Bob Tomalski

Lore & Background

Tomalski began his broadcasting career on the south west London pirate scene of the 1970s, hosting Roger Tate's Mailbox Show on European Music Radio. He later became a licensed amateur radio operator with the call sign G6CQF. His maisonette in Mitcham, Surrey housed a broadcast-quality mixing desk, two Nakamichi cassette decks, high-quality turntables, and a collection of several thousand albums, primarily soul and funk, along with chart albums and 1960s and 1970s rock records. He also collected state-of-the-art video equipment.

In 1984, under the pseudonym Roger Tate, he co-founded Wandle Valley Radio (WVR), broadcasting a soul/funk/hi-energy programme alongside Alan Rogers and Paul James (both pseudonyms). Tomalski provided the studio facilities, and WVR was among the pioneers of using microwave links from the studio to the FM Band II transmitter, a technology later widely used in pirate radio. He also pioneered computer data transmission via Band II FM radio, transmitting raw data onto the audio signal without a subcarrier. WVR's 'Roger Tate Computer Program Programme' featured half an hour of 8-bit data sounds played from a Nakamichi cassette deck, representing programs for the BBC Micro and Tandy TRS-80 microcomputers. Feedback on the programme was positive.

His home studio was raided in the late 1980s after alleged transmission offences; the Home Office confiscated his studio gear and even his electric kettle, on the grounds it was connected to the same ring main as his transmitting equipment. Later in his radio career, Tomalski contributed to You and Yours and The Big Byte on BBC Radio, broadcast for Radio Mercury and Radio Invicta, and was the resident 'Inspector Gadget' on the LBC Weekend Wireless Show, discussing technology news, reviewing gadgets, and answering listener queries.

Reader's Guide

Bob Tomalski's significance lies in his dual role as a pirate radio innovator and a mainstream technology commentator. As Roger Tate, he helped pioneer microwave links for pirate radio transmission and developed a method for transmitting computer data over FM Band II without a subcarrier, a technical novelty that presaged later digital broadcasting concepts. His Wandle Valley Radio was an early adopter of these technologies, and his 'Computer Program Programme' demonstrated an unconventional use of radio for data distribution. The Home Office's confiscation of his electric kettle during a raid underscores the era's aggressive enforcement against unlicensed broadcasters. Later, his mainstream work on Sky News' Technofile, BBC Radio's You and Yours and The Big Byte, and LBC's Weekend Wireless Show brought gadget and technology reviews to a wide audience. His founding of Home Cinema Choice magazine and contributions to multiple publications on consumer electronics cemented his reputation as a 'gadget guru'. Tomalski's career bridges the underground pirate scene and legitimate broadcasting, reflecting the evolving landscape of radio and technology media in the late 20th century.

Did You Know?

• Bob Tomalski operated under the pseudonym Roger Tate for much of his pirate radio career.
• He pioneered computer data transmission via FM Band II radio without a subcarrier, using 8-bit data sounds from a Nakamichi cassette deck.
• During a Home Office raid, his electric kettle was confiscated because it was connected to the same ring main as his transmitting equipment.