|
General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
|
Thread Tools |
5th Mar 2023, 11:30 pm | #21 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,273
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
there's a tower in the vicinity used as a TV relay and I think probably mobile phone, visible from the road. Not sure if that's anything to do with it. Woodhead hall of course is well known to the locals and is/was privately owned by a family who ran the town hardware store.
__________________
Kevin |
6th Mar 2023, 2:41 am | #22 |
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 22,901
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
Y-service intercept listening centre in WWII. Likely to have been kept on for some time afterwards as part of GCHQ, they had a number of places sprinkled around.
David
__________________
Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done |
6th Mar 2023, 10:01 am | #23 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,130
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
That's much what I expected of the single mast now shown by OS.
__________________
Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
6th Mar 2023, 12:37 pm | #24 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, UK.
Posts: 611
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
Quote:
I wonder what made them leave that one, lonely, mast? Nice that it still exists. And the story about Wing Commander Swanborough having been in charge for what looks like a whole working life - what a lovely place to work and an interesting job for someone who is interested in radio! I wonder if he was? |
|
6th Mar 2023, 12:59 pm | #25 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,966
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
The remaining mast is a small Freeview Light relay for Cheadle, which apparently isn't covered by the full service Fenton relay in Stoke or the Light relay for Leek.
https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Cheadle https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Leek https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Fenton |
6th Mar 2023, 1:26 pm | #26 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
Quote:
Lawrence. |
|
6th Mar 2023, 1:43 pm | #27 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Leicestershire, UK.
Posts: 690
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
Sometimes remnants of these old masts are still visible i.e. concrete anchor blocks dotted around the field in which the masts were located. I guess they must be like an iceberg with little showing on top but a lot more underground making removal difficult ?
Rog |
9th Mar 2023, 10:49 am | #28 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Penrith, Cumbria, UK.
Posts: 3,687
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
Quote:
Sometimes a 'comb' arrangement is used, with 'fingers' sunk deep from a solid block top in to the ground at an angle to vertical. After all... What would you do with them if you dug them out? Bury them? Maybe removed if the land was to be developed for housing, say.
__________________
Regds, Russell W. B. G4YLI. |
|
9th Mar 2023, 12:00 pm | #29 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,082
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
I knew a guy Peter who worked there ! As you say it was a listening station part of Gchq
many years ago I was riding a motorcycle down a small road along side it The bike broke down within minutes was approached by policemen or guards who said I could not hang about in that area Having said the bike restarted and I was on my way It usedto be sign posted as a raf facility back in the day |
12th Mar 2023, 6:50 pm | #30 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,273
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
It's in a very secluded location really. To the locals it was known as 'the air ministry'. Google will easily throw up lots of info, article in local papers etc for any in depth reading. At least, stuff meant for public consumption.
__________________
Kevin |
13th Mar 2023, 12:05 pm | #31 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: 1966-1976 Coverack in Cornwall and Helston Cornwall. 1976-present Bristol/Bath area.
Posts: 2,967
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
Back in the mid to late 1970's and into the early 1980's when we lived a few miles south of Bath from my bedroom window I could see a cluster of radio masts some miles away.
I never did find out exactly where they were or what they were and there was certainly nothing on the local OS maps. Sadly another mystery from the past that I shall now never solve.
__________________
Simon BVWS member |
13th Mar 2023, 12:12 pm | #32 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,130
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
That in itself implies that they were military, or at least government.
__________________
Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
13th Mar 2023, 12:28 pm | #33 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,966
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
There is a widely held belief that lots of things were removed from OS maps, but on serious investigation it's difficult to substantiate this. There used to be an urban myth (since debunked) that the PO/BT tower in London and/or the other Backbone towers were removed from maps in the 60s - this went as far as being raised in Parliament.
Certainly nowadays there's no attempt to hide government comms facilities such as the huge American listening station at Menwith Hill from civilian maps, though Google Maps sometimes helpfully reduces the image resolution. Bath is very close to MOD Corsham, which is above a huge government nuclear bunker (now mostly decommissioned and declassified). If anywhere was going to be suppressed from OS maps it'd be there: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centra...r_Headquarters |
13th Mar 2023, 12:54 pm | #34 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
Quote:
Lawrence. Last edited by ms660; 13th Mar 2023 at 1:06 pm. Reason: missing word |
|
13th Mar 2023, 1:27 pm | #35 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,130
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
Quote:
Edit: maps added:
__________________
Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) Last edited by Dave Moll; 13th Mar 2023 at 1:54 pm. Reason: addition of maps |
|
13th Mar 2023, 2:03 pm | #36 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,966
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
Yes, there's no doubt that this happened sometimes. It's not clear if there was ever a consistent policy. I suspect the practice was largely discontinued after the 60s with the launching of Soviet surveillance satellites, when it would have become counterproductive - if something is on a satellite photo but not on a map then that in itself is suspicious.
|
13th Mar 2023, 6:34 pm | #37 |
Heptode
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 648
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
It was certainly still in place into the mid 80s. Some time in 1987 I was standing on a hillside with a group of other students trying to understand why the large fenced site in front of me was shown as an empty space on the new OS map I was holding. I then spotted the word "Aldermaston" just to the north of it and all became clear!
A few years later a friend, who was developing a GIS, explained to me that he bought digital map data of the UK from Russia because it was vastly more detailed than the OS equivalent and included all the prospective "targets" that the OS did not. Hugh Last edited by Stockden; 13th Mar 2023 at 6:43 pm. |
13th Mar 2023, 6:47 pm | #38 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,966
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
I suspect the Ruskies knew all about Aldermaston by 1987. All those CND marches in the 60s must have been a bit of a giveaway. They probably had lots of people working there
|
13th Mar 2023, 8:45 pm | #39 |
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2023
Location: Neath, Port Talbot, Wales, UK.
Posts: 286
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
1987? ROTFLMFAO.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/o...od-297084.html NKVD from 1934, active from 1938, busily supplying details on "Tube Alloys" to her red friends. Not forgetting dear old Klaus Fuchs of course who gave them even more. Last edited by DrStrangelove; 13th Mar 2023 at 8:52 pm. |
13th Mar 2023, 8:58 pm | #40 |
Heptode
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 648
|
Re: Which Transmission Facility Might This Be?
Er yes, I think that was the point I was making.
|