RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

Just heard on RTE1 that the LW transmitter will be off between 10th September until 17th October for maintenance.

http://www.hildegarde.ie/works-to-ma...rrow-naughton/

Looks like it's being reprieved for another couple of years.

Keith

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

One post deleted. Please remember that the forums are a Brexit free zone.

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

Five-odd weeks sounds like significant work/investment (though those more familiar with big senders and aerial systems would be better placed to judge!). Sounds as though there is at least some appreciation of olde-worlde LF and AM to get through with the minimum complication at the receiving end. UK DAB slots and 'net-borne services will always be subject to non-RoI commercial and other considerations, so maybe they feel that all those input kW and big aerials are still a worthwhile, self-contained way of getting through.

Be interesting to see what the future for 198kHz pans out to be.

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

They were off for an hour or two last Thursday, there must be work ongoing

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

I always check the channel, Clarkestown is still off and from late evening Algeria Chaîne 3 is usually at domestic listening quality here, with a really good late-night music show.

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

Whilst reading the Irish Times there was an article on RTE. It said that the station had funding difficulties. The article went on to say the 252Khz transmitter was especially important now for both Irish & NI listeners and its engineering work couldn't have come at a more difficult time.

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

The tx is back on today with an absolutely massive signal. I expect they will resume programmes in the next day or so.
My friend who can measure the QRG accurately reckons the 2Hz error has been corrected, and we suspect it is a new transmitter. Maybe it's one of those DC-modulated types and they could be testing the carrier at 4 × normal power?

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

Now carrying programme RTÉ Radio 1. Carrier level is the same, except it's gone up a bit after dark, so disregard my comment about variable carrier power

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

RTÉ are putting resources into LW at the expense of DAB. Found on mediumwave.info:

(Business Post article is paywalled.)

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

Pity they could not use some of this resource into retuning the transmitter and ATU to the nearby and clear 261Khz to avoid severe co channel interference with Algeria on 252.
If they did they would reach a lot more of the Irish diaspora in Britain and improve the coverage across Ireland as well.
At the moment you can sometimes reduce the co channel effects by using the directional properties of the ferrite rod aerial. But this is not possible with car radios or vintage valved radios that use a wire aerial.

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

AFAIK, Ireland was allocated 252kHZ in the 1978 reorganisation of MW/LW Frequencies in the EBU area, so might be in breach of international agreements if they moved to 261. Without checking I don't know to whom 261kHZ was allocated. Presumably those who made the allocations didn't envisage any problems giving the same channel to both Ireland and Algeria. As others no doubt remember, when Atlantic 252 came on air, for a short while they were actually on 254, since they started before the 2kHz downward shift in LW frequencies was implemented, so the channel has been occupied for maybe 40 years by Ireland.

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

There is a particular problem in Bristol and Somerset because Dublin is practically due north and Algeria is due south, making it impossible to null out the interference.

UK coverage with 252kHz is certainly not perfect, with good reception only in the west - Wales, the West Midlands, NW England and SW Scotland. London in particular isn't served well. That is one of the reasons why the commercial stations on 252kHz weren't successful.

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

Some portable radios which have a sharp null point or good directional properties you can reduce the Algerian signal by quite a large amount especially during the day and still have a usable RTE R1 signal. Its more difficult at night and sometimes impossible to do because RTE R1 reduces its power at night.
Its interesting that some of my portable radios have better directional properties, with a sharper null, than others with some of the best being my earlier radios from the 1960's and 1970's!

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

I wonder how soon mobile internet car radios will become generally available so that interference will be a thing of the past. For Volvo car owners the Parrot "Sensus Connect" uses 3G/4G stand alone connection. It has Tunein as one of its apps. RTE is on this app.

For other mortals it's tethering a smartphone connection which for many, is not a problem. The issue then becomes which programme on RTE 1 is of interest to and that is where RAJAR would throw some light except its UK only.

However given RTE programming attracts 34-54 year old listeners, JNLR Figures, the potential mobile internet audience might be small. All might change as the Country attracts more EU citizens to staff the ever growing economy.

Its hard to keep up with the many ways radio stations can be heard in the home with an internet connection or through a smart phone "on the go."

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

It's been announced that 252 will stay on air until 2022

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

The signal from Algeria on 252 seems weaker the past couple of weeks or so.

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

Slightly O/T but Roumoules 216kHz went qrt this afternoon. The departure of R. Monte Carlo leaves 3 empty channels on LW

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

The signal strength in London tonight (29th May) at 11PM was very good.

I don't remember hearing any interference from other radio stations.

Did they forget to turn the power down as they usually do in the evening?

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

Here in the North-East of England RTE Radio 1 is coming in loud and clear. Using the Dynatron TP15 "Commodore" radio.
Evening reception is good with little or no interference from the Algerian station.

DFWB.

Re: RTE 1 252kHz to go off air for maintenance
 

Five weeks sounds very reasonable if the antenna has to be dropped for inspection and / or stays need to be greased and inspected. Transmitter maintenance will be limited to working into load if that's the case, and the work would be weather-dependent.

Then there'll be a rush to check the antenna matching and power-test it when it's hauled up if the riggers don't get done 'til nearly the end of the outage!

Five weeks flies by very quickly when the weather is iffy. And there's always the chance of finding something you don't want to find...