Transmitting Stations

[DODGERN]

I'm sure there are members who could give us an insight into the world of Radio & TV transmission. The unsung heroes without whom we could not enjoy the programes we came to love and enjoy.
We would love to hear your tales of de-icing transmitter lines etc. This picture perhaps will get the ball rolling. Can you remember these beasts?

Roger.

[valvecollector]

I was never employed in an area of electronics as vast as those things - but I do have one of those valves (or very similar): http://www.tubecollector.org/rd150yb.htm - a monster.

[Joe]

Jeepers! If I'd come across one of those I'd have sent for the Bomb Squad.

- Joe

[Coherers]

Mmmmm, nice. You really should fire her up - a pair of them would make a nice audio amp. You could use the cooling system to warm the swimming pool. Might dim the neighbour's lights though...

[Tedzed1]

Hello all, I find this an interesting site,

Pages and pages of info and memories from the staff that used to work for the bbc.

http://www.bbceng.info/

[Steve_P]

OK, I'll come out of the woodwork. I spent 2 years with the BBC Transmitting Dept. That picture, by the way, was probably taken at Droitwich in the now gone main transmitter hall. The EiC there was a card, who used to walk up and down the transmitter hall and round the station practicing his bagpipes. I once asked him to play 'The Blue Bells of Scotland' and then 'The Sound of Silence'. Luckily he saw the joke...

The transmitters themselves were big but mostly simple in design. Basically a Modulator Unit, which you could have put a great big speaker on the end of, an RF driver unit, an RF power amp, a gigantic modulation transformer which used to act as a speaker, a tank circuit, feeders and a big aerial.

The Short Wave ones, like the Marconi BD272 and the CS8's that were at Skelton B had massive coils that you changed, with big heatproof gloves on.

For TV, we had Travelling Wave Tubes (Known as TWITs) and Klystrons. Now Klystrons had to be tuned carefully, especially the third cavity. Otherwise there would be an almighty bang!

You had to know about 3 Phase Mains, Cooling, Plumbing, Electrics and of course Electronics.

I wish I was old enough to remember when Emley Moor mast fell down in 1969. I was only two...

Cheers,

Steve P.

[DODGERN]

I wish I was old enough to remember when Emley Moor mast fell down in 1969. I was only two...

Cheers,

Steve P.

I can remember when I was taking my C&G television servicing course in Lowestoft, back in the 70's,we had a tutor from Yorkshire. He used to recall in his broad Yorkshire accent about when he worked at a transmitter station. Two items stick in my memory from the time. One was something about getting a piece of carbon and being able to listen to the transmission. The other one was 'Aye, we looked out'a window, it was shockin' weather, we looked again....and tha mast had blown down!"
It must have been Emley Moor he was working at!

Roger.

[Robjkmannering]

Hi Roger, that tutor wasn't Pat O'brien was it? He taught C&G at Norwich and recalled a similar tale.
His other favourite saying was Ay, 4k7.
Regards,
Rob

[DODGERN]

No sorry Rob, he was an old fossil by the name of Sydney Boulter. He was also always going on about the virtues of Hitler as well! Alas he didn't have much discipline in the class room and we all thought him slightly mad.....aren't we all in this trade.
I did visit your fine college once though. I did my C&G finals exam in Colour Television Servicing there. My wife was having our first child at the time in Yarmouth Hospital! Needless to say we both passed.....one of us literally!

Regards,
Roger.

[Robjkmannering]

Two Yorkshire tv engineers in such close proximity!
Sounds as if they were similar as well. Once, whilst explaining infinity, he pointed out of the window in the direction of Ipswich and shouted Over There!
He wasn't so happy when I brought in a microwave turntable motor and demonstrated its use in generating HT, needless to say he jumped!
Your son born in Yarmouth, that's Jamies neck of the woods.
Regards,
Rob