This sign is outside the drive of a local resident, helpfully directing lost and disorientated transmitter engineers away from his own nearby property.

This site was on time for the launch of both Channel 4 & Channel 5, although in the case of the latter the power is only 8% of the other services from an aerial 54m lower.

The Oxford area is well known for multiple coverage overlap with fringe reception possible from Crystal Palace, Sandy Heath & Hannington respectively.

As well as the terrestrial tv networks, the station also transmits the local (low power) RSL station, the Oxford Channel, local and network BBC radio, and Classic fm.

DSO1:
Photos by Martin Watkins

These photos, from October 2009, show the result of the first stage of DSO work at Oxford - the new reserve aerial system.

DSO2:
Photos by Roger Piper

Moving on to February 2010, the old main aerial stack was lifted off and the new main aerial hoisted into place by helicopter.

Roger Piper went along in March to check out the result...

DSO3: Fire at Oxford
Photo by Alan Simpson

Shortly after lunch on 13th May 2010, all our analogue TV channels other than Channel 5 abruptly went off air. Two or three minutes later the terrestrial digital channels followed suit. A trip to the garden to view the Oxford TV transmitter mast at Beckley revealed this spectacular explanation!

DSO4:
Photos by Roger Piper

Roger went back in late June, after the fire, to find remedial work in progress - it looks like the top of the mast is being re-painted and made ready to receive the replacement antenna system.

DSO5:
Photos by Roger Piper and David Pinfold

Some photos and video of the second Oxford helilift which took place on 04-Aug-2010.