Droitwich Transmitter SIte
John Crump
Anyone out there have any information on how the transmitters at Droitwich
are configured?
1 Are all services R4LW R5Live Virgin and TALKSport transmitted from the
wire strung between the two main masts, or are some TX's connected to the
two shorter towers?
2 I understand that many years ago before the current Long wave transmitter
was installed its predecessor was water cooled, and had tropical fish
swimming around the tubes. Can any one confirm this or better still are
there any pictures available.
3 Any one have any pictures of the current transmitters?
4 I read somewhere that Crown Castle would like to shut down the site for up
to a year for major re engineering work, and temporarily re locate to
Daventry? Any one know more.?
I think that's enough for now
Regards
John Crump
Russell W. Barnes
news:ac6dfu$24l$1...@helle.btinternet.com
8><----------------------------
>
> 2 I understand that many years ago before the current Long wave transmitter
> was installed its predecessor was water cooled, and had tropical fish
> swimming around the tubes. Can any one confirm this or better still are
> there any pictures available.
>
The old Marconi LF transmitters were water-cooled, using Marconi CAT27
valves, amongst others. The water was circulated via the crypt with the
business end of the TX on a mezzanine floor and pipes leading up from
the
crypt through the (ground-level) smoothing enclosures.
They were cooling water ponds outside (I chased some sheep around them
once;
don't ask......), and they would have had goldfish, carp, etc put
there deliberately (common practice at power stations and other similar
installations) to reduce the plancton and growth, and to keep the water
outlets clean.
Incidentally, it has been known for the old CAT27 valves to fracture
internally (and on power) with the water slowly rising in the glass
envelope of the valve!)
I have plenty pictures of the old TX's, but none of the humming grey
(and blue) boxes which replaced them. I'll send you some jpegs if you
wish.
--
Regds,
Russell W. B.
--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
Russell W. Barnes
Transmitting Station which I took in June 1984. They're on my
"Yahoo" photo album at:
http://uk.photos.yahoo.com/russell_w_b
--
Regds,
Russell W. B.
http://www.huttonrow.co.uk
tony sayer
Russell W. Barnes <russell_...@hotmail.com> writes
I should think that mike brown of the TX sites gallery might like them
as well...
--
Tony Sayer
Robin Starch
"Russell W. Barnes" <russell_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:33ee5ce94e014da3f67...@mygate.mailgate.org...
the transmitter was switched to solid state, something along the lines of..
"the 'original' set of Marconi Valves were still in use after 60 years of
use, and were still as good as new".... was that factually true, or just
anecdotal?
Russell W. Barnes
> I seem to recall reading an article in a electronics magazine at the time
> the transmitter was switched to solid state, something along the lines of..
> "the 'original' set of Marconi Valves were still in use after 60 years of
> use, and were still as good as new".... was that factually true, or just
> anecdotal?
Don't know how many hours the CAT27 could do, but I would have thought
a bit of "poetic licence" was involved here :o)
They could easily have been original (spare) valves manufactured at the
same time as the ones in use. I don't know if the "new" TX's are Solid
-State BTW. As I understood they use mod-valves (TH555?) sitting in
"grid-boxes" driven by PWM, with the modulated audio driving a single-
ended class "C" RF valve (TH537?)
I stand to be corrected, of course, as I haven't been to Droitwich for
18 years!
--
Regds,
Russell W. B.
http://www.huttonrow.co.uk
--
Mike Brown
wrote:
> I should think that mike brown of the TX sites gallery might like them
> as well...
You're right there. I shall contact Russell by email to offer some of
his photos a home...
--
mb
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charles.hope
> Anyone out there have any information on how the transmitters at
> Droitwich are configured?
> 1 Are all services R4LW R5Live Virgin and TALKSport transmitted from the
> wire strung between the two main masts, or are some TX's connected to
> the two shorter towers?
Memory says that it is only lw on the suspended wire. Theothers from mast
radiators.
> 4 I read somewhere that Crown Castle would like to shut down the site
> for up to a year for major re engineering work, and temporarily re
> locate to Daventry? Any one know more.?
That was certainly planned when the transmitters were owned by the BBC. I
organised the necessary frequency clearance to use Daventry. It involved
moving the frequency of a particular CAA beacon which would have ben
rendered useless with the presence of 198kHz at Daventry.
>
Alex L
> In article <ac6dfu$24l$1...@helle.btinternet.com>,
> John Crump <John....@btinternet.com> wrote:
> > Friends.
>
> > Anyone out there have any information on how the transmitters at
> > Droitwich are configured?
>
> > 1 Are all services R4LW R5Live Virgin and TALKSport transmitted from the
> > wire strung between the two main masts, or are some TX's connected to
> > the two shorter towers?
>
> Memory says that it is only lw on the suspended wire. Theothers from mast
> radiators.
>
This is correct. R4LW operates into a T antenna strung between the 2
large towers, Virgin and Talksport operate into the front (towards
Birmingham) of the 2 shorter antennas using the rear of the 2 masts to
create a cardoid pattern (to increase EMRP into city centre and
provide some rejection to the SW (as Washford in Somerset is behind
the site as it were).