RTÉ to close Radio 1 MW

Scottish paddy

Has anybody noticed that RTÉ plan to close Radio 1 on Medium Wave in 2008?
See page 13 of http://www.rte.ie/about/guidingprinciples2006.pdf under "Control and Manage costs"

Ulsterman 1690

To be honest I dont understand why they bothered reopening it following the spell off air they had a couple of years back for mast repairs

Theyre available on Longwave, FM and satellite so MW seems kinda pointless ?

aidan_walsh

MW was really just used to provide occasional schedule variety, wasn't it? Broadcast something different on the MW band than on the FM one? The satellite broadcast is a clone of FM, though I'm not sure I suspect the Longwave is as well.

Foggy43

I see it is 'Agreed and Costed in five year plan' for the end last quarter of 2008.
Also a 'Limited implementaion of HDTV' last quarter next year has been 'Agreed and Costed'. I wonder what that means?

Ulsterman 1690

The satellite broadcast is a clone of FM, though I'm not sure I suspect the Longwave is as well

Both MW and FM versions are on satellite

The LW service is (usually) a dublicate of the MW rather than the FM service

Which makes the MW service a waste of
1) A frequency
2) Electricity
3) Public money
4) Fossil fuels/greenhouse emissions

Foggy43

Will RTE have to get this 5 year plan approved in or did Leinster House ask for this plan?

mike65

What happens when one of the FM tranmitters goes off air? As happened today apparently down in the the South-west. (well I could not pick up a signal of any RTE station while heading from Abbeyfeale to Tralee so switched to LW (which many dont have access to these days)).

Mike.

Foggy43

I think RTE maybe better off to drop RTE 2 MW than RTE 1. RTE Radio 2 is a music station and nealy a listeners will prefer FM Stereo.

What about listeners in Northern Ireland? What is RTE Radio 1's FM reception like up there?

I agree with you Mike and it has also been mentioned on another thread, there are not may radio's available with LW. Only car radios nearly always as MW.

DMC

Molly Dawson wrote:

I think RTE maybe better off to drop RTE 2 MW than RTE 1. RTE Radio 2 is a music station and nealy a listeners will prefer FM Stereo.

2FM on 612 kHz is gone some years, 2004 say some reports, I thought it was longer.

Foggy43

DMC
Oh dear! I didn't know RTE 2 had been taken off MW. I take it the mast has been taken down in Athlone?
I was almost impossible to receive here in London. RTE Radio 1 was okish but transmitted on twice the power than Radio 2.

watty

mike65 wrote:

What happens when one of the FM tranmitters goes off air? As happened today apparently down in the the South-west. (well I could not pick up a signal of any RTE station while heading from Abbeyfeale to Tralee so switched to LW (which many dont have access to these days)).

Mike.

My sources say HUGE flap at Mullaganish today.

watty

Molly Dawson wrote:

DMC
Oh dear! I didn't know RTE 2 had been taken off MW. I take it the mast has been taken down in Athlone?
I was almost impossible to receive here in London. RTE Radio 1 was okish but transmitted on twice the power than Radio 2.

The mast is still there, but may be comming down. One bunch of Wireless Experimenters have applied to do a special event transmission from it.

mike65

Aha! I imagine the weather may have been involved at some point.

Mike.

watty

DRM will be used on LW and MW. The transmitters are ordered.

lawhec

What about listeners in Northern Ireland? What is RTE Radio 1's FM reception like up there?

Fine in general except in parts of Belfast City, Antrim Glens and the East Antrim coast.

In general, Holywell Hill serves the north-west, Moville the north coast, Truskmore Fermanagh and most of Tyrone and Clermont Carn everywhere else, though I'd imagine in some parts of Down Kippure would come in better.

L1011

What happened to RnaG on mediumwave?

channelsurfer

forgive the question but what is DRM? and what way would they use it on LW and MW

L1011

Digital Radio Mondiale, a digital transmission scheme for low bandwidth situations.

lawhec

It does seem pointless for RTÉ to use LW and MW for the same service, though there have been at times seperate programming on each, particularly on Sundays when LW would have sports coverage and MW repeats of programmes from the weekdays.

My current info is that 252 is run on 300kW ERP during the day & 100kW at night, while 567 is kept constant at 100kW. Both frequencies are cleared for 500kW.

icdg

It used to be the case that a lot of older listeners radios were tuned to 567 MW rather than the local FM frequency for Radio 1, which would in the past have been a big reason for keeping MW alive. I would imagine this has possibly changed at this stage though. Also remember the LW frequency is a comparatively recent innovation, which only became possible after the death of Atlantic 252.

Elmo

And there's me trying to tune it in on AM/MW and its gone :rolleyes:

I don't have LW and I don't think LW has a change of schedule like MW.

Digifriendly

RTE FM from Clermont Carn struggles in and around Belfast due to proximity of Radio Ulster FM from Carnmoney on 95.3.

watty

Yes. Iwas trying to get BBC R4 VHF in dundalk and couldn't. I could get some other N.I. BBC stations fine. I'm guessing R4 is blocked by an RTE station too?

Certainly VHF/FM BandII at lot more packed in Dundalk than in Limerick!

