14 July 2023 tbs.pm/79001

On 23 November 1978 a new international agreement on long and medium wave broadcasting comes into operation. The last time governments met to allocate these air waves was in 1948.

Since then there has been such an increase in the number of radio stations throughout the world, especially in Europe, that a new agreement became vital.

At the moment there are 1,450 transmitters in Europe. In November there could be 2,700. With so many new transmitters coming into operation at increased power the BBC has had to work out new ways of giving UK listeners the best possible service. Reception in some areas will improve, with £3,000,000 [£15m in today’s money, allowing for inflation – Ed] being spent on new transmitters. Elsewhere the aim has been to reduce the likely levels of interference, particularly after dark.

Ways that radio dials are marked

Life is made more difficult because tuning positions can be expressed in a number of ways and no two radio sets seem to have dials that look alike. The dials shown on this page have numbers going across from left to right, but just as many sets have numbers going up and down or even round in a circle.

Metres and Kilohertz

Some dials are marked in metres (m or mtrs) others are marked in kilohertz (kHz). Either can be used to show tuning positions for the medium and long wave- bands and very often both are shown, as they are here. Metres and kHz are just different ways of measuring.

VHF and FM

For the vhf waveband, tuning positions are always expressed in megahertz (MHz). Some sets use FM to mark the vhf waveband. Others use vhf/FM. It amounts to the same thing.

The changes only affect BBC network services, Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4 on medium and long wave.☆

The tuning positions for vhf services are unchanged. Radio Scotland, Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and Radio Ulster are not affected. Most BBC Local Radio stations remain the same, and their frequencies are given below.

Main new frequencies from 23 November 1978

Getting the best reception

Where there are alternative frequencies do try them out to see which gives the best reception in your area.

When listening to a portable on medium wave and long wave, turning the radio round can improve reception.

For vhf, portable radios have a telescopic rod aerial, which must be fully extended. Keeping the aerial straight up in the air is seldom the most effective way of using it. Try putting it at an angle and swinging it round slowly as you listen, to identify the position that gives the best sound. You can also try putting the radio in different parts of the room and at different angles to discover the best place for it. It is usually, though not always, best to raise the set as far as possible above floor level.

Will I need to buy a new set?

That depends on which programmes you listen to and where you live. Radio 4 listeners will need sets with long wave or vhf. At certain times of the day Radio 4 carries additional programmes on vhf so it is better to have a set with both long wave and vhf.

Radio 3 listeners in areas where the medium wave reception is poor are strongly recommended to listen on vhf. To get an indication of the standard of Radio 3 reception you may expect in your area after 23 November, tune in to Radio 1 which at present broadcasts on 1215 kHz/247m.

In Cambridge, Radio 3 will be on 1197kHz/251m.

To get the best from all BBC Radio Services throughout the day and at night, listeners need to be able to receive medium wave, long wave and vhf.

Remember – medium and long wave reception is usually much better during the daytime than after dark. VHF reception does not change in this way. It should give you better quality sound and clearer reception.

Local variations where Radio 4 remains on medium wave

There will be additional medium wave services for Radio 4 in the following areas:

BBC Local Radio Stations

The new frequencies are in bold type.☆

Issued by: Radio Changes, British Broadcasting Corporation, Broadcasting House, London W1A 4WW