Pirate Television

[trev]

What's the story with pirate tv in this country? I read on the irish tv website http://www.irish-tv.com about Channel D and Nova Television but a few months ago I heard about one in Leitrim called BBsee or something? Does anyone have any info on it or others anywhere in the country?

[Guest]

Wow. NTV. On Channel 60. Rabbit ears nostalgia! The first time I laid eyes on Sybil Fennell, having marvelled at her news presentation for many a year.

[021]

The link to the page about Big D is:

http://193.63.162.100/channeld_tv.htm

I doubt Nova TV would have been on UHF Ch 36 as this channel is the usual RF output of VCRs (most aerial viewers in Dublin with a VCR would have had to have it adjusted to avoid interference)

[Guest]

It was on 36 alright. Most people hadn't even got vcrs when it Nova tv was on.

[Mike]

I thought they used 55, 59 and/or 66 ?

Incidently did TV3's arrival on Channel 35 not cause massive problems for Video users along the East Coast ?

When Channel 5 in the UK were allocated Ch 37 it was on condition that they pay for a technician to visit every house in the affected areas (most of the UK) and retune their Video's

[Mike]

RE: Pirate TV there was also Boyneside, Radio Dublin TV (never really got beyond test transmissions AFIK), RLO-TV and Telefis na Gaeltacht in Connemara (not to be confused with its legal sucessor) also some of the deflectors carried out occasional local opt-outs. In Castlebar for instance the deflector has carried Boxing matches, programmes on the towns campaign for an RTC/IT and information age centre, local concert performances etc.

RE: TnaG above Radio na Gaeltcht also had a pirate predecessor in the Late 60's/early 70's called Saor Radio Connemara

[Megawatts]

NOVA TV had a Transmitter in Herbert St, that was the low power link up to Three Rock, where the transposer was. So it was available on two frequencies, depending on where you were. Caught some of it on a VHS from Tony Allan recently.

The Channel 5 thing, and VCRs is the reason Channel 5 is so weak, from Black Mountain. The western set of panels were disconnected (I could be wrong), as originally its bars were blasting into Mid Ulster. Now all you get is a very poor signal, with two images.. (from the two other side panels off the mast, which point due N and S east.)

Probably the same reason why On Digital / ITV is so poor in Ulster.