How's your FM Radio signal in Sligo?

Andy From Sligo

Do you find the signal strength strong for OceanFm Radio on 102.5FM for the Sligo Area? - I am always having to position the aerial just about right on the radio and put the radio into 'Mono' mode even then I am still getting unclear reception, to the point that sometimes I just change stations because the signal is so poor on Ocean FM. Their Studios is only 9Kms away from my house, it wouldnt be too much to expect a nice strong signal in Stereo from my local radio station would it be? - This happens on all radio/clock radio in house so its not fault with radio, and our house is no way in a dip its up a hill.

Do you know if the signal I would be picking up would be from their Mast at their studios in Collooney or would I be getting the signal from the 2RN site from the Truskmore mast/aerial?

Mad to think i can pick up strong signal and in Stereo FM from all the other International Radio stations such as RTE Radio1/2FM/TodayFM but from my local radio station just 9km down the road from me its terrible reception and i have to select Mono.

drdidlittle

Newstalk signal is very bad around the sligo area / northwest in general.

Mint Sauce

All grand in the car. Only listen to internet radio in the house.

Andy From Sligo

Mint Sauce wrote: »

All grand in the car. Only listen to internet radio in the house.

yeah, grand in our car too - its just our house FM radios that have trouble - I reckon the car radio' s cope better with low signals anyway.

I'd love if we could get a DAB service here , I bet technically with all the existing main transmitters and relay transmitters technically they could bring DAB to Sligo with no problem

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

yeah, grand in our car too - its just our house FM radios that have trouble - I reckon the car radio' s cope better with low signals anyway.

I'd love if we could get a DAB service here , I bet technically with all the existing main transmitters and relay transmitters technically they could bring DAB to Sligo with no problem

When I lived in Collooney I could pick up the BBC radio stations 1,2,3 & 4 and Downtown on FM,coming from Brougher Mountain.I also had a DAB radio with a roof aerial picking up all those stations as well!

Andy From Sligo

zorro2566 wrote: »

When I lived in Collooney I could pick up the BBC radio stations 1,2,3 & 4 and Downtown on FM,coming from Brougher Mountain.I also had a DAB radio with a roof aerial picking up all those stations as well!

wow cool - how big was the aerial ?

still wouldnt get me local OceanFm though because that would be UK DAB service

red sean

Here you go: http://sat-planet.ie/saorview/aerials/radio_aerials?product_id=562
Should solve the problem.

Andy From Sligo

red sean wrote: »

Here you go: http://sat-planet.ie/saorview/aerials/radio_aerials?product_id=562
Should solve the problem.

thanks, I might invest in one one day , but that is not going to solve the poor receptions on the clock radio and fm radios in our house they have metal rod aerials and no VHF/FM connectors built into them

Says in the details too that its for strong signal areas

scooby77

drdidlittle wrote: »

Newstalk signal is very bad around the sligo area / northwest in general.

Find the same in the car...particularly between Cliffoney and rathcormac!

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

wow cool - how big was the aerial ?

still wouldnt get me local OceanFm though because that would be UK DAB service

Just a normal digital aerial similar to the ones people use for freeview/saorview reception. Don't know much about ocean, never bother with it.

Andy From Sligo

zorro2566 wrote: »

Just a normal digital aerial similar to the ones people use for freeview/saorview reception. Don't know much about ocean, never bother with it.

At the moment I have to question what I am listening to it for, the guy who is on before 4pm at the moment is dire, I think he is standing in for some other DJ.

- I do enjoy the francie boylan show though at mid-day , and the DJ after 4pm Pauric Beirne is OK

Mint Sauce

For what ever reason, the FM signals in cars seem to be better, on lock in on signals better. I listen to Nova in the car, a Dublin Rock station any time I am down there. As long I keep it tuned in, I can still pick it up as far as Longford, and have some times still got it in Carrick. If I am traveling towards Dublin, it's Maynouth before I can pick it up.

Wouldn't hold your breath about DAB though, has not took off at all here. It's only RTE stations as far as I know broadcasting it, and then, only Dublin, Cork, Limerick (I think), and couple of other Towns/Cities. People in their cars still tune to FM outside these areas, or the Internet in their house.

Even if DAB was nationwide, still wouldn't rate it unless there was heavy investment in it. Hired a car in England last year, and played about with the DAB in it. Even the BBC stations were too unreliable and unstable, despite DAB being nationwide there, and I ended up going back to FM.

