Bob Tomalski
Encyclopedia
Bob Tomalski was a "gadget guru",
broadcaster, longtime proponent of radio broadcasting freedom and journalist
.
Bob Tomalski was a technology journalist: he founded Home Cinema Choice magazine and contributed to many other magazines on the subjects of TV, video, satellite TV, mobile phones and camcorders.
He also appeared regularly on Sky News
' weekly Technofile
programme, reviewing gadgets for the viewers, alongside presenter Martin Stanford
. He was also a regular contributor to Media Network, a communications magazine on the English service of Radio Netherlands
.
He started his broadcasting career on the London SW pirate scene of the 1970s, where he became best known as the host of Roger Tate's Mailbox Show on European Music Radio, later becoming a licenced amateur radio operator
, with the call sign
G6CQF.
His maisonette in Mitcham, Surrey was equipped with a broadcast-quality mixing desk and 2 Nakamichi cassette decks, alongside the best turntables that a job in Unilet (the number one Hi-Fi store for miles) could buy. These were complemented by a collection of several thousand albums, mainly of his favourite genre, soul and funk, but topped up with many chart albums and a few hundred 60s and 70s rock platters. Bob was also a collector of state of the art video equipment.
Bob was a co-founder of Wandle Valley Radio (WVR) in 1984, still under the pseudonym "Roger Tate", broadcasting a soul/funk/hi-energy programme (he was a friend of the hi-energy artist Hazell Dean
) alongside Alan Rogers and Paul James (both pseudonyms for obvious reasons). He provided the studio facilities for the station, which was amongst the pioneers of microwave links from studio to FM Band 3 transmitter (a technology later very widely used in pirate radio). Another technology which Bob pioneered was that of computer data transmission
via Band 3 FM radio - raw data transmitted onto the audio signal with no subcarrier
: WVR featured the "Roger Tate Computer Program Programme" with Bob introducing (after the music had ended for the night) half an hour of 8-bit data sounds played from a Nakamichi cassette deck, representing programs for the BBC Micro
and the Tandy TRS-80
microcomputers, among others. Surprisingly, for such an innovation being broadcast into listeners homes late at night, the telephone and postal feedback on the programme was overwhelmingly positive - a tribute to Bob's broadcasting skills.
Bob's home studio was raided in the late eighties after some shenanigans on the amateur radio frequencies, and the Home Office even went as far as confiscating his electric kettle (as well as the studio gear) on the grounds that it was connected to the same ring main as his transmitting equipment.
In his subsequent radio career, he was a regular contributor to You and Yours
and The Big Byte on BBC Radio
. He also broadcast for Radio Mercury
and Radio Invicta
(which also sparked the career of the late Steve Walsh
), and was the resident 'Inspector Gadget' on the LBC
Weekend Wireless Show, talking about the week's technology news, reviewing gadgets and answering listener queries.
Bob is missed by many people in the London pirate radio scene, not least "Paul James" and "Alan Rogers".
broadcaster, longtime proponent of radio broadcasting freedom and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
.
Bob Tomalski was a technology journalist: he founded Home Cinema Choice magazine and contributed to many other magazines on the subjects of TV, video, satellite TV, mobile phones and camcorders.
He also appeared regularly on Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
' weekly Technofile
Technofile
The Technofile was a daily radio show written and produced by talk show host Lazlow. It aired for over 12 years in the United States and several stations overseas and was on over 100 radio stations. The Technofile was only sixty seconds long, and usually covered a story surrounding a new type of...
programme, reviewing gadgets for the viewers, alongside presenter Martin Stanford
Martin Stanford
Martin Stanford is a news anchor at Sky News who currently presents SkyNews.Com. Stanford had his own interactive show on the channel, Sky News with Martin Stanford from July 2006 to February 2007...
. He was also a regular contributor to Media Network, a communications magazine on the English service of Radio Netherlands
Radio Netherlands
Radio Netherlands Worldwide is a public radio and television network based in Hilversum, producing and transmitting programmes for international audiences outside the Netherlands...
.
