Europe's First and Only Album Station:
Radio Caroline

Time frame 1983-1989

1 - Caroline's 3th ship: the MV Ross Revenge (September 1983)
Caroline's 3rd ship: the MV Ross Revenge
(September 1983)

2 - The anchor chain
The main anchor chain
 

3 - The longest antenna ever built on a ship: 90 metres
The tallest antenna ever built on a ship: 90m
(see building an antenna on a ship)

4 - Grant Bawlard in the on-air studio
Grant "Super Star" Bawlard in the on-air studio (August 1984)

5 - Part of the library next door
Part of the library next door
6 - Jay "Angry man" Jackson preparing the news bulletin
Jay "Angry man" Jackson preparing the news bulletin		 7 - Repairing & testing the telex in the newsroom
Repairing & testing the telex in the newsroom

8 - BBC camera crew on its way back after visiting us for an interview
BBC camera crew on its way back after visiting us for an interview

9 - L->R: Grant, Peter Chicago, Jay, me, Janice, Andy, Michael, Bob, Stewart
Left to right: Grant, Peter Jay, me, Janice, Andy, Michael, Bob, Stewart

10 - L->R: Peter Chicago, Grant, Johnny, me
From left to right: Peter Chicago, Grant Benson, 
Johnny Lewis and me, having a bath during slack tide

11 - HF radiation on the deck
Me, waving around with a non-connected fluorescent lamp
to show the HF radiation on deck

12 - The best sound quality on the MW, thanks to the Optimod
The best sound quality on the MW, thanks to the Optimod

13 - The 50 kW main transmitter (RCA - Ampliphase)
The 50 kW main transmitter (RCA - Ampliphase)

14 - RCA - Ampliphase, serial number 101

15 - Cabinet with the driver stage, exciter modulators and crystal oscillator
Cabinet with the driver stage (top), exciter modulators and crystal oscillator (bottom)

16 - Channel 2 of the Ampliphase output stage cabinet
Channel 2 of the Ampliphase
output stage cabinet

17 - The rectifier & control cabinet
The rectifier & control cabinet
 

18 - The 963 kHz crystal oven
The 963 kHz crystal oven

19 - Top of the output valve in Channel 1
Top of the output valve in Channel 1

20 - Back of the 4-cabinet Ampliphase
Back of the 4-cabinet Ampliphase

21 - The matching unit, feeding the output of two transmitters to one antenna
The tuning unit, feeding the output of
two transmitters to one antenna

22 - Peter's diagram of the matching unit
Peter's diagram of the tuning unit
 

23 - The antenna insulator as seen from the transmitter room
The antenna insulator just above the
matching unit in the transmitter room

24 - The antenna insulator as seen from the deck
The antenna insulator (former power plant
insulator) as seen from the deck

25 - View from inside the antenna mast
View from inside the antenna mast
(during maintenance of course)

26 - Looking down from the top of the mast: 90 metres above sea level!
Looking down from the top of the mast: 
90 metres above sea level!

27 - The high voltage transformer vault beloning to the Ampliphase transmitter
The high voltage transformer cage
for the transmitters

28 - One of the two 10 kW transmitters (which was later rewired for SortWave services)
One of the two 10 kW transmitters
(later rewired for Sort Wave services)
29 - Bob Matthews on air
Bob Matthews on air (March 1985)		 30 - The old production studio, now converted into the Radio Monique studio
Old production studio, now converted into the Radio Monique studio
31 - Peter Philips in the news room
Peter "World Service" Philips in the news room		 32 - Johnny Lewis at the VHF radio on the bridge
Johnny Lewis at the VHF radio on the bridge

33 - One of the two main generators
One of the two main generators

34 - A spare 10 kW transmitter cabinet is taken aboard
A spare 10 kW transmitter cabinet is taken aboard

35 - L->R: Stewart, Paul, Kate, Tim
From left to right: Stewart, Paul, Kate, Tim

36 - Tenders from the UK (alongside) and the Netherlands (behind)
Tenders from the UK (alongside) and the Netherlands (behind)

37 - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on watch
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on watch (October 1985)

38 - Hide and Seek between the DTI and our tender
Hide and Seek with the DTI during "EuroSiege 85"
39 - Andy Johnson in the production studio at the aft
Andy "Cosmic" Johnson in the production studio at the aft		 40 - The original communications equipment behind the bridge
The original communications equipment behind the bridge

41 - Howard's (own made) tender
Howard's (self made) ship, 
here in use as tender

42 - Fergie and Andy with Greenpeace tender in the background
Fergie and Andy with another tender
in the background

43 - Fergie and Rob preparing for mast maintenance
Fergie & Rob prepping for mast maintenance.
Behind them Jenny (my ex-love) and Jan

44 - The antenna as seen from the aft
The antenna as seen from the aft
 

45 - Aft riggings
Mast riggings at the aft which held the mast in place until a hurricane in November 1987

46 - The much discussed fibre mast (which turned out to be a disaster)
One of the DIY antenna experiments.
This fibre mast got fried when RF was applied

47 - Ross in rough weather (dry)
Loosing her main mast but still having her concrete counterweight
made the Ross less stable during rough weather conditions

48 - Ross in rought weather (wet)
And today's number for the office is number...
 

49 - Ross without her mast
The Ross Revenge after she lost her main mast (June 1988)
 


 

50 - The *illegal* raid by the Dutch "Radio Controle Dienst" (RCD)
In August 1989 the unthinkable happened: after 25 years of broadcasting the Dutch Radio Controle Dienst (RCD) went out on the vessel 'Volans', illegally raided the Ross and dismantled the transmitters
   
 

Photos 34,35,36,41,46,50 © Leendert Vingerling
Photo 47 © Mike Kerslake

 
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