Starforce FM
From Freeradio
Starforce FM was a pirate radio station which broadcast to Clowne between June and November 1997.
Broadcasts took place on Friday nights, from 8pm to well after midnight (normally 2am).
Live broadcasts took place (normally).
After a few weeks, Starforce FM commenced stereo broadcasts.
Broadcasts ceased when Starforce FM was raided by the DTI on 14th November 1997, soon after transmissions began at 8pm.
Over 10 years after the event, Starforce FM has returned as the web radio station Starforce Radio International
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Programmes
Format was pop-dance music and music aimed at younger listeners (eg "Smurfs Go Pop")from 8pm to 9pm ; dance and hardcore music from 9pm to 11pm ; dance and disco music from the 1970's to 1997 between 11pm and midnight ; finally, "anything goes" after midnight.
Two DJs appeared on Starforce FM, namely DJ Comrade and DJ nWo. DJ Comrade was on-air from 8pm start of broadcasts, until midnight. After Midnight, until approx 2am, DJ Comrade was joined in the studio by DJ nWo. The after-midnight broadcasts consisted largely of mock-rivalry between DJ Comrade and nWo.
Approximately every other week, Starforce FM broadcast news from that weeks edition of Socialist Worker newspaper, at approximately 5 minutes past each hour between 10pm and midnight.
A mobile phone was in-use in the studio. A number of phone calls were received, some from free radio enthusiasts, some from prank callers. (Sadly, it is believed to be via this phone number that the person who grassed Starforce to the DTI, made contact and gleaned his information). One prank caller claimed to be "Farmer Giles", DJ Comrade played along with the joke by playing a record which allegedly summed up the rural community which Starforce was serving - Judge Dredd "Up With The Cock" !
On the morning of Princess Diana's funeral (a Saturday), Starforce FM broadcast a repeat of the previous night's programmes - and was the only station audible in Clowne to broadcast a mostly music alternative to the funeral (which was broadcast on all the other audible stations). During the broadcast, DJ Comrade made clear his feelings that, although Diana's death was sad and regrettable, he thought the story was being over-hyped by the mainstream media because an ex-Royal was involved.
One Saturday night in October, Starforce FM had a special broadcast protesting against the recently implemented curfew on kids, which was being trialled in Hamilton in Scotland. This broadcast was announced as "Starforce Anti Curfew FM". After midnight, DJ nWo joined Comrade in the studio, and announced the broadcast as "nWo Souled Out" (inspired by the wrestling special event).
The final full broadcast was pre-recorded, as DJ Comrade was due to travel to London early the following morning. (It was later discovered that, during this un-manned broadcast, the DTI had tracked the station down).
Technical
A 12W Veronica Electronics Transmitter was used, with a Veronica Electronics stereo encoder, assembled from kit form.
The Antenna was again from Veronica Electronics, had 7dB gain and was mounted approx 10 feet above ground level.
Studio equipment included 2 CD players, 2 cassette decks, 2 record decks, a large Maplin mixer, and 2 microphones.
Starforce FM was definitely heard as far as Chesterfield (during a range-check by the operator) and Whitwell. On the night of the DTI raid, one of the DTI men mentioned he had been monitoring Starforce from as far as Sheffield.
Trivia
The name "Starforce" was taken from the name of an abortive radio station which was planned from the MV Communicator in the late 1980's.
Starforce FM broadcast from a converted garden shed (below), in a garden in Clowne. This shed had previously been used for recording programmes for Phase 42.
Although the studio was in the main shed, the transmitter was in a separate out-building (a disused coal shed) to minimise RF feedback to the studio equipment.
The final record played on Starforce FM - during the DTI raid - was Sash "Ecuador"
External links
Starforce FM history on Anthony's Radio Pages[1]
