The future of RTE Radio 1 LW

dxhound2005

Propagation

Because of their long wavelength, radio waves in this frequency range can diffract over obstacles like mountain ranges and travel beyond the horizon, following the contour of the Earth. This mode of propagation, called ground wave, is the main mode in the longwave band. The attenuation of signal strength with distance by absorption in the ground is lower than at higher frequencies, and falls with frequency. Low frequency ground waves can be received up to 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) from the transmitting antenna.

Low frequency waves can also occasionally travel long distances by reflecting from the ionosphere (the actual mechanism is one of refraction), although this method, called skywave or "skip" propagation, is not as common as at higher frequencies. Reflection occurs at the ionospheric E layer or F layers. Skywave signals can be detected at distances exceeding 300 kilometres (190 mi) from the transmitting antenna.

SPDUB

SPDUB wrote: »

Accordingy to the technical information page on Aertal it's between 12 noon and 5pm from 27th June to 7th July .

The message on aertal currently

Due to essential engineering work, our Summerhill transmitter will be subject to a complete outage between 12:00 and 17:00 from 27th June to 7th July 2017.

This work will affect the Radio 1 LW 252kHz service from this transmitter.

2rn apologise for any inconvenience caused by this necessary work.

Heard the announcement on the Radio which said it is a full scale closure

Normally I would have assumed that they had prolonged the closure after they had posted the information on the technical information page except I know they posted the information at the same time as the announcement ( because I had looked at the pages a few hours before and the message wasn't there )

So why the contradictory messages ?

Here's a recording of the message from 1800 today, for those of you who can't hear it. It begins around 13 seconds, just to show how it's abruptly inserted in the broadcast.

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgFmvIdSh487qGf4_yFqnHukdCK7

http://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/powerful-cyber-attack-on-ukraine-goes-global/ar-BBDm2ZA?li=AA54um&ocid=spartandhp

Getting back to what I was saying about the vulnerability of our modern world to cyber attacks.

Radio is a basic form of communication long established and ultra reliable and can be picked up without internet, unfortunately these days a lot if not all the up links to transmitters will be through the internet but at least you can get to the transmitter site and play recorded messages and the likes.

A major cyber attack will some day make the internet or the majority of it inoperable and that means everything goes down with it, your banking, wages transfer , a lot of supermarkets have automatic stock taking and replenishing via Microsoft Azure cloud services , all your family photos gone etc etc.

People laugh at me when I say the cloud isn't a backup just like I say RAID is also not a backup. The only backup to have is one on a physical device or if photos then printed out.

Our reliance on the internet and computers for everything is simply astounding and dangerous and can / will some day have disastrous consequences.

Oscarziggy

Mad Lad .
With you 100% on that one .. I don't do online banking ,all important docs,photos etc are on USB sticks -- nothing goes to any clouds anywhere as I don't do any form of cloud storage .
Oh and 252 hasn't come back on ---- !
Regards

Getting absolutely nothing on 252 in Swords. Algeria isn't audible at all... yet.

Oscarziggy

Algeria was there earlier, about 5pm, but nothing now -- do they close down early for some reason ?
Regards

Oscarziggy

Oscarziggy wrote: »

Mad Lad .
With you 100% on that one .. I don't do online banking ,all important docs,photos etc are on USB sticks -- nothing goes to any clouds anywhere as I don't do any form of cloud storage .
Oh and 252 hasn't come back on ---- !
Regards

You can easily loose USB devices, at the least you should encrypt the data on them. And your PC / Laptop should be encrypted along with the memory card in your mobile.

Mickey Mike

I've never heard of a radio transmitter that goes under so much maintenance. Tullamore 567khz was never off air to the best of my knowledge.

dxhound2005

567 was off the air for about four months in 2004 for maintenance.

Getting a very strong signal from Algeria now. It only sounds slightly weaker than RTE which is remarkable, considering how far the signal is travelling.

Edit: Now it's much weaker and requires careful positioning of the radio. Seems to be fading in and out.

dxhound2005

Check if you can get Saudi Arabia on 1440 kHz. It is using 1.6 megawatts, and unusually for medium wave there are no European transmitters on the frequency. It is clear but not strong every night with me.

ei9go

Deleted User wrote: »

Not only that but RTE's streaming quality is crap and still stuck in the days of mp3 at 96 Kbps which was designed for ISDN connections back in the late 90's and early 00's !

