Hats off to RTÉ who see a future for MPEG4 on DTT. RTÉ don’t do visions they receive apparitions. There has been mention of MPEG4 in the tender docs for the 3 commercial mux. It would seem that RTÉ favour MPEG4 and the possibility of HD. This is a good thing and is forward looking. It means that UK hardware (cheap now and mass produced) will not work in the 26 counties. But the suggestion of MPEG4 does not make it a minimum standard and as I read it it is being set as a maximum. If RTÉ applied this logic on MPEG to radio they would run a mile from DAB, but they want DAB so much they’re shutting down MW to help fund DAB. Crazy. I wonder though if the spectrum efficiencies are lesser our greater with HD mpeg4 (not standard definition mpeg4) versus mpeg2 standard definition.

The RTÉ mpeg4 argument also makes a laugh of the RTÉ DRM argument, RTÉ know they need to innovate and lead DTT MPEG 4 to drive down STB prices on new tech. The same logic applies to DRM which RTÉ now stall in favour of analogue half power LW with no MW fallback. [i note that RTE are neither members of or supporters of the Digital Radio Mondiale consortium DRM.org, something they are entitled to not be, but odd when the own a 300KW LW DRM transmitter that they had tested in DRM mode August 2007]

RTÉ do not have limitless resources, but that is no excuse for the differences in transmission planning between TV & radio, between analogue & digital & between old & new. RTÉ have a clear mandate from Gov. (March 2007) for International TV and (added at the last minute) International Radio. We need a viewers & listeners association that has teeth (and will bite), the suits in RTÉ are playing a numbers game as the only thing they seem to care about is share and competition with the commercial TV & radio companies in Ireland.

On reason given for MW shutdown was not many listen to it anymore. Based on this logic RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, Philharmonic Choir, Cór na nÓg and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet should expect the P45 any day. This line of argument I don’t support. What is needed on the lawn of Montrose is 12 foot letters reminding the organisation that they are a public service broadcaster not commercial. This means both taking unpopular decisions but also deciding to serve the unpopular.

RTÉ claim Longwave has more reach that medium wave. LW travels further than MW during the day, but not at night. But more reach? Reach means getting onto more radios. As MW radio ownership in so much greater than LW radio ownership (based on manufacturing figures researched here) Medium wave will always have greater reach until LW outpaces MW on radio sets made for lets say 30 years. LW is being depreciated faster than MW in car radios made for the continent of Europe by the 4 big car makers. Reaching people is what radio reach is all about not balance sheets and old technology.

There is a technology older than RTE’s new toy (23 year old DAB), that is the old MW TX they use in Tullamore on half power. If they had the foresight to invest in a modern MW TX designed this century rather than in the middle of the last century, this would bring savings from energy efficiencies equal to 65% at same power. Millions of € could be saved, and think of the green house gas that would not be created on both the old clapped out MW & not yet deployed DRM LW TX where the energy efficiencies grow up to 90% where the TX needs to run at -7DB to cover the same ground plane / service area.

Killing MW to fund DAB is a crazy move by RTE.  crazy crazy crazy. RTÉ intend to switch off 567kHz on Easter Monday 24th March 2008 after 82 years on MW.

in reply to Wave of protest engulfs RTÉ

to the persons who commented and doubted the validity of the British Journalists claim on NI reception of RTE. The 600,000 people in the Greater Belfast area knew MW was the only way to hear radio 1 on a portable radio. RTE knew this and were forced to concede moving LyricFM 87.8FM to 95.2 & RTE Radio from 95.2 to 87.8 due to adjacent Radio Ulster signal on 95.1 from North Antrim coast.  This a move RTE could have made any time in the past number of years (15years), the move is effective 9am 14/03/2008.

