mb21 - The Transmission Gallery

	UK Broadcast Transmission

THE TRANSMISSION GALLERY

Photos by Gavin Stewart (with thanks to Jordy Lyons) and Nigel & Anne Coote

Keelylang Hill A

Orkney Islands

NGR: HY377102	Maps: Google Bing (Ord Surv)		Site Height: 219.7m		Structure Height: 56.7m
Digital TV:	BBC A: 46	D3&4: 43	BBC B: 50	SDN: 42	Arq A: 45	Arq B: 49
BBC Radio:

Ind. National Radio:
Ind. Local Radio:
Digital Radio:	BBC National: 12B
Comments:

Keelylang Hill B Orkney Islands

NGR: HY378102 Maps: Google Bing (Ord Surv) Site Height: 219.7m Structure Height: 51.0m

Digital TV:

BBC Radio: Radio 1: 98.9 Radio 2: 89.3 Radio 3: 91.5 Radio 4: 96.0

R. Scotland (Orkney): 93.7

Ind. National Radio:

Ind. Local Radio:

Digital Radio:

Comments: Carries UHF digital TV reserve aerials

The original BBC transmitting station for Orkney - known simply as Orkney - was established in 1958 on the site of the former RAF Netherbutton radar station at NGR HY464045.

When UHF colour tv (BBC2) came to the islands in 1975 this new site at Keelylang Hill was set up. Then later, when the FM services were upgraded from horizontal to mixed polarisation in 1986, the FM radio services were moved to Keelylang and the original site became redundant.

You can read more about the history of the original Orkney station on the Subterranea Britannica site.

There are two towers, one apparently for UHF analogue tv and the other for FM radio. The Array at the top of the VHF tower is apparently the S2 DTT Reserve antenna.comprising of 4 Tiers of 4 panels.

The station derives its programme feeds by off air reception of Rumster Forest, and I believe we can see a trough aerial towards the bottom of the tv tower.

Keelylang Hill's transmissions are in turn received off air at a station on Fair Isle which then provides a feed at SHF for Bressay in the Shetland Isles.