Was BBC Radio 1 Listenable In Ireland Between 1967 And 1979 Before 2FM Began?

Jonathan1990

The BBC was 12 years ahead of RTÉ and got it's chart music station in 1967 Radio 1. I'm wondering if their transmitters on 247 metres (1214khz) MW got into Ireland and people listened for the latest hits until 2FM began 1979. I'm aware both countries had their family type stations since 1920s.

http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/Radio1_Transmission_History.pdf

NickNickleby

Absolutely yes! I used to listen to Top Twenty every Sunday and had figured out how to connect a cassette recorder to the (old valve) radio. I think it was Alan Freeman DJ'ed it.

also listened to Tony Blackburn in the mornings and my most vivid memory is of the record Love Grows where my Rosemary Goes being first played on radio as I ran out to catch the 7:55 to school! At the time I was 14 or 15 so that was 1969 or 1970 (or at a stretch 1971)

Infoanon

Radio Luxembourg was also very popular and there was that magical albeit short period of Radio Caroline north.

When BBC Radio 1 switched to 275 / 285 reception was clearer

Ger Roe

In the early 70's, for me, it was BBC Radio 1 AM for daytime pop and Luxy when it got dark. It was while tuning from one to the other in 1975 that I first noticed a previously absent music output that turned out to be a test from Radio Dublin. From then on, the ball was rolling and we had a variety of our own local AM music options in Dublin soon after.

The next big discovery for me was in 1976 when I got my first FM radio and discovered the crystal clear sound of BBC Radio 2 through one of the early cable providers (either Phoenix or RTE Relays ?). Even as a youngster, I loved their casual style and sound and Jimmy Young and David Hamilton were a breath of fresh air from the heavily scripted 'sponsored programmes' options from Radio Eireann in the afternoons.

The first time I heard Caroline live from the north sea was in August 1983 when the station returned to air from The Ross Revenge. I had tried to pick up The Mi Amigo previously, but the signal was too weak. When The Ross was running at full power on 963khz, it rolled into Dublin after dark and was easily received, even on a car radio. Laser was also listenable, just ... suffering badly from being on 558khz and too close to RTE radio 1.

RadioRetro

Ger Roe wrote: »

In the early 70's, for me, it was BBC Radio 1 AM for daytime pop and Luxy when it got dark.

Same as here in Wexford. And having freshly arrived from growing up abroad the unfamiliar music blew my mind.

NickNickleby

Ah yes, radio Luxembourg in the evenings, on the old made-in-Taiwan plastic transistor radio. We found that by moving along the street, various ESB poles acted as antennae and the reception would improve, until the neighbours would tell you to move along:pac:

Antenna

NickNickleby wrote: »

Ah yes, radio Luxembourg in the evenings, on the old made-in-Taiwan plastic transistor radio. We found that by moving along the street, various ESB poles acted as antennae and the reception would improve, until the neighbours would tell you to move along:pac:

There are many recollections of Irish people living in London doing that with telephone poles (where wires came down the pole to the ground) to hear RTE/Radio Eireann on MW.
This was of course before the phone lines had ADSL which would put continuous 'white noise' across those frequencies, if someone tried that now.

is_that_so

NickNickleby wrote: »

Ah yes, radio Luxembourg in the evenings, on the old made-in-Taiwan plastic transistor radio. We found that by moving along the street, various ESB poles acted as antennae and the reception would improve, until the neighbours would tell you to move along:pac:

Yeah older relatives talk about listening to Luxembourg in the 1950s.

Declan A Walsh

I could pick up BBC Radio 1 on its two MW frequencies on kitchen radios and transistors in Goatstown (area in Dublin 14 near Dundrum) in the 1970s. Although, the reception was variable and never brilliant. Radio Luxembourg had a much clearer and stronger signal on 208 metres MW and I used to listen to it as well. There were some programs from Radio 1 which were jointly broadcast on Radio 2 on Long Wave. The reception was superb on those occasions (on BBC Radio 2). One such program was Tom Browne's Top 20 on Sunday evenings. Like Ger, I became aware of the existence of Radio Dublin and my listening choices began to change.

coylemj

I grew up in the midlands so during the day, Radio 2 on 1,500m was the only reliable UK station we could receive. On most older radio sets, BBC R2 was marked on the dial as 'Light'. In the evening, we listed to Radio Luxembourg on 208m.

