Advice on selecting digital radio reciever in Ireland that will pick up English Medium Wave Broadcasts

July 20, 2004 12:56 PM

I want to but an aeriel or radio that will pick up digital radio. Advice, experiences and pointers would be greatly appreciated. I am in Ireland if that makes any difference. What I really want is to pick up on English medium wave broadcasts. Thanks.
posted by kenaman to technology (7 comments total)

does that make sense? medium wave is am, not digital. at least, that's what i understood.
posted by andrew cooke at 2:51 PM on July 20, 2004

The two things you say contradict each other. Digital Radio and Medium Wave are two separate things. You won't be able to pick up Digital Radio broadcast in Ireland. Medium Wave stations you might have a shot at, but I don't know enough about that. My advice? Get a Sky satellite dish and reciever cheap from eBay. Lots of free radio stations from the UK available there. Info on satellite radio here
posted by ascullion at 2:55 PM on July 20, 2004

Or hell, you're already on the Internet. There are lots of radio stations from England on the Internet.
posted by Mo Nickels at 4:44 PM on July 20, 2004

Sorry about the contradiction, I am totally ignorant on the subject. What I want is the best choice without the internet or digital television. That satellite link looks like it could do the job. Thanks for the help. Cheers...
posted by kenaman at 12:51 AM on July 21, 2004

Satellite is definitely easiest - but here's a (probable) red herring just for fun. In the UK, digital radio is transmitted on the old Band III VHF television band (which was used for ITV). There used to be quite a lively industry on the east coast of Ireland erecting large band 1 and 3 aerials to pick up UK TV broadcasts. If you can find an old one of these (they won't have worked for TV for some 10 years) and you're in the right spot, it might work.

Band 1 aerials are huge dipoles (about 8 feet across), band 3 are smaller, (about 4 feet across). Nothing like the modern UHF arrays which are pointy, bristly things with a reflector.
posted by grahamwell at 6:29 AM on July 21, 2004

To qualify my earlier statement - if you're near the border you might be able to pick up some digital radio from NI. Although there isn't as much digital radio broadcast there as in Great Britain, you can get the BBC's multiplex and a multiplex filled with local stations, plus a couple of national ones.
posted by ascullion at 10:16 AM on July 21, 2004

Thanks again for all the help guys. Unfortunately I am on the west coast and nowhere near the border or the north.
posted by kenaman at 1:47 AM on July 22, 2004