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The 'AM death watch' thread...


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Old 22-02-2016, 23:37
Brightonelectri
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I wouldn't be bored, it is an interesting discussion, and while I live somewhere where the broadband and 4G is good, I also travel to where it is pitiful. The idea that everyone will change to streaming audio and video is going to require a lot of infrastructure that would have to be funded somehow.

Here in London, one transmitter mast at Crystal Palace provides the radio and television services for almost 12 million people. If that was all to go over to IP, it would be interesting to see how the networks manage.
Not all Londoners get their Freeview signal from Crystal Palace. There are low power
relays at Lea Valley,Docklands, The Arsenal Stadium, Hampstead,Alexandra Palace
and Hammersmith (among others) some people in North West London get their
signal from Meridian TV and in South East London those on east facing hills
get the signal from Meridian South-East. The construction of towers at Canary Wharf
cut off the Crystal Palace signal for a large number of residents. Reception problems
not found in East Anglia (few hills, few tower blocks)
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Old 23-02-2016, 05:07
hanssolo
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The BBC had to make savings so cut F1 and made BBC3 programmes like Cookoo on iPlayer first with a repeat of BBC1, so will be interesting to see if it works?
My French is very poor. When France did its grand switch off, did the stations make an effort to let listeners know what was going on, suggest alternative platforms etc?
Radio France had to make savings so switched of MW which were also on FM, just one station with minority langague optouts in Strasburg had to go online only. LW switch will be this year.
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Old 23-02-2016, 05:10
hanssolo
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Maybe they could have dressed it up as a competition?

Do you live in the Bristol area, and always wanted your own medium wave transmitter in your back garden? Now you could be the envy of your neighbours.........
Haha
I eexpect the masts will come down before people move into the new houses?
http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/gallerypage.php?txid=1540
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Old 23-02-2016, 08:22
Mark C
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Haha
I eexpect the masts will come down before people move into the new houses?
http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/gallerypage.php?txid=1540
Might be nice to retain the mast base insulators, and make them a patio feature ?

Perhaps some of the estate roads should be named after Radio Bristol and Radio West presenters and staff.

Dave Cash Crescent, Micheal Burek Boulevard ?
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Old 23-02-2016, 12:48
Hybrid tellies
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It would be nice if they would preserve the transmitters especially the 1548Khz one which had superb modulation and audio quality. On some of my better portable radios the quality was almost FM'ish and certainly a lot better than DAB.
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Old 23-02-2016, 14:00
jpg23
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Can someone please check 990 kHz (Redmoss transmitter) that carries BBc Radio nan Gaidheal.

According to the new Tech Parmaaters, this transmitter has closed. It is no longer listed on the spreadsheet.

Thanks
Service ended last November!
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Old 23-02-2016, 14:08
commseng
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Not all Londoners get their Freeview signal from Crystal Palace. There are low power
relays at Lea Valley,Docklands, The Arsenal Stadium, Hampstead,Alexandra Palace
and Hammersmith (among others) some people in North West London get their
signal from Meridian TV and in South East London those on east facing hills
get the signal from Meridian South-East. The construction of towers at Canary Wharf
cut off the Crystal Palace signal for a large number of residents. Reception problems
not found in East Anglia (few hills, few tower blocks)
Of course there are areas that will not see the main station for an area, my point was that a simple high power station could cover a huge number of people, and was therefore a very effective and efficient system. True of AM, FM or television.
A separate thread was started for this topic if you have a dig around.
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Old 23-02-2016, 14:11
commseng
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Might be nice to retain the mast base insulators, and make them a patio feature ?

Perhaps some of the estate roads should be named after Radio Bristol and Radio West presenters and staff.

