BANDSCAN THREAD

The coax to the set top boxes was so leaky that the 'closed circuit ' relays could be picked up across the county.

It became an issue in the late 90s when Cablelink/NTL started relaying BBC Radio off Astra , there was a One second delay (approx) so when driving around Dublin a car Radio would flip constantly between the actual FM frequency (eg 90.1) and the one second delay 90.1 Cable relay.

Allocating 90.1 FM to the AM service Spirit Radio put an end to eg BBC Radio 2 on the car radio in Dublin.

Yet the tower and 531 TX were used by Century......

The studio equipment did find a new home in a hospital radio station.

Are you sure it didn't fall in the winds several years back?

I don’t disagree with your facts at all.

I do know Cooke and Doyle went to collect scrap from the sands (as in AM TX’s). That ended up in his back garden in wheatfield.

The mast from the sands did end up on mohercroom as I rented space on it from Stanley Dagg (site owner) and we got talking about it. it’s been a few years since I’ve been there. So it might have blown down.

And I’m waiting on a call to find out what Joe remembers about the 100.3 getting relayed on 1143.
which is the original post enquiry.
thanks.

The story (ies) don't tally with the widely accepted ,and documented facts.

The Sunshine AM installation and Tower at the Sands were sold mid'89 to Century and carried Century from circa Nov'89 from the Sands. The 531 being the on air TX.

Yet the two TXs were apparently in Cookes back garden and the Tower had been dismantled......

Can you provide any explanation for the discrepancy ?

When Century switched off 100.3 it wasn't Radio Dublin that first came on the frequency. There are no records of a relay on 1143 of Radio Dublin or anyother station on 100.3 FM , I also doubt that the Radio Dublin100.3 would have been picked up in Portmarnock. (And was a STL not mandated ?)

I stand over the Cablelink relay - it didn't happen, It would have been shut down immediately either way. Joe tells the story in ithe context of a raid that happened, the raid on the morning of Ray Burkes Ard Fheis address.

If Burke was going to include this in his address is unknown.

No one else has ever said this happened on 1143 after Century closure. Anoraks/DXers would surely have tuned to the frequencies of the station immediately after they heard of the abrupt closure to see if the transmitters were still on, and if they were, how long before they went off!

Maybe there was just receiver 'bleedover' of 1188 onto 1143 very near the 1188 transmitter (after 1143 was actually switched off) and someone naively got it into their head that the above was happening?

It would surely have been documented somewhere if it did. Ken Baird of DX archive is someone who surely would have noticed, amongst others. But no record of it on DXarchive site or elsewhere.

Anyone remember how long after the station abruptly closed before the I assume silent 100.3 transmitter in Dublin was switched off (and their other transmitters)?

A further twist to the story (of what happened AM transmission equipment) is the operators of weekend station 'Energy Power AM' reportedly had (in 2007) ex-Century 1143 AM 1kW transmitter, though not in use:

https://hkdx.blogspot.com/2007/

https://hkdx.blogspot.com/2007/12/i-will-be-in-dublin-ireland-5-10122007.html

Talking of Sunshine (and Q) , is that the late Bill Cunningham voicing the Bargaintown ads currently airing on Nova ?

I don’t know as I wasn’t there. But not everything gets logged. And we can only sometimes hope stories aren’t skewed.

Cooke and Doyle plus joes kid went to the sands to collect the TX’s. It must have been Friday as Joe had the child that day. Parental stuff. Joe said £100 was paid for the scrap. I’d imagine to the reciever. This would have been late 91 early 92, so a few months after century had closed.

I seen for myself the two transmitters in Cooke’s back garden around 1999. Both in a terrible state. I don’t know any other way Cooke would have come across such big units. He certainly wouldn’t have paid big money for anything he got over the years.

As for the mast. I have no reason to doubt the late Stanley Dagg. He used it for Irish radio phones which was the company he ran until he let out space to newstalk on his masts.

As for the 100.3 relay came from Cooke’s house in wheatfield. Is it not possible that the cablelink relay was also used as the link for the AM in the sands. RTÉ might have had issues relaying the FM form 3rock as it was only low power.

Anyway. As I said. Can’t log everything.
happy Christmas

Damo 🎅

I think Sunshine had 3 AM transmitters. The original on 531 were 2 (Marconie?) 500 watt transmitters combined. I suspect these were the ones Cooke had. No idea about the other one. Maybe he had that as well.

The AM Optimod Energy AM were using was an ex BBC unit. I'm not aware of them using the Nova 738 Optimod.

The 1st run of Choice was 2005 and was FM only. The AM was 2006 and 2007 I think.

Are you sure the 50 was converted to LW? I don't think so.

Someone tell the Rte Guide that RTE's "Long Wave Transmission" is well and truly gone (see attached image). BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle no longer have MW either. + Astra transponder is out of date

LLCR rig was originally Capitols 1017AM TX.

@Tow ,I think it's more than fair to call 3 Rock a higher power site ,12kw ?

@Orban6 , a new poster, but it's Christmas, accidental relay on 1278 did happen and the only question on the 50kw conversion is who carried it out ?