BBC Radio 4 Longwave to end (Poss ??)

[BADGER.BRAD]

I just came across this article whilst looking for information on whether radio 4 long wave would remain after analogue switch off. I have listened to Radio 4 long wave for many years now finding it the most reliable signal through out the UK ( whilst driving a truck) and sat in the welsh mountains and it suits my interest in old radios/Ham radio. If it does go I'm not sure how they will separate the cricket from the normal programs on VHF FM ? DAB or Internet is no answer to many people !
Here it is anyway.
http://www.whathifi.com/news/end-in-sight-for-radio-4-long-wave

 

[Doseone]

This would be a great shame. I can't receive R4 FM where I live so I listen to it on LW. Of course, we don't have a sniff of digital reception. I know there is internet radio, but being a rural area we only get slow BB connection so there can be a lot of buffering.

 

[srw]

I don't believe for a moment that analogue (FM) radio will be switched off any time soon. It has too many advantages over DAB, and it's very embedded. It's an awful lot easier to convert an analogue TV to digital than it is to convert an analogue radio.

 

[rich p]

Where else can you get Test Match Special in the car?
It's a bloody disgrace, I tell you, as I see a red bus disappear down the Harleyford Road and spy a pigeon sitting on a crane.
No, a metal crane

 

[accountantpete]

They will have to go DAB+ in the end, so the switchover will happen when a politician is brave enough to admit that the majority of DAB radio's already sold will be useless.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Can't they just dump the Archers and get some new valves made instead?

Chuck in that Sandi Toksvig off that News Quiz too if that gets a couple more fennigs in the old coffers.

 

[Paulus]

This also goes for the World service, apparently the stock of spare valves that the Beeb has is dwindling and they are not made any more. There was an article on Radio4 a week or so back explaining why.

 

[Davidc]

The analogue switch-off bit is irrelevant. Paulus is right, although the story first went public about 18 months ago. The technology to make replacements for those valves disappeared decades ago, the cost of putting in a new 400kW AM long wave transmitter would be prohibitive, and the audience is minute.

No Uncle Mort, your contact isn't quite right. It would be possible to replace the transmitter, but the calculation has be made whether the money would be well spent. High power transmitters for those frequencies aren't off the shelf items, and I recall seeing a figure of tens of millions quoted when the idea was raised in the 1980s.

AM radio is a technology older than 405 line black and white TV. It has had its time, especially at that sort of power and on a frequency that most radios sold now can't pick up.

Anyone who receives TV signals (apart from a small number in london for the next couple of months) can get everything that's on R4LW on their TV in much better sound quality than LW AM.

As for those who listen in other countries, it's the same as when 648 closed down - you don't pay for it so hard luck!

 

[Glow worm]

The advantage of Long Wave of course is that you can cover the whole country with 1 transmitter (tx). (Or in R4's case three, as there are other 198khz sticks at Burghead and Westerglen in Scotland). I suspect the tx(s) will probably be ditched in the coming years for all the reasons described above. That will leave Long Wave inhabited almost soully by the French language 'monster' transmitters such as France Inter on 162 with a whopping 2000kw! These beasts cost an absolute fortune to run- you're talking hundreds of thousands of pounds per year for the lecky alone= possibly millions now as it's a while since I looked at the figures. And if no ones listening- what's the point I guess!

One thing at the back of my mind with this is isn't there supposed to be an 'emergency frequency' for use for some national emergency or other ( maybe no internet or mobile network) so the whole country could be reached with the one stick for folk to pick up on trannies? (ooh er missus). Holland are supposed to have 747khz MW for this purpose (the jumbo frequency as it's known!), Denmark have their Kalundborg 243khz LW stick currently mothballed apart from being fired up for the odd shipping forecast but I believe that would be planned to be used in an emergency.

SO I'll miss 198khz. But there's plenty of stuff still on LW (we'll be able to hear Warsaw on 198khz for a start!) and only this morning I caught a faint hint Morocco's French language 171Khz whilst trying to tune into Europe 1 on 183khz. So it may be RTE's Radio 1 on 252 Khz that could be the last English language service on LW, but who knows for how much longer.

Is anyone still awake?!

 

[Davidc]

Is anyone still awake?!

Just about.

The french language ones are slowly shutting down too. Monte Carlo's either gone or using much lower power, and I read some years ago that others were reducing power to both conserve their stock of irreplaceable valves and keep the electricity bills lower.