What Can be Picked up on Long Wave Around Ireland?

rathfarnhamlad

The two countries have never been on the best of terms with each other so I suspect that LW is to target the neighbouring country at least up to a point.

While new LW-compatible radios are few and far between, there are a lot of older French cars on the road in both countries which would of course be able to receive LW signals.

Then again, both countries have TV and radio stations on multiple satellites which could be picked up in the other country anyway so if cross-border broadcasting is the idea (or part of it at least) then the LW transmitters are surely far less relevant than years ago...

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121078387#Comment_121078387

Makes sense.

By expatriates I meant more the Algerians and Moroccans living in France. The signal should have made it at least to the South of France, - at the time of full power.

Glaceon

Algeria coming in well tonight in Drogheda. Was playing The Bangles and Chris de Burgh when I had it on a few minutes ago.

Declan A Walsh

Here is another one that one of our posters picked up.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121082956#Comment_121082956

rathfarnhamlad

The Danish transmitter on 243 will no longer be airing weather reports from tomorrow on. As has already been mentioned, it will close for good on December 31st.

rathfarnhamlad

BBC Radio 4 on LW will be off the air on Monday for essential maintenance. Caught the announcement at the end of the shipping forecast bulletin that went out just after mid-day today.

Polskie Radio 1 on 225 appears to be running at reduced power as of this morning.

Mickey Mike

Being from Kerry my LW coverage of anything is fairly poor to say the least. But when I did a delivery to Dublin this week, I did a twiddle around the AM bands and I have to say BBC Radio4 (198), Polskie (225) and Algeria (252) were quite good, Radio 4 was very good. How did RTE run Radio 1 clashing with Algeria (252), it makes no odds now.

I also got lots of British radio channels on MW too, so AM is still alive and kicking.

rathfarnhamlad

There are much fewer MW transmitters in the UK than there were even half a decade ago. Around fifty or so transmitters have closed this year alone and more are likely to go in the near future.

rathfarnhamlad

In the last few days there have been unconfirmed reports that BBC Radio 4's main LW transmitter at Droitwich is running at half-power, i.e. 250 kW as opposed to 500 kW. I am noticing slightly more background noise when listening to the Today Show in the morning.

rathfarnhamlad

The save LW 252 brigade were really onto something...

https://keeplongwave.co.uk

ford fiesta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121384688#Comment_121384688

I've been receiving many stations on the AM band on a cheap shower radio from Currys, at night in Dublin.

Also I think buying a used radio from the 1970's / 80's, is a better option for receiving MW / LW stations than expecting new Hi-fi / radios to pick up stations

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121409590#Comment_121409590

I've noticed the same, weaker signal on LW makes listening to BBC Radio 4 on LW in the city of Dublin unpleasant. Maybe out in the countryside reception is better, but in Dublin it's not really good anymore.

Better to use the smartphone and BBC Sounds.

RetroEncabulator

I've had fairly decent reception of BBC R4 on an old LW radio in Dublin. Didn't notice any change.

rathfarnhamlad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121501372#Comment_121501372

I mostly listen to Radio 4 in the mornings. The raised noise floor is very noticeable here in Limerick but it's still totally listenable as it's a speech station. Also there's sod all left on LW so mutual interference is not an issue. In Dublin I use 720 kHz from NI which works fine in the mornings but is a waste of time in the evenings. At that time of day I'm either listening to something else or gone out.

I used to listen to the cricket on Radio 4 but that'll be on 5 Sports Extra from now on. Satellite TV will do that job at my house in Limerick. In Dublin I'll have no choice but to use the app. Although I could go to a pavilion clubhouse within walking distance and watch coverage/highlights there which is probably a better experience overall...

rathfarnhamlad

Not receivable in Ireland but there's a new SDR which just appeared on the Canary Islands - http://ea8bfk.ddns.net:8073

Channel 1 from Algeria on 153 is clearly back on.

Mickey Mike

There's another long wave closure coming tonight, Denmark 243khz is pulling its plug midnight local time. Next one is BBC Radio4 198khz next march.

dxhound2005

I think Denmark is already gone.

rathfarnhamlad

The Danish transmitter at Kalundborg on 243 kHz has disappeared from the dial, taking with it the incumbent queen who announced her resignation on air!

