Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Rampisham Towers Fall



Too late to get the tour of Rampisham in Dorset. This was one of the main shortwave sites used by the BBC World Service. I've listened to some great radio programmes through those antennas in the past. Now it's being dismantled, just like several other shortwave broadcast sites across Europe. Definitely the end of an era. Indicates to me that DRM, at least below 30 MHz, is never going to break through. Still listen to BBC World Service - but then using IP technology rather than HF. My salute to the great engineers of this era - we have no idea of the work that went in behind the scenes to keep the senders on the air. A job very well done.

Dave Kenny of the BDXC posted the video.

Mike Barraclough adds

There's an article about this in the January 18 Bridport News:

"All but three of the 34 existing steel towers – some more than 100 metres high – are due for demolition if permission is given for a solar panel park that will create around 70 full-time jobs.

Under the plans the three left would be for TV and mobile phone signals and potential future wireless broadband."

There were objections submitted to the local council on the plans, including keeping two of the masts. There's a short history of the site at the end of the article.

1 comment:

GhoseCoy said...

Sad. What more to say?

ShareThis