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80s advertising radios

Source: Flickr/Joe Haupt

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International Radio Station Podcasts

Since the closure of Radioben.co.uk and Radio360.eu I've found that finding international radio station English service podcasts has become a bit of a challenge.

I used both of these services to listen to stations all over the world, from Thailand to Cuba, and, from Mongolia to Albania. All of these brought great pleasure, especially being able to learn about different countries, and cultures, whilst being on the road.

I don't have the technical knowhow to be able to produce such a service but I wanted to share with you some of my favourite feeds, that are still going.

So here goes...

KBS World Radio Korea (News) - http://world.kbs.co.kr/rss/Podcast_News_e.xml

NHK Radio Japan (News) - http://www.nhk.or.jp/rj/podcast/rss/english.xml

Radio Poland (Current Affairs) - https://polskieradio.pl/Podcast/101bcbbb-d367-428e-b3e5-29843580150e

Radio Prague (News & Current Affairs) - https://english.radio.cz/rcz-rss/broadcast-archive

Radio Slovakia International (News & Current Affairs) - http://api.rtvs.sk/xml/radio_archive.xml?series=1487

Radio Taiwan International (News, Current Affairs, Culture) - https://en.rti.org.tw/radio/podcast/id/1414

I'm still looking for the following stations, if a podcast even exists:

Radio Tirana

Voice of Vietnam

Radio Thailand

Voice of Mongolia

Radio Owaz (Turkmenistan)

Radio Algeria

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#OutsideBroadcast time from the New Forest in Hampshire.

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Just me talking on the radio init.

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25 posts! More than I’ve ever done lol

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Back on air this afternoon with Regency Radio from my improvised home studio.

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My ever growing collection of Cold War and East Germany books.

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Attack warning? Is it for real? Attack warning, it's for bloody real! Is it?

Right get to your stations.

OK, that was a bit of a dramatic title but if you recently watched Threads on BBC Four, you'll know the scene.

I must've watched Threads dozens of times since the first time it brought chills to the back of my neck. It's one of those films that I can watch over and over again, and still enjoy it (if enjoy is the right word).

Seeing it broadcast on TV for the nation to watch on the 40th anniversary was especially chilling. It still remains one of my guilty pleasures though.

My recent Threads related purchases include the two books in Jimmy's aviary (the radio and can weren't available so I had to make a compromise).

If you haven't seen Threads I'd recommend it. I'm not going to post spoilers here, but if you're of a similar age to me, this is what could've happened in our era.

You can find it on archive.org, as well as other Cold War related nuclear armageddon, here https://archive.org/details/threads_201712

The funny this is, there's always a Threads scene for modern life.

Remember the fuel shortage of a couple of years ago? There's a scene

Remeber the time we were waiting for the emergency Coronavirus lockdown message on TV? There's a scene.

By the way, here's the music

Luckily we haven't reached the stages of armed, and bloodied, traffic wardens yet, but here he is anyway.

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Good signals, for a change, listening for doomsday planes and ground stations on 11175 - HFGCS frequencies.

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A Trip To Paris

Date: November 5, 2017 My love of Fip Radio gave me the urge to visit Paris and in 2017 I had a short city break to the city.

I stayed at a cheap but nice hotel, Hotel Amiot, just outside Gare de l’Est in the 10th arrondissement.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t stuck by Paris. It seemed dirty and too busy for my liking. I like to take my time exploring, wandering around until I get lost and then having to find my way back. It just seemed that everybody was in a rush.

I did, however, have a good time and brought myself a little wind up radio so I could fulfil a desire to listen to Fip live on FM, bought Curtis Harding’s album from a local record shop, and, whilst sat by the Eiffel Tower, bought the latest Fip compilation. I also managed to so a quick selfie outside Radio France, the home of my beloved Fip Radio.

At least it’s another city ticked off the list.

