Radiofax
Britain's Number Two Short Wave Station
1988-1992
RADIO BRITANNIA 1965-2022
RADIOFAX
HOME PAGE
Ken Lancaster's
Radio Britannia.
|
The amazing 57 years of the world's longest running unlicenced station With its first transmission on 9th November 1965, South Yorkshire's Radio Britannia was almost certainly the world's longest-lived unlicenced station. 
Aerials at Radio Britannia in August 2004 Radio Britannia deserves its place in history alongside other early pirates that persisted and did finally obtain licences, like SIBC in Shetland (1985), Sunshine Radio in Shropshire (1992) and Radio Jackie in London (2003). 
The station card in the 2000s Radio Britannia was the creation of Ken Lancaster, 'Kenny Crescendo' (Kenneth John Lancaster, 10/01/1947 - 26/03/2023). Kenny's grandfather built the very first transmitter and signals appeared on 9th November 1965. Radio pirate ships were on the air and in the news at the time but seeing a photograph of the Queen's Royal Yacht Britannia inspired Kenny with the name for his own station, making its first proper broadcast on 30th May 1966. 
A compliments slip from the 2000s As a youngster, Kenny was a cycling champion who would cycle 80 miles to Leicester, compete in a 100 mile bike race and then cycle 80 miles back home. 
Kenny Crescendo in July 2013 Kenny was a plumber working for the National Coal Board, where they were infamously known as 'the snowmen' since they came home covered in toxic white asbestos fibres. 
Once a real product - asbestos Christmas decorations anybody? Water main pipes were made from thick asbestos and needed grinding down at their ends to make them fit into iron pipes. 
"Lady Asbestos" by Bernard Partridge - marketing from Turner & Newall Another activity was mixing up asbestos powder, which arrived in bags like cement, to make paste called 'Monkey Muck' which was then applied by hand to boilers and pipework. 
An asbestos-insulated hot water tank The boilers for pithead baths were huge structures. In due course the inevitable consequence for Kenny was mesothelioma and emphysema. 
Founder: Kenny Crescendo Kenny was a presenter rather than an engineer. He got professional friends to build equipment in chassis form and then made a superb job of boxing them in cabinets. 
Kenny's beautifully finished Medium Wave transmitter By the 2000s, modulation was provided by a 300 Watt MOSFET solid state amplifier, which was similarly boxed. The units took pride of place in his living room. 
Audio processing was by an ex Voice of America UREI 1A peak limiter Following lower power units, from 2005 Kenny's Medium Wave valve transmitter ran 250 Watts and fed a restricted aerial in a back yard with remarkable views towards three high power transmitters, at Holme Moss, Moorside Edge and Emley Moor. 
The aerial feed point, buried radials and some of the ground rods As many radials and ground rods as practicable were fitted into the small area of lawn. The ground conductivity beneath was hardly ideal, consisting largely of stonework from a row of demolished houses. 
Supporters produced quirky novelties - Radio Britannia socks For many years Radio Britannia operated on 1476kHz. Eventually, as community radio licences became available, Ofcom allocated that channel to Penistone Radio. 
The Radio Britannia 1476/1494 figure 7 aerial rises from Kenny's lawn Penistone never took up the AM licence but a few years later Ofcom granted the channel to a friend of Kenny's, Jon Sketchley, at Leicester licencee Carillon Wellbeing Radio (CWR), so Radio Britannia moved up two channels, to the equally suitable 1494kHz. 
Radio Britannia returns to the air after storm damage An army surplus transmitter used on Medium Wave died in 1980 so Kenny tried a little Short Wave followed by settling on being on FM only between 1986 and 2002. 
June 1989 Anoraks UK advert for Radio Britannia and Veronica FM equipment By October 1993 the FM service had become 220 Watts into a 4dB gain vertical on 99.9MHz. 
The Radio Britannia studio in August 2004 Originally in Rotherham and from the mid 1990s near Barnsley, Kenny always cycled 400 miles each month but had to give that up in 2013. As his breathing problems progressed the difficulties eventually led Kenny to cease presentational speaking, instead broadcasting recordings from his collection of hundreds of CDs of his past shows. 
The cover removed from the 2003 aerial match and riser When BBC local radio shut Medium Wave services it meant football commentaries only existed online and on DAB, outlets many older enthusiasts in the community did not have, so Kenny took to coming on the air on Saturday afternoons to provide a relay. 
45 years of Radio Britannia in 2011 Kenny sometimes used Rule, Britannia! from the Last Night of the Proms (lyrics: James Thomson, music: Thomas Arne) as a station ident, while his closing theme for transmissions was Angel In Blue by General Lafayette. Radio Britannia operated quite openly and uniquely, over its entire existence of 57 years, Kenny was never raided. 
Glowing TT21 valve and Britannia House nameplate in Birdwell, near Barnsley On all but 15 days throughout 2020, the first year and lockdowns of the Covid 19 pandemic, Radio Britannia was on the air with the usual morning transmissions for its loyal local audience. 
Radio Britannia's QSL card Some online coverage of Radio Britannia - 
Radio Britannia history at The Pirate Archive 
A Digital Spy report of good reception in Chesterfield, 30km away 
DXing et al receives Radio Britannia 1476kHz in London, November 2013 
The recording of Radio Britannia in London by DXing et al 
Columninst Oscar praises Radio Britannia in Radio User, August 2018 A few of Kenny's appearances in Short Wave Magazine - 
Kenny's MW and FM equipment set up in January 1988 
Antennas on the roof of Kenny's home, SWM June 1988 
Kenny and his wife fix a radio a dealer couldn't, SWM November 1991 
After Andy Cadier's 'Off the Record' column was cancelled, SWM September 1992 and Monitoring Times USA, November 1992 
More Radio Britannia business cards Some recordings of Kenny Crescendo on Radio Britannia: Radio Britannia with Kenny Crescendo 16th April 1994  Radio Britannia with Kenny Crescendo and Steve StJhon 30th September 1993 06 Radio Britannia Musical Highway with Kenny Crescendo 2014 07 Radio Britannia with Kenny Crescendo 09 Radio Britannia Christmas with Kenny Crescendo 10 Radio Britannia Christmas with Kenny Crescendo 
After Kenny's death, Britannia House was emptied for sale... 
...sadly including Radio Britannia's Medium Wave transmitter |