New Saorview Transmitters (June) 5 in Cork 2 in Clare

Sponge Bob

One in Ennistymon and one in Ballina/Killaloe in Clare

Cork gets transmitters in Mt Gabriel Drimoleague Leap Timoleague and Roscarbery along with Bandon announced some months back.

I understand the cost of an infill transmitter is around €25k ( if RTE OWN THE MAST) which is what 75 Saorsat installs would cost. This move will encourage campaigns nationwide like the Cork one of the past 2 months.

I was told to 'expect' 3 in Connemara but they have not yet appeared...maybe they will be released in July along with one or two more in Mayo.

Sponge Bob

Had a look at the map, make that 8 transmitters with the addition of one in Waterford - Kilmacthomas.

The Cush

Already posted by marno21, dohouch and Antenna

Sponge Bob wrote: »

I understand the cost of an infill transmitter is around €25k ( if RTE OWN THE MAST) which is what 75 Saorsat installs would cost. This move will encourage campaigns nationwide like the Cork one of the past 2 months.

I was told to 'expect' 3 in Connemara but they have not yet appeared...maybe they will be released in July along with one or two more in Mayo.

If the rollout of the new transmitters continues at this rate Saorsat could become reduant bar as a backup to the transmitter network. Can't really see TV3 being interested in transmitting from Saorsat at this this point.

Sponge Bob

I'd reckon the Saorview transmitters announced this year will each do pockets of 3-6k persons and at 2.7 persons per households they would serve 1000-2000 households each.

So they would have cumulatively reduced potential Saorsat penetration by a minimum of 10k households and possibly by as many as 25k households.

watty

Saorsat was never going to be something TV3 was interested in unless forced. They wouldn't even pay for same coverage as TG4 on Analogue, contrary to their licence.

But even if Terrestrial covered 99.5% (which it won't ever, the UK doesn't manage that), you still ought to have Saorsat for the 0.5% and TV3 ought to be obliged to be on it or have no Terrestrial licence.

Each time you add another TX site it gets much harder to increase coverage. The Original RTE NL roll out (May 2011) was very low by European standards, so the first 10 to 20 extra ones makes the most difference. Adding as many again will not help so much.

Sponge Bob

Austria, the same size as the ISLAND of Ireland put in 320 Transmitters to get 97.5% coverage.

I reckon that Galway and Mayo will need a few extra transmitters and would expect another announcement covering mainly those 2 areas by October ...or sooner.

SalteeDog

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Austria, the same size as the ISLAND of Ireland put in 320 Transmitters to get 97.5% coverage.

Austria has the Alps though

But yes - I agree that Mayo/Galway will need more transmitters. There's currently hardly any coverage in the Joyce country.

watty

The original plan was twice as many?

Sponge Bob

Back around 1999 or so, it was IIRC. Still might need a few from the 2007 list..eg Fermoy and Killarney and Drogheda and Navan....as well as Galway/Mayo infills.

Some improvements were made post 2007, eg Listowel to Cnoc an Óir and Galway to Tonabrocky.

The Cush

watty wrote: »

The original plan was twice as many?

An RTÉNL document from late 2007/08 suggested circa 188 PSB sites and 44 commercial DTT sites. The 188 sites probably duplicated the existing number of sites broadcasting analogue RTÉ1/2 at the time, that number not required as we know now with DTT coverage from one-third of that figure probably exceeding analogue coverage.

The BCI commercial DTT tender from early 2008 listed 53 sites.

lucernarian

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Back around 1999 or so, it was IIRC. Still might need a few from the 2007 list..eg Fermoy and Killarney and Drogheda and Navan....as well as Galway/Mayo infills.

Some improvements were made post 2007, eg Listowel to Cnoc an Óir and Galway to Tonabrocky.

Probably only Fermoy and Drogheda need urban infills in real terms, though Navan also has some apartment blocks in inopportune terrestrial reception areas and without any recourse to Saorsat either. An infill in Drogheda won't go down well if it also happens to broadcast on the same channel(s) as the BBC A multiplex from Divis and the second mux knocking out another PSB mux from being received there. It's not strictly speaking RTENL's problem if they pick the two worst channels out of the 8 cleared at Drogheda but it will be controversial.

watty

Irish Analogue coverage was ever terrible except in South Dublin City from 3 Rock (but they all had cable by then). So TG4 better in Dublin than most Gaelteach areas, and with one aerial instead of VHF + UHF.