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Repo~~tten by; . H, 1 ~ K:lrke. R. ~. P.o\i'den.

REl?OP..'f l~O. K ~ 077.

Sp.ri.al No.1949/26.

SOUTH WALES MW WES'! OF ENGLAJ TiLMSION SER"vICE: . rRELIfm~~ $ID PPJ)PQ~§~I. . . _ .

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The area is one whe:r;-e :ft is difficult to proVide an overall high grade service i'rom a s.',L,glesi te owing to the relatively great rJistances between the main centres o£ popUla.tion, and the na.ture of the topography'. The three main centres in order of.' population are Bristol, Cardi.ff and ~sea and it w.tl:l he easY to select si tea from which a.dequate sel"'Viee could be l)X'oT.tded -00 t~7o of these cent.res, Ydtb, G. lovi~r grad.e service to me t.tlird.. .

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Possible Bites are listed in the table belolV iibioh also shows average field. strength values from a. 35 kif trallsmi tteron channel 3, 56 .. 75 mr:/s, w1 th ma-stand aerlalsimUar to ButtvuOGl.dfl&ld. It is to be emphasized that. the values shown are est.i:m.ates and, there£ore, liable to considereJ;)1e el"l"Or due· to .tb,e difficul V of calCtU-at.:Ulg field-s:hrengtbou ,*ese P.igr.l. frequencies. ___________ - ________________ M'INI_R..... _ ..... _ ...,.

(A map is attached shOw-lng approximate position of the sites.)

~. t?iliw1 .. Cardiff, 1. ,( ~et.;

Population: (4DO~OOO) (230,000) (l70,OOO)

mV/m mV/m ·mV/m Bt!ACltrom~ ., al· 10 0.2 \~~'lfOOD .• 8- a 0.1 :t\iA&'t~ 0.2 10 7 BEACOI~ BILL.o 0.6 8 1.5 NORTH HILL. 0.3 :3 '3 BRl!llOON Rll'"tS.· 0.4 4. .·1

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3 .. ' .COMP ARISONOF SITEs. :: ::, :=:

(a) l'3LA,OKroi'1Nri•· !his site is on the Mendip .Hills approximately 1000' above sea leve1,end. is rather close to the well mown Cheddar Gorge district. It is probable tha.t it fiOnld provide the best service, to Bristol and Cardiff, troma.ny of tl+e proposed sites, with a residual service to $watlsea. The· Men~'ps ,are a proposed Conservation area and. there will, no doubt,' be . opposition to the erection of' a 1.1'411 ami tter there" This site was mentioned in Report 10.1 .. 075 - "Television Coveraget Proposed Distribution Schan.e,..n -as tlle probabJ.e site for the \Vru.es and West transmitter"

(b) fJEi:!t.riQQD. Tbissite (which is noor Ne.wport) was also mentioned in Report K .. 075as . an al te~ti vs to' BlackdOvm. to· be .used. if" ~yn.e'ilronisa,tion difficult1eS1?uth the Scottish site were likEil.y,as a d:trect.ional aer1aJ. wi th a .mini.'ll'IliIl radiation to the North could be used. It would not serve Cardi££ and Bristol so well as Blackdo'Wll and woUld give a ver;r poor signal :tu Sl'J_sea.

(e)- N&m!;. !fh1s ate is in Wales, and.is on .quite lowgl"Ound,t330* above sea · level). . It, viOuld provide}.wlth alligh mast., vK';7 .good. Sen1ce .in S\w:l.~.sea,

and: Carcli.tr ,but a poorer residudsignalill Bristol.. It \~'Ould be a . · sui table site 1'or South Wales a.reaonly J .if' Vie <lid D.Ot .have 1;0 consider.

area coveragain the West of' En.gland,or the service in the Bristol area ..

HILL. . This is the flrst of three possible si tee in North Somerset on, ·Qua,.ntock. Hills at about 1,000' above sea level, and in such a position

· t..l'}.a.t· Cardiff and Swans,ea would .be adequately served and a fairly USEII"ul

residual signal pro"lided in Bristol~ The site is rather inaccessible and there are no good roads nearby • 'fhe areallas been a:cheduled as a proposed

· lationa~Park,: and tb,ere might be opposition to the erection 9£ a ~s-mittin~ station t.h.ere. . ~.

