Turlough Hill Transmission Lines

Twin 220 kV lines crossing the mountains from Turlough Hill hydro station. © Eugene Brennan

One of my cycles back in mid-August (the long days of summer seem to be a distant memory now) was from Kilcullen to within a few miles of Turlough Hill. This is the location of Ireland's only pumped storage power station. When there's a surplus of power which the grid can't use, pumps at the station send water to an artificial lake located on top of the mountain. Once there's a demand for power, the motors and pumps switch function and become turbines and generators, the turbines driven by water as it rushes down through penstocks (large pipes) to a natural lake, located at the base of the mountain. Turlough Hill power station is net inefficient (power out is less than power in due to losses in the system).

All Good

Created by Grok

 

Real Time Displays at Kilcullen Bus Stops

Image © Google Maps

I asked the NTA for information on whether real time passenger information displays could be installed at bus stops. This was the response:

Case #402630

Dear Eugene,

 

I refer to your recent correspondence regarding the provision of an RTPI (Real Time Passenger Information) unit at the following bus stop locations, images attached, which was forwarded to the National Transport Authority (NTA) to respond to you:

 

• stop number 136431, Kilcullen (Opposite Service Station), Castlemartin, Co. Kildare; and
• stop number 132641, Kilcullen (Outside Service Station), Castlemartin, Co. Kildare.

 

Chapel Lane, New Ross

Image © Google Maps

Unlike the UK, where medieval houses are plentiful, we have relatively few pre-18th century houses in Ireland. There are castles dating back to medieval times, but there are few, if any, "ordinary" houses from the medieval period, as we would think of a house today. However, fortified tower houses exist. One probable reason is that there was no substantial middle class who could afford "proper" houses, built from timber or brick and most people were poor and lived in mud cabins. Or maybe the climate was hostile to the half-timbered houses like those that still exist in the UK (if they even existed here), and they decayed over the centuries. Most of the houses in the country date no further back than the Georgian era, which extended from 1714 to 1837. There are some examples of Queen Anne style architecture, such as the Red House in Youghal, Marsh's Library in Dublin and The Rubrics in Trinity College. These were built in the 1710s and have a distinctive "doll's house" appearance. A few Tudor/Elizabethan-era buildings exist, such as Rothe House in Kilkenny; Ormond Castle, a manor house in Carrick-on-Suir; and Myrtle Grove, Sir Walter Raleigh's home in Youghal. It's possible also that some houses were later "Georgianified", their older fabric concealed beneath a more modern facade. That's the case with some of the so-called "Dutch Billys" in Dublin, a pre-Georgian architectural style brought by the Huguenots, Protestants who fled persecution in France around the end of the 17th century. So to cut a long story short, I came across this some time ago. I think it was Colm Moriarty, a Wexford-based archaeologist who mentioned the street in New Ross in a social media post. The facades at the front are plain-rendered, but the back of the terrace of houses reveal the medieval origin of at least one of the buildings.

 

Google Maps link to Chapel Lane in New Ross here 

Maps for Council Workers

Image © Google Maps

Apparently when we report road or other issues on the KCC portal and specify the location of the problem, repair crews just get a description, but not the map pinpointing where they have to fix them (there's an option to tag the position on a map when making a report on the portal). I had a long discussion with a repair crew a month or so ago and got a great insight into how they feel about this and other things. If someone reporting a problem doesn't clearly specify road numbers and distances from landmarks, obviously it can be difficult for a repair crew to find the problem. Saying that it's "just down the road from Johnny's house" or similar isn't very helpful. A point on a map would be more logical (assuming the person who made the report zoomed in sufficiently to accurately place a tag). Reading a map is hardly rocket science and I'm sure KCC can train workers to do so.

 

Maybe someone can let me know whether the tarmac is broken up and gone from around this drain opposite LaTouche Cottage in Brannockstown so I can report it? I make mental notes of these things when I'm out and about on the bike, but I've got a head like a sieve and forget where I've seen the defects. I don't want to make a false report. A cyclist could easily lose control if they hit this. It was ok last August when the Street View imagery was taken, but as far as I recall, the tarmac fill around the drain has now disintegrated.

