BBC from Claremont ???

Ulsterman 1690

Interesting idea

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/bbcandyou/bcni/meetings/may05.shtml

issues raised by participants had included concerns about the availability of BBC analogue television in the local area and the extent of sports coverage on BBCNI television and radio. Stephen Beckett, Head of Programme Operations, said that the topography of the Newry area presented difficulties for analogue transmissions and that reception problems could be exacerbated by deficient receiving equipment. He confirmed that RTE's signal had been boosted at Claremont Cairn and noted Clifford Harkness' suggestion that this transmitter could be used to relay BBC television services to people living in the Newry and Mourne area.

Well if TG4 can transmit from Divis...............

DMC

Interesting. Geographically, it makes total sense, but I note that its only for the purpose of serving Newry and the Mourne region... shielding to the south and west, perhaps??

Ulsterman 1690

I suppose its not an entirely unprecedented idea in that the microwave link feeding the TV transmitter on the channel Islands goes via France

Is TV reception really that bad in Newry though ? Granted I know its mountainous in that part of the world but they have Divis, Camlough, Newey North and Newey South. Surely everyone can get a signal from at least one ?

watty

It's sort of in a hole in the ground. Probabily only parts of it have problems. Seems bizare right enough with a lot of Dundalk getting Analogue & Freeview from Norn Iron!

Ulsterman 1690

Seems bizare right enough with a lot of Dundalk getting Analogue & Freeview from Norn Iron!

Not so bizzre when you consider that there are places less than 10 miles from Divis that need relays to get a decent signal and yet theres people over 200 miles away getting it (albeit with the aid of some elaborate ironmongery)

I thought virtually all of Dundalk could get the UK channels on analouge but that there was a cable system serving part of the town where there are problems with ghosting.

Drogheda is more problematic and yet (as far as Im aware) has no cable

Richard

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

Drogheda is more problematic and yet (as far as Im aware) has no cable

I stayed in a Youth Hostel in Drogheda last year and they had digital cable.

Ulsterman 1690

Is that actual cable or just MMDS (which is sometimes marketed under the stupid term "wireless cable")

Richard

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

Is that actual cable or just MMDS (which is sometimes marketed under the stupid term "wireless cable")

Actually, Ulsterman, you could be right there! I'm not familiar with digital cable, especially in the Republic so I'm not sure. I don't think there was a huge number of channels show it could very well have been MMDS.

smadger

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

Is that actual cable or just MMDS (which is sometimes marketed under the stupid term "wireless cable")

It's MMDS from Chorus. Drogheda is also a bit of a black-spot for analogue reception, with much of the town in a valley. Chorus and Sky are the only options for a lot of people, myself included

Analogue is unwatchable in some parts and unpleasantly snowy in others.

Hmmm I remember as a kid being amazed turning on RTÉ one from mt leinster one morning and it showing BBC one london crystal clear.It lasted about 2 hrs before it reverted back to the test card.The kippure service had the test card for the whole of those two hrs so it was a local mistake or an unauthorised/authorised experiment.

Ulsterman 1690

Probably a switching error. RTE always had a (two way) microwave link to BBC/UTV Belfast which would have in turn been linked to the UK mainland (and onward onto the EBU continental network)

When these links were idle they could be switched to carry just about anything. Obviously someone mistakingly patched Mt Leinster into this feed instead of the test card generator and it took a couple of hours for anyone to notice