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Manx Radio 1368 to close ?


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Old 09-12-2016, 00:36
Maggie_King
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The board of Manx Radio have said in the latest annual report that they want to close 1368 AM in 2019 because the equipment is at end of life and they don't think replacing it would be good value for money.
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Old 09-12-2016, 05:38
vinnielo
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Time to get island-wide DAB up and running then!
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Old 09-12-2016, 06:00
radioanorak
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There was a tread about this back in July including a copy of the annual report.
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Old 09-12-2016, 06:20
Resonance
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Shame for the Caroline North broadcasts. Still, it's a couple of years away yet.
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Old 09-12-2016, 07:48
hanssolo
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Shame for the Caroline North broadcasts. Still, it's a couple of years away yet.
Hopefully Caroline will get the AM licence for 2017.
Northern supporters could get Caroline put on the Manchester minimux or other muxes? Or go for AM community licence(s) for round 4 which may be in say 2018 before 1368 closes?
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Old 09-12-2016, 17:06
wns_195
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Is there any part of the Isle of Man where people are dependent on AM? Is there no room on the FM band for a supplementary service so Manx Radio AM can move to FM?
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Old 10-12-2016, 00:08
hanssolo
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Is there any part of the Isle of Man where people are dependent on AM? Is there no room on the FM band for a supplementary service so Manx Radio AM can move to FM?
http://www.tynwald.org.im/business/o...15-GD-0040.pdf
Annual report P24 FM will also be switched off sometime after 2020, leaving just DAB+ and internet distribution.
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Old 10-12-2016, 00:21
stesul63
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This is excellent news for Caroline, two more years of possible AM broadcasts if the partnership continues, that's great news
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Old 10-12-2016, 01:14
Fred Rickwood
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Time to get island-wide DAB up and running then!
There was a DAB experimental licence which ran on the island a number of years back for a couple of years. Several variants of Manx Radio along with Virgin Radio, if I remember correctly.

Not sure why it closed or why it was never renewed.
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Old 10-12-2016, 01:21
Fred Rickwood
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The board of Manx Radio have said in the latest annual report that they want to close 1368 AM in 2019 because the equipment is at end of life and they don't think replacing it would be good value for money.
How old is the transmitter ?

I thought it came into service in October 1978 (slightly before the changes on 1st November that year), replacing the old 232 metre and 188 metre transmitters.

Surely it's not that old ?
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Old 10-12-2016, 02:10
wns_195
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Annual report P24 FM will also be switched off sometime after 2020, leaving just DAB+ and internet distribution.

Some time after 2020 isn't very specific. Surely FM won't go until enough people are listening on DAB, unless the other stations on the island want too stop broadcasting on FM also.
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Old 10-12-2016, 05:51
hanssolo
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A FM transmitter was added to Peel 2014 but AM and FM costs much more than a DAB+ and internet slot to run, so they are looking at potential cost savings.
How old is the transmitter ?

I thought it came into service in October 1978 (slightly before the changes on 1st November that year), replacing the old 232 metre and 188 metre transmitters.

Surely it's not that old ?
Found a better link to the latest report with more details on p22
http://mm.aiircdn.com/147/5810c5303f593.pdf
the AM transmitters are 25 and 35 years old and the mast is 50+ years old and getting more expensive to support.
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Old 10-12-2016, 17:43
wns_195
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I have heard Manx Radio on AM and it sounds better than stations in Great Britain. I would not have thought from hearing it that the transmitte was old. I thought there was just one transmitter on 1368?
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Old 10-12-2016, 17:55
hanssolo
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I thought there was just one transmitter on 1368?
One is a backup
Our AM transmitter at Foxdale did experience a fault necessitating it being taken out of
service for a day while the fault was identified and repairs undertaken. However,
coverage was not affected as we were able to bring the aging backup transmitter into
service.
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Old 11-12-2016, 01:32
Mr Pringle
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Is there any part of the Isle of Man where people are dependent on AM? Is there no room on the FM band for a supplementary service so Manx Radio AM can move to FM?
With the Isle of Man being where it is, any new frequencies would need to be carefully looked at in Wales, Scotland and North West England - which probably means it would be very difficult to find frequencies now, particularly as it would need to cover the whole island as the AM version carries Tynwald sessions.
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Old 11-12-2016, 13:12
Eitshal
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Some time after 2020 isn't very specific. Surely FM won't go until enough people are listening on DAB, unless the other stations on the island want too stop broadcasting on FM also.
For a relatively self-contained community like the Isle of Man, a DAB+ multiplex covering the island makes perfect sense. Manx Radio and the other local stations currently use multiple high-power transmitters on various FM frequencies to cover the hilly island - perfect conditions for a more efficient SFN.