A Little Ladder Logic

Ladder logic program. © Eugene Brennan

Just found this among documents I was going through after getting the oil boiler serviced last week. I had forgotten all about it. The electrician made a minor cockup when wiring the controls for the dual oil/solid fuel heating system 9 years ago. So I had to go off and look for a CAD package to draw a ladder logic diagram for him, showing how it should have been wired. (He had his own ladder logic diagram, but it made more sense for me to draw a new one, rather than trying to explain the error in English). Ladder logic is a schematic system for showing the wiring in an electrical/electromechanical system, input devices such as switches and sensors and output devices, e.g. motors and relays being shown as symbols on a diagram. It has evolved into a graphical programming language, the graphical program used to control programmable logic controllers (PLCs). These are basically modular, industrial control computers, built into a box, with terminals for connecting inputs and outputs. A computer can be connected for programming and they can be linked-to by various computer networks.

I'm rusty on this stuff. It's a shame when you learn stuff, and then forget it all if you're not applying the knowledge on a daily basis (I never really used this practically, even though I studied industrial automation).

See if you can understand what this does. Hint: MV1, 2 & 3 are zone valves, R1 & R2 are relays. SF is solid fuel.

Heritage Week Sunday Cycle

Historical buildings in Ballitore and Calverstown.© Eugene Brennan

My Sunday cycle this week was supposed to be to Kilkea Castle, but it was 4 pm by the time I set out and I changed plans midway. (Sometimes I make up the route as I go along and let the bicycle decide). Usually on the steep road out of Crookstown heading west towards the Athy road direction, I turn left for Mullaghmast at the top of the hill. I travel cross country to Kilkea this way, crossing the new N78 Athy Link Road at the bottom of Mullaghmast Hill, and then take a right just before the Moone Inn. On Sunday, I took the second turn after the Mullaghmast turn on the Crookstown road. This leads to the Burtown area on the new N78. I travelled a few miles east on the N78, and then exited for Ballitore. In the village I took some photos of the historic Quaker buildings including the Meeting House and Mary Leadbeater's house, now a library and museum. Leadbeater (1758 - 1826 ) was a Quaker and author who lived in the village and documented events during the 1798 rebellion. 

Mary Leadbeater's house, now a library and museum. © Eugene Brennan

A school established in 1726 by Abraham Shackleton. It's now a Quaker meeting house. © Eugene Brennan

Next I headed to the outskirts of the village and the location of Ballitore Mill. This a large, ruined structure, built in the early 19th century. An EPA hydrometric station that monitors water level and flow is located on the River Griese, which runs alongside the mill. The Griese in addition to powering this mill also powered a second mill in Ballitore, located down a cull-de-sac in the village. I headed back on the old section of road towards Crookstown. This was the original Carlow road before it was replaced by a wider section several decades ago. It's amazing how the ditches of a road that's no longer used begin to creep inwards and the accumulation of leaves and other debris begin to return it to nature, obscuring the tarmac. 

Ballitore Mill. © Eugene Brennan

Ballitore Mill. © Eugene Brennan

EPA hydrometric station. © Eugene Brennan

From Crookstown, I headed back towards Calverstown via Narraghmore Bog. I took the road that runs alongside Crookstown Millview AC's track and then turned off that to pickup up the Narraghmore - Calverstown road. I've always intended to visit Blackhall Castle, and I've passed the entrance multiple times over the decades, so I decided to investigate it on Sunday. A long, wooded lane leads down to the castle, situated in the grounds of an old farmhouse, probably dating to the Georgian period and owned by Jeffrey and Naomi White. The owner, Naomi, and a barking Cocker Spaniel greeted me and Naomi explained some details about the ruin. The four story castle was built by the Eustace family in the 16th century and appears to have a large , impressive fireplace on the fourth floor. Unfortunately half of the castle collapsed in 1999, due to instability in the structure. Naomi told me they had secured a grant to stabilise the structure, but it's a shame the collapse happened before this work could be done. There's also a "Sheela na Gig" carving which was luckily recovered from the rubble after the collapse and is now mounted in a ground floor wall. More information on Blackhall Castle is available on the Irish Historic Houses blog here.

