RTE Radio 1 has ceased broadcasting on LW 252. Please will you tell me if I could listen to RTE Radio 1 in England if I bought a world radio?
Peter
For several years RTÉ Radio 1 had been available on 252 Longwave in much of the UK. The Irish radio station has also been available via digital television and the Internet in the UK for some time. RTÉ Radio 1 is the most-listened to radio station in Ireland with a mix of news, sport, music and phone-in programmes.
In April 2023 the broadcasts on Longwave ended, making it necessary for former 252 LW listeners to choose a different platform to continue receiving the station.
There are essentially two options for listening to RTÉ Radio 1 in the UK:
- through digital television via satellite or cable platforms (e.g. Sky, Freesat or Virgin Media)
- online in apps for smartphones and tablets, on computers, via Internet or Wi-Fi radios and some smart speakers
To answer your question, a world radio with FM, MW, LW and SW bands would not be able to receive the station in the UK.
In Ireland the station can be found on FM, Saorview, Saorsat, Sky, Virgin Media and online. RTÉ Radio 1 is currently not available on DAB digital radio in Ireland or the UK.
Online with apps, smart speakers, Internet radios and computers
All of the Irish broadcaster’s radio stations can be listened to live online.
If you are interested in a specific programme you may be able to listen on demand or download it as a podcast.
Smart speakers
Amazon Alexa and Echo smart speakers
To listen to RTÉ radio stations on an Amazon Echo smart speaker first open the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet. Search for the radio station you’d like to listen to, such as RTÉ Radio 1, and press the Launch button. You should then hear the station on your speaker.
In future say “Alexa, open RTÉ Radio 1” to start listening.
Google Nest speakers
It should be possible to say “Hey Google, play RTÉ Radio 1” – but we have not been able to get this to work with our Google Home Mini speaker.
The only way we were able to listen to RTÉ radio stations with the Google speaker was to use the Irish Radioplayer app on an Android smartphone, start listening to a station and then cast it to the speaker.
There could be an issue trying to play the stations from Ireland in the UK through the platforms available directly with the speaker. But you could try the above request and see if it works.
Apps
RTÉ has radio apps for Android and iOS devices.
On Android open the Google Play Store or on an iPhone or iPad open the App Store and search for RTÉ Radio Player. After installing the app you will be able to stream all of RTÉ’s radio stations. It’s worth checking that you are connected to Wi-Fi and not mobile data so that you don’t use up your mobile phone’s data allowance.
As we described above you can also try the Irish Radioplayer app. This includes the RTÉ radio stations and many others, such as Today FM and RedFM.
Internet radios
Internet radios, also known as Wi-Fi radios or smart radios, are like conventional DAB and FM radios. They require broadband with a Wi-Fi router but have a familiar interface (such as a display showing a list of stations) and controls (such as a volume knob and preset buttons).
Although they tend to cost more than smart speakers they normally work without needing a smartphone to set up and troubleshoot problems.
On the TechniSat DIGITRADIO 10 IR hi-fi adapter we reviewed we were able to listen to RTÉ radio stations by browsing for stations by location. After choosing Europe, and then Ireland, we saw a sub-menu for RTÉ stations and could play Radio 1 from there.
Computers and laptops
Visit the website at https://www.rte.ie/radio/ and listen on your computer or laptop.
Digital television with satellite or cable
RTÉ Radio 1 and other RTÉ radio stations are available on the following digital television platforms. The stations are not available on Freeview. If you don’t have the Internet then digital satellite, particularly Freesat without ongoing costs, will probably be the best option due to its extensive coverage in the UK.
If your home already has a satellite dish which was previously used with Sky or Freesat you may be able to buy and plug in a Freesat receiver. Most television aerial installers will be able to install a satellite dish for reception of Freesat channels if you require one.
Sky
On Sky you can find RTÉ Radio 1 on channel 0137.
On the Sky remote enter the number 0137 to go directly to the station. Or press the tv guide button, scroll to the Radio section and then go down the list to find RTÉ Radio 1. Press select to tune into the station.
If you have an old Sky receiver you don’t need a current subscription to listen to RTÉ’s radio stations.
Virgin Media (cable)
In the UK you can enter channel number 917 to listen to RTÉ Radio 1.
RTÉ have advised listeners that the channel number may be different depending on the set top box. Navigating to the programme guide may reveal the station if it isn’t accessible on channel number 917.
On Virgin Media in Ireland the number is 901.
Freesat
On Freesat you can find RTÉ Radio 1 on channel 750.
Enter 750 on the remote control or go to the programme guide and look for RTÉ Radio 1 in the radio section.
Free to Air satellite receivers
RTÉ’s radio stations can be tuned into manually on a free to air (FTA) satellite receiver.
Scan for channels on Astra 2E (28.2 degrees east) on frequency 11914 H, symbol rate 27500, FEC 5/6.
RTÉ radio stations including Radio 1 are available on Saorsat in the Republic of Ireland.