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The 'AM death watch' thread... |
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#576 |
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Join Date: Feb 2013
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Quote:
And cost of the data exceeding the petrol...
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#577 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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Quote:
To be fair, Manchester is a fair way from the Isle of Man, but I got nothing, not even a faint signal in the crackle.
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...8&postcount=22 |
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#578 |
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 430
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I live in Accrington, Lancashire and I get Manx Radio in Winter on 1368kHz with variable but audible reception (occasionally flutterfading and revealing BBC Radio Lincolnshire on the same frequency wiping out Manx Radio). In Spring and Summer it only comes in after dark with the same reception problems that dog it. However the further you get to the Lancashire Coast the better the AM reception on 1368kHz MW. Preston & Chorley plus Lancaster/Morecambe way gets a signal as does Merseyside and parts of Cheshire and the Wirral.
I sent them a post on fb and suggested that they move their 20kW MW transmitter the centre of the Island and equip it with an omnidirectional beam that spreads out to cover the whole Island-if they did that reception might improve in many parts of North West England and possibly get a bit further inland too, they have said they want to improve medium wave reception. The antenna at Foxdale is three quarter wave directional spreading North Westwards to cover a good part of the Isle Of Man hence parts of the coast of North West England getting it good. |
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#579 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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Quote:
I live in Accrington, Lancashire and I get Manx Radio in Winter on 1368kHz with variable but audible reception (occasionally flutterfading and revealing BBC Radio Lincolnshire on the same frequency wiping out Manx Radio). In Spring and Summer it only comes in after dark with the same reception problems that dog it. However the further you get to the Lancashire Coast the better the AM reception on 1368kHz MW. Preston & Chorley plus Lancaster/Morecambe way gets a signal as does Merseyside and parts of Cheshire and the Wirral.
I sent them a post on fb and suggested that they move their 20kW MW transmitter the centre of the Island and equip it with an omnidirectional beam that spreads out to cover the whole Island-if they did that reception might improve in many parts of North West England and possibly get a bit further inland too, they have said they want to improve medium wave reception. The antenna at Foxdale is three quarter wave directional spreading North Westwards to cover a good part of the Isle Of Man hence parts of the coast of North West England getting it good. They've no interest in serving the North West on AM anyway, they tried to sell advertising to the North West coast for a short time many years ago and there were objections from the islanders as it's a public service broadcaster responsible to Tynwald. See Tynwald reports on the station over the years. All this was reaffirmed yet again in 2002 and 2014, see here http://www.manxradio.com/about-us/ |
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#580 |
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 430
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MikeBr, Manx Radio FM does get into odd parts of North West England-South Lakeland Furness Area, for example gets one or more of the three FM transmitters because of umimpeded coastal line and sight and favourable reception over water i.e no obstructions.
I can pick up Snaefell Mountain 89.0Mhz FM at the top of Hameldon Hill above Accrington in good quality with stereo reception too with a Roberts multiband portable radio R9914 digital tuned set. Also via night-time AM skywave propagation Manx Radio 1368 also gets into parts of West Yorkshire too with variable degrees of success, few years ago I listened to the Late Show, and they had a written request AND reception report from Halifax West Yorkshire which proves you cannot stop an AM signal after dark getting to way beyond the intended reception area. |
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#581 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 175
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Manx Radio on 1368 khz is pretty much a local station in these parts and very strong. I also receive the FM service on both 89.0 and 97.2 MHz.
They sometimes do joint local programming with Downtown Radio, particularly the road racing events I..e. the Isle of Man TT and the North West 200, although I haven't heard these for a while now. 1368 khz is also switched off in the middle of the night from 2.00 am. Not sure when the transmitter comes back on again (6.00 am ?). I don't think they have any plans to close the 1368 kHz transmitter. |
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#582 |
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Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 13,570
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They looked at replacing AM with DAB back in 2009, but needed money from the Government and help from FM commercial stations to launch a local mux which did not happen.
http://m.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of...tion-1-1793204 But with AM operating costs increasing and DAB and internet radio costs dropping, and the BBC adding more DAB relays on the island, might be time to have another review? |
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#583 |
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 1,477
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I used to enjoy listening to Manx Radio when I lived in North Shropshire. The signal used to be quite strong during the 1970s and 80s on 1368 and their previous frequency.
