Luxembourg shutting down longwave 234 kHz

[Battenkill50]

Longwave list from 1974....northeast Italy

 

[Miss Tuned]

Longwave list from 1974....northeast Italy

Interesting list, lots of history!

This list is also a good read - it's the current program on each of the LW transmitters around Europe and Asia, and the date on which it was last heard, and then underneath an archived list of the last known program on the defunct transmitters.

At my location, I get the following:
162: blank carrier, a French time signal, used to be France Inter but now stays on with no audio modulation for French radio controlled clocks
198: BBC Radio 4
225: Polish Radio 1 (weak)
234: RTL, Luxembourg
243: Danish Radio P1 - this one comes on for 15-minute blocks three or four times a day, with a marine weather forecast and news for shipping crews
252: RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland (with co-channel interference after dark from Chaîne 3, Algeria)

In reality, that makes just three stations, as one is a blank carrier, one is only on a couple of times a day and one is too weak to listen to - so the only listenable services are BBC, RTL and RTÉ for me.

 

[Battenkill50]

adding mw list

kw

 

[CentralFL]

Radio Marti battles it out with Cuban stations in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

 

[Harvey_Dogg]

There once was a long wave station that broadcast from the airport on the west side of Indianapolis. It was 50 Watts into 50 feet of antenna. The signal was not that strong on the east side of Indy. But to my surprise, it was not much weaker in Springfield Ohio 140 miles further out. The call letters were IN.
It broadcast mostly weather reports.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Thread bump as a reminder that the final shutdown of RTL’s 234 kHz longwave transmission will be at 2300 UTC December 31, which is 6pm Eastern or 3pm Pacific time. The signal is easily receivable on European online SDRs, particularly the UTwente receiver. The station has been on longwave since the early 1930s, so a bit of broadcasting history.

 

[anotherguyTN]

If someone is able to get a recording of the sign off could you please post it? Thanks.

 

[Mediafrog+]

If someone is able to get a recording of the sign off could you please post it? Thanks.

Other than New Year’s related celebrations, there might not be anything specific to note the demise of the longwave transmission. The RTL French service is carried on an extensive network of FM stations, so it wouldn’t surprise me that there is a “stroke of midnight” followed by the 234 transmitter power down, similar to other “end of year” longwave shutdowns the past decade. Programming will carry on via FM.

I’ll be listening via the UTwente receiver, and I imagine there will be some recordings posted on various DX websites.

 

[tvnut]

I was looking at British newspapers from the 1960s the other day, and Radio Luxembourg (at 208 metres, 1439 mc) was listed along with BBC 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the radio listings. It was really popular.

 

[Mediafrog+]

RTL still going on 234 kHz at 2325 UTC December 31 (January 1 in Western Europe.) There is a report that the shutdown has been pushed back a day, though another report has the shutdown at 0000 UTC January 1. We shall see.

They have been giving announcements about the end of longwave. The on-air host referred to “outdated technology.”

Edit to add: RTL cut the 234 carrier at 0000 UTC, 1am in Western Europe. Remains to be seen if they’ll make a final appearance later today.

 

[Marcos_C]

RTL still going on 234 kHz at 2325 UTC December 31 (January 1 in Western Europe.) There is a report that the shutdown has been pushed back a day, though another report has the shutdown at 0000 UTC January 1. We shall see.

They have been giving announcements about the end of longwave. The on-air host referred to “outdated technology.”

Edit to add: RTL cut the 234 carrier at 0000 UTC, 1am in Western Europe. Remains to be seen if they’ll make a final appearance later today.

Oui, RTL is still broadcasting on 234 kHz.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Oui, RTL is still broadcasting on 234 kHz.

Final shutdown now at 0000 UTC January 2 (1am that day in Western Europe, or 7pm ET January 1.)

 

[Marcos_C]

Today marks the first and only time that I heard new music first on a longwave signal. Specifically, I heard two new cover songs from Bruce Spingsteen: "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and "Only the Strong Survive."

The last song that was played on 234 kHz was a cover of the Beatles' "Something" by Isaac Hayes. The last words that I heard were "Tomorrow is another day," said in English by the host.

The longwave transmitter signed off at 1:00 am Central European Time.

 

[Mediafrog+]

The last song that was played on 234 kHz was a cover of the Beatles' "Something" by Isaac Hayes. The last words that I heard were "Tomorrow is another day," said in English by the host.

The longwave transmitter signed off at 1:00 am Central European Time.

Penultimate song was, perhaps appropriately, “Don’t Fear The Reaper.”

Longwave broadcasting continues to thin out. BBC on 198 likely next, followed by RTE on 252.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Long ago as kids back in Queens NYC near JFK Airport -- and long after THAT -- we were baffled by this 1000-cycle tone on 1440 that never identified. 8PM. 9PM. No ID. It was R. Lux hetting 1440, of course. I caught actual audio only once from it.

Long wave: I got 'hold of a terrific AM-SW 'budget' communications receiver -- a Lafayette HA 600a -- which despite its sensitivity had terrible frequency determination on all bands. So I made a new dial for it, on the AM band and for the 4.8 - 14.6 mHz dial.
Now I don't know if these were actual stations at one time on LW or just code beacons. Nor did I know from what country. And it was the early 80's. But among them were 'Q' on 295 or so @ 4:15 AM .... 'BBN' , freq unk, @ 10:25 AM ..... and 'TUD', on about 190, @ 7:25 AM.