I have just read that Ofcom has invited existing community stations to apply to it for an increase in power.

They say- that as long as it is ‘allowed’they Would be keen to hear from existing and new stations.

Any thoughts on the 1 kW already allocated to Radio Caroline?

My own thoughts are that Caroline could justifiably argue that its original ‘community of listeners ‘in previous decades extended well beyond the reach of its currently awarded 1 Kw.

What do other members of the forum think?

Quote: BigJohn wrote in post #1

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I have just read that Ofcom has invited existing community stations to apply to it for an increase in power.

They say- that as long as it is ‘allowed’they Would be keen to hear from existing and new stations.

Any thoughts on the 1 kW already allocated to Radio Caroline?

My own thoughts are that Caroline could justifiably argue that its original ‘community of listeners ‘in previous decades extended well beyond the reach of its currently awarded 1 Kw.

What do other members of the forum think?

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Number6 It could be a self-funding project. Certainly in previous eras - more power would mean more listeners would mean more revenue. But in todays App-Based radio station world- maybe not. Thanks for the explanation re costings etc. I was unaware of just how much extra energy would be needed- and of course- Cobramist could set their own price. I don't think a JustGiving page would attract the sustained funding required.

Quote: BigJohn wrote in post #4

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Number6 It could be a self-funding project. Certainly in previous eras - more power would mean more listeners would mean more revenue. But in todays App-Based radio station world- maybe not. Thanks for the explanation re costings etc. I was unaware of just how much extra energy would be needed- and of course- Cobramist could set their own price. I don't think a JustGiving page would attract the sustained funding required.

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Number6. I heard that the original site for the transmitter was 'donated’. So maybe it would be better to use that 'free’site. It may even be possible for a company like Adnams to 'donate’. ‘12 months power’ for the transmitter too. You would have to weigh up the relative costs etc- as I don't know how much ‘over the odds’Cobramist charge Caroline for using their site.

I think there's a reason they went for the current site, over the original site. The site and antenna were perfect beyond belief and thus give far superior coverage for thier allowed 1kw erp. To go with the original site and construct a suitable mast would be a serious retrograde step.

Gotta hand it to the Caroline guys, they've played a blinder. Perfect site, perfect mast, perfect frequency, decent power, excellent coverage.

Quote: BigJohn wrote in post #6

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Number6. I heard that the original site for the transmitter was 'donated’. So maybe it would be better to use that 'free’site. It may even be possible for a company like Adnams to 'donate’. ‘12 months power’ for the transmitter too. You would have to weigh up the relative costs etc- as I don't know how much ‘over the odds’Cobramist charge Caroline for using their site.

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I must say number6 - even the 1 Kw signal has been coming into the East Midlands better than ever in the last few days. Its almost ‘ non-anorak’ quality on the car radio!! So - for the amount they are laying out- they are getting excellent results. I just hope that Cobramist are being fair in their pricing.

I have come to the conclusion that even in these streaming days- I still prefer to hear the am signal ebb and wane after dark. I think all those years of listening to am on a little transistor in my teens has had a lasting effect on my listening habits!!!!

Quote: BigJohn wrote in post #9

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I must say number6 - even the 1 Kw signal has been coming into the East Midlands better than ever in the last few days. Its almost ‘ non-anorak’ quality on the car radio!! So - for the amount they are laying out- they are getting excellent results. I just hope that Cobramist are being fair in their pricing.

I have come to the conclusion that even in these streaming days- I still prefer to hear the am signal ebb and wane after dark. I think all those years of listening to am on a little transistor in my teens has had a lasting effect on my listening habits!!!!

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I don't think they'd be silly enough to chance using more power then their licence permits. That said, don't forget it's 1kw ERP, so the Tx will be putting more than 1kw into the antenna, possibly about 2.5kw? Also, they will be benefitting hugely from a nice quiet frequency at the low end of the band. Careful attention to the audio processing will also help considerably. Basically they have everything right to get the most out of the terms of their licence.

Too true Cookie. And if ANYONE is able to get the most ultimate signal out of 1Kw- its the Caroline team! They have had years of studying am transmissions- especially from sea borne or sea side locations.

What is great for me- being just out of the area- is the fact that EVERY night-after dark- I turn my little transistor to 648 and hear something different! There’s always the anticipation of ‘ what will the signal be like tonight’. I know the ultimate position for my radio to get the best. Takes me back to 1966 straight away!!

Not receivable here I’m afraid Alec.

By the way No 6- are the 648 transmitters ever turned off over night? Reason I ask is that occasionally there is no Caroline receiveable overnight.

Quote: BigJohn wrote in post #15

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Not receivable here I’m afraid Alec.

By the way No 6- are the 648 transmitters ever turned off over night? Reason I ask is that occasionally there is no Caroline receiveable overnight.

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Interesting info number6. Many thanks for that. So - if I have assumed that 648 kHz was óff’- actually it was still broadcasting an am signal- but that carrier had no sound on it because of a dropout of the broadcast feed.

If this was to happen at - say- a very anti-social time- like 3 am- then it would probably not be noticed until the following morning- so it would look like the station was off the air between those times.

I think you're probably right Alec, it may well be 1kw into the antenna, but ERP will be a lot less for the 1602 tx. Plus the frequency can make a huge difference to coverage at the upper and lower ends of the MW band.

Also, with AM, the audio processing can make a not insignificant difference to percived coverage, in that, it can lift the audio out of the background noise in fringe areas, where the signal is weak. So the tweaks to the audio processing may have seemed to some like a Tx. power increase.

Also the frequency Alec. At the lower (648) end- the signal travels a lot farther for the same power- so they could choose a suitable one down there?