This page is dedicated for Dutch Medium Wawe pirate stations from the past!

My name is Harri Kujala (born 1959) (foto). I am a Finnish DX-listener living on South Finland in Naantali. I have tuned radio wavelengths since 1973 on all radio bands (SW, MW, FM). Today I prefer FM-DX-listening and I have heard over 1000 FM-stations from all over Europe (via E-skips, See more http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/harriku/fm_qsl.html).

ISince 1986 I have been working for two commercial local FM-radios in Turku as a music manager (Radio Auran Aallot and Radio Majakka / www.auranaallot.fi / www.radiomajakka.fi).

During the years from 1976 to 1982, and also occasionally after that, I tuned Dutch Medium Wave pirates here in Finland. At that time I lived in Isokyrö, in Middle West Finland (40 km East from Vaasa). I received hundreds of Dutch illegal radio stations on 180 meterband (1605 – 1680 kHz) and 227 mb (1300 – 1335 KHz). For some time (during my schooltime) I hunted them almost every evening.
During those days I had also my own pirate station on 48 meters (6205 / 6272 kHz). The station was called Radio Bambino. Here is a photo of our studio. This photo was published in one soft-porno magazine called
Ratto (year 1980). We luckily never raided!

At least 500 stations received   - hard to identify them

I suppose I heard about 500 different stations but most of them remained unidentified. It was often very difficult to identify the stations because of poor signal or some interference. Also my Dutch is poor. Later I learned better to identify the names of the stations and their locations. It was easier when stations had “QSO’s”/”Rapports” (giving signal-reports to each other) while testing their equipment. That happened more or less every evening in the end of the 70’s. There were thousands of illegal stations operating on FM and MW and much much more on the 27 MHz (citizen band) in the end of the 70's. Some operators started even in the 60's the the offshore pirate times (See QSL from the mid-70's of Radio Atlantis (2) and Radio Nordzee),

Also these 180 mb stations had long music programmes in the evenings lasting many hours with music dedications and greetings to other listeners and stations. In the beginning I was surprised that they give direct telephone numbers for music dedications and also announced their location like “Dit is Waterman Radio vanaf Studio Elburg en goede avond”. Unfortunately I never phoned to these stations although I got their numbers from the programmes.

The music they played was 100 % Dutch folk music (“polka”) which was naturally quite odd to me. International stations on 227 meterband had mostly pop/rock. Many stations raided, some many times, 6 times is the highest number I got. They got only a few hundreds of Guldens penalties (100 Euros if I remember right), so it was easy to start it again, although all equipment were confiscated by the police and PTT / RCD (newspaper cutting). Pirate-hunters (PTT / RCD) used this kind of equipment, mounted to normal car.

Mailing reports to stations

I mailed to these pirates a little piece of reel-to-reel tape (stukjeband? In Dutch) with details of listening (frequency, time and signal strength etc.) and asked for confirmation of my listening (letter or card). It was very interesting to give them a surprise with a letter from Finland because they usually made their programmes for local listeners.

I have a written letter or QSL-card from over 200 Dutch pirates. Unfortunately quite many of them did not reply back to my report (only 55% of 180 mb stations did reply back).  I have also hundreds of stickers and also dozens of nice city-postcards from the pirates. Most of the stations had own stickers, or even QSL, as some were also on air on 27 MHz (citizen-band).

It was naturally quite difficult to find the contact-addresses for the stations because they very rarely announced their address or I could not understand it (except international stations on 227 mb). Every time I got one new contact I asked addresses for other stations by giving a list. With this system I got much addresses directly to the operators. Quite a few stations used postbus numbers (mosty international stations).

My equipment

For the start I used only 40 meters longwire antenna (1976-78) but later 150 meters “L”. The receiver was TRIO 9R-59DS with frequency counter (Photo of myself from 1979 here). Signals were mostly poor or  fair but sometimes very strong because station’s transmitter-powers were even kilowatts. However, some stations used only around 50 Watts or even less. In these pages I have some old audio-clips from 1977 (They are copies from copies and therefore quite poor quality but clear). Most of the stations used old US Army-transmitter called VT-kast. These transmitters were in military use in the 2nd World War but sold to public in the 60's and 70's, I presume.

Here in these pages I list all the stations to which I mailed a letter (DX-report). Unfortunately I do not have any exact loggings left (logbook with date, time etc.), so these lists does not include all the stations I have heard and identified. 
(Photo of my statistic-book 1977-78)

I have also scanned almost all stickers and many QSL’s and letters to these apges. The letters are not beautiful but they are original and give a view of those stations and people behind them. 

I decided to put this collection to internet because this is special, not so beautiful, but unique.

If any of you remember me, and you find out my old report/letter, I would like to have one copy, and please contact if you feel so.
Today I live in urban area in the city of Naantali and unortunately I can not listen Medium Wawe anymore!

My e-mail is harriku at dnainternet.net.    at=@

Radiogreetings,

Harri Kujala, Naantali, Finland