What Can be Picked up on Long Wave Around Ireland?

Mickey Mike · 10-04-2023 7:45pm

The Transradio TX installed in Clarkstown back in 2007 wasn't too reliable with so many outages and maintenance costs, but its all over now, coming to an end on the 14/04/23.

RetroEncabulator · 10-04-2023 11:26pm

I was just passing the Cork AM mast over the weekend, and it seems the structure is in use for what looks like mobile phone transmission equipment at the lower levels. At least it's probably making some income, although there's no real purpose for the tall aspect of it.

As for why RTE used Continental Electronics for transmitter equipment, I suppose it was one of the best options available in the 1970s and 80s and they'd a lot of experience with medium wave sites.

Mickey Mike · 11-04-2023 6:42am

I'd like to leave the mask standing, especially the one in Tullamore, I'm sure it cost nothing to leave them alone, Clarkstown TX was refurbished recently too. Other countries knocks them down straight away, just like Iceland did.

Glaceon · 11-04-2023 9:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120463374#Comment_120463374

Yep, judging from photos the pair used for 2FM look to be the 317C series which were very popular in the US up until the late 80s when the Harris DX50 became available.

11-04-2023 11:22am

Might the 252 tower be used for mobile phone equipment etc like cork and Athlone?

Mickey Mike · 11-04-2023 12:30pm

Yes of course, they have a little outhouse right long side the mask, ideal.

Glaceon · 11-04-2023 12:33pm

I'd wonder if there's still local objection to it? They could be made take it down eventually.

RetroEncabulator · 11-04-2023 5:33pm

The Cork AM mast is in the middle of a suburban area with a lot of need for mobile coverage density and it's also a very hilly part of the country, so the odd high site is quite useful.

However, they're probably too tall for most practical mobile uses and the need for point-to-point microwave links is becoming less of a big deal with more fibre-to-tower stuff to support 4G/5G high data loads.

If there was an easy route for a load of fibre at Clarkstown it might be of some use as a hub for mobile phone stuff, but I'm pretty sure the networks already have all that stuff sorted long ago.

As far as I am aware, those AM towers also sway quite a bit at the high points as they're very slender guyed masts. It doesn't matter a damn to an AM transmitter, but something like a microwave dish needs to stay in fairly reasonable alignment.

Mobile equipment is also fairly space consuming. They're arrays of flat antennas, so I'm not sure about the practicality of a skinny mast.

rathfarnhamlad · 01-07-2023 8:59pm

Looks like Channel 3 from Algeria on 252 is off again for the second time this week.

I wonder are there issues with the transmitter? Or are they just "turning down the wick", so to speak?

rathfarnhamlad · 02-07-2023 2:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120793193#Comment_120793193

Back on now

Tax The Farmers · 09-07-2023 12:09am

To answer the OP's question apart from BBC Radio 4 and maybe Poland or Algeria there's not much left to listen to on LW in Ireland. Back in the day some of the French language stations played good music (these came in particularly well along the South coast) and before the 1978 frequency changes BBC Radio 2 had a pretty large following in Ireland because in those days there wasn't much else to listen to when there was nothing interesting on the single RTE service.

rathfarnhamlad · 09-07-2023 1:12pm

Algeria is still off the air leaving Medi 1 from Morocco on 171 as both the last French language station on LW and the last active LW transmitter in North Africa.

BBC Radio 4's LW service looks set to be discontinued in March of next year. The Danish transmitter on 243 is closing at the end of December. Iceland's transmitter on 189 is to be de-commissioned at some point within the next year. That's a total of five transmitters scheduled for closure in the near future.

Medi 1 doesn't advertise its presence on LW anymore so who knows how much longer that will stay on the band. If that too goes off the air all that's left on LW will be Romania on 153 and Polskie Radio 1 on 225.

There's also the Mongolian transmitters, five in total, at least one of which is now reported as having gone off the air. The remaining three or four are still on, just about and all of them allegedly have ongoing technical issues. Barely even worth mentioning at this point.

rathfarnhamlad · 10-07-2023 12:24am

Just noticed that 171 from Morocco is now off the air...

rathfarnhamlad · 10-07-2023 1:09am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120828082#Comment_120828082

Back on now

rathfarnhamlad · 14-07-2023 10:23pm

And Algeria is back on 252. More and More by Captain Hollywood project playing. Feels like I'm actually listening to Atlantic!!!

