Radio 3 FM relay closures in Wales

[mw963]

Whilst that website is carefully researched in many ways, the author is not party to all the information and history between the broadcasters and the authorities (both in Britain and internationally) who allocate frequencies, so some of the views stated (not necessarily in this case) are more fantasy-frequency-planning than what's actually possible.

What perhaps needs explaining is the fact that the main stations (ie Wenvoe, Haverfordwest, Blaen Plwyf, Llandonna, and Llangollen) serve a huge percentage IN POPULATION TERMS. The low powered relays often serve only a few thousand homes, if that. So yes Radio 3 will still be available to the vast majority of folk in Wales. The problem with Radio Wales is that its DAB coverage is not so good because it has to rely on an independent local DAB multiplex (not controlled by the BBC) in the same way that BBC Local Radio does in England. Coverage is not as comprehensive as the National BBC DAB multiplex, so the decision (as I understand it) was taken to hand over those 32 Radio 3 relays frequencies to Radio Wales on the basis that Radio 3 listeners have good (mainly) DAB coverage to fall back on, whereas at present Radio Wales is less widely available, either on DAB or (until tomorrow) on FM.

The big loss is Llangollen, but as its coverage in England is duplicated by Sutton Coldfield and Holme Moss, and in Wales to a certain extent by Llandonna (at least on some of the northern coast) the loss is "acceptable" as far as the BBC is concerned. The problem is that many receivers with RDS choose Llangollen at the moment in areas of Liverpool and Cheshire, as the signal from there is stronger than Sutton Coldfield or Holme Moss. For a few days after tomorrow this may be a problem, but eventually RDS receivers will flush out old information and stop tuning to Llangollen for Radio 3 (because it won't be there any more) and choose one of the other two. The price may be a slight degradation in signal to noise ratio.....

Bear in mind that this is all being done on the cheap, even if the frequencies are still available it would cost a lot to install new plant to transmit them, and with the long plan term being to migrate from FM the expense wouldn't be justified - at least not as far as the apparently cash strapped BBC is concerned. (I say apparently as they seem to have millions to spend on all the rubbish that I don't want).

[Dave2002]

I have every sympathy with your DAB problems, and as you say a roof aerial isn't exactly an option if portability is required. Can you retune on FM to Holme Moss (91.5 MHz) or Sutton Coldfield (90.5 MHz)?

I must have been to sleep for the last decade or so. Surely when DAB was announced and initially deployed it was touted as a mobile medium, so should work with a simple aerial - for example at street level so it could provide coverage for cars.

However, I'm very much prepared to believe that it doesn't - so it doesn't do "what it says on the tin" - or perhaps the labels came off during the last few years. Roof aerials and cabling may fix the problems for some - but perhaps not too many. If this was like PPI it could be considered misselling perhaps?

[mw963]

Well yes Dave2002, along with the claims about "CD quality"; that was another of the advantages put forward for DAB when it was launched (and it is just about capable of a reasonable approach to near CD quality if the bit rate is kept above 256 kbps, but that went out with the baby years ago as far as the BBC was concerned).

Inevitably there will be pockets of poor reception - however much the network is developed. For many though reception is perfectly adequate, but that's no solace for those people who can't get a decent signal. In fairness, reception of DAB in our car is absolutely excellent, far better than FM, I can think of only two places in our area where it drops out - briefly - and even then the car radio switches seamlessly back to FM for a few seconds until DAB reception recovers.

[Study Session]

Replacing a music-led station with a talk heavy one on FM, especially when Radio Wales is also available on MW, is an interesting decision. I know a number of BBC local stations vacated MW last year - any hints that R.Wales is leaving 882 yet?

[Anastasius]

If you've lost it as of this morning because you're using Llangollen and its relays then it won't be back. The changeover to Radio Wales is permanent I'm afraid; (at the moment Llangollen Radio 3 is transmitting a retune announcement). In the bits of England that use Llangollen you can normally switch to Holme Moss or Sutton Coldfield. But when the full switch over comes, this time next week, for the rest of the Wales relays, many people will have no alternative but to use DAB or other digital delivery.

As has been said, bubbling on DAB can be cured with a good aerial if all else fails, but I can understand your frustration.....

I suppose that that is one way for them to meet their DAB-FM equivalence coverage - turn off lots of FM transmitters.