Can barely hear it there nowadays though. |
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#584 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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Quote:
I used to enjoy listening to Manx Radio when I lived in North Shropshire. The signal used to be quite strong during the 1970s and 80s on 1368 and their previous frequency.
Can barely hear it there nowadays though. "There are listening ‘black spots’ on all three FM networks and AM coverage, whilst good, includes adjacent coastal areas of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland the North West of England and North Wales. AM is not really the most appropriate way to transmit to listeners today and the number and range of AM radios for sale on the Isle of Man is in decline. In addition, the AM transmitter is approaching replacement age and, additionally, circa £100,000 needs to be spent on maintenance of the AM mast in Foxdale. " "There is concern regarding the serviceability of the AM infrastructure and, imminently, a decision will need to be taken by Manx Radio and the Department of Home Affairs as to whether the replacement of the AM transmitter is a cost effective option to deliver the services currently available via the AM frequency" Wonder if they've reduced the power given the age of the transmitter, you can see they are not interested in reception outside the island. Their response argues for DAB/DAB+. http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/cc/consul...ioresponse.pdf The Isle of Man Amateur Radio society visited Foxdale in September 2013, some photos on their website. https://iomars.wordpress.com/2013/09...-site-foxdale/ |
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#585 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 1,477
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Quote:
Wonder if they've reduced the power given the age of the transmitter, you can see they are not interested in reception outside the island. Reception was by no means perfect when I used to listen in North Shropshire, but it was strong enough to listen on a portable radio without any problems and it was a great alternative to listen to something in the daytime that wasn't BBC or ILR. But it's just a load of mush nowadays. |
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#586 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 476
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Manx Radio can be heard all along the coasts of Wales, Cornwall, Eire, Ulster, Lancs, Cumbria, and Scotland on AM. Be a great folly to close it down.
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#587 |
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 1,477
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Quote:
Manx Radio can be heard all along the coasts of Wales, Cornwall, Eire, Ulster, Lancs, Cumbria, and Scotland on AM. Be a great folly to close it down.
But Radio Lincolnshire on 1368 had put paid to those plans. |
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#588 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 9,867
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Quote:
Manx Radio can be heard all along the coasts of Wales, Cornwall, Eire, Ulster, Lancs, Cumbria, and Scotland on AM. Be a great folly to close it down.
Surely the coasts of Wales, England, Ulster and Eire aren't part of the Isle of Man? |
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#589 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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Quote:
Why would it be a folly though?
Surely the coasts of Wales, England, Ulster and Eire aren't part of the Isle of Man? |
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#590 |
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Essex
Posts: 3,858
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Quote:
The report said that Manx Radio were upset at the BBC for allocating 1368 Khz to BBC Radio Lincolnshire at the time, because Manx Radio wanted to increase power on 1368 to become (as they put it) the "Radio Luxembourg of the Irish Sea"
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#591 |
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,455
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Quote:
That was going to be MusicMann 279 wasn't it?
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#592 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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There was an extensive account of the history of Manx Radio on their website for its 50th anniversary but it's not there now. That dealt with how the stations format/aims/funding changed over the years as well as coverage issues, the politics and the short time they were trying to get advertising from the mainland.
