6th Dec 2014, 7:24 pm | #221 | |
Pentode
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Scarborough , North Riding of Yorkshire
Posts: 202
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
Quote:
|
|
6th Dec 2014, 7:38 pm | #222 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 746
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
6 aerials spotted fairly recently. First, 4 I've seen around the Sheffield area.
First one is on the Manor estate, just down the road from the third photo. Now, this area is in a total black spot of coverage from Emley Moor, and these houses were built a few years before the ITA 405 relay station at Crosspool opened in 1969 (it opened as a BBC-only 405 site in the early 60s). So, this band 3 aerial is pointing southwards towards Lichfield, for ATV reception. The third is a 2 minute tram ride up the hill and is pointing towards either Emley Moor or Crosspool, in this locality, there is just a few degrees difference in direction, and this is on the fringe of reception of Crosspool. The second is on another council estate further eastwards at Birley in Sheffield. There are many of these Vic Hallam and Finnegan style council houses in Sheffield, built between 1963 and 1969. The aerial is pointing towards Emley Moor and Holme Moss. All of these aerials are results of a policy of Sheffield City Council's Housing Department that all countil estates should have one aerial system per estate. Some of these aerials no longer survive, having been taken down after a major renovation of their remaining Finnegans and Vic Hallams to prolong their life back in the mid-90s. The ones not decorated were sold under the Right-to-Buy policy before this. The Fourth is in Worksop, again pointing towards Emley Moor/Holme Moss, atop a shop which has presumably been in the TV/electronics trade for many years. Last edited by AidanLunn; 6th Dec 2014 at 7:47 pm. |
6th Dec 2014, 7:41 pm | #223 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 746
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
And the other two.
The first was another one spotted by myself on the coach from London Victoria coach terminus to my girlfriend down in Hastings. The aerial is very close to a large Lidl in Lewisham, obviously pointing towards Crystal Palace and Croydon. The other one is in Lewes, seen on the train back to London from Hastings, when I choose that form of transport. It's within spitting distance of Lewes station. As far as I can work out, it seems to be pointing towards Dover. I think the UHF log periodics are pointing towards either Heathfield or Midhurst, which are Northwards of Lewes. |
6th Dec 2014, 7:46 pm | #224 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,517
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
I'd keep the original rods; if you're pruning it to band II lop off the cruddy end bits and use the centre section. Wire wool, Brillos or fine 'wet and dry' will bring the rods up well; personally I only shine up the ends wher they're used as contacts to the insulator - so about 22 at easch end - the rest can retain its 'patina'! Oh and one mod I also make - to stop the rods filling with water - bung up the top end of each rod i.e. not the far ends of each rod.
|
8th Dec 2014, 12:02 am | #225 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Borough of Gateshead, UK.
Posts: 1,420
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
All great fascinating stuff, nice rescue job of the Antex X aerial too.
As 2014 is vastly coming to a close perhaps we should start a thread on aerials seen in 2015, 30 years since the signals these aerials were designed to receive finally closed down. Cheers and many thanks for your interest and contributions. Brian |
8th Dec 2014, 10:47 am | #226 | |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,517
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
Quote:
As an aside, I recall that the original mast either at Crosspool or Tapton Hill as the BBC prefer to call it, was demolished by explosives rather than dismantled/unbolted. |
|
8th Dec 2014, 10:53 am | #227 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 14,007
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
Quote:
A length of sash-cord was sometimes used as an alternative 'filler'. |
|
8th Dec 2014, 11:16 am | #228 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,517
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
And I can't tell you how horrid and smelly this becomes when it has filled up with water for 40 years or so - they can take months to dry out and stop dripping. Many later ones weren't filled though in my experience; i just prefer not to let water or anything else get in but, in case it does, I usually leave the lower end open to allow for draining - I do the same with the mounting poles.
|
8th Dec 2014, 11:31 am | #229 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 2,495
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
valve'n'vinyl
Re: the element lengths and junction box connection for the Antex design (other makers of X aerials did different things). If you measure distance from the centre-of-the junction-box to the tip of the elements you should find that the 'rear' two are longer than the front two. The rear two are the dipole, the front two the director. The connection of the inner of the coax to the upper rear and the braid to the other three via links was the usual way of setting the aerial up. I think such a set-up was claimed to reduce interference pick-up from the house below (most X's were mounted on the house's chmney stack). I agree with what others have said about bungs, sawdust and sash-cords. By the way: you will see that the element mounting bolts are at differing lengths from the centre of the junction box. So when you are drilling mounting holes in your new elements bear that in mind. |
27th Dec 2014, 12:29 am | #230 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 746
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
Another one spotted in Sheffield. Another "estate aerial" set up by the council it seems, this one is on a block of former council flats in Beauchief district.
