Removal of Tullamore MW mast.

Antenna

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905788#Comment_120905788

You really ought to explain what you mean by '405'?

Was 405 the wavelength of some medium wave station¿

I doubt most people reading this thread know what you mean by 405

10-10-20

Brim full of asha on the 405...?

rathfarnhamlad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905846#Comment_120905846

405 lines was the old TV broadcasting standard that was discontinued in the 1980s.

It was superseded by the 625 line standard.

For a while, TV sets that could switch between 405 and 625 line modes, aka "hybrid TVs" were sold.

rathfarnhamlad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905861#Comment_120905861

Haha! Guess what station I head that on for the first time ;-D

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905846#Comment_120905846

As many people here know what 405 is as members of the public know what longwave is, I imagine. That is to mean very, very few.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905885#Comment_120905885

R. Luxembourg 208m?

rathfarnhamlad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905899#Comment_120905899

Swap the meters for kHz and you're not far off...

10-10-20

Not a bog! Do tell.

Antenna

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905878#Comment_120905878

A 625 line standard as in Europe was chosen for Ireland.However the old UK 405 line TV standard was broadcast from 2 out of the 5 original Teilifs Eireann main transmitter sites just as a stopgap due to the high percentage of TVs already in use in Dublin and further north to receive BBC. They said it was a temporary arrangement back in the 1960s and warned of the purchase of TVs only capable of 405 not long after Teilifis Eireann (RTE) went on air

France also had a unique line standard (819) that also was to be phased out

rathfarnhamlad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905925#Comment_120905925

I listen to [station name] now give me my money... :-D

Glaceon

I wonder if Summerhill was the main target for demolition (due to the mentioned political stuff) and they just got the contractor to do Tullamore while they were at it?

rathfarnhamlad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905190#Comment_120905190

It neither makes sense to continue running 252 nor to pay certain RTE "stars" salaries.

I'd be one of the first people to condemn any notion of putting everything on the internet and permanently closing all other broadcasting platforms but 252 was no longer serving any meaningful purpose. For the last couple of years it was just dissipating electricity, that is all.

As regards providing a vital lifeline to elderly people in the UK, supposedly, I don't buy it. I actually tried picking up RTE on LW in London on an ordinary portable radio (Philips 90AL162, late 1970's set). I just about managed to get usable reception by standing on Primrose Hill late at night, within walking distance of where these so-called poor Irish ex-pats supposedly live. If I aimed the direction of the ferrite rod even slightly off I lost the signal to Channel 3 from Algeria on the same frequency.

Sure, I might have gotten better reception with a decent aerial and something better than an old bog-standard transistor radio, but I very much doubt that the impoverished elderly Irish people living in Kilburn would have either the money to buy that kind of hardware or the technical knowledge to set it up, or to replace the (surely beyond knackered by this point) electrolytic capacitors in their antique wireless sets.

Besides, why spend money keeping a LW transmitter in service when the means to listen to it is, for the most part, no longer available. These elderly Irish pensioners can't exactly walk into an electronics store and buy a new LW radio. Why? Because nobody is manufacturing consumer-grade LW radios anymore. Multi-band radios from the likes of Tecsun? Very good on medium and short wave, longwave not so much. How about a professional-grade Kenwood or ICOM? Yes, these work well on LW, but a total non-runner for non-technical people with no money.

Buying an older radio of eBay is of no use either. Remember - these people barely even know what the internet is!

To be honest, it'd be far easier and cheaper to the listen to RTE Radio in London by connecting the spare output of an LNB to an old Sky box and connecting the latter in turn to any old TV (these are hard to even give away), with some assistance from a friend, neighbour, or someone you know from a local community organization if you can't do it yourself...

TheBMG

Don’t quote me but I’m fairly sure Denis sold the Rock Solid site (Three Rock) the same time he sold off his Irish radio interests.

There was a lot of redundant stuff on that tower so it’s not a surprise if there’s been a clear out. I had noticed they removed some receive antennas/beams/dishes from the roof a while ago. They hadn’t taken down the DAB stuff though 🤔

The RTE tower in Montrose also looks a lot less busier than it used to be.

Antenna

Wonder will the local radio station for the area LM-FM, do a piece about the demolition today during their morning talk show today ?

