Defying the authorities

Late on Sunday evening the signal on 94.5 in the east of the Netherlands disappeared. After occupying the frequency illegally for around seven days the station SADO - Schijt Aan De Overheid was taken off the air. For our non-Dutch readers, look it up on an online translator!

SADO caused a great deal of interest, not least by their name! The transmitter power was around 3kw - no where near as much as some Dutch FM pirates run, with output up to 30kw for the bigger concerns. But this station, operating from the village of Balkbrug in Overijjsel, went one step further than other pirates, placing their stacked dipole antenna at the top of a 45 metre T-Mobile mast . . .

The position of the antenna and transmitter meant that, try as they might, the AT and police were unable to take the station off air immediately - doing so would have caused the T-Mobile mast to be disabled.  

As many FM pirates these days, the whole operation was unmanned and operated remotely. But as these pictures show, they certainly raised quite some interest in the local area . . . 

All that now remains is a mains cable and the antenna and some empty cabinets that housed the transmitter - everything else has been removed.