GPS

[Justin Speck]

I'd best post this here as its a bit anoraky.

Any of you folks got one of those hand-held GPS gadgets? If so, fancy taking it with you next time you're out doing a bit of transmitter-spotting?

Looking at the recent licence applications, several stations don't seem to be too sure where their transmitters are located! If you're out and about on mountain tops - or indeed in shopping or community centres around the city with transmitters on them - how about making a note of the grid references to share with us?

If you've got a camera handy too then so much the better. Corkradio has some nice photos from the south. How about some nice views from other parts of the country too?

After all, people are always saying we anoraks should get out more:)

J

[Mike]

Why do many stations still give grid references for their TX sites ?
Grid references are SO pasee and besides UK grid ref's are completly meaningless to Southern Irish anoraks and vice versa.

[Justin Speck]

Originally posted by Mike
Why do many stations still give grid references for their TX sites ?
Grid references are SO pasee and besides UK grid ref's are completly meaningless to Southern Irish anoraks and vice versa.
What would you prefer instead? At least it makes finding them on a map easy (or have I missed a point?)

J

[Mike]

Ordanance survey maps have lattitude and longitude scales AS WELL as grid references.

There are two incompatable grid systems for locations in NI. Hardly a satisfactory arrangment !

Grid referencing is an obsolete system and needs to be consigned to history

[Justin Speck]

Your point is completely valid Mike.

Only trouble is that the best maps I can find for UK and Ireland are published by the respective O.S. and allow NGR to be read with more accuracy than Lat/Long.

I'm quite happy, however, for you to post transmitter locations in Lat/long. I'd prefer decimal degrees for more accuracy than degree/minute/second. Perhaps you could start with the Castlebar Deflector where the CRC tx is.:)

I think the authorities in both UK and Ireland take tx site locations from the map in NGR and convert that to Lat/Long for international co-ordination.

J

[Original Tyrone Gobshite!]

Interesting to see that the Castlebar deflector receive it's signals from Divis rather then Brougher Mountain (which I thought would've been more obvious). Can the deflector operators get any sort of signal from Channel 5, sorry, five from the parabolic antenna?

[Mike]

The Divis TX is far more powerful than Brougher so despite the extra distance they come into many parts of Mayo on roughly the same strength.

Again C5 are on lower power than the other four channels so AFIK they arent recievable in mayo (Im open to correction tough)

Actually many deflectors now source some/all of their channels from "smuggled" FTA Sky Digital boxes

[Justin Speck]

Additionally, the Divis tx is omni-directional whereas Brougher has a radiation pattern designed to restrict radiation into the Republic.

BTW, you're straying rather from my topic! Nice photos Mike, I found them a while back. If you're up that way again and have a GPS with you........

J

PS: Channel 5 is from Black Mountain at 50kW compared to 500kw for the Divis services. I presume it too is omni but I couldn't swear to it.

[Mike]

RE: Restricting the radiation pattern of Brougher Its rather unfair given that RTE are allowed to beam hundreds of Kilowatts from border transmitters (particlurlaly Claremont Carn) into NI.
I think Mehawatts said something about Black mountain being screened westwards

I dont have a GPS thingy however from the OS map the coordinates are VERY ROUGHLY

53deg52min N
9deg 21min W

The Deflector Listings on the ODTR site may have actual grid refs

Why the hell cant the Authorities in the Republic put proper names on rural roads like they do in NI :-(

[021]

Justin, do you know whether or not the Preseli TV transmitter in SW Wales has a radiation restriction to Ireland or is it omnidirectional 100kW??
Is it possible to find this type of info on the web about UK TV transmitters?

[Justin Speck]

Can't tell you off the top of my head but I'm sure I can find out.

J

[Justin Speck]

Originally posted by Mike
RE:

The Deflector Listings on the ODTR site may have actual grid refs


Nice one Mike. Not particularly easy to find but it is there.
http://www.odtr.ie/docs/odtr0025Rb.xls

Ta

J