Igor Grupa · 29-07-2023 9:37pm

Poland's 225 kHz is directional since the late 90s, and Ireland not very good covered. There used to be an omnidirectional mast, but it fell down (wiki: Warsaw_radio_mast) and a whole new transmitter and 2 masts were build in the 90s wiki: Solec_Kujawski_radio_transmitter

As for Radios with long wave: LIDL still has them on sale every few weeks. and there are quite a lot car radios capable of receiving, very often lacking a particular button for LW, but switching to AM and tuning down would bring you to long wave. the radio in my 2016 Clio still can do that

rathfarnhamlad · 29-08-2023 8:29pm

Antena Satelor from Romania is silent on 153 for the past few hours at least

tinytobe · 30-08-2023 8:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121044158#Comment_121044158

I've noticed that as well. Maybe they've reduced power or turned it off completely without advance notice? No idea? I also have no insight, if LW is enjoying a higher listnership in Romania than in other places in Europe?

rathfarnhamlad · 30-08-2023 10:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121048711#Comment_121048711

It's back on now. Power appears to have been substantially reduced in recent times. I do know that Radio Romania have reduced power by fifty percent at their national and regional transmitters or are just about to do so but 153 seems to have been dialled down a lot further. Maybe it was an unplanned outage or maybe they were testing the waters. We'll just have to wait and see what happens I guess.

Medi 1 from Morocco seems to have reduced power again within the last couple of weeks. Next to go I wonder?

tinytobe · 31-08-2023 8:01am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121049178#Comment_121049178

If they are testing the waters they probably don't know how many LW listeners they have or not?

rathfarnhamlad · 02-09-2023 10:16pm

Channel 3 from Algeria on 252 went off the air for a couple of hours last night. It's back on now but at anorak quality level rather than booming as it was after the last lengthy outage.

I believe the transmitter was replaced in 2012 or thereabouts but I can't seem to find any information on who manufactured the new rig.

Glaceon · 03-09-2023 9:34am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121061678#Comment_121061678

Transradio, the same crowd that provided the solid state rig for RTE. They went bust a few years ago but they had case studies for both transmitters on their website at the time.

rathfarnhamlad · 03-09-2023 2:06pm

Thanks @Glaceon

That's interesting. Transradio also supplied the new rig for the Mongolian 209 kHz transmitter in the far-west of the country. Monitoring the SDR in Novokuznetsk, Russia would suggest that that one is only on the air intermittently. I believe it too was installed in or around 2012.

So there are three Transradio rigs (RTE 1, Chaine 3 and MNB 1) which are (or were in the case of RTE 1) prone to outages. I'm guessing the reason for that is that backup support and spares are difficult to obtain now that the company no longer exists.

tinytobe · 05-09-2023 1:21pm

171 and 252, Morocco and Algeria seem to be way weaker now? Can anybody confirm?

Mickey Mike · 05-09-2023 1:39pm

I can't pick up 171 at all, was never able to, but 252 is definitely weaker now than it was.

rathfarnhamlad · 05-09-2023 1:51pm

Yes, both of these are as significantly reduced power

rathfarnhamlad · 05-09-2023 9:51pm

252 is off now yet again...

tinytobe · 06-09-2023 7:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121074257#Comment_121074257

I've just picked a station in the South of Spain on Kiwi SDR, both 171 and 252 seem to be on air.

rathfarnhamlad · 06-09-2023 7:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121077798#Comment_121077798

They are indeed. As you can see, 171 is down to a trickle of power...

tinytobe · 06-09-2023 9:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121077864#Comment_121077864

Not certain what the intented audience on LW really is?

The desert probably for Algeria, and the expatriates for both Morocco and Algeria? Are LW radios that commonplace there these days? Maybe not?

TV seems digital there as well, meaning they have access to new technology as well.

What Can be Picked up on Long Wave Around Ireland?

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