Radio From the LV18
The Ha’Penny Pier Christmas Tree will be lit this afternoon and we’ll be lighting our lantern to mark the event. Radio Mi Amigo is providing music alongside local groups, including Shanty singers performing carols! The visitor centre and LV18 will be open. 4pm onwards.
We last lit our lantern on 6th June 2024 to mark the 80th anniversary of D Day.
We finished our Pirate Radio Weekend with a studio party last night but the highlight of the weekend was definitely the phone call from Johnnie Walker to Keith Skues!
During our 2024 Pirate Radio Weekend we enjoyed shows from Keith Skues, a veteran of pirate, BBC, BFBS and Independent broadcasting.
During Keith’s show on Sunday 11 August we received a phone call from the legendary Johnnie Walker. What followed was a five minute chat between the two great broadcasters.
We have a special show on 14 August 2024 which tells the story of pirate radio 1964-1967 and which features original recordings of Johnnie Walker.
| Six months ago the LV18 was subject to an arson attack, causing £250,000 of damage. Donations are being sought to support the full restoration of this historic vessel. Johnnie Walker is the patron of the charity that owns the LV18. |
RADIO MI AMIGO – AUGUST PIRATE RADIO WEEKEND
We gathered an eclectic group of DJs for our August 2024 Pirate Radio Weekend – 9-11 August
Listen to the Johnnie Walker/Keith Skues phone-in that happened at 1430pm on 11 August 2024: https://www.lv18radio.uk/2024/08/ks-jw20240811/
See below for Press Release
FRI 9TH AUG 2024
Midday Olly Kinvig
1PM Rick Marks
3PM Neon Nancy
5PM Duke Anthony
7PM The STONEHENGE DISCO – Garry Lee
10PM The Garden of Unearthly Delights – Paul Windsor
SATURDAY 10TH AUG
Midnight Dave Kent
3AM Chris Cooper & Rick Marks
6AM Olly Kinvig – The Mi Amigo Breakfast Show
9AM Paul Windsor
10AM Steve Jenner
MIDDAY Duke Anthony
2PM Keith Skues – Cardboard Shoes himself!
4PM Neon Nancy
6PM Garry Lee
7PM Chris B & Les
10PM Paul Windsor
SUNDAY 11TH AUGUST
1AM Dave Kent
3AM Chris Cooper & Rick Marks
6AM Olly Kinvig – The Mi Amigo Breakfast Show
8AM Duke Anthony
9AM Steve Jenner
11AM Stephen Foster
1PM Keith Skues
3PM Garry Lee
4PM Paul Windsor
5PM Chris Cooper
6PM Rick Marks
7PM Duke Anthony
8PM Paul Windsor
9PM MI AMIGO PARTY NIGHT
MIDNIGHT (OR WHENEVER)… We return to our usual schedule
Please note that this schedule is liable to change at extremely short notice due to circumstances outside our control!
Last updated 10th August 2024
Harwich Radio Ship Celebrates the Pirates
Radio Mi Amigo will be live from the LV18 Lightship 9 to 11 August, celebrating the radio pirates of the sixties.
Joining us for our weekend of pirate radio are 1960s original DJs Keith ‘Cardboard Shoes’ Skues (BFBS, Radio Caroline, Radio London, Radio Hallam & BBC), Stephen ‘Foz’ Foster (Radio Orwell, BBC, Radio Caroline), Chris Cooper (Voice of Peace, Radio Caroline, Radio Seagull) and many more experienced DJs. Radio Mi Amigo programme director is Garry Lee.
Radio Mi Amigo plays the hits from the pirate ships of the 1960s and 1970s which helped change pop culture in the UK. The station is streaming 24hrs a day but will be live from our studio from midday Friday 9th August to midnight Sunday 11th for Pirate Radio Weekend.
It’s been six months since the LV18 was devastated by an arson attack and this weekend’s live broadcasts will help raise money for the restoration fund to restore this unique ship.
Tony O’Neil, chairman of the Pharos Trust, said he was delighted that the ship’s studio would be available for the weekend, and this was a testament to the efforts everyone had put in since the fire.
The LV18 has been open free of charge since its re-opening at Whitsun and will will remain free for the duration so visitors can view the restoration so far. Donations are welcome.
Listen online via lv18radio.uk
The LV18 is also broadcasting a new radio station, Haven Community Radio, serving the Stour & Orwell Stour estuaries. Listen via Haven Community Radio
| Six months ago the ship was subject to an arson attack, causing £250,000 of damage. Donations are being sought to support the full restoration of this historic vessel. |
| Donations are being sought to support the full restoration of this historic vessel. https://www.gofundme.com/f/lv18-restoration-fund |
The following was sent to the Harwich & Manningtree Standard for the 5th April 2024 edition.
Radio Mi Amigo was broadcast from historic light vessel LV18 in Harwich Harbour over Easter Weekend, with fans flocking to Harwich to help mark the 60th anniversary of offshore broadcasting. Radio Caroline started the radio revolution in 1964 just off the coast of Harwich, and were soon joined by other ships. The guest DJs, on board the LV18, for the weekend included Keith ‘Cardboard Shoes’ Skues and Roger ‘Twiggy’ Day who were both on Radio Caroline, and other ships, in the mid 1960s.