Blackhall Castle. © Eugene Brennan

 

Blackhall Castle. © Eugene Brennan

 

Sheela na gig carving. © Eugene Brennan

 

My cycle route. © Eugene Brennan

I Present to You for Heritage Week

Items found in the garden. © Eugene Brennan

.....my archaeological discoveries from the garden. Found while digging and doing construction work over the last few decades. Probably nineteenth century stuff. My theory is that rubble from the demolition of the Carlow Stables was spread out to level the ground during construction of the Nicholastown housing estate and that's where some of these fragments may have came from. During the era when a Bianconi coach service ran from Dublin to Cork, via Clonmel, horses were replaced at intervals along the way. The Carlow Stables in Kilcullen was one of the relay sites. The building was located just before the first turn into the estate, heading south. Some of the fragments I found were rough pottery with glaze, so these could be pre-nineteenth century and not manufactured in moulds or by machine. One piece has shallow grooves, possibly made by finger marks when the pottery was turned on a wheel. The top of a flagon came from outside the wall of my house, dug up when the council was fixing a broken water main almost 20 years ago. It's embossed with the text "Price Bristol". That grass bank outside the house probably contains a treasure trove of items, lost and discarded over the centuries since the road and the trail which probably preceded it has been in existence. I also found a piece of red brick, three feet under the ground, when I was digging a soakaway in the front lawn, but there were no houses in the area before the estate was built. The triangular tile-like objects were found when I was digging the foundations for my gate piers a few years ago. Not sure what they are.

Painting Tip Related to Science

Cleaning a paint brush in white spirit. © Eugene Brennan

I've been painting my front door, something I've been putting off for a couple of months. Painting requires preparation and then there's all the cleaning up to do afterwards. The trend now is towards the replacement of oil-based paints for wood and metal by water-based formulations. Presumably this is an eco-driven thing, to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere or landfills when paint containers are discarded. I'm not convinced water-based paint is as durable as oil-based types, however it does make the cleaning of brushes easier.

Attacking the Brasses With Acid

Shiny fittings on the newly-painted front door, the result of hours of polishing. © Eugene Brennan

Painting is something I tend to procrastinate on and life is too short for cleaning brasses regularly. I do a good job of cleaning the hardware on the front door every two or three years when I paint it, but then I only polish the brasses a couple of times before I lose interest and have more pressing chores to attend to. After three years of non-cleaning, a thick layer of oxide builds up on the fittings, which takes several hours to remove with wire wool and Brasso. (Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, so the tarnish is zinc oxide and copper oxide).

De Burgh Woodland Gardens and Naas Mills

Image courtesy and © Tailte Éireann.

I was late as usual heading out on my Sunday cycle, and this week it was a relatively short trip to Sallins after the long cycle to the Glen of Imaal the previous weekend. My sister had informed me that the De Burgh Woodland Gardens were open again this year. The woodland area, located just off the Sallins Road on Mill Lane and once part of the De Burgh Oldtown estate, has been developed over the last couple of years by Kildare County Council, the land having been transferred to Naas Town Council in 2011. I guessed the gardens would probably close around 5 pm and sure enough when I got there at 4:40 pm, I only had five minutes to walk the trails by the time I got my bike locked, and removed bags and lights and all the other stuff that could easily be stolen. I didn't get a chance to take any photos, but the place looks nice, although quite dark because of the tree canopy. It is woodland of course, although there's a pond at one end, which I didn't manage to see. As usual when I visit these places, I often investigate the area the next day on Google Maps and Tailte Éireann's Irish Townlands and Historical Map Viewer to find out the historical function of some of the structures I might have noticed. On 19th century maps, a large rectangular pond existed to the right of the entrance to the park. From satellite imagery this seems to be overgrown and from what little can be seen on Street View over the wall from the vantage point of Mill Lane, it appears marshy and populated by irises. The pond was fed from a mill race or stream that originated on the Ballymore Road and this is still in existence. On the c.1900 25" OSI map, the mill race is shown running alongside the Union Workhouse (now the old part of Naas Hospital). This is the stream that was dammed to create the lakes at Lakelands. The mill race then continued to Corban's Mill (located near what was Lawlor's Ballroom) providing power to it before taking a sharp left, running under Corban's Lane and at the back of St. David's Castle. From there, it ran alongside what is now the John's Lane car park (which used to be the Superquinn overflow car park), before becoming a culvert running beneath main street and emerging to the surface a couple of hundred metres away at McCauley Place. From there, it continued parallel to the Sallins road towards a corn mill (with associated mill pond), shown as "Fryar's Mill" on the 25" map, before running under Mill Lane into the De Burgh Woodland Gardens.

