BBC Radio 4 long wave reception problems etc.

[MurphyNut]

Outstanding good sound today, just been listening to the Archers on my Ekco A23, I wish it would permanently stay as clear and pleasant as this.

[Nuvistor]

Originally Posted by merlinmaxwell

And I think it is for harmonics only, spurious out of band emissions should be a lot lower.

That’s fair enough, I don’t know the regs, but does not explain the difference in the two designs of SDR unless you are using the same, then it gets more confusing.

The station sounds fine so unless there are complaints from the ITU or other stations I don’t think much will be done.

[saddlestone-man]

I noticed yesterday that on all the reports on the VHF-FM Radio 2 news transmissions, the intake of breaths between sentences were very evident, making the correspondents sound distinctly asthmatic.

Switching to the news on Radio 4, the intakes of breath on the same reports were very less noticeable, sounding much better.

Is this a normal 'artifact' in the different ways Radio 2 and Radio 4's audio responses are configured?

best regards ... Stef

[paulsherwin]

The audio processing settings are likely to be completely different. If you have only noticed this recently, it's possible that the R2 processors have been reconfigured.

Many stations use heavy processing of the studio mics to create a distinctive station sound, and the BBC is no exception.

Back to the topic of R4LW please.

[Edward Huggins]

I am listening to BBC Radio 4 LW from Tacolneston and it sounds quite acceptable, albeit a tad compressed. In fairness, I never quite know just how much EQ is being used at any one time. I'm using my faithful and excellent sounding 1973 Grundig "Yacht Boy". However I suspect hat the AM RF/IF performance on this is better than the average late 1940s/early 1950s 5 valve superhet. Or is that heresy?!

[Station X]

Originally Posted by Edward Huggins

I am listening to BBC Radio 4 LW from Tacolneston.

Really??!!

[Graham G3ZVT]

Originally Posted by Station X

Really??!!

Well Classic FM is Classic FM irrespective of the platform.
I seem to remember a time when the Test Match special, and the Daily Service streams were titled "Radio 4 LW" on DAB, but I may be mistaken.

Are those programmes available on DTT, if so how are they presented to the listener?

[Station X]

Let's not go off topic please.

This thread is about BBC R4 198 kHz LW.

Start another thread if you want to discuss other stations or other delivery platforms.

I am listening to BBC Radio 4 LW from Tacolneston

Methinks it is radiating from Droitwitch and being listened to at (from) Tacolneston. Much as people say "I am working from home".

And it looks much better today...

[Station X]

Tacolneston (which happens to be a transmitter site) is nowhere near Southwold where Edward lives.

[Edward Huggins]

Originally Posted by Station X

Really??!!

Ahh, Graham you are so vigilant and dead right of course. In a retro AM mindset, I must have been thinking Band 1 405 line TV! Droitwich here we come....

[simpsons]

I am certain that the reason why Radio 4 LW consistently sounds so bad is because audio compression and limiting is now happening at both the transmitter and studio end in cascade with each other.
Whilst it is the producers overall responsibility for programme audio quality it is though to a BBC House Style dependant on the station. I have to say, the relevant document was on my screen only last month but can I find it now....
From memory, take for example Radio2. Here the dynamic range and compression is program and time dependant. According to the BBC, for the car radio/kitchen radio listeners morning and day schedules, a high degree of compression and perceived loudness is normal. This seems to include being the loudest station on air or so it seems to me.
At night time, it is a different story. The arm chair listener will be hearing both a reasonably wide dynamic range and any compression limited just to give the station a little punch.
With Radio 4 it is a different story. Because it is a speech station, intelligibility is the guiding factor and here compression, loudness and audio processing will be chosen to do just that. If only it was as simple as that.
Before the advent of studio audio dynamic range compression software and when band pass limiting was only undertaken at the transmitter end together with a dynamics compressor to overcome AM radio general reception shortcomings, UK radio sounded just like it would from a “pantry” transmitter.
Now we have loudness controls from the studio set to its meter “end stops”, automatic volume control, to help us hear the announcer breathing, a frequency dependant dynamic compressor to lift speech intelligibility and then on top of all this another dynamics compressor and gain node at the transmitter end doing the same. This, I suggest, is why the sound is so awful.
Chris

[Pete_kaye]

Has anyone else experienced complete loss of signal on LW recently and spasmodically? That is for a few seconds at a time? This is on several radios and has been occurring for about 2 weeks , mostly in the mornings. My Philips IC 50 has a signal meter which shows this up well.

[Kevin Hoyland]

Morning Radio 4 198 LW still good this morning in Sheffield on my 1956 Saba Radio.
Kevin.

[Aub]

It's pretty bad at the moment.

Aub

[camtechman]

Yep, it's been like that in Milton Keynes too.

[linescan87]

It's really bad here at the moment. Shame as it has been quite good for a long time, hope it's sorted soon.

John Joe.

P.s. It's just improved!

[G4YVM David]

Originally Posted by linescan87

It's really bad here at the moment. Shame as it has been quite good for a long time, hope it's sorted soon.

John Joe.

P.s. It's just improved!

They read this forum

[Aub]

Yes, much better. Thanks to whoever fixed it.

[Hybrid tellies]

I had a listen BBC R4 on 198 earlier this morning and can confirm its sounding very good.