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Jack Fm - Herts beds bucks multiplex??

on the airon the air Posts: 1,275
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in Radio and Podcasts #1
So according to radio today Jack Fm bucks is now on this multiplex. Nothing that I can receive, anyone else picking this up or is the story incorrect?

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    GoodBuddyGoodBuddy Posts: 2,211
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    #2
    Isn't it now called BOB Home counties?
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    on the airon the air Posts: 1,275
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    #3
    No, according to radio today Jack Fm bucks is on as well, and that's why Jack Herts changed its name to Bob. It's included in the story about global making changes to the London mux, but can't seem to copy and paste the link on my phone. Grrrr.
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    MikeBrMikeBr Posts: 7,896
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    #4
    on the air wrote: »
    No, according to radio today Jack Fm bucks is on as well, and that's why Jack Herts changed its name to Bob. It's included in the story about global making changes to the London mux, but can't seem to copy and paste the link on my phone. Grrrr.

    Link here
    http://radiotoday.co.uk/2014/06/global-makes-london-dab-multiplex-changes/

    Nothing here yet, just done autotune. Nor is it listed on the JackFM website
    http://jackfm.co.uk/
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    Colin_LondonColin_London Posts: 12,717
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    #5
    Well there is plenty of spare space on there - enough for another 2 x 128kbps stereo stations and a 64kbps mono station.
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    mjdj1689mjdj1689 Posts: 3,304
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    #6
    I was in the area earlier and I can also confirm its not on either multiplex ?

    Quick question why are Heats Beds and Bucks and the Northants multiplex carrying the same radio stations on both multiplexes , why not just make it into one ?
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    Colin_LondonColin_London Posts: 12,717
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    #7
    mjdj1689 wrote: »
    I was in the area earlier and I can also confirm its not on either multiplex ?

    Quick question why are Heats Beds and Bucks and the Northants multiplex carrying the same radio stations on both multiplexes , why not just make it into one ?

    Yes they have the same stations. Probably saving on mux encoding costs - there is so much spare space there is no need to split the services. Are these two areas in line for licence merger anyway?

    It does lead the the bizarre circumstance of being able to listen to BBC Northampton in parts of London.
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    Harris TweedHarris Tweed Posts: 1,613
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    #8
    mjdj1689 wrote: »
    I was in the area earlier and I can also confirm its not on either multiplex ?

    Quick question why are Heats Beds and Bucks and the Northants multiplex carrying the same radio stations on both multiplexes , why not just make it into one ?

    It's a single Ofcom region (hence why there's a single Heart breakfast show across all four counties).

    I should imagine eventually they will be the same mux, once everyone finishes scratching their heads about re-engineering the local mux map.
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    SouthCitySouthCity Posts: 12,512
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    #9
    Harris Tweed wrote: »
    It's a single Ofcom region (hence why there's a single Heart breakfast show across all four counties).

    I should imagine eventually they will be the same mux, once everyone finishes scratching their heads about re-engineering the local mux map.

    Northants & HBB will keep the separate frequencies under the new Ofcom mux plan which is now finalised. The commercial stations prefer it that way so they can sell separate local advertising for the two areas.
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    N.DeanN.Dean Posts: 1,693
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    #10
    Colin_London wrote: »
    ...

    It does lead the the bizarre circumstance of being able to listen to BBC Northampton in parts of London.

    Although it also means that BBC Northampton reaches the whole of Northamptonshire, which it cannot do with its FM transmitters.
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    Gerry1Gerry1 Posts: 4,224
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    #11
    N.Dean wrote: »
    Although it also means that BBC Northampton reaches the whole of Northamptonshire, which it cannot do with its FM transmitters.
    It also reaches down into Kent, which is more than BBC Radio Kent manages to do in this neck of the woods...:(
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    N.DeanN.Dean Posts: 1,693
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    #12
    Gerry1 wrote: »
    It also reaches down into Kent, which is more than BBC Radio Kent manages to do in this neck of the woods...:(

    Radio Kent's predeicted coverage is:
    http://tx.mb21.co.uk/mapsys/map-station.php?mapid=14

    Are you saying that it does not achieve this ?
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    GoodBuddyGoodBuddy Posts: 2,211
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    #13
    N.Dean wrote: »
    Radio Kent's predeicted coverage is:
    http://tx.mb21.co.uk/mapsys/map-station.php?mapid=14

    Are you saying that it does not achieve this ?

