The Rowridge transmitting station is a facility for FM radio and television transmission at Rowridge on the Isle of Wight in southern England.

It currently has a tall guyed mast, owned and operated by Arqiva (previously National Grid Wireless). There is a smaller tower on the site belonging to British Telecom. Prior to Digital Switchover (DSO) the station broadcast with a power of 250 kW (ERP) for FM radio, 500 kW for analogue television, and 20 kW for digital television. In July 2007, Ofcom confirmed that Rowridge would remain an A Group transmitter at Digital switchover; the digital television transmission signal was then boosted to 200 kW. From March 2018 MUXES 7 & 8 moved out of the A group to channels 55 & 56, though these are due to be turned off between 2020 and 2022.

Rowridge is one of only two main transmitters (the other is the rather smaller transmitter of Rosneath in Scotland) to broadcast its output on both horizontal and vertical polarities. Only the main 6 MUXES are transmitted in vertical polarity. The reason for this dual polarity transmission is to give a second option to those experiencing co-channel interference from transmitters on the continent.

Analogue Channel 5 was not transmitted from Rowridge but was broadcast (at 10 kW) from Fawley Power Station, with the antenna located on the main chimney. Transmissions all fitted within the A group and were horizontally polarised. On 25 March 2009, Channel 5's analogue signal was turned off from Fawley Power Station, due to the digital switchover in the neighbouring Westcountry region. Channel 5 was also broadcast from Salisbury on channel 68 Population coverage for the main four analogue channels was about 1.75 million.

History

The station was first built to provide BBC 405-line television coverage for an area including Southampton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Dorchester, Chichester, Brighton, Winchester and Salisbury. Sites on the mainland and the Isle of Wight were considered, and three were tested by BBC Research Department.

Construction A temporary 200 ft lattice mast was built with a main antenna at 175 ft and a reserve antenna lower down. These aerials were directional to enhance the signal northwards and reduce unwanted coverage to the south.Pawley, Edward. 1972. BBC Engineering 1922 – 1972, p. 377. BBC, London. .

It was built by BICC, alongside Pontop Pike (also 500 ft) and North Hessary Tor in Devon (a taller mast).

The ITA wanted to build a mast nearby on Chillerton Down, but in February 1957 the local council rejected the planning proposal, and wanted a joint transmitter, not two.Times Saturday 23 February 1957 The ITA mast was built subsequently in 1958.

On 17 June 1963 the local council gave planning permission for a joint ITA-BBC mast, 1,050 ft, for UHF 625 line television.Times Tuesday 18 June 1963, page 8

Transmission Test transmissions were from 18 October 1954.Times Saturday 9 October 1954 Television reception would stretch from Somerset to Sussex. Sussex had a previous 'booster' transmitter on Truleigh Hill in Upper Beeding.Times Wednesday 10 November 1954, page 2

The service opened on 12 November 1954, bringing television to the area for the first time.

A programme feed was obtained via a Post Office radio link, using refurbished equipment that provided the original picture feed for the Wenvoe Transmitter on the British Telecom Microwave Network. A site for this near Alton, Hampshire was acquired and named after a nearby pub: Golden Pot. Here the TV signal from Alexandra Palace was picked up and relayed via a one-hop 4 GHz microwave link to Rowridge.Times Friday 12 November 1954, page 2

The microwave link from Hampshire was brought into service on 18 October 1954. Later, the microwave link ran from the Museum telephone exchange in London to Rowridge, using Golden Pot as an intermediate site.Kilvington, T. The London—Isle-of-Wight Television Link, Stage One. POEEJ 48 (1):36–38

A better transmitter would be fitted after a year, which was fitted in May 1956.Times Saturday 17 December 1955, page 2 National radio on VHF was to be added by 1957.Times Thursday 2 August 1956, page 5

In 1965 the UHF antenna was added making the total height of the structure . This addition allowed Rowridge to radiate the PAL 625-line transmission that allowed broadcasts in colour and eventually stereo sound, using NICAM.

BBC2 was planned to arrive on 14 November 1965 on 625 lines,Times Wednesday 24 March 1965, page 12 but test transmissions would start on 18 December 1965, with full broadcasts from 16 January 1966.Times Friday 12 November 1965, page 6

On the neighbouring ITA mast, the ITA expected colour transmissions by late 1969.Times Wednesday 26 February 1969, page 5

On 25 March 2009, Channel 5's analogue signal was turned off from Fawley Power Station. Later on in the day, "existing digital terrestrial TV services moved to new frequencies", due to the digital switchover happening in the region in 2012.

