I seem to remember the tower refurb was first mooted at least two years ago so I can't think why it's taking so long. There is an emergency VCR on the south side which I believe is ready to move into.
On the outside, things sound okay, i.e. reasonable quality of the received audio and the signal strength. The hum and the tapping sound that accompany most transmissions (listen carefully and you'll hear) would however indicate that the switch is past its best. I don't know what things are like on the inside. Do the phones and tie-lines etc work OK ??
I hope the job gets done soon. Although the equipment appears ok from the listener's point of view, the fact that replacement has been planned for some considerable time indicates that it actually needs doing and isn't just a nice idea. Ironically, the design and circuit diagrams (which were produced in-house when this equipment was first installed) were used as a blueprint by NATS engineers for their own Towers so it must have been good at the time !
Last edited by Mooncrest; 28th January 2005 at 08:38.