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Are Spirit Radio in serious breach of their licence ?

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24

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    #32
    Losty Dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 13,112 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119584363#Comment_119584363

    Very very expensive.

    A unit of electricity is used for every kilowatt of signal of transmission that you put out each hour. However, that is before you allow for inefficiency in generation of your signal. At best AM has 33% efficiency so your rig needs 3 units a kilowatt an hour.

    In Spirits case their right has a 25kw output and goes out 24/7/365, not including any other electronics on site; receivers, processors, monitoring etc. You can do the sums from here.



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    #33
    Tow
    Registered Users Posts: 7,277 ✭✭✭Tow


    A 'modern' solid-state AM TX can be around 80% efficient. Harris have a range which are effectively lots of small transistor amplifiers which are switched on and off to modulate the signal.

    Still, it would be like burning 5 euro notes to heat a house. I can't find up-to-date commercial electricity rates on line. But at 30c a KWh you would be looking at €82k just to power a 25KW TX for a year.

    When is the money (including lost growth) Michael Noonan took in the Pension Levy going to be paid back?



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    #34
    Master Anorak
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭Master Anorak


    AFAIK this licence was renewed within the past 18 months so it's a wonder why the AM part of it wasn't dropped considering that spirit have only ever done the most token effort at AM



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    #35
    Tow
    Registered Users Posts: 7,277 ✭✭✭Tow


    It appears their license is for a national AM radio station, which is allowed to have low powered FM transmitters.

    Is 25KW even powerful enough to cover the country properly? It would make more sense to transmit on Freedab, except BAI would not be happy.

    When is the money (including lost growth) Michael Noonan took in the Pension Levy going to be paid back?



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    #36
    dxhound2005
    Registered Users Posts: 20,975 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    This question was posted on the Ydun site 07 September.

    549 khz Ireland – are they using the harris dx 25 or tram 50kw.

    Does any person know?"

    I wouldnd't be surprised if they are using 50. Good signals on all the Irish Kiwi SDR's and many in Scotland and England.



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    #37
    Tow
    Registered Users Posts: 7,277 ✭✭✭Tow


    Years ago you would get official lists of public radio/tv TX transmitters. Now in the days of the internet that appears to have gone, or maybe disappeared into the noise.

    When is the money (including lost growth) Michael Noonan took in the Pension Levy going to be paid back?



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    #38
    TheBMG
    Registered Users Posts: 632 ✭✭✭TheBMG


    Are you looking for a frequency list? If so frequencyfinder.org.uk is very handy and quite up to date



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    #39
    tinytobe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,393 ✭✭✭tinytobe


    Regarding Spirit Radio, just wondering, why do they have two frequencies in Dublin, both from the same transmitter site? ( Three Rock )

    One is 89.9 which appears to be the stronger one, and 92.1 which seems the weaker one?

    Maybe somebody can enlighten me?



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    #40
    Antenna
    Registered Users Posts: 2,313 ✭✭✭Antenna


    The 92.1 you are receiving is Drogheda, see below, this is a list of Spirit radio FM frequencies (20 frequencies) , in order of frequency. Only two sites share the same frequency (in the case of 90.1) :


    87.6 Mullingar 

    87.7 Letterkenny 

    88.0 Tralee 

    89.8 Limerick

    89.9 Dublin 

    90.1 Waterford AND Bray/Greystones  

    90.3 Ennis 

    90.4 Dundalk 

    90.5 Carlow 

    90.6 Athlone 

    90.9 Cork 

    91.2 Killarney 

    91.7 Galway 

    92.1 Drogheda 

    92.2 Newbridge/Naas 

    92.4 Navan 

    93.1 Kilkenny 

    93.4 Sligo 

    94.5 Wexford 

    95.8 MHz Clonmel



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    #41
    tinytobe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,393 ✭✭✭tinytobe


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119610831#Comment_119610831

    Then I was mistaken. I thought that the 92.1 would be from Three Rock as well. By the way, the 89.9 is clear and strong in Drogheda.



