At first glance Farthinghoe may look like an ordinary mobile phone mast, but look more closely and you'll see, installed on an extended mast section above the mobile phone antennas, four slanted VHF folded dipoles (just below the mast light) that transmit ILR Oxford and Banbury programmes. Rather than simply being an off-air transposer station of 102.6 MHz from Beckley, Oxford, the Farthinghoe relay station is fed separately and carries separate news and advertising on 97.4 MHz for North Oxfordshire and South-West Northamptonshire including Banbury and Brackley.
There are two sets of UHF log periodics on this tower, but I have no record of it being a UHF tv relay. I understand the site forms part of the RBL link between Sutton Coldfield and Oxford.
Originally an IBA landlord site. ILR Oxford (Fox FM), entered service late 1989 on 97.4 MHz. Banbury Sound on 25-Feb-2006. DAB service dates: Oxfordshire 21-Dec-2012; BBC 16-Dec-2013. |
