G4NSJ - The demise of RTE 252kHz Radio 1 long wave
Vložit
- čas přidán 17. 04. 2023
- The demise of RTE 252kHz Radio 1 long wave. What a sad day for AM radio. Long, medium, short wave... so many stations have closed down. Will BBC Radio 4 be next?
- Věda a technologie
I remember when it was Atlantic252 music radio sometime back in the 90’s. So much fun to listen to.
All references to AM transmitters and the running costs are correct. You will find many closing quickly now as they are unsustainable. Atlantic 252 ran from 1989 to 2002 and had a very high RF output. It was my go to channel as a reminder of the good old days but when they closed, I lost interest. Fantastic times of the 60s and 70s AM radio, the likes of which are gone for good ☹
Fantastic times, indeed. Great to hear from you, thanks. Cheers, Ray.
(during which there had been _at least_ one stay of execution) the Clarkstown, Co. Meath transmitter would routinely be run on as little as 50kW (at night, one hopes!) and to judge by Ray's comments, perhaps not even that, in their final days! To use Ray's bus analogy, it's not too difficult to discern the playbook here. You claim, perhaps with some justification, that passenger (listener) numbers have fallen and so you progressively cut back on the frequency of the buses or the power of the transmitter, missing the point that if you have a public service remit, mere profit is not meant to be your only concern! Of course, this becomes something of a self - fulfilling prophecy: the more infrequent the buses, the more tenuous the signal, the fewer passengers will turn up or the fewer listeners that will tune in! Those wealthy enough or sufficiently 'with it' will find an easier or better way, of course, and before too long you will be left with that remnant of people who either do not have the means to avail of such alternatives as there may be, or the clout to protect their interests (probably both), and the way is now clear to pulling the plug...
Of course this is how it played out, and it might have been the sort of thing one would reluctantly chalk up to 'progress' (what is it, someone called it? 'A comfortable disease'?), were it not for the scandal of salaries and bonuses paid to RTE 'personalities' on the 'down - low', payments that would make the 252 kHz electric bill look like pocket change! Of course, like her bigger sister across the water, RTE have long been lobbying for a licence fee increase, this at a time when revenues were well down _anyway,_ what with the fall off in viewers of broadcast TV; the salaries debacle would not only make such lobbying difficult to sustain, but trigger massive non - renewal of TV licences. I believe that this has only hastened the inevitable, some sort of restructuring of RTE's funding model, especially given that the near monopoly they once enjoyed from advertising has also been decimated. The present funding crisis would probably have made the shut~down of the LW service inevitable even if RTE hadn't already shut off the juice - in fact just today RTE's new boss announced a regime of eye~watering cutbacks and asset stripping. One might almost be sympathetic to the organisation, were it not for the fact that they had done so much to exacerbate a situation common to many broadcasters today, especially those that have a public service obligation, not to mention their desire to put the boot into the LW service specifically; oh - and I very nearly forgot to mention the 86~ing of the DAB service, meaning all those DAB radios we were told we would 'need' have been bricked... Unforgivably, appliance stores continue to dupe customers by selling them DAB radios, 2 years after the shut~down, though tbf, I can't pin _that_ on RTE! Lest I come across as overly keen to defend the bums though, while I don't know what became of the actual transmitters, their decision to blow up (down?!) the mast, as if to make sure there would be _no_ second guessing of their decision to kill off the LW service, left a bad taste, especially given that the payments scandal was just kicking into high - gear... They really don't help themselves, do they! Interestingly it appears they were even too cheap to invest in dazzle painting or aircraft warning lights for the tower! Mind you, the demolition is probably an apposite footnote to the whole LW situation -- unless there really was _no_ other motivation to blowing up the mast than to ensure it was put 'beyond use', then it says a lot that such an expensive bit of kit could realise no more on the second hand market than its value as a pile of scrap...
