BANDSCAN THREAD

radioguru02

2fm's audio is cutting in and out since just after 4am here, stopping at random times for 1 or 2 seconds
Edit: back to normal now

JDxtra

Blank carrier on 99.5 since yesterday afternoon. Heat appear to have dismantled their studio (see FB posts) and the stream is not working.

end of the road

JDxtra wrote: »

Blank carrier on 99.5 since yesterday afternoon. Heat appear to have dismantled their studio (see FB posts) and the stream is not working.

i wonder are they closing or just a studio move? one of the comments on one of their posts makes it sound more like they are closing but that doesn't mean they actually are. i would be sorry to see them go, a couple of decent shows on there.

marno21

Beat FM still on air with a very weak, poorly modulated signal on 104.8 FM in Tralee. Mono with RDS-EON enabled.

radioguru02

Heat back on 99.5 no RDS

WHL

I am currently picking up BBC Radio 4 on 88.5MHz in Cork City. Strangely BBC Radio 4 Extra was on this frequency an hour ago and before that there was classical music with Spanish language speech. This frequency seems to be active all of the time and prior to today I have only heard BBC Radio 3 here. I thought that it might be Virgin broadcasting for their TV system but why would the station change. I can receive it with an internal dipole as well as an external antenna. What am I listening to. Is it somebody using one of those FM re-broadcast yokes that I used to stick in my car cigarette lighter to listen to music

JDxtra

WHL wrote: »

I am currently picking up BBC Radio 4 on 88.5MHz in Cork City. Strangely BBC Radio 4 Extra was on this frequency an hour ago and before that there was classical music with Spanish language speech. This frequency seems to be active all of the time and prior to today I have only heard BBC Radio 3 here. I thought that it might be Virgin broadcasting for their TV system but why would the station change. I can receive it with an internal dipole as well as an external antenna. What am I listening to. Is it somebody using one of those FM re-broadcast yokes that I used to stick in my car cigarette lighter to listen to music

Yes, it could be a neighbour using a device to relay stations on FM around the house/garden. I am guessing there is no station name shown on the RDS.

WHL

JDxtra wrote: »

Yes, it could be a neighbour using a device to relay stations on FM around the house/garden. I am guessing there is no station name shown on the RDS.

You are right. No RDS. I did a few bandscans in the last few weeks and everything made sense except this frequency which always had BBC Radio 3. I thought that it might be a re-broadcast from somebody like Virgin. However yesterday was different with a number of stations. It must be a relay device. Thanks.

Tallaght Twin

WHL wrote: »

You are right. No RDS. I did a few bandscans in the last few weeks and everything made sense except this frequency which always had BBC Radio 3. I thought that it might be a re-broadcast from somebody like Virgin. However yesterday was different with a number of stations. It must be a relay device. Thanks.

That gets me thinking. Are they many devises like this around the country? Is anyone on Boards currently using one of these relay devices and if so, what frequency are you using and what are you relaying? I remember hearing BBC Radio 4 being relayed on a micro transmitter in Stepaside, Dublin a few years ago and a station relaying South Herts Radio from UK on 91.8 in Tallaght. Both were very location specific leading me to assume they were similar to these devices.

ADMIN - if you want to move this to a new thread, feel free.

marno21

Tallaght Twin wrote: »

That gets me thinking. Are they many devises like this around the country? Is anyone on Boards currently using one of these relay devices and if so, what frequency are you using and what are you relaying? I remember hearing BBC Radio 4 being relayed on a micro transmitter in Stepaside, Dublin a few years ago and a station relaying South Herts Radio from UK on 91.8 in Tallaght. Both were very location specific leading me to assume they were similar to these devices.

ADMIN - if you want to move this to a new thread, feel free.

I had a relay on 104.9 in my house before due to terrible FM reception of all but the RTE/Today/NT. Fallen out of use since Vodafone upgraded the local mast with 4G. Was very useful before that.

In rural Co. Cork though I doubt anyone noticed it.

Tallaght Twin

Tallaght Twin wrote: »

That gets me thinking. Are they many devises like this around the country? Is anyone on Boards currently using one of these relay devices and if so, what frequency are you using and what are you relaying? I remember hearing BBC Radio 4 being relayed on a micro transmitter in Stepaside, Dublin a few years ago and a station relaying South Herts Radio from UK on 91.8 in Tallaght. Both were very location specific leading me to assume they were similar to these devices.

ADMIN - if you want to move this to a new thread, feel free.

I used one in Fairview on 88.1 back around 2012 or 2013, had to occasionally move it around if a pirate appeared on there. Usually for BBC Radio 2.

I'm living in Swords now and I can pick up BBC Radio 2 on 88.7 in parts, especially around River Valley and Brackenstown. I assume it's from Camlough.

dxhound2005

Yes, from Camlough. We also get Divis in Dundalk.

You should also be able to get the other BBC national stations and Radio Ulster from the Camlough transmitter. This is a useful frequency guide.

http://www.frequencyfinder.org.uk/

castle2012

Heat fm dublin have ceased from the look of there Facebook. However a broadcast on 99.5 today of dance music poor quality sound

end of the road

castle2012 wrote: »

Heat fm dublin have ceased from the look of there Facebook. However a broadcast on 99.5 today of dance music poor quality sound

from doing a bit of digging it looks like they are just off air temporarily. i hope so anyway as there are a couple of decent shows on there.
probably playing music from an iphone or something connected to the transmitter.

RXTX

end of the road wrote: »

probably playing music from an iphone or something connected to the transmitter.

I agree. They appear to have plugged a normal headphone out or a line out source directly into the transmitter (probably an MP3 player). It is not limited, is mono and it sounds terrible.

