Medium Wave Transmitter Closures.

[Andrew2]

You've probably got a good point there Nick....

[Nicola_Jayne]

Originally Posted by 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!

Digital =/= DAB

a lot of streaming at home / work

[Graham G3ZVT]

Originally Posted by 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.

I remember when the BBC site opened, must have been about 1972. Radio Manchester, a mere 18 kHz from Luxemburg, made listening to the latter a bit of a challenge here in Prestwich, even using my R107.

Conspiracy or what

[Andrew2]

Originally Posted by rambo1152

I remember when the BBC site opened, must have been about 1972. Radio Manchester, a mere 18 kHz from Luxemburg, made listening to the latter a bit of a challenge here in Prestwich, even using my R107.

Conspiracy or what

I well remember that. Luxembourg was severely hammered by 'spitching' from Radio Manchester and it carried on for a long time.

[Junk Box Nick]

I went on a visit to Pebble Mill around the time BBC Radio Birmingham arrived on MW and I remember during the introductory address from the stage to the assembled mass a gleeful comment that Radio Birmingham was now on 206m and also providing “an effective block to Radio Luxembourg”.

Fortunately, in my location, my even then vintage battery vanity case valve set donated by an aunt and hooked up to a mains power supply, was selective enough for it not to be a problem. Monte Carlo on 205m was a bit more of a challenge.

[Andrew2]

It was R. Monte Carlo that carried Radio Geronimo, wasn't it? That was midnight listening for me and my older brother as we lay in bed.

[agardiner]

Not really unexpected, but another batch of local BBC radio to close their MW transmitters in the next few weeks...

https://radiotoday.co.uk/2021/04/ten...wave-services/

[kalee20]

Radio Devon is bad news - can receive in Lynton (just in Devon) but not on FM.

[G6Tanuki]

I wonder what MW DX will now emerge from beneath the blanketing-effect of these local signals?

Some may moan about the shutdown of local MW transmitters, but to those of us who are more interested in hearing a station rather than listening to it, it presents an opportunity!

[shame about the SMPS hash that sets the noise-floor these days]

[Jolly 7]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

I wonder what MW DX will now emerge from beneath the blanketing-effect of these local signals?

Some may moan about the shutdown of local MW transmitters, but to those of us who are more interested in hearing a station rather than listening to it, it presents an opportunity!

Indeed. There are quite a few long distance signals to be heard during the evenings and at night. Maybe not true DX, but I can hear a Spanish station on 999 kHz where my local station BBC Radio Solent used to be. The signal occasionally peaks to 10/10. I can regularly hear North African stations and also those from around central Europe, including a Slovenian one called Murski Val which can wipe out Radio Caroline on 648 kHz. I have never heard any North American ones though. Not sure if others can.

[Restoration73]

With a good loop antenna, receiver, and perhaps a pre-amp. it is possible to receive
U.S. and Canada, I have also heard the Caribbean and Brazil. We used to rely on the
10kHz spacing as some channels were inbetween our 9kHz channels.
I remember a really severe SID (Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance) some years back.
There was no hf propagation at all, but I heard a strong distorted signal at 6MHz.
This was the intercarrier TV sound signal (FM) leaking from a nearby (analogue) TV!

[Andrew2]

Originally Posted by Restoration73

There was no hf propagation at all, but I heard a strong distorted signal at 6MHz.
This was the intercarrier TV sound signal (FM) leaking from a nearby (analogue) TV!

I recall some sets used to radiate this very well. Wasn't there a commercially available 'TV Hi-Fi' system that used a small sniffer coil rather like a telephone pickup coil to sample the 6 MHz signal from the TV and pass it to a demodulator then out to your hifi? I think it may have been of Tomorrow's World'.

[Restoration73]

Yes it was the Celestion "Tele-Fi" - I found an example at a rally for 50p, all that was
wrong was a dry joint. TV sound spec is of course FM +/- 50kHz, 75uS pre-emphasis.

[Nuvistor]

Originally Posted by Andrew2

I recall some sets used to radiate this very well. Wasn't there a commercially available 'TV Hi-Fi' system that used a small sniffer coil rather like a telephone pickup coil to sample the 6 MHz signal from the TV and pass it to a demodulator then out to your hifi? I think it may have been of Tomorrow's World'.

There was and I installed a couple, these were for customers with hearing problems but it would have worked for hifi.

[Kevin Hoyland]

Hello.
Its sad regarding the closures on MW, in the workshop to day i have a Pye 39JH playing i have a good loop antenna so the sound is first class but with out the loop antenna i may as well not turn the radio on.

kevin

[PsychMan]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

I wonder what MW DX will now emerge from beneath the blanketing-effect of these local signals?

Some may moan about the shutdown of local MW transmitters, but to those of us who are more interested in hearing a station rather than listening to it, it presents an opportunity!

[shame about the SMPS hash that sets the noise-floor these days]

Taking a walk with a portable does show just how much of a problem it is. Indoors, traditional AM is more or less useless for me, and the main culprits for noise aren't my appliances. I use pantry transmitters with my radios to blast through it with programming I want to hear . I had assumed for a while that MW was a barren wasteland of only noise.

The other night I took a walk up the road with a basic Sharp walkman, I picked up a US religious station, plus a few other interesting bits on Medium wave, and quite clearly too. I think the time of day and weather situation might have been a factor.

I suppose the noise is low power and doesn't radiate very far, but in our homes we're in the "near field" of it.

[Cruisin Marine]

I hope they don't give away these frequencies at the ITU meeting, like they did with the old BBC Sussex freq.
They should be put up for grabs to British users before giving away what isn't really theirs to dispose of, especially without any open discussion.

[Radio Wrangler]

If Ofcom don't have any takers for licences for that band, then they don't have a case they can use in arguing to retain the channels. So they will go to any country's agency that has someone interested. They can't deny channels to someone who would use them, just to keep them empty for someone who won't use them.

Maybe our government could put in a bid to use them for some sort of public service? If so it's in the hands of Ofcom, and they'll want to see a source of income to pay for their management. Our government seems to be a bit busy at the moment.

The best we can hope for is that it doesn't wind up in the hands of some service that could get stroppy about what's in your pantry.

David

I picked up a US religious station

That could have been Premier, https://www.premierchristianradio.co.../How-to-listen

[Restoration73]

Some years ago RA / Ofcom was proposing the use of frequencies around 2-3MHz for local narrow band FM broadcasting. I did not hear of the outcome - any one know ?