Finally, I do apologize for my excessive 'verbosity' - yes, I most definitely need an editor!
Thank you so much CZcams/Phone for deleting half my comment and hours of work. It was probably full of 5h1+e, but now what remains just looks like gibberish... _Greaaate!_
@@richiehoyt8487 Fully agree. It's not true that AM broadcasting is expensive. The cost of transmitting the LW signal of RTE Radio 1 was equal to a single executive, or a 'personality' salary. Furthermore, RTE got 200 million EUR from the license fee in 2021 alone, so the LW broadcasting (EUR 400k/year) accounted for 0,2% of that sum. With this license fee funds from a single year, they could afford to broadcast on LW for the next 5 HUNDRED years. The amount of money spent on LW is like a needle in a haystack.
The management intentionally misled the public by claiming that LW listening figures are low. In 2014, they promised that they will launch Radio 1 on small-scale DAB in the UK before scraping LW, almost a decade later they did not launch a single transmitter and LW was switched off anyway. It was a scam. Additionally, in the Report of the Future of Media Commission, the RTE has acknowledged that they do not have any listenership figures for LW in the UK. After they announced the first plans of LW withdrawal in 2014, they got numerous responses from the diaspora stating that the service is vital, so it's clear that the reason why they didn't conduct any survey even though they had almost a decade to do so, was that it was crystal clear that the results would have been completely contrary to their rationale. "If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts"?
In their desperate search of any credible arguments supporting the LW withdrawal, they went as far as to claim it's done for the sake of CO2 emissions reduction. So, according to this hypocritical management, if you use a decades-old LW radio which takes few miliamps of power to listen to a single transmitter which costs pennies to operate, you're not green. You're only green if you use a smartphone (which is to be replaced as soon as its manufacturer deems it 'obsolete', in practice - every few years) to listen to their streaming which consumes hundreds times more energy and requires thousands of transmitters, datacenters etc to run. Pure nonsense.
The withdrawal of RTE from LW broadcasting has nothing to do with any listening figures, sustainability, financial matters etc, it's purely a matter of compromised and corrupt management redirecting funds from delivering a public service to themselves and their cronies, utterly shameful.
When Atlantic 252 used the same transmitter as mentioned, the signal was much stronger than today.
Remember as a kid listening to Atlantic 252 live in the nightclubs. Used to love hearing people live.
Yeah, it's an old wheeze - to use Ray's analogy of the bus services - when the service ceases to be a big earner, but there is a tiresome 'public service' imperative to stay on air/maintain the service, you just start to cheap out and progressively reduce the signal power/frequency of buses so that only the die~hards, or those with no alternative continue to avail of it, so that the broadcaster/transport company can then say "Oh well, look at the numbers, how can we justify the expense of keeping the channel open/maintaining the route...)
Of course the writing has been on the wall for AM in general (in this part of the World) and LW in particular for years... But the presence of at least _two_ English language stations quite near each other on the band might have had a synergistic effect on each other - but this, of course, pre~supposes a desire on the part of RTE and the BBC to stay on LW, when, as we know, no such thing exists!
The reason Algeria and Ireland are on 252 is that many countries were allocated frequencies on LW. Some, like Israel, never used their allocation Algeria and Ireland did. LW was much more congested in the past.
Ah, that's interesting. Thanks!
Good morning Ray. It is sad that we are losing many thease AM stations, but I can also understand that the cost of running them is becoming increasingly difficult. I can and still do listen to RTE on Wifi, it's just that somehow it does not give me the same buzz as listening to it on my Dansette 222. Oh well never mind.
Hi Terry, it’s nice to hear from you. You’re right, there’s nothing better than listening on a proper radio. Sad times. Cheers, Ray.
I tried to enjoy Radio North Sea international online but can't get the buzz either, even with the original jingles. I heard it once on shortwave recently but that was due only to conditions.
@@mmwaashumslowww7167 I know what you mean about the buzz. It’s gone.
