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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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31st Mar 2023, 1:33 pm | #1 |
Heptode
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Meath, Ireland
Posts: 551
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RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
More bad news for the vintage radio fraternity. RTE have announced that their long wave service will cease on the 14 of April.
They are citing climate change and the energy crisis as the main reasons. Unfortunately I don't see another reprieve coming.. |
31st Mar 2023, 1:55 pm | #2 |
Pentode
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 211
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
A very sad loss, quality programmes with a unique style.
Entertaining, very interesting and always with a good sense of humour and warmth. |
31st Mar 2023, 2:49 pm | #3 |
Pentode
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Weymouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 135
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
Thats very sad when they go there will only be Poland worth listening to on longwave they sometimes play some good rock and pop on there. For those who aren't sure they are on 225 kilocycles
Last edited by kellymarie; 31st Mar 2023 at 2:50 pm. Reason: Spelling mistake |
31st Mar 2023, 3:10 pm | #4 |
Pentode
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Tipperary, Ireland
Posts: 121
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
There will be a revival of the campaign by Irish living in the U.K over the loss of 252 but I don't think it will work this time. RTE will state cost rise from €250,000 to €400,000 per year and its poor energy efficiency. According to RTE there are no immediate plans to demolish the site.
Terry |
31st Mar 2023, 3:29 pm | #5 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,969
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
I wonder what will happen to the transmitter? It's quite modern - I hope it isn't just scrapped.
There have been proposals to carry RTÉ R1 on UK Freeview or DAB, but I understand there are regulatory difficulties as well as the cost aspect. There also seems to be some concern that R1 will become less distinctively Irish if it's made easily available across the UK. |
31st Mar 2023, 5:16 pm | #6 |
Heptode
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Meath, Ireland
Posts: 551
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
Unfortunately Paul I'd imagine it will be scrapped, and fairly soon too. They have a policy of scrapping things. The analog TV transmitters were scrapped shortly after switch over, some not that old at all.
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31st Mar 2023, 5:29 pm | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 14,007
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
How old is the TX? Didn't RTE acquire it from Atlantic-252 when they closed-down a couple of decades ago? And how old was it then, given that Atlantic-252 had been on-air since 1988? If it is the original transmitter then it's around 35 years old, so in infrastructure-terms it's a dinosaur!
Pragmatically, there's likely to be little commercial market for the TX given that LW is only an "ITU Region 1" thing and most countries in this region have already closed-down their LW broadcasting networks....
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31st Mar 2023, 5:40 pm | #8 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,969
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
They re-equipped long after the Atlantic 252 era. There was a new transmitter in 2007, and an antenna rebuild as recently as 2019. Sadly I do expect it to be mothballed though, or most probably scrapped.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarks...io_transmitter |
31st Mar 2023, 5:47 pm | #9 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 14,007
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
Even so, a 2007 LW transmitter is not exactly going to attract high-bidders like wasps to a jam-scone, given the realities of broadcasting.
Mothball it? For what? Who'd want to pay the costs of this, and why? Pragmatically, I see the whole lot being forklifted into a smelter to recover the metal-value.
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1st Apr 2023, 8:44 am | #10 |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Harrow, London, UK.
Posts: 1,493
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RTE 252 kHz service to close
Reading RTE News yesterday, which is an excellent source of European News, I read that RTÉ has announced that it is ceasing the long wave 252 service for Radio 1 from next month.
The move was originally announced in 2014 but was postponed because of protests from Irish organisations in Britain. RTÉ said in a statement that the LW 252 is no longer sustainable as the transmitter in Summerhill, Co Meath uses up 2.5% of the organisation's energy use. The current cost is €250,000 a year and this could rise to £400,000 next year, it says. Chris |
1st Apr 2023, 10:01 am | #11 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 2,495
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
I too am saddened by this move. I've sent my thoughts to the RTE contact address given on RTE's website.
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1st Apr 2023, 11:32 am | #12 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, UK.
Posts: 5,422
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
I too have sent a strong email to them.....for all the good it will do.
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1st Apr 2023, 11:38 am | #13 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,969
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
You do have to bear in mind that RTÉ has no obligation to serve the UK, and indeed there's been some annoyance within Ireland that any money is being spent doing it. The justification has always been the need to serve Irish people living in Britain. The rest of us just get access as a side effect.
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1st Apr 2023, 2:01 pm | #14 | |
Hexode
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Ceredigion, Wales, UK.
Posts: 256
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
Quote:
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1st Apr 2023, 2:29 pm | #15 | |
Banned
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Derry, Northern Ireland, UK.
Posts: 167
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
Quote:
Also; They (RTE) strictly enforce a charge of a license fee of a few hundred Euro's per year to watch their stuff, Plus, slam on advertisements every five minutes for you. |
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1st Apr 2023, 3:17 pm | #16 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,834
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
For me - and many others too I suspect - that will leave just R4 on LW. Sad days..
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A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever.. |
1st Apr 2023, 6:54 pm | #18 |
Pentode
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Devon, UK.
Posts: 152
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
Given the room now available on medium wave, it would be nice if it could be used to serve at least the major Irish communities in the UK. A sloping wire at Crystal Palace does quite well on 558kHz; something towards the LF end of the band then?
I realise that 'nice' often fails to address the financial realities of life. |
1st Apr 2023, 7:09 pm | #19 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,834
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
... and the changing face of the world..
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A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever.. |
2nd Apr 2023, 9:07 am | #20 | |
Pentode
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 211
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Re: RTE Radio 1 to cease Long Wave service.
Quote:
RTE 252 is readily available for so many of us here in the U.K., it's very popular and simple to access, , we need and value this service. For many Irish people of all ages living in this country it's such an important link to keep them intouch with thier homeland. |
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