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A Trip To Kelvedon Hatch Nuclear Bunker

Date: October 10, 2020

A couple of weeks ago I revisited the (not so) Secret Nuclear Bunker at Kelvedon Hatch in Essex.

I’d been there about 10 years ago but thought it was certainly work another trip, especially as things had probably changed.

I was staying in Paddington so it was quite easy to get to. A quick Tube ride to Liverpool Street, then the TFL Rail to Brentwood, and a quick Uber ride to the bunker.

The first time I visited the bunker, which would’ve been a Regional Seat of Government if we were attacked by nuclear weapons, I felt a huge sense of eeriness. This time though it wasn’t as bad. There weren’t many people there which meant I had time to properly absorb the environment and overload on old Cold War tech.

The journey home wasn’t as straight forward but at least I saved some money on the hourly bus service. In fact the driver commented that he hadn’t picked anybody up from that stop for at least three years!

For more information on Kelvedon Hatch, or to visit, check out their website at https://secretnuclearbunker.com/

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Southwick Hill Royal Observer Corps Post

Up on the Sussex Downs, a stones throw away from the busy A27, lies the former Royal Observer Corps post on Southwick Hill.

The post was opened in 1962 and closed in 1968 (source: Subbrit)

The post is still visible today although the hatch has been sealed with concrete so there’s no access down below. The fencing too has been left to nature and all that remains is the gate and a few posts.

I’d really love to be able to preserve this site but I don’t know who owns it these days. It would be good to be able to do something, not only as part of our local history, but also to preserve the memory of the people who served there.

If you have any info on the site, please do get in touch.

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How I Became Fascinated With East Germany

So the year is 1989 and I’m in France with my school band. We’re travelling, by coach, when Charlotte G shouted “THE BERLIN WALL HAS FALLEN!” followed by Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall being played on some worn out coach radio.

I was 15 at the time and had no idea what this meant. I had no clue about East vs West politics or current affairs but this moment stuck with me.

It must’ve been around this age that I discovered some CND newsletters in the loft of our house. Curious to know what it was about, I was told, by my Dad, that I wasn’t to read them. I never did get to see them properly as the loft was converted to a ‘room in the roof’ and I suppose they were binned. I think the previous owners of the house had been members or something.

I grew up during the Cold War and the ever growing threat of nuclear war. It wasn’t something we talked about but somehow I knew about ‘the cupboard under the stairs’, I saw the women of Greenham Common on the news and I definitely overplayed Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Two Tribes. I still have my 7″ record somewhere 🙂

Now I knew our Dad was in the RAF back in the 60’s and I knew he guarded the Vulcan planes but none of this really meant much as I had no idea about the nuclear threat or the Cold War.

Fast forward to 2007 and I started thinking about those CND leaflets and what could have been so bad about them, so I started looking into CND – what they were about, why they were so important and what wasn’t I being told.

It was then that I developed an interest in the Cold War – bunkers, ROC posts, Protect and Survive, Threads, When The Wind Blows and all the ‘culture’ associated with the Cold War.

Holy Crap! It was then I realised what all the news things, the CND leaflets, the Vulcan’s and Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ were about.

I then ventured out to places such as Hack Green, Kelvedon Hatch and found the Royal Observer Corps post just along the road in Southwick.

That afternoon I watched Threads for the first time and it brought a sharp chill to my spine. Staring out of the kitchen window, there was a surreal sense of being after watching that. The peace and tranquility of the garden were a billion miles from what I’d watched and what could’ve been.

A bit more research led me to Checkpoint Charlie and the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, it led me to the division between East and West and it led me to the Berlin Wall, the thing that Charlotte had mentioned all those years ago.

The thought of travelling to Berlin faded away over time. It was one of those places I’d like to visit, given the opportunity, but, you know, cost, getting there, a faded knowledge of German all became excuses for NOT going.

