  As part of an extensive radio--IR--optical--X-ray study of ROSAT clusters of
galaxies in the Hydra region we have observed the bimodal Abell cluster A3528,
located in the core of the Shapley Supercluster (z ~ 0.053), with the Molonglo
Observatory Synthesis Telescope at 843 MHz and the Australia Telescope Compact
Array at 1.4 and 2.4 GHz. This is part I in a series of papers which look at
the relationship between the radio and X-ray emission in samples of ROSAT
selected clusters.
  The radio source characteristics --- tailed morphologies and steep spectra
--- are consistent with the effects of a dense intra-cluster medium and the
pre-merging environment of A3528. In particular, we present evidence that the
minor member of the radio loud dumbbell galaxy located at the centre of the
northern component of A3528 is on a plunging orbit. We speculate that this
orbit may have been induced by the tidal interactions between the merging
components of A3528. In addition, the radio source associated with the dominant
member of the dumbbell galaxy exhibits many of the characteristics of Compact
Steep Spectrum sources. We argue that the radio emission from this source was
triggered 10^6 yr ago by tidal interactions between the two members of the
dumbbell galaxy, strengthening the argument that CSS sources are young.
  Re-analysis of the archive pointed PSPC data using multi-resolution filtering
suggests the presence of an AGN and/or a cooling flow in the southern component
of A3528.
