Metro Radio on 97.1 (10 KW, Burnhope) is also strong, but it's usually lost to Stray FM (97.2, Harrogate) when you go past the North York moors. Although Metro has a stronger power I think TFM still gets out further.
Metro's signal is strongly nulled to the south so it is relatively weak except near the coast. This is easy to show by comparing it to Durham FM (now Star) on 102.8MHz which is often nearly as strong despite having 1/20 Metro's maximum erp, but beamed south east.
Ive heard Pirate FM Redruth in the Lake District on a car radio whilst parked at the top of one of the passes before now
96.8 Radio Borders gets out well into the North Pennines and can be heard even in none lift conditions easy as anything around the Alston - Middleton in Teesdale areas - unless you are in the bottom of one of the valleys around there.....
This thread is re-awakening my DX'ing tendencies that I've supressed for many years!
Seriously, does anyone know a good aerial rigger who could sort out my aerial rotator? The wires have disconnected and it hopefully just needs reconnecting. However, its not been working for a couple of years so it may need a good checking out. Being disabled, I cant do it myself.
I just want someone around Manchester who could sort it out at a reasonable price.
Radio Jackie 107.8 gets out way beyond S.W. London. Any more power and they'd be a Greater London wide station! :rolleyes:
Indeed, car radio is able to pick it up near Hindhead! :eek:
You can also get it in Primrose Hill crystal clear in glorious stereo, but no surprise there really.
Silk FM does OK for a tiddly little local station - it can be heard right across Manchester and Liverpool, into the North Wales coast, down through Staffordshire and as far up the M6 as East Lancashire.
It has a TSA of around 180,000 but must reach an area of over three million people because its rural coverage area is surrounded by urban sprawl.
I've never been too impressed with Alsager's Bank as a tx site; while it throws a weak signal a long way north, it doesn't adequately cover the area it's meant to - Signal and Radio Stoke have big holes in coverage around the Potteries and south Cheshire.
Further north, you seem to be able to catch Northsound 1 and its neighbour Original Aberdeen in most coastal locations from Northumberland to Caithness.
Radio Jackie 107.8 gets out way beyond S.W. London. Any more power and they'd be a Greater London wide station! :rolleyes:
It can be received in North London but only when the local pirates are off air. Unfortunately it is sometimes impossible to do any DXing on the FM band in places like Tottenham because the whole of the band is clogged up with pirates which even manage to interfere with local stations such as LBC. It is something that needs to be dealt with.
Heart 96.3 (North Wales Coast) can be easily picked up on parts of the Fylde, particularly Fleetwood, where it has a stronger signal than nearer north west stations. Signal 1 travels for miles around too, as does the Revolution 96.2 and BBC Leeds 92.4/Sheffield 104.9.
while traveling south along the A1 i was listening to Trent FM 96.2 (nottingham) and i was still receiving a good signal just north of stamford.
it was still just about audible in the north western part of peterborough A47
I think one of the biggest commercial radio signals in England has to be from Kiss 106.4 from Mendlesham in Suffolk!
It can be heard over most of the East of England from that 1 transmitter alone, never mind the fillers. Mendlesham is one of the highest mast structures in the UK standing at 1,100ft! The broadcast antennas are right at the very top and are very high gain. There is a null to the East, with the max. signal being beamed West with an ERP of 20kW!
In the car during normal conditions you can hear 106.4 as far West as Bedford, which is 90 miles from the mast. Then as you get past Milton Keynes and on into Oxfordshire, the signal comes back again!
Whilst driving back to Telford I've encountered Beacon on 103.1 on the A14 between Kettering and the M6, Also in Derby and as far north as Congleton, before key 103 butts in!
Whilst driving back to Telford I've encountered Beacon on 103.1 on the A14 between Kettering and the M6, Also in Derby and as far north as Congleton, before key 103 butts in!
I think one of the biggest commercial radio signals in England has to be from Kiss 106.4 from Mendlesham in Suffolk!
