One alternative to lockdown lunacy

This Sunday coming 26th April 2020, DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird will be broadcasting another show in its weekly spring run at 1100 UTC (1200 UK) on 6070 kHz via Channel 292. 

This week’s episode features Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory and One Deck Pete’s “Radio connects us all” mix featuring Patrick McGoohan, Sasskia, Mokka and Camille Murray. We’ve also the debut of Shane Quentin from the excellent Garden of Earthly Delights radio show who’s bringing us a bit of “Radio Re-flex-ology”.

Tune in using your shortwave radio in the 49 Metre band on 6070 kHz or by using the link here. It’s going to be one interesting hour!

When does the weekend actually start during lockdown?

The big lockdown’s a lot better when the sun’s out, but it was cold and grey today in SE23 so spirits were dampened. It don’t look that better tomorrow so any gardening jobs will have to wait. Saying that, the single teabags and the odd banana skin still have to be taken down the compost heap one by one so we still can pick out the odd weed by hand on the way back up to the house, so gardening won’t stop, it’ll just be on a slower scale!

Even though there’s no frost predicted here, the spuds and the other early vegetable seedlings are safe and warm under the Blue Peter type cold-frame constructions and the few dahlia tubers we put in (far too early) this week are covered with the plastic mini-cloche type things we found in the street a long while ago.

Here’s a picture of happy gardening climes earlier this week before the sun went away and the below is a lovely bit of dub from Camille Murray called Find Your Way To Love which will be featured on the “Radio connects us all” mix to be broadcast on shortwave on Free Radio Skybird on Sunday April 26th at 1100UTC via Channel 292. Don’t let the lockdown get you down too much, it will end just as you are getting used to it.

Turn your radio on…

Here’s an “off the radio” recording of One Deck Pete’s “Radio fanatics of the world unite” mix as broadcast on Free Radio Skybird this morning via Channel 292 on shortwave. “Tune in and rip the knob off” as Bill Mitchell use to say on various pirate radio station jingles in the 1990’s.

Tune into the world outside

We may be locked out from the outside world for a short while but don’t worry, that interesting thing called radio will help us through this mad time.

The next episode of DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird will be aired on Sunday 29th March at 1100 UTC (1200 UK) on 6070 kHz via Channel 292. The show will be rebroadcast on Sunday 5th April at 1100 UTC (1200 UK) on 6070 kHz also. If you haven’t got a shortwave radio it can also be heard on the SDR link on Channel 292’s site here.

The programme will feature Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory and One Deck Pete presenting the Skybird Mailbag. There’ll also be an airing of Pete’s “Radio fanatics of the world unite” mix that has tunes from Nadezha Orlova, Duce Haus and Yemanjo and the Monarch Duo. Also in the next couple of months Free Radio Skybird will take to the air a little bit more. We will keep you posted!

And further radio help can be obtained from this week’s instalment of This is a music show available below. As usual there’s a mix of excellent music in a cross genre style, image data and a corker of a dub track. Our kind of radio show!

https://soundcloud.com/thisisamusicshow/this-is-a-music-show-056

Music to soothe the storm

It’s been dreadful here today, the wind and rain lashed against the windows, there’s been horrible dark skies and we’ve been watching the news on the telly with stories of people who have suffered some very bad luck due to Storm Ciara. And the storm still ain’t ended yet…

https://soundcloud.com/djfrederick/free-radio-skybird-february-2020-shortwave

To soothe those storm nerves, here’s a sneak preview of Free Radio Skybird that’s scheduled to be transmitted via Channel 292 on Sunday 16th February at 1400 UTC/UK on 6070 kHz shortwave including at 42 minutes in One Deck Pete‘s “Less is more” mix. There’s some new tunes from MaiMohammad-Reza Shajarian & Seventh Soul and Blanco. Tune in and blank out that wind and rain!

Free Radio Skybird coming to you soon…

It seems like it’s been a while since DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird was last on the shortwaves. Don’t worry, it won’t be long until the next one on Sunday 16th February at 1400 UTC/UK on 6070 kHz via Channel 292. The show will be rebroadcast on Sunday 23rd February at 1100 UTC/UK on 7440 kHz. If you haven’t got a shortwave radio it can also be heard on the SDR link on Channel 292’s site here.

The programme will feature Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory and One Deck Pete (from Weeds up to me knees) presenting the Skybird Mailbag. There’ll also be an airing of Pete’s “Less is more” that has new tunes from Mai, Mohammad-Reza  Shajarian & Seventh Soul and Blanco.