True but fine for Radio 1 and if it did work way better than long wave. Interestingly, steamed perfect for half an hour going though the channel tunnel to France but would not work at all in France once the phone connected to the French network.

No it's not acceptable quality, if RTE want us listening to radio "their way" all modern then they should at least provide a streaming service that is actually modern , of high quality like the BBC. Their DAB streams are crap also.

Let them offer low quality streams if they wish but have HQ alongside. These days it's AAC+ 128 kbps being more the norm.

DRM digital shortwave transmits in AAC+ 16-32 Kbps !

dxhound2005

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Check if you can get Saudi Arabia on 1440 kHz. It is using 1.6 megawatts, and unusually for medium wave there are no European transmitters on the frequency. It is clear but not strong every night with me.

That frequency is allocated to Germany as far as I remember , that used to be RTL Radio Luxembourg that closed in 2015. I used to listen to that station years ago they played great music. RTL Der Oldiesender sad it's gone and the transmitter demolished, so hell bent were the Germans to close all MW stations !

Anyway I noticed a strong station around there last night sounded from the middle east, must have been that.

That's some power on MW for night time.

Oscarziggy

here's a handy frequency checker --
http://www.mwlist.org/mwlist_quick_and_easy.php?area=1&kHz=1602

Regards

galtee boy

I was in South West London at the weekend and the reception was dire. On previous visits, 252 was quite good, at least by day, but since they turned the power down, it's very weak now.

dxhound2005

Oscarziggy wrote: »

here's a handy frequency checker --
http://www.mwlist.org/mwlist_quick_and_easy.php?area=1&kHz=1602

Regards

That list is open at 1602 kHz. In the Radio Caroline thread I wrote that I was receiving Desi Radio from London on that frequency. But I had overlooked Heritage Radio in Manchester on the list, and that is the strongest station. I have also heard 5 Live after midnight when they take over the BBC Radio Kent transmitter, and as I got bits of two Asian sounding stations, I am assuming Desi as well as Heritage. I can also hear KBC/Seaguall from Holland and at least one of the Spanish transmitters.

The secret is to stay on a frequency and let stations fade in and out. But having a loop antenna is really helpful, or bring a radio with an internal ferrite bar antenna to some quiet place away from electrical noise.

The power is not listed from Heritage but it can be quite strong at times.

http://www.bmhc.org.uk/heritageradio/

marno21

252 from Algeria absolutely romping in in Limerick tonight, strongest signal on the LW band, just ahead of RMC on 216 and the old France Inter carrier on 162. Less strong signals on 183, 198 & 234.

Algeria is almost 20 over here in Carlow on my Tecsun S2000.

BBC R4 about 15 over.

I can hear Bob Marley on 235 .

Oscarziggy

Algeria still on 252 this morning -- Sangean ATS 803A.
Regards

Mickey Mike

I enjoyed the Village People playing YMCA on 252 Tuesday night, RTE should move to 261 cause with the two together its pure trash.

brick man

I just recently picked up rte on 252 ten miles out from cherbourg France . Just managed with sound up well to make out news at one . Coming back to Ireland yesterday at Roscoff France and could get nothing

Oscarziggy

brick man wrote: »

I just recently picked up rte on 252 ten miles out from cherbourg France . Just managed with sound up well to make out news at one . Coming back to Ireland yesterday at Roscoff France and could get nothing

It's off air until 7th July to replace the mast base plate .
Regards

Oscarziggy

252 back -- good to hear it again .
Regards

I wonder is the power output any different now? Must wait and see.

I'm sure they wouldn't do this work if they intended closing 252 any time soon, after all what would the cost saving be ?

ei9go

brick man wrote: »

I just recently picked up rte on 252 ten miles out from cherbourg France . Just managed with sound up well to make out news at one . Coming back to Ireland yesterday at Roscoff France and could get nothing

RTE 252 used to perfect all along the coast in Brittany.

Often listened to it there.