405-Line VHF Aerials 2013 to the present day.

[SteveCG]

Certainly the VHF bands could have been re-jigged to provide a couple of 625 line system I TV networks. You just need to look to the analogue TV days in the Irish Republic to see that in action. Eire even had some 405 transmissions at the same time as well !

[Hybrid tellies]

Most of Europe used both VHF TV bands for 625 line colour until DSO. I still have my VHF TV dx aerials for bands 1, 2 and 3 in my loft. As they are only 15 years old they are not vintage enough to put a picture of them up here.

[Focus Diode]

We have a horizontal BI dipole in our loft from the ch5 and 8 days, nothing for BIII but being only 6 miles or so from the main transmitters it was often possible to receive satisfactory TTT ch8 reception from the BI aerial.

In retrospect it does seem surprising some VHF 625-line coverage in the UK wasn't considered for those difficult to serve areas such as valleys and the likes. Even if they had done, which would've meant some interesting adaptations such as a valved turret tuner inside a BRC 3000 set for example, it would've ceased following the digital switch over as we've seen across Europe in recent times.

Cheers,
Brian

[vidjoman]

Back in the 60's many 405 line viewers living on low ground near the river Thames at Belvedere had aerials pointed to the water towers at the Ford factory in Dagenham on the other side of the river to pick up the reflected signal as it was impossible to get the direct signal from Crystal Palace

[Focus Diode]

Spotted in Belford, Northumberland earlier today (30th April 2014). I don't think they'll be there for much longer as scaffolding has been put up below. The BIII arrays look like a stacked matched pair, yet the lower one has the addition of a BI dipole. These for the reception of BBC Pontop Pike ch5 and TTT Burnhope ch8 of course.

Cheers,
Brian

[SteveCG]

Re post no. 105:

The top aerial looks like a single 6 element Belling & Lee that has lost its folded dipole. The evidence for this conjecture is:

1) the close spacing of the 4 directors (typical B & L);
2) the fact that it was a 6 element design (a common B & L design - many competitors used 5 or 8);
3) the boom diameter is 3/4 inch (the design choice for all B & L Band III aerials);
4) the shape of junction box cover. If it were a B & L then this cover would be a pale blue colour made of flexible rubber.

Having said that I'm puzzled as to the lower aerial (clearly a combined BI & BIII design) which does not look like part of B & L double at all (no phasing bars for one thing). Moreover no trace of a junction box on it, and the BI element holder looking like a standard but non-dipole, element holder. Also its boom diameter is 1 inch.

[Focus Diode]

Interesting comments Steve. With a closer look I thought the lower aerial may have been a standard combined BI "H" with 5-element BIII type, the missing dipole probably being a dual BI/III one.

It appears they added a second 6-element BIII array to improve CH8 reception, Belford is some 50miles north of the transmitters. There's evidence of what may have been a diplexer at the bottom of the mast.

Cheers,
Brian

[SteveCG]

Brian,

Yep, a missing dual BI & BIII dipole (or perhaps just a BI dipole with the 'director' that is second from the back actually being a BIII resonator) on the lower one would explain many things!

That is, 3 BIII directors, a resonator BIII element and a Band III reflector on the same boom as a BI dipole and BI reflector.

Indeed at a distance of 50 air miles, both Pontop Pike and Burnhope would be running out of microvolts at that location. Out of interest, was the location shadowed towards the TXs ?

[SteveCG]

A spectulation concerning the aerials in post no. 105:

I wonder if the original aerial was the combined one - presumably at the top of the mast. It may have been a TV rental type installation which only gave so-so ITA reception. Then later the owners changed TV (to one perhaps not so good in a fringe area) or just wanted a better ITA picture or perhaps new owners took over the property. At which point somebody moved the combined aerial down the mast, mounted the B & L at the top and, by dint of using a diplexer, just used the combined aerial for its Band I reception. If it was weak ITA reception I wonder why a B & L 9 element was not used given all the trouble of installing a new aerial? Mind you, combined aerial types were never as good on Band III as ones specifically designed for Band III, so perhaps a 6 element Band III just got over the acceptability threshold.

Who knows

[Focus Diode]

Hi Steve,

The location's quite clear to the South. Interesting thoughts there. One would love to travel back to see what sets the aerials were connected to and what reception was like, if only we could....

They were no UHF aerials attached. It seems the property had become derelict as scaffolding had been put up to replace the roof tiles.

