Radio 390

Radio 390 (1965 - 1967) was a pirate radio station which operated from Red Sands Fort, near Whitstable), a former Maunsell Fort located on the Red Sands sandbar.

Radio 390's predecessor, KING Radio (previously called 'Invicta'), was bought by Ted Allbeury,^{[citation needed]} who wanted to relaunch it with an easy listening format and name it Eve, The Women's Magazine of the Air. Allbeury was advised to change the name to the station's wavelength in metres, so listeners would know where to tune. The actual wavelength was 388 metres (773 kHz), but 390 was easier to remember and close enough for tuning. However, the original name was not discarded: the station was announced as "Radio 390 presenting Eve, The Women's Magazine of the Air".^{[citation needed]}

Like its neighbour Radio City, Radio 390 took advantage of the fort's layout by erecting a 250-foot vertical mast on an inner tower, guyed to three of the outer towers.^{[citation needed]} This, with the additional elevation provided by the height of the towers themselves, gave it a stable and efficient antenna, more than on ship-based stations, ensuring good coverage of southern England with only a 10 kilowatt transmitter.^{[citation needed]} For the benefit of advertisers, the station claimed a power of 35 kilowatts.^{[citation needed]}

The station's easy listening format was innovative but criticised by rival Britain Radio as "stone age radio - a series of segmented dirges".^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Pirate radio in the United Kingdom

External links

• A History of Red Sands Army Fort