any one got any roof stories

Discuss all things relating to the busy London Pirate Radio scene.
ofcomhater
tower block dreamin
tower block dreamin
Posts: 257
Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2014 2:27 pm

any one got any roof stories

Post by ofcomhater » Sun Jan 11, 2015 7:37 pm

My story is was stuck on a tower block for a couple of hrs as the fire brigade come up to inspect something. Don't no wat they was inspecting as I was to busy hiding under the water tank. Had to call my brother to let me out as they had locked the hatch to get back out lol.

Justin
who u callin ne guy bruv
who u callin ne guy bruv
Posts: 20
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:23 pm

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by Justin » Wed Aug 11, 2021 1:10 am

Hiding on the roof of Pepys Estate Deptford. DTI turned up just after switching on one Friday night.
They was in the water tank room with there grinder.

mrillusion
big in da game.. trust
big in da game.. trust
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2014 11:24 am

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by mrillusion » Wed Aug 11, 2021 5:40 pm

I once jacked too far down a bin chute and pulled it back out underneath a mountain of nappies covered in shit

whitenoisedb
big in da game.. trust
big in da game.. trust
Posts: 76
Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2019 11:01 am

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by whitenoisedb » Fri Aug 13, 2021 5:33 pm

Whilst the Euro 2020 was on I went on the roof and into the tank / lift room to setup. Noticed some lights on that usually aren’t so I thought I’d poke my head up into the lift room. I started to climb the ladder and could see a bald head, as I got a bit higher the person was laid out on the floor and completely spark out. It was a lift engineer, obviously had a skin-full whilst watching an earlier game. I went back out onto the roof for a bit and thought I should go and come back later. As I was locking the gate he came out and caught up with me, he asked what I was doing to which I said what were you doing sleeping on the job! He didn’t have much to say after that :lol:

Gigahertz
tower block dreamin
tower block dreamin
Posts: 252
Joined: Fri May 08, 2015 6:42 pm

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by Gigahertz » Fri Aug 13, 2021 10:56 pm

Remember someone trying to bring back ICE FM on 89.6 and the person "told me", some of guys that were on 89.6 at the time from the otherside of London came to the block to remove the rig.

It was put inside a cupboard on the roof and they tried to crowbar the door open. The crowbar ping out and ended up smacking the guy's nose.

The "ICE FM" guy ended up meeting with them at the entrance to the block. When he meet them, one of the guy's face and t-shirt was just covered in blood, so asked what happen to you! the guy explained, the "ICE FM" person just cracked up in from of them.

User avatar
SamTheDog
no manz can test innit
no manz can test innit
Posts: 117
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2016 9:56 am
Location: South-east UK
Contact:

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by SamTheDog » Tue Aug 17, 2021 2:07 pm

Justin wrote: Wed Aug 11, 2021 1:10 am Hiding on the roof of Pepys Estate Deptford. DTI turned up just after switching on one Friday night.
They was in the water tank room with there grinder.
I was caught by the police on one of the pepys estate roofs..... They took two sets of kit from me that day... I got it all back though.. (long story, see my website) Did you ever make the jump? from the roof to the catwalk?
Sam The Dog.....

TOR-Radio FM / Mediumwave / Shortwave and dvb-t2 !
And many moons ago.. WNKR on FM and Shortwave.
info@torradio org / qq22.net / TorRadio.ORG

Albert H
proppa neck!
proppa neck!
Posts: 2768
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 1:23 am

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by Albert H » Tue Aug 17, 2021 8:28 pm

We found someone (looked like Zack) trying to remove our gear from the top of one of the Addington blocks. We knew that he couldn't get to the gear, so chained the roof access door shut (from outside) and locked it with a big padlock. This was pre-mobile days, so we knew that the most he'd have was a pager!

We left him there overnight - it was winter, so he would have had an unpleasant night. One of our guys went up there the following day to release him, and just removed the chain. He called out through the door to say that it was open, and then left. We went back that afternoon, and whoever it was had gone.

Funnily enough, we never lost any gear from that block for as long as we used it!
"Why is my rig humming?"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
;)

Albert H
proppa neck!
proppa neck!
Posts: 2768
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 1:23 am

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by Albert H » Tue Aug 17, 2021 8:35 pm

I had two events up Shepherds Bush blocks:

I went up Norland to scout out a good place to install, and found a huge drum of RG213. We went back a couple of hours later, with six of us, and we kept every station in London supplied with coax for months!!

I needed to get a certain station back on in a hurry, but didn't have a suitable heatsink for the rig...... It got attached to the underside of the cold water tank, secured by self-tapping screws..... The rig lasted for a few weeks of the intermittent broadcasts we did in those days, until Eric arrived to collect the gear. He unscrewed it from the bottom of the water tank, and flooded the top three floors of the block!
"Why is my rig humming?"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
;)

User avatar
SamTheDog
no manz can test innit
no manz can test innit
Posts: 117
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2016 9:56 am
Location: South-east UK
Contact:

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by SamTheDog » Thu Aug 26, 2021 1:29 pm

Albert H wrote: Tue Aug 17, 2021 8:28 pm We found someone (looked like Zack) trying to remove our gear from the top of one of the Addington blocks.
Steve and I had a Zack/LWR frightener-moment in the Paddington area.... A long story...!

If they are the two blocks I'm thinking about, Side by side, on the roundabout, Pub-Opposite...

One had the local TV repeater on the roof! I used them too many years ago. Even ran a 12 watt TV transmitter from one!
Sam The Dog.....

TOR-Radio FM / Mediumwave / Shortwave and dvb-t2 !
And many moons ago.. WNKR on FM and Shortwave.
info@torradio org / qq22.net / TorRadio.ORG

Albert H
proppa neck!
proppa neck!
Posts: 2768
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 1:23 am

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by Albert H » Fri Aug 27, 2021 4:11 am

Sam - it was Addington (down near Croydon)!

