Pirate TV

Elmo · 13-04-2006 12:58pm #1

Anyone have any schedules or remember what they looked like etc.?

Who was behind them?

JohnC. · 18-04-2006 12:48pm

There was one nearby in the 80's and probably first half of the 90's, though we couldn't pick it up where we live. So I don't know about proper schedules or what it looked like. But off the top of my head I do remember that it did show some Sky Movies, The Simpsons from Sky One and some adult stuff late at night. I think it showed some of the bigger sports events too. Who knows what else.

It was run by the father of a classmate, both of whom do NTL and Sky installations now

I suppose I did end up being sort of involved in a roundabout fashion. I was one of only 2 people I know of with any kind of computer in a fairly wide area at the time. The guy running it and my father know each other from way back so my Commodore 64 was used to make a couple of tape loops for onscreen messages.

watty · 18-04-2006 1:52pm

There was one in the North Sea (allegedly in International waters) off the Dutch coast. Radio TV Nordsee?

The Dutch took exception and boarded it and allegedly used axes etc to break up the gear.

I used to listen to the Radio version in late 1960s early or 1970. I had last evening of Radio Caroline on Reel to Reel tape for many years, from I don't know 1968 or 1970?

mjsmyth · 18-04-2006 4:13pm

Suppose I lived in a small estate of maybe 20 houses.... Y'know those video senders, well allegedly their signal can travel a little. If you could boost the signal a bit on one of those, hook it up to a PC and relay video from there, you could have your own little community channel... totally illegal probably!!

How would you go about boosting the signal strength on one of them?

MJ

watty · 18-04-2006 4:18pm

Lets not discuss that. Very illegal.

However stick it in a weather proof box on your chimney and anyone in street front or back can pick it up at the window.

I have "tested" video sender on 5km link using a pair of MMDS dishes instead of the built in dielectric plate aerial. No signal "boosting" involved.

mjsmyth · 18-04-2006 4:29pm

Lets not talk about it then

MJ

Ulsterman 1690 · 04-06-2006 10:42am

There seems to be a lot of confusion between TV deflectors (relays of terrestrial/satellite signals from outside the Republic) and actual pirate TV (granted up until a few years ago there was no difference from a legal point of view)

Pirate TV stations in Ireland have been rare shortlived affairs the most well known examples have been Nova TV and Channel D both from Dublin and Telefis na Gaeltacht (not to be confused with its legal successor) in Connemara. Also Boyneside TV in Drogheda. There have been unconfirmed reports of stations in other parts of Ireland (and even one in NI) at various times but I suspect most of these were either experimental opt out programmes on deflectors or enthusiastes paying around with "souped up" videosenders (The illegal UHF variety)

There was one in the North Sea (allegedly in International waters) off the Dutch coast. Radio TV Nordsee

There have been a few off Israel too

DublinWriter · 04-06-2006 11:04am

Elmo wrote:

Anyone have any schedules or remember what they looked like etc.?

Who was behind them?

Back in 82/83 Radio Nova started broadcasting a testcard in advance of their planned TV service.

They were raided about two weeks later and shut down completely on radio too.

Many see that incident as the turning point for the mass closedown of pirates in Ireland. It's easy to underestimate the massive influence of the pirates in the early 80's and some of the huge corporate advertising accounts they had . I dug out an old tape of Radio Sunshine and they were playing adverts for Maxwell House coffee, Superquinn, etc etc.

medja · 05-06-2006 1:22am

LTV has been going in the mid-cork area since 1983, It only broadcast it's own programmes at first and it started relaying HTV when it wasn't on air around 1985.

In the early days it went out on wednesday nights at 9.25, with a farming programme, mart prices, a music show and usually some GAA game.

This went on for years, it closed at the end of 1988 when the Pirate radio stations closed. But it was back on by 1990.

Over the years it's had chat shows, Quiz shows, a Drama series, Plays and it's covered all types of local events.

It's still on with 4 hours of programmes every Wednesday night, I think 2 hours are from millstreet and the other two come from macroom.

Antenna · 07-06-2006 1:10pm

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

Telefis na Gaeltacht (not to be confused with its legal successor) in Connemara

What technical set-up was this does anyone know? Did it operate on VHF or UHF (probably the latter if there had been a UHF 'deflector' in that area, and the T. na Gaeltacht transmitter probably located near the deflector - taking advantage of UHF receive aerials at homes being in the exact direction! ?)

I vaguely recall reading that the transmitter was mobile and operated from a jeep that had to be driven up mountains to transmit the programmes?

