About Grensjager

Please find below an introduction to Radio Grensjager International (1978-1989) and my listening post SWL5073, followed by a detailed reception report.

Introduction: Radio Grensjager International & SWL5073

My name is Theo Beijk, born on April 29, 1965, in Budel-Dorplein (then part of the Budel municipality, currently the Cranendonck municipality), the Netherlands. My passion for radio technology and ether reception began at the young age of nine in 1974. I became fascinated by the numerous pirate radio stations on the 3-meter and 2.5-meter bands. Additionally, I closely followed signals on the UKW, OIRT, medium wave (MW), long wave (LW), and shortwave (SW) bands using FM, AM, and SSB (USB/LSB) modulations, alongside commercial broadcasters. At the time, I used classic Philips and Grundig tube radios for listening.

In 1974, through an acquaintance, I took my first steps onto the then-illegal 27 MHz CB band using a Monacor AM transmitter. Due to our geographical location right on the Belgian border, this provided unique opportunities for cross-border contacts (QSOs) and exchanging QSL cards. Around the age of fourteen, I traded this transmitter for a Ham Multimode II, which opened up the world of SSB (USB/LSB) for me.

The legislation surrounding the 27 MHz band has evolved significantly since then:

• March 1980: Official legalization of CB radio in the Netherlands under the MARC regulation (Machtigingsregeling Alternatieve Radio Communicatie). At the time, 22 FM channels were permitted with a maximum power of 0.5 watts. The minimum age was 14, and the permit cost 35 guilders per year. In March 1982, nationwide harmonization followed, making FM the legal standard and permanently banning AM.

• December 2000: Full alignment with European CEPT standards. The limit was increased to 40 channels. Furthermore, FM at 4 watts was legalized, and the use of AM (initially with a 1-watt carrier, later increased to 4 watts) and SSB (with 4 watts PEP, now harmonized to 12 watts PEP) was officially permitted.

As of 2026, these regulations remain active in the Netherlands. This is remarkable within a unified European continent, considering neighboring Germany and the United Kingdom now have 80 approved CB channels. Nevertheless, I must confess that I frequently exceeded the 40-channel limit back during the illegal era.

In March 1974, I founded the Alfa Alfa (AA) DX Group, serving as its founder and president for many years. This group grew into a global network of approximately 10,000 members. In 2024, the database was fully cleaned to remove inactive members. Leadership has since been handed over to Emil (178AADX001) in Bulgaria. Additionally, the group's name was changed to AADX to prevent confusion with rogue imitation groups. The new team currently manages the website (www.aadx.club). Due to my advanced age, health, and retirement status, I have stepped back from active core duties.

History of Radio Grensjager International (1978-1989)

On January 1, 1978, my older brothers and their friends founded a pirate radio station. The studio was located at a campsite in Belgium, while the wire antenna extended across the border to a secluded private island in the Netherlands. In cooperation with local Belgian and Dutch farmers, heavy machinery was used to dig a deep trench near the marshland. Heavy-duty cables were pulled through the reeds and the water toward the island. These cables remain completely untouched to this day.

At the time, such cross-border radio piracy was possible because enforcement agencies did not cooperate as closely as they do in 2026. In the Netherlands, monitoring was conducted by the Radio Control Dienst (RCD), later the Agentschap Telecom (AT), and currently known as the Rijksinspectie Digitale Infrastructuur (RDI). In Belgium, enforcement was handled by the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT). Because our transmitter was located in Belgium and the antenna was positioned 500 to 900 meters away in the Netherlands, we remained untraceable.

Our output power on the 3-meter and 3.5-meter bands was approximately 700 watts or more to compensate for signal loss over the long coaxial cable. On the medium wave (MW) and the 49-meter shortwave band, we ran power levels between 1 kW and 2 kW using three-phase electricity. Sadly, our permanent technician and antenna builder has passed away. On January 1, 1989, we ceased broadcasting permanently. The interests of the crew shifted, and with the rise of mobile telephony and CB radio, our function for the local farming community was overtaken by time. Following the old saying 'quit while you're ahead', we closed this chapter. Internationally, the name 'Radio Grensjager' translates to 'Radio Border Hunter International' (English) and 'Radio Grensjager' (German).