asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he is aware that the people of Skibbereen town and district are dissatisfied with the reception from Radio Éireann; and, if so, if he will indicate what action he proposes to take to improve reception in the area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Radio Éireann Reception.
Previous complaints have been received about the quality of reception in Skibbereen and in West Cork generally. A reduction in quality is undoubtedly felt in some areas and is due to two main causes. The first is that a medium wave station like Athlone does not give a first-class service beyond say 80 or 90 miles from the transmitter. Secondly, under the plan of allocation on which European broadcasting stations are working a large number of stations have had to be fitted into an insufficient wavelength space. The result is serious interference, particularly at night time.
Because of the reception difficulties that have arisen here, and throughout Europe, mainly due to the causes I have mentioned, broadcasting technicians have been devoting attention to the possibility of making up for the shortage in medium frequencies by using very high frequencies. Our engineers are examining this matter. The examination will have to be protracted, extending possibly over a year or two, and the capital cost of equipment and lines for very high frequency broadcasting, if this is considered to be feasible here, will be high. In the meantime, I would like to repeat the advice given before to listeners in areas where reception is not clear because of distance from the transmitter to make sure to have good aerials and earths and that the sets themselves are in good working order.