Clermont Carn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clermont Carn |
|
|---|---|
| Carnán Mhaighréid Nái | |
Clermont Carn transmission site.
|
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 510 m (1,670 ft) |
| Prominence | 312 m (1,024 ft) |
| Naming | |
| Language of name | Irish |
| Geography | |
 Clermont Carn
Location in island of Ireland
|
|
| Location | Louth, Ireland |
| Parent range | Cooley Mountains |
Clermont Carn is a 510-meter (1,673-foot) high mountain peak. It is part of the Cooley Mountains in County Louth, Ireland. This mountain is also home to a very important broadcasting site for 2RN, which is part of RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster.
Clermont Carn: A Broadcasting Hub
This broadcasting site in County Louth first opened in 1981. Its main job was to send out UHF television signals to the North East of Ireland. This included areas like Louth, Meath, and North County Dublin. Because the site is very close to the border, it also helped bring RTÉ services into Northern Ireland.
At first, two TV channels, RTÉ One and RTÉ2, were broadcast from here. Later, Virgin Media One and TG4 were added. In 1982, an Amateur Radio Repeater was set up. This helps amateur radio users communicate over longer distances. The site also started broadcasting national FM radio channels to a large area.
Improving the Signal
In 2002, a new, taller mast was built at Clermont Carn. This mast is 120 meters (400 feet) tall. It greatly improved the TV and radio signal reaching Northern Ireland. The older tower was made shorter. Now, it is mostly used for microwave links and the Amateur Radio Repeater.
Digital radio broadcasting, called DAB, began from Clermont Carn in 2006. Trials for Digital terrestrial television (DTT) started in 2008.
Digital TV Today
On October 24, 2012, Clermont Carn stopped sending out old-style analogue television signals. This was part of a country-wide change to digital TV. Clermont Carn is special because it is the only main TV transmitter in Ireland that sends out signals vertically. It also does not send signals to smaller relay transmitters.
Today, the Irish digital television service, Saorview, is broadcast from Clermont Carn. It reaches a large area, including a big part of Northern Ireland. People in Belfast and other places can get a good signal. This "overspill" of the signal has been welcomed by Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator. They even provide information for viewers in Northern Ireland on how to receive TG4 and RTÉ channels.
Images for kids
-
View of site from the R132 road
-
Clermont mast and tower
-
Mast seen from the N1 road
-
Clermont links tower and new mast
-
Approach road to Clermont Transmission site from Northern side
-
Clermont transmitters viewed from South facing North
-
Clermont truncated mast
-
Closeup of the main transmitter mast
