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The 'AM death watch' thread... |
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#1026 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 280
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Quote:
As David says MW does not have the bandwidth for FM or even narrowband FM as it only has 9khz slots.
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#1027 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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Quote:
Interesting R Maria restarting local MW (rather than national) in the Netherlands, must have found a new mast location? http://radioforum.foren.mysnip.de/re...1354757,page=1 It' went on the air 1800 yesterday, weak on the Twente receiver http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/ but you can confirm it by narrowing the bandwidth on Twente and using mute and checking on their webstream which can also be muted. http://www.radiomaria.nl/wp/player/ |
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#1028 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: London
Posts: 710
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I see that a temporary replacement for the 693kHz Radio 5 site at Start Point has appeared on mb21 - West Prawle (thanks Martin Watkins)
http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/gallerypage.php?txid=2145 |
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#1029 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,496
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Well spotted! Made a nice day out...
I'll PM you. |
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#1030 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Future EU Scottish Republic
Posts: 821
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A Datatrak mast, eh? I didn't know any of those were still standing.... OT for the 'AM Deathwatch', but I worked for Securicor in the early nineties, with the PMR tentacle down in Radstock, in what was then Avon.
The techs downstairs who had been trained to service the Datatrak VHF/UHF uplink units would talk now and again about how the 'RF module' was a bare push-pull power FET stage connected pretty much directly to the antenna. The uplink was a time division system over all units using that frequency everywhere in the UK and Ireland, and had such a miniscule duty cycle that neither any ATU nor any heatsinking was required for the RF stage. I would love to have actually seen one, but none came into the workshop in the year I was around as they were, quite literally, bomb-proof. |
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#1031 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,496
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Interesting, thank you Vectorsum.
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#1032 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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Quote:
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.
"Over time it was believed that listeners would migrate to FM reception. By 2015 it was considered that very few (if any) listeners would still be using 990. The transmission was closed on a trial basis on 23 November 2015. The trial was intended to confirm the BBC's assertion. "No announcement was made by the BBC ahead of this trial however to ensure that any relevant responses from the public were shared all relevant departments in the BBC were briefed ahead of the trial including Audience Services, Reception Advice, BBC Scotland Communications and of course Radio Nan Gaidheal. Over a two month period the BBC received no enquiries from the public regarding the closure. As such the decision was taken to make the cessation final on 29 January 2016." |
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#1033 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Future EU Scottish Republic
Posts: 821
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Quote:
...Over a two month period the BBC received no enquiries from the public regarding the closure [of Redmoss 990 kHz RnG]. As such the decision was taken to make the cessation final on 29 January 2016.
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#1034 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Essex
Posts: 3,858
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Quote:
Alan Pennington of the British DX Club sent a FOI request to the BBC about the closure of 990 Radio nan Gaidheal, the answer to which is published in the latest issue of their magazine Communication. IT includes after mentioning the introduction of the Meldrum 104.2 FM channel for RnG in 2003:
"Over time it was believed that listeners would migrate to FM reception. By 2015 it was considered that very few (if any) listeners would still be using 990. The transmission was closed on a trial basis on 23 November 2015. The trial was intended to confirm the BBC's assertion. "No announcement was made by the BBC ahead of this trial however to ensure that any relevant responses from the public were shared all relevant departments in the BBC were briefed ahead of the trial including Audience Services, Reception Advice, BBC Scotland Communications and of course Radio Nan Gaidheal. Over a two month period the BBC received no enquiries from the public regarding the closure. As such the decision was taken to make the cessation final on 29 January 2016." Incidentally why did BDXC think this merited a FOI request (and hence more expense to the BBC?). |
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#1035 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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Quote:
The fact that the transmitter was switched off and no-one noticed (except months later through reviewing a transmitter parameter spreadsheet) says it all. Totally justified.
Incidentally why did BDXC think this merited a FOI request (and hence more expense to the BBC?). |
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#1036 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: West Sussex / Surrey, UK.
Posts: 861
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Quite honestly, where contracts can now be broken out of/expired, the BBC really should be switching BBC LR AM stations off where DAB coverage is now sufficient.
Funding is critically tight for the BBC and AM is a money sucking resource which is just duplication in many cases. The BBC doesn't like shutting much down, but I can't see it not happening soon - especially as it was part of Delivering Quality First. |
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#1037 |
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Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: South Notts (Waltham TV TX)
Posts: 20,200
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Quote:
Quite honestly, where contracts can now be broken out of/expired, the BBC really should be switching BBC LR AM stations off where DAB coverage is now sufficient.
Funding is critically tight for the BBC and AM is a money sucking resource which is just duplication in many cases. The BBC doesn't like shutting much down, but I can't see it not happening soon - especially as it was part of Delivering Quality First. |
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#1038 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Thanet, Kent
Posts: 4,820
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Still a lot of BBC Locals on AM. Are they really needed? We seem obsessed with putting radio stations on as many platforms as possible. To save money the BBC should close all AM transmitters that have FM equivalents then think about really promoting DAB for what is left on AM. If the ultimate aim of putting services on DAB, satellite, Freeview and of course, on line, is to move to digital only how long before anything significant happens?
The experience of closing RnG on AM (a unique language station in areas where there isn't a mass of alternative listening) seems to prove that changes can be made. |
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#1039 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,436
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MW coverage can have its uses during special events. For example, a weekend or two ago BBC Essex covered three football matches simultaneously, one on each of their three MW frequencies.