Radio Mi Amigo was also supported by visiting DJs Stephen ‘Foz’ Foster, Garry Lee, Olly Kinvig, Paul Windsor, Chris Cooper, Rick Marks, Dave Kent and Duke Anthony. Duke had arrived in Harwich to help put the studio together but ended up in the studio chair hosting several shows!
One highlight of the weekend was when Keith Skues and Roger Day shared the studio to talk about their lives afloat sixty years ago, before they headed to the Electric Palace as guests of BBC Essex presenters Steve Scruton and Ian Wyatt. The proceeds of that show will be donated to the LV18 Restoration Fund, along with a donation from the Electric Palace Trust from film revenue over the Easter Weekend’s 1960s film festival.
BBC Essex was broadcast live from the LV18 on Easter Saturday, with Steve Scruton interviewing the DJs, fans who had gathered on the quayside and members of the public.
The Pharos Trust, which owns and operates the LV18, also hosted a visit by three member of the Tendring District Council Economic Development team, which has been working with the Trust on a community radio project over the past six months.
It is hoped that the ship will re-open to the public by the end of May, once the immediate restoration work and clean-up have been completed. A further live radio weekend is being planned for August.
The Pharos Trust thanks everyone who helped put together the wonderful weekend in the LV18’s floating studio and would especially like to thank those who helped raise money for the continuing Restoration Fund.
Please note that the schedule may need to change due to DJ availability.
GOOD FRIDAY 29th MARCH
(Easter programmes begin at 07:00am)
07:00-09:00 Olly Kinvig – Rock’n’Roll Breakfast
09:00 Danny Lawrence
10:00 Pete Nightingale
11:00 Gordon Bathgate
12:00-14:00 Duke Anthony
14:00-16:00 Paul Windsor
16:00 Chris Morgan
17:00 Rick Marks
18:00 Chris Cooper
19:00-22:00 Garry Lee – The Stonehenge Disco
22:00 Chris Morgan
23:00 Chris Morgan
SATURDAY 30th MARCH
00:00-03:00 Dave Kent
03:00-06:00 Paul Windsor
06:00 The Reverend Rabbit
07:00-10:00 Olly Kinvig – Rock’n’Roll Breakfast
10:00 Pete Nightingale
11:00 Chris Morgan
12:00-14:00 Keith Skues
14:00-16:00 Duke Anthony
16:00 Jeff Martin
17:00-19:00 Paul Windsor
19:00 Chris Morgan
20:00 Pete Magnetic
21:00-00:00 Dave Kent
SUNDAY 31st MARCH
00.00 Jim Fourniadis
01:00 Robin Dee
CLOCKS GO FORWARD 1 HOUR
03:00-06:00 Chris & Rick Double Header
06:00 The Reverend Rabbit
07:00-10:00 Olly Kinvig – Rock’n’Roll Breakfast
10:00 Chris Morgan
11:00-14:00 Stephen Foster
14:00-16:00 Keith Skues
16:00 Jeff Martin
17:00 Pete Nightingale
18:00 Paul Windsor
19:00 Jim Fourniadis
20:00 Jeff Fitzgerald
21:00-00:00 Garry Lee – The Stonehenge Disco
MONDAY 1st APRIL
00.00-03:00 Paul Windsor
03:00-06:00 Chris & Rick Double Header
06:00 Chris Morgan
07:00-10:00 Olly Kinvig – Rock’n’Roll Breakfast
10:00 Gordon Bathgate
11:00 Pete Nightingale
12:00 Roger ‘Twiggy’ Day
13:00-15:00 Rick Marks
15:00 Garry Lee
16:00 Paul Windsor
17:00 Robin Dee
18:00 Chris Morgan
19:00-21:00 Paul Windsor
21:00-00:00 Garry Lee – The Stonehenge Disco
At Midnight all shows will continue from our Overnight Service
Please note that the schedule may need to change due to DJ availability.
The Pharos Trust, Registered UK charity No. 1090325
Now that the LV18 is back in Harwich Harbour, we are subject to the usual ravages of the tides, wind and inclement temperatures. So, on any particular day all is fine, the next maybe not so. In the winter the not-so’s easily outweigh the fine days!
However, we’re a hardy bunch of volunteers so a little sea motion won’t necessarily put us off, especially if the work is inside the warm radio room!
There are various ship projects this winter but the most relevant for the radio broadcasts is that a new balanced feed network is being built that will provide (hopefully) better quality audio around the ship. The system is designed to be adaptable and bidirectional with stereo paths throughout. This is not a small project by any means! Wer’re also taking the opportunity to tidy up other parts of the ship’s myriad of cabling with a view to more flexibility and the potential to put adhoc audio feeds in. We’re warming up the soldering iron this weekend to start putting terminations on the cables!
This work will, later in January, temporarily remove the current link from the studio to the streaming server but shouldn’t interfere with the streaming of prerecorded shows. No doubt we’ll mark the conclusion of this project with a live broadcast, on the stream of course.
I must pass on our thanks to Phil and Ian of Transplan who have helped us with this project.
We’ll post news of our FM broadcast and any other special events as and when they are confirmed.
Our sister website, www.lv18.org has been completely rebuilt during March 2018 and now has much more content! Don’t forget that you can visit the ship 11-4 daily, details on lv18.org