Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off • Hacker News Board

Re: Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off

#101

Post by 8bitsrule » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 2:36 PM UTC

alentred wrote: post #41

That's such a pity. Building a simple AM radio receiver was a simplest and coolest electronics project to do with kids. You need two transistors, a ferrite coil and a small set of simpler elements. And it is so simple you can actually explain what every part of the circuit does. And then the reward... Once built you could listen to BBC regardless of where you are in Europe. My kids just LOVED IT, no Netflix K-Drama r…

Hmmm, fancy indeed. With 150kW feeding a dipole at 700 feet, I imagine that a cat's-whisker [0] would have done well-enough in London...

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_detector

Re: Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off

#102

Post by wartywhoa23 » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 2:41 PM UTC

K0balt wrote: post #84

toxik wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate to rain on your parade, but a lot of interests want the low-frequency spectrum. It will absolutely never be allocated to amateur radio.

What are they wanting to build? It’s hard to put much information on lower frequencies, afaik?

I bet it will have to do with the military, almost inevitably.

Re: Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off

#103

Post by microgpt » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 2:43 PM UTC

Symbiote wrote: post #74

microgpt wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought the license fee was a tax. You have to pay it, except in extremely specific scenarios that are basically just the bureaucracy's way of saying it's technically optional even though it isn't. AFAIK you have to own no devices capable of receiving BBC broadcasts - this includes most phones and computers since they broadcast on the internet.

You only need the license if you watch live TV (on any service) or use BBC iPlayer. If you only watch DVDs, or stream movies etc, you don't need a license

When did they change it from if you could watch to if you actually watch?

Re: Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off

#104

Post by karambahh » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 2:49 PM UTC

Symbiote wrote: post #53

BBC Radio 4 can be streamed here, including internationally: https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/live/bbc_radio_fourfm Or mplayer 'https://a.files.bbci.co.uk/ms6/live/3441A116-B12E-4D2F-ACA8-C1984642FA4B/audio/simulcast/dash/nonuk/pc_hd_abr_v2/aks/bbc_radio_fourfm.mpd' vlc 'https://lsn.lv/bbcradio.m3u8?station=bbc_radio_fourfm%22&bitrate=320000%22' (Links from https://garfnet.org.uk/cms/tables/radio-frequencies/internet..…

For other readers, please be aware that only BBC World & BBC Radio 4 can be streamed outside of the UK.

For about a year now, BBC has been aggressively geoblocking other radios.

Re: Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off

#105

Post by wartywhoa23 » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 2:50 PM UTC

jstanley wrote: post #90

microgpt wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A 500kW LF amplifier? Things do have to be designed to their individual requirements, you can't just buy a car stereo amp and turn it up to 1000.

Maybe something like https://www.nautel.com/products/am-transmitters/nx-series/ ?

Thanks for sharing this, it surely blows the theory about the lost art of building powerful transmitters out of the water.

Re: Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off

#106

Post by K0balt » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 2:51 PM UTC

hdgvhicv wrote: post #98

K0balt wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Umm mostly. IMHO DAB is a failure, at least for vehicles.

I listen almost exclusively on dab in the car. It auto fails to FM but it’s rare I go somewhere where that happens.

It’s probably highly variable depending on location and the quality of your radio/antenna. It’s useless where I am.

Re: Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off

#107

Post by Symbiote » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 2:53 PM UTC

8bitsrule wrote: post #101

alentred wrote: post #41

That's such a pity. Building a simple AM radio receiver was a simplest and coolest electronics project to do with kids. You need two transistors, a ferrite coil and a small set of simpler elements. And it is so simple you can actually explain what every part of the circuit does. And then the reward... Once built you could listen to BBC regardless of where you are in Europe. My kids just LOVED IT, no Netflix K-Drama r…

Hmmm, fancy indeed. With 150kW feeding a dipole at 700 feet, I imagine that a cat's-whisker [0] would have done well-enough in London... [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_detector

Yes, I did exactly this in England 30 or so years ago. It was one of the suggestions in an electronics kit for children, the one with springs to connect the components together.

Re: Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off

#108

Post by Symbiote » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 2:56 PM UTC

KaiserPro wrote: post #80

There is precisely one thing that keeps 198LW online: economy seven. I think the reason why its been left on so long is that it took so long to migrate to digital meters https://tradehelp.gdhv.co.uk/support/solutions/articles/7900... I am also annoyed that I missed the last signal.

The last signal will be on 30 June. It's (apparently) broadcasting a loop listing alternative ways to listen to Radio 4 now.

Re: Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off

#109

Post by Symbiote » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 3:00 PM UTC

microgpt wrote: post #103

Symbiote wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You only need the license if you watch live TV (on any service) or use BBC iPlayer. If you only watch DVDs, or stream movies etc, you don't need a license

When did they change it from if you could watch to if you actually watch?

In about 2008 it was OK, my flatmate let the "TV licencing" people in to see a TV connected only to games consoles and a DVD player.

Re: Long Wave radio era set to end with switch-off

#110

Post by FerretFred » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 3:19 PM UTC

That's a real shame given the distance LW could travel: I wonder what they're going to use the frequency band for? I've tried using DAB on so many occasions and thrown it out in disgust.

> Given these factors, investing in upgrading the LW equipment is not considered a cost-effective solution for licence fee-funded services

And that's another problem - maybe the Government should step in and set up a proper Civil Defence-style warning/information system - we may well need it in a few years - it's a shame our official National Broadcaster can't fulfill the role.