One man who could recall a lot about the original setting up of the site and the controversy would be one of their own presenters Eddie Caffrey - who was deeply involved in setting up numerous pirate radio masts and transmitters in the 1980s - and would have closely followed the construction of the Atlantic 252 site (or Radio Tara, as the project was originally called)

bassy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120527169#Comment_120527169

Just wondering about the satellite dish,I wonder is it obsolete and if it is,who would I need to contact about it??.

bassy

This is the dish at tullamore mast site I'm wondering about as in is it obsolete to them there now and yes,who would I contact about it.any ideas

Mickey Mike

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120906410#Comment_120906410

Definitely a question for someone else, I know for sure its obsolete with RTE, its a fine looking Dish perhaps 2 or 3 meters in diameter. My guess it was used to pick up the Astra satellite feed version of Radio1. It may have been scrapped now along with all the rest of it.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905878#Comment_120905878

Telefis Eireann originated their programming in 625 from the start (when there was no 625 TV in the UK yet) but had to cater for the east coast / border regions where people already had 405 TVs to get BBC and ITV. The story goes that they commissioned an electronic standards converter at great expense, but it broke down after a few years, so for the rest of the lifetime of 405 they had a 405 camera pointing at a 625 monitor! Allegedly.

405 mostly died when RTE2 came along in 1978 but it is said that some relays in Donegal were kept going until 1982-3. Not sure about that as without a 405 main transmitter, what would they have to relay?

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907561#Comment_120907561

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2012/1019/342305-tv-changes-wanderly-wagon-helps-explain-625-line-transmission/

I'm not sure either how they got a 405 feed to the relays up there but it seems it did happen.

Antenna

regarding relays, I assume they had a line-converter on site to convert 625->405

The RTE video you link to says

"This programme seems to have been a pilot for a planned series of public information pieces on changes being made in how RTÉ transmitted television pictures and what this meant for viewers.

The programme was recorded 20 June 1976 but does not appear to have been broadcast."

I'm not surprised it wasn't apparently broadcast, it would have been interesting to the technically curious, but probably would have caused more confusion than what it was worth (for the small number affected), especially with many elderly viewers.

He said the impending 405 switch-off effected "everywhere" (except north-east Donegal), even though 3 out of the 5 original main RTE TV sites never transmitted 405 anyway.

It was largely not relevant to viewers in the south, south-east and west of the country who never had a '405' version of RTE from their transmitter.

It also shows a mediumwave radio dial with the position of 'Athlone' transmitter - even though by then Tullamore had taken over! (Athlone retained as a backup) and I can't imagine there was much listenership to 'Hilversum' in Ireland

Gold7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120906364#Comment_120906364

It was mentioned on RTE Gold this morning by Al Dunne, he talked briefly about Atlantic 252 and then played Tears for Fears, Sowing the Seeds of Love, the first song on 252.

TheBMG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909529#Comment_120909529

Al was there for most of the 90s, initially as a jock and eventually as Program Director. Nice to see A252 acknowledged

PatrickHam

After 40 years working in broadcasting I can say in order for you which is the most cost effective.

First is DAB single transmitter can cover Dublin city and county the size of your fridge. With all RTE channels including their competitors.

Second is LW , just for Radio 1 as and example, LW has 1 Transmitter to cover country. Two or three staff. Mast maintenance every 10 -15 years and electricity.

FM needs close to 100 sites in Ireland , Program equipment on each site, Transmitters, expensive antenna systems, links to the sites , fiber rental , satillite equipment also and close to 30 staff , and electricity for all above.

PatrickHam

I agree that technology has a life time which it has in case of LW. But we now have no back up In ireland in case of any emergency.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910106#Comment_120910106

Cost effective for coverage is not cost effective for audience. LW was already dead when they went on it, it was just a cost cut versus MW.

PatrickHam

Only thing I agree is Radio 1 going on it didn't help , a more mix of there Digital channels or something fresh would have been better value for money.

PatrickHam

Ireland is heading for broadband only, put all our eggs in one basket. We will find out in a few years, more climate change , storms, fires , and wars . At least we have Ham operators left to help us in any disaster.

Victor

I'm new to the forum.

Can I just check that both Tullamore and Clarkstown were demolished this week?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120911105#Comment_120911105

They were.

Mickey Mike

Yes, both came crashing down this week, Tullamore on Tuesday and Clakstown on Thursday, I was quite taken aback when they demolished Clarkstown without giving any notice, but that's it, they killed two birds with the one stone, so to speak.