BHG · 10-07-2006 2:33am

see http://www.rte.ie/radio1/flux/1093389.html

does LTV = Dan Joe Kelleher Macroom, Co. Cork

for a radio show, flux got two good photos..... I bet RTE wouldn't go near him in the 80's. saw a recording of channel D once.... the anorak show on Coast 103 (now phantom,,,) has a tape of it. it wud be gud 4 me flash box (now bebo tv) on me home page....

medja · 11-07-2006 12:45am

Thanks for that link BHG.

Antenna · 14-07-2006 3:15pm

A few years ago I walked up to the top of Musherabeg Mountain (one of the mountains between Millstreet and Macroom) and interesting to see there the remains of a huge UHF receiving dish that people behind LTV erected over 25 years ago to receive UK TV from Cornwall. From the bits left on the ground it must have been about 10 metres in diameter?

This setup got a front page report in the 'Corkman' weekly newspaper of around 1980 which I accidentlly came across when researching something else some years ago! (though no pictures of the dish). Reception was described as being "in full colour"

Highly unlikely but has anyone got any photos of this dish when it was erected?

Ulsterman 1690 · 15-07-2006 7:40am

Any idea what reception of the Cornish signals was like in Co Cork ?

Im imagining it was pretty bad given all the trouble SCTV went to relaying a Welsh signal (Complete with S4C instead of English C4) from the Comeragh mountains ?

Antenna · 21-07-2006 9:16pm

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

Any idea what reception of the Cornish signals was like in Co Cork ?

Im imagining it was pretty bad given all the trouble SCTV went to relaying a Welsh signal (Complete with S4C instead of English C4) from the Comeragh mountains ?

I am told the people behind the Cork cable company told newspapers prior to launching in 1982 that they had investigated reception from the Cornish transmitter (that being Caradon Hill) as a source but said reception would not be of an acceptable quality all year round, this in response to compaints they would be carrying Welsh programming!. Incidentally I recall a few years ago talking to a landowner on the high ground just east of Cork airport who recalled people doing UK TV signal testing on their land about 30 years ago (for possible cable TV). BTW I think that Cornish transmitter has a 'null' in our direction nowadays, very little signal from it during 'high pressure' unlike the situation years ago.

What became 'South Coast' originally started in 1985 at the time serving Carrigaline and nearby areas, initially using another deflector that had been established by a Mitchelstown TV dealer in the nearby (to Mitchelstown) Galtee Mountains (at Knockeenatoung) as their signal source. The Galtee deflector directly serviced North East Cork and a bit of South Tipperary
A major dispute arose, the man behind the Mitchelstown service, a Mr Hyland, claimed that his service was likely to be shut down on account of it being used as the signal source for the Carrigaline deflector which was serving an area that was being cabled. He tried reducing the power in an attempt to inhibit the Carrigaline service using it. The Galtee deflector was raided and after some time came back providing just one channel (BBC1) for a while - I recall this at a relation's house that received it.
The Carrigaline group set up another deflector on the Comeragh (or more correctly Monavullagh) mountains in Co. Waterford which beamed into Co. Cork (which also fed Carrigaline). Reception very good there (almost a line of sight path to the Welsh transmitter) though this deflector initially had to be low power running on lead-acid batteries which had to be changed every so often (by volunteers walking up the almost 2000 ft mountain) before a long underground power cable was installed!

The Carrigaline group claimed they only came into operation in 1985 after the Cork cable company abandoned plans to cable Carrigaline, and that after the deflector came into being the cable company did a U-turn and proceeded to cable Carrigaline! Due to the strong support for the Carrigaline 'deflector' service, only a small part of Carrigaline was ever cabled.
The deflector service spread westwards on to other towns, Kinsale, Bandon, etc, and after some years even spreading as far as Bantry

Ulsterman 1690 · 21-07-2006 10:41pm

Facinating history Antenna. didnt know there was cable in Carrigaline at all. Paid a visit to the place about seven years ago and most houses seemed to be using UHF with a handful on MMDS.

I remember hearing that Cork cable when they started were feading the city from a headend someplace well outside the city (cant remember where exactly) and the coaxial cable used for this was the longest of its type in Europe.

Wonder why they (the cable crowd) didnt use Wales AND Cornwall (Many of Dublins early cable networks carried UTV and HTV)

Also any idea where/how did Westward (Limerick) cable manage to get (rather dreadful) NI signals in its early days ?

