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The future of RTE Radio 1 LW

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Comments

  • #452
    marno21
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,663 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    The Parish Priest. wrote: »
    The night time power reduction from 100kw to 60kw has made a big difference
    And the fact that Algeria are putting out 750k at night. That's ridiculous high power. What power is 198 at night?


  • #453
    The Parish Priest.
    Closed Accounts Posts: 613 ✭✭✭The Parish Priest.


    marno21 wrote: »
    And the fact that Algeria are putting out 750k at night. That's ridiculous high power. What power is 198 at night?

    Radio 4 longwave use the same power day & night


  • #454
    marno21
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,663 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    The Parish Priest. wrote: »
    Radio 4 longwave use the same power day & night
    Cheers for confirming. 198 is strong & clear in the car here day and night.


  • #455
    The Parish Priest.
    Closed Accounts Posts: 613 ✭✭✭The Parish Priest.


    I would wager that the RTE 252 longwave power will be turned down to a trickle once the new UK Dab+ service comes on air,


  • #456
    marno21
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,663 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    The Parish Priest. wrote: »
    I would wager that the RTE 252 longwave power will be turned down to a trickle once the new UK Dab+ service comes on air,
    Daytime 252 is usually consistent here anyway, I'll keep an eye for any signal drops.

    252 can often be better for listening to RTE Radio 1, I feel it has more life in it than the FM signal. Maybe it's just me. Definitely the case for 693/909 vs the Internet stream imo.


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  • #457
    The Parish Priest.
    Closed Accounts Posts: 613 ✭✭✭The Parish Priest.


    Speaking of Algeria, does anyone know if many Algerians living in mainland Europe actually listen to their home station on longwave ?


  • #458
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 811 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    The Parish Priest. wrote: »
    I would wager that the RTE 252 longwave power will be turned down to a trickle once the new UK Dab+ service comes on air,
    You are absolutely right, Sur its happening already, down down its going. When DABplus gets going in the UK we wont be able to hear it at all. Is BBC Radio 4 running on 500kw day or night? I find that hard to believe, here in Kerry it sounds pure rubbish.


  • #459
    marno21
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,663 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    Mickey Mike wrote: »
    You are absolutely right, Sur its happening already, down down its going. When DABplus gets going in the UK we wont be able to hear it at all. Is BBC Radio 4 running on 500kw day or night? I find that hard to believe, here in Kerry it sounds pure rubbish.
    How are the other longwave/medium wave stations? 198 is grand here at night, and I'm only over the road from you.


  • #460
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 811 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    marno21 wrote: »
    How are the other longwave/medium wave stations? 198 is grand here at night, and I'm only over the road from you.

    They are all bad, now R1 252 is still okay BBC R4 is not good at all, I can't get anything else, Spirit Radio on 549kw is really weak.


  • #461
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 21,542 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    DAB is fine and they are simple radios but many are cheap junk with fiddly controls and poorly designed interfaces. 10 Euro radio's sold for 50-60 Euro's and beyond.

    Digital signals need to be strong and weak signals are not heard with increased hiss in the background, think of sky digital when the dish gets moved out of alignment with strong winds or a tree blocks the signal in Summer. You either have the signal or not and there's no in between.

    There's also a lot to be said for control of your own network, if you hand over to the British for transmission you have 0 control of the network.

    If RTE axed Marian Finucane they'd save 300K a year and to think she was paid 570K in 2008 ! they're a joke !


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  • #462
    dxhound2005
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,869 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    Mickey Mike wrote: »
    You are absolutely right, Sur its happening already, down down its going. When DABplus gets going in the UK we wont be able to hear it at all. Is BBC Radio 4 running on 500kw day or night? I find that hard to believe, here in Kerry it sounds pure rubbish.

    When RTE was off the air another poster suggested that they would come back with lower power.

    Probably going to turn the power down to 10 Kw and see if anyone screams.

    When they came back the signal was still the same with me, 40 dB over S9. But I can almost completely null out RTE and hear Algeria very clearly if I rotate my loop antenna, or turn my portable radio. Another poster suggested that there had been reports of listeners noticing reduced power. But quite honestly I would not trust my ears to notice the difference between say a 40 dB over 9 signal and one 20 dB over 9. The only way to compare like with like is to use a radio with a signal meter.


  • #463
    Thurston?
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,278 ✭✭✭Thurston?


    Deleted User wrote: »
    ... Digital signals need to be strong and weak signals are not heard with increased hiss in the background, think of sky digital when the dish gets moved out of alignment with strong winds or a tree blocks the signal in Summer. You either have the signal or not and there's no in between.

    The error correction takes care of the 'in between' without you noticing.

