RedFM on 105.7, from the same site as Newstalk on 106.4 that @Antenna reported on, is off the air also. Presumably the power remains out at the Nagles Mountains high site.
Kerry’s Xmas outlet on 105.0 is on blank carrier, with RDS transmitting. A minor pain for anyone with reception on one of the many other frequencies receivable in Kerry but in a car with no “AF” disable function
Both 105.7 and Newstalk 106.4 from that mountain came back on air maybe around an hour ago...
PI code recycling Seems for Christmas FM, nothing on 103.8 at all and nothing on 105.9 either so Waterford and the South East seem to be the land that Christmas forgot
Lucky for them !
Am I right in thinking that there was no pirate activity at all in Dublin over the weekend, following the recent raid on Connect FM and the apparent raid on The 90s Network? I reckon the likes of ABC and Retro FM could have been okay for Sunday, as there tends not to be any raids on Sundays, maybe Saturdays too. I think MW/AM pirates or even less targeted these days, such as the likes of Radio Daniella.
Was there any pirate activity outside Dublin, such as the two Co. Meath-based FM pirates Energy and RetroNow, and border county MW pirates? What about that dance pirate from Tralee?
Edit: It will be interesting to see if there is any pirate activity in Dublin in the week following Christmas, as there has been in previous years.
The recent Comreg activity confirms that illegal FM broadcasting is a risky hobby. It doesn’t matter what time or day of the week the broadcasts occur on; any activity has the potential to draw attention.
Comreg can leverage their Radio Frequency Monitoring Network (“RFMN”) system (which is fixed and mobile) to monitor, record and geo-locate sources of transmissions (on all bands). The old mindset of just avoiding weekday broadcasts no longer applies.
Anyone coming on air these days needs to be aware of the above. If it’s worth their while actioning an enforcement, they will.
It is what it is unfortunately.
Is the RFMN system similar to the one used by Ofcom? A bunch of fixed points that mean you can triangulate any signal almost instantly? might also be worth reminding people that it’s an offence to possess a rig even if it’s switched off (as seemed to be the case here). Be careful out there pirate folk.
Rough triangulation probably. But I believe they have moved into the world of Software Defined Radio. They can monitor the whole band (and more), automatically log transmissions and compare them to licensed frequencies. As soon as a transmitter goes on air, the system should be able to log it within a fraction of a second.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cJJLvIDRmIw
Yes, it's likely that ComReg are using the equipment detailed in the above video (or something very similar).
In November 2022, ComReg said that the procurement process to build out their monitoring network was over and a vendor selected. The publisher of this video, Keysight Technologies, have in the past been awarded contracts advertised by ComReg (they do however supply a wide range of equipment).
ComReg have also advertised for internal positions to both manage and further develop this monitoring system.
It will be interesting to see if they share any details in upcoming Spectrum Intelligence & Investigations Annual Reports.
regarding Xmas, the Wexford 103.8 is definately back on air. When it returned i do not know but heard it whilst travelling earlier this evening
According to a source, the Kerry 105.0 is still a silent carrier tonight however
The 2023 report hasn't been issued yet AFAIK.
Irrespective of the RFMN system , I suspect that Connects site was under surveillance and that Comreg knew that the transmitter would be in situ.
While it is unusual for weekend raids ,the other reason for weekend broadcasting is to allow a station to keep a low profile and not upset the legals , Connect were getting attention - strong signal , great audio and a popular format.
I feel sorry for the 90s Network, they tried to do it legally but ultimately were given a dire frequency for their temp broadcasts which were wiped by Newstalks multiple repeaters, makes attracting advertisers difficult which is how they came undone in the end (lack of finances ).
In a few weeks time the band will be busy again - it's cyclical
107 3 was a strange frequency. An sure Classic 80s will be back on as a temp in January.
Only time 107.3 was used in Dublin for a legal service iirc
Dreadful frequency
Well now… that setup is certainly a game changer. The cat and mouse chase has gone high tech and automated.
Good job that system was not available in the 70's and 80's or we would never have had the vibrant pirate scene that our current broadcast media landscape was influenced by.
105.0 on Kerry remains silent. 5 days since the storm, it must be up there with one of the longest outages of such a high power FM outlet.
The P+T officials would never have been standing outside the Sands Hotel wondering where that carrier on 101.5 was coming from !
Not to mention the occasion 'raid' on the wrong address in the 90s......
Howth Head !
back in those days they just had to track the complaints about TVI effecting Channel 4 and BBC2 (usually around the Inchicore area!)
Elton John and Ed Sheeran now blasting around the Kingdom on 105.0. Great to have it back
Interference to the cable system 'Cablelink ' was an issue back in the day ,primarily due to a poor quality cable infrastructure and operating FM transmitters near housing estates . To go above 106FM was avoided and it was only when Sammy with his multiple low power transmitters started on 106 to 107 that others ventured.
Radio Dublin could be heard on the BBC2 TV channel on cabllelink when BBC 2 was off the air and occasionally the audio broke through when the BBC 2 test card was on.
Ironically RTE wiped BBC 2 TV channel off the network a few years later but that's another story !
Yep, the DAB mux interfered with BBC 2. I also remember Sky News and TCC being interfered with by the two Kippure VHF channels in the 90s. Leaky cabling.
True… although it was possible to view TV inside the bunker at 58 Inchicore road.
I remember Cooke pulling out the tv from the cupboard that it was built into and there was a tangle of chokes, caps, screened metal box's and ferrite rings attached to the back of it - all filtering out the spurios from the various transmitters. He used it to show to any neighbours that complained, how reception was OK in the station, so the interference must be a problem with their set.
Having said that though, my father was a soldier in nearby Clancy Barracks and they couldn't make a phone call there without hearing the latest chart hits over the line.
When Q102 switched to the Magic AM TX it caused interference to the PA system in the local church (St.Agnes), the parish priest was not too happy and lambasted......RTE radio 2 from the pulpit for causing the interference !
How far from the church was the transmitter ??
(this being about the original 1980s Q102 in case anyone is puzzled)
I used to come over the neighbour's stereo system in their kitchen with my CB. The neighbour was a former radio officer and not too worried. I think he stuck ferrites on the speaker cables.
This is story about one of the pirate's MW transmitters (Sunshine/Nova?) drifting off frequently during a snowstorm and blocked the BBC in Scotland.
The Church to Q's site approx 900metres , TX was 1kw.
The drifting you refer to was the story printed in the 'radio radio' book , it says that's Novas 50kw drifted during a snow storm and the P+T threatened to raid unless the transmitter* was turned off (and not switched back on iirc)
There are a number of issues with the story , primarily that the 50kw had been switched off long before this snowstorm ,as an aside it was switched off before dusk every day.......
The P+T may have made a phone call.....but it wasn't during a snowstorm and it wasn't because of a drifting transmitter*..…
Sunshine did have an issue with their replacement 531 after the raids but this was quickly switched off.
AM transmitters can drift , and cause a lot of interference , one transmitter was notorious for acting up every so often , RTE 2s 1278 in Dublin, irrespective of the temperature !
*The '50kw' AM transmitter
True 80s Cork
It looks like it was silent in Dublin on the pirate front this weekend (like last weekend), unless anyone knows any different.
To clarify an earlier post , Novas 50kw had been switched off completely earlier in the year and the high power 738 UK signal project abandoned. The 'night time ' 10kw (originally 819) was kept on 24 hours a day.
The 50kw was then converted to LW 254.
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