Leaving the transmitter on with no source connected would be a better option if they want to just reserve the frequency they have had for many years.

castle2012

The pirate radio scene in dublin has been very poor the last couple of years . Just phever and trax doing some good work . I remember a couple of years ago every available frequency been used with some great stations

end of the road

castle2012 wrote: »

The pirate radio scene in dublin has been very poor the last couple of years . Just phever and trax doing some good work . I remember a couple of years ago every available frequency been used with some great stations

indeed. i guess that's a sign of the times though. i suppose a lot of people who would have once been involved in the sceene have moved on and don't have time for radio anymore, + music being so accessable online now mean there isn't the great need for pirate radio there once was.
it's interesting to wonder how things would be today if the may 2003 raids hadn't happened, if pirate radio would still have declined. looking back now i reccan it would have, we just wouldn't have had the period of no 24 hour pirates between 2003 and about 2007/8.
i agree about trax, decent station. we just need a station focusing on 2000s dance music now to complament it.
phever and heat have a couple of good shows as well.

TallGlass

Have to say, really really enjoying Trax. I haven't been listening to radio at all since 90s stopped broadcasting on FM, but back into listening again. Really good music on it.

TallGlass

end of the road wrote: »

indeed. i guess that's a sign of the times though. i suppose a lot of people who would have once been involved in the sceene have moved on and don't have time for radio anymore, + music being so accessable online now mean there isn't the great need for pirate radio there once was.
it's interesting to wonder how things would be today if the may 2003 raids hadn't happened, if pirate radio would still have declined. looking back now i reccan it would have, we just wouldn't have had the period of no 24 hour pirates between 2003 and about 2007/8.
i agree about trax, decent station. we just need a station focusing on 2000s dance music now to complament it.
phever and heat have a couple of good shows as well.

Radio itself is in decline, I am surprised legal stations are complaining about the likes of Non Stop 90s, what ever there option on there legal situation, they are pulling in numbers to the FM dial.

Each station lost from FM, be it legal (Phantom) or illegal (NS90s) both just examples, are listeners lost to the entire band not just one station and certainly the logic that once a pirate is shut down it translates to listeners back to a station doesn't wash with me.

In fact, removing pirates from FM is creating a void (I agree it should have been on air in the first place!) but it's that void which will promote another platform like internet streaming etc..

end of the road

TallGlass wrote: »

Radio itself is in decline, I am surprised legal stations are complaining about the likes of Non Stop 90s, what ever there option on there legal situation, they are pulling in numbers to the FM dial.

Each station lost from FM, be it legal (Phantom) or illegal (NS90s) both just examples, are listeners lost to the entire band not just one station and certainly the logic that once a pirate is shut down it translates to listeners back to a station doesn't wash with me.

In fact, removing pirates from FM is creating a void (I agree it should have been on air in the first place!) but it's that void which will promote another platform like internet streaming etc..

there is no way ns90s were taking listeners from the legals, just like the pirates of the late 90s and 2000s + the early 90s dance pirates weren't taking listeners from the legals.
the reality is the legals just do not offer many what they want, so they will get it elsewhere.

SimonMaher

TallGlass wrote: »

Radio itself is in decline, I am surprised legal stations are complaining about the likes of Non Stop 90s, what ever there option on there legal situation, they are pulling in numbers to the FM dial.

Each station lost from FM, be it legal (Phantom) or illegal (NS90s) both just examples, are listeners lost to the entire band not just one station and certainly the logic that once a pirate is shut down it translates to listeners back to a station doesn't wash with me.

In fact, removing pirates from FM is creating a void (I agree it should have been on air in the first place!) but it's that void which will promote another platform like internet streaming etc..

I think you've summed it up very well there Tall Glass, nicely written. It's an entirely new reality that radio has to deal with. Not "losing" listeners to pirates or competing licenced stations, but losing listeners from the broadcast radio platform entirely.

Simon

marno21

Cork tonight:

87.5 Klub
104.9 DHR
106.6 unidentified

radioguru02

marno21 wrote: »

Cork tonight:

87.5 Klub
104.9 DHR
106.6 unidentified

You sure it wasn't Caroline on 106.7? Have they moved down 0.1mHz or is it another station entirely?

radioguru02

marno21 wrote: »

Cork tonight:

87.5 Klub
104.9 DHR
106.6 unidentified

You sure it wasn't Caroline on 106.7? Have they moved down 0.1mHz or is it another station entirely?

Antenna

marno21 wrote: »

106.6 unidentified

might that have been RNE from the north of Spain? there has
been ducting between north of Spain and south coast of Ireland in recent days, Spanish amateurs have been heard on the amateur 2 metre repeater on Mullaghanish at times in recent days

marno21

Antenna wrote: »

might that have been RNE from the north of Spain? there has
been ducting between north of Spain and south coast of Ireland in recent days, Spanish amateurs have been heard on the amateur 2 metre repeater on Mullaghanish at times in recent days

It could have been, I wasn't really listening but noted the signal at around 7:30pm yesterday. Conditions were fairly on the ball for ducting alright. Was in a bit of a rush and had passengers so couldn't really stop to do a proper check.

Was received in Knocknaheeney/Hollyhill which can be notorious for poor signal due to local terrain obstructing transmitters (which are frequently on the Northside).

WHL

Caroline still on 106.7 in Cork City this morning. Not hearing anything on 106.6

radioguru02

Heat's website is offline.

JDxtra

Some activity on 99.5 today. RDS showing as "Space FM". Thought I heard the liners calling it "Bass FM". Playing Coldplay songs now.

radioguru02

New station in Cork: True Radio on 87.8. Picked it up with rds TRUE in Youghal playing dance music.