BBC R Humberside: Ottringham Calling (R Oranje WW2 history)

[MikeBr]

BBC Radio Humberside documentary broadcast 1800-1900 Christmas Day:

Ottringham Calling: How a radio mast in a Holderness village changed the outcome of World War Two.

Until age 11 I lived very near to this transmitter site and the farmer who bought it was a good family friend and I remember going round the site with him and my Dad just before he put the offer in to buy. The transmitter buildings were still up.

Much of the documentary is on Radio Oranje, one of the stations that broadcast from the site, with a visit to the Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/w12c8zcul2lekbd/BBC%20R%20Humberside%20Ottringham%20Calling.mp3

BBC Humberside article on this site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/humber/content/articles/2006/02/19/bbc_ottringham_feature.shtml

[ruudam]

Interessant verhaal.

Als ik het goed begrepen heb werd het signaal van de BBC/ Radio Oranje zo goed in Nederland na de komst van Ottringham dat een paar maanden later de radioos ingeleverd moesten worden.

Dat is een flink effect van een TX site....

[ruudam]

On the R Humberside site it is mentioned that this documentary is aired Dec 31th 13.00 UK time.

Is this the same programme or another episode?

Is this this available on Rapidshare?

[MikeBr]

On the R Humberside site it is mentioned that this documentary is aired Dec 31th 13.00 UK time.

Is this the same programme or another episode?

Is this this available on Rapidshare?

The December 31 airing is a repeat.

I do not have a Rapidshare account, if you are having trouble with downloading from Mediafire I have now uploaded it here:

http://www.mijnbestand.nl/Bestand-JNPGHXHXK3JE.mp3

[ruudam]

Thanks a lot mate for the info and the download source, this one worked for me.

I really love to make a TV documentary in Dutch about this, few people here know that this special TX sites was constructed for mainland Europe coverage.

And that the impact was not only much better reception but a nasty German measure about the handing in of radio-sets.

I wonder if there is ay footage on the Ottringham site (at the BBC).

[MikeBr]

I wonder if there is ay footage on the Ottringham site (at the BBC).

Not found any but there is now a 47 photo gallery on Flickr to accompany the documentary. These include a photo of the handed in radios being stored, an illegal radio and of the frame aerials used, the RAF having dropped leaflets to show how these could be constructed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/112507405@N05/

[ruudam]

Thanks a lot again.

Ottringham must have had a signal in this country fit for receiving on a crystal radio

Why was Ottrinham demolished and Orfordness constructed doing about the same: transmitting to the Continent.

[MikeBr]

Thanks a lot again.

Ottringham must have had a signal in this country fit for receiving on a crystal radio

Why was Ottrinham demolished and Orfordness constructed doing about the same: transmitting to the Continent.

Pawley's history of BBC engineering says it was closed down February 1953:

"To the regret of the many engineers who had been associated with its planning and operation because neither channels nor funds were available to continue in service."

During WW2 it was 600kw on 200, that channel was then allocated under the peace time broadcasting plan to the Light Programme. Ottringham went down to 400kw on 250, causing second harmonic problems to marine frequencies, then 271 and then 167 with a 200kw power restriction. That frequency was lost under the 1950 Copenhagen plan. It then broadcast on 200 outside domestic broadcasting hours and also 1295. The BBC also continued to hire the Diplomatic Wireless high power site at Crowborough for medium wave on 1222 and 1340 which gave limited daytime coverage. In October 1950 Crowborough began to use 647 when the Third Programme was not broadcast to give daytime coverage, Third Programme did not start broadcasting until 1700. The European service also had from 1946 the 120kw transmitter at Oosterlog, Germany, originally transmitted Lord Haw Haw, they modified the aerial system and transmitted in German. It was on 685, when the Copenhagen Plan came in the frequency was not available. Then in 1953 they decided to close Ottringham and use 1295 from Oosterlog which lasted until 1962. Then as you say in 1982 back to Orfordness a coastal site using 648 and 1296.

The Ottringham transmitters went to Droitwich., masts to shortwave sites and Brookmans Park, now transmits 5 Live on 909.