Dave Cash Crescent, Micheal Burek Boulevard ?
I tried to go down Radio West Road, but it turned into GWR Avenue, and then i was in the Heart of Bristol......... I'll get my coat........
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Old 23-02-2016, 14:39
Mark C
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I tried to go down Radio West Road, but it turned into GWR Avenue, and then i was in the Heart of Bristol......... I'll get my coat........
...still, nice gesture to have named the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and The SS Great Western after Brunel AM
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Old 23-02-2016, 15:52
lundavra
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Of course there are areas that will not see the main station for an area, my point was that a simple high power station could cover a huge number of people, and was therefore a very effective and efficient system. True of AM, FM or television.
A separate thread was started for this topic if you have a dig around.
And most of the small relay stations in the area will be relaying from the main station so the majority of viewers will be viewing it one way or another.
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Old 23-02-2016, 17:01
jimbo
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Service ended last November!
Thanks for confirmation
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Old 24-02-2016, 00:23
Colin_London
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Thanks for confirmation
The BBC turned off an AM transmitter and absolutely no-one on here noticed
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Old 24-02-2016, 01:05
jimbo
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The BBC turned off an AM transmitter and absolutely no-one on here noticed
It's just that we were not aware of it. In the old days, that transmitter carried "Radio Aberdeen".

At least that is now cleared up - but yet another one bites the dust.

Also just to say that it has now been announced when RTE Radio 1 in 252 LW will close.

Monday 1 May 2017
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Old 24-02-2016, 12:28
Sid Law
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It's just that we were not aware of it. In the old days, that transmitter carried "Radio Aberdeen".

At least that is now cleared up - but yet another one bites the dust.


Monday 1 May 2017
The Aberdeen 990 service was always a bit of an oddity as RnG is on FM everywhere else.
I wonder if its closure was announced on air?
As Colin London points out Aberdeen is not a big Gaelic speaking area - then again a lot of the residents of Aberdeen/shire aren't really English speaking either.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/1...t_Doric_terms/
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Old 24-02-2016, 14:03
MikeBr
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It's just that we were not aware of it. In the old days, that transmitter carried "Radio Aberdeen".

At least that is now cleared up - but yet another one bites the dust.

Also just to say that it has now been announced when RTE Radio 1 in 252 LW will close.

Monday 1 May 2017
The only report I can find about that is on MWInfo:

"Reception of RTE-1 on 252 Khz in South Devon UK has been pretty poor most of today and daytime on 23/02/16 due to strong co channel interference of Algeria’s Chaine 3.
It has been noted that RTE 1 on 252 Khz LW will close on Monday 1st May 2017.
Regards, Adam Birchenall (Grundig YB-400) (23/2-2016)."

Can't find any news reports or anything on the RTE website. On-air announcement on 252 only?
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Old 24-02-2016, 14:12
hanssolo
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Was always May 2017 back in 2014, presumably
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/m...year-1.2044348
RTÉ will operate a full longwave Radio 1 service next year, service with reduced hours in 2016, before closing it down in May 2017
--
Mr McGuire said the broadcaster remained convinced that longwave “has had its day”, but a delay would give British audiences longer to adapt to listening to its services digitally.
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Old 24-02-2016, 14:18
Hybrid tellies
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Apart from the loss of 990Khz Redmoss is still a very busy AM transmitter site transmitting BBC R4 on 1449Khz, BBC R5L on 693Khz, BBC R Scotland on 810Khz, Absolute on 1215Khz and Talk Sport on 1089Khz. All at lowish powers between 1-5Kw's but enough to serve the Aberdeen area.
I have heard the BBC R4 1449Khz signal a few times, after dark, here near Bristol.

Last edited by Hybrid tellies : 24-02-2016 at 14:20. Reason: Additional information
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Old 24-02-2016, 14:30
MikeBr
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But since then the Irish Government has financed a survey of the Irish in Britain on their longwave listening which has not reported yet, RTE has said that if the Government gave them funding they'd continue it, there is Diaspora funding in their budget, and there is now a general election in Ireland which may change things. Yet we suddenly have a report of a definite date in May 2017. from one individual on a website few read without quoting a source.
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Old 24-02-2016, 14:33
jimbo
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But since then the Irish Government has financed a survey of the Irish in Britain on their longwave listening which has not reported yet, RTE has said that if the Government gave them funding they'd continue it, there is Diaspora funding in their budget, and there is now a general election in Ireland which may change things. Yet we suddenly have a report of a definite date in May 2017. from one individual on a website few read without quoting a source.
I am trying to clarify this.
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Old 24-02-2016, 14:49
lundavra
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Apart from the loss of 990Khz Redmoss is still a very busy AM transmitter site transmitting BBC R4 on 1449Khz, BBC R5L on 693Khz, BBC R Scotland on 810Khz, Absolute on 1215Khz and Talk Sport on 1089Khz. All at lowish powers between 1-5Kw's but enough to serve the Aberdeen area.
I have heard the BBC R4 1449Khz signal a few times, after dark, here near Bristol.
And a TV site for a time!
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Old 24-02-2016, 15:32
Vectorsum
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The Aberdeen 990 service was always a bit of an oddity as RnG is on FM everywhere else....As Colin London points out Aberdeen is not a big Gaelic speaking area - then again a lot of the residents of Aberdeen/shire aren't really English speaking either....
He he, I was tempted to post a similar comment, but glad to be able to quote someone else! There's nothing as incomprehensible as a Peterhead trawlerman in full flight down the local boozer