Zaphod · 07-08-2006 11:22am

Enjoyed that Flux documentary on Radio 1 when it was broadcast, especially when he mentioned that they were initially retransmitting EWTN (one-eyed nun brigade) but switched over to BBC following complaints from the locals!

Some pics of the transmitting site and equipment in Millstreet:
http://www.millstreet.ie/ltv2_millstreet.htm

mike65 · 07-08-2006 11:32am

Those who receive the very well established Knocknagree signal (on UHF) will receive it on Channel 4 as the Local Television is timed to log into that channel for an hour on Thursdays and for a further hour on Sundays. No need to tune such sets as it will automatically appear on the Channel 4 section of the Knocknagree service every Thursday at 10.00 p.m. and revert back to Channel 4 at 11.00 p.m.

Call me stupid but is breaking into a signal for 'local' telly legal?

Mike.

Antenna · 07-08-2006 12:58pm

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

didnt know there was cable in Carrigaline at all. Paid a visit to the place about seven years ago and most houses seemed to be using UHF with a handful on MMDS.

Its only a tiny bit of the town on the Cork city side (from where the cable was run out from) that was cabled. I know a housing estate there called 'Endsleigh' was cabled, but little else I'd say. I'd imagine plans to cable to whole town had to be abandonded way back then due to the support for what is now South Coast.
I'l start another thread here about other issues you mention soon

lawhec · 07-08-2006 1:39pm

Also any idea where/how did Westward (Limerick) cable manage to get (rather dreadful) NI signals in its early days ?

I believe that Watty has mentioned before that there was a 16 aerial array on a mountainside aimed at Brougher Mountain for this purpouse (now no longer used)?

medja · 07-08-2006 2:53pm

mike65 wrote:

Call me stupid but is breaking into a signal for 'local' telly legal?

Mike.

Well the Signal itself is a rebeam of Ch4. Now that rebeam of Ch4 may not be licenced at all so the real question is.... Do two wrongs make a right?:)

Foggy43 · 07-08-2006 6:26pm

Northern Correspondent:
Keeper Hill was, and still is the place. It isn't exactly close to Limerick City. I don't know how or if the 'cable' still operates. I do remember newspaper stories about people being prosecuted. The cable was overground and easily tampered with.
The MMDS Transmitter is still there run by Chorus. MMDS must be coming from there about 20 years now.

I will have to dig out a map for exact figures on it's location.

Antenna · 07-08-2006 7:08pm

Data about Keeper is here, take a look: http://mountainviews.ie/mv/index.php?mtnindex=117

On this webpage, one of the pictures shows the mast etc.

On that picture - on the far left is one array (8 over 8) pointing to Brogher, to its right then is another array (8 over 8 again) pointing at Divis (I presume was a backup).

I would imagine the cable run to Limerick city was discontinued when MMDS started from here, as the cable system could then receive the MMDS in Limerick itself.

At some stage in the 1990s, they transferred to a receive point much nearer NI, and microwave linked down, and so those UHF arrays fell into disrepair (not even used as backup). The microwave link network from this main receive point fed MMDS and cable in much of the country.

I was at Keeper some years ago and saw those arrays - but were in a poor state.

Foggy43 · 07-08-2006 8:54pm

Antenna,
Thanks for the info.

I know it is a while ago now but I am sure we were once told there were 'icing' problems putting the service out of action. Long time ago.

Ulsterman 1690 · 20-08-2006 1:08pm

Getting back to pirate TV heres an interesting article on how they do it in Italy

watty · 21-08-2006 8:19am

Antenna wrote:

Data about Keeper is here, take a look: http://mountainviews.ie/mv/index.php?mtnindex=117

On this webpage, one of the pictures shows the mast etc.

<snip>
At some stage in the 1990s, they transferred to a receive point much nearer NI, and microwave linked down, and so those UHF arrays fell into disrepair (not even used as backup).

I was at Keeper some years ago and saw those arrays - but were in a poor state.

I was in the equipment house at keeper last year and saw the microwave gear with links from Cavan. All Analogue TV.

The two aerial arrays are rusty twisted wreaks no doubt from ice & snow, the snow in winter reachs the height of the fence.

Keeper is really far from Limerick City, hence all Wireless services for the city nowadays (TV, Broadband, MMDS etc) use Woodcock Hill, though the Amateur radio repeaters are Tountenna Co. Tipperary near Killaloe and Knockfearna near Ballingarry/Croom Co. Limerick.

zilog_jones · 28-08-2006 4:41pm

Not really that "historical", but a few years ago (around 1999/2000 methinks) Radio Limerick One (who lost their license many moons ago and are still somehow running to this day) ran a pirate station called RLO TV. Can't remember how long it went on for, but it was a good while - possibly months.

