DAB in Ireland: RTE multiplex closed

DMC

On this page....

http://www.simplyradios.com/acatalog/Mains_Battery.html

The Roberts Gemini 25 or 27....

The RD25 has MW as well as FM and DAB, but the RD27 has a record facility. I wish one radio had both (as well as LW!) Nut sure about hooking it up to an amp, but you should be able to hook it up to an outdoor aerial (check if the aerial can screw off)

But I will warn you, dont buy a DAB radio for RTÉ alone. Only if you can get DAB from the UK would I get a DAB radio. As RTÉ is only trialling DAB, they are in no way saying that they will go with it. We'll know more at the end of the trial period.

marclt

DMC wrote:

On this page....


But I will warn you, dont buy a DAB radio for RTÉ alone. Only if you can get DAB from the UK would I get a DAB radio. As RTÉ is only trialling DAB, they are in no way saying that they will go with it. We'll know more at the end of the trial period.

From this side, I can't pick up the RTE tests... a long shot anyway! 12C is used by the MXR West and Wales provider here... so if RTE extend the service to Mt. Leinster will they also use 12C also?

Digital1 has already started from Blaenplwyf - No BBC services yet. BBC Wales/Cymru won't be available as there is no local mux for them from there yet.

Planning permission has gone ahead for 14 new DAB aerials on Preseli - so as soon as the engineering is complete, DAB will be beamed across west Wales too... good news for those in the South East.

I can receive TV from Blaenplwf and radio.
i presume Dab is like DTT ie you need a good analog stereo signal for to be sure of getting Dab?

kazoo106

To my knowledge and everything I have heard from "inside" channels tells me that there will be NO DAB TESTS from Fraggle rock. Only Claremont Carn ! - the rig is only 500W into a temporary sigma yagi on the old RTE mast - rig cannot be wound up to its full potential of 2kW - Direction is 215 degrees

byrnefm

Didn't have time to check this morning before I left for work at 7 but I checked to see if RTÉ were still transmitting last night and even by 10:30pm, they were still on air (still no Today FM / WRN), as was the case earlier.

DMC

I also did a quick scan before leaving for work, still Clermont on the air.

DMC

Earthman wrote:

I can receive TV from Blaenplwf and radio.
i presume Dab is like DTT ie you need a good analog stereo signal for to be sure of getting Dab?

DTT is the best indicator, if you can get it, or similarly powered FM reception, it should work. You should be fine in your location once there you know that the site where you can get DTT from also has DAB. An outdoor aerial is almost a prerequisite.

lawhec

Earthman wrote:

Guys,I'll be in Heathrow next week and might pop into Dixons there for a duty free Dab (I'll be going outside the EU)

Any recommendations.
Obviously I want a strong tuner and I want an ability to connect to an aerial and importantlyto an amp
I dont want it as a hifi separate though,I want a portable.

Price ?

My own DAB radio is an Acoustic Solutions that covers at least two out of three from what you're after - I cannot say exactly how sensitive the tuner it is but from the words I've heard its one of the better ones. Anyway, the Pure Evoke radios have a reputation for being some of the most sensitive out there. It's available for £90 in Dixons, has a detachable telescopic aerial with an F-Connector for rigging up an outdoor VHF Band III aerial and has a line-out to connect to an amp or hi-fi aux socket. I can't 100% vouch for it, but it seems to be a popular recommendation.

http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/store/dix_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1508666468.1136370567@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccddaddgjghgjhecflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&sku=638193&fm=16&sm=2&tm=undefined&tabIndex=1

http://www.pure-digital.com/Products/Product.asp?Product=VL-60713&PageType=Specs

http://www.pure-digital.com/Factsheets/VL-60713.pdf

lawhec

DMC wrote:

On this page....

http://www.simplyradios.com/acatalog/Mains_Battery.html

The Roberts Gemini 25 or 27....

The RD25 has MW as well as FM and DAB, but the RD27 has a record facility. I wish one radio had both (as well as LW!) Nut sure about hooking it up to an amp, but you should be able to hook it up to an outdoor aerial (check if the aerial can screw off)

But I will warn you, dont buy a DAB radio for RTÉ alone. Only if you can get DAB from the UK would I get a DAB radio. As RTÉ is only trialling DAB, they are in no way saying that they will go with it. We'll know more at the end of the trial period.

Looking at their manuals, both radios can be hooked up to an amp but neither can be be directly hooked up to an external aerial, both have telescopic only (unless you try the old crocodile clip trick).

Also I would well heed the advice of the last paragraph. Only consider getting it at the moment if you think you'll be able to get stations from either Wales or N.Ireland.

Conor S

I would be inclined to believe kazoo106 when he says that Three Rock isnt coming on.So Id be more than surprised if we hear tests from Three Rock at all during the trial period.I also have been informed that this is infact the original RTE DAB multiplex which was used for DAB tests in 2001, But surely if you put 2+2 together you would have guessed that anyway.
Alot of good points have also been made about ILRs on DAB, to be honest I cant see it happening and if it does happen itll be many years away yet.Personally I think we should continue with DAB tests until DRM+ receivers become widely available and then switch to DRM +.
Again RTE in you are reading this..........Change the time and date on the multiplex please because I can no longer set alarms on my DAB receiver until this is fixed.

Conor

Ok guys.
I've split all the dicussion on the merits of Dab technology etc to a new thread here

Please continue that discussion there.

