UK Broadcast Transmission

THE TRANSMISSION GALLERY

Photo by Richard Maycock

This is a nicely elevated site, at 394m.

The site is located down a lane off a public road, and you will note that it is untidy and rough looking. Indeed I was very wary of approaching to get the pictures as I thought that the 'travelling community' had made it their home as from the road the old trucks, cars and battered mobile homes surrounding the perimeter of the site gave this impression. I need not have worried though as the site was apparently simply being used by the local land owner for his personal dump. I bet CCI love him!

Interestingly, you will note there are two RX log periodics quite low down on the mast. (This is a bit of a mystery to me, and I note from one of the recent additions to your gallery that this has occurred at other sites). By my reckoning, one of these was pointing towards Sutton Coldfield, which is the TX this site relays according to BBC Engineering. The other seemed to point towards the Wrekin, I would say. I am not very familiar with the terrain, but that is my assumption. So why two RX aerials? Well, my theory is that because this relay station is able to receive another main TX, i.e. the Wrekin, which also happens to transmit the same local regional services as Sutton Coldfield, this is solely a back-up arrangement for emergency use should there be problems with the Sutton Coldfield RX. I may well be wrong though! What do others think? Do we have any technical people who perhaps work for CCI who may be able to provide the definitive answer?

Perhaps they could also explain to me why there are six beams for TX, as I cannot understand that either! They point roughly to the East, and not to the nearby village of Ipstones, which is elevated enough to receive SC directly.

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