Don't know where it was transmitting from - I assume somewhere in the city centre. I was able to get a watchable signal from near Greystones/Clareview with rabbit ears. Most of the day they just relayed channel 5 (probably got it free off Astra 1 - back when analogue satellite still existed

), but in the afternoons they'd show some local sports and some rather crappy looking studio broadcasts of their radio shows (with that Gerry twat that people would phone in talking shyte). Dunno how they got all the equipment for this - they had a half-decent looking DOG and everything.

superdudeman007 · 29-10-2006 11:09pm

was just tuning in my tv with rabbit ears in greystones and i'm getting phantom about 2 thirds of the way through the VL band (on TV).

Was listening for about ten minutes - fuzzy screen (No pics etc) but perfect sound - could hear "this is phantom fm 105.2 on a test transmission"

byte · 30-10-2006 2:31am

superdudeman007 wrote:

was just tuning in my tv with rabbit ears in greystones and i'm getting phantom about 2 thirds of the way through the VL band (on TV).

Was listening for about ten minutes - fuzzy screen (No pics etc) but perfect sound - could hear "this is phantom fm 105.2 on a test transmission"

Did you need to post this twice?

superdudeman007 · 31-10-2006 4:23pm

Maybe I did

barnicles · 02-01-2009 2:54pm

mike65 wrote: »

Call me stupid but is breaking into a signal for 'local' telly legal?

Mike.

I know the man who operates that system very well and have visited it a couple of times.

This is how it works:
Signals for BBC1 , BBC2 ITV1 and Channel 4 are sourced up in Carraganes, Ballydesmond.
They are sent through a tuner and 2 amps for each channel. This is piped from the garden shed up the side of a tall tree to a UHF aerial. This beams these south over Boherbue, Kiskeam, and Ballydesmond. An antenna in Tureenglanahee(between Ballydesmond and Knocknagree) picks up these on Channel 39, 42,45 and 51 and rebroadcasts them on 23,26,30 and 33 to the villages of Knocknagree and Rathmore. There is also a computer at the Tureen transmitter which broadcasts "We wantyour money" messages and switches over to LTV2 on Thursdays and Sundays.

Hope this Helps

barnicles · 02-01-2009 2:56pm

Also, LTV broadcsts Channel4 now.

I'll try to get some photos.:cool:

Elmo · 02-01-2009 3:31pm

Is LTV a priate TV channel or just a re-broadcaster?

barnicles · 02-01-2009 3:57pm

Elmo wrote: »

Is LTV a priate TV channel or just a re-broadcaster?

Both, it has its own programmes and broadcasts Channel 4 when not broadcasting LTV content.

watty · 02-01-2009 5:38pm

RLO TV was legalised Rebroadcasting of C5 & BBC. They lost the licence BECAUSE they opted out with their own adverts and programs.

Re-broadcasting without Comreg spectrum licence AND BCI licence for content OR spectrum Licence AND UK source agreement royalty payment is Pirate TV.

I'm sure if you complain Comreg will close LTV.

No "Deflector"/Rebroadcast terrestrial operator has any licence to do their own content and not likely to get one either. Any terrestrial rebroadcaster doing their own programs is contraving their licence, all of which expire this year.

Even UPC/Casey have to get BCI licence to put any content of their own on cable.

medja · 03-01-2009 4:05pm

LTV has been on air since 1983 in one form or another. At the start it broadcast nothing but it's own shows. It came on air at 9.25 on Wednesday nights for about 40 weeks in the year.

At the start it was nights of music, some local plays and news items of interest as far as I remember. After about a year on air it started to relay BBC 2 and then HTV when it wasn't on air.

However, By around the mid 80's it was on air for about 4 hours on a Wednesday and repeated on Sunday. There was also extra programmes at Christmas.

Programmes made included a chat show, A quiz show and a 6 part Drama/comedy series. I believe it was called Strangers. There were farming programmes from Acot. (the government farming agency at the time!) The Guards had some input, and there was a good bit of religion.

In 1988 it closed down on the 31st of Dec with all other pirate broadcasters. This was after 10 or so days of nights of broadcast which included lots of unshown material, and a live relay of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

It came back on air at some point over the following year and since 1990 it's been on regularly. LTV 2 also started which comes from millstreet.

