Maghera transmission site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maghera |
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| Cnoc an Ois | |
 Maghera
Location in island of Ireland
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 400 m (1,300 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Location | County Clare, Ireland |
| Parent range | Slieve Aughty |
The Maghera transmission site is a special place on a 400-meter-high mountain in Killanena in the east of County Clare, Ireland. It's like a giant antenna station! This site helps send out radio and television signals across a big part of Ireland. It's operated by 2RN, which is part of RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster.
Contents
Maghera: Sending Signals Across Ireland
The Maghera site is super important for broadcasting TV and radio. It's located on a mountain called Cnoc an Ois, which means "Hill of the Fawn" in Irish. From this high spot, signals can travel far and wide.
How it Started: Early TV and Radio
The Maghera television transmitter first started working in February 1963. It became fully active later that year, on September 10, 1963. It was one of the first five main TV transmitters for Telefís Éireann, which was the original name for RTÉ Television. The other early sites were Mullaghanish, Kippure, Truskmore, and Mount Leinster.
Back then, it used a system called VHF to send out TV pictures. Later, in the 1990s, it also started using UHF channels. In 1966, the site began broadcasting RTÉ Radio's FM service. Over the years, more and more FM radio stations were added.
New Mast, New Technology
The original mast (the tall tower that sends out signals) at Maghera was built in 1963. It was 147.5 meters tall. In 2011, a brand new, even taller mast was put up. This new mast is 160 meters tall and is made of strong steel lattice. It was built to improve the broadcasting area. This was especially important for the start of digital terrestrial television (DTT).
On October 24, 2012, all the old analogue television broadcasts from Maghera stopped. Now, the site broadcasts Saorview, which is Ireland's free digital television service. It also sends out signals for six national FM radio networks and many local radio stations.
Where Maghera's Signals Reach
The Maghera transmission site helps bring TV and radio to a large area in the West of Ireland. This includes all of County Clare and County Galway. It also reaches parts of other counties like Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Tipperary, and Mayo.
What Maghera Broadcasts Today
Today, the Maghera site broadcasts both digital television and many FM radio stations.
Digital Television (Saorview)
Maghera broadcasts Saorview, which gives people in Ireland access to many free-to-air digital TV channels. These signals are sent out on specific frequencies to ensure a clear picture and sound.
FM Radio Stations
Many popular radio stations are broadcast from Maghera. This includes national stations like RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ lyric fm, and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. Other stations like Clare FM, Today FM, Spin South West, 4fm, and Newstalk also use the Maghera site to reach listeners.
Images for kids
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The links tower and transmitter mast
