Atlantic 252
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| Broadcast area |
Ireland United Kingdom & mainland Europe (via overspill) |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 252 kHz with 500 kW (100 kW nighttime) power |
| First air date | 1 September 1989 |
| Last air date | January, 2002 |
| Format | Contemporary |
| Owner | Radio Tara Ltd (RTÉ/RTL Group) |
Atlantic 252 was an Irish longwave radio station broadcasting across Ireland and Great Britain on 252 kHz (1190 metres) from its 1988 purpose built transmission site in Clarkstown, County Meath, which provided service to Atlantic 252 from 1989 until 2002. The station's studios were located just 12 km (7 mi) away in Mornington House, Summerhill Road, Trim, County Meath. Atlantic 252 also had sales offices and studios at 74, Newman Street in London.
After its closure, the station's former frequency and transmitter were used for the failed TEAMtalk 252 project which lasted for just a few months in 2002. From 2004, the frequency was used by RTÉ to provide a version of RTÉ Radio 1 to the expatriate community in Britain from the Clarkstown radio transmitter.
The concept of Atlantic 252 can be traced to as far back as August 1986, when Irish state broadcaster RTÉ announced it was to use its allocated longwave frequency for a new pop music station. RTÉ teamed up with RTL Group / Radio Luxembourg to form Radio Tara – the trading name of Atlantic 252 – which, being on longwave, was able to provide reception across Ireland and the United Kingdom. This followed Chris Cary's test transmissions from Clogher Head, County Louth, in the mid-1980s, transmitting on 254 kHz longwave as Radio Exidy.
In 1987 RTÉ commenced building a giant 3-sided 248 metre broadcast mast in Clarkstown, County Meath, using a specially built pair of air- and water-cooled 300 kW solid-state transmitters (which could be combined to give double power) built by Varian Associates, Texas, despite protests from local residents. Studios were set up in Mornington House, in the nearby town of Trim. The station cost £6 million to set up. Just over 47 million people were in the station's broadcast area.
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