I moved from the area in the 90's so I don't have details from that point on. However I do know they rebroadast EWTN the catholic newtwork from the US a lot of the time, this may have stopped.

RTE made a documentary about the man behind the station in 2006.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/flux/1093389.html

Antenna · 10-01-2009 7:08pm

Theres some footage of the former Limerick TV station on Youtube here:
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=83vL-UNU-fc&feature=channel_page

Apogee · 11-01-2009 12:39pm

There is also material from LTV2 in Millstreet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFwWA1C97yk

Antenna · 12-01-2009 2:05pm

a short clip of the ill-fated very short lived Nova TV Dublin which was sometime in the 80s:

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=88pjPzLgvG8

this was to be commercial, with RTE very concerned about ad revenue.
Very few people probably ever saw the short-lived broadcasts, with Dublin being so heavily cabled to a high percentage of homes, and this was only available with an aerial.

barnicles · 24-01-2009 4:59pm

The Knocknagree deflector is offline.

This also effects Kiskeam, Ballydesmond, Boherbue, Scartaglin and Rathmore.

Viewers in parts of Knockaclarig and Ballydaly may also be affected

Freddie59 · 17-03-2009 4:38pm

watty wrote: »

RLO TV was legalised Rebroadcasting of C5 & BBC. They lost the licence BECAUSE they opted out with their own adverts and programs.

Re-broadcasting without Comreg spectrum licence AND BCI licence for content OR spectrum Licence AND UK source agreement royalty payment is Pirate TV.

I'm sure if you complain Comreg will close LTV.

No "Deflector"/Rebroadcast terrestrial operator has any licence to do their own content and not likely to get one either. Any terrestrial rebroadcaster doing their own programs is contraving their licence, all of which expire this year.

Even UPC/Casey have to get BCI licence to put any content of their own on cable.

Only came across this thread today. Speaking of Casey TV, Dungarvan, it is worth remembering that, in 1979, they constructed the longest TV mainline cable in Europe (from Seefin Mountain, 2000 FASL) to Dungarvan.

It was, to say the least, a monumental task. And while people were acclaiming 'battery runs' up a mountain, the Casey family were quietly planning and developing an independent Broadband infrastructure, when few people knew what the Internet was.

They also supplied the four UK channels to Cork Multichannel in 1982/3 when the Cork company, against advice, located their 'Head End' at the Knockmealdown Mountains in County Waterford, some 600 feet higher than Casey's, Seefin site.

However, reception was erratic, and a 12-mile mainline to connect to Casey's at the Master McGrath monument, near Dungarvan, was laid. This resulted in the Cork Company eventually ending up with a SIXTY-MILE mainline (then the longest in the world), when one microwave hop would have achieved the same.

Because of Ireland's draconian laws regarding Microwave, The Department Of Posts and Telegraphs were the only ones allowed operate them. Not even RTÉ had its own independent microwave network.

When you look back now it was ridiculous. The money spent building these long TV lines could have been invested in better infrastructure in the networks themselves. But such were the lunatic regulations of the day.

But back to the Caseys. They now have what is recognised as one of the most modern , high-tech Cable TV networks in Europe, if not the world. They rightly deserve to be appluaded for their ongoing efforts and R & D.

watty · 18-03-2009 10:06am

The Chorus Cavan/Limerick TV link may have been the first private licenced Microwave link. I got a tour once of the Keeper Hill end in Limerick. I may have some photos someplace.

Antenna · 18-03-2009 8:28pm

More about the receive installations on Keeper Hill (Co. Tipperary) and Seefin (Co. Waterford) here:

http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/aerialphotography/aerialingus/015.html

pictures of Seefin (including the 'brick hut' which contained receive aerial) here:
www.mountainviews.ie/mv/index.php?mtnindex=90

maybe there should be a seperate thread here about developement of cable TV in Ireland?

Apogee · 27-07-2022 5:41pm

A nice write up on Dan Joe Kelleher and LTV

https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-40926824.html

and link to the digitised material

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzCqinC2x2hQv7-CewlNJSA

Tax The Farmers · 06-07-2023 4:04pm

"Because of Ireland's draconian laws regarding Microwave, The Department Of Posts and Telegraphs were the only ones allowed operate them. Not even RTÉ had its own independent microwave network."

Why were the Department of Posts and Telegraphs so fearful of anyone else (even other Government departments/agencies) getting their hands on this technology ?

I know these were crazy times when one wasn't even allowed have a telephone answering machine without written permission from the minister for post and telegraphs meanwhile CB and pirate radio operators were running riot ?

Pirate TV

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