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The future of RTE Radio 1 LW

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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 50 ✭✭Dacia1300


    Please tell me what is "TOTH"?

    Top off the hour


  • Registered Users Posts: 794 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    Dacia1300 wrote: »
    If RTE had any sense that is what should happen, IMO.

    But look at this way - 567 Tullamore has been idle for the last 10 years. It seems to me that RTE/2RN would rather burn the transmitters than let someone else use them. What a waste

    I for one would like to see the relaunch of RTE Radio1 567 MW (500kw) Surely to God they are high power solid state transmitters that are energy efficient (unlike the old bangers).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 69,551 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    I assume all these frequencies are still allocated to Ireland, so someone could apply to use them for a new service.

    There are a substantial number of frequencies beyond those ex-RTE ones allocated also. BCI (or IRTC? Its a long time ago) even started issuing licences for commercial regionals - 1359 in Galway and 1386 in Limerick - that were never used.

    If DRM had ever been more than a flop there were plenty of options available, including some 20khz allocations. But its dead.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    DRM is far from dead , it's gaining traction in Asia and more and more transmissions in DRM + more radios hitting the market and any PC can decode the signal with a cheap SDR.

    Even some U.S stations doing DRM trials. Unfortunately a lot of DRM transmissions are in poor quality low bitrate but this does not have to be the case, 16 Kbps is poor and sounds much worse than any decent AM station.

    Radio Kuwait transmit in Stereo DRM and while it's not fantastic quality it's amazing to hear on Shortwave radio !

    I don't know why many broadcasters still to this day think that low bitrate digital transmissions are acceptable today, gone are the days of 48 kbps analogue modems so there is no need for such horrid quality but I believe a lot of these broadcasters think that if it's digital at all then it must be good and it's really sad.

    I believe DRM now can go up to 64 Kbps AAC+ which is acceptable.

    LW 252 has DRM capability.

    RTE would indeed see their transmitters burned than to allow anyone else to use them.

    Does anyone know if these old frequencies are tied to RTE or can anyone use them once approved ? surely it's comreg that decide who use them ? is RTE deliberately trying to ensure 567 Khz stays dead as if they're doing their bit to rid the world of ancient technology ?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 69,551 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    No, its dead. A few trials is all it has had for more than a decade. Idea was delivered dead. SDR decoding is hobbyist stuff of zero use for actual broadcasters - they do not care about it. There's been radios available for over a decade, nobody buys them.

    Frequencies would be allocated by Comreg and the BAI; not RTE. But its irrelevant - DRM is dead and there will never be DRM stations in Ireland beyond possibly some more throw-money-in-the-fire trials.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    We'll agree to disagree.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    There's no real benefit to DRM really though , DRM needs a good stable signal and I prefer the analogue sound of Am to Digital.

    Same as DAB v FM, there's no real benefit to digital radio as there is with TV.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,728 ✭✭✭Former Former


    Dacia1300 wrote: »
    It seems to me that RTE/2RN would rather burn the transmitters than let someone else use them. What a waste
    is RTE deliberately trying to ensure 567 Khz stays dead as if they're doing their bit to rid the world of ancient technology ?

    Who would want to use them?? Like, the idea that MW might rise from its grave is great for an internet discussion forum but no-one is actually going to flush their own money down the jacks trying to revive it. We can blame RTE for a lot of things but people having no interest in hundred-year old technology is not one of them.


  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,461 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    DRM is far from dead , it's gaining traction in Asia and more and more transmissions in DRM + more radios hitting the market and any PC can decode the signal with a cheap SDR.

    The key takeaway there is that any device capable of decoding DRM signals is also capable of listening to the same station online with less hassle, less required technical knowledge, less interference from electronics and atmospherics, no additional equipment requirements, 24 hour availability, better quality and the list goes on

    DRM as L1011 said was dead on arrival. There are no additional benefits over SW which is barely used in most of the developed world and in developing countries, where AM is still used due to low costs, there is no incentive to upgrade to DRM


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  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Oh I fully agree that Digital radio be it DAB or DRm is of not much benefit and usually needs a good signal to decode because with digital you get all or nothing where with MW,SW you can still hear ok when the signal is weak.