Keep this sticky thread for reception reports and for discussion of the RTÉ trial.

Any off topic posts here may be deleted rather than moved so I would advise putting them in the relevant thread of starting a new one.
Thanks.

Propellerhead

kazoo106 wrote:

To my knowledge and everything I have heard from "inside" channels tells me that there will be NO DAB TESTS from Fraggle rock. Only Claremont Carn ! - the rig is only 500W into a temporary sigma yagi on the old RTE mast - rig cannot be wound up to its full potential of 2kW - Direction is 215 degrees

Surprised no-one else has noticed - Three Rock coming in loud and clear since at least 1000 this morning. Like Clermont Carn, only the RTÉs are audible. The labels for Today FM and WRN are being broadcast. The date and time is wrong as well.

Conor S

Are you sure that its from 3 rock??
Seems strange that date is set to when the original dab tests finished on a new multiplex?
Try it in a low area with poor visability north to be sure that its three rock

Conor

DMC

Prop is in Celbridge where Clermont was very weak/non-existant the other day.

I can't say whats happening myself, as I'm at work.

Propellerhead

It is definitely Three Rock. My home receiver is a Matsui DAB adaptors with a short wire as an aerial. I'm getting very nearly full strength signal on it. Up to last night there was one sweet spot between two houses where I could only get a bubbly signal from Clermont Carn on my car radio, and I could only get consistent Clermont on Boston Hill to the south of Celbridge.

lawhec

kazoo106 wrote:

To my knowledge and everything I have heard from "inside" channels tells me that there will be NO DAB TESTS from Fraggle rock. Only Claremont Carn ! - the rig is only 500W into a temporary sigma yagi on the old RTE mast - rig cannot be wound up to its full potential of 2kW - Direction is 215 degrees

Bah! There was me hoping that RTÉ would be using a few kW of power so that enough "leakage" would make it up here.
Might take another trip up to Murley Mountain again with the DAB receiver to see if I can report any success. Also if they're pumping Three Rock out with enough power it might be possible to receive it up there too.
What gain is the yagi by any chance?

DMC

Transmission power will probably change, but AFAIK, upto 10kW is what they will pump out...

rlogue

I brought my Roberts Sports DAB with me in the car on the journey from Celbridge to Dun Laoghaire today. Three Rock was definitely on and I had no signal errors at all on the drive apart from a stretch in Monkstown between Monkstown DART and the Purty Kitchen where I had no signal at all.

The Sports DAB relies on the earphones for an aerial, but by connecting a cassette adaptor and stringing the wire over the rear view mirror I had a nice vertical wire antenna that worked well in the car.

I checked the signal halfway out to sea between Dun Laoghaire and Holyhead and got nothing, and there was no signal at all in Holyhead either with the cassette adaptor connected. So it looks like the Three Rock transmissions are directional, and according to Bernie Pope in RTÉ, they are also on low power.

DMC

Good to hear you got back home safely, matey..

Deffo nothing this evening here, just the faint gurgles of Clermont Carn indoors.. they are sticking to certain hours for Three Rock.

How muchos was the Roberts walkman?

byrnefm

I checked again last night at 8pm and 10:20pm and only Claremont Carn was on - I have great difficultly getting a non-bubbly signal in my room when Three Rock isn't on. Tried once more at 6:35am this morning and Three Rock was again on - 100% reception then. No other changes - WRN and Today FM still off-air.

I also did a second test - this time to do with the time and date reported by the radio. I noticed that the date had suddenly jumped from the 21-12-2001 two days ago to the 23-12-2001, so I timed '10 minutes', according to the display reported on the DAB radio. 10 minutes of RTÉ time = 5:50.5 of 'real time', or a rate of 35.05 seconds per RTÉ minute. Any ideas as to why time flies at RTÉ?

I just hope their 3-month trial isn't according to the RTÉ time...

DMC

Well here I am in my underground bunker in the city centre.... And I'm getting something...... getting about 40%, but this could be just down to positioning (its at a window) I shall try outside later.

DMC

And 100% on street level at the top of Grafton St, its Three Rock alright! .

DMC

Today FM on the air during the last hour or so from Three Rock.

DMC

WRN now on the air, all channels still 192kbps.
Radio Netherlands programming currently being broadcast.

DMC

Back home...

100% indoor in Cabra. All channels on air. Power seems full on.

DMC

Three Rock off air at 5:15pm

byrnefm

Some random time testings:

8pm - only Radio 1 on air (only receiving Claremont Carn)
10:20pm - all 6 stations back on air

This morning:
7am - Three Rock back on, all stations receivable

Took my radio to work in Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge - building surrounded by computer equipment and neighbouring other large buildings. Reception at my desk by a window: 10-11 (out of 15 '>'). Reception remains the same even when away from the window by another desk. (This was at 8:20am). FM reception is only 2/3 'bars', compared to the DAB signal of nearly-constant 3-bars.

Will try it out on the bus this evening - should be a good test as I often have some problems getting a clear FM signal on Dublin Bus!

DMC

And I will try going up the road to Kells tonight/tomorrow.

Promises to be an interesting trip

DMC

Power is reduced on Three Rock this evening... about 50-60% less than yesterday, but not bubbly at all. G'wan RTÉ, leave DAB from Three Rock on all weekend

redzer007

picking all up in Dalkey,

when is this due to go live?

R