    Satellite signal being lost due to seemingly small movements of the dish is due to the high directionality of the dish, nothing to do with it needing a 'strong' signal.


  • #464
    dxhound2005
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,869 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    RTE is dominating Algeria on the Dutch receiver at 10.30 am 09 April.

    http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/


  • #465
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 811 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    I have never known a radio transmitter (LW 252) to be off air so many times. What sort of continuous maintenance do they do? I thought RTE would raise the power to 300kw for the last 2 years of its life. When its off air I don't know what to expect when it returns. Should we have a DABplus rollout across Ireland, it will see the end of FM, No way will RTE keep the 2 systems going for too long.


  • #466
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 21,542 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Thurston? wrote: »
    The error correction takes care of the 'in between' without you noticing.

    Satellite signal being lost due to seemingly small movements of the dish is due to the high directionality of the dish, nothing to do with it needing a 'strong' signal.

    Poor signal on digital means drops in audio. I live in a poor DAB reception area and rather than get something , I get feck all only dribs and drabs of digital noise more than audio where on FM I will at lease receive a clear audio signal with perhaps some hiss. And ON MW/LW some fading but it will still be audio.


  • #467
    Thurston?
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,278 ✭✭✭Thurston?


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Poor signal on digital means drops in audio. I live in a poor DAB reception area and rather than get something , I get feck all only dribs and drabs of digital noise more than audio where on FM I will at lease receive a clear audio signal with perhaps some hiss. And ON MW/LW some fading but it will still be audio.

    Do you know the signal levels you're receiving for each? It's not like anyone would claim DAB coverage is currently intended to match FM.


  • #468
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 21,542 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Thurston? wrote: »
    Do you know the signal levels you're receiving for each? It's not like anyone would claim DAB coverage is currently intended to match FM.

    Unfortunately no, I don't think the radio measures the signal level. I'll double check.

    The point being that analogue will give you something , digital gives you all or nothing.


  • #469
    The Parish Priest.
    Closed Accounts Posts: 613 ✭✭✭The Parish Priest.


    I think at one stage spirit radio had proposed using the Tullamore 567 stick


  • #470
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 811 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    The Parish Priest. wrote: »
    I think at one stage spirit radio had proposed using the Tullamore 567 stick

    Wouldn't that be fantastic if they did, shame on RTE if they refused it to happen. Its a good radio station,I can only hear it on line. Hope the balls that be at the top will do something about it.


  • #471
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 21,542 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    So what MW transmitter are Spirit using then ? I can hear it clear enough in carlow.


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  • #472
    Oscarziggy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 637 ✭✭✭Oscarziggy


    Deleted User wrote: »
    So what MW transmitter are Spirit using then ? I can hear it clear enough in carlow.
    --and here all day in Pembrokeshire.
    Regards


  • #473
    marno21
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,663 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    So what MW transmitter are Spirit using then ? I can hear it clear enough in carlow.

    The old UCB TX at Carrickroe near Emyvale in Co. Monaghan


  • #474
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 21,542 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    How many Kw is that transmitter ?


  • #475
    The Parish Priest.
    Closed Accounts Posts: 613 ✭✭✭The Parish Priest.


    Deleted User wrote: »
    How many Kw is that transmitter ?

    It's a 25kw transmitter rumoured to be running less then 10kw


  • #476
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 21,542 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I really feel RTE should sell the old 567 Transmitter or rent it out.


  • #477
    marno21
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,663 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    The Parish Priest. wrote: »
    It's a 25kw transmitter rumoured to be running less then 10kw
    I feel like its been bumped up in the last few months. There was a while it was unintelligible in Limerick, but it comes in clear here now.


  • #478
    marno21
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,663 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    Deleted User wrote: »
    I really feel RTE should sell the old 567 Transmitter or rent it out.
    If they are adamant on shutting down 252 rent it out and use the proceeds to fund additional FM relays in areas of challenging FM reception.


  • #479
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 18,161 ✭ [Deleted User]


    The 567 transmitter is over 40 years old now. So I doubt they'd ever reactivate it and it wouldn't be worth replacing.


  • #480
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 21,542 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Karsini wrote: »
    The 567 transmitter is over 40 years old now. So I doubt they'd ever reactivate it and it wouldn't be worth replacing.

    Oh yes it would depending on the station that would use it, the FM band is very crowded, especially in Dublin. MW would be a great way to free up the FM Spectrum.

    Old is fine as long as it's not costing a lot of money to maintain.


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  • #481
    Former Former
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,728 ✭✭✭Former Former


    No commercial radio station is ever going to rent a medium wave transmitter in Ireland. And it would only free up the FM spectrum if that station stopped broadcasting on FM, which again, no commercial station is ever going to do.


This discussion has been closed.
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