Image courtesy and © Tailte Éireann.

 

Image courtesy Google Maps.

The Kildare County Council owned De Burgh Woodland Gardens are open Thursday to Sunday, April – October, 9am – 5 pm. More information here.

Map images courtesy and © Tailte Éireann. 

Some photos 

(I returned to the gardens several weeks later and took some photos) 

A woodland trail in the gardens. © Eugene Brennan

© Eugene Brennan

© Eugene Brennan

© Eugene Brennan

Solar Panels, Local Mines and an Adit in Hollywood Glen

© Eugene Brennan

I cycled up to the Glen of Imaal yesterday afternoon. My route took me via Kennycourt to Grangebeg, Lemonstown, Hollywood and then up the steep road from Donard to the glen. I usually go this way because the road is quieter, with very little traffic and then return via the busier but more downhill Knockanarrigan road.

The L8333 road from Hollywood to Donard runs parallel to the N81 and through the picturesque Hollywood Glen. It's is one of my favourite places in west Wicklow, lined on both sides by tall pine trees and rocky crags in places.  A planning application has been lodged recently to Wicklow County Council on behalf of Wicklow Renewables Ltd for a solar PV development  and battery energy storage system (BESS) facility in the area. According to the planning application, the site will cover an area of ca. 65.4 ha and consist of an array of solar panels, 192 BESS units comprising 22 modules, a 38 kV substation and other ancillary works. The location of the proposed solar development is on raised ground behind the treeline in the photo below. The boundary of the proposed development extends southwards and to the west towards the N81.

Hollywood Glen. © Eugene Brennan

Notice about planning application by Wicklow Renewables Ltd. © Eugene Brennan

Mines Local to Kilcullen

Apart from the Modubeagh and Gracefield coal mines near Wolfhill, one of the nearest mines to Kilcullen was the Deerpark Colliery near Castlecomer, which opened in 1924. Anthracite, a high carbon coal, also known as "Kilkenny Coal" and used before coke for ore smelting, was extracted from the  mine. This was  transported on a dedicated branch line that ran through Castlecomer and joined the Waterford & Maryborough branch of the GS&WR, itself a branch of the Dublin to Waterford rail line. The Deerpark colliery closed in 1969.  The region south of Ballylinan, (located 6 km south of Athy) including parts of counties Laois, Carlow and Kilkenny, is riddled with the remnants of now closed coal mines.  These mines tapped into several anthracitic formations that are part of the Leinster Coalfield. Mining has also taken place in Wicklow since ancient times and one of the most well known mining areas is around Avoca, where sulphur, lead and copper were extracted. Lead was mined at Glendalough and also in its sister valley, Glendasan.
A useful resource is the OPALS (Online Prospecting Application Licensing System) interactive webmap, from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, which  provides locations and information on historical and current mineral exploration and mining in Ireland.

OPALS (Online Prospecting Application Licensing System) interactive webmap. Image courtesy and © Tailte Éireann

Hollywood Mine

Halfway between Hollywood and Donard and now overgrown with briars and lady ferns is what appears to be the entrance to an adit. The adit is partially flooded and the echo of water dripping from the roof can be heard. While a mine shaft is a vertical structure, an adit is a horizontal passage that extends sideways into a mine. This is marked on the c. 25" OSI map and is denoted as "Spa Hole" and "Iron Mine Disused". I haven't been able to find any information so far on this working, other than a geological report on the glen that indicates it's a glacial feature, deeply carved by high-energy, water run-off as ice melted. The second map below from Geological Survey Ireland shows audited sites, with links to reports accessible by clicking the link in the pop-up.

Entrance to Spa Hole adit. © Eugene Brennan

"Spa Hole" marked on 25" OSI map. Image © Tailte Éireann

Audited Geological Heritage. Image © Tailte Éireann Geological Survey Ireland

Golden Brown in Laois: Investigating the Barrow Way

© Eugene Brennan

My second long cycle of the year was an 80 km / 50 mile loop on Sunday that took in a section of the Barrow Way. This is a walking and cycling trail along the Barrow Branch of the Grand Canal and River Barrow that stretches a distance of 117 km, from Robertstown in County Kildare, to St. Mullins in County Carlow. My cycling route was cross-country to Athy via Narraghmore Bog, Mullaghmast and the new N78. Then along the Barrow Way from Athy to Vicarstown and back home via Kilberry Bog, the outskirts of Suncroft and Ballysax. Grit trails have been laid along the canal banks in the last decade or so to make cycling and walking easier.