Redmoss 990kHz always was a very strange outpost of Gaeldom; that the service vanished without a whimper shows that the "audience" was probably in the low double figures. It didn't even get a mention on the Beeb's own reception advice news. It would actually be quite interesting to know the thought process of whichever Beeb wonk thought it would be a great idea to put RnG onto 990 after Radio Aberdeen's disappearance.

Along with the Borders and East Central Scotland, the Northeast is not a Gaelic-speaking area. Historically, after about 1400 these areas spoke Broad Scots. No offence intended, but hearing anyone east of Inverness speak what they think is Gaelic always makes me smile. To a Gael it sounds pretty similar to what the cast of 'Allo, Allo' must sound like to a French speaker...
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Old 24-02-2016, 18:06
jimbo
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He he, I was tempted to post a similar comment, but glad to be able to quote someone else! There's nothing as incomprehensible as a Peterhead trawlerman in full flight down the local boozer

Redmoss 990kHz always was a very strange outpost of Gaeldom; that the service vanished without a whimper shows that the "audience" was probably in the low double figures. It didn't even get a mention on the Beeb's own reception advice news. It would actually be quite interesting to know the thought process of whichever Beeb wonk thought it would be a great idea to put RnG onto 990 after Radio Aberdeen's disappearance.

Along with the Borders and East Central Scotland, the Northeast is not a Gaelic-speaking area. Historically, after about 1400 these areas spoke Broad Scots. No offence intended, but hearing anyone east of Inverness speak what they think is Gaelic always makes me smile. To a Gael it sounds pretty similar to what the cast of 'Allo, Allo' must sound like to a French speaker...
Given it did get shut down without anyone noticing was probably because it was not mentioned anywhere.

BTW when did Radio Aberdeen stop broadcasting? (585 kHz used to be called Radio Solway, but that disappeared around 30 years ago I think!)

Thanks
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Old 24-02-2016, 18:43
lundavra
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When did Radio nan Gaidheal start from Meldrum? Could it have been that the Redmoss Medium Wave transmitter was available so someone decided to start an interim service on Medium Wave and they just never got around terminating it until recently?
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Old 24-02-2016, 19:35
Vectorsum
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2003 apparently, but outside the Highlands and Islands RnG is on the main FM txs only, and some of them at much reduced power. So it's just a token gesture really, much in the same way as 1kW on 990kHz from Redmoss; Radio Scotland MW in English is on 5kW from the same site so maybe the Beeb's thinking was that less transmit power was required as Gaels must have more sensitive hearing from hunting haggis all day on the hills

585kHz is still around, as a Radio Dumfries opt-out from Radio Scotland I think. It's quite useful in the Uplands going down the road, when Westerglen fades out and before Sandale FM comes in. It also came in handy recently when I was in Dublin, as it offered an alternative frequency to 810kHz for the evening footy, when this faded down.
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Old 24-02-2016, 22:01
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The only report I can find about that is on MWInfo:

"Reception of RTE-1 on 252 Khz in South Devon UK has been pretty poor most of today and daytime on 23/02/16 due to strong co channel interference of Algeria’s Chaine 3.
It has been noted that RTE 1 on 252 Khz LW will close on Monday 1st May 2017.
Regards, Adam Birchenall (Grundig YB-400) (23/2-2016)."

Can't find any news reports or anything on the RTE website. On-air announcement on 252 only?
I listened to 252 for a couple of hours this afternoon but heard no mention.
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