    100 year old technology doesn't make it useless. I don't think people should be forced to listen to radio on the internet. MW can be used as backup and also where FM bands are crowded, long range with 1 transmitter.

    In a world of the internet and streaming there is too much choice at least when there was 1 and 2 you just sat down and were content with whatever was on, today people seem to spend far more time flicking for stuff to watch and arguing over what to watch.

    Yeah RTE have problems and unfortunately for them they don't realise that their greatest problem is the very technology they're seeking to embrace , i.e Digital, Internet and apps and while that's all well and good they don't have the content many of the youth desire or me included.


  • Registered Users Posts: 38 225LongWave


    irtc re-advertised 17 mw frequencies in 1998
    with varying emrp incl. Westport 1251 on 50kW.
    Ballina 1584 1kW Dublin 531 & 1143 10kW.
    Limerick 1386 1kW. ITu plan to Revoke unused
    Geneva 1975 European allocations in October

    ComReg destruction of Atlantic Radio 1251 in
    Castlebar Co. Mayo will be Highlighted to ITU by
    myself to demonstrate IRTCs exclusion of two
    AM community radio applications in 1999 which
    amounted to £15,000 in preparation expenses

    https;//m.youtube.vom/watch?v=tJnPZ-mAy4s

    6960kHz SW licence was challenged by MWRfm

    L1011 wrote: »
    No, its dead. A few trials is all it has had for more than a decade. Idea was delivered dead. SDR decoding is hobbyist stuff of zero use for actual broadcasters - they do not care about it. There's been radios available for over a decade, nobody buys them.

    Frequencies would be allocated by Comreg and the BAI; not RTE. But its irrelevant - DRM is dead and there will never be DRM stations in Ireland beyond possibly some more throw-money-in-the-fire trials.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    DRM is as much use as DAB. DRM V DAB ?

    And there have not been any DRM radios available the last 10 years. Think that was confused with DAB.

    Broadcasters would rather we just used apps and not radios because they would not need to maintain any transmitters.

    Everything is going into the internet. Next our cars won't turn on without the cloud lol


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Having said all that listening to radio Kuwait in Stereo on shortwave is quite amazing !


  • Registered Users Posts: 794 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    Long Wave 252 is coming to its last 4 months of life, and I believe the transmitter will be dismantled along with Tullamore's 567 (I think). DAB is also done and dusted as far as Ireland is concerned. The FM service won't go any further either, another 10 or 15 years and the fm band wave will be empty.
    The future is the Internet, the Internet for everything, ie. TV, Radio etc. So let's all get ready for an Internet future. Nothing stays the same, not even us unfortunately.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,471 ✭✭✭EdgeCase


    I'd say FM has quite a long way to go yet before it's shut down. The technology's simple and the reach is still very high.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 794 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    EdgeCase wrote: »
    I'd say FM has quite a long way to go yet before it's shut down. The technology's simple and the reach is still very high.

    Quite right, FM and the Internet should work longside each other as main platforms.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,558 ✭✭✭Gerry Wicklow


    .....
    The future is the Internet, the Internet for everything, ie. TV, Radio etc. So let's all get ready for an Internet future. Nothing stays the same, not even us unfortunately.

    All well and good if you can get a service. I often struggle to get 2G where I live. And then you just have to look at the RTÉ TV advert player app. A total PoS.
    For me radio = FM or do without.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,471 ✭✭✭EdgeCase


    There's a lot to be said from an ISP's point of view in not having a couple of million FM radio listeners dumped onto their networks. That's especially true for mobile providers.

    You would need proper multicasting and advanced peering arrangements to handle the volume of traffic and it would (at present) impact people's use of 3G and 4G services.

    FM also still reaches places mobiles and wireline / fibre broadband doesn't.

    You're basically replacing reliable and cheap broadcasting with bandwidth wasting, unicast streaming technology for no particular reason.

    I think DAB may well be a dead end technology but FM could well be around another 40 years, supplemented by internet streaming and podcasting.

    There's really no reason for DAB with what's possible on the internet. It's an 80s digital concept.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,558 ✭✭✭Gerry Wicklow


    DAB is an answer looking for a question


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,471 ✭✭✭EdgeCase


    DAB is an answer looking for a question

    Well, it's an old answer to a question that's been resolved by a different technology.

