Wrexham, Chester and Liverpool Update

This weekend our transmission team and Microwave Link supplier successfully completed the next part of the work necessary for the launch of the WCL mutiplex. They have one more piece of work to do later this week and then we are expecting some commissioning work with Ofcom at the beginning of next week.

Should all of this go to plan, our intention is to start test transmissions from Moel-Y-Parc and Wrexham Rhos on the 13th March.

There is some more work to do on our St John’s Beacon installation, before it (and Juice FM) join the network. We will hopefully be able to update the blog on firmer dates in the coming weeks.

Comments

13 responses to “Wrexham, Chester and Liverpool Update”

March 5, 2013

Adam Edge

Excellent for North East Wales, now how about the North Wales multiplex. Ireland has switched off it’s TV transmissions now so there really isn’t any excuses now.

Reply
1. March 5, 2013
  
  Matt
  
  We’re currently looking at the best way to achieve good coverage in the area.
  
  Reply
March 5, 2013

James Robinson

Can you give a start date for text transmissions?

Thanks, James

Reply
1. March 6, 2013
  
  Matt
  
  Hi James,, as we mention in the post, we’re looking at the 13th March for tests.
  
  Reply
March 5, 2013

Richard Davies

Hi,

Looking forward to the multiplex launch.

Will the signal from wrexham rhos transmitter, be strong enough, to use a portable dab radio in the wrexham area?

Thanks

Richard

Reply
1. March 6, 2013
  
  Matt
  
  Richard – I would hope so, but we’ll see with the tests.
  
  Reply
March 6, 2013

James Robinson

Will we get the 5 “D Love stations first like Now did with HBB & Northants?

Reply
1. March 6, 2013
  
  Matt
  
  James – no, we have something else planned…
  
  Reply
March 6, 2013

James Robinson

Thanks Matt. AT present I only have a Bush TR2003DAB model and all stations are listed alphabetically.

I will therefore find it hard to find your stations easily during test 0 unless I know what the labels will be during test!

I can only do auto scan which does the whole band, manual ttune finds the muxes and the mux names and fblock number etc, but I cannot search indiviual muxes with this radio.

So it would be nice to know if anything different is planned, what will the service names be during tests – and from what you say it is unlikely to be the correct ones to start with!? Am I right?

Thanks.

Reply
March 7, 2013

Martin Roberts

matt,

With regards to the other north wales licence it doesnt appear Bangor and surrounding areas will be covered??? Bangor is proberbly the largest student area after Cardiff in Wales and really needs to be covered. The arfon transmitter is the Llyn Peninsulia is crap for Bangor area dab, Digital one uses it at the momemt. May i suggest Great Ormes head which will cover most of anglesey and gwynedd in one swoop.

Thanks Martin

Reply
March 15, 2013

David Gorse

Thanks for the info Matt
All 6 test stations received well at the north end of Southport, near Merseyside/Lancashire border, on a Roberts 83i table top receiver. During the night of Friday 15th March, the test station 2 switched its’ name to Dee 106.3 with quite good reception. Showing 3 bars out of 10 and an error rate of 10 to 14.

Good luck to all the stations.

Reply
March 15, 2013

David Gorse

There is a large thread (currently up to 5 pages) on Digital Spy Radio section, at
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1757263&page=5

Reply
March 15, 2013

Simon Parton

Just to let you know that your test transmissions of your new Wrexham and Chester multiplex can be received loud and clear in my part of Telford in Shropshire (postcode TF2 6LA)
I am listening to “Dee on DAB at this very moment with a signal quality of 100%. It is actually stronger here than the Wolverhampton and Shropshire MUX which is literally six miles away from my location.
However, the audio signal is suffering from several drop-outs every so often but no loss of radio signal strength at all.
I look forward to your multiplex becoming fully operational.

Reply