So what's wrong with Radio 3 Breakfast?

[kernelbogey]

I'm sure I can't be the only person who is grateful for mw's information and is keen to learn more.

[DublinJimbo]

Mr Bowbrick is clearly sympathetic since he has started compiling such a list on his Twitter page.

The list loses credibility, I'm afraid, when I see RTÉ Lyric FM included. This is what our national broadcaster laughingly calls its 'Classical' station, whereas in fact it's a cultural disaster area. Some of the evening/night programming is okay, but the rest is excruciatingly dumbed down, beset with inept and ignorant presenters and plagued with playlist programme after playlist programme. To be avoided at all costs.

Whoever Mr Bowbrick is, he hasn't done his research very well.

[cloughie]

This is a very interesting post. I have gradually reached the same position as mw963. I listen to Choral Evensong and the BaL section on Saturday mornings; most of the rest of R3's output simply irritates me.

I would value more information about Astra satellite radio. What does a potential listener need in order to receive it? An Astra satellite dish, presumably ... plus an additional box connected up to the hi-fi system? (I'd prefer to avoid the internet route.) Is a specialist installer needed? Or does the average satellite dealer know what's involved? I'm sure I can't be the only person who is grateful for mw's information and is keen to learn more.

But not for the simple British guy who wants to tune into FM or DAB somewhere around the house!

[mw963]

The Astra Digital Radio system I mentioned was (still is for another six weeks, until the very end of German analogue TV) an interim method of delivering digital radio. However, in fact things are somewhat simpler now in any case as since about 2002 German radio is transmitted from Astra 1 in much the same way as BBC radio is broadcast from Astra 2.

So you need:

A dish pointing at Astra 1 at 19 degrees E. 60 cms is recommended rather than the 45 cm ubiquitous Sky dish, although in the southern half of Britain the latter would probably suffice.

A DVB-S satellite receiver. All DVB-S means is that it's a digital sat receiver. As long as you don't end up with an analogue box they all are DVB-S!

And a cable between the two. Almost all sat receivers have left/right audio outputs on phono plugs which can be connected to a hi fi.

Some houses have an old Astra 1 dish already installed from analogue Sky days but the LNB (the aerial unit on the end of the arm) may not be suitable. The LNB needs to be "universal".

One common misconception is that dishes need to be mounted high up. Provided they can see the sky south south east of the location they can be at ground level (eg on a wall, garden wall, or even a stout stake sunk into a flowerbed!). This makes a DIY install much easier of course.

Most satellite installers will be able to manage this PROVIDED you make it clear that you don't want Astra 2 (the "British" satellite) but Astra 1 instead.

It isn't a difficult DIY project, except that the first time you install a dish it can be frustratingly slow to find the right signal. Like all these things once you've done a few it's very easy, but for the sake of £150 (I'm guessing, but a BBC friend has just had one put in for that price, including the receiver) it might be simpler to hand the problem over to a pro.

Sky boxes and freesat boxes can be used, but one's better off with a bog standard box if one doesn't already own a freesat box as freesat is designed for Astra 2 primarily, and Sky boxes can be a pain when tuned to anything other than Astra 2.

This would be suitable

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Technomate-TM-5200-D-USB-Super/dp/B001EXC0N2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331548784&sr=8-3

[gurnemanz]

And not just WDR3 of course - the whole stable of German Classical Music Radio is up on Astra 1 (19 deg E) and doubtless on the internet too.

But then along came Astra Digital Radio and at least I had a source of music again. In my case the advantage of having only the most limited understanding of German is that I rarely have any idea as to whether I'm being patronised or not. But somehow I doubt it.

Whether by satellite or internet, give them a try

I lived in Germany for five years and listened to the regional cultural radio channels mentioned a lot, but they don't always give me what I want. They are very good, but they do include quite a lot of speech features. The excellent Bayern 4 sees the need for 5 minutes of news and weather on the hour. In the breakfast slot they are also not averse to playing bleeding chunks. The classical satellite channel I listen to most is RAI 5 on Hot Bird where for 24 hours they just announce the music and then play it. Today's programme is here - no blah, just details:

http://www.radio.rai.it/filodiffusione/auditorium/palinsesto/12_03_2012.html

My wife is German and Astra is great for us with a range free-to-air radio and TV channels. Sound can easily be connected to a hi-hi amp. You don't need to technically minded. A technician will install it for you and after initial costs of about £300 for equipment and set-up, there is no further expense.

[mw963]

You are quite right gurnemanz- German classical music radio isn't what it was, there's a lot more speech than there used to be. When I first listened to Bayern 4 (as it was then) it was a station that "took no prisoners" and one could spend an afternoon wallowing in the most wonderful (and esoteric) music. In fact just the sort of thing one used to hear on Radio 3 - Schmidt, Schmitt, Magnard, etc.

But I'd still give the German stations up a lot less readily than Radio 3.

I should add that France Musique is also available on Astra 1, although they went down the speech route many years ago now. It's a regular occurrence to hear the last movt of a symphony faded out with just two minutes to go so that someone can have a chatter.

[kernelbogey]

It's a regular occurrence to hear the last movt of a symphony faded out with just two minutes to go so that someone can have a chatter.

Faded out?! You were looky! I was once listening to RAI Tre early one morning and they just chopped the music off mid-bar in order to give the news, but the segue was into one of those ghastly fanfares some radio stations use.

[Nick Armstrong]

But not for the simple British guy who wants to tune into FM or DAB somewhere around the house!

That was my thought too, Cloughie!

[Bax-of-Delights]

Rai5 is available on line here:

http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/popup/player_radio.html?v=5

I'm giving it a whirl for a few hours to see how it compares...

[DublinJimbo]

I'm giving it a whirl for a few hours to see how it compares...

Similarly here. Currently playing Brahms, Violin Sonata op. 78. I've yet to hear anything but music.

[kernelbogey]

Similarly here. Currently playing Brahms, Violin Sonata op. 78. I've yet to hear anything but music.

I can't get any sound at all! It's inviting me to install Silverlight. Do I need that to hear it?

[Panjandrum]

Thanks for the link, FF, though not quite sure how to navigate it: I presume I have to sign in to Twitter. Though not quite a Twitter virgin , I am somewhat inexperienced . Who is Mr Bowbrick?

Steve Bowbrick is Head of Digital, BBC. He is the Radio3 muggins - sorry, Czar - of the Facebook pages, who occasionally interacts with those who make their comments known. His twitter account is @bowbrick. To be fair, it was he who responded promptly to sort out the situation when it was pointed out to him that the iplayer recordings were not always available at 320kbps, despite the fanfare.

[DublinJimbo]

I can't get any sound at all! It's inviting me to install Silverlight. Do I need that to hear it?

There's also a Real Audio alternative.Try that?

[kernelbogey]

Thanks Jimbo. Now playing.

[DublinJimbo]

Thanks Jimbo. Now playing.

... the end of a wonderful performance of Grieg's op. 8 violin sonata with Augustin Dumay and Maria Joao Pires.