This was the original location for the FM transmitters for BBC Radio Nottingham and ILR Radio Trent. It was believed the site was owned by the City Council and sits at the east end of the sandstone hill that Nottingham is built on. The mast was visible from the south for many miles. There was a difference in the naming of this site. The BBC called it Colwick Park and the IBA called it Colwick Wood.
[Ed]. BBC Radio Nottingham launched from here on the 31-Jan-1968 on 94.8 MHz, transmitting with horizontal polarisation only. The transmit aerial consisted of 4 tiers, each comprising 4 horizontal dipoles spaced 90 degrees round the mast. A ground plane folded vertical dipole was added at the top of the mast during 1970 to test transmitting with various types of mixed polarisation. See the BBC Research Department report link at the foot of this page. On 3-Jul-1973 the transmit frequency was changed to 95.4 MHz, and in September 1980, Radio Nottingham was converted to stereo. The first BBC local radio station to do so. At some point during 1986/7, this frequency was changed again to 103.8 MHz.
ILR (Radio Trent) launched on the 3-Jul-1975 on 96.2 MHz sharing the BBC aerial system and remained on this frequency until both services were relocated to Mapperley Ridge during 1989.
These pictures were taken around the period 1987-1989, after Radio Nottingham had changed frequency to 103.8 MHz. I assume that the original aerial system wasn't suitable for transmitting on the new higher frequency, so a Lindenblad array of 45 degree angled dipoles replaced the two lower tiers of horizontal dipoles to transmit on 103.8 MHz. It is not clear whether ILR was also then transmitted from this new aerial system. |