Pelvis Parsley

In terms of viable listening, we're down to R4 and Chaine 3 (by night) nowadays.

tinytobe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121559559#Comment_121559559

Sometimes you can also get Poland on 225 or Romania on 153. Also Iceland is still on, but shutting down soon, I think.

BBC Radio 4 on 198 reduced power and reception is not as good as it once was, at least around Ireland.

TAFKAlawhec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121499605#Comment_121499605

There's nothing on that website in terms of argument for keeping the service alive that hasn't already been argued - and pretty much failed - over the last 10-20 years in terms of keeping LW & MW services open across Europe. Arguments about Radio 4's international standing conveniently forgets that it is a domestic service for a domestic audience - the World Service is there for overseas listeners - and that I'd say the amount of households in the UK for whom rely on longwave for listening to Radio 4 with no other means of listening to it could be counted on two hands TBH. At full power* for its Droitwich transmitter the 'leccy bill must now run close if not over UK£1 million per year & while not as big a percentage of its running costs compared to RTÉ & their now dead 252 service, it is still something that can arguably be better invested either in station programming or a few new DAB TXs** in some blind spots. Keeping LW going for the sake of say a few old time radios in allotment sheds isn't justifiable IMO.

Also, no doubt that if 198 kHz gets taken off the air later this year, so will the MW filler stations - 720 kHz at Lisnagarvey & L/Derry plus 774 kHz at Enniskillen.

* Yeah, I think we can estimate at the moment that Droitwich 198 kHz (at least) isn't running on full power at present.

** The Beeb have said that their current DAB roll out is essentially "finished" and that those in non-DAB areas should fall back on to BBC Sounds or other sources, but I would not be shocked to see if some odd additional transmitter gets slotted into service to serve something or somewhere "important".

Edit: forgot that it's the GB electric companies that are keeping LW on Droitwich (and I think also Westerglen & Burghead) going in the meantime in terms of electric payments, but I understand the BBC are still responsible for the MW fillers still running.

emo72

it kills me we cant get bbc radio 5 handy. i do have it in the car on 909 or 990, but would love to have it in stereo fm. anyway always love listening to the scores on sports report after 5 on saturday. bonus points for the glorious score, Forfar 4 East Fife 5.

TAFKAlawhec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121567300#Comment_121567300

Not sure where you're located, but BBC 5 Live isn't on FM (stereo or not) anywhere in the UK to begin with - at best it's used as an overnight sustaining service on the BBC local & "national regions" (inc. BBC Radio Ulster) and IIRC other than stations jungles & sweepers is still broadcast in mono. Otherwise the best quality to hear it on the move is either via DAB or online.

emo72

I definitely thought I was getting on BBC 5 live on fm in England I'm my car. Even up in northern Ireland. Probably that was 10 years ago. I have dab in my car in Dublin, can I get BBC 5 on that?

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121576935#Comment_121576935

DAB does not work in Dublin anymore since FreeDAB, the pirate operator, ceased. Remember that RTE stopped its DAB trials some years ago. There is another thread about DAB.

Going back on topic:

Will all long wave frequencies that currently can be heard in Ireland be gone before all the legal medium wave frequencies currently heard here have ceased?

rathfarnhamlad

RUV from Iceland on 189 kHz is currently off the air. Their other transmitter on 207 kHz closed just under a year ago and it was mentioned that 189 kHz would follow suit at some point in 2024.

rathfarnhamlad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121773362#Comment_121773362

It's back on now. I wonder was this an intentional outage to see who shouts. IIRC something similar was done with the 207 kHz transmitter about a week or so before it closed.

Mickey Mike

@rathfarnhamlad once they start doing that then its curtains down eventually.

The BBC are reducing their Long Wave radio output in march and maybe switched off later in 2024. Where I live in Kerry I've nothing on both LW and MW.

rathfarnhamlad

@Mickey Mike very true. Romania have done the same thing a couple of times over the past few months even though they say they have no plans to shut down 153 kHz. I'd put that one as next to go after Iceland on 189 kHz which is surely any day now.

Can you get nothing at all at your location? Could you get Radio 4 before the recent fifty percent power reduction? I believe this service has been given yet another stay of execution.

Mickey Mike

@rathfarnhamlad that explains it, last year I was able to get fair signal in Kerry, in Dublin it was good, this year its very teary with this 50% drop in power, not receivable in Kerry at all now.