Does seem surprising in view of the distances involved that more elaborate array(s) wern't erected. The lower combined BI/III aerial is typical of installations well within the primary service area. I too think it may have been top mounted originally with the second top BIII aerial added later when they discovered CH8 wasn't too well received.

Cheers,
Brian

[Steve FPV]

Hi,

I spotted this array in the village of Wilton near Ross - on - Wye today. It looks to be in very good condition, but I've no idea which transmitter it was aimed at. The UHF antenna is pointing at Ridge Hill which is only 6.5 miles away on a bearing of about 20 degrees. That would put the bearing of the VHF set up at about 80 or 90 degrees. The cottages are right on the banks of the river Wye, so not much height advantage! Any ideas?

Thanks, Steve.

[Focus Diode]

Wow! What a great catch and in such excellent condition too. As a guess they'll probably be for Sutton Coldfield CH4 and Lichfield CH8.

Cheers,
Brian

[SteveCG]

RE post no. 111,

A nice centre-of-mass balanced pair, so minimising those constant torques that are just itching to bring the pair down...

The X looks to be an Antiference Antex, which if it was decently connected up is probably still useable. The 8 el Band III could be nearly anything (but not B & L, or later 'trumatch' Antiference). If the 8 el's boom is 3/4 inch diameter then a possibility for the location is a Premier Aerials (Cheltenham) design, in which case almost certainly corrosion will had the contacts in the junction box... BTW if so then it's a so-so design; yet in contrast Premier 3 el Band I designs - which have 'Telerection' style 1/10 and 1/4 element spacings but use a folded dipole in contrast to the characteristic Telerection tapped plain dipole - were good; possibly out-pacing the legendary Antiference 'Trumatch' Band I designs.

I agree with the likely TXs; Litchfield on B8 and Sutton Coldfield on B4. Interestingly Ridge ITA on B6 would have been a strong signal when it started as a relay, yet no Band III aerial for it. The signal on B6 on the 8 el at an off bearing of 90 degrees would probably have had more ghosts than the local graveyard! Perhaps no B6 biscuits in the TV tuner, as B6 only became available late on, when Cambridge Radio-Astronomy stopped using 178 Mc/s ??

[Focus Diode]

Originally Posted by SteveCG

Interestingly Ridge ITA on B6 would have been a strong signal when it started as a relay, yet no Band III aerial for it.....Perhaps no B6 biscuits in the TV tuner, as B6 only became available late on, when Cambridge Radio-Astronomy stopped using 178 Mc/s ??

Very true. Also Ridge Hill chB6V didn't open until 30th July 1968! At that time there was much talk about the new 3-channel 625-line UHF colour service due to start in the next year or two, so perhaps they didn't consider it economic to erect a new CH6 aerial if reception from the existing aerials was already satisfactory. In addition, being only 6.5miles away, good results may have been obtained from an indoor or attic aerial.

Cheers,
Brian

[SteveCG]

Brian,

True - probably a piece of wet string would have done for B6 reception - yet if I remember correctly they would have had to wait until 1973 for Ridge Hill UHF. Certainly there are plenty of J-Beam MBMs in the present Ridge Hill UHF service area looking to Wenvoe or Sutton Coldfield for their (weak !) signals.

[Steve FPV]

Hi,

I took these while walking around Malvern over the Bank Holiday weekend. Malvern 7 gives a good idea of the take off from the town centre. Most antennas are aimed at the Birmingham transmitters, but Malvern 1 seems to be looking in an easterly direction. I've no idea which transmitters that would be!

Ah, no file names! the photos are Malvern 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7. Not shown are 2, which is a colapsed array resting on a roof and 4 which is an X with one element missing.

Steve.

[Focus Diode]

Brilliant photos Steve, many thanks for catching them. As the one in the opposite direction I can only think Wenvoe CH5 and Ridge Hill CH6 as a guess?

Cheers,
Brian

[SteveCG]

Steve,

Was the first photo taken near to the Abbey Hotel close to the town centre?

[Station X]

Originally Posted by Steve PPV

Ah, no file names!

You can see file names by hovering your mouse cursor over the image.

[winston_1]

Originally Posted by vidjoman

It also paved the way for colour transmissions that were not possible in the limited bandwidth available on VHF.

That is just not true. The rest of the world had colour transmissions on VHF.

Colour tests were even done on 405 line by both the BBC and ITA.