    The concept behind DAB is from the mid 1980s, a time when having a powerful computer with tens of Mbit/s of connectivity would have been absolute science fiction.

    The reality is that many of us (and yes I know there are areas with poor coverage) have more bandwidth from a smartphone than an entire city would have had 30 years ago.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 794 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    In my neck of the woods down in Kerry, there have not been any Radio station launch in 10 years, the last one been 4fm which barley scratches north Kerry. From 102.7 to 104.6,
    104.6 to 107 remain empty.


  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,461 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    In my neck of the woods down in Kerry, there have not been any Radio station launch in 10 years, the last one been 4fm which barley scratches north Kerry. From 102.7 to 104.6,
    104.6 to 107 remain empty.
    You must not have a good view to the east. :)

    103.3, 103.7, 104.5 and 105.7 all strong here further south in Kerry.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Who's want 4fm anyway ? I've heard it at night sometimes, it's a disgrace.

    Can't get it down my way anyway thankfully.

    There's a new FM station Down in Carlow called RedRock on 106 Mhz.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,660 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    Willie O'Reilly, former commercial director at RTÉ, in his SBP Media & Marketing column today wrote the following about radio
    I also believe the medium hasn't properly adapted to new technologies such as DAB and DAB+, with only RTÉ promoting this new digital technology. This is all the more remarkable given the number of British registered cars that are imported here, many of which have DAB radios.

    RTÉ estimates that there are more than 420,000 DAB receivers in the country already. The argument here is that FM will be superseded by internet based listening.

    I am not no sure. In Britain they have successfully launched more than 280 DAB stations. This has re-excited the listeners' interest the medium and driven new revenue to the operators. Are Irish listeners so very different?


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    The British people couldn't care less, it's radio manufacturers pushing a new technology to make money.

    There is no case for DAB except that it is a newer technology and above all it's digital but digital radio doesn't offer any benefit , it's not like it offers a gigantic increase in quality like digital tv can, digital was necessary for this huge increase in quality not possible with analogue sets.

    The think by having "digital" in the advertisement that this will attract more people to radio.

    The only reason cars have DAB is because radio manufacturers want to eliminate AM in order to make their radios more attractive because they receive wonderful "digital"

    RTE's DAB transmissions are not great quality either.

    The only reason Sweden was it ? adopted digital was because they were forced and there was a switch off of analogue why do this when people are happy with FM ? it turned out there was a huge loss in listeners to the national broadcaster because the signal was crap.

    Why are they trying to reinvent the wheel ?


  • Registered Users Posts: 794 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    The British people couldn't care less, it's radio manufacturers pushing a new technology to make money.

    There is no case for DAB except that it is a newer technology and above all it's digital but digital radio doesn't offer any benefit , it's not like it offers a gigantic increase in quality like digital tv can, digital was necessary for this huge increase in quality not possible with analogue sets.

    The think by having "digital" in the advertisement that this will attract more people to radio.

    The only reason cars have DAB is because radio manufacturers want to eliminate AM in order to make their radios more attractive because they receive wonderful "digital"

    RTE's DAB transmissions are not great quality either.

    The only reason Sweden was it ? adopted digital was because they were forced and there was a switch off of analogue why do this when people are happy with FM ? it turned out there was a huge loss in listeners to the national broadcaster because the signal was crap.

    Why are they trying to reinvent the wheel ?

    You are very anti digital, from my point of view when it comes to quality, there is nothing worse than the AM band with noise, crackling and tearing. The best was Radio1 567kw and Alantic 252 when these txs were operating full power.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    You are very anti digital, from my point of view when it comes to quality, there is nothing worse than the AM band with noise, crackling and tearing. The best was Radio1 567kw and Alantic 252 when these txs were operating full power.

    What noise and crackling are you thinking about ?

    I can listen to 252 perfectly clean AM sound with 0 cracking and even picked it up in the car all over wales in to Birmingham City in the Summer clear as a bell.

    Listening to MW stations is different because they are usually mainly from the U.K and Spain and usually lower power and we're not in the target area so it won't sound nearly as good.