All existing FM stations (Manx, Energy, 3FM) could be carried on the SFN, along with Manx Radio's TT pop-up services and Tynwald coverage. There'd still be plenty of room for a selection of other services - for instance, community radio or selected UK stations. It would lead to increased choice and better reception for islanders.

The only people I can see who would be irritated by such a move would be Radio Caroline fans on the UK west coast!
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Old 11-12-2016, 17:56
oscar1
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The only people I can see who would be irritated by such a move would be Radio Caroline fans on the UK west coast!
It's not only during the Radio Caroline end of month collaborations that I listen to Manx Radio ------ it's an excellent station in it's own right.
Remember it's been on air since 1964 so must be doing something right ----
Please don't post that it's available on line --- I know --- but I don't stream from my mobile phone to the car radio which is where I do most of the listening.
Regards
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Old 11-12-2016, 20:23
wns_195
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For a relatively self-contained community like the Isle of Man, a DAB+ multiplex covering the island makes perfect sense.
From a technical perspective it may make sense, but if most people listen to radio on FM on the Isle of Man, it doesn't make sense.

Also, considering the number of stations, what difference does it make whether it is DAB+ or just DAB?
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Old 11-12-2016, 22:59
hanssolo
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From a technical perspective it may make sense, but if most people listen to radio on FM on the Isle of Man, it doesn't make sense.

Also, considering the number of stations, what difference does it make whether it is DAB+ or just DAB?
Back in 2009 DAB set ownership was 40%, the figure is probably higher now.
http://radiotoday.co.uk/2009/11/dab-...n-isle-of-man/

If there is still a lot of sets unable to upgrade then stations on a new mux could stay standard DAB if these sets can't be updated to DAB+. Some stations may prefer to go DAB+ to reduce operating costs.
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Old 11-12-2016, 23:05
hanssolo
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It's not only during the Radio Caroline end of month collaborations that I listen to Manx Radio ------ it's an excellent station in it's own right.
Remember it's been on air since 1964 so must be doing something right ----
Please don't post that it's available on line --- I know --- but I don't stream from my mobile phone to the car radio which is where I do most of the listening.
Regards
It will still be another 2 years before 1368 closes and by then more UK community AM transmitters might relay Caroline, or might be easier to stream in a car, or Caroline will be more likely on more DAB muxes and car adaptors will be cheaper?
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Old 11-12-2016, 23:29
oscar1
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It will still be another 2 years before 1368 closes and by then more UK community AM transmitters might relay Caroline, or might be easier to stream in a car, or Caroline will be more likely on more DAB muxes and car adaptors will be cheaper?
Yes who knows what the future brings ---- I already have a DAB/DAB+ car adaptor.
Still be a shame to lose Manx Radio though -----
Regards
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Old 12-12-2016, 08:42
Eitshal
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From a technical perspective it may make sense, but if most people listen to radio on FM on the Isle of Man, it doesn't make sense.

Also, considering the number of stations, what difference does it make whether it is DAB+ or just DAB?
With only the BBC multiplex on-air currently, the Isle of Man is almost a virgin market for DAB. No new digital radio deployment in the late 2010s should be using the ancient MP2 codec when AAC+ is a proven technology.

Anyone buying an old-style DAB radio now deserves what they get. I was amazed to see a number of non-tickmarked radios for sale in a large supermarket just this week. Surely it's time to get these off the shelves.
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Old 12-12-2016, 12:51
Gerry1
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Anyone buying an old-style DAB radio now deserves what they get.
That's very harsh !

If someone sees a digital radio at Tesco with a shelf label saying New, why on earth should they expect it to be already obsolete? Ditto with John Lewis and Sainsbury's own brands. These companies are simply ripping people off.

I was amazed to see a number of non-tickmarked radios for sale in a large supermarket just this week. Surely it's time to get these off the shelves.
Absolutely. All digital radios should be fit for purpose. At the very least, they should be obliged to include a prominent warning that many DAB+ stations will never be receivable.
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Old 12-12-2016, 13:45
hanssolo
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With only the BBC multiplex on-air currently, the Isle of Man is almost a virgin market for DAB. No new digital radio deployment in the late 2010s should be using the ancient MP2 codec when AAC+ is a proven technology.

Anyone buying an old-style DAB radio now deserves what they get. I was amazed to see a number of non-tickmarked radios for sale in a large supermarket just this week. Surely it's time to get these off the shelves.
According to the Radiotoday link I posted earlier there are already a large number of DAB sets. There is no reason why the new local mux can't have R Manx and the former AM optout programmes at 128k stereo MP2 for backwards compatability and other stations in AAC DAB+.
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Old 12-12-2016, 23:14
Fred Rickwood
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Here are the details of the DAB trial on the Island that ran between 2002 and 2003. Operators were Virgin Radio and Crown Castle.

The Isle of Man government decided not to pursue DAB because of costs:

http://www.wohnort.org/dab/ukloc.html#IoM
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