Clermont Carn transmission site
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Clermont Carn. (Discuss) Proposed since August 2022. |
 2RN site on Clermont Carn | |
  Clermont Carn in Ireland | |
| Location | Ravensdale, County Louth |
|---|---|
| Mast height | 120 metres (394 ft) |
| Coordinates | 54°04′48″N 6°19′18″W / 54.080057°N 6.321564°W |
| Built | 1981 |
The Clermont Carn transmission site is situated at the summit of Clermont Carn in County Louth and was opened in 1981 to provide UHF television coverage for the northeast of the Republic of Ireland, counties Louth, Meath, and North County Dublin.
With the site being less than two kilometres (1.2 mi) from the border it was clear that this transmitter would be used to provide RTÉ services into Northern Ireland. Initially the two channels RTÉ One and RTÉ2 were carried on Ch52 and Ch56 with TV3 on Ch66 and TG4 on Ch68 following later. FM radio transmission was also added providing coverage of the five national channels to its service area, and in 1982, a 2M Amateur Radio Repeater was installed.[1] In 2002, a new 120-metre-tall (390 ft) cable-stayed mast was erected and this greatly improved coverage into Northern Ireland. The original self-supporting tower was truncated, and is now only used for microwave links and the Amateur Radio Repeater.
Digital terrestrial television (DTT) trials started in 2008, and in common with all 2RN transmitters in Ireland, analogue television transmissions from this site ended on 24 October 2012.[2] Uniquely, Clermont Carn is the only main television transmitter in Ireland that is vertically polarised, and does not service any relay transmitters. Today the Irish digital television service Saorview is broadcast from here to a sizeable area including a large tract of Northern Ireland, with a good signal being received in Belfast and beyond. This overspill has been welcomed by the UK's Ofcom who have provided information for viewers in Northern Ireland about receiving the RTÉ channels and TG4 both from within Northern Ireland on the UK's Freeview service, and via the Saorview overspill.[3]
Digital television
| Frequency | UHF | ERP | Multiplex | Pol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 642 MHz | 42 | 160 kW | Saorview 1 | V |
| 666 MHz | 45 | 160 kW | Saorview 2 | V |
FM radio
| Frequency | ERP | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 87.8 MHz | 40 kW | RTÉ Radio 1 |
| 95.2 MHz | 40 kW | RTÉ lyric fm |
| 97.0 MHz | 40 kW | RTÉ 2fm |
| 102.7 MHz | 40 kW | RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta |
| 105.5 MHz | 40 kW | Today FM |
| 107.9 MHz | 0.3 kW | Newstalk |
Amateur radio
| Frequency | W | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 145.675 MHz (Output) 145.075 MHz (Input) CTCSS 110.9 Hz | 15 | EI2CCR 2m 12.5 kHz Repeater (Dundalk Amateur Radio Society www.ei7dar.com) |
Gallery
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Mast seen from the N1 road -
Top of mast -
The transmitter building
References
- ^ Dundalk Amateur Radio Society. "EI2CCR Repeater". www.ei7dar.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ "Analogue consigned to broadcasting history". The Irish Times. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
- ^ Ofcom. "Digital Terrestrial TV Coverage Map of TG4 and RTÉ in Northern Ireland" (PDF). Ofcom. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
Content moved from Clermont Carn; see that page's history for attribution