Site: Kippure Mountain, Co. Dublin
VHF Aerial: Band III
UHF Aerial Group C/D (Green)
RTÉ One: E; Network 2 H; TV3 62; TG4 59
Polarisation: Horizontal
Nominal Max ERP Vision: 160 kW (VHF); 500 kW (UHF)
Site Height: 2475 ft A.S.L.
Mast Height: 350 ft
Area covered: East coast of Ireland
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Site: Kippure Mountain, Co. Dublin VHF Aerial: Band III UHF Aerial Group C/D (Green) RTÉ One: E; Network 2 H; TV3 62; TG4 59 Polarisation: Horizontal Nominal Max ERP Vision: 160 kW (VHF); 500 kW (UHF) Site Height: 2475 ft A.S.L. Mast Height: 350 ft |
Kippure is the oldest television transmission site in the Republic, having come on the air in 1961. Originally Kippure transmitted Telefis Eireann using the 405 line standard on channel 7. A 625 line service on Band III channel H was added in 1962. Kippure's service area duplicates the Three Rock and Clermont Carn service areas. Today, however, most Kippure viewers are in Co. Wicklow, where no other transmitter provides coverage. RTE One is now on channel E, with Net2 on channel H. TV3 is on channel 62, and TG4 is transmitted on channel 59. 405 line transmissions of RTE One ceased from Kippure in 1978. Dermot Nolan has some more information about fringe reception of Kippure:
Kippure is to this day received all along the East Down coast , and is especially popular around Strangford where they cannnot get a good Clermont Carn signal because of the Mournes. On most days reception is EBU grade 4. Kippure can also be picked up in Dumfries and Galloway, IOM, North Wales, parts of the Lake District and, at times, in Liverpool.
In fact the Kippure signal travels pretty far from its intended service area. Philip Striplin in Worcestershire can get RTE1 and Network 2 from Kippure thanks to a 10 element Band III aerial and his altitude, 800 ft above sea level. Phillip reports that the picture is watchable on most days although tropospheric ducting improves the signal on high pressure days.
According to Philip, RTE was in fact rebroadcast by Rediffusion Cable in Worcester in the 1960's. I suspect that it was the old 405 line service on Channel 7.
Phil Reynolds has picked up both RTE 1 and Network 2 on a portable with nothing more than the portable's own telescopic aerial, though Phil tells me that on Sporadic E skip days RTE 1 from Maghera on Band I Channel B was better!
See below for some pictures of the Kippure mast.
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