Chipboard

2008-02-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

Chip board substrate.

TRANSOM: "TRAN-sum"

2007-06-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

A small hinged window above a door, allowing light and ventilation into hallways of older buildings. At magazine and newspaper offices, unsolicited manuscripts were submitted "over the transom."

Speaking of community collaboration in the service of the unexpected... at the core of what CTP is all about, a collaborative space where we as individuals can gain a sense of perspective on the world through connecting with others, combining our sensibilities with those of like-minded and not-so-alike personalities to forge a type of fluid community. Our efforts speak to recognizing our place in the perfectly-human inperfect world.

TRANSOM.org is a web-resource for anyone interested in the current state of new-form radio, audio documentaries, and a hefty tool box of helpful hints and how-to's.

BONUS: If you're even the slightest bit interested in the art and practice of recording, especially in audio journaling, documenting a personal or family history, or field recording - Transom.org has what you need to get started.

BONUS BONUS 2.0: Transom offers audio programs for download and stream when your just feeling like listening to someone elses voice.

Pirate Radio began on the open waters (a primer)

2007-06-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

Why do we commonly refer to illegal radio transmissions as "Pirate Radio?" It all began with inspiration from Radio Luxembourg and Voice of America - wartime transmissions flooding the airwaves in Europe way back in the 1950's.

Denmark had the first known radio station in the world to broadcast commercial radio from a vessel in international waters without permission from the authorities in the country, that it broadcasted to Denmark in this case. The station was named Radio Mercur and began transmission on August 2nd 1958. In the Danish newspapers it was soon called a "pirate radio".

Radio Mercur started regular transmission on August 2nd 1958 and ceased officially on July 31st 1962, though there still were 3 days of illegal transmissions from August 13-15 1962. Later broadcasting under the name of Radio Mercur in various locations such as Mallorca, on the Spanish Costa del Sol, and finally in Copenhagen, Denmark as a local radio station until 1994.

Radio Mercur was probably the first commercial offshore radio station in the world and gave inspiration to a whole number of offshore radios or pirate radios in Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium and United Kingdom during the 1960s. The Danish press soon began to use the expression "pirate radio" on Radio Mercur, and a number of cartoons in newspapers and magazines pictured the radio station with pirate symbols.

Radio Mercur made all of its recordings in studios in Copenhagen, Denmark and the tapes were then sailed to a transmitting vessel in international water in Oeresund between Denmark and Sweden. Transmissions took place on the FM-band, first on 88,00 MHz, later on different frequencies to be able to meet complaints from the Danish authorities and also to transmit in stereo with dual transmissions on two frequencies simultaneously.

Radio Mercur used the fact, that radio transmitting in international water only was regulated by international agreements, that didn't take into account that it was a possibility to transmit regularly from an anchored ship. The inspiration for the radio station came from Radio Luxembourg and the American Voice of America, that broadcast from a military vessel, USCGC Courier, in the Mediterranean.

The radio station was started by Peer Jansen and Ib Fogh. It was called a pirate radio, because it was considered a lawless attack on the monopoly of the Danish National Broadcasting Corporation, though the authorities didn't have any weapon in the first place to stop the "radio pirates".

The Danish parliament decided a bill in June 1962, that effectively prohibited all participation in activities supporting transmissions, recordings, etc. after August 1st 1962. At the same time similar bills were pushed through in Sweden and the other Nordic countries. Transmissions started again some days later, but the Danish authorities took immediate action and send police out to seize the vessel and end transmissions. In Sweden the station Radio Syd, using two of Mercur's former ships in succession, succeeded transmissions up to 1966 in defiance of the law.

Community Transmission Project

Chipboard

TRANSOM: "TRAN-sum"

Pirate Radio began on the open waters (a primer)