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Rowridge transmitting station

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Coordinates: 50°40′35″N 1°22′07″W / 50.6764°N 1.3686°W / 50.6764; -1.3686
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Rowridge
Mast height135 metres (443 ft)
Coordinates50°40′35″N 1°22′07″W / 50.6764°N 1.3686°W / 50.6764; -1.3686
BBC regionBBC South
ITV regionITV Meridian

The Rowridge transmitting station is a facility for FM- and television- transmission at Rowridge, Isle of Wight, England. It has a 135 metres (443 ft) tall guyed mast, owned and operated by National Grid Wireless. There is a smaller tower on the site belonging to British Telecom. The station broadcasts with a power of 500kW (ERP) for analogue television and 20kW for digital television. Analogue Five is not transmitted from Rowridge and is instead broadcast (at 10kW) from Fawley Power Station, with the antenna located on the main chimney. Fawley is located about 10 miles to the north of Rowridge, but is directly in line for the inhabitants of Southampton. Transmissions (including Fawley's C5) all fit within the A group and are horizontally polarised. Population coverage for the main four analogue channels is about 1.75 million.

History

The station was first built to provide BBC 405-line television coverage for an area including Southampton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth, with Brighton, Winchester and Salisbury as desirable further targets. Sites on the mainland and the Isle of Wight were considered, and three were tested by BBC Research Department. A temporary 200 ft lattice mast was built with a main antenna at 175 ft and a reserve antenna lower down. These aerials were directional to enhance the signal northwards and reduce unwanted coverage to the south. [1]

The service opened on November 12, 1954, bringing television to the area for the first time.

A programme feed was obtained via a Post Office radio link. A site for this near Alton, Hampshire was acquired and named after a nearby pub: Golden Pot. Here the TV signal from Alexandra Palace was picked up and relayed via a one-hop 4 GHz microwave link to Rowridge. This was brought into service on October 18, 1954. Later, the microwave link ran from the Museum telephone exchange in London to Rowridge, using Golden Pot as an intermediate site. [2]

References

  1. ^ Pawley, Edward. 1972. BBC Engineering 1922 - 1972, p. 377. BBC, London. ISBN 0-563-12127-0.
  2. ^ Kilvington, T. The London—Isle-of-Wight Television Link, Stage One. POEEJ Vol. 48 (April 1955), p.36-38

See also

List of masts

50°40′35″N 1°22′7″W / 50.67639°N 1.36861°W / 50.67639; -1.36861


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