Yesterday I learned from the Department of Communication in Dublin, who were informed by RTE, that the MW shutdown on 24/03/2008 is happening so that they can direct cost savings (€1M p/a?) into DAB roll out in Ireland which despite it being on trial is been aggressively rolled out countrywide. I kid you not. This is what I was told, on further examination it seems to be part of RTE’s very short term strategy. A medium length strategy they do not have, and soon they wont have a medium wave to put it on if they ever do get a medium to long term strategy. FWIW DAB is 23 years out of Demo mode. They are killing off 80 years of MW just before it may breathe new life with DRM in favour of mpeg2 DAB which is failing on a tech & business level in our nearest neighbours market the UK.

the following text has been passed to me by the very respected broadcast engineer Enda O’Kane who campaigns for the research group Irish Overseas Broadcasting as part of efforts to improve Ireland’s radio links with Ireland’s emigrants.

On March 24^th, RTE’s national medium wave service will be switched off.

Starting 1932 Radio Athlone from the centre of Ireland brought news down the years to every home in Ireland. Our senior citizens, those who served Ireland well, will be badly discommoded. RTE - the national broadcaster - are making a major error. Is it believable that this could happen to a vulnerable and ageing audience in this the information age? We respect the needs of our Seniors with free travel, electricity, receiving licenses, alarms etc in an age of plenty. Following our national holiday a generation of Irishmen –southern, northern and UK based - will be unplugged.

RTE Radio One is the backbone national service since the birth of this state – it is the voice of this nation.

• It is a link to our fellow Irishmen north of the border and in the UK.
• Its core output of news and current affairs is speech-based.
• Adequate for speech, frontier crossing MW is upgradeable to FM quality DRM.
• MW is available on all dual-band radios, fly drive hire cars, longwave is not.
• We must continue with personal portability on Walkman and iPod.

Senior Citizens choose what is user-friendly and relevant.

• AM Medium wave is easier to tune in than FM.
• Medium wave gives predictable and stable reception.
• These cuts deny reception to parts of N. Ireland including Falls, Belfast
• It contradicts the Good Friday agreement and is now a political / media issue.
• A service to Emigrants for 75 years is now threatened by cash rich RTE.
• The Broadcsting (Ammendment Bill 2006) requires RTE provide a radio service to emigrants.

The simplicity of MW is particularly important to those with limited vision – the FM dial is cluttered with stations – tuning is a distraction - a factor in accidents.MW is also most useful for fishermen and those on the move – in cars, ferries, or on holiday, MW stays on the same spot on the dial.

Medium wave continues to be relevant - In Ireland and abroad it is experiencing a renaissance, Spirit Radio joins RTE on MW this autumn using 100kW with the option of digital medium-wave - DRM - with a lowering of carbon emissions.

The BBC has just opened a second digital medium-wave station. Its current AM offering, Radio 4 Droitwitch, is a service to Senior Citizen. UK regulator OfCom predicts the growth of DRM across the UK while France like Germany is converting its MW system to DRM digital.

RTE’s 30 year old MW transmitter is obsolete with muffled sound.

RTE must support both standards as happened with the launch of FM.

RTE’s Dublin MW site - sold to developers – a windfall of €13.8M.

Cork’s site now land filled by developers is expected to follow.

Is the sale of these unique sites – the family silver - taking precedence over service?

RTE have abandoned a principle which served then well over many years. When a new technical standard was introduced the existing was maintained during the transition period to allow the public time to switch over. That has not happened.

MW is a stepping stone to digital longwave now available on Longwave 252.

These disposals to developers have echoes of CIE’s dismantling railways in the 50’s.

RTE press release on MW cut off dated today http://url.ie/8ag UK Irish / Maritime community Note: LW252 carries considerably further than MW
RTÉ plans to axe Radio 1’s medium wave 567Khz service on 24 March 2008. expect a big backlash. 1278khz 2FM had none.

no mention of DRM and the trials that RTE did on DRM. This looks like they increased the licence fee but after 82 years think that the fuel bill is too high. DRM has a fuel saving of over 75% on AM alone.

March 25th 2008 new AM pirate radio service to start broadcasting on 567Khz. you heARD it here first

according to my calcs rte with 50% listenership and 85% national daily radio listenership of all radio in Ireland and 10% of radio 1 listeners not on FM (RTE figure) and Ireland population = ~4M it will only affect 170,000 radio sets.

dónal (Workers Playtime) writes

So over all the robi [radio for the iPod] gets 7 out of 10, and DAB gets 2 out of 10. James Connolly (first clandestine radio operator [in Ireland]) said to the citizen army “hold on to your rifles” I think in this case he’d be advising us to hold on to our FM radios. DAB is definitely not for use in the port tunnel, it just sounds a bit like the port tunnel.