Andy From Sligo

Mint Sauce wrote: »

For what ever reason, the FM signals in cars seem to be better, on lock in on signals better. I listen to Nova in the car, a Dublin Rock station any time I am down there. As long I keep it tuned in, I can still pick it up as far as Longford, and have some times still got it in Carrick. If I am traveling towards Dublin, it's Maynouth before I can pick it up.

Wouldn't hold your breath about DAB though, has not took off at all here. It's only RTE stations as far as I know broadcasting it, and then, only Dublin, Cork, Limerick (I think), and couple of other Towns/Cities. People in their cars still tune to FM outside these areas, or the Internet in their house.

Even if DAB was nationwide, still wouldn't rate it unless there was heavy investment in it. Hired a car in England last year, and played about with the DAB in it. Even the BBC stations were too unreliable and unstable, despite DAB being nationwide there, and I ended up going back to FM.

I hired a car in UK a year last November and its crazy the amount of stations they have on the FM band there , almost walking over each other the stations were, and when you done autoseek it wasnt long until it found another station .

sligojoek

Newstalk must have a weaker signal. My kitchen radio used to have a little black light wire for an antenna. My OH accidentally cut it with a scissors one day so it's only 2ins long. I still have no problrms with all the RTEs or Ocean. I can't get Newstalk at all.

If I'm in the car and go from Radio 1 to Newstalk I have to turn the volume up 5 notches.

I was working in Glencar last year and could get no signal at all. The plumber on the job got a length of copper wire and connected the telescopic ariel to a copper radiator pipe. It worked a treat.

marno21

Ocean FM on 102.5MHz comes from the mast at the top of Truskmore. Ocean FM have one other transmitter in Sligo, a small relay in Tobercurry on 105.0. The signal is transmitted at a lower power than the RTE stations, and should be on par with the Newstalk signal on 107.4MHz. Newstalk's signal however is in mono which makes it more resistant to interference in weaker signal areas on most radios.

Is this issue a problem in all parts of your house on all radios?

scooby77 wrote: »

Find the same in the car...particularly between Cliffoney and rathcormac!

This is an issue with terrain. Ben Bulben and it's neighbouring mountains obstructing the signal from Truskmore. You may have some success picking up the Donegal transmitter near Mountcharles on 105.0 but it's been a while since I've driven the N15 so I'm not fully sure. There's known issues with TV reception along this stretch, especially near Ballintrillick.

sligojoek

Ya. Drumcliffe to Henry's restaurant is a blackspot. NT goes altogether on me and The RTEs go hissy. Even though you're only a few miles from Truskmore there's a lot of solid rock in between.
Even TV coverage in Grange was sketchy till they put up the higher mast.

Andy I'd look at getting a tuner/radio with an ext. FM socket and put an ariel in the attic or outside.

Andy From Sligo

OceanFm goes out terribly of tune in my car always at this point, the back road from Coolaney to Collooney -

Andy From Sligo

marno21 wrote: »

Ocean FM on 102.5MHz comes from the mast at the top of Truskmore. ....... The signal is transmitted at a lower power than the RTE stations, and should be on par with the Newstalk signal on 107.4MHz. Newstalk's signal however is in mono which makes it more resistant to interference in weaker signal areas on most radios.

I wonder why broadcasting at such low power then? or is this synonymous with most local radio stations that they transmit at lower power?

marno21

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

OceanFm goes out terribly of tune in my car always at this point, the back road from Coolaney to Collooney -

There's a hill directly to the north of there which obstructs the signal from Truskmore, and probably causes multipath issues on top of that too.

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

I wonder why broadcasting at such low power then? or is this synonymous with most local radio stations that they transmit at lower power?

The local stations are all lower power than the commercial services from the main TXs. For example Radio Kerry from Mullaghanish is 20kW vs the RTEs at 160kW. Clare FM Maghera is 5kW, RTEs are 160kW. Mt Leinster FMs 100kW, South East is either 2 or 5kW.

Andy From Sligo

marno21 wrote: »

There's a hill directly to the north of there which obstructs the signal from Truskmore, and probably causes multipath issues on top of that too.



The local stations are all lower power than the commercial services from the main TXs. For example Radio Kerry from Mullaghanish is 20kW vs the RTEs at 160kW. Clare FM Maghera is 5kW, RTEs are 160kW. Mt Leinster FMs 100kW, South East is either 2 or 5kW.

Thanks for that - interesting. So basically if OceanFM (or 2RN from the truskmore mast) bumped up the kW power for OceanFM then i might be get a really good clear stereo reception on OceanFM on all the radio's in the house it sounds like? - cant be anything to do with obstructing mountains because the RTE radio stations are lovely and clear and in Stereo .

marno21

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

Thanks for that - interesting. So basically if OceanFM (or 2RN from the truskmore mast) bumped up the kW power for OceanFM then i might be get a really good clear stereo reception on OceanFM on all the radio's in the house it sounds like? - cant be anything to do with obstructing mountains because the RTE radio stations are lovely and clear and in Stereo .

