BBC RBL/RBS transmitter links?

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g33ky
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BBC RBL/RBS transmitter links?

Post by g33ky » Sat Jan 25, 2020 6:05 pm

Bit of a question for the transmitter geeks out there. The BBC does annual RBS tests across the network in which the "main" transmitters (think Sutton Coldfield, Holme Moss etc) de-link from the fibre connection and relay another transmitter closer to London to test how well they fare. My question is, does anyone know the exact chain that the transmitters use? They all end-up at Wrotham down the chain, but what transmitter does Holme Moss relay during RBS for example?

I've looked on the Internet and got some vague answers, but no direct answer. Any necks around here know? :)
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Polecat
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Re: BBC RBL/RBS transmitter links?

Post by Polecat » Sat Jan 25, 2020 8:34 pm

Sounds like you're planning something @g33ky haha

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g33ky
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Re: BBC RBL/RBS transmitter links?

Post by g33ky » Sun Jan 26, 2020 6:24 am

Polecat wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 8:34 pm Sounds like you're planning something @g33ky haha

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Nah it's just a little curiosity of mine. The local transmitter by me relays SC all the time and I know the BBC has a nationwide backup RBS system in place all the way down the chain, would just be interesting to know which way it goes exactly :tup.
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Re: BBC RBL/RBS transmitter links?

Post by Polecat » Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:47 am

You chose your user name well lol

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Re: BBC RBL/RBS transmitter links?

Post by reverend » Thu Nov 05, 2020 3:08 pm

I remember some years ago, the local relay of BBC Radio 1 was taken off-air. When the main transmitter went off-air, the receiver in the relay failed to notice, and just re-broadcast white noise overnight. With a simple, low power FM transmitter on the feed frequency, it was possible to use the relay to put out any programming you wanted. 4 kW from a hill-top site got out quite well!!

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Re: BBC RBL/RBS transmitter links?

Post by Albert H » Sat Nov 07, 2020 2:06 am

If you do it on a Bank Holiday, you could grab Radio 1 or 2 (almost) nationally for several hours before they could get anyone out to investigate. You'd need some insider knowledge (like which receiving dishes to cover with aluminium foil to make them fail)...... You'd also need a second team with a mobile rig delivering a few Watts stereo on 89.1 MHz and be next to the Oxford transmitter site with a bunch of pre-recorded programmes.......
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