(Source: Mike Terry via Medium Wave Circle FB Group)
Ydun’s Medium Wave Info
By Marcel Rommerts
12 January 2016
After switching off a number of high power transmitters in 2015, at the end of December the Dutch government has launched a public consultation on ‘opening up’ the medium waveband for radio and non-radio applications with ‘low power’ and with limited government regulation.
When referring to ‘low power’ this means both a power in the range of 1 – 5 watts (site coverage) and 50 – 100 watts (municipal coverage). The idea is that the same frequencies will be re-used across the country. They will be handed out on the basis of a first-come, first served basis. Deadline for comments is 14 February 2016.
Opening the FM band in the USA from 76MHz – 88MHz is still a nice idea, but not everyone has a receiver that can go there. However, everyone (I hope…), still has AM radio reception capabilities. Daytime coverage of an LPAM can be as good, if not better in various places, than LPFM. And, you don’t need a high elevation tower site, (Which seems to be a great rare commodity these days.). Set up a TIS-like spec’ed antenna system in an unused part of a yard, or building roof. Can be done. If commercial interests don’t want to use the AM band, then let us have it, especially in metro / urban areas where the FM band is just too congested.
At the moment the dutch lpam freqs are: 675 khz, 747,828,881,1008,1224,1332,1395,1485,1584,1602. And as a bonus pirates 1611-1690 in the evenings. This autumn additional freqs borrowed from our neighbours will come on air as lpam from Holland. Using a simple radio in Amsterdam during the day I receive lpam stations on 747, 1008, 1224, 1395, 1602. 1008 and 1602 play the typically dutch ‘pirate’ music mix of polka, dutch, German and old English records. Non stop. AM is alive again !
I wish the FCC would open up 70 MHz through 88 MHz to add to the FM band in the United States…I believe this is the additional allocation in countries such as Japan… This would alleviate the very bad congestion from 88-108 that we currently have: Even in fringe and rural areas, try finding a “clear” frequency on http://www.radio-locator.com, and you will see what I mean… a half dozen micropower recreational broadcasting frequencies could be opened as part of the process: A win-win for both commercial and micropower.
KBMF-LP started in my town about a year ago and quickly became about the only local station I listen to. It’s 100-watt FM, staffed entirely by volunteer DJs, who all bring their own playlists that you’d never hear on a commercial station. The DJs all go through brief training and are amazingly good, only occasionally going to dead air. No commercials and only a few PSAs.
Have a listen:
http://butteamericaradio.org
We also have low-power AM, but that just gives road conditions on the local mountain passes.
Apart from soccer matches and championships when we Germans lovingly hate the Dutch, you gotta love the Dutch for many things, but among the top items why they are great is their role in developing radio from desert-dry public announcement style broadcasting with radio orchestras playing hits of the day before yesterday, into what we know today (and developed further until it became shite again). My favorite radio station is of course a Dutch station and at least during the night they still play music you can’t hear on the airwaves anywhere in Europe, pretty much like in the old pirate radio ship days… from a former pirate radio ship (now moored in a harbor) .
You’ll rarely hear a notion like this from Germans, but you can count on the Dutch radio heads wanting the AM band to live on, and getting better than it ever was. Jullie zijn geweldig! 🙂
That must be Radio Seagull, an excellent station..I spent two years with them.
Exactly, Radio Waddenzee/Seagull which is operating under the (mighty) “KBC” moniker now. Still the same charming station and occasionally you can hear the audio drop out, then disappear completely until someone found the 2 loose wires and twisted them together. 🙂
Great idea! I’m still trying to see if whether, or not, we can expand LPAM here in the USA, besides just TIS (Tourist Information Stations). I hope the Dutch can run with this completely.