Remember listening to Radio Luxembourg at night in the 60s,.
Yes, great times!
Thanks Ray. That jingle they played is a very old marching signature tune called O'Donell Abu. It was always played 60s 70s on medium frequency as well every morning before the station opened and then RTE started broadcasting 24/7 , brings back great memories Ray. Denny in Limerick.
Hi Denny, thanks for that. I did wonder about the jingle. Cheers, Ray.
It's played every weekday morning at 05:30 just before risin' time.
@@christopherhulse8385 OK thanks.
It did for me too. I remember as a child listening one Sunday morning with my father and hearing O’Donnell Abu. I asked my father what it was and he told me. Hearing it sowed the seed of my lifelong interest in radio. Later I found out O'Donnell Abu was an interval tune to help listeners particularly on SW to find the station. Finally I used to listen to RTÉ Radio 1 on 252 in my KA. It had LW unlike many modern cars. After the autumn equinox I noticed that about an hour before sunset I noticed Radio Algeria start to slowly increase in strength behind RTÉ.
Hi Ray it's jess M3zeg again.. It's depressing. I'm in Burnley so our local station is radio Lancashire. And to make it worse last week in the car traveling home from Blackpool the presenter was in tears live on air saying the fm VHS segmant for radio Lancashire had been sold off to a larger radio congrmalate.. What is radio becoming??? Sad news... And back to MW and MW. What or who are ofcom going to sell the freq to or what will all that space be used for??? Narrowband. 9kc. Digital. Not music but encrypted signals wouldn't surprise me.. Anyway 73s.and please keep the vids comming.
Hi Jessika, it's lovely to hear from you. What is radio becoming, indeed? I dread to think what Ofcom will do with medium wave. Hope all is well with you. Cheers for now, Ray.
It's sad to see all these AM stations switch off as we all think in terms of kids building their first crystal set and hearing the local transmitter, but kids don't do that nowadays. Meanwhile, less local means more DX as there are countries out there where AM will be used for a long, long time. Also, as I think you have pointed out before, with every household in Britain having an AM receiver, it won't be long before the pirates move in if the UK "officially" switches off MW - nobody will want to buy bandwidth there because of propagation and interference.
Hi Ray, I live in Oz nowadays where there is no LW broadcasting, just aircraft beacons. But in the 60/70's MW/LW was indeed fun to to 'surf'. In the 80s (90s?) I loved Atlantic 252, which was really the daughter of LASER 558, same jocks and sound. And it could be heard all over the UK. Last year I did a bit of UK touring and listened to RTE on 252 most of the time in the car. Some great music & talk shows, crystal clear in Scotland where there's nothing else. And finally, does anyone know the status of a possible 'reborn' Caroline on LW 279 from the Isle of Man? The project seems to have gone quiet.
Hi Phil, Atlantic 252 was brilliant. Radio Caroline now transmit from Orford Ness on 648kHz. I don’t know what happened to the Isle of Man project on 279 hHz. I’ll look into that and let you know if I discover anything. Cheers, Ray.
The slow death of AM broadcasting in the developed world is sad but inevitable, although having one frequency (198 kHz) that covered the whole UK and some of Europe might be extremely useful in the event of a serious national emergency, though whether anyone would have a LW radio with power or batteries is a moot point! But one central location (ok, three if you include 198kHz Westergen and Burghead) of info dissemination may have advantages over using tens of thousands of mobile-phone towers to reach millions of phones...
Anyway, the vacant channels now allow otherwise inaudible DX to be heard, and those of us who collect/restore vintage radios can build/buy little AM transmitters to cover the house and garden - er... and beyond!
You’re right, 198 could be very useful. In fact, 198 can be heard outside Europe, given a decent radio and aerial. As you say, the vacant channels will allow DX to be heard.
