Pitcairn Island Radio

Callsign: ZBP

“I have been lucky enough to work Tom Christian at ZBP – from a distance of about two nautical miles.
The Old Man decided we were going to have a slightly “scenic” tour of the Pacific, going to NZ from Ecuador via Ile de Rap (looks like a crown, hollow in the centre) and Pitcairn.

“I was under strict instructions NOT to make contact on 500. However, the main rx (R554a) nearly lifted itself off the desktop, as he called “WHITE REEFER CLOSE TO ZBP HW?”.

“Simultaneously they called us on Ch 16.

“As luck would have it, they didn’t need us to stop, so after we did a circle and I’d had a quick chat with Tom, off we went to NZ. This would be around 1978, ship was Wild Curlew / GQUH. Different times, different times indeed.”

– Neil Harrison (Facebook, Feb 2023)


“Stopped there in September 1965 to provide provisions and exchange mail from the ST Ceramic / GFLM on my first trip from London to Auckland.”

– Karl Wilson (Facebook, Feb 2023)


“We had an engine problem off Pitcairn on the Lincolnshire. I am certain it was Tom Christian who called us up on 500 kHz asking if we would like to go ashore. The skipper refused, of course! We were stopped for about 16 hours while repairs were made.”

– Geoff Valentine (Facebook, Feb 2023)