Medium Wave Transmitter Closures.

[Nuvistor]

A little more reading and it seems the 80w Asian Sound doesn’t use the big masts, so unless Arqiva can find another use or sell the site the big masts may not have a future.

[Mike Fulton]

I latched onto this immediately I read 'North of England'!!
Thankfully it turns out it's the midlands you're talking about

[Sideband]

I wonder sometimes where they get their information from..'The majority of UK listening is digital.....! Is it?

Please don't comment on the quality/reception etc of digtal....its been done to death!

[Aub]

Jackie Brambles? Haven't heard about her for decades.

Aub

[Nuvistor]

An opinion piece by Paul Groves, last updated August last year, its a long article and obviously a lot of work put into it.
http://frequencyfinder.org.uk/Opinion_AM.pdf

[Hybrid tellies]

I have just checked the MW/List which states Gold is still transmitted from Ashton Moss on 1458Khz which was originally used by BBC R Manchester.

[Julesomega]

Originally Posted by Hybrid tellies

I have just checked the MW/List which states Gold is still transmitted from Ashton Moss on 1458Khz which was originally used by BBC R Manchester.

That's the other Ashton Moss, a mile across the M60

[mark2collection]

Originally Posted by Sideband

'The majority of UK listening is digital.....! Is it?

I think they include the likes of app's on smart devices, streaming through smart speakers & other P.C-type gear, all of which being digital. For the masses, this is probably true.

None of our family or friends use a radio in the home any more, it's all done via an app or other digital (non-DAB) means. Even in the car, the wife uses an app on her phone blue-toothed to the infotainment system, which turns the radio in the car into a world-wide receiver. Hopeless for traffic reports from Japan, when you're just outside Bath(!)

In the house however, different story. Only last night I was repairing a Leak FM tuner

The Sstran and our collection of A.M-only sets are used on a regular basis, through rarely on live broadcasts now, as there's not much on there of interest (for us).

Mark

[Hybrid tellies]

Thanks Julian I did not realise there was two separate sites at Ashton Moss.
It looks pretty bleak not just for AM radio but for FM and DAB with the relentless march of technology.

[Nuvistor]

I don’t have many radios compared with other forum members but I have I think 9, various types AM, FM, DAB and get comments when visiting to households was allowed of “ Still use radios and how many do you have”. Most of my friends either don’t bother with radio and mainly watch TV in some form or use a “Smart Speaker”.

Probably most radio listening is in the car for many people but as Mark noted perhaps not via a normal AM/FM/DAB signal.

[ms660]

Not surprised at transmitter shutdowns, I don't know anyone in person that listens to a "radio" these days, I haven't done so for some years now, everything's been changing fast when it comes to broadcasting, the technology that's brought about the change is something we've all been a party to one way or another, if i did want to listen to a "radio broadcast" I'd just Google it and listen on my PC, job done, TV's going the same way, the other day there was a new (new to me) series on BBC, I watched the first episode on the TV and after it finished I discovered that the following episodes could be watched on my PC....no waiting....brill....like a full length movie.

Lawrence.

[Lloyd 1985]

It’s funny really, I spend loads of time collecting and restoring old radios, and I don’t like listening to anything that’s actually transmitted! I can just about get 10 minutes out of Absolute radio, before I turn it off in disgust, most of the time when I put it on they are playing adverts, so it gets turned off straight away... TV is going the same way, I really struggle to find anything I really want to watch, and most stuff I do watch is repeats! I don’t really bother with online listening, I find it too much hassle, particularly when you have to ‘create an account’ for absolutely everything these days.

Regards
Lloyd

[stitch1]

Originally Posted by Mike Fulton

I latched onto this immediately I read 'North of England'!!
Thankfully it turns out it's the midlands you're talking about

My immediate thoughts too sadly it will inevitably impact us soon enough, we've already lost Radio Newcastle recently. I'm hoping R4 MW may stick around for a while.

