This year, Barrow Voice will be featuring some local people with some interesting pastimes. For this issue, Elliot Wilkes met Alex Sault who broadcasts a music show.
Like most people, when I think of a radio station, I imagine a huge desk covered in buttons and knobs and sliders with a million different cables sticking out from the back, all shut away in a soundproof cupboard behind a window like some kind of bizarre zoo exhibit. As someone who studied radio at university, I can in fact confirm that this is almost always pretty much spot on. Which is why I was intrigued to learn about a man who broadcasts a radio show twice a week from a narrowboat moored in Pillings Lock.
As it turns out, this is not as impractical as you might think. Since it's internet radio, as opposed to typical FM radio, you don’t need a huge antenna on the roof that seagulls will sit on, and you can even broadcast while on the move, provided you have a designated driver of course. Equally, because boat engines are quite loud, the boats themselves are very well insulated and soundproofed as standard so actually it seems almost ideal. The only remaining question is where to put the desk with all the wires and buttons. As with all things in modern life, more and more of the technical stuff is done through computer software these days so other than that, really all you need is a half decent microphone or two and a much smaller control panel to plug them into and ‘presto!’ you’re ready to broadcast. As long as you have a station to broadcast to, obviously.
Alex Sault broadcasts twice a week on Belter Radio playing a mixture of rock, goth, and punk music on Mondays at 10pm till midnight with his partner Karen, and Fridays at 8pm till 10pm. What makes the shows stand out is the variety of bands and artists played; you can hear music not only from global musicians but also from local bands as well as up-andcoming bands from all over the world. They also have a lot of fun with some of their own characters who stop by from time to time to advertise or present the programme. All of Belter’s radio presenters are volunteers which is how you know they do it for the love of it and while I can’t speak for all of them, an important factor for Alex is having the freedom to advertise and support local artists by showcasing their music. So, if you’d like to have some of your music played, feel free to send it in to belter-radio@hotmail.co.uk. Please remember that Belter must follow the same guidelines as all other radio stations, so no foul language in songs and radio-safe versions only.
The longer I spoke with Alex and Karen, the more sense broadcasting from a boat made to me; after all, that’s where the whole concept of pirate radio came from. The pair aren’t exactly sailing the high seas, but a narrowboat is just so much cosier. Everything you need, nothing you don’t. And having so little space means that every inch is taken up with a part of your life. Karen called it a “personality capsule”; I like that quite a lot actually.
Elliot Wilkes
Do you – or someone you know – have an unusual hobby that you would like to share with us? We’d love to hear all about it, please email: editor@barrowvoice.co.uk and let us know.