However, I must admit I'm surprised that stations such as BBC Essex don't make better use of DAB/DAB+ for split programming. They could have three matches at 32kbit/s DAB+ while keeping the faith by simulcasting the normal programming on FM stereo and 32kbit/s DAB+ stereo. Alternatively if they really fear a flood of complaints from a handful of listeners with only a Pure Evoke-1, they could split it as football 3 x 24kbit/s DAB+ plus normal programming on 56kbit/s DAB mono. Either way, they could save money by closing the MW outlets without cutting any services. |
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#1040 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 13,572
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Quote:
The BBC doesn't like shutting much down, but I can't see it not happening soon - especially as it was part of Delivering Quality First.
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/...onclusions.pdf Quote:
Not re-invest in Long Wave technology once the current infrastructure, which relies on technology that is no longer being manufactured, has reached the end of its life. Although this is unlikely to happen for several years, we welcome the Executive‟s commitment to make the existing programmes provided on LW available on other analogue BBC radio stations, so remaining as accessible to Agree now Redmoss and Bristol AM have closed might see more AM closures.
listeners as they are now We also agree with the principle to try and reduce medium wave transmission for local radio in places where coverage duplicates that of FM. However, establishing the audience impact of these changes is not straightforward, and the Executive needs to undertake further technical and feasibility work to establish the costs and impact of these changes within each part of the country. We will engage further with the Executive on this issue over the coming months before any final decisions are taken. |
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#1041 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: West Sussex / Surrey, UK.
Posts: 861
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Quote:
The first report seemed to say shutting down R4 LW and local English MW could be straightforward with MW staying in some areas like Derbyshire, Cumbria and Gloucestershire, but the final report showed more caution.
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/...onclusions.pdf Agree now Redmoss and Bristol AM have closed might see more AM closures. Still, if Whittingdale and his cronies gets their way by systematically destroying PSB in the UK - BBC and C4, then we won't have to worry at all! |
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#1042 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 351
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Quote:
Of course there's the bandwidth. A 9Khz wide FM signal will give you the same fidelity as an AM signal of the same width - 4.5Khz mono. I wasn't suggesting 15Khz FM stereo as per VHF! My main concern would be late night interference , FM signals don't mix well so you tend to get noise or the receiver flip flopping between signals instead of 2 signals superimposed with a bit of heterodyning as on AM.
Then I recalled when I lived in Brussels in the late 70s. BBC WS was on 648 and in the centre of Brussels perfect loud & clear both day & night, no fading, interference or co-channel. As if it was being broadcast from just outside of Brussels. 648 also covered whole of Holland. Now most car radios in the Benelux still have AM. I think it was a folly to turn off 648 KHz considering it's effectiveness. Perhaps if the BBC had kept it, those Eurocrats would've been making better decisions and we wouldn't all be so Eurosceptic now! |
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#1043 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 13,572
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[quote=buglawton;82351304
Then I recalled when I lived in Brussels in the late 70s. BBC WS was on 648 and in the centre of Brussels perfect loud & clear both day & night, no fading, interference or co-channel.[/QUOTE] The target is now mostly Africa and Asia so sadly the expensive Orfordness MW site went. It can still be heard on satellite, cable and internet in Europe, plus DAB+ in Brussels and via WRP Paris. |
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#1044 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,448
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Was 1296 audible on the continent as well?
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#1045 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 351
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1296 was targeted at aster Europe using night propagation. Hopped over Western end of Europe so not much use for Benelux.
648 should should down in history as the most cost-effective (cost PER LISTENER) and strategic relay ever, bearing in mind how it covered Brussels. I wonder if it was audible in Strasbourg. |
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#1046 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Future EU Scottish Republic
Posts: 821
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Quote:
...648 should should down in history as the most cost-effective...and strategic relay ever, bearing in mind how it covered Brussels. I wonder if it was audible in Strasbourg.
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#1047 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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Quote:
1296 was targeted at aster Europe using night propagation. Hopped over Western end of Europe so not much use for Benelux.
648 should should down in history as the most cost-effective (cost PER LISTENER) and strategic relay ever, bearing in mind how it covered Brussels. I wonder if it was audible in Strasbourg. Dutch station Radio Nationaal and Radio Netherlands have also used 1296. Radio Caroline also used it on 19 August 2000 for a Caroline supporters day in Leeuwarden. |
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#1048 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,436
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Quote:
648 kHz was perfectly audible at about S3.5 to the southwest of Stuttgart, and was my travel-to/from-work listen for two years. Strasbourg is pretty much on the same bearing r.t. Orfordness and a smidge closer so would have gotten the same or better. AFAICR it wasn't the standard WS programming but a special European service.
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#1049 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Herts
Posts: 6,184
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Quote:
With Project Fear now in mega-overdrive warning us that if we leave the EU there will be plagues of locusts and the world will stop turning, it seems very odd that we've already decided that Nation Shall No Longer Speak Unto Nation !
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/lat...lobal-audience To put this 348 million in context the population of the world is 7.4 billion. I doubt the majority of licence fee payers would wish to fund 648 just for a few people driving around in the Benelux. |
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#1050 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 2,448
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Until Katla eurpts and they find themselves stranded abroad with no source of news....
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