October 2015 and I’m sitting in the cafe/bar of my holiday hotel in Cala Bona, Mallorca, reading Anna Funder’s Stasiland over a coffee. I read the book in an afternoon and just had to get to Berlin. It was my mission to get there as soon as I could.

That was it, I needed to visit Berlin.

In my personal life I’d just been through, and got over, a pretty traumatic time and the stories of the Stasi resonated with my own experiences.

August 2016 and I had made it to Berlin – It was a short, four day, mini break with my brother. Even more importantly, I’d made it to Checkpoint Charlie, the place I’d read about.

I have to admit, this was a pretty fumbled visit. We did lots of walking around, not knowing where anything was, or where to go. We got to see part of the wall, we searched for hours trying to find the TV tower that we could see in the distance, we visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, we had Currywurst and we visited the Brandenburg Gate.

We stayed at the Select Hotel Checkpoint Charlie, just round the corner from Checkpoint Charlie.

That was it, from then on I needed to know more about East Germany. What was it like to live behind the wall? What was life really like? I wanted to know stories of the citizens, and stories of every day life. Not just the same old Communism vs Capitalism arguments but real human stories.

From then on I began to immerse myself in East German history – how the wall came to be, life with the Stasi, the social aspects of music, television, film etc and the places I needed to see.

I returned to Berlin in 2017, a bit more clued up and, apart from falling ill with some form of Norovirus, had a far more successful time. In fact, I was also met by two of my friends who’d decided to secretly come out and meet me at the hostel. This time I stayed in Friedrichshain, somewhere that’s kind of become my kiez.

I’d watched Das Leben Der Anderen (The Lives of Others) just before this trip and I knew I needed to visit Hohenschonhausen, the Stasi prison. What I didn’t account for was how I would react when I got there.

You’ll recall my traumatic experience back in 2015 and the comparisons I made with the Stasi. Well, I was back in that experience on walking into Hohenschonhausen. I felt incredibly uncomfortable, awkward and fearful walking round. This was exacerbated by the guide who was telling us what had gone on in the prison, the conditions and the psychological torture of prisoners.

From then on in, the rest of the trip was enjoyable and, having been surprised by a couple of friends, we did a lot more exploring – the Stasi Museum, the DDR Museum, the City Sightseeing trip and taking one of my favourite Berlin photos, all fuelling my fascination and interest.

On my return, craving more facts, stories and information, I discovered two podcasts and Facebook groups, Cold War Conversations and Radio GDR. Both gave me the fix that I needed. Cold War Conversations covers all aspects of the Cold War. Radio GDR focuses on the life and times of East Germany.

Both podcasts are superb and I’ve made so many friends through them. I’d highly recommend them.

My fascination was then firmly set.

By far, the highlight has to be November 2019 – the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall – and having the opportunity to not only be there but to experience the “proper” East which I’ll get round to reposting

2020 and, well, who knows what’s going to happen. I am determined to return again this year, providing the restrictions are lifted.

In the weeks and months until then, another side of my interest has developed – radio. Shortly after my return in November I bought a 1970s GDR Prominent radio which provides endless hours of fun, entertainment and motivation. (I’ve also recently purchased a lead so I can play my phone and iPod through it – it’s amazing and so much fun!)

Every day I learn something new. I also have quite a good selection of books to keep me going and keep my interest alive, as well as the ideas from my favourite shop VEB Orange and an ever growing YouTube watch list.

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A Trip To Paddington Green Police Station

Date: October 14, 2020

Growing up as a kid, whenever a suspected terrorist was arrested, they were taken to the top security police station at Paddington Green.

I remember seeing TV interviews outside the station with news reporters doing their bit to camera.

Years later, after watching The Blue Lamp, it turned out that George Dixon was a copper at Paddington Green.

OK, so he wasn’t real, but while I was in the neighbourhood, I popped by to have a nosey.

Sadly the station has closed and despite the rather ironic squatting, it’s now being renovated. It’ll probably end up being turned into unaffordable flats or something.

