|
thebigtower |
|
|
|
dover |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THE DOVER TRANSMITTER is the UHF main station for the far south-east of England, principally serving the Kent area including the majority of the county's coastline, as well as some parts of East Sussex. It is sited between the villages of West Hougham and Church Hougham, approximately three miles south-west of Dover town centre. Due to the station positioning near the English Channel, the mast has always carried aerial systems (for both VHF and UHF television) with highly directional properties in order to limit the signal strength towards France for the purpose of avoiding co-channel interference to European stations. UHF COVERAGE OVERLAP |
|
Dover UHF transmissions directed towards the north-west can be received clearly in some coastal and inland areas of South Essex. This duplication of coverage is reciprocated by the Sudbury transmitter which is receivable in some parts of the Dover service area, most significantly along the northern coastline of Kent. Under 405-line VHF, a similar reciprocal overlap existed with the Mendlesham transmitter although by the very nature of VHF coverage the range of these transmissions was significantly more extensive than under UHF. TRANSMISSION STRUCTURE |
|
Services from Dover are broadcast from a 228.6-metre (750-ft) triangular cross-section lattice stayed-mast. The fibre-glass cylinder-contained UHF aerial mounted at the top extends the overall height to 243.2 metres (798-ft). The mast is held in place by fifteen stay lines secured at ground level by nine anchor blocks. The structure is typical of those on sites originally constructed as main transmitters for the ITV 405-line VHF Band III network. (See STATION HISTORY below). |
|
|
Aerials> Site Images (800x600 or 1024x768 version)> Supersize Images> UHF Coverage Map |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DIGITAL SWITCHOVER |
|
The two stages of the Digital Switchover process are currently scheduled to take place at Dover as follows - 01 July 2012 - Stage 1 (DSO1) |
|
PSB1 Multiplex (BBC A) launched on Channel 51 (*) 30 July 2012 - Stage 2 (DSO2) |
|
All analogue services and pre-DSO digital multiplexes cease and PSB2, PSB3 and COM Multiplexes commence transmission. (*) As Channel 51 is not currently in use at this site, there is no requirement to shut down BBC2 analogue at DSO1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aerials> Site Images (800x600 or 1024x768 version)> Supersize Images> UHF Coverage Map |
|
|
| The Dover station was opened by the Independent Television Authority (ITA) on 31 January 1960 in order to formally extend coverage of ITV to the south-east of England on the original 405-line VHF Band III system. Prior to the station opening, the area relied on distant reception from either Croydon, Chillerton Down or Mendlesham. The regional ITV companies respectively associated with those transmitters sought control of the Dover station, with the ITA eventually awarding the franchise for the area it would serve to Southern Television, making Dover their second transmitter alongside Chillerton Down. |
|
|
| Having begun its first regular UHF transmissions with BBC2 from 11 February 1967, Dover was in the second group of transmitters to begin broadcasting ITV and BBC1 in UHF-Colour, respectively from 13 December 1969 and 3 January 1970. Dover was also the base for one of the fourteen nationwide ITA Colour Control Rooms (CCRs), in this instance covering all ITA UHF and VHF transmitters within the area of Kent served by Southern Television plus all of East Sussex. With a CCR also based at Chillerton Down, this was the only ITV franchise area to feature two control rooms, although both were absorbed in 1978 by the Regional Operation Centre (ROC) at Croydon. Typically for a transmitter upgrading from VHF to UHF, the transmission range of Dover was significantly reduced under the latter. Consequently, a further UHF main station was opened at Bluebell Hill, near Maidstone, on 25 February 1974 in order to serve the area of North Kent that was beyond the UHF range of Dover and also that of the Crystal Palace transmitter. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STATION SUMMARY |
|
|
|
Location: |
Hougham Court Lane, Church Hougham, CT15 7AF |
Grid Reference: |
TR274397 |
|
Landlord: |
Arqiva (Legacy: ITA/IBA/NTL) |
Ground Height: |
135m |
|
ITV Region: |
South East |
Mast Height ("): |
228.6m |
|
BBC Region: |
South East |
Aerial Height (*): |
366m |
|
|
UHF Tx Number: |
11300 |
|
|
(") Main structure height only - UHF antenna inclusive is 243.2m |
|
||
|
(*) UHF aerial height above sea level (a.o.d) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Analogue Television |
|
|
|
Analogue Radio (FM) |
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Station |
: Ch/Polarisation/e.r.p |
|
|
Station: |
(MHz) |
(e.r.p) |
||
|
BBC1 |
: 50 / H / 100kW |
|
|
Classic FM: |
101.8 |
4.2kW |
||
|
BBC2 |
: 56 / H / 100kW |
|
|
Heart FM: |
97.0 |
0.5kW |
||
|
ITV1 |
: 66 / H / 100kW |
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Ch4 |
: 53 / H / 100kW |
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Five |
: No Service |
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Digital Television |
|
|
Digital Radio |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mux1 |
: 68 / H / 1.0kW |
|
|
BBC National (Block 12B) |
||||
|
Mux1 |
: 45 / H / 2.0kW (+) |
|
|
Digital One (Block 11D) |
||||
|
Mux2 |
: 61 / H / 2.0kW |
|
|
|
||||
|
Mux2 |
: 42 / H / 2.0kW (+) |
|
|
|
||||
|
MuxA |
: 55 / H / 2.0kW |
|
|
|
||||
|
MuxB |
: 58 / H / 2.0kW |
|
|
|
||||
|
MuxC |
: 57 / H / 1.0kW |
|
|
|
||||
|
MuxC |
: 39 / H / 1.0kW (+) |
|
|
|
||||
|
MuxD |
: 60 / H / 0.5kW |
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
(+) = Dover 'B' |
||||||||
|
|
|
|