|
3rd Feb 2015, 11:47 pm | #231 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 746
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
Another one. I think this may have been for the original BBC TV Sheffield relay opened in 1960. This aerial is in Fulwood, West side of Sheffield, facing Eastwards towards the mast at Crosspool. The vertical UHF aerials are doing so, too.
|
4th Feb 2015, 7:57 am | #232 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Bracknell, Berkshire,UK.
Posts: 1,175
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
AidanLunn - surely an amateur 2m yagi?
|
4th Feb 2015, 12:26 pm | #233 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 746
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
Maybe, but as it's horizontal and the spacing between the elements, I'm certain it's an old 405-line TV aerial. Pointing in the direction of the Sheffield relay (which was horizontal polarisation on 405). In fact it looks almost the same as the council-erected one in the photo before.
|
4th Feb 2015, 1:02 pm | #234 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 2,495
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
Re: post no 231 and subsequent.
... 'afraid the picture quality is not up for an identification with my eyesight. Eight element Band III aerials are a bit unusual (but by no means impossible) in a new relay aerial installation. I wonder if could be an Emley Moor aerial that has been "turned" ? Last edited by SteveCG; 4th Feb 2015 at 1:03 pm. Reason: word change |
4th Feb 2015, 1:50 pm | #235 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: W.Butterwick, near Doncaster UK.
Posts: 8,935
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
Located Worksop Nottinghamshire November 2014.Either Emley Moor or Belmont transmitter.
__________________
G8JET BVWS Archivist and Member V.M.A.R.S |
4th Feb 2015, 2:10 pm | #236 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,517
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
I'm tempted to agree with Aidan on this one, the photo isn't too clear but remember ch6 at 177MHz isn't that far from 2m band at around 148 MHz so the size is very similar. The Sheffield relay was only 100 Watts on ch6 so any distance at all would require some gain.
|
6th Mar 2015, 4:48 pm | #237 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Killamarsh, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 746
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
More 405 aerials from Sheffield:
All three are from the Beauchief district. The last two are on flats dating from about 1960, but the house in the first photo is on a different estate, built around 1973, in an area which gets very good reception of Emley Moor on UHF, so it's surprising to see a 405 aerial on it. The first two are, of course, pointing towards Emley Moor/Holme Moss. As for the third, I'm not sure what it could have been pointing towards, the direction the camera is pointing is roughly south/south west. It could have been Sutton Coldfield/Lichfield, Belmont, Emley/Holme or Burnhope/Pontop, all of which were receivable in south-west Sheffield on 405. |
9th Mar 2015, 8:01 pm | #238 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Warnham, West Sussex. 10 miles south of DORKING.
Posts: 9,147
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials in 2013-2014
|
9th Mar 2015, 11:15 pm | #239 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Epsom, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 30
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials 2013 to the present day.
I live in my parents former home and can tell you that the loft area still retains an all metal band 1 two-element array aligned on Alexandra Palace and a band 3 yagi constructed on a wooden boom and aligned on the former ITA mast at Croydon. Both aerials were built and installed by my late father.
Since moving back into my childhood home, I have cut and removed both feeders that were pinned to the rear wall of the house, but that same cable route now hosts a twin feeder connected to a Sky dish fitted just above the gutter. I live in hope that one day my father's old Band 1 aerial can be brought back into use!!! Chris Last edited by Chris-G8ETC; 9th Mar 2015 at 11:20 pm. Reason: Remove a 'comma' !!! |
10th Mar 2015, 10:26 am | #240 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,517
|
Re: 405-Line VHF Aerials 2013 to the present day.
Well you could bring the Band III one back into use because it is probably going to be pretty good for DAB. You could 'optimise' it a bit by shortening the rods but I would think, pointed in the right direction, it will be so much better than a room telescopic aerial even at its present dimensions.
|