405-Line VHF Aerials 2013 to the present day.

[1955APREN]

Thats a V pole again Belling & Lee.

[dragonser]

in Wallington, Surrey on the High Street.
it isn't above where the two radio and television shops were, Broughton Radio and Thorne Howell ?

[dglcomp]

Don't think I've posted this previously but a somewhat local one in Weymouth (Abbotsbury Road in Westham), looks to be BI on NHT via a single slanted dipole, BIII from Chillerton Down via a pair of 5 element Yagi's and a small UHF antenna on Weymouth. Wonder why BIII was from Chillerton rather than Stockland, I guess either in service date or regional preference.

[Mr Hoover]

There was a channel 1 relay at Weymouth using horizontal polarisation though didn't open till I think 1968,quite late in the 405 scheme of things.

[Rich Woods]

Have been doing a bit of family history of late, and wanted to take a look at the long demolished Marple Street, Nottingham where the Woods family used to live in the mid 1870’s. Found this picture online from the early 1970’s and thought everyone would enjoy the fantastic set of aerials on display. Sutton & Litchfield or Holme Moss / Emley Moor?

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by Rich Woods

Have been doing a bit of family history of late, and wanted to take a look at the long demolished Marple Street, Nottingham where the Woods family used to live in the mid 1870’s. Found this picture online from the early 1970’s and thought everyone would enjoy the fantastic set of aerials on display. Sutton & Litchfield or Holme Moss / Emley Moor?

Lovely antenna and street scene! In my days living in the 'dark zone' of semi-rural Shropshire we had a Band-I BBC aerial aimed at Sutton Coldfield [which got a decent signal though the content was boring] along with separate Band-III antennas aimed at Lichfield [ATV] and 'oop North' to Granada-land - though the signal was never great, it was always fun to watch some popular series on ATV one night and then see the next episode on Granada a day later.

[Rich Woods]

Was having a mooch around Glastonbury yesterday and spotted these two survivors.

[G6Tanuki]

One of those is the Belling Lee "K" or Kayrod aerial, a strange arrangement of a vertical dipole and slanted director or reflector, one half of which was also the support arm for the feedpoint.

Not sure how well it worked, I suspect it was more about cheapness of production and patent avoidance than anything else.

[Panrock]

One for the 'present day'. Spotted in a Sedgeberrow back garden in April 2023, a new H aerial made to receive the now indefinitely postponed BHTV transmissions.

Steve

[Rich Woods]

Originally Posted by Panrock

One for the 'present day'. Spotted in a Sedgeberrow back garden in April 2023, a new H aerial made to receive the now indefinitely postponed BHTV transmissions.

Steve

Hi Steve, please excuse my ignorance but what was BHTV?

[Panrock]

I will PM you. Steve

[Graham G3ZVT]

I noticed this Band I "H" aerial for the first time in Altrincham. By the look of it I reckon it could survive a further 60 years!

[German Dalek]

Originally Posted by Panrock

I will PM you. Steve

Please PM me too!
kind regards,
German Dalek

[jhalphen]

Hi to all,
Hi German Dalek,

BHTV aka British Heritage Television, see here :

http://405-line.tv/

initial project was to obtain authorization to broadcast 405 line VHF on Alexandra Palace original frequencies with limited power as a historical revival.

Best Regards
jhalphen
Paris/France

[German Dalek]

Bonjour Jérôme!
Merci beaucoup/many thanks!

It is fantastic that this is possible in good old England!
I own a complete TV station for CCIR/bw-television, but I shall never get a frequency.
I have a valve transmitter (only about 0,5 W) for VHF and a transistor transmitter for UHF with about 20 W. It is told, that it is good for 10 kms/radius.

Regards,
German Dalek

[Rhgbristol]

The attached image shows a combined VHF Band 1 and Band 3 aerial taken on Southmead Road, Bristol, earlier today, not far from the entrance to Southmead Hospital.

It is still correctly aimed in on Wenvoe/St Hilary - probably now at least 55 years after it would have been erected. Evidence indeed of a quality aerial, well erected.