When RTE in Donnybrook got themselves direct inward dial (to an extension, from outside), some wag in Eircom assigned them '208' as as the prefix. Hardly a coincidence!

ford fiesta

coylemj wrote: »

I grew up in the midlands so during the day, Radio 2 on 1,500m was the only reliable UK station we could receive. On most older radio sets, BBC R2 was marked on the dial as 'Light'. In the evening, we listed to Radio Luxembourg on 208m.

When RTE in Donnybrook got themselves direct inward dial (to an extension, from outside), some wag in Eircom assigned them '208' as as the prefix. Hardly a coincidence!

the earliest 2FM phone number I remember in the 80s was 01-830222, so what you refer to was when the "2" number was added to become 01-2830222... not 208

coylemj

ford fiesta wrote: »

the earliest 2FM phone number I remember in the 80s was 01-830222, so what you refer to was when the "2" number was added to become 01-2830222... not 208

They were separate events.

Several years after Dublin (01) landline phone numbers went to 7 digits, Eircom started offering direct inward dial whereby a person calling from outside could dial straight through to an extension without going through the company switchboard.

2FM would have changed their number to that (seven digit) number you quoted in the early 1990s by adding a '2' at the front but a few years later, all RTE numbers changed to the format (01) 208 xxxx when they adopted direct inward dial and they were assigned the prefix 208 by Eircom.

Contacting RTɒs Main Switchboard
Tel: (01) 208 3111
Fax: (01) 208 3080

If you know the extension number of the person you wish to contact, please dial the prefix 208 followed by the extension number.

https://about.rte.ie/contact/rte-reception/

Ralph Ciffereto

I was up the North the other day and set R1 on the radio for the first time in years, for a mainstream station they play some good stuff, not the same 3 Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande songs like the big ones here play all day every day.

The signal was largely gone by around Dunshaughlin.

Here's the strange bit.

It comes in perfect, I mean absolutely perfect, for quite literally about 200 metres between Coolock Lane and the Omni Centre.

Then disappears.

I don't know if it's something to do with the airport signals giving it extra boost but it's very strange.

dxhound2005

There are different transmitters, and maybe your car radio was selecting the strongest one available at particular locations. FM radio, and TV reception can vary within short distances.

I can hear Radio 1 on 99.0, 99.7 and 98.3 easily in Dundalk. 98.3 is the strongest because it comes from Camlough.

http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/BBC_Radio.pdf

dxhound2005

The link in the OP mentions the problem in the old days of multiple transmitters on medium wave.

Radio 1 was unlistenable due to multiple transmitters on the same frequency interfering with each other. This problem was much more extensive in cars due to the lack of directional reception.

It is still a major problem on many frequencies including BBC on 909 kHz. But even worse on commercial stations like on 1053 and 1089. They run different advertisements for the local area of the transmitter, which just makes it unlistenable for anyone receiving more than one signal. And the transmitters are not in sync, causing an echo even when they are sending the same programme.

The multiple transmitters produce a phenomenon known as phasing rather than interference, which distorts the received signal. This is due to tiny differences in time in the signal arriving from multiple sites. I find reception of 5 Live is better at times from the low power transmitter on 990 kHz, rather than the distorted signal on 909.

Antenna

Ralph Ciffereto wrote: »

Here's the strange bit.

It comes in perfect, I mean absolutely perfect, for quite literally about 200 metres between Coolock Lane and the Omni Centre.

Then disappears.

This may have been due to leakage from the TV cable network in that area?.
Whilst cable provider UPC now Virgin discontinued carrying BBC Radio on the FM band elsewhere in the country, it is however continuing in Dublin, which has BBC R1 listed on 99.7 (same frequency as Divis BBC R1 transmitter in NI).