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THE TRANSMISSION GALLERY
PITLOCHRY
| Photos by John P Martin | Page last updated: 2024-02-27 |
| Pitlochry was on the Update List as the editors correctly predicted that the horizontally polarised UHF Rx trough aerial was likely to have been replaced to accommodate the B700 spectrum clearance (Pitlochry being a Freeview Lite relay of Full Freeview Angus.) In November 2019, Angus implemented the following channel changes: BBCA went from ch60 to ch39; BBCB went from ch57 to ch45; D3+4 went from ch53 to ch42. These shifts further down Band V warranted a change of receive aerial for the transposers at Pitlochry as the original trough aerial was designed for reception between ch's 53 & 68 only. My photos start with the new UHF panel Rx aerial but I have also added some detail of other bits to supplement the excellent photos taken by Stuart Macdonald and Mike Pratt in 2015. |
| The new UHF RX aerial seen from the front. There is an embossed logo in the centre of the panel which I am reliably informed is that of antenna manufacture SIRA. [Ed]. This panel looks to be a Sira UTV-07. Frequency range 470 - 860 MHz, 14dB gain, horizontally polarised. Page 20 of the publication BBC Engineering 88 quotes the mid band gain of a trough Rx being 14.5 dB. |
| The new UHF Rx aerial seen from the back. |
| The twin towers at Pitlochry seen from the A9 trunk road. The tower on the left was just a comms/infrastructure tower until two DAB Tx dipoles were added in 2011 to provide the BBC National MUX. The tower on the right is the broadcast tower, providing the 3-MUX UHF TV Freeview Lite with vertical polarisation and VHF-FM for BBC Radios 1-4 and BBC Scotland which are still only horizontally polarised. See later. |
| The two towers seen from the access track (after a lung-busting climb!) This is an Arqiva site, No 0141423. |
| The usual signs on the compound enclosure. No attempt was made to enter the enclosure. |
| The business end of the Comms Tower with the DAB dipoles at the top plus associated satellite dish feed. The top of the photo includes a bit of the original two-Yagi Band II receive array - more later. |
| The two DAB transmit dipoles on top of the Comms Tower. |
| Close-up of one of the DAB dipoles (with Pawsey stub?) |
| Back to the Broadcast Tower: at the top are the eight UHF transmit panels (vertical polarisation) serving the town of Pitlochry and providing enough signal for the Blair Atholl relay further up the A9 trunk road to the North-West. |
| Detail behind the UHF Tx panels, showing the power dividers. |
| Just below the UHF Tx panels is the 4-element Band II log-periodic receiving VHF-FM from Forfar. I believe this aerial replaces the pair of stacked Yagis lower down the tower. |
| Below the Band II log is the new UHF Rx panel and lower still are the four HP Band II Tx dipoles for BBC FM radio. |
| The four HP folded dipoles for Band II Tx. |
| Lower still is the stacked pair of 6-element Band II HP Yagis formerly used to receive BBC FM from Forfar. |
| The two Yagis are clearly showing signs of age and weathering. These may be the 1961 originals, in which case they have done well. |
| Just a glimpse into the fenced compound |
| There also seems to be a bit of PMR here as well as no fewer than three GPS receive aerials. |
| A couple of new generators waiting outside the compound to either replace or supplement the existing ones. |
| A lovely day at the site (the hill is actually called An Suidhe). This view is to the North-West looking up the Garry Valley towards Blair Atholl. On the horizon are the peaks of the Beinn a Ghlo range which contains three Munros. |
| Looking more to the North, we see the comms tower at Craigower which isn't of interest to mb21 but to the left of it one can see a smaller stayed mast with what appears to be a 3-element Band II Yagi pointing at Forfar. It hasn't been possible to find any information about this. It is abandoned and may date back to the 1980s or earlier. |
| No pictures from Scotland are complete without a Highland Coo! This one appears to have a pair of mixed-polarisation horn aerials. |
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