever the musical content is. Great stuff.

[Matt]

Yeah - same here. It's a rare treat to come across a strange transmission like this these days.

It was back on again for a couple of hours early evening yesterday and I stayed locked in until it was switched off. Luckily the wife finds it intriguing as well. That's taken years of work...

[Matt]

It was back on again today. A carrier from around 5pm with the music starting about quarter past. A good solid couple of hours of George Formby followed by, I think, a slade album. Or something that sounded like slade. Then a couple of minutes of silence and then off at 7.45ish. I absolutely love this strange little station!

[FMEnjoyer]

Nice story, it is the mystery that gets you with pirate radio, something that has all but vanished. I am glad that people bother firing a rig up in the garden or in their loft every now and then. When you hear music that is very obviously nothing to do with any normal radio station that is perfect, it is the sign that it is a clandestine operation.

The stranger the music is the better the sign is for the anoraks