Yes I can remember all of that radio listening nostalgia as an SWL in the 60s,70s and 80s. The SW, MW and LW bands were full of AM broadcast stations, and many other SSB utility stations using could be heard as well on SW. There were pirate AM stations on 6 Mhz and just below 3.5 Mhz as well. I can remember listening to AM Shannon radio on 5 Mhz, yes AM not SSB, and some civil aircraft were using AM. Top band back then was awash with AM fish phone coastal stations, Humber radio etc and Hams were heard using AM both mobile and fixed. You could easily hear the whole 160 M band, using a converted AM transistor radio, while holding it near a telegraph pole in the street, Electrical noise was almost non existent, you could literally hear a pin drop. Top band Loran and the Jingle Bells, were creating immense QRM, in the evening. Yes it is sad that AM broadcast stations are going off air, personally I think it's a big mistake relying so much on the internet especially in these troubled times. We need to have a robust radio broadcast system in place, and not let it all go to the wall. Because you never know when it will be needed, if the internet were ever to go down.
Hi Matt, it's nice to hear from you. They were great days. AM fishphone... That's a term I've not heard in years! Happy Days! Shannon on AM, I remember that. I agree, it's a big mistake to scrap it all. Cheers, Ray.
@@g4nsj Ok Ray, yes I'm very happy to put my spin on all of this, because for me they were incredibly exciting times. Watching your video of course, brought back so many happy memories. I for one can remember some very interesting Hams I met along the way back then, all quite remarkable really.
@@mattbates6887 Glad you liked the video.
Funny you saying that, about putting a radio near a telegraph pole to get a boost in the signal - apparently Irish ex~pats used to do that on All - Ireland hurling and Gaelic football final Sundays in order to pick up the tenuous signal from Athlone (or, post '78? nearby Tullamore)... Amazing how inventive people can be!
Amazing to think it's not that long _really_ since you could even pick up the Fuzz on an unmodified FM radio!
@@richiehoyt8487 Yes absolutely right, you could easily listen to the police base stations on FM. Although you usually heard a continuous bleeping signal, when the police patrol car was talking, so only one side of the conversation could be heard as I remember. That's interesting about the Irish expats using a telegraph pole as an antenna, I didn't know that. As an SWL young lad at the time around the 70s, I converted a few AM transistor radios to coverTop Band 160M, and then going out to test them by standing adjacent to a telegraph pole. This worked very well indeed, could easily hear, coastguard stations such as Niton radio IOW, ships and some trawlers as well. Plenty of local Hams on 160M AM as well in the evenings, could hear them as well. They were great times in the 60s and 70s. 👍
How times are changing.I guess it won’t be that long before FM transmissions cease!
I have only just come across your channel on my lunch,have a Subscribe!👍
There has been talk of FM disappearing. Thanks for subscribing.
Ray,enjoyed that. RTE don’t plan demolition yet and are to be approached by amateurs to see if we could use it for a trial.
A great top band vertical!
Wow, that would be interesting!
I expect the idea of amateur trials didn't come to anything, given that, at least to me, it seemed like they were a bit peremptory about blowing up (down?) the mast.
Anyway, RTE have always been a bit "Dog in the Manger" - ish about other people on the bands...
Losing Radio 4 on Longwave when it eventually comes will be particularly sad, it's about the only thing left on 1930's 40's sets that's worth listening to. Is there not a way enthusiasts like us could fund it's continuation, like a subscription being in a club. I'd happily pay a sum for the pleasure of being able to use my vintage sets.
100% agree. I'd be interested how much it would cost to book time on one of the romanian transmitters that constantly run the old recordings of brother stair. Doesn't seem to be that expensive. Regarding the programming, just do something like Radio Charleston International and it would be a perfect station for all the vintage radio collectors here in europe, only easier to receive.
Sad days indeed...
I have got a QSL card from Atlantic 252
Sadly there's no come back for 252 as 2RN have demolished the Summerhill mast in County Westmeath.