Another amusing incident was the valved rig up a block near Crystal Palace. Someone got into the tank room (where the gear was installed, and we received the alarm. We got there a couple of minutes later, to find this character flat on his back on the floor - unconscious - with a large lump on the back of his head. The output bottle was being rather over-run and had a very high voltage on its anodes (it was a dual tetrode QQV06-40). There was a purple glow around the valve that you could see in the dark. He'd obviously managed to zap himself with the anode voltage (or the corona), and when he was thrown back, his head had hit the water tank, and the result was obvious!

It turned out that this guy was some kind of radio ham and had gone to "inspect the apparatus". He was helped off the block and sent on his way!
"Why is my rig humming?"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
;)

User avatar
Twista UK
no manz can test innit
no manz can test innit
Posts: 168
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2015 7:54 am

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by Twista UK » Fri Aug 27, 2021 5:33 am

friend of mine was looking for a new block a few years ago opened up the top room to find a large canabis farm growing.
He quickly got out of there and went on to the next blocks.

User avatar
SamTheDog
no manz can test innit
no manz can test innit
Posts: 117
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2016 9:56 am
Location: South-east UK
Contact:

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by SamTheDog » Sun Aug 29, 2021 10:48 am

Albert H wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 4:11 am Sam - it was Addington (down near Croydon)!


Thats right.. If they are the blocks I'm thinking of, they are the ones south of sparepenny lane / halfpenny lane? whatever it's called....
and one of them had a local TV in-fill repeater on the roof.....


My Zack related incident was in Paddington just south of the westway....
Sam The Dog.....

TOR-Radio FM / Mediumwave / Shortwave and dvb-t2 !
And many moons ago.. WNKR on FM and Shortwave.
info@torradio org / qq22.net / TorRadio.ORG

User avatar
SamTheDog
no manz can test innit
no manz can test innit
Posts: 117
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2016 9:56 am
Location: South-east UK
Contact:

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by SamTheDog » Sun Aug 29, 2021 11:00 am

Talking about radio hams and valves.....

Back in the W.N.K.R. days we had a barney-special shortwave transmitter (valve based 807 thing) and a tape deck stolen from a woodland site on the M2 by some rather self-rightious rad-ham folks.

As it happens, I was on speaking-terms with someone with the investigations team (Kenkey based I believe), so I phoned them and told them what had happened.. They confirmed that the removal of our kit wasn't official and would be "Looked-Into"
Sam The Dog.....

TOR-Radio FM / Mediumwave / Shortwave and dvb-t2 !
And many moons ago.. WNKR on FM and Shortwave.
info@torradio org / qq22.net / TorRadio.ORG

WEBB-TECH
tower block dreamin
tower block dreamin
Posts: 310
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 8:32 pm

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by WEBB-TECH » Sun Aug 29, 2021 8:41 pm

I was told a story by a well known Essex-based radio person about another certain Essex-based radio person being dangled by his ankles over the other side of the block. Not gonna go in to detail but it did make me laugh.

User avatar
teckniqs
proppa neck!
proppa neck!
Posts: 3179
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2014 11:37 am

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by teckniqs » Sun Aug 29, 2021 11:09 pm

WEBB-TECH wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 8:41 pm I was told a story by a well known Essex-based radio person about another certain Essex-based radio person being dangled by his ankles over the other side of the block. Not gonna go in to detail but it did make me laugh.
Oh that old chestnut. :whistle

Albert H
proppa neck!
proppa neck!
Posts: 2768
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 1:23 am

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by Albert H » Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:17 am

Roger Howe was once caught on a block near Vauxhall and found himself being pushed back over the parapet rail.. The people who caught him were fed up with having their gear nicked, and assumed that he's been doing it. He stayed well away from blocks after that incident.

Roger also got chased from the "Battleship" block near Forest Hill by irate residents who were fed up with having their TV reception ruined!
"Why is my rig humming?"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
;)

User avatar
mixfm
no manz can test innit
no manz can test innit
Posts: 222
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:34 am

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by mixfm » Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:50 am

i remember back in the day we moved to a new block in birmingham. local to me, because offcock was on our case every weekend, & the transmitter went off one sunday afternoon, so we rushed to the block, the aerial was stiill up. when we got up to the roof the door was open. so we crept round the roof to find a pair of stepladders up, the we seen the caretaker on the top of the liftshaft roof trying to remove the dipole, so we grabbed the rig & took the stepladders with us. left the silly old chap stranded on there, lol we never used that block again.....

Justin
who u callin ne guy bruv
who u callin ne guy bruv
Posts: 20
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:23 pm

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by Justin » Tue Aug 31, 2021 12:16 am

WEBB-TECH wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 8:41 pm I was told a story by a well known Essex-based radio person about another certain Essex-based radio person being dangled by his ankles over the other side of the block. Not gonna go in to detail but it did make me laugh.
I think I know what story your on about, Not to be messed with that station in South London

Justin
who u callin ne guy bruv
who u callin ne guy bruv
Posts: 20
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:23 pm

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by Justin » Tue Aug 31, 2021 12:23 am

Barney did me an FM rig, Was made out of old CB radio spares. Didn't last long was spogging on the Gas board DTI told me.

ChazAnthony1982
big in da game.. trust
big in da game.. trust
Posts: 88
Joined: Mon May 04, 2020 2:53 am

Re: any one got any roof stories

Post by ChazAnthony1982 » Tue Aug 31, 2021 12:36 pm

Killer seems to have a lot of stories on he’s tick tock
Original Pirate Material, it is in the blood !

However we are the Last of a dying breed

Post Reply