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thebigtower |
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rosemarkie |
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| THE ROSEMARKIE TRANSMITTER is the UHF and BBC National FM main station for the Moray Firth area of the Scottish Highlands. It is located on The Black Isle, near Inverness, at a high position alongside the peninsula's north-eastern coastline. The station was originally the main BBC Band I 405-line television transmitter for the same area, prompting the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to locate their equivalent Band III 405-line transmitter at nearby Mounteagle, from where DAB and non-BBC FM radio services are currently broadcast and, up until Digital Switchover, the analogue version of Channel 5. Of the nine UHF main stations sited on the Scottish mainland, Rosemarkie is the only one of BBC origin. |
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| Aerials> Site and Stays (800x600 or 1024x768)> Supersize Images> Landscapes (800x600 or 1024x768)> UHF Map |
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THE MAST AND DIGITAL SWITCHOVER WORKS |
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Rosemarkie transmits from a square cross-section lattice stayed mast which stands at a height of 110.8m (363ft) before the addition of the main UHF aerial array mounted at the top. The structure is secured in place by twenty-four stay lines, a unusually high number particularly bearing in mind its relatively low height. The lines are fixed at ground level by four inner anchoring blocks (each securing one line) and four outer blocks (each securing five). For Digital Switchover, the mast was fitted in 2008 with a new reserve UHF aerial in the form of a four-tier circular multi-panel array. This is installed at approximately 82 metres (250-ft) high just below the FM Band II aerial system. There was no requirement to replace the main UHF aerial system at the top as this was upgraded to multi-panel format in 1995, replacing the original GRP cylinder-based system. (See Aerials page for up-to-date images) DIGITAL SWITCHOVER DATES |
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The two stages of the Digital Switchover process took place at Rosemarkie as follows - 6 October 2010 - Stage 1 (DSO1) |
20 October 2010 - Stage 2 (DSO2) |
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EARLY TELEVISION HISTORY |
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The Rosemarkie transmitter was brought into operation by the BBC on 16 August 1957, extending their television service to Inverness and the Moray Firth - the most northerly of Scotland's populated areas that was somewhat detached geographically from the country's other major cities, as well as beyond the intended range of the existing transmitters that served them. As the third BBC Television transmitter to be sited in Scotland, Rosemarkie followed on from the first station at Kirk o'Shotts (serving the Lowlands and Borders) which opened in March 1952 and Meldrum (serving Aberdeenshire) which opened in October 1955. Following the example of Meldrum in being a medium-power installation, Rosemarkie transmitted on VHF Channel 2 at a maximum output of 20kW (vision e.r.p) which provided sufficient power to achieve the projected coverage. The BBC extended their coverage to the Upper Highlands and islands in 1958 with the opening of stations at Thrumster (near Wick) and Orkney (the site now known as Keelylang Hill). From 30 September 1961, Rosemarkie began sharing its home island with the ITA 405-line transmitter at Mounteagle. |
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Site and Stay Images |
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Landscapes |
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START OF UHF |
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Rosemarkie commenced its first regular UHF-colour transmissions on 11 July 1970 with BBC2 on Channel 45. Despite the adjacent ITA 405-line transmitter at Mounteagle utilising an 800ft (243.8m) mast, Rosemarkie was designated as the UHF main station for the Inverness and Moray Firth area, primarily because its mast could safely support the required UHF aerial system. From October 1973, UHF colour transmitters for BBC1 and ITV were also in service. |
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| Aerials> Site and Stays (800x600 or 1024x768)> Supersize Images> Landscapes (800x600 or 1024x768)> UHF Map |
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SITE INFORMATION |
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Location: |
Upper Eathie, Near Rosemarkie, Black Isle |
Grid Reference: |
NH762623 |
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Landlord: |
Arqiva (Legacy: BBC/Crown Castle/NGW) |
Ground Height: |
211.5m |
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BBC Region: |
Scotland |
Mast Height: |
110.8m |
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ITV Region: |
STV North (Legacy: Grampian) |
Aerial Height: (*) |
323m |
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UHF Tx Number: |
15600 |
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(*) Average UHF aerial height above sea level (a.o.d) |
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CURRENT TRANSMISSIONS |
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Digital Television (Post-DSO) |
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Analogue Radio (FM) |
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Service |
: Ch/Polarisation/e.r.p |
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Service: |
(MHz) |
(e.r.p) |
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PSB1 |
: 45 / H / 20kW |
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BBC Radio 1: |
99.2 |
20kW |
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PSB2 |
: 49 / H / 20kW |
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BBC Radio 2: |
89.6 |
20kW |
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PSB3 |
: 42 / H / 20kW |
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BBC Radio 3: |
91.8 |
20kW |
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COM1 |
: 43 / H / 10kW |
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BBC Radio 4: |
103.6 |
20kW |
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COM2 |
: 46 / H / 10kW |
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BBC Scotland (Inverness): |
94.0 |
20kW |
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COM3 |
: 50 / H / 10kW |
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BBC Radio nan Gaidheal: |
104.9 |
20kW |
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Digital Radio |
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Analogue Radio (AM) |
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No service - transmitted from Mounteagle |
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Service: |
(khz) |
(e.r.p) |
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TalkSport |
1053 |
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CEASED TRANSMISSIONS |
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(Shutdown completed 20 October 2010) |
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| Analogue Television |
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Digital Television (Pre-DSO) |
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Service |
Ch/Polar/e.r.p |
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Service |
Ch/Polar/e.r.p |
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| BBC1 |
: 39 / H / 100kW |
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Mux1 |
: 47 / H / 10kW |
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| BBC2 |
: 45 / H / 100kW |
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Mux2 |
: 51 / H / 10kW |
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| ITV1 |
: 49 / H / 100kW |
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MuxA |
: 41 / H / 10kW |
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| Ch4 |
: 42 / H / 100kW |
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MuxB |
: 44 / H / 10kW |
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| Five |
: No service - transmitted from Mounteagle |
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MuxC |
: 46 / H / 8kW |
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MuxD |
: 50 / H / 8kW |
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