A couple of local streaming radio stations have popped up this year. Further down the page is info on historic broadcasting radio stations once based in Stroud.
Stroud Lockdown Radio I think this has since changed its name to Stroud Love Radio. They don’t really have any info about it anywhere although I once read it originated in the Toadsmoor valley.
Anyway, Stroud from Stroud, or some other Stroud in the universe was playing some good stuff on Saturday evening, described as Electronic, Melodic and Progressive House.
Edge Radio is another and has a bit more info about it, specifically that it’s from Wotton under Edge. I gave it a go but got bored when the two presenters started talking. Give it a try, all local radio has got to be better than the commercial mainstream offerings.
Proper radio stations from the past
Stroud Easy FM
Going back in time to 1983 there was a station called Easy FM that broadcast from Stroud college, the old one thats since been pulled down. This used to broadcast during the school summer holidays on FM 87.7MHz.
Information on these older stations is hard to find as the Internet and social media didn’t exist back then so nobody documented things to the extent that they do now!
I did manage to find an old pdf from Short Wave Magazine dated June 1995 with some information on it but unfortunately it’s only the front page. I have added a link below it to an easier to read pdf.
Stroud Museum had a radio event back in September 2019 where they had this poster on display. I’ve no idea if it’s an original from the time or a reproduction.
Stroud FM
More recently, back in March 2008 there was a Stroud community radio station called Stroud FM that broadcast on 107.9MHz. I’d never heard of this one as I thought it was the Stroud college one but looks like it’s different. If anybody knows better let me know!
Stroud FM suffered various funding problems over the years before chucking in the towel in February 2014. Notably it used to cover the Stroud Fringe Festival.
It think it started out being broadcast from the old Stroud college (since pulled down) near the leisure centre during the summer holidays.
Severn Sound
Another old radio station serving this area was Severn Sound being initially broadcast from a pub in Gloucester. It was started in 1980 and changed name many times over the years as it got taken over by other stations. It’s now part of Heart and is found on 103MHz (FM) in Stroud, assuming a hill isn’t blocking the signal.
Corinium Radio
Heading slightly out of Stroud there is another internet based station in Cirencester called Corinium Radio.
WebSDR
Slightly off topic but if you’re into radio there are many Internet based radio receivers known as webSDR you can listen to. There aren’t streaming stations that mobile phone radio apps receive.
These are proper radio receivers located around the world receiving signals through an aerial that you can tune into pretty much any frequency you want from your web browser if the receiver supports it.
They’re interesting as they continuously and instantly scan an entire band of frequencies producing a visual display of the signals it found that can be listened to.
You can listen to all sorts of strange stuff on shortwave (best at night where the receiver is located), radio hams, normal broadcast stations along with communications with the International Space Station.
Very early radio receivers
Stroud Post Office confirms people’s memories that the earliest licences for crystal sets would be issued about 1920, and the cost was then 10/-.
Crystal sets, also known as Cats Whisker radios are very simple early radio receivers that don’t require a power source such as batteries. They have no transistors to make it work properly and to amplify the sound.
They produce just about enough energy to power a very sensitive earphone or headphones with the energy being provided by the radio signal.
They’re fairly easy to make and if you do make one you might never know for sure if you’re actually hearing a radio signal in the earphone or just think you are!
As a note, the BBC started broadcasting radio in 1922 with a station called 2MT and later 2LO. The crystal sets probably only received anything during the night due to the way radio signals bounce around the ionosphere thus extending their range.