MY REPLY: good review, I had a similar experience.
London gave me 51 stations. Dublin 21. The quality of MP2 as you point out is DABs maximum. Don’t believe the hype. Pushing DAB is more about extra breakout services and jobs for the boys than a quality thing.

DAB born out of eureka147 is 18 year old tech. when RTE say “RTÉ is at the starting block of a new revolution in radio” they mean they turned up to see the lap of honor of the 1989 Dublin City Marathon. There is no starting blocks and the starters gun should be pointed at the person who chose DAB in a digital virgin landscape like the Irish Republic.

I think a survey of DAB radio owners is required to see if this trail is reaching its own expectations.

Can anyone tell me if the DTT radio suite is the same as the DAB? or is this duplicated spectrum. they seem to be different. DAB above 200MHz and DTT up above 700MHz. so 13/14 of the DTT radios are on DAB plus East Coast Radio (badly tuned). Who plans this stuff??? the planning department?

DAB is going to require more masts than FM to get inside the 4 walls. This is crazy. add wimax to 3G & 4G. I’m going to invest in lampposts.

http://www.rte2fta.com

[first posted Feb 2006] I saw this in the guggenheim last week and had to to buy it; buy the postcard not the installation! Nam June Paik - Family Robot - Grandmother left Grandfather right [1986] single channel video sculptures with vintage television and radio castings and monitors; colour silent.

Tags: pirateradio

I was in Cardiff for a week! and to keep in touch with my irish news addiction i tuned to 252LW RTE. Usually for the 6am or 6.30 news….  just to see if Enda Kenny staged a Coup or if that guy from Westlife was made President yet. (Bono can wait)

I used a trusty FM~LW Phillips transistor that I bought in error (no MW) once when I went over to a Leeds Utd. game in Elland Road. Anyway the signal in the Hotel (Cardiff) was poor and made me wonder if RTE LW was on low power. When I moved location 45KM west (toward Ireland) the night time signal was worse 50/50 with a french LW service and basically unlistenable (only a trained radio ear would bother to sample out the French and sample in the Irish in the ear/brain).

Next morning the RTE 252LW was 50% clearer than the Cardiff location and suggested that location location and atmosphere may have more to do with it than poor output signal.

Its really good that Irish people abroad can hear RTE beyond the reach of 567khz or the need to be hooked to a 80CM dish. The two great shames associated with this are

1. RTE should never have given RTL any stake in 252LW. & then TalkSport wouldn’t have had it.

2. RTE should be FTA in the UK for radio & TV output, there is a need. oh and a law from the Irish house of Parliament that says RTE should be International in its reach. (see RTE2FTA.com for more details)

the thing is RTE was never much of a international broadcaster but now they are on SW LW MW internet and WRN & DVB sat for Radio. They weren’t so international in 1976 when this stamp was issued to commemorate their 50th.

but the LW just touches London (for experts) the SW is a couple of hours a week, the WRN is no more than 10hrs a week and the internet well its not truly mobile until 2.5/3G prices fall below broadband cost. What we need is a world service approach. Starting small, Ireland has stories to tell the world and needs a platform and a network it can control so our country can continue to punch above its weight in many areas like music food sport dance culture books and talk. Technically a FTA RTE International TV service on 28E 13E and 30W would be a start. LW or SW DRM from Ireland to the European continent would be welcomed as we revolutionise digital radio (rather than wait for RTL DW & BBC to set standards) and an academy of Radio would feed this world service with talent for decades to come.

my 2 cent. Long Wave Home.

caught live on community radio Near FM, john haughton is on air as Fingal County Council subbies fell the trees of Stapolin, he takes me live on air before the sig tune fades and the sound of shredding begins. Hear the MP3 below. Thanks to Near FM for the recording.

 Near FM Enviro 09/10/07 [14:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download