Arqiva applied for planning permission to replace the existing 150m (492') mast with one 187m (614') high on 22 May 2009.Isle of Wight Planning Application – TCP/23520/R, P/00748/09

Channels listed by frequency

Analogue radio FrequencykWRadio Listeners Guide 2010Service88.5 MHz250BBC Radio 290.7 MHz250BBC Radio 392.9 MHz250BBC Radio 496.1 MHz10BBC Radio Solent98.2 MHz250BBC Radio 1100.3 MHz250Classic FM

Digital radio FrequencyBlockkWOperator225.648 MHz12B5BBC National DAB

Analogue television

12 November 1954 – 15 January 1966 FrequencyVHFkWService3100BBC Television

15 January 1966 – 13 December 1969 FrequencyVHFUHFkWService3—100BBC1 South—24500BBC2 South

13 December 1969 – 27 December 1969 FrequencyVHFUHFkWService3—100BBC1 South—24500BBC2 South—27500Southern

27 December 1969 – 4 December 1982 FrequencyVHFUHFkWService3100BBC1 South—24500BBC2 South—27500TVS (Southern until 1982)—31500BBC1

4 December 1982 – 3 January 1985 FrequencyVHFUHFkWService3—100BBC1 South—21500Channel 4—24500BBC2 South—27500TVS—31500BBC1

3 January 1985 – 31 October 1998 THE 405 line television system was switched off on that day after 31 years of BBC One FrequencyUHFkWService21500Channel 424500BBC2 South27500Meridian (TVS until 1993)31500BBC1 South

31 October 1998 – 15 November 1998 TV12 was launched on UHF 54 FrequencyUHFkWService21500Channel 424500BBC2 South27500Meridian (TVS until 1993)31500BBC1 South542TV12

Analogue and digital television This was where the Digital TV launched, at first, digital TV was low.

15 November 1998 – 31 October 2002 FrequencyUHFkWServiceSystem21500Channel 4PAL System I23-20BBC (Mux 1)DVB-T24500BBC2 SouthPAL System I26-20Arqiva (Mux C)DVB-T27500MeridianPAL System I2820Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)DVB-T3020SDN (Mux A)DVB-T31500BBC1 SouthPAL System I32+20BBC (Mux B)DVB-T33+20Arqiva (Mux D)DVB-T542TV12PAL System I

31 October 2002 – 24 May 2007 On October 31 2002 Solent TV replaced TV12 on UHF 54. FrequencyUHFkWServiceSystem21500Channel 4PAL System I23-20BBC (Mux 1)DVB-T24500BBC2 SouthPAL System I26-20Arqiva (Mux C)DVB-T27500MeridianPAL System I2820Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)DVB-T3020SDN (Mux A)DVB-T31500BBC1 SouthPAL System I32+20BBC (Mux B)DVB-T33+20Arqiva (Mux D)DVB-T542Solent TVPAL System I

24 May 2007 – 25 March 2009 Solent TV ceased on UHF 54 FrequencyUHFkWServiceSystem21500Channel 4PAL System I23-20BBC (Mux 1)DVB-T24500BBC2 SouthPAL System I26-20Arqiva (Mux C)DVB-T27500MeridianPAL System I2820Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)DVB-T3020SDN (Mux A)DVB-T31500BBC1 SouthPAL System I32+20BBC (Mux B)DVB-T33+20Arqiva (Mux D)DVB-T

25 March 2009 – 7 March 2012 C5 was switched off from the Fawley Power Station FrequencyUHFkWServiceSystem21500Channel 4PAL System I24500BBC2 SouthPAL System I27500MeridianPAL System I28+20BBC (Mux B)DVB-T30-20SDN (Mux A)DVB-T31500BBC1 SouthPAL System I32+20Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)DVB-T33+20Arqiva (Mux D)DVB-T3420BBC (Mux 1)DVB-T37+20Arqiva (Mux C)DVB-T

7 March 2012 – 21 March 2012 BBC2 South was switched off on UHF CHANNEL 24, AND BBC A launched on BBC2'S old channel number.

FrequencyUHFkWServiceSystemHV21500—Channel 4PAL System I24200200BBC ADVB-T27500—MeridianPAL System I28+20—BBC (Mux B)DVB-T30-20—SDN (Mux A)DVB-T31500—BBC1 SouthPAL System I32+20—Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)DVB-T33+20—Arqiva (Mux D)DVB-T37+20—Arqiva (Mux C)DVB-T

Digital television

21 March 2012 – 18 April 2012 All Analogue TV services Ceased after 58 years of service. FrequencyUHFkWOperatorSystemHV21+200200BBC BDVB-T224200200BBC ADVB-T27200200Digital 3&4DVB-T30-50—SDNDVB-T33+50—Arqiva BDVB-T37+50—Arqiva ADVB-T

18 April 2012 – present The commercial multiplexes were situated on their pre-DSO frequencies until 18 April 2012, when they started transmitting at vertical polarisation. FrequencyUHFkWOperatorSystemHV21+200200BBC BDVB-T222+50200Arqiva ADVB-T24200200BBC ADVB-T2550200SDNDVB-T27200200Digital 3&4DVB-T2850200Arqiva BDVB-T602.000 MHz3710 -Local MultiplexDVB-T

See also Chillerton Down – a transmission site approximately from Rowridge, broadcasting a mix of analogue and digital radio stations not available from Rowridge List of masts

References

External links Entry for Rowridge transmitting station at the Transmission Gallery Freeview on the Rowridge transmitter Rowridge Transmitter at thebigtower.com