ATLANTIC 252 transmitter site tour

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[@maryrafuse2297]

I picked up this station in Antigonish, Nova Scotia Canada during the 1980's. The signal had to be separated from a lot of noise. Still quite an achievement. Today Atlantic 252 could operate with a very efficient Nautel transmitter. Nautel builds some very high power solid state transmitters. I remember the Atlantic 252 slogan, the station that reaches the beaches.

[@csheridan7364]

That's amazing ..long wave was cool in a way ..don't suppose it had much use in tidays world but there was something exciting about picking up a radio station from afar sort of reminds you how small the world is in some respects

[@snowbatsnowbat7197]

In 2001, a UK company with sports interests made an offer to buy Atlantic 252, planning to turn it into a sports radio station to compete with the successful talkSPORT AM station. Their offer was accepted. Atlantic 252 closed in December 2001 and TEAMtalk 252 commenced. TEAMtalk rapidly ran into financial difficulties and closed the station in June 2002. The transmission facility reverted to RTÉ and it became a relay of RTÉ Radio 1. In 2007, the Continental Electronics transmitter was replaced with a Transradio TRAM 300L (resulting in a power drop to 300kW but it's a more efficient solid state and DRM-capable transmitter). Transmission continues. RTÉ regularly makes plans to shut it down as it expensive to operate for the small number of regular listeners using it but the Irish diaspora in the UK and the Irish government asks them to keep it running.

[@LakeNipissing]

This was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities. Thanks a lot for sharing the video. Incredible insight and educational.

[@101jumpit]

Gary Wilkinson.The Pizza Man.....RIP my friend x💔

[@klafong1]

This is a pretty cool tour. I love the big transmitting tubes!

[@anthonyduncalf6190]

When I was at college in 1994 the van we used to travel around in had a really old radio in it that just had MW and LW. This is how I found out about this station . We used to listen to it in Derbyshire in the UK and it was good reception . I just looked online and it is 350 miles as the crow flies from where we are to the transmitter. Not sure what the reception was like at night time though as we never listened then .

[@jimbilton1956]

I wonder what it would cost to assemble such an installation today? And that mast - amazing that it stands on such a small base.

[@jamesdexter7481]

Today the 1st of April 2023, this transmitter is being used for Irish Rte1, 14th of April it's scheduled to be turned off as are many long and medium wave transmitters in the next few years. I live in the lake district so the only reliable stations when driving around here are radio 4 and Rte1, dab and fm just don't work for us around here so I'll be shedding a tear when theyre both gone...

[@martyp2138]

Incredible tour, still want to go and visit the site at some point when I'm over that direction. I think RTE used it for a few years although its off-air now. Not sure how much is left.

[@christopherhulse8385]

It's still ON air!

[@georgecope4673]

Signal good at Skegness lincs but after 7pm used to decline when they reduced power, I now live on the Isle of Man and the frequency here is fantastic here any time of the day so you can imagine how good it was in the day

[@albertodillon]

I Knowles this radio station because I listen mostly long wave stations so Atlantic 252 was transmitted on long wave 252 Khz

[@bungle6668]

RTE are closing the transmitters later on tonight on 252Khz.... the Legacy of Atlantic 252 will be no-more, and will sadly come to an end... R.I.P to the Legend of Clarkstown, County Meath :(

[@o00scorpion00o]

This station in it's hay day could be received as far as Brazil, the station used to get letters and signal reports from a vast area. Shame the power today is only around 100 Kw day and 50-60 Kw night. I can't see this station last 5 more years as RTE have been trying to shut it down for a few years, then it will be demolished. The ld MW 567 Khz station is due to be demolished soon and it's mast removed. Sad time for radio but a lot of new cars today don't even have a MW receiver never mind LW, the Car companies themselves deciding what we receive or don't receive. It costs practically nothing to include LW/MW in any car radio so why omit it altogether ?

[@starsoulorginal]

nikola tesla is impressed. wow

[@Inaflap]

1.2 Megawatts? Great Scott! We need at least 1.21 Gigawatts of electrical power.

[@TheYodoc]

Great video, but what is this transmitter used for? What frequency does it cover, and what is the programming? What is it's normal coverage area?

[@LakeNipissing]

Top 40 - Dance Hit Music Station 'Atlantic 252' on 252 kHz LW. Coverage: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England and Western Europe. This was seriously a mega-station!

[@csheridan7364]

Now its rte 252 lw

[@harbselectronicslab3551]

A few saftey interlocks defeated there......

[@Okanagan48]

I'm sure.

[@allanegleston13]

!!!!!

[@ve3enx95]

1:00 Ok...anything that has all those corona rings around it...I'd be a bit worried sticking my head into there so close to it :-O Just saying...

[@MrVinamp]

That's not very healthy

[@mikegalvin361]

What a junk of a transmitter, £1100 a day to run, no wonder it didn't last.

[@l8lygr4y]

Lol, you have no idea. That's ~ £33,000 per month, which is middle range for high power broadcast operations. Even now in the 21st century, 90% efficiency digital transmitters cost a lot of money to operate. A tv station I worked at spends over US $60,000 per month on electricity for it's three TV and three FM transmitters and associated support equipment. Combined total radiated power is ~ 2.3 million watts. There are several thousand more stations that use that much electricity in just the US, and countless more worldwide.

[@rsturbolad26]

it's Long wave, not as simple as your average FM pirate station transmitter that you can carry in a shopping bag. It's different technology - this beast had massive reach, you have to admire it for what it is.

[@paulsengupta971]

The transmitter was replaced in 2007 though, and it now only half the power to what it was capable of. (though it was licensed for 500kW, the two transmitters were 300kW each). Now transmissions are 300kW day, 100kW night.

[@csheridan7364]

😅😅😅 never even thought about this aspect...wasn't even that good the reception in southern england Devon and all ...1100 pounds.... then the equipment buildings djs...and I was wondering why they still not going today

[@mikegalvin361]

@Jaff Fox true, and now RTE wants to shut it down to save €250,000 a year, they have since reduced the power to half that again, now operating 150kw by day and 60kw night.