    Kent on DAB is dire in Kent. In Herne Bay its a very poor signal.
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    hanssolohanssolo Posts: 22,672
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    #14
    DAB in Kent was restricted to prevent potential interference to French analogue TV, which has now closed, a plan was issued, but is taking ages to increase DAB powers and to add sites
    http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/dab-coverage-planning/AnnexB/DSO_11C_Kent_DAB_V1_0.pdf
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    Gerry1Gerry1 Posts: 4,224
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    #15
    N.Dean wrote: »
    Radio Kent's predicted coverage is:
    http://tx.mb21.co.uk/mapsys/map-station.php?mapid=14

    Are you saying that it does not achieve this ?
    Wow ! That historical analogue map is decades old; it even refers to VHF, MF and wavelengths. You'd have to be somewhere far beyond Alpha Centuri to hear Radio Kent on 290m... ;-)

    In fact, I was comparing the massive overspill from the HBB mux with the DAB coverage on NOW Kent which is absolutely hopeless.

    Not much green on this map - they forgot to include a transmitter at Wrotham ! :(
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    SouthCitySouthCity Posts: 12,512
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    #16
    Gerry1 wrote: »
    Not much green on this map - they forgot to include a transmitter at Wrotham ! :(

    This is the 2016 predicted coverage map ((funded under the MoU agreement):

    http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/dab-maps/Kent.pdf
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    hanssolohanssolo Posts: 22,672
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    #17
    SouthCity wrote: »
    This is the 2016 predicted coverage map:

    http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/dab-maps/Kent.pdf
    With no radio DSO date there does not seem any urgency to increase the local DAB coverage to match the FM coverage for Heart and BBC local radio before 2016?

    If Jack does appear in the HHB DAB mux alongside the renamed Bob this will be the first time Jack has been in an area without FM coverage. Although there does seem to be a fall out between Jack's owners and Bob's owners over franchising, could perhaps be the start of Jack's owners (Passion Radio ltd or ARI or Oxis whatever they are called now) intention on the jackfm.co.uk website to expand to more areas of the UK using DAB?
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    SouthCitySouthCity Posts: 12,512
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    #18
    hanssolo wrote: »
    With no radio DSO date there does not seem any urgency to increase the local DAB coverage to match the FM coverage for Heart and BBC local radio before 2016?

    There is no DSO date but the terms of the MoU haven't changed:
    In the next phase, the BBC, Commercial radio and the Government will together fund the build out of the local DAB tier to near commercial FM equivalence by 2016

    This new roll out phase will give around 4m households access to local commercial and BBC services on digital by 2016.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/go-digital-conference-16-december-2013-check-against-delivery
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    N.DeanN.Dean Posts: 1,693
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    #19
    Gerry1 wrote: »
    Wow ! That historical analogue map is decades old; it even refers to VHF, MF and wavelengths. You'd have to be somewhere far beyond Alpha Centuri to hear Radio Kent on 290m... ;-)

    In fact, I was comparing the massive overspill from the HBB mux with the DAB coverage on NOW Kent which is absolutely hopeless.

    Not much green on this map - they forgot to include a transmitter at Wrotham ! :(

    Sorry. I missed the point. In BBC Northampton's case, DAB from a neighbouring local MUX has filled-in gaps in FM coverage.
    I thought the point being made was that Radio Kent's FM coverage is inadequate for its TSA and that DAB has not helped.
    In fact the point being made was the reverse: i.e. Radio Kent's FM coverage fills in gaps where its DAB transmissions do not reach.
    There is no point in increasing Radio Kent's FM coveage when FM does the job well enough.
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    80sfan80sfan Posts: 18,522
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    #20
    What this area desperately lacks is a decent oldies service. Jack from Oxford would offer nothing in an area where the most ridiculous FM overlap of Heart is at its worst. Stevenage has Heart Essex & Oxford fighting it out as does Heart Kent & Cambridge on 103. Just crazy. Jack & Bob are neither true oldies stations per se sadly
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