    RTE DAB is compressed with 22 Khz sampling rate @56 Kbps last time I checked and it sounds like a poor quality internet radio station. And that's 56 Kbps split between 2 audio channels. If they changed to mono it wouldn't sound so bad because then you'd have one channel using all 56 Kbps but still at a very poor Mp2 and 22 Khz sampling rate.

    Worse again is RTE use MP2 compression FFS, give me a good AM station any day !

    I don't care much for stereo.

    Most people who want quality are using spotify which uses a much higher quality and RTE are not going to persuade spotify users to listen to RTE's mostly poor quality of programming and 2FM is just a horrid joke at this stage.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,471 ✭✭✭EdgeCase


    DAB to my ears sounds awful. I'd much rather listen to a proper stream online, a podcast or FM.

    I've no interest in listening to AM though. It sounds very poor.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I prefer the sound of a good quality AM station over highly compressed digital signal.

    AM is perfect for the likes of Liveline and say, newstalk and other stations.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,558 ✭✭✭Gerry Wicklow


    RTÉ guy cant understand why no one is interested in DAB here. Perhaps because they cant get a signal. It's the old Dublin 4 mentality again :(
    I can just about get a DAB signal on a large roof aerial but it is not good enough to be usable.


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  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I could get DAB with a roof antenna too. But why would I bother when I have FM ?

    That's my point, not that I'm anti Digital but what's the point of pushing DAB when FM is perfectly suitable for Radio ?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,660 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    RTÉ guy cant understand why no one is interested in DAB here. Perhaps because they cant get a signal. It's the old Dublin 4 mentality again :(

    He never mentioned the commercial radio sector in the DAB plans considering he was Chief Executive of Today FM for over 12 years.


  • Registered Users Posts: 794 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    What sort of roof top ariel? is it the old VHF band lll television ariel, if so I could redirect it to Woodcock hill, but I have a feeling it won't work.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    What sort of roof top ariel? is it the old VHF band lll television ariel, if so I could redirect it to Woodcock hill, but I have a feeling it won't work.

    That should do the trick. The fact it's outside on the roof will help anyway.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,471 ✭✭✭EdgeCase


    RTÉ guy cant understand why no one is interested in DAB here. Perhaps because they cant get a signal. It's the old Dublin 4 mentality again :(
    I can just about get a DAB signal on a large roof aerial but it is not good enough to be usable.

    Even if you're in the coverage areas there's so little on DAB here you wouldn't be bothered with it. I have a tuner in the car in Cork City and tbh I rarely even flick past DAB and I find the audio quality for RTE Radio 1, 2FM and Lyric far more pleasant on analogue FM.

    I don't really find the extra RTE stations compelling enough to make me tune in and all the stuff on the extra mux seems to just be yet more religious stations. I mean do we not have enough with Life and Sprit without UCB and Maria !? Ireland's not THAT religious anymore and it's really not adding to the choices on air.

    If I want alternatives to FM, I usually end up streaming BBC R4 or R6 or listening to podcasts from various sources or some of the NPR stations. Sometimes I even listen to continental radio in the car as I speak a couple of languages.

    It works fine most of the time on 3 streaming away.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I do like RTE Gold , in my opinion it's RTE's best station and I can't get it here I can get it on the M9 about 5-10 Km on the M9 heading for Dublin coming from Carlow but where it's coming from I have no idea ? not coming from Mount Leinster so probably Kippure ?

    It breaks up a few times along the N7 which bugs the crap out of me , this is one reason alone I hate digital, it doesn't become weaker or audio fade , no hissing noise etc just there or not at all !

    They could use LW252 for RTE Gold it would be brilliant and sound better, a Mono AM signal sounds a lot better than highly compressed digital muck.

    MW 567 would be great for this station too. MW offers real alternatives.

    In the U.S AM is massive and there isn't a hint of that changing and won't because of the geography , digital signals would be useless to cover much of the U.S/Canada.

    People are not complaining about AM in the U.S why ? because it works and People are quite happy with it, they can listen to it in their cars, homes etc no problems.