That is a shame, the end of another era.
RTE had reduced the power to 150kw by day and 60kw by night according to reports, a far cry from the 500kw of Atlantic 252.
A far cry, indeed.
RTE also demolished the 270 metre (900+ feet) half-wave MW mast at Tullamore this year.
Thanks for the information. Such a shame.
I remember the Algerian station fighting Atlantic 252 back in the 90s. It doesn't come in strong at all nights, the Arabic station on 150 is clearer. Now there are only 4 broadcasters left, and only one I can understand. Radio 4 is a pan-European radio with reliable news and occasional entertainment. I enjoyed hearing about local events in Ireland that don't make on the internation bulletins.
Yes, I remember Algeria in the background. Back in the 60s Albania were 1kHz away from Radio One on medium wave. It was annoying so Radio One moved on to their frequency.
Hi Ray, I also managed to catch the loop tape announcement from RTE Radio 1 on 252 kHz via an online SDR receiver based in Kilmartin Cork Ireland. Interestingly enough, prior to the close down, the LW RTE Radio 1 overnight programme seemed to be taking RTE Gold on 252 kHz. Not sure if RTE Radio 1 on FM would be the same. Many Aussie AM stations have switched off, moving to FM. More recently, they have even started switching off the AM stations here mid programming with no loop tape whatsoever. The AM radio was great here back in the 1960's with all the AM stations running individual programming. Many AM stations here are networked these days and apart from the occasional local ID and local ads, it all sounds the same. Also, back in the 1960's many AM stations here would close down at midnight, leaving the dial completely clear for overseas DX. They were indeed happy days. Anyway, take care and all the very best. Rob in Melbourne Australia.
Hi Rob, nice to hear from you. It's interesting that many Aussie AM stations have closed down. I suppose it's happening all over the world. So sad. Cheers, Ray.
@@g4nsj I actually tried 252 kHz here in Melbourne, with very high hopes, I suppose, and no, I didn't hear RTE Radio 1 running the loop tape directly on my own equipment here. If I had, I think it would have to be close to a LW DX world record I think. Well, it was worth giving it a try anyway!!!
@@RGC198 certainly worth a try.
@@g4nsjI think I have listened to that RTE Radio 1 loop tape a few too many times, as now I can't get the tune out of my head!!!
@@RGC198 😂👍
Thanks Ray, as ever you hit on a really interesting point. I mean, in the grand scheme of public expenditure, is it really such a terrible thing keeping LW alive? There seems to be a growing mindset, suggesting digital and analogue have to be mutually exclusive. Pity.
I agree, it's such a shame.
Ray, Look at the bright side ..... I hope you are health and are loosing weight normally.... I hope to loose a few "stones" myself this year.....
Oh yea, Long wave radio beacons in North America and Canada are going (gone) off the air......
The time's are a changing......
73
SBF
Thanks for that. Yes, still losing weight and keeping healthy. Cheers, Ray.
I sometimes wonder if the restricted top end bandwidth of AM broadcast stations is actually a bonus. If I have a wi-fi "radio" station on as background whilst doing other tasks, it is much more intrusive. It's almost as if the bandwidth/imperfections of AM allow the brain to subconsciously listen to programme material and only when something of particular interest pops up, bring one's full attention to it. Hence AM can be far superior for using radio for background pleasure in a real-life "multitasking" kind of situation. Or something like that...😮
Well, that's an interesting thought. You might well be right!
Iceland Ruv is closing down long-wave at 189 kHz from 2024. It has already shut down their LW transmitter in eastern Iceland. It is going to be replaced by FM broadcast and internet streaming since 4G coverage is good in Iceland.
That’s not good news. It won’t be long belong wave is dead!
Love your videos Ray, pity 252 is closing. Alot of the irish diaspora in the UK quite upset, especially the older generation who can't/ won't listen on line ( RTE Gold is a brilliant statio, but only on line)
Yes, it's a great shame. A sign of the times, I suppose.