As to Lincolnshire this is from the Surrey Anoraks Society August 2012 news archive: "BBC Local Radio - From 17th August until 24th September the BBC is temporarily ceasing to transmit local radio in five areas – BBC Kent, BBC Lincolnshire, BBC Merseyside and BBC Nottingham. The aim of this is to ascertain what cost savings can be achieved and what impact it will have on listeners across the test locations. BBC Kent on 774 and 1602 kHz is carrying a loop message informing listeners of the experiment and advising them to tune into FM or DAB. Graham comments that closing BBC local radio AM tranmsissions has been discussed many times at our meetings including this months. Manx Radio would prefer Lincoln to be shut down as in 1977 the Home Office gave the Manx government a verbal agreement that 1368 kHz would be used exclusively by them only for HMG to break this within months. Manx Radio was prepared to accept Swindon and BBC Radio Sussex on the same channel but BBC Radio Lincolnshire always gave them interference." The directional aerial would have been used I would have thought either because it was needed to protect other stations on the frequency when co-ordinating the power increase they were wanting or to concentrate the signal onto the island or a combination of the two. |
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#593 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 1,477
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Quote:
That was going to be MusicMann 279 wasn't it?
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#594 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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This long document from 1983 was summarised on their history site.
They tried a regional approach to the station, they lost money thus had to be subsidised out of public funds, more and more ILR stations was a factor in this so it was concluded. 4.6 It is unlikely that Manx Radio will become a profit making organisation and it will therefore require a subsidy from the Taxpayer. This is acceptable providing the policy is one of serving the Island first; it must not be seen as an excuse not to have financial control. We feel that there is a need for a ceiling figure to be fixed in respect of an annual trading loss within which Manx Radio would operate with normal business prudence. It is so easy for the company to form the concept that Government will see them all right in the end. If the income cannot be increased, the expenditure levels must be decreased. http://www.tynwald.org.im/business/c...0Financing.pdf There have been problems with their financing on and off ever since hence the current position that they a national public service broadcaster. The long wave station was a separate licence to serve areas outside the island. |
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#595 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,448
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Quote:
Nope. We are talking a good 15 years before the rather elusive MusicMann 279 was talked about.
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#596 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 1,477
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Quote:
Rather shamefully, I realised today I still have 279 as a preset on my car radio. And yes, it's still silent
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#597 |
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Bristol UK
Posts: 944
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I can receive Manx radio on 1368 quite clearly most evenings here near Bristol by nulling out BBC R Wiltshire from Swindon. As for 279 LW during winter evenings I can quite often pick up Belarus, but for some strange reason not at other times of the year.
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#598 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 13,570
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Quote:
From the Manx Radio response to the Strategic Communications Review 2011, pages 15 and 16
"There are listening ‘black spots’ on all three FM networks and AM coverage, whilst good, includes adjacent coastal areas of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland the North West of England and North Wales. AM is not really the most appropriate way to transmit to listeners today and the number and range of AM radios for sale on the Isle of Man is in decline. In addition, the AM transmitter is approaching replacement age and, additionally, circa £100,000 needs to be spent on maintenance of the AM mast in Foxdale. " "There is concern regarding the serviceability of the AM infrastructure and, imminently, a decision will need to be taken by Manx Radio and the Department of Home Affairs as to whether the replacement of the AM transmitter is a cost effective option to deliver the services currently available via the AM frequency" Wonder if they've reduced the power given the age of the transmitter, you can see they are not interested in reception outside the island. Their response argues for DAB/DAB+. http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/cc/consul...ioresponse.pdf The Isle of Man Amateur Radio society visited Foxdale in September 2013, some photos on their website. https://iomars.wordpress.com/2013/09...-site-foxdale/ The problem with making reception pay outside the island is getting ad rates and looking at Rajar the number of listeners outside the island is not known as Radio Manx don't pay the extra fee for this, and probably will not be worth it. In the Isle of Man they get a good 47k, but the breakdown of listeners between AM, FM and internet does not seem to be published, or even if it is measured?. If the trend is like other places AM listening may be low and declining and national and agencies will not be interested? The other option for 1368 is to follow what happened at Eagle extra 1566AM with full paid for religious programming, but UCB have done this before on Radio Manx evenings, but never continued and doubt if they or Premier will pay for a new AM transmitter? |
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#599 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 13,570
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Seems the latest BMW i3, although it has FM and DAB radio as standard , AM is disabled due to interference from the electric motors (also there is no AM broadcasts left in Germany).
But lack of AM on the i3 has upset some US broadcasters. |
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#600 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,448
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Are there really no AM broadcasts left in Germany?
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