From its manufacturing details, I’d suggest it was made by Telefield, a well known local manufacturer based in St Philips, Bristol, back in the day.

Lower on the same mast, is a slightly newer, albeit still old UHF aerial, (by what looks like J-Beam ??) aimed in on the Mendip mast, which served Bristol from 1970 to the present day.

Note how the bracket and lashing wires have been rendered over in the intervening years - as works to the chimney have taken place!

A much newer contract style UHF aerial adorns the rear corner of the chimney.

[Rhgbristol]

Now here’s an aerial (not the UHF contract style one!!) I have not seen before - and would appreciate any comments.

The photo was taken of the roof of a house owned by one of my customers, located in Rogiet, South Wales, approximately 5 miles east of Newport and approximately 30 miles east of Wenvoe.

The aerial consisted originally of four elements of Band 1 proportions (so assumed to be a BBC 1 aerial picking up from Wenvoe ??). I don’t believe it to be an aerial associated with amateur radio or CB radio.

One of the elements was - and still is - vertical, with three lower elements, being arranged in a pyramidal pattern, at 120 degrees from each other and approximately 120 degrees from the vertical one. A central insulated hub attaches all four elements to a 1” tubular steel mast. Elements appear to be 3/8” diameter aluminium.

Although not clear on the photo, the vertical element and the remaining single lower elelemnt, appear to be the same length.

Two of the three lower elements appear to have corroded off, and long since disappeared.

So the big question is - does anybody recognise it, and can shed any light on who made it, and what it was known as?

Like I say, I’ve never seen anything like it before, in 50 years plus of looking at rooftops!

[Rhgbristol]

Originally Posted by Rich Woods

Was having a mooch around Glastonbury yesterday and spotted these two survivors.

Re. The first picture in post 1007

I recognise the UHF 18 element aerial as a Telefield aerial, manufactured by the Bristol- based manufacturer, based in St Philips, Bristol.

It would have been made between 1964 and about 1975. There were many of these erected in Bristol during that time. We had one on my parents house which they had erected in the summer of 1967 - for BBC2.

It was well made, from a 3/4” boom and stirrup, and 3/8” elements.

Many can still be seen on Bristol rooftops still surviving to this day.

[colourking]

Originally Posted by Rhgbristol

Now here’s an aerial (not the UHF contract style one!!) I have not seen before - and would appreciate any comments.

The photo was taken of the roof of a house owned by one of my customers, located in Rogiet, South Wales, approximately 5 miles east of Newport and approximately 30 miles east of Wenvoe.

The aerial consisted originally of four elements of Band 1 proportions (so assumed to be a BBC 1 aerial picking up from Wenvoe ??). I don’t believe it to be an aerial associated with amateur radio or CB radio.

One of the elements was - and still is - vertical, with three lower elements, being arranged in a pyramidal pattern, at 120 degrees from each other and approximately 120 degrees from the vertical one. A central insulated hub attaches all four elements to a 1” tubular steel mast. Elements appear to be 3/8” diameter aluminium.

Although not clear on the photo, the vertical element and the remaining single lower elelemnt, appear to be the same length.
Co-ax would connect directly to aerial ('inner' to vertical bit, 'outer' to ground-plane) without any need for matching for low-SWR (provided dimensions correct)

Two of the three lower elements appear to have corroded off, and long since disappeared.

So the big question is - does anybody recognise it, and can shed any light on who made it, and what it was known as?

Like I say, I’ve never seen anything like it before, in 50 years plus of looking at rooftops!

I suspect it could have been for CB. The vertical bit may have been 2 similar length rods joined together originally (making 1/4 wave for 27MHz) , with the upper rod since breaking away. The bit remaining being of Band I proportions ? The 3 elements for the groundplane were likely also two rods each joined together

I have seen aerials of this variety for CB as well as old 27MHz paging.

Coax would connect directly, no need for matching, ('inner' to (insulated) vertical rod, braid to groundplane) and work fine with low SWR (provided dimensions OK)

[Rich Woods]

Spotted this on Saturday in Builth Wells. Not too sure about 405 transmitters in mid Wales, mostly low power I believe filling the main holes, any thoughts anyone?