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THE TRANSMISSION GALLERY

Photos by Ian Chalmers Page last updated: 2021-10-13
Christchurch Gwent
NGR: ST353896 Maps: Google  Bing (Ord Surv)   Site Height: 94m      Structure Height:
Digital TV:
National Radio: Radio Wales: 95.9  
Local Radio: Capital FM (South Wales): 97.4   Heart FM (South Wales): 105.9  
Digital Radio: BBC National: 12B   Digital One: 11D   South East Wales: 12C  
Comments: Transmitted ILR on 1305 kHz until October 2020.

Show historic services

June 2006

This tall mast is an impressive sight from the M4 with it's weird zig-zaggy things at the top. It is next to a large hotel, on the edge of a golf course. We should have MW, VHF and DAB on here. The DAB aerials are fairly obvious, pointing towards the centre of Newport. I assume the aerials below them are band II, and the zig-zaggy things mobile phones. However, up close, things are not a simple as you might expect. The equipment cabinet next to the base of the mast seems a bit small, and I wonder if all it contains is the MF Tx and ATU.

[Ed] The zig-zaggy things are also band II transmit aerials. 2 tiers of Alan Dick & Co Twin Z wideband, omni directional, circularly polarised aerials. Designed for topmast mounting on a cantilever pole. These transmit both Radio Wales and the 97.4 MHz ILR service. These twin Z band II aerials are also used at Blunsdon, Stoke Holy Cross and Zouches Farm.

Christchurch was built by the IBA for the Newport ILR service, which launched on 13th June 1983 as Gwent Broadcasting on 104.0 MHz and 1305 kHz. Gwent Broadcasting ceased trading in April 1985. From October 1985 the ILR transmitters at Christchurch relayed the Cardiff ILR service which was renamed Red Dragon Radio. A combined Cardiff and Newport ILR service has operated ever since.

BBC Radio Gwent, an opt-out service of Radio Wales, launched on 3rd January 1984 on 103.0 MHz. The BBC Radio Gwent opt-outs ceased in March 1991.

In June 1986 both FM frequencies were changed to their current frequencies of 97.4 and 95.9 MHz.

Real Radio (Wales) launched on 3rd October 2000 on 105.9 MHz.

DAB service dates: South East Wales, 31st October 2000; Severn Estuary, 20th June 2001, closed 29th July 2013; Digital One, 22nd November 2006; BBC, 25th January 2007.












At the top are the twin Z band II aerials which transmit Radio Wales and the 97.4 MHz ILR service. Below are two, 5 element band III DAB yagis, which transmit both BBC and Digital One. At the bottom are six folded band II dipoles transmitting the 105.9 MHz ILR service. Two horizontal and one vertical, per tier.










A hundred yards or so down the hill is another Arqiva site (or another part of the same one?) with a more substantial brick building sporting some vertical and slant-polarised band II aerials, and a GPS aerial (possibly two). The security measures for this building look a lot more effective than the hut by the mast.


It is most likely that the two vertically stacked, slant polarised, band II yagis are used for an RBL feed from Wenallt for ILR (97.4 MHz). The single slanted yagi on the right for RBL of Wenallt for Radio Wales, and the vertically polarised yagi is for RBL of St. Hilary for the 105.9 MHz ILR service.

Radio Wales has been transmitted, at higher power, from Wenvoe since December 2011, although these pictures predate that change.


The GPS cone antennas will be providing the timing reference for the DAB transmitters.




The two band III dipoles at the top of this nearby tower transmit the South East Wales local DAB service. They were also used to transmit the discontinued Severn Estuary DAB service.



Blunsdon | St. Hilary | Stoke Holy Cross | Wenallt | Wenvoe | Zouches Farm

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