Ofcom agrees for Radio Caroline to turn up the power

[PaulR]

A power increase has been agreed for Radio Caroline to extend its coverage area from Suffolk and Essex to include Kent and East Sussex.

Caroline broadcasts under a community radio licence and was originally granted 1kW of power on 648 AM in 2018. The power increase amount has not been announced..

Ofcom agrees for Radio Caroline to turn up the power

A power increase has been agreed for Radio Caroline to extend its coverage area from Suffolk and Essex to include Kent as East Sussex.

radiotoday.co.uk

 

[Hughes]

A power increase has been agreed for Radio Caroline to extend its coverage area from Suffolk and Essex to include Kent and East Sussex.

Caroline broadcasts under a community radio licence and was originally granted 1kW of power on 648 AM in 2018. The power increase amount has not been announced..

Ofcom agrees for Radio Caroline to turn up the power

A power increase has been agreed for Radio Caroline to extend its coverage area from Suffolk and Essex to include Kent as East Sussex.

radiotoday.co.uk

Very exciting! We just about pick it up on 648 after dark in northwest Spain since they increased to 1kw. I wonder what difference an increase to, say, 5kw would make? Driving up from Spain this month we listened to 648 from Rouen to Calais, which was fine except when passing under HT power lines.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Very exciting! We just about pick it up on 648 after dark in northwest Spain since they increased to 1kw. I wonder what difference an increase to, say, 5kw would make? Driving up from Spain this month we listened to 648 from Rouen to Calais, which was fine except when passing under HT power lines.

They could stick up something directional.

 

[aceb]

They're already using something directional.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Bearing ?

 

[Analoguesat]

Wiki (yes I know...) says the mast Caroline are using is omni directional.

 

[PaulR]

.. we listened to 648 from Rouen to Calais ...

That is part of our normal route back to the UK and we normally stay overnight in Rouen. I can confirm that there is a very clear signal in the morning all the way to Calais.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Wiki (yes I know...) says the mast Caroline are using is omni directional.

According to this site

TV doc filmed at Radio Caroline airs this weekend

A television programme filmed on board the Ross Revenge is to be broadcast on Sky this weekend.

radiotoday.co.uk

there are land and ship based transmitters depending on the day of broadcast. No detail on the propogation equipment apart from a picture of the boat

 

[PaulR]

There's some information on Radio Caroline's own web site:

"Our (second hand) Nautel transmitter is housed at the former BBC World Service site at Orford Ness,"

"It is testament to the quality of the 25 year old Nautel transmitter" (posted in 2019 so 27 years old now)

Radio Caroline

Radio Caroline continues – with music from the past and present on DAB in selected UK towns & cities and on 648 AM to South East England, The Netherlands, Belgium and beyond

radiocaroline.co.uk

And from a different page:

"World Service for Europe on 648Khz was broadcast from Orfordness on a 24/7 basis from September 1982 until March 2011 using a 500kilowatt transmitter. The antenna system was an array of 5 towers, and this focussed the signal into a south-easterly beam away from the UK."

"It was very fortunate that not only did Ofcom give Caroline the good 648 frequency, but that the aerial masts at Orfordness were still standing and that the island had been sold in to private ownership to two men who wanted to see the area used again for its intended purpose"

Radio Caroline

Radio Caroline continues – with music from the past and present on DAB in selected UK towns & cities and on 648 AM to South East England, The Netherlands, Belgium and beyond

radiocaroline.co.uk

 

[Channel Hopper]

The Wikipedia detail on Orfordness brings up further detail.

Orfordness transmitting station - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The MB21 site infers that Radio Caroline has been using only the omnidirectional backup tower, though this may have changed.

mb21 - The Transmission Gallery

 

[Analoguesat]

A great signal from Caroline tonight from the Argyll kiwisdr!

 

[Analoguesat]

Rumour says Caroline have ordered a new transmitter which is a Harris DX25

 

[Lazarus]

I might have an old FT101 they can have.

 

[Analoguesat]

I might have an old FT101 they can have.

Excellent - they could get the Flashback service on MW as well - whats allocated to 558 these days?

 

[rodscha]

According to this site

TV doc filmed at Radio Caroline airs this weekend

A television programme filmed on board the Ross Revenge is to be broadcast on Sky this weekend.

radiotoday.co.uk

there are land and ship based transmitters depending on the day of broadcast. No detail on the propogation equipment apart from a picture of the boat

View attachment 138063

Hello and thanks for this great link! However,the aforementioned article says the program to be aired on April 23...not THIS weekend

 

[Channel Hopper]

Hello and thanks for this great link! However,the aforementioned article says the program to be aired on April 23...not THIS weekend

I didn't say it was, just the detail within of the kit used.

 

[rodscha]

thank you anyway for the info...caroline at night will make late car ravel nicer for us hee in south France,
along with Gold London which reaches us on 1548...when the sun goes down

 

[PaulR]

Highly unlikely Caroline will make it down there. Gold 1548 transmits using 100kW.

List of European medium wave transmitters - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[rodscha]

Thank you very good info
However the 10kw slovenian one at Ljubliana is clearly heard here... ab$nd Caroline has increased power! so it should beat Slovenia now? at least we hope so!
the Barcelona 738 one definitely doesn 't hacve 600 now,it s clearly weaker than it used to be...

 

[Channel Hopper]

You might also use a directional am antenna .

(dimensions tuned closer to the Long Wave frequencies will help)

Has there been an announcement on the revised power output ?