Yes, I expect RTE will be missed by many in the Irish immigrant community - especially on All Ireland (Hurling and Gaelic Football) Final Sundays! I'm afraid I can't bring myself to agree with you about RTE Gold, though! As annoying as 'Smashie & Nicey' - types (am I showing my age?!) wittering all over the records can be, they were preferable to sterile computer devised (and, I expect, played and transmitted via computer too) and presenter free playlists, and such automated 'Gold' stations seem to be pretty much '10 a~penny' - particularly online, but on air, also...
PS RTE Gold _are_ on air - but only on FM, so yeah, not a lot of use to you if you are living in the UK.
@richiehoyt8487 I live in Wickliw, 50 km south of Dublin and have never heard Rte gold on fm, can you send me a link with frequencies and times?
@@iainfisher6557 🤦🙄😔 Oh Zoinks! How Embarrassing! Seems like I mis~spoke... Allow me to present myself as an example of why one has got to take information picked up in the CZcams comments with a pinch of salt! You are, of course correct... Well, I was also 'kind of' correct - _'technically_ correct' (which, they tell me, is the _best_ kind of correct!) Yeah, since RTE shut down DAB broadcasts, basically it hasn't been available over the air... Except when RTE (Radio) 1 finishes 'proper' programming for the night, at 2 am, when of course decent people are in their beds, but miscreants like me are doing our busywork of spreading misinformation on the Web! When 'Late Date' finishes for the night, they patch in the feed from RTE Gold, more, I suppose, as a placeholder than anything else. During the small hours of the night it is just automated programming (except the news bulletins are live, or seem to be, at any rate) hence my comment, but they _do_ have DJ's most of the time. Believe it or not, it was actually troubling me the last 24 hrs - "Did I just (inadvertently) tell that person a lie..?" I couldn't access Google during that time (phone difficulties) so I tried making my self useful by going oldschool and scanning up and down the band. I couldn't find any of my analogue radios (it's like a bombsite in here!) Let me tell you, FM bandscans on a DSP radio feels like nothing so much as homework! Kinda makes me wonder if it's going to be another nail in the coffin of kids creeping up and down the bands (like I did) for nothing more than the fun of it...
Anyway, fwiw, in Dublin, Radio 1 are on 88.5 mHz, I don't know whether or not you're close enough in Wicklow to share the same frequency. As you know, Gold stream; or you can probably get them on your telly, on Ch. 208, Saorview, and Virgin Media Ch. 947, which may not be much use to you when you're out driving about?! Sorry again for the bum steer!
"I went and gone dunnit again!" That should've been Virgin Ch. 941!
Hi Ray, that 252 kHz signal that you had early in the morning sounds like Arabic type music, making it more likely Algeria. That seems to be the only other station listed on that frequency. I am wondering if the other signal that you heard at night may have either been a pirate or some sort of harmonic image. All the very best. Rob.
Hi Rob, yes, Algeria. And possibly a pirate in the background. Cheers, Ray.
Sad. Here in Denmark I have been able to listen to RTE both day and night, Must be something like 900km distance. Same with radio 4 on 198 kHz, day and night. I to love vintage radio and the oddities of the low frequencies. I have never heard the station that is in the background on 252kHz may try to listen in tomorrow.
I am thinking about building some AM weak transmitters but it will never be the same.
Thanks for the video.
Hi, it's nice to hear from you. The background station should be clear now as RTE have switched the transmitter off. It's Radio Algeria. Cheers, Ray.
good to hear Denmark is still using 243khz for the mariners.
@@g4nsj I have now been listening on 252kHz for a while but I dont receive Algeria, at least until now. I am using an old ITT with ferrite antenna. It is a very good radio. I to have a bunch of good and les good radios but none does get Algeria in.
