LATEST NEWS
Thursday 20th June 2024
Dear followers,
This is the stage we have reached with the project:
We have a working 405-line TV transmitter – and permission to use the low-VHF frequencies it is designed to operate on.
We have conducted a successful trial of the TX over several miles, under a test licence, from a site near Brookmans Park in Hertfordshire. But we can no longer use this site.
Thus, we are looking for a new site to operate from.
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The requirements of a transmitter site for British Heritage Television are as follows:
• Within or reasonably close to Greater London – excluding the south-eastern quadrant (roughly the ‘SE’ London postal districts, Kent, Surrey and Sussex), due to an Ofcom restriction on low-VHF emissions towards France.
• At a reasonable land elevation above sea level. (At least 300ft / 91m above sea level at base of mast, preferably more.)
• Not in a local dip or vale, or adjacent to a tall obstruction (e.g. a tower block or significantly higher ground to one side).
• Affordable, in respect of any charges relating to our occupancy or use of the site.
• Indoor accommodation for the TX that is secure from theft, vandalism, and unauthorised use. The TX is housed in a 19-inch rack cabinet, W 600mm x D 600mm x H 2000mm, and needs surrounding space for ventilation, maneuverability, and accessibility for manned operation.
• The accommodation must be able to be ventilated whilst the TX is in operation.
• The accommodation must be dry (not liable to water ingress or the presence of damp).
• Persons living or working in the same building, or in its immediate vicinity, must be able to tolerate the noise of our TX in operation (it contains many cooling fans).
• Access to a 32-amp mains power supply (or permission to arrange installation of this).
• Permission to drive into the ground one or more rods to serve as an ‘electrical earth’.
• Permission to drill any necessary holes in walls for RF feeder routeing from TX to aerial – and for cables carrying the 32A power supply (if not already installed) – and a dedicated ‘electrical earth’.
• Reasonable accessibility for us as keyholders – ideally, independent of the presence on site of other occupants or the landlord.
• An adjoining outdoor ground space – or a large flat roof – that is suitable for mounting-up a mast.
• An assurance that a combined mast and VHF aerial assembly (at least 25m tall) will be acceptable to the Local Authority and any neighbouring businesses or residents.
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A likely question arising from the above:
Why does the transmitter site have to be in or near London?
• Permission from Ofcom to transmit on the low-VHF frequencies we require is not obtainable in many other parts of the country, due to the spectrum being reserved for other uses in those areas.
• The Greater London area – and its surrounding counties – is home to the highest concentration of working 405-line television receivers anywhere in the country. This helps to make our transmitting operation (with its attendant costs) worthwhile and viable.
• A London-area site allows for the possible reception of the signals at significant venues such as Alexandra Palace, the Science Museum (at South Kensington), and an array of educational establishments, visitor centres and attractions, the concentration of which around London is far greater than in any other part of the country.
• For people wishing to travel to see our received pictures on vintage receivers at exhibitions and venues, London has the best transport links, and is a magnet for tourists. (Indeed, we are attracting some interest from abroad in bringing back analogue TV transmissions, which will be a ‘world first’ for the UK.)
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If you know of a site that could meet the above requirements, please email us.
All proposed sites will be checked out online in the first instance, and, if promising, contact will be made with the site owner. Then, if mutually agreeable, a site-visit will be arranged to assess suitability.
Thank you for your continuing interest in this project.
