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ESTABLISHED 1996

WICKLOW COMMUNITY RADIO / WLCB

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Wicklow Community Radio / WLCB / VIKING 105

1982 - 1988

1512kHz - 1584kHz - 1602kHz - 101.8MHz - 104.8MHz
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IRISH PIRATES A / Z

WCR / WLCB PHOTOS

WLCB / WCR began it's humble life as Wicklow Regatta Radio in the summer of 1982 on 1512kHz. This was a festival week type station for the Wicklow Regatta festival. The broadcast was so successsful, they became a full time operation. They called themselves Wicklow Community Radio for a time before a slight name change to WLCB, with a new transmitter on 1602kHz.

Some statistics from the the Anoraks UK frequency listings, which were published from time to time.

 

5th November 1984 - WCR listed on 1512. Nothing on 1602.

24th May 1985 WCR was on 1602 (1512 was not listed)

26th July 1985 - WLCB listed on 1602.

July 2nd 1986 - WLCB on 1584.

January 26th 1987 - WLCB back on 1602.

1st June 1987 Viking 105 1st day, see audio and news clips below

21st October 1987 - Viking 105 listed on 1602.

5th July 1988 - Listed as FM only for Viking 105.

 

WLCB was on 1584 during a visit in October 1986, and over coffee managing director Leo Doyle was telling us the reason. He had lost the main 1602 transmitter, due to theft, at the remote hillside site. 1602 was being left clear just on the off chance the transmitter found a new home and was put back on the air, as it was.. on 1602.. where a trace could easily be made!! Hence the standby transmitter was on 1584!!

During the visit in 1986, it was also verified that WLCB emerged as suspected from Wicklow Regatta Radio / Wicklow Community Radio. The station later relaunched as Viking 105.

Below are the stickers and headers etc that we have found so far in the archives, as well as the documentary for WCR.

A few snippits of news were easily gathered from the Anoraks UK weekly report, late May - early June 1987.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL




WLCB information sheet and QSL sheet

Click here for higher res pdf of the above two documents.

 

Viking 105 sticker

 

AUDIO FROM WICKLOW COMMUNITY RADIO

 


WLCB supplied Svenn in Sweden with this tape. It was a very bad quality, bassy copy, and we are trying to locate the master. But as is always the case, a poor recording is better than no recording at all.

UPDATE - Gary has found a better quality tape!!! Now uploaded.... Maybe the Svenn version was a third or 4th generation recording. You know how tapes were...

LISTEN TO WCR HISTORY TAPE, RUNNING TIME ABOUT AN HOUR (117MB)


There is also a pretty noisy recording made in Scotland from 1984. There is some noise from television sets. Presenter is Leo Doyle. Gary has also supplied a few more recordings, early April 2016.

The 1982 recordings made in Scotland of Wicklow Regatta Radio are much poorer than was thought, ie poorer signal... But listenable to AM radio fans. A few will be uploaded soon.

NB: Files dated 21/10/84 were originally wrongly dated 10/10. Anyone who collects these recordings, it might be worth checking your files.

 

1983_01_23_sun_wicklow_cr_1512am_0957-1045_signon_johnmooney.mp3 44MB
1984_07_12_thu_wcr_1512am_1409-1536_mickduggan-gh68.mp3 New Jul 2022 Mick Duggan on a Thursday afternoon in July 1984. It was announced the station was only on AM at that particular time. Leslie reads the news at 3pm. Recorded from 1512kHz near Blackpool, where the signal was quite strong at that time.  There are a few crackles, and the music is a little distorted at times. 80MB
1984_08_31_0937_wcr_1512_c90_973_kb_a_bit_noisy.mp3 (Leo Doyle, rec in Scotland) 29MB
1985_05_31_wlcb_wicklow_101.8_stereo_via_ds.mp3
1985_08_09_fri_wlcb_1602am_1225-1422_kathyquinn_martinoneil-gh553.mp3 New May 2021 This is a nice recording of Kathy Quinn on WLCB as received near Blackpool on 1602kHz. The signal at that time was very strong.  Eileen Whelan was reading the news and Martin O'Neil took over at 2pm. 103MB
1985_10_21_mon_wlcb_1048fms_1125-1210_jackiescott_eileen_news_radio_drifted_off_channel.mp3 68MB
1985_10_21_mon_wlcb_1048fms_1215-1245_jackiescott.mp3 (plays I spy for the DTI) 60MB
1987_06_01_mon_viking105_1048fm_tonyallan_1st_day.mp3 45MB
1987_08_29_sat_viking105_1048fm_1810-1947.mp3 114MB

 

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IRISH PIRATES A / Z

WCR / WLCB PHOTOS