(e)NQR!J:R K\LL. i'hissite is c:tose ~thet~ym. of,.1l&inehead,.al60.1n a proposed If~~ona1·Fark, an.d very. close to an existing National 1~st. area. The service provided in Cardiff and sWensea. Would be rather lOOre evenly balanced . t.han from Beacon Hill (seo table) and the si@'Wl in Bristol vrould probably be oonsider.ably lower than :f'roin Beacl)nHiU~,. :)';t is ver.r probable t.hat there vrould be El. great owos! tion to the buiJ-di.ng .of a station on this site. . !.fhere do not appear to be -vet!";/g'Ood, access roads to ti.s diBtriot~ .

(f) BimWJli·!i1rl1:I. From. a study' o£the map, it would appear that there are eeveral··possi.ble sites on the range of the Brendon Hi.1l.s, w of them ~_t ~titudes of 1,200t orover.. A site here l'JOuld provides. good field strellgth. in Cardiff, and ad.ecraate field strength in Swansea, and a ·fair residual field strength in Bristol, thQugh not so higb as from Beacon H1ll. The Brenaon Hills area is also ,scheduled as a proposed National Park, but as it .is·ratber less well known sn,it further from the Somerset coast-line than :the.last two sites mentioned, ~t seems l1ksly' that there would be less opposition to the erection of El. transmitter h.ere than at Beacon or North Hill ... ·

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In this p~nal'j. st~itcan~t we have eon$idered maiw.y the service to the important tovms .9£ Br1stol:, Cardiff· and Swansea.' !he· area. coverage to . the ." h:i.ghUIJopu:La:t~ South. lVililes mitJing 1:'6g:Lon an,'\. to the West of" England as far south, as. DGrch.el;1lter and Exeter ls worth consideratiol1,Eit-ltcl.there is. 110 doubt that ~, sites atlUacltdom, BeaCOn :Hill or B:r:endon· Hills Would provide far ' better. coverage .than theo't'hers1tes, and this point slwuid be bome in mind to offset any deman4whiehmight .arise for a .trmlSBitting site on Welsh soil. !he lash site in Wales \'VOuld, .for eDmple, provide Yer:fpoor service to the south and $OtfLheastof Rmnoor" Only test,s can·cietennine which sitevdll provi:ciethe best servtce in ,the mining ,val1e.rs as even rough eStimation 01' field-swm&'tb. is :im.possible in these ,eases. '

A 'sin:g1e' si t'e oannot serve, the vlhole ~$:lef!tlately, but, ifc~£ully sele'Cted~ l'lould. be. expeetetitopl'Onde . good coiterage to 1:;woOllt of three of the ,~cel1tres.of population.!f~ at a 'later date~ .B.first cl.ass service ", 'WaS 116Ce.SSar.YW the th:trcl centre of r..opula:tiOll, 8. oompara;tively- low-:-power subsidiary tran.smi tter could 'be prov.Lded.

On: theba~s 01' ,this possiJJilif"y be~gconsidered, 'the. fUaekdo:t'k.ll site appears to b41 the best choice.~, since it serves adequately the two largest areas of population,: ,Viz Br:lstol end Cardif'f';tbe Swansea lU'ea could be, coverei by a l.ow power relear wbicl'l 1iO".Ad 'be further £'rom, other, reia-.fS than one at, ~.f, Bristol... li'Ol" & sinf,le station schem.e a e..'loicebetYT600 a station in SGmers-Gt andoaein So~tilW{lles must be made. "

Sincettle prediction ,of fie1.tl st,~over the hiU,. count~J ini.ihis area· j.s~frie:itlt 1tis essentisltwd; adequate site .tests should be. earned out beto~ "~fill&J.,, deci$ion is made. '

All ;pro:.)Osaispu,t, i'ol"vlard thisprelimina.."7' report ~re' be~sed on m.ap and ground section ,s't,l.lq.Wo vJ:s:tt$have yet, been made to 'any s1te, nor f;~ .

enqtlines made .. , . ,

" It is to. be noted that in the Ho'hho'use rtepon ot the Midstryof TO"irrt ,and.cOuntr.v Pla-«:mi.ng .(1947), the 1!Ilend1p nUl.s are. recommended as a t1ooaeI'Vat,ion ~; wli.ereast.b.e Qu.a.ntocks, :8X"endons aud North H.1..ll are recommended. aa.Nat1onalParks.

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Report K.077 Serial No. 19 ~9/26.

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SOUTH WALES AND V/EST OF ENGLAND TELE VIS ION SERVIC E: PROPOSED SI TES.

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FORM M.f294

8 C RESI!.ARCH 0 PT.