Radio on LW (long waves)

Channel Hopper

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I'm aware of Europe 1 shutting down it's long wave transmissions from Flensburg on 183 kHz later today, but I've heard no announcement that RTL are also closing their long wave outlet as well? :blink:

We await for the o/p to provide a link to confirm the claim, they usually have their finger on the pulse.
 

hvdh

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The TDF carrier on 162 kHz is off now, by the way.
Also 243 kHz (Denmark) is off?
According a reply on SDR chat box:
162 kHz has maintenance on Tuesdays,
243 kHz is active only 0445-0505, 0700-0805, 1045-1115, 1645-1715 UTC.
 

rodscha

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europe 1 's transmitter is in a little village just on the German/French border called Ueberherrn...funny name meaning ...Supermen!
380ks east of Paris
 

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According a reply on SDR chat box:
162 kHz has maintenance on Tuesdays,
243 kHz is active only 0445-0505, 0700-0805, 1045-1115, 1645-1715 UTC.

I can faintly hear DR Langbølge on 243kHz here at the times when it's on air.
 

hvdh

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183 kHz Europe 1 indeed switched off (about half an hour before midnight, I read).
189 kHz Iceland can be heard quite well now, with high bandwidth (about 10 kHz).
234 kHz RTL did NOT switch off.
 

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It wont be too long before Radio4 LW falls silent - they have only a limited number of transmission valves left and they burn around one out a year.

I know the UK is often far behind on technology, but surely the BBC by now has learned about transistors!!! :-rofl2
 

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I know the UK is often far behind on technology, but surely the BBC by now has learned about transistors!!! :-rofl2
The Marconi transmitter at Droitwich was installed in 1985 so it isn’t terribly old, but it is valve-based. Despite that, I think the Guardian article about the valves was a bit exaggerated - it made it seem that the TX was a relic from the 1940s or something.

Atlantic 252 had the same problem, they used a pair of 300kW valve-based Continental units and were horribly inefficient. RTE replaced them with a single 300kW solid state unit when they took over the 252 frequency for RTE Radio 1.
 

hvdh

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On Jan 1 2023, 234 kHz RTL was switched off.
 

rodscha

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Adam792

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RTÉ Radio 1 still on 252, with lots of breaks for 'maintenance'. That one's pretty difficult to receive in France due to Algeria on the same frequency though.

Otherwise there's DR Langbølge on 243kHz at certain times of the day, plus RÚV Iceland on 189/207, Poland on 225, and Romania's Antena Satelor on 153.

A friend of mine in Lyon recorded a bandscan just before RTL on 234 closed down for the final time -

 

ozumo

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RTÉ Radio 1 LW 252kHz to close on April 14th

Thats no surprise really - 252 has been on & off for extensive "maintenance" numerous times the last couple of years. I reckon its actually been to see if anyone would complain 252 is actually off
 

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RTE on 252 was supposed to go off at 9am on Friday as per announcements coming in over it but it stayed on past that. It didn't go off until just after the midnight news bulletin ended. It's now on a looping closing announcement.
 

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Just to update, the 252 transmitter was switched off this morning, sometime between 09:30 and 12:00 local time.
 

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An additional update on RTE 252, the mast was demolished last Thursday morning (27th July). They also demolished the old 567 MW mast two days prior, but that had been out of use since March 2008.
 

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Its looking increasingly like Radio4LW will be closed down early next year. Split programmes are now reported to have finished & future test match coverage will be moving to 5Live
 

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Whoever reported that split programmes are finished is not correct.
 

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An additional update on RTE 252, the mast was demolished last Thursday morning (27th July). They also demolished the old 567 MW mast two days prior, but that had been out of use since March 2008.
I used to work with someone who did a brief stint working at Atlantic 253. Great station, miss that and RTE.
 
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