Now after brexit would you be so kind to tell me if GB still allow the use of scanners ? Im going to London for holiday and would at least like to listen to hamradio there.
Have a nice weekend.
@@tonymagnier9846 Yes it is although they switch off the transmitter most of the day. Weather, news and info is transmitted daily at around 4, 6, 10 and 16 hours UTC. VHF only reaches 50 - 60 km and not every fisherboat has satellite equipment onboard but LW reaches 1000km easy all around the clock. I wonder why not all countries does it.
Have a nice day and a nice listening.
I understand RTE was already running 150kw daytime and 60kw at night. Way down what the transmitter is capable of doing. Whilst BBC Radio 4 is already running half power. From what I recall the BBC has target date 2027 at the date to finish off Radio 5 on medium wave, whilst they have been very vaig about BBC Radio 4 on Long Wave. I have a feeling once the power metering service is removed (Phase mod on carrier), then the transmitter will be switched off.
I think you're right about the metering service. Once that's no longer required, that will be then end of 198. Cheers, Ray.
The mast is also gone to sad times
Very sad... never to be replaced.
Hi Ray, it's been a long time! I'd have thought the RTE 252 transmitter would be far cheaper to run than the BBC's 198. Wasn't it brought in new by Atlantic 252 in 1989? The BBC Radio 4 198 must still have steam engines turning the cogs! Hoping your retirement's going well, My wife's got me busier than when I was working!
Yes, I thought it would be cheaper. I know what you mean about retirement. Crikey, it's non stop! Cheers, Ray.
Even newer than that - sometime in the interim, they replaced the original 500kW transmitter with two 'more modern'(?) 300kW set ups, but I don't believe they ever used the two in tandem (if doing such a thing is even possible, I "don't know enough to know", if you get me!) It seems questionable if they even ran the nominal 300kW in recent years anyway, even during the day...
Ray do you think the hams will get some frequency allocation in these parts of the bands.
Long wave medium wave ect in time
That's certainly a possibility.
Hello Ray, indeed a pity all those MW and LW stations are gone, with my Tecsun S2000 (thx to you ! ) my first thought was the reception was not so well, untill realizing that you are absolutely right ! One more question for the S2000, what antenna for SW enhancement reception would you recommend ? Greetings from Ghent, Belgium Tom
Hi Tom, For short wave I use a wire antenna down the garden. Also, you might find a MiniWhip active antenna useful. They are on eBay. Cheers, Ray.
Thx Ray !
They wouldn't close down BBC 198 MHz LW because it still broadcasts the shipping forecast which is obviously important for boats/ships in the UK region
I hope they don’t close 198 but, look at this…. radiotoday.co.uk/2023/05/more-details-announced-regarding-bbc-radio-4-long-wave-switch-off/
Hi this is very sad it has been coming for years I do think it is a mistake relying completely on digital as they will turn off fm stations very very sad I remember the mw transmitter very very strong in Dublin not so much around the country thank you very much ray
I don't have a source to hand for this other than vague memory, but I believe they had a 10 kW infill transmitter in Dublin... They certainly did in Cork.
In the United States all you can receive on LW, unless you've got a massive aerial are CW airport beacons
We also have the CW airport beacons. Sadly, I think they are going to die out eventually.
Did I hear somewhere that Ireland has abandoned DAB?
Hi Sarah, I heard that somewhere, too. Not sure if it's true. All the best,
Ray.
@@g4nsj yes its true, RTE abandoned DAB (stands for Dead And Buried in Ireland!) some years back after the failure to get commercial stations onboard coupled with inertia/ignorance from Govt.
Hasn't stopped appliance stores continuing to sell DAB radios without a 'health warning'... Scummy l8as†errds!
I blame the digital revolution... The days of scrolling up and down the band listening to the pops,bangs and squeaks of LW are saddly dying...
Yes, you’re right. 😟
Disgrace
👍
Videos too short good man
I don't like to bore people. Cheers, Ray.