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    #42
    Glaceon
    Registered Users Posts: 2,087 ✭✭✭Glaceon


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119610856#Comment_119610856

    Indoor reception of the Dublin stations can be a bit awkward in Drogheda and you lose them almost entirely even in a car around the Bullring and St Mary's Bridge. LMFM (obviously), Today FM, Spirit and Newstalk are the easiest to get.



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    #43
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users Posts: 788 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    88.0 Tralee is discontinued, I've no idea why.



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    #44
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users Posts: 788 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    What's more, its a crap signal, on both FM and the appalling AM, always cutting in and out as you drive around, no listening pleasure at all. A launch on Saorview will be a pleasure.



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    #45
    Master Anorak
    Registered Users Posts: 78 ✭✭Master Anorak


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119613755#Comment_119613755

    Probably just on a career break like 549 frequently is



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    #46
    thesandeman
    Registered Users Posts: 10,369 ✭✭✭✭thesandeman


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119614339#Comment_119614339

    I hope it's not a 50 inch TV you have in the car 😲



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    #47
    rathfarnhamlad
    Registered Users Posts: 315 ✭✭rathfarnhamlad


    I only tune into the station every now & then when I'm in the car but I was listening today & noticed the track skipping a lot anytime they play a song. Has anyone else noticed this?



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    #48
    Antenna
    Registered Users Posts: 2,313 ✭✭✭Antenna


    Their 549kHz AM currently off the air again ... maybe just a short outage? we will see...



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    #49
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users Posts: 788 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    That TX is only a joke, even driving on the M6 its hard to make out what's been broadcast. Its only servicing Co, Monahan and boarder regions.



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    #50
    Tow
    Registered Users Posts: 7,277 ✭✭✭Tow


    They probably got the electric bill.

    When is the money (including lost growth) Michael Noonan took in the Pension Levy going to be paid back?



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    #51
    tinytobe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,393 ✭✭✭tinytobe


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119744170#Comment_119744170

    Just wondering are they off air on 549 kHz permanently? Is it the high cost of electricity to maintain the AM transmitter?



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    #52
    Losty Dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 13,112 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119770762#Comment_119770762

    Bearing in mind that they couldn't even pay their staff from early into their run and that the on air product has insignificant ad traffic on it in the main, we can safely say that the leccie is in need of a begging bowl brimming with a **** load of 50p's.



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    #53
    tinytobe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,393 ✭✭✭tinytobe


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119774471#Comment_119774471

    Thanks for the update. Yes, it's been rumored that financial issues are there.



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    #54
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users Posts: 788 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    Better off if they closed it and close down all the Mickey Mouse transmitters and use one and only one TX, that's the big MW 500kw in Tullamore (567) quickly before RTE knock it down.



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    #55
    Losty Dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 13,112 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119778320#Comment_119778320

    Good idea. All they'll need now is a medium wave transmitter to put in there. The RTE one was removed and disposed off over a decade ago now.



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    #56
    dxhound2005
    Registered Users Posts: 20,975 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119747755#Comment_119747755

    All of the M6, and day and night? Good reception was being achieved over a wide area, as per my post #36.



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    #57
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users Posts: 788 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    Is 549khz operating at all now? I don't seem to hear anything or have they reduced the power even further



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    #58
    marno21
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,396 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    549kHz is blank here in Kerry (Gold 1458 from Manchester is listenable so 549 should be working if it was on any reasonable power)

    88.0 in Castleisland is also off. 91.2 in Killarney remains on though



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    #59
    marno21
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,396 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119959307#Comment_119959307

    88.0 back on air today.



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    #60
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users Posts: 788 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    Unfortunately 88.00 is still off



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    #61
    Mickey Mike
    Registered Users Posts: 788 ✭✭✭Mickey Mike


    Spirit 549am must be permanently off now



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