It can be heard over most of the East of England from that 1 transmitter alone, never mind the fillers. Mendlesham is one of the highest mast structures in the UK standing at 1,100ft! The broadcast antennas are right at the very top and are very high gain. There is a null to the East, with the max. signal being beamed West with an ERP of 20kW!
In the car during normal conditions you can hear 106.4 as far West as Bedford, which is 90 miles from the mast. Then as you get past Milton Keynes and on into Oxfordshire, the signal comes back again!
kiss on 106.4 can be heard fine with RDS in peterborough
I used to be ab;e to pick up the Eagle or county sound as it was back then , I was living in the Southampton areaat the time , i could also pick up Capital in stereo crystal clear , LBC , bbc radio London , I could get bbc radio jersey , southern sound from brighton invicta , only extra thing i had was a length of wire round the bedroom wall attached to the end of the telescopic aerial on my radio cassette .
those were the days .
I live in doncaster now and get get TFM from stockton on my car radio which is a fair way from here
102.7, the Radio Leeds filler for Keighley, gets out a lot further than it should.
Many BBC Locals have tx patterns that are not ideas because historically they have had to be broadcast from existing sites. Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds are all broadcast from Holme Moss a transmitter in a corner of the TSA is going to travel further than a lower powered tx in the centre of the TSA.
Comments
Metro's signal is strongly nulled to the south so it is relatively weak except near the coast. This is easy to show by comparing it to Durham FM (now Star) on 102.8MHz which is often nearly as strong despite having 1/20 Metro's maximum erp, but beamed south east.
96.8 Radio Borders gets out well into the North Pennines and can be heard even in none lift conditions easy as anything around the Alston - Middleton in Teesdale areas - unless you are in the bottom of one of the valleys around there.....
Seriously, does anyone know a good aerial rigger who could sort out my aerial rotator? The wires have disconnected and it hopefully just needs reconnecting. However, its not been working for a couple of years so it may need a good checking out. Being disabled, I cant do it myself.
I just want someone around Manchester who could sort it out at a reasonable price.
You can also get it in Primrose Hill crystal clear in glorious stereo, but no surprise there really.
It has a TSA of around 180,000 but must reach an area of over three million people because its rural coverage area is surrounded by urban sprawl.
I've never been too impressed with Alsager's Bank as a tx site; while it throws a weak signal a long way north, it doesn't adequately cover the area it's meant to - Signal and Radio Stoke have big holes in coverage around the Potteries and south Cheshire.
Further north, you seem to be able to catch Northsound 1 and its neighbour Original Aberdeen in most coastal locations from Northumberland to Caithness.
it was still just about audible in the north western part of peterborough A47
It can be heard over most of the East of England from that 1 transmitter alone, never mind the fillers. Mendlesham is one of the highest mast structures in the UK standing at 1,100ft! The broadcast antennas are right at the very top and are very high gain. There is a null to the East, with the max. signal being beamed West with an ERP of 20kW!
In the car during normal conditions you can hear 106.4 as far West as Bedford, which is 90 miles from the mast. Then as you get past Milton Keynes and on into Oxfordshire, the signal comes back again!
Anyone know what power they kick out on 103.1?
2.7 kW from The Wrekin
BBC Sheffield is on 104.1 FM
kiss on 106.4 can be heard fine with RDS in peterborough
Yes apart from the North East coast who have galaxy or other station around 106.4 but if its clear it can get out for miles.
those were the days .
I live in doncaster now and get get TFM from stockton on my car radio which is a fair way from here
Similarly me and my missus listened to Real Radio Wales almost all the way to Exeter a couple of summers ago.
Many BBC Locals have tx patterns that are not ideas because historically they have had to be broadcast from existing sites. Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds are all broadcast from Holme Moss a transmitter in a corner of the TSA is going to travel further than a lower powered tx in the centre of the TSA.
I'm presuming that Northumberland isn't TFM's target area!
Isn't Kiss 101 the most powerful radio transmitter in the UK?
Although you are right it's a beast I've picked it up from Swansea to Swindon and up the M5 to Birmingham.:)
Station can be heard all the way from Penzance in Cornwall (95-odd miles away) right up to within 15-20 miles of Bristol!! :eek: