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The 'AM death watch' thread...


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Old 29-09-2012, 11:59
FmBandScan
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My favourite thing about MW is the fact I can walk all the way to work listening to RTL 1440 and I don't lose the signal once!
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Old 29-09-2012, 20:46
kev
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http://www.a516digital.com/2012/09/b...tended-in.html

Looks like BBC Radio Nottingham and BBC Kent on 1602 MW outlets will be gone for good.
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Old 29-09-2012, 23:25
crusher19860138
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http://www.a516digital.com/2012/09/b...tended-in.html

Looks like BBC Radio Nottingham and BBC Kent on 1602 MW outlets will be gone for good.
1602khz is a poor frequency,as it is right at the top of the radio dial,i had analogue radios that would not reach up there,as well as the high attenuation of the signal at that high frequency,meaning the signal would not reach as far as 774khz would.
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Old 29-09-2012, 23:36
Martin Phillp
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774 does serve a purpose in Kent, it reaches areas such as Thanet and Ashford where 104.2 reception is poor and has no FM relay. However, both areas have Kent DAB mux coverage.

1602 serves SW Kent (Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Paddock Wood) and FM reception from Wrotham on 96.7 should be sufficent along with DAB on the Kent mux from Tunbridge Wells.
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Old 30-09-2012, 22:56
Mike_P
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II travel through Skipton very regularly on my way up to the Grassington area. The coverage of the new FM TX for Skipton nowhere near matches 1413am, it's even patchy in the town itself. As for claiming reception is possible in Otley from the Ilkley TX - No chance!
According to Strays tweets they have 107.1 in Skipton Town Centres (as well as Ilkley and Pateley) and 107.8 for Craven. They have been running an promo re 1413 being switched off, no mention of 936. Star meanwhile have tweeted
"Star Radio in Richmond right now getting ready to launch new Richmond transmitter at 6am tomorrow. Listen on 102.6fm across Richmonshire! "
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Old 01-10-2012, 03:36
vinnielo
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http://www.strayfm.com/your-communit...-the-dales.php no longer lists the AM frequencies.
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Old 01-10-2012, 14:44
PDMB
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"Star Radio in Richmond right now getting ready to launch new Richmond transmitter at 6am tomorrow. Listen on 102.6fm across Richmondshire! "

Expansion to Richmondshire officially announced on Star's website here: http://www.thisisstar.co.uk/news/loc...richmondshire/
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Old 01-10-2012, 16:21
crusher19860138
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It's not rocket science,FM is line of sight and hills will block the signal in most cases,especially the local weaker ones,AM is the only comprehensive way to cover a hilly region reliably.
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Old 01-10-2012, 18:08
hanssolo
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It's not rocket science,FM is line of sight and hills will block the signal in most cases,especially the local weaker ones,AM is the only comprehensive way to cover a hilly region reliably.
Not necessarily as AM depends on the daytime ground wave, seems to work in some places, but if the terrain is not a conductive material like some rocks, it will not cover hilly regions?
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Old 01-10-2012, 18:10
wns_195
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It seems Magic takes AM seriously. I noticed the Magic 828 signal was very weak on Saturday and Sunday mornings but on Sunday afternoon it was back to normal.
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Old 01-10-2012, 18:28
kev
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It seems Magic takes AM seriously. I noticed the Magic 828 signal was very weak on Saturday and Sunday mornings but on Sunday afternoon it was back to normal.
One hasn't listened to Magic 999 then... A few years back it was iding as "Londons Magic 105.4-9-99AM" (i.e. the 999 jingles were out of synch with the networked London programming) for a whole summer during shared programming, and the audio quality has been derisory for years. One of the reasons my parents got DAB!
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Old 01-10-2012, 18:54
jack846
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Are 936, 1413 and 1431 now silent then?
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Old 01-10-2012, 19:20
hanssolo
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AM ( medium wave) is still a big deal for talk and golden oldies stations in America. As talk radio is particularly popular in more rural parts of America, AM shows no sign of dying over there.
Others may not agree?
http://www.rwonline.com/article/am-d...nd-doom/215687
AM has become a dumping ground for lackluster programming, a lack of investment and a dismal outlook.
His answer is for the US stations with old kit to invest in new kit, and have new songs on AM only, but I can't see this working?
Others have suggesting digitizing the US AM band using HD radio
http://www.rwonline.com/article/all-...sidered/215014
However, the matter of AM’s health and future is a current industry debate topic. Against that background, members of the NAB Radio Technology Committee now want to test iBiquity Digital’s all-digital AM system to quantify any such improvements. This would entail putting one or more all-digital AM signals on the air experimentally at existing stations.

