https://radiotoday.co.uk/2023/05/more-details-announced-regarding-bbc-radio-4-long-wave-switch-off/
This link to 'Vintage Radio forum', a "dave walsh" says....
"Radio 4 LW on the 198 kHz will be switched off in 2024, possibly by the end of March" ...(about 3/4 way down the scroll)
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=201597#:~:text=From%20March%202024%20it%20will,4%20Extra%20and%20BBC%20Sounds.
A spokesperson for Arqiva, responsible for the transmitters at Droitwich, Westeglen and and Burghead tells RadioToday:
"Long Wave equipment has been around for decades, and has now reached the point where maintaining the network,
for the relatively small audience, is not considered economically viable.
Any equipment used solely for this network that can't be repurposed, will be decommissioned and eventually removed"
I Have recently been phoned up ! by EON, about Changing my electric meter, (because it's Night rate switching uses 198kc)
EON chap knew, reason was 198 switch off next year....I don't want a smart meter, lots of them don't work right
and in the USA, thousands of the new round smart meters, were being taken OUT, due to them catching fire
In the UK, a top exec. said, he was happy, only a 'couple of dozen' smart meters had caught fire ! What!!!
If they were any good, NONE of them should cause a fire. The problem May be, with the "Dis-connect Contact"
(so that, they can cut you off, by remote control, if you ain't paid the bill, suppose)
Electric Meters for ages, had the Case/frame made from Bakelight, a very hard solid material
I wonder if some Smart meters used plastic, and poss. under heavy load, the Disconnect contact got hot, melts plastic
and runaway effect, whole thing catches fire, (I could be wrong)
So looks like 198 could end, in around 4 months time, (it's to save money as usual) but above, where Arqiva says
network costs for "the relatively small audience" .... What about the Electric bill, and maintenance of entire
national FM network for say Radio 3, by definition, that's a relatively small audience, compared to Radio 2 and 4
And if 198khz ends, what about 5 Live on 693khz from the same mast?
Rod Watts
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