Originally Posted by Nuvistor

Just for interest I checked on the Argos web site to find out how many radios they have for sale with MW/LW. None with both wave bands and one with MW\FM, that was a pocket radio. This was out of 73 radios on their web site.
Not surprising that broadcasters are shutting down their MW stations if new radios with the facilities are not easily available. Appreciate there are lots of older AM sets about but with all the interference on the band they probably get little use by most.
Perhaps expect more closures in the future.

Thankfully I don't have any interference problems here so AM sets get regular use but with most now listening on smart devices, the internet or DAB there won't be many years of public broadcast left.

[Nuvistor]

I do like listening to the radio, for some reason I don’t seem to notice adverts on the stations I use but some stations I tried do over transmit them. TV for me as little to offer, a good book and the radio suit me.
It’s usually a DAB radio but my other types do get used depending which room I am in, it’s a 3 bed semi so not that big.

[Gabe001]

I enjoy a bit of discussion of current affairs on the radio during breakfast, so my FM set in the kitchen gets used quite a bit. Easier to turn the radio on than stream it online

Gabriel

[newlite4]

I do listen to the radio a lot, however severe interference during the day and into the night is making AM reception difficult. I tend to listen more on DAB these days as once the AM interference starts between 9am and 10am I have to get 5 Live on DAB. Long Wave is passable as is much of Short Wave but Medium Wave is completely jammed out.
Neil

[Hybrid tellies]

Originally Posted by newlite4

I do listen to the radio a lot, however severe interference during the day and into the night is making AM reception difficult. I tend to listen more on DAB these days as once the AM interference starts between 9am and 10am I have to get 5 Live on DAB. Long Wave is passable as is much of Short Wave but Medium Wave is completely jammed out.
Neil

Hi Neil

I live a few miles away in the middle of suburbia and found the the middle section of the Medium wave band was most affected by local noise making reception of even the stronger signals such as BBC R5L on 909 and Radio Wales on 882 very difficult but Long Wave and BBC R5L on 693 were ok. The 75m and 49m short wave bands were also very noisy.
Recently over the last year the noise levels in general have dropped to more acceptable levels. I think this is due some of my neighbours Plasma televisions finally expiring and being replaced by quieter LCD/LED models.

I am still missing the two local AM stations, BBC R Bristol on 1548 and Smooth on 1260, which came from the Mangotsfield transmitter site which has been bulldozed and is now another featureless but hideously expensive housing development. Sadly this has happened at other AM transmitter sites and is a fate that lies ahead for many other AM transmitting sites in the near future.

Simon

[newlite4]

Yes Simon, I am hoping it is some modern domestic appliance that will expire fairly soon. It became noticeable about four months ago. I did an investigation around the district a few weeks ago covering the two blocks that encompass my home and the interference seems centred at my address. It may be the new temporary neighbours in the basement. It is like a "blowing raspberry" sound. I will wait to see if it goes away when they move out.
Neil

[Andrew2]

The 'four mast' site at Ashton Moss is just a couple of miles NW from here and it puts in a potent signal. It'll be interesting to see what's 'behind' it when it goes off, as I'm sure it will. I can't see any takers for an expensive setup like that these days, and it has been used by at least three broadcasters since it started life as Piccadilly Radio in the 70's.
Even worse is the Gold 1458 TX, which uses about ten times the power into the old '3 mast' array originally used by BBC Radio Manchester and canes the heck out of my receivers here. ATM it seems to be suffering a 'rusty bolt' intermod problem with an s-9 mixing product on 1539. This must be a third order product which would be:
(2x1458 = 2916)-1377 kHz from Asian Sound nearby. I've checked with another Anorack up in Oldham and he can hear it too. Normally I'd complain, but I suspect the entire site will be gone fairly soon so I'll not bother.

[Junk Box Nick]

Originally Posted by Andrew2

Normally I'd complain, but I suspect the entire site will be gone fairly soon so I'll not bother.

You and your friend are probably the only ones listening to it!