Kildare is a flat county, but the region of south Kildare and County Laois near Athy is characterised by exceptionally large, flat, open fields, almost prairie-like, cultivated with barley in the summer. The golden brown of the corn contrasts with the "big skies" and unobstructed views of the horizon.

© Eugene Brennan

Apart from admiring the scenery along the Barrow Way, I spotted some interesting engineering features. The first was the Camac Aqueduct at Derrybrock in County Laois. This is a three-arched aqueduct, built over the Stradbally River in 1790, to carry the Barrow Branch of the Grand Canal. As far as I know, marl, a soft grey clay, found at the bottom of bogs, was used as a sealer for waterproofing the masonry joints of aqueducts. In the documentary series Hands, marl was also used by one of the operators of Powers Foundry in New Ross for lining the furnace to prevent the casing from being burned by the intense heat. The Camac Aqueduct seemed "leaky", water dribbling from the top of the arches. Maybe this is normal for these structures.

Camac Aqueduct in County Laois. © Eugene Brennan

At Derrybrock Bridge near Vicarstown, I came across an OPW hydrometric measuring station, similar to the Kildare County Council owned and EPA managed one at the Mill Stream bridge on the Mass Path in Kilcullen. While the monitoring apparatus in Kilcullen is somewhat low-key and wouldn't be noticed by the casual walker, the station at Derrybrock is more obvious. A large, and what appears to be a broad-crested, flat-V weir, similar to the one in Kilcullen is used to backup the water so that it rises in level.  The monitoring equipment, powered by a solar panel, projects out of the side of the riverbank. The "V" in this weir is more obvious than the one in Kilcullen, with the arms of the "V" rising up out of the water on both sides.  Various types of profiles are used for weirs: rectangular, parabolic, trapezoidal, flat-V and V-notch, each having their advantages and disadvantages. Flat-v weirs are used for measurements in rivers and streams with low flow rates and narrow stream beds. Some info on the different types and flow calculations here. As I explained in the article about the Mill Stream hydrometric station in Kilcullen, weirs are used for measuring water flow. A weir causes water in a stream or river to backup and rise in level. By measuring the level using an ultrasonic or pressure transducer and doing some calculations, flow rate can be worked out. This hydrometric data can then be used for planning, water management, flood research etc. Information on the EPA's hydrometric programme is available here. It's part of the National Hydrometric Programme, with other bodies such as the OPW, the ESB and Waterways Ireland also involved in measuring water level and flow. Data from a network of over 1000 hydrometric stations around the country can be viewed on the EPA's Hydronet website.

Derrybrock Hydrometric Station. © Eugene Brennan

Instrumentation for measuring water level. © Eugene Brennan

Flat-V weir. © Eugene Brennan

Flat-V weir. © Eugene Brennan

Weir view from Derrybrock Bridge. © Eugene Brennan

Lifebuoys in Valley Park and Access to River

Lifebuoy in the Valley Park, Kilcullen. © Eugene Brennan

I've just been thinking about these. There are three lifebuoys on the west bank of the river: one at the low section of river bank near the bridge, another further up opposite the canoe club building and the third is on a section of river bank that's high above water level, just before St. Brigid's Well.  There aren't exactly any points near the river to safely throw the lifebuoys without slipping. For the middle buoy, the slope is steep and slippery and there's just a small muddy patch near the water's edge. The grass here seems to be flattened, possibly from people making their way down to the edge to fish or to allow dogs to swim in the river. Or perhaps KCA have cut the grass for access.