Mixes from previous shows are available at our audio podcast page here. The programme will be available on DJ Frederick’s Soundcloud page a day or so before transmission date if you want to hear it in true stereo but we here prefer the show with added noises from the ionosphere. Tune in and turn on! #shortwavesnotdead #madtone #freeradioskybird

Festive free radio fun

Next Sunday 8th December at 1700 UTC/UK will be a new transmission from DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird on 6070 kHz shortwave via Channel 292 and if you haven’t got a suitable radio it can also be heard on the SDR link on their site here. The show will be rebroadcast the week after on Sunday 15th December at 1100 UTC/UK also on 6070 kHz.

This month’s programme will feature: Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory, Steve with Indie Science Radio and our very own One Deck Pete presenting the Skybird Mailbag. Also there’ll be an airing of Pete’s “Bouncing off the ionosphere” that has new tunes from: UK DD, Koko, Maxime Tisne-Versailles, Amy Root and Ernest Freeman.

The programme will be available on DJ Frederick’s Soundcloud page a day or so before transmission date if you want to hear it in true stereo but we here prefer the show via the ionosphere. Tune in and turn on! #shortwavesnotdead #madtone #freeradioskybird

Radio, suckers never play me

On Sunday 17th November at 1300 UTC there’s a new transmission from DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird on 6070 kHz shortwave by Channel 292 and if you haven’t got a suitable radio it can also be heard on the SDR link on their site here. The show will be rebroadcast the week after on Sunday 24th November at 1200 UTC on 7440 kHz.

This month’s programme will feature: Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory, Steve with Mini-indie radio and our very own One Deck Pete presenting the Skybird Mailbag. They will also play Pete’s “Shortwave mix and match” that has new tunes from: .ihaveaface, Jazzy System, Dabey and Leaking Shell.

The programme will be available on DJ Frederick’s Soundcloud page a day or so before transmission date if you want to hear it in true stereo but we here prefer the show via by ground wave. Tune in and turn on! #shortwavesnotdead #madtone #freeradioskybird

Saturday night’s radio today

https://soundcloud.com/djfrederick/free-radio-skybird-5-october-2019

Here’s an advance on  Free Radio Skybird‘s Saturday 5th October at 2200 UTC/ 2300 UK transmission on 6070 khz on shortwave if you want to hear it now and without the sounds of the ionosphere.

This month’s programme features One Deck Pete’s “Sunspot Minimum but the Music’s maximum” mix at 11.22 in, at 22.01 Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory which is an excellent special on Delia Derbyshire (cheers also to Justin to pointing us to this great Delia Derbyshire resource here), a rerun of a Numbers Stations special at 34.47 featuring Akin Fernandez and Simon Mason and at 42.35 One Deck Pete again with the Skybird Mailbag. 

“Solar minimum but the music’s maximum” mix has tunes from: Froth WhitlamDasyaAndre J Kwenda and a worldwide exclusive from Madtone with Diamond in the sky.

Big thanks to DJ Frederick for getting us involved in the Skybird project and a big shout to everyone else involved (Justin & Steve). Tune in and drop out (now or later)! #Shortwavesnotdead #Freeradioskybird

Saturday night (in a shortwave) style

On Saturday 5th October at 2200 UTC/ 2300 UK there’s a new transmission from DJ Frederick’s Free Radio Skybird on 6070 khz on shortwave. The later time which will help propagation hopefully is broadcast by Channel 292 and if you haven’t a shortwave set can also be heard on the SDR link on their site here.

This month’s programme will feature: Justin Patrick Moore’s Radiophonic Laboratory, Steve with Mini-indie radio and our very own One Deck Pete presenting the Skybird Mailbag. They will also play his “Solar minimum but the music’s maximum” mix that has tunes from: Froth Whitlam, Dasya, Andre J Kwenda and a worldwide exclusive from Madtone.

The programme will be available on DJ Frederick’s Soundcloud page the day before, if you want to hear the show in quality stereo. We here prefer it intermingled with the sounds of the ionosphere. Tune in and turn on whichever way you fancy!

Also this weekend coming sees the re-transmission of Free Radio Skybird’s Remixed show on Sunday 29th September at 0800 UTC (0900 UK) on 7440 khz which will feature One Deck Pete’s “Sounds of the shortwave” mix.

#shortwavesnotdead #freeradioskybird #madtone