    As I said earlier, I could listen to LW252 everywhere in Wales and much better than some local AM stations, It blasted all the way into Birmingham City no problem, clear as a bell, no noise, no hissing , no fading just there all the time and to think it's on restricted power amazes me.

    Radio fascinates me, one signal can travel hundreds of miles and sometimes thousands and one reason I hope to get my Amateur Radio Licence hopefully in May.

    I can get RTE Gold on the internet but it sounds crap, but it's slightly better than DAB ,

    DAB = 22000 Khz sampling rate, 56 Kbps Mp2, who the hell thinks that's good quality ?

    BBC streams = 44100 sampling rate, 320 kbps AAC+ a major difference.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,558 ✭✭✭Gerry Wicklow


    In my case Cairn Hill provides all the RTÉs I want on FM. On the very rare occasions that I might want the extras I could use Saorview. Not practical on the move I know, but I can survive that. So DAB? Thanks but no thanks.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    We can all survive without DAB.

    The Real puzzle is why do RTE not have Gold on FM ? FM is full of crap stations with Pop music belting out all over the band, why not put Gold on FM ? ridiculous !


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,471 ✭✭✭EdgeCase


    We can all survive without DAB.

    The Real puzzle is why do RTE not have Gold on FM ? FM is full of crap stations with Pop music belting out all over the band, why not put Gold on FM ? ridiculous !

    I don't think the BAI would licence it as it's far too much like a commercial station. RTE get away with it due to the still semi experimental status and lack of commercial interests in DAB.

    You'd struggle to make any case that Gold is meeting a public service requirement.


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  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Radio stations should be allowed to play and do what they want and not be highly restricted. It's a joke.

    Radio stations shouldn't be obliged to play news every 30 mins either. That's irritating as hell.

    I'd say these licensing restrictions are helping people turn away from radio because stations have to play certain genres at certain times, play some Irish music even if what they play is crap then people have to listen to the same news every 30 mins the entire day , commercial radio in Ireland can be quite irritating.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,513 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    You are very anti digital

    DAB is just a bad technology, obsolete before it was even introduced

    Scrap the cap!



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,471 ✭✭✭EdgeCase


    DAB is just a bad technology, obsolete before it was even introduced

    It would be a bit like Eir suddenly trying to sell the wonders of ISDN in 2019.

    To quote Calvin Harris : "it was acceptable in the 80s"


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    "digital" is marketing hype in a bid to try attract the youth but the best quality sounding RTE will not make up for poor quality programming !

    "digital" is also a con because if the crap is compressed out of it then what's the point ?

    I'm not saying RTE should have 320 Kbps AAC+ like the BBC internet streams ( geo-blocked of course ) which I think is way over kill for Radio but a Minimum of 64 Kbps AAC+ doesn't sound bad at all and would be a good for radio.

    But RTE DAB is shockingly bad.

    Here's what RTE say about DAB

    DAB offers many advantages including a large range of additional programming, and quality clear reception without the necessity for receiver tuning changes.


    Clear reception ? but 50% of the population can receive it.

    And unlike FM where weak signal areas can still usually be heard , DAB = all or, nothing.

    And you don't have to tune a lot of modern FM radios. I never had to tune the stations in my car on FM they appear and disappear as the radio is able to pick them up !

    Another - for DAB !

    RTE also mentioned displaying of track information or something like that, FM does this so another - for DAB.

    Why the -'s for DAB ? because it's supposed to offer something better........it doesn't in fact it offers poorer sound quality which is mainly down to RTE's poor choice in order to save money !


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    RTE's DAB transmission MP2 codec was invented in 1986 and this is the "modern" technology they adopted. We've all heard of Mp3 right ? well mp2 predates this lol.

    The AAC+ DAB standard was invented in 2005 !!!

    This is like pushing DRM for Shortwave but at least that uses AAC+

    So remember Digital has been around for a long time and RTE want us all on a "modern Digital" technology invented in 1986 !