Is Ocean FM an issue on ALL radios and in all parts of your house?

Ocean FM won't be increasing their power - especially due to the proximity to the UK. The power and location of 102.5 (Truskmore, 5kW) is agreed internationally and is out of Ocean FM's control.

Andy From Sligo

marno21 wrote: »

Is Ocean FM an issue on ALL radios and in all parts of your house?

Ocean FM won't be increasing their power - especially due to the proximity to the UK. The power and location of 102.5 (Truskmore, 5kW) is agreed internationally and is out of Ocean FM's control.

I have found a radio today with a better reception than the others and use that for the kitchen now, it has a metal rod aerial, before I was using a clock radio with a black wire coming out the back that was very poor. The clock radios upstairs are terrible reception but again they have black wire , not metal rod aerial on them , A Roberts mono battery operated radio in the upstairs Bathroom with a rod aerial is OK'ish depending where the radio is placed, I have found the window sill the best to place it to get a good signal. - Got issues on these radio's with getting iRadio too, again must be a weaker signal. All these radios get RTE radio 1/2/TodayFM with no problems whatsoevever - got a stack system hi-fi which if you 'autoscan' stations it will find the RTE's no problem and TodayFM and store them but whizzes past OceanFM at 102.5 and i-radio at 104.4... these I have to tune in manually and select Mono.

Surely to advertisers on these radio stations a good strong is a must you would think, because some people might do what i am doing and if bad quality signal with load of noise turn to another radio station with better quality sound? - so therefore maybe radio stations with weak quality could be losing listeners no?

red sean

Regional stations cannot boost their power above a certain level or they may encroach on a different franchises area. Mwr already got their knuckles rapped a few years ago when M/Nwr could be picked up perfectly almost as far as Dublin.

Andy From Sligo

i dont suppose in this wonderful world of little electronic gadgets thats available these days there wouldnt be something like this available?

A little FM Transmitter with a fitting at the back to attach an omni-directional Outdoor FM Aerial - then a little amplifier electronic circuit inside, with a 'gain control' potentiometer at the front, and 2 rod aerials on top that transmit the amplified FM signal to portable radio's in the house with rod aerials and clock radio's with the black wire coming out of them?.

marno21

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

i dont suppose in this wonderful world of little electronic gadgets thats available these days there wouldnt be something like this available?

A little FM Transmitter with a fitting at the back to attach an omni-directional Outdoor FM Aerial - then a little amplifier electronic circuit inside, with a 'gain control' potentiometer at the front, and 2 rod aerials on top that transmit the amplified FM signal to portable radio's in the house with rod aerials and clock radio's with the black wire coming out of them?.

These days, a cheaper overall solution would be an internet radio.

How is the reception in your car? Is it very noisy as well?

Andy From Sligo

marno21 wrote: »

These days, a cheaper overall solution would be an internet radio.

How is the reception in your car? Is it very noisy as well?

all the RTE and TodayFM really good, sometimes OceanFM and i-Radio can be a bit of poor reception I think when driving round Sligo, maybe its mountains ... or the fact that they transmit on low power .

Got an Internet Radio but because we have a bit of a ropey broadband connection sometimes (and especially contention, when people on it a lot or more people on it in the area) the Internet radio does cut out a lot or keeps buffering, its annoying so I tend to listen on FM

marno21

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

all the RTE and TodayFM really good, sometimes OceanFM and i-Radio can be a bit of poor reception I think when driving round Sligo, maybe its mountains ... or the fact that they transmit on low power .

Got an Internet Radio but because we have a bit of a ropey broadband connection sometimes (and especially contention, when people on it a lot or more people on it in the area) the Internet radio does cut out a lot or keeps buffering, its annoying so I tend to listen on FM

Have you the option of listening in mono on any of your radios? If so is there any improvement?

Andy From Sligo

marno21 wrote: »

Have you the option of listening in mono on any of your radios? If so is there any improvement?

yes it does get better when i put it into Mono mode, although I cannot put the Clock radio and the other portable one in mono mode the facility not there on them (no mono/stereo switch)

So anyways there is nothing on the market like that mini FM amplifier/transmitter thing then ?

flex_manion

try googling the whole sentence below (I can't post links for some reason)

aliexpress CZE(H)-05B FM Radio Broadcast Station Home Transmitter

prob illegal to use in ireland though

P.S. - love the mspaint artwork :)