Two Lifelines to Kilcullen

38 kV line that carries power to Kilcullen. © Eugene Brennan

Today was a busy day! First I had to scoff my dinner quickly (well half of it!) to be up at Dún Ailinne by 1:30 for the site tour. There was an open day today at which archaeologist Dr Susan Johnston of George Washington University gave us an update on what work had been done so far this summer. Dr Johnston has been investigating the neolithic and iron age ceremonial site since 2006, alongside a team of archaeology students. On the walk back, I snapped a picture of the pylon near the motorway bridge, that carries the power lines that supply electricity to Kilcullen. Those lines come from a substation adjacent to the turn for the Glen of Imaal on the N81. Electricity is transmitted at 38,000 volts or 38 kV from the Stratford substation in Wicklow, before being dropped to 10 kV for distribution by the transformers in the Kilcullen substation.

Gear Grinding

Lawn mower gearbox. © Eugene Brennan

Using diamond burrs to square the teeth of the freewheeling gears from the lawn mower gearbox. They were rounded with wear and slipping. A bit like being a dentist (They use a similar tool, but it's pneumatically or hydraulically driven rather than battery powered. My dentist showed me all the bits they use) Almost finished now. Crude, but worth a try to see if it'll work. The alternative is €55 for a new one. Still have to do a MacGyver job on the driveshaft bearing which has worn and come apart. I've got lots of ball bearings, but none the right size.

Two Repair Jobs Today: Replacement Wheel Bearings and New Bushing for the Secateurs

Wheel bearing replacement and new bushing for secateurs. © Eugene Brennan

I still have to put the mower gearbox back together after doing some dental work on the gears' teeth. Not sure whether it'll work, but it was worth a try. I got replacement bearings for the wheels yesterday from Amazon. One of the bearings on the back axle had corroded after five years from turning the mower on its side to hose it and remove caked-on grass. Water getting into the bearing rusted it away totally. Anyway I'm going to have to make some sort of protective shroud that'll slip onto the axle and act like an umbrella when hosing. The old bearing, or rather what was left of it, was really difficult to remove from its housing or "sheath" as it's called in the parts description. Bearings are usually put into housings using a bearing press and are a tight fit with a small tolerance. But this one had also rusted into place and so was stubborn and refused to come loose. Because the back of the sheath was tapered, I couldn't tap the back of the bearing to push it out. So I had to grind a narrow groove with a diamond burr, cracked the outer race (the thing the balls run around in) at this point with a chisel and then was able to use the corner of the chisel to get enough purchase to bend and snap a chunk off the race. That reduced the force on the sheath allowing me to prise the rest of the bearing race out. The new bearing was pressed into place in the jaws of a vice, taking care to do it evenly.

 

Worn secateurs

 

The pivot hole in one arm of the secateurs was worn, so the jaws didn't move parallel to each other when closing, affecting cutting of thicker branches. Rather than throw it out, I made a bushing ring from scrap tube of a suitable diameter which reduced the hole size to what it was originally, so the pivot bolt returned to being straight.

100 Years of the Shipping Forecast

Generated with Bing Image Creator.

You may have heard Joe Duffy’s Liveline segment in July last year about the centenary of the BBC Shipping Forecast. It’s broadcast at 00:48 on BBC Radio 4, preceded by a short piece of light music, Sailing By, before the station closes down at 1 am. On long wave (LW), the frequency then carries the BBC World Service. For some, the forecast is like a soothing mantra, the repetitive structure and intonation of the words easing them off to sleep.

The forecast is also broadcast later in the day at 05:20, 12:00 and 17:55, and provides detailed weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the British Isles and surrounding European waters. (The “British Isles” is a contentious term, but then there’s the “Irish Sea”, so we’re sort of quits.)

In a documentary from January 2025, Kilcullen man Al Ryan, a BBC presenter, was among those who spoke about the Shipping Forecast. It celebrated its 100th birthday in the early hours of 4 July last year, expertly read by Al, who always signs off with oíche mhaith, before the national anthem is played and Radio 4 closes down.

The BBC World Service originally broadcast on short wave (SW) in Europe, but transmissions on the SW bands ceased in 2008 because, according to the BBC, “increasing numbers of people around the world are choosing to listen to radio on a range of other platforms including FM, satellite and online, with fewer listening on short wave”. It also broadcast to Britain on MW, but transmissions ceased in 2011 on 648 kHz due to budgetary constraints.