The idea, I hear, is one of several being bandied about in discussions about how to help AMs, particularly medium- and small-market AMs that lack powerful signals, to remain economically viable.
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Old 01-10-2012, 20:06
Beacon Hill
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According to Strays tweets they have 107.1 in Skipton Town Centre (as well as Ilkley and Pateley) and 107.8 for Craven. They have been running an promo re 1413 being switched off, no mention of 936. "
I was in the Dales Friday evening - announcements on both am frequencies of the impending closure.
Fair play to UKRD on adressing the central Skipton coverage issue - I'm sure that the town centre TX wasn't originally on the cards, it can only be a few watts erp but it fills the gaps in the coverage of 107.8 which I'm sure has also been 'tweaked' since coming on air - the signal around Grassington is much improved from a couple of weeks ago.
The Ilkley TX must have also had a visit as you mentioned, pretty solid reception in Otley this morning.

Are 936, 1413 and 1431 now silent then?
They were both still transmitting Sunday afternoon, but nothing today. At what time the plug was pulled who knows?
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Old 01-10-2012, 20:22
jack846
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They were both still transmitting Sunday afternoon, but nothing today. At what time the plug was pulled who knows?
Ah right, thanks. Noticed Stray FM have some pictures of the new 107.8 transmitter on their facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...type=3&theater
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Old 01-10-2012, 21:00
Mike_P
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936 was off air by 9 this morning, presumably the plug got pulled either at midnight or 6.
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Old 01-10-2012, 21:39
vinnielo
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So Settle and Hawes have been left without local radio?
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Old 02-10-2012, 13:45
wavy-davy
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So Settle and Hawes have been left without local radio?
Settle should get some kind of signal on 107.8, Hawes can just about get The Bay on 96.9 I think.
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Old 02-10-2012, 16:36
crusher19860138
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936 was off air by 9 this morning, presumably the plug got pulled either at midnight or 6.
Very sad,another AM transmitter gone and the loss of a local service to those who really need it.
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Old 02-10-2012, 20:39
PDMB
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Settle should get some kind of signal on 107.8, Hawes can just about get The Bay on 96.9 I think.
What about BBC Radio Cumbria, Lancashire or York?

I assume all three are receivable in daylight hours and Cumbria (Hawes)/ Lancashire (Settle) maybe available 24/7.

As an alternative to the BBC - I think Settle and Hawes may well end up with Community Radio; if not in this round (due to short time frame) but in the next.

I think Community Radio would be a good deal for both places as the station licenced would focus firmly on their community and they wouldn't have to share the output with dozens of other small settlements dotted in and around the National Park some up to 50 or 60 miles away.
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Old 03-10-2012, 10:52
smorris
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Settle should get some kind of signal on 107.8, Hawes can just about get The Bay on 96.9 I think.
There's a rather large mountain between Settle and the 107.8 TX site, I believe, so I wouldn't expect much more than scratchy mono (which is, to be fair, exactly what 1413AM was).

For Wensleydale (i.e. Hawes) and many other more rural parts of the Dales I doubt they will get any local radio at all without a very good tuner and a roof aerial. The BBC Local network up there is pretty poor.

I have to say I'm surprised Stray didn't choose to put FM transmitters in for any of Settle, Wensleydale or Sedbergh before pulling the plug on 936, given that they did put one in Pateley Bridge, which seems tiny compared to either. Maybe they will in future?
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Old 03-10-2012, 18:37
Mike_P
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The Pateley transmitters change to FM was done by Fresh not Stray
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Old 04-10-2012, 01:06
womer_uk
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What about BBC Radio Cumbria, Lancashire or York?.
BBC Cumbria FM bangs in on the A65 past Settle when I drive on it
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Old 30-10-2012, 18:14
ACL777
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Has anyone picked up any exotic MW Dx from central or Latin America ? I know the east coast of the USA is possible providing there's a path of darkness across the Atlantic.
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Old 30-10-2012, 18:29
David_Ayling
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hi everyone
it looks like from today that BBC Radio Essex / Radio Hereford & Worcester. will be having MW Switch Off Trial's. http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/mwtrial/
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