RTÉ Radio 3 Rock instability

DavidJC

Anyone notice how the 3 Rock transmitter 88.5/90.7/96.7 keeps going off for 30-60 seconds at a time since yesterday.

Just happened again now but probably the third time in 24 hours.

Presume the power supply is on and off and the generator takes a while to kick in?

dxhound2005

From 2rn.

Due to essential maintenance our Three Rock transmitter will be subject to five short outages of up to 5 minutes between 09:30 and 16:00 from the 12th to the 14th December 2023. This work will affect all FM services from this transmitter site. 2rn apologise for any inconvenience caused by this necessary work.

Ash.J.Williams

For a second there i thought we had a new decent station

DavidJC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121490712#Comment_121490712

Wouldn't give an engineer any time up on the mast. Must be swapping cables around on the ground with such short outages.

In memory, the 3 Rock transmitter is always the first to go... 89.1 from Kippure is far more robust even though it's much more remote... It's just very hissy in South Dublin due to poor line of sight.

DavidJC

It's gone again now...

z80CPU

^^^ 😜

z80CPU

Chillax it's just Liveline ffs

DavidJC

Static is better tbf

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121490961#Comment_121490961

Kippure RTE radio has 50 Kilowatt power, Three Rock is only 5. The last outage at Three Rock that I can see information for was April 2021. Does that fit in with your memory?

Infoanon

12kw ERP?

It's the 40 year anniversary of the 3 Rock site build , although it did take a few months of 'testing ' before Radio 1 & 2 were carried , the two TXs were being utilised on '88' and '101' FM from the then new site.

DavidJC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121492369#Comment_121492369

I'd say every few months there is an outage for a minute or two from my memory. Usually doesn't affect the commercial stations and I think not 101.8 (Today fm - which is on very low power). The last outage for Kippure I remember was during the snow of 2010.

Been similar for years. Probably not published as just unreliable ESB service up there. 5kw with close proximity to dense enough population from that vantage point is solid. Kippure much better for north and west Dublin, Kildare and Meath where that 50kw has no obstructions to line of sight.

And yes, the ERP may be higher. That's probably just the TX power.

tinytobe

Even in some parts of Dublin I do get static on FM while receiving to RTE Radio, even though I am in clear view of the 3 Rock transmitter. Don't know why this is the case. It doesn't seem to be the radio, it happened in 3 different cars.

Infoanon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121494844#Comment_121494844

Today FM 101.8 , 2kw ERP , moved around '09 to a Today FM installation.

The audio was dire on this installation for a number of years.

A totally unnecessary 97.3 relay was also added later.

SPDUB

5kw with close proximity to dense enough population from that vantage point is solid. 

No , it isn't , when I had to move around a lot for my job I found I couldn't get a solid signal and used to use 252

DavidJC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121505637#Comment_121505637

In south Dublin and Dublin city you can directly see the transmitter from many vantage points. North Dublin slopes up and you can clearly see the transmitter site from the airport but at that distance Kippure is better due to its higher power. I've been listening on small pocket radios for years and always find it's a solid signal unless in an underground car park. In which case 252 was no use.

Today FM on the other hand is weak and hissy most places on 101.8 and the audio always sounds lower than 100.9 (Kippure).

TheBMG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121571264#Comment_121571264

I’ve never really noticed 101.8 being especially weak in Dublin City itself.

The only time I can spot the ‘weaker’ Three Rock signals is when I’m parking in the multi-story car parks in the city centre. 103.2 tends to get a beating anytime I go to park but the larger commercial stations stay rock solid (no pun intended)

DavidJC

On the subject of 103.2.. Isn't it true the after Pulse FM went off air, they left a carrier on which became Dublin City Radio?

The site was lower down the mountain so not quite as good line of site out.

Declan A Walsh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121571504#Comment_121571504

All I know is that Dublin City FM (or Anna Livia as it was called then) had been on 103.8 and then was moved to 103.2 after the latter frequency had been vacated by Pulse FM, it being the last of a series of pirates that had used that frequency.

Infoanon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121571504#Comment_121571504

Anna Livia / Dublin City FM was originally on 103.8 but with the new licences announced in '99 the station was allocated a new frequency of 103.2.

The station was allowed simulcast on both frequencies from July'99 onwards and this was facilitated by utilising the Pulse FM transmitter.

Pulse also had a second frequency, 102.9 FM , which Essential FM used quickly merging with Galaxy to form Essential Galaxy FM