Lyric FM reception query

mike65

When I'm travelling around the country all the RTE stations except Lyric which is almost never availible clearly. Has anyone else noticed this?

Mike.

DMC

Not really. If I get what you mean, Lyric FM is the worst, and the others are ok? The only times I really heard ropey RTÉ FM reception has been in Kerry, but then, no radio station is immune to the geography down there.

Your car stereo? Any specific black holes, Mike?

Wishbone Ash

mike65 wrote:

When I'm travelling around the country all the RTE stations except Lyric which is almost never availible clearly. Has anyone else noticed this?

Mike.

I have the opposite problem - I can get Lyric clearly all over but I have difficulty with Radio 1. I have to switch between 88.5 and 89.1. I thought modern car radios were supposed to find the signal automatically?

PS Even though I don't listen to it, Radio na Gaeltachta seem to be loud and clear everywhere.

mike65

R'nG broadcasts like "Big Mexican" Radio used to. Very loud and clear (for several thousand miles!)

DMC (soz for my half-arsed opening post) its general though I was struck today how in the area around Tipp/Cahir none of the frequencies was free of a nasty distortion which was close to sibilance in nature.

Mike.

DMC

Sounds like transmitter issues? I presume you have a RDS EON wireless contraption that retunes to the strongest signal, so you are not aware of the exact frequencies that this occured on?

Or was it that all the presenters with lisps were on RTÉ channels at exactly the same time!

limerick_man

Well Lyric FM is broadcast from Limerick whereas all other RTE stations are through Dublin, Lyric is working off different set up.

DMC

RnaG would be played out more from Casla than Donnybrook. Its HQ is certainly in Casla, Connemara, with main studios in Gweedore, Bailie na nGall and D4.

mike65

Thats as maybe but they still use the established transmitter network.

Mike.

tSubh Dearg

I found when travelling from Dublin to Clare that Lyric was the only one of the RTE stations we could pick up clearly, that was until we were about an hour from our destination (the middle of the Burren) then all the stations blanked out on us.

I've just been blaming the lack of aerial on my car (it came off in the car wash) though that probably isn't helping.

limerick_man

mike 65 is correct all RTE stations go through Dublin, with the expection of Lyric fm, the base in Limerick has enough studios to Broadcast ALL RTE stations if something happned in Dublin, Limerick is the emergance base and so therefore has its own transmitter.

DMC

You mean Lyric FM feeds the RTÉNL transmission network from Limerick, which makes sense. I wonder actually how much is actually done in Limerick, as Niall Carroll is attached to the news room in Donnybrook, and since the news bulletins are is no longer produced in Limerick.

mike65

Learn something new every day. The reception is grand the in Waterford/Clommel/Dungarvan triangle.

Mike.

Antenna

mike65 wrote:

When I'm travelling around the country all the RTE stations except Lyric which is almost never availible clearly. Has anyone else noticed this?

Mike.

What is and what condition is the aerial???

If a type you can swivel up or down, try and put it as vertical as possible, not just for strongest signal, but also to minimise 'multipath' (the distortion you speak of). If aerial is less than a 45 degree angle with roof, FM reception is simply going to be poor, window aerials are also going to be poor.

You could have a fault somewhere as well. Aerial problems usually affect MW/LW to a worse degee than FM. What is MW/LW like? If even RTE is very poor or non-existant you have a problem to be looked at.

Just a few weeks ago I noticed poor reception on a VW car with a 'bee sting' aerial that was 6 years old. I was able to remove the whole aerial and open the base (which contains booster) up. Poor contact between a spring like contact on circuit board of 'booster' to the actual aerial was to blame, and was able to restore full reception by cleaning and extending the contact slightly .


BTW all 4 RTE FM stations are transmitted with much the same power from the same transmitter sites, significant variations between them shouldn't be happening.

Wishbone Ash you might have RDS automatic retuning (AF) accidentally disabled. On some car radios this is possible on individual presets.

1huge1

limerick_man wrote:

Well Lyric FM is broadcast from Limerick whereas all other RTE stations are through Dublin, Lyric is working off different set up.

should that really make a difference in the reception though?
the one station i always get perfect is lyric its a shame i think its crap

froodie

DMC wrote:

You mean Lyric FM feeds the RTÉNL transmission network from Limerick, which makes sense. I wonder actually how much is actually done in Limerick, as Niall Carroll is attached to the news room in Donnybrook, and since the news bulletins are is no longer produced in Limerick.

All of the main "strand programmes" between 7am and 7pm, as well The Blue of the Night, go out from Limerick. The other programmes are sometimes recorded in limerick, sometimes in the regional studios or Dublin. Niall Carroll does his show from Limerick. Honest