He started his broadcasting career on the London SW pirate scene of the 1970s, where he became best known as the host of Roger Tate's Mailbox Show on European Music Radio, later becoming a licenced amateur radio operator
Amateur radio operator
An amateur radio operator is an individual who typically uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similar individuals on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio...
, with the call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
G6CQF.
His maisonette in Mitcham, Surrey was equipped with a broadcast-quality mixing desk and 2 Nakamichi cassette decks, alongside the best turntables that a job in Unilet (the number one Hi-Fi store for miles) could buy. These were complemented by a collection of several thousand albums, mainly of his favourite genre, soul and funk, but topped up with many chart albums and a few hundred 60s and 70s rock platters. Bob was also a collector of state of the art video equipment.
Bob was a co-founder of Wandle Valley Radio (WVR) in 1984, still under the pseudonym "Roger Tate", broadcasting a soul/funk/hi-energy programme (he was a friend of the hi-energy artist Hazell Dean
Hazell Dean
Hazell Dean is a British dance-pop singer, who achieved her biggest success in the 1980s as a leading Hi-NRG artist. She is best known for the top ten hits "Searchin' ", "Whatever I Do " and "Who's Leaving Who"...
) alongside Alan Rogers and Paul James (both pseudonyms for obvious reasons). He provided the studio facilities for the station, which was amongst the pioneers of microwave links from studio to FM Band 3 transmitter (a technology later very widely used in pirate radio). Another technology which Bob pioneered was that of computer data transmission
Data transmission
Data transmission, digital transmission, or digital communications is the physical transfer of data over a point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communication channel. Examples of such channels are copper wires, optical fibres, wireless communication channels, and storage media...
via Band 3 FM radio - raw data transmitted onto the audio signal with no subcarrier
Subcarrier
A subcarrier is a separate analog or digital signal carried on a main radio transmission, which carries extra information such as voice or data. More technically, it is an already-modulated signal, which is then modulated into another signal of higher frequency and bandwidth...
: WVR featured the "Roger Tate Computer Program Programme" with Bob introducing (after the music had ended for the night) half an hour of 8-bit data sounds played from a Nakamichi cassette deck, representing programs for the BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
and the Tandy TRS-80
TRS-80
TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
microcomputers, among others. Surprisingly, for such an innovation being broadcast into listeners homes late at night, the telephone and postal feedback on the programme was overwhelmingly positive - a tribute to Bob's broadcasting skills.
Bob's home studio was raided in the late eighties after some shenanigans on the amateur radio frequencies, and the Home Office even went as far as confiscating his electric kettle (as well as the studio gear) on the grounds that it was connected to the same ring main as his transmitting equipment.
In his subsequent radio career, he was a regular contributor to You and Yours
You and Yours
You and Yours is a British radio consumer affairs programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.-History:It began broadcasting in October 1970, its first presenter was Joan York. In the great rescheduling of April 1998 it was increased from a 25 minute programme to 55 minutes. In the 1980s it briefly ran...
and The Big Byte on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
. He also broadcast for Radio Mercury
102.7 Mercury FM
This article is about the former Mercury FM in Crawley and Horsham. For the former Mercury FM in Hertfordshire, see Heart Hertfordshire; for the former Mercury FM in Medway, see KMFM Medway, and for the former Mercury FM in West Kent, see KMFM West Kent....
and Radio Invicta
Radio Invicta
Radio Invicta is the name of more than one radio station:*Radio Invicta, 1960s offshore station, later known as KING Radio and finally Radio 390*Radio Invicta , 1970s/1980s pirate station in London...
(which also sparked the career of the late Steve Walsh
Steve Walsh (disc jockey)
Steve Walsh was a British disc jockey. He died following a car crash in Ibiza, Spain.Walsh began his radio career at the first soul music pirate radio station, Radio Invicta, alongside his friend, the late Bob Tomalski. From there he moved on to JFM , where his style first began to shine through...
), and was the resident 'Inspector Gadget' on the LBC
LBC
LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...
Weekend Wireless Show, talking about the week's technology news, reviewing gadgets and answering listener queries.
Bob is missed by many people in the London pirate radio scene, not least "Paul James" and "Alan Rogers".