Radio Gaga

I had an old radio in the garage when I was living in Edinburgh. I used to potter in and around the garage, tidying away plant pots, cleaning the bike, sorting out garden waste and recyclables to take to the dump, grabbing the necessary tools to work on the garden in all seasons.

The signal was never that good, but one radio station had a particualry strong signal, Garrison FM. Garrison FM provides a service to soldiers and their families living and working within the Army community in Edinburgh's military locations at Dreghorn Barracks and Redford Barracks. I knew both barracks as a kid, especially the latter because I used to play in the assault course and use a tennis racket to sift through the sand of the firing range to find empty shells.

Listening to the radio station reminded me of those younger years. Whilst it plays great pop tunes, its mix of music and chat has 'an emphasis on bringing Army News to soldiers, their families and the wider Army community'. It's a great idea and one that has been around since 2001.

I had three blue plastic markers on the radio,which was an old fashioned way of marking your favourite stations. Three markers were suffice for the stations I could capture on the radio.

So, when I opened yet another box yesterday from the move to the USA and discovered the radio under an old blanket, I wondered what stations I would hear instead of my three favourite ones, and instead of those stations typically etched on most British radio devices, those of the BBC.

My, there are a lot of stations on the airwaves these days. You only need to turn your dial a smidgeon to fade out of one and into another. I started to listen, using the first marker as my starting point ('92') and finishing with the last marker ('100').

It's kind of weird and wonderful to listen to what is playing instead of Garrison FM, or BBC Radio 1 or Radio 4. Why don't you hear for yourself?

Long live analog, that's all I can say. My radio is now pride of place in the bedroom, and the station with the strongest signal? FUV Music 90.7