    Where do they come up with it ?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,060 ✭✭✭SimonMaher


    Just to throw in a different perspective on this one (I'll go back to my bunker afterwards!). On this forum, and others, we tend to worry about platforms and codecs and encoders a lot. Truth be known though, average listener doesn't care in the least and nor should they. They want the programming they like, delivered to them by whatever means is necessary and easy for them. All sorts of cleverness went into us putting 8Radio on FM in 4 cities and DAB in Cork last winter but listeners didn't care. They were just happy because someone was playing Nirvana at lunchtime.

    DAB isn't intended as a replacement for FM. RTE have no plans to replace FM, nor do Comreg nor even do the BAI. None. Similar to online (where 8Radio lives most of it's life), it's complimentary and allows for a range of services to be delivered to listeners who will either listen, or not listen. No regular people will decide not to listen to something because it's encoded in MP2 or doesn't have 16khz bandwidth. People will tune in to things they like and again, that's exactly how it should be.

    DAB is held up here (and there's no secret to this, it's all in the BAI consultation documents on their website for the 2019-2022 strategy) because the big commercial players say with one side of their face that there is no demand for it, while from the other side of their face they say it could effect their viability. It's purely an economic argument and will continue to be.

    Simon


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  • Registered Users Posts: 507 ✭✭✭kazoo106


    I do remember a list in the mid 90's of MW allocations for nearly every county in Ireland, I wonder does anyone still have that list or is there an online source for it?
    I do agree that RTE Gold would suit MW, there is a station on 1494kHz here in the NE for the past few months and I must say, I find myself listening to it in the car quite a bit as it nearly covers all of Co. Louth and into Monaghan.
    There is definitely a market for well done AM.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    SimonMaher wrote: »
    Just to throw in a different perspective on this one (I'll go back to my bunker afterwards!). On this forum, and others, we tend to worry about platforms and codecs and encoders a lot. Truth be known though, average listener doesn't care in the least and nor should they. They want the programming they like, delivered to them by whatever means is necessary and easy for them. All sorts of cleverness went into us putting 8Radio on FM in 4 cities and DAB in Cork last winter but listeners didn't care. They were just happy because someone was playing Nirvana at lunchtime.

    DAB isn't intended as a replacement for FM. RTE have no plans to replace FM, nor do Comreg nor even do the BAI. None. Similar to online (where 8Radio lives most of it's life), it's complimentary and allows for a range of services to be delivered to listeners who will either listen, or not listen. No regular people will decide not to listen to something because it's encoded in MP2 or doesn't have 16khz bandwidth. People will tune in to things they like and again, that's exactly how it should be.

    DAB is held up here (and there's no secret to this, it's all in the BAI consultation documents on their website for the 2019-2022 strategy) because the big commercial players say with one side of their face that there is no demand for it, while from the other side of their face they say it could effect their viability. It's purely an economic argument and will continue to be.

    Simon

    My point was that RTE are trying to promote DAB as some new technology and because it's "digital" that means better.

    Unfortunately it's the Radio manufacturers that are also pushing the technology by including it on the majority of new radios which eliminate completely AM which is ridiculous because it costs nothing extra to include AM and another pint is that they make poor quality AM radios these days too with some exceptions it's as if they are deliberately trying to kill AM.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 69,551 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    We can all survive without DAB.

    The Real puzzle is why do RTE not have Gold on FM ? FM is full of crap stations with Pop music belting out all over the band, why not put Gold on FM ? ridiculous !

    Because there isn't 2Mhz free for another national FM network, that's why.

    Even if there was, it would be justifiable for it to be given to a commercial operator first.

    The most logical thing to do would be put RnaG back to its old status of MW and FM only in areas with high native Irish language speakers and use its FM network - but this is politically unacceptable due to the strength of the Irish language lobby.


  • Posts: 21,179 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    So they should put it on LW 252 then and make use of the transmitter or put it on MW and serve the whole Island with one transmitter. MW radios are more common.

    They're obviously not arsed about providing proper DAB coverage.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1 The new Atlantic 252


    It is scandals that RTE have been forced to spend 2 million euro on longwave the past 6 years due to a few radio enthusiasts with political connections making a disproportionate amount of noise with flux outrage about elderly people. These radio enthusiasts have engaged in an social media harassment and bullying campaign against any average Joe who disagreed with them on Twitter etc. Btw could Mickey Mike/Mad_lad please stop posting shïte.


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