It still broadcasts on 198 kHz LW when BBC Radio 4 closes down at 1:00 am and the transmission network is handed over. This was useful for anyone with a bedside radio having an LW band. I’ve been listening to it and Radio 4 on and off since the 1980s, originally on my father’s old Philips car radio, with a car battery attached that I’d charge up every so often. An aerial strung between my bedroom window and a large apple tree improved reception.

FM wasn’t common on car radios that dated from the 1960s. However, with the amount of electronic gadgets in a house nowadays generating electromagnetic interference (EMI), including phone chargers, burglar alarms and broadband modems, listening on long wave has become increasingly difficult due to interference.

By the early 1990s, reception of Radio 4 and the World Service had become available on FM in most of the UK. However, it is only possible in some parts of Ireland or by increasing signal strength using an antenna.

Radio 4 transmissions on the LW band were scheduled to end because of increasing costs of maintaining the network, although the BBC had not specified a date in an article from 2023. Transmission is energy-intensive and parts for transmitters are becoming harder to come by due to the legacy equipment used. According to an article in The Guardian from 2011, only a small number of parts are still available for the transmitters. There is also a shift from listening on radio to online, and many radios no longer have an LW band.

A transmitter in Worcestershire and two additional transmitters in Scotland are operated by a private company, Arqiva. According to a more recent article on the website Keep Longwave:

“In personal correspondence seen by the Campaign to Keep Longwave, a BBC representative stated, ‘we have not made a firm decision as to when we will close the Radio 4 LW service’.”

On 11 May this year, the BBC finally confirmed that:

“Radio 4’s Long Wave (LW) service will close on 27 June 2026. We will broadcast daily on-air reminders to help everyone switch to other ways of listening.”

For those who have listened to the radio station on a bedside radio, it’ll be necessary to leave a modem on at night and use a tablet or phone for reception. The alternative is a radio capable of tuning to internet radio stations. A clock radio that also has presets for storing regular broadcast channels and internet streams may be even more difficult to find.

Apparently, Trident submarine commanders have a hand-written “letter of last resort” written by the British PM, detailing what to do if there is a nuclear attack. Supposedly, one of the checks to establish the continued existence of a government is to monitor Radio 4 transmissions, the long wave signals having a large range and subsurface penetration.

Linked content, courtesy the BBC. The BBC in no way endorses content on this blog.

 

Gadgets for Connecting to Old Hi-Fi Systems

Image courtesy Amazon.ie

This sort of gadget might be useful for those of you who have older hi-fi systems and want to stream music from your computer or mobile device. It's a Bluetooth receiver that has left and right, line-out outputs with RCA connectors for connecting to red and white line-in (sometimes called "Aux" ) connectors on audio equipment such as a hi-fi system. Cables are also available (or can be made up) to convert between line-out and DIN 41524, 5-pin connectors, sometimes used for auxiliary input on older equipment.

An alternative is to simply use a modern TV (which will have WIFi and Bluetooth connectivity) to generate the line-out signals for connecting to a hi-fi. Some modern TVs don't have red and white line-out connectors, just a digital optical output, however adaptors are available for converting this back to line-out for connecting to an older hi-fi system without optical input.

Hi-fis that only have phono inputs

My old Sony hi-fi from circa 1993 doesn't have twin line-in input connectors, just RCA phono connectors for the turntable. Although the connectors are physically the same as the RCA type used for line-in/line-out, phono inputs only accept low-level signals of a few millivolts (mV) generated by the cartridge on a turntable (the cartridge isn't powered and the signal isn't amplified). Apparently vinyl recordings use what's known as RIAA equalisation, low frequency sounds being attenuated during recording. The input pre-amp in a hi-fi or "stereo" that's connected to the phono input then does the reverse: cancelling the attenuation of low frequencies that was done during recording by boosting low frequencies on playback, resulting in an overall flat response. I won't explain why, but you can read more about it here.

Gadgets like this one are available that convert line level signals (from e.g. a TV) that are typically almost half a volt peak to the mV levels required by the turntable input. They also use a passive filter to attenuate low frequencies, simulating RIIAA equalisation.

Image courtesy Djbox.ie

I haven't personally used any of these converter adapters. Depending on what you pay for them, some are probably better quality than others and like like any intermediate system that converts and filters signals, noise and distortion will be added which degrades the final output. So sound quality won't likely be as good as when directly connecting line-out from a device to line-in of a hi-fi/amp.