Antenna

watty wrote:

Yes. Iwas trying to get BBC R4 VHF in dundalk and couldn't.

looking at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/transmitters/radio_trans/n_ireland_fm.shtml

try 96.0 or 103.9.
96.0 most likely though you'd probably need a very selective radio, such as a modern car radio (due to LMFM having a transmitter on 95.8)

watty

Thanks. I'll try again on Wed. I have a dual superhet VERY selective radio also a Sony ICF2001D. I don't find my modern car radio anything like as selective as either of the portables.

Foggy43

Watty,
Earlier in this thread I asked about the Athlone mast and it still stands. You mentioned DRM transmitters on order.
Can I just confirm the transmitters will be used on the Athlone mast by the 'Wireless experimenters' for their special event.

Edit: After the weekend you have just had in Ireland I hope the Athlone mast still stands!

watty

I don't know what's happening about the Athlone mast. One DRM TX is for current 252 site (Trim, Co. Meath?). The other for elsewhere. I don't think it's
Athlone.

The Shannon Basin Club (SBC) was trying to get permission to do something before the mast is taken down.

My Masts & Dishes are OK.

lawhec

104.6 for BBC Radio 4 might be a good frequency to try, its from the Camlough mast outside Newry. If you can get Downtown on 103.1 you should get this.

BBC R4 from Divis on 96.0 is running on half-power compared to the other BBC services on FM.

Foggy43

Who actually owns the 252 Mast?
Are RTE considering transmitting using DRM? Possibilty of another trial?
I take it if you cannot receive RTE Radio 1 LW you will not receive it on DRM either?

watty

RTE or RTENL.

DRM will be more immune to interference. So, no, you won't know till you try.

Foggy43

watty wrote:

DRM will be more immune to interference. So, no, you won't know till you try.

Watty! I was afraid you would say that!
I haven't seen a DRM radio available yet in the UK! Down to demand I expect.

watty

If you adventurious you can download DReaM (free) and add a 12.5KHz IF to the AOR (modules & kits available) and DReaM does SSB, AM,FM and DRM on your PC using soundcard to connect to 12.5KHz IF.

Foggy43

Morphy Richards have released a DRM Radio in the UK but prototype didn't get a good review (I will try and find the review again and add it here) It was pointed out that modifications were carried out since the review but the off putting point is lack of external aerial ports.

http://www.sputnikshop.com/product_details.php?item_id=1478

Roberts/Sangean are due to release a DRM radio in 2007. The DRM 40. Might have to wait a little longer for release by Roberts in the UK.

http://www.sangean.nl/English/?opt1=Products&opt2=d_a_b_radios

I looked through what radio stations are available on DRM at present. The BBC World Service, some tests in the London area a VT Sea Trial an some American stations.

My AOR and my PC....I think I will need to engage brain for that. Will look in to it!

Ulsterman 1690

NC is right 104.6 is the best frequency for BBC R 4 in Dundalk although youll need a good radio to seperate it out from 104.4 from Dublin

The FM band in Dundalk is pretty overcrowded alright with overspill from Dublin, NI and elsewhere. If anything its as jam packed as Dublin

lawhec

This might interest Watty and a few others...

RT&#201 wrote: »

[SIZE=+2]RTE TECHNICAL INFORMATION

---

TRANSMITTER SITE: Summerhill LW

SERVICE: LW 252 Radio 1


DATE: 06/12/2006

TIME/DURATION: 15.00 - 20.00

Network requires this outage to carry
out essential work on the transformers
on the transmitters at Summerhill. This
is part of the transmitter replacement
project. [/SIZE]

Antenna

watty wrote:

My sources say HUGE flap at Mullaganish today.

I wonder is this work, (RTE tech info) related to that breakdown mentioned by Watty on the 30-11-2006 ?
This info might be of interest to FM DXers, very weak signals from Wenvoe Wales (89.9 etc) or Divis NI (90.1 etc) may become audible in parts of Munster where usually impossible.


RTE TECHNICAL INFORMATION

---

TRANSMITTER SITE: Mullaghanish.

SERVICE: All FM services.

DATE: 14/12/2006 - 15/12/2006

TIME/DURATION: 2200 on 14th until 0600
on the 15th.

RTE NL Engineers require this outage to
facilitate the installation of a new FM
combiner. This is essential and urgent
work.

watty

Yes. That's what burnt out. I didn't quite understand the explination of why it worked with the burnt out unit bybassed. Perhaps it combines two PAs and they have been running on one.

watty

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

NC is right 104.6 is the best frequency for BBC R 4 in Dundalk although youll need a good radio to seperate it out from 104.4 from Dublin

The FM band in Dundalk is pretty overcrowded alright with overspill from Dublin, NI and elsewhere. If anything its as jam packed as Dublin

Yep was getting that fine in Dundalk and possibly as far as Asbourne on car radio.

Antenna

watty wrote:

Yes. That's what burnt out.

I wonder was it the recent addition of Newstalk (107.4) that ‘broke the camel’s back’ with the combiner that burned out?

I was able to hear very weak signals from Wenvoe alright last night (89.9,92.1,94.3,99.5, 101.7). The Mullaghanish national FMs were back on around 2AM or so.

Antenna

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

Which makes the MW service a waste of
1) A frequency..

though the likelyhood of anyone else using the frequency seems to be very small.
No other use has been made of other MW frequencies in this country that RTE has ceased to use over the years (540, 612, 828, 963, 1278, 1485) ,

PS
(with the one exception of a temporary licenced station Choice FM, - who over a series of weekends this year - as well as FM applied to use 1278 kHz in Dublin, more as an experiment)