Apart from Radio Jackie, there were a number of other land based stations, usually broadcasting at the weekend.  For example in the 1980's there was London Weekend Radio, Uptown Radio and JFM, among others, in and around the capital, and in and around Birmingham there was "EST" (Electronic Sound Transmission) on the air every Saturday on 104.3 FM for a couple of years playing rock and new wave, and then there was "Radio Liveridge"....

Radio Liveridge was a village station that took its name from a nearby hill and it broadcast every Sunday from April 1981 to 1986 on 97.5 MHz v.h.f. and was probably the worlds smallest station!

The idea for the station came from  a group of friends who thought that Sunday radio at the time was incredibly dull, and they thought that they could do much better.

The station was all home built.  The v.h.f. transmitter was very small, producing only 500mW, but it fed a big 5/8 wave vertical aerial that seemed very efficient.  A detailed reception survey was carried out which found that the signal could be heard for around two miles, four miles if you listened through the hiss!

The studio mixer was also home built, even the aluminium case was manufactured by one of the team!  Audio was generated from turntable, cassttte decks and, more latterly, from CD players too. The studio also used two home constructed eletret condenser microphones.

Despite the home brew nature of the station the sound quality was remarkably good.  In the early weeks Radio Liveridge did suffer some intermittent transmitter problems and low power, but these were later rectified with the installation of an upgraded unit. 

The station was always light-hearted, but although it did not take itself too seriously, the broadcasts were always planned out in great detail, with a news bulletin and weather update during the programme. There was no music policy - if they had the record they played it!  The music was mainly current and recent pop, but there would often be a rock-spot and indeed anything from Sibelius to Sinatra would often be heard!  After a year or so on air the station adopted the title 'Random Radio Liveridge' because apart from the regular Sunday programmes, it would often pop up at other 'random' times, particularly during bank holidays.

Radio Liveridge continued until March 1985, when a report was apparently seen in the local paper about the station.  It was felt best to discontinue broadcasts after gaining this much publicity and Radio Liveridge made its final and reflective broadcast on March 31st 1985.

That was not quite the end thouh! Radio Liveridge returned during the summer of 1986 for several months of the regular Sunday programmes, after these were completed the station was not heard from again. 

The Radio Liveridge 'studio'