Still, it was a nice trip out and nice to see another bit of policing history.

I would’ve loved to be able to go in there when it closed. Sadly I only ever got to visit New Scotland Yard (the old one not new NSY).

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The Hack Green Adventure

Date: October 17, 2020 Last week I decided to head North and revisit Hack Green Nuclear Bunker in Nantwich, Cheshire.

Originally I was going to stay at my second home in Paddington and catch the train up to Cheshire, but then Covid struck back and I didn’t want to take the risk.

The next best thing was to drive up, so that’s what I did.

After finishing work yesterday, I slept overnight in the car (I say slept but it was far from it), just off the M25 in Surrey.

I then set off around 8.15am, round the M25, up the M40 and a bit of the M42, then the M6. I passed Birmingham on the journey too so that’s another place ticked off the list. 😄

The last time I came to Hack Green I went by train to Nantwich, got a cab to the bunker and then walked back to the station, so it was nice to go by road this time and not have to worry about the walk back.

The staff were as lovely as ever, and we had a good old laugh about being Cold War nerds.

As I write this, I’m already in bed in the Crewe Travelodge (nearly called it a Travel Tavern there 😂) and am feeling pretty shattered.

Tomorrow on my way ‘back South’ I hope to be able to visit Greenham Common, but we’ll see how I feel.

Before I go on to the photos from Hack Green, I’d like to give a shout out to the staff at Travelodge in Crewe. I’d never stayed in a Travelodge before and I was really impressed with the service and the room.

Looking back on my old website, through the Internet Wayback Machine, I’d previously caught the train up and ended up walking to the site! Here’s what I said before

After a 4 and a bit journey from hell, up from Brighton, across London and up to Cheshire I arrived at Hack Green. Tip: The bunker is 3.5miles away from Nantwich Station. If you are planning on going and don’t drive, get a cab! The walk is pleasant enough but it’s goes through a country road and lane which can be a bit hairy at times!

I’m glad I drove this time, I got to see the sights of the M6 Toll, the outskirts of Birmingham and I had to get a silly pic of my car by the security check point.

My summary is still the same though and hasn’t changed

Being legally bound by the Official Secrets Act, I can’t tell you anything else apart from; The staff are really friendly, The NAAFI is great, it’s well worth a visit and, it’s very very real!

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Visiting the Former RAF Greenham Common

Date: October 19, 2020 Following on from my trip to Hack Green Nuclear Bunker in Cheshire, I headed back south, down to Greenham Common.

Growing up in the 1980s, there were regular news pieces reporting on the base and the Women’s Peace Camp outside. In my later years, it’s been a place that I’ve wanted to visit, but, you know, never actually got round to doing it.

That all changed yesterday.

First off, I registered for the control tower tour. My guide was a former US base veteran called Dan. He had so much to tell but we were only limited to 30 minutes and there’s a lot to pack in during that 30 minutes.

Dan was fascinating to listen to and I’ve recommended him as a guest for the Cold War Conversations podcast because I’d love to hear more about his times at Greenham and his role.

After the tour, I had a good wander round what was the base, including visiting the GAMA silos where the ground launched missiles and their vehicles were stored. The thing that struck me was that if, in the 1980s, you’d told me I’d one day stand on the runway at Greenham, I probably would’ve laughed at you.

Greenham Common was a major part of my childhood and on here I’m remaining impartial to the presence of the cruise missiles and the peace camp outside. I’m not going to get into a debate into the rights and wrongs.

There is still something incredibly naughty about photographing these sites. Perhaps it’s because there are still old M.O.D. signs up, or because I know the significance of the sites I’m standing at.

It is quite an overwhelming feeling, standing and seeing history.

I’m definitely going to have to revisit with my bike and ride the whole of the common. I’m sure there are bits that I’ve missed.

Here’s a selection of YouTube videos which might interest you. I’ve tried to maintain the balance of both sides.