engineering

Wrotham transmitting station

Wrotham transmitting station is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wrotham transmitting station rather than just read about it. In short: The Wrotham transmitting station is located on the North Downs, close to the village of Wrotham in Kent, England and just north of the M20 motorway. Its National Grid Reference is TQ595604.

Key takeaways

Wrotham transmitting station belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wrotham transmitting station to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wrotham transmitting station from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Wrotham transmitting station is located on the North Downs, close to the village of Wrotham in Kent, England and just north of the M20 motorway. Its National Grid Reference is TQ595604. The current mast on the site was constructed in 1981, is 176.6 metres (579 ft) tall, and was built to replace the original mast of equal height that was constructed in 1951. It is the main VHF FM transmitter for the national BBC radio networks in London and South East England. It currently transmits BBC Radio 1, 2, 3 & 4 and the independent national network Classic FM (125 kW ERP), BBC Radio Kent on 96.7 MHz (4.4 kW ERP) and KMFM West Kent on 101.6 MHz (0.2 kW ERP). (There are two prominent towers in the south of Greater London, Croydon and Crystal Palace, which provide a medium power (4 kW ERP) relay of the national radio channels, in addition to local stations). Wrotham was the first station in the UK to broadcast on VHF/FM, with three services beginning officially on 2 May 1955. It broadcast the Home Service (now Radio 4), the Third Programme (now Radio 3) and the Light Programme (now Radio 2). The frequencies it used for these programmes on FM in 1955 are still in use today. On 17 April 1966, it became the first BBC transmitter to broadcast in stereo, with regular stereo broadcasts on the Third Programme from July 1966. On 18 December 1970, it began broadcasting Radio Medway (now Radio Kent) on 97.0 MHz. Wrotham was one of two VHF transmitters identified as BBC network centres in the event of a nuclear strike on the UK. A Cabinet Office paper from 1975 provides details of construction work outstanding at Wrotham, including protected accommodation for engineering staff at a cost of about thirty thousand pounds. Wrotham was part of the Wartime Broadcasting Service, designed to allow transmission of pre and post strike messages to the estimated 22 million battery-powered radios in the UK. On 3 December 2010, Wrotham began transmitting DAB: CE London (London 1), Switch London (London 2), DRG London (London 3), Digital One and the BBC National DAB multiplex. The BBC National DAB multiplex is on the network's standard SFN, improving DAB coverage in North Kent and South London. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

History In the early 1950s, a microwave television link was constructed to London, from Harvel, near Wrotham, Warren St at Lenham and going east to Swingate, then over the English Channel to Alembon and Cassel, Nord where the 405-lines was converted to 819 lines. The microwave network was run by EMI and the GPO. In August 1950, TV had been broadcast via microwave from France, on to Lenham, then to Bloomsbury in London, Senate House, London. The area was a possible site for the London TV transmitter.

FM An experimental FM service had been broadcasting since 1950, broadcasting the Third Programme. Contracts were placed by the BBC in January 1948. FM stations would cost £20,000 to £50,000. Construction began in March 1948. It would be 25 kW, with an 18 kW MW transmitter. The 470-foot (140 m) mast would be built by BICC. In March 1954 the BBC ordered 24 FM radio transmitters from Standard Telephones and Cables Ltd. Herbrand Sackville, 9th Earl De La Warr was responsible for the siting of new radio services.

Channels listed by frequency

Analogue radio (FM VHF)

Digital radio (DAB)

See also List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain

References

External links Map and aerial photos The Transmission Gallery: Wrotham Mast photographs and information The Transmission Gallery: FM coverage map The Transmission Gallery: History of Wrotham Location map (Multimap)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wrotham transmitting station

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wrotham transmitting station claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wrotham transmitting station before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wrotham transmitting station ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wrotham transmitting station

In research: Wrotham transmitting station appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wrotham transmitting station in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wrotham transmitting station is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures in Kent, History of telecommunications in the United Kingdom, Telecommunications in World War II, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wrotham transmitting station outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Wrotham transmitting station in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wrotham transmitting station means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wrotham transmitting station out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wrotham transmitting station in simple terms?

The Wrotham transmitting station is located on the North Downs, close to the village of Wrotham in Kent, England and just north of the M20 motorway. Its National Grid Reference is TQ595604.

Why does Wrotham transmitting station matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wrotham transmitting station?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wrotham transmitting station.