I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 has
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9
Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at
Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 has
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9
Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at
Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
On Tue 24/10/2023 12:35, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 has
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9 Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
Well, almost. Mendip transmits TV, DAB and some commercial local FM
radio but NOT BBC national stations. For national in your area you have
to go to Wenvoe for high power, or as you say Bathampton a for lower
power relay.
At least where you live Bathampton is line of sight so it isn't a signal strength issue!
On Tue, 24 Oct 2023 12:35:54 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 has
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9 >Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at >Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
And how would you say this compares with the usual programming :-)
I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 has
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9
Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at
Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
On 24/10/2023 12:35, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 hasNational FM from Wenvoe yesterday was shut down between about 10am and
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9
Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at
Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
2pm to allow guy rope maintenance
The same occurred on Sunday in the same time period.
Wenvoe's relays (Ilchester Cres, Bath etc) will have been transmitting
shash
Ridge Hill on Sunday was retransmitting a Spanish station that is on
Wenvoe's R2's frequency
93.9 is Radio 4 Oxford
On Wed 25/10/2023 08:05, Mark Carver wrote:
On 24/10/2023 12:35, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 hasNational FM from Wenvoe yesterday was shut down between about 10am and
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9 >> Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at
Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
2pm to allow guy rope maintenance
The same occurred on Sunday in the same time period.
Wenvoe's relays (Ilchester Cres, Bath etc) will have been transmitting shash
Ridge Hill on Sunday was retransmitting a Spanish station that is on Wenvoe's R2's frequency
93.9 is Radio 4 Oxford
I would have thought that if the main (source) station went off (1) the relays would have had a squelch on the receiver, and (2) either it
should shut down the transmitter as well or make it playout from a
memory stick with an engineering message. At least that is what used to happen on commercial stations with which I was familiar.
On 24/10/2023 12:35, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 has
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9 Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
National FM from Wenvoe yesterday was shut down between about 10am and
2pm to allow guy rope maintenance
The same occurred on Sunday in the same time period.
Wenvoe's relays (Ilchester Cres, Bath etc) will have been transmitting shash
Ridge Hill on Sunday was retransmitting a Spanish station that is on
Wenvoe's R2's frequency
93.9 is Radio 4 Oxford
On 25/10/2023 10:56, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
Presumably Bath simply translates a band of frequencies for
re-radiation, rather than three separate carriers, which is why the hash
was continuous with no noticeable gaps.
No, there is a discrete transposer for each service. In Bath's case six,
R1, 2, 3, 4, (fed from Wenvoe) BBC Bristol and Heart (both fed from Dundry)
I suspect there was (is) a fault with one of those transposers
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:29:24 +0100, Mark Carver <mark@invalid.com>
wrote:
On 25/10/2023 10:56, Liz Tuddenham wrote:I have always wondered: is the quality from a relay transmitter not
Presumably Bath simply translates a band of frequencies for
re-radiation, rather than three separate carriers, which is why the hash >>> was continuous with no noticeable gaps.
No, there is a discrete transposer for each service. In Bath's case six,
R1, 2, 3, 4, (fed from Wenvoe) BBC Bristol and Heart (both fed from Dundry) >>
I suspect there was (is) a fault with one of those transposers
quite as good as a main transmitter?
Presumably Bath simply translates a band of frequencies for
re-radiation, rather than three separate carriers, which is why the hash
was continuous with no noticeable gaps.
On 25/10/2023 13:44, Scott wrote:
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:29:24 +0100, Mark Carver <mark@invalid.com>
wrote:
On 25/10/2023 10:56, Liz Tuddenham wrote:I have always wondered: is the quality from a relay transmitter not
Presumably Bath simply translates a band of frequencies for
re-radiation, rather than three separate carriers, which is why the hash >>>> was continuous with no noticeable gaps.
No, there is a discrete transposer for each service. In Bath's case six, >>> R1, 2, 3, 4, (fed from Wenvoe) BBC Bristol and Heart (both fed from Dundry) >>>
I suspect there was (is) a fault with one of those transposers
quite as good as a main transmitter?
It can't be better, or exactly the same, but it can be pretty close (for
FM relays).
I've compared the output of my local relay with its parent, Oxford, and
can't really detect a difference. By the way, Oxford itself is off air
fed from Sutton Coldfield !
Different kettle of fish of course with DTT etc. Just a case of
_exactly_ the same 1s and 0s !
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:49:52 +0100, Mark Carver <mark@invalid.com>
wrote:
On 25/10/2023 13:44, Scott wrote:
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:29:24 +0100, Mark Carver <mark@invalid.com>
wrote:
On 25/10/2023 10:56, Liz Tuddenham wrote:I have always wondered: is the quality from a relay transmitter not
Presumably Bath simply translates a band of frequencies for
re-radiation, rather than three separate carriers, which is why the hash >>>>> was continuous with no noticeable gaps.
No, there is a discrete transposer for each service. In Bath's case six, >>>> R1, 2, 3, 4, (fed from Wenvoe) BBC Bristol and Heart (both fed from Dundry)
I suspect there was (is) a fault with one of those transposers
quite as good as a main transmitter?
It can't be better, or exactly the same, but it can be pretty close (for
FM relays).
I've compared the output of my local relay with its parent, Oxford, and
can't really detect a difference. By the way, Oxford itself is off air
fed from Sutton Coldfield !
Different kettle of fish of course with DTT etc. Just a case of
_exactly_ the same 1s and 0s !
Is it also true that Wrotham is better than any other transmitter, or
was this entirely historic?
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:49:52 +0100, Mark Carver <mark@invalid.com> wrote:
On 25/10/2023 13:44, Scott wrote:
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:29:24 +0100, Mark Carver <mark@invalid.com>
wrote:
On 25/10/2023 10:56, Liz Tuddenham wrote:I have always wondered: is the quality from a relay transmitter not
Presumably Bath simply translates a band of frequencies for
re-radiation, rather than three separate carriers, which is why the
hash was continuous with no noticeable gaps.
No, there is a discrete transposer for each service. In Bath's case
six, R1, 2, 3, 4, (fed from Wenvoe) BBC Bristol and Heart (both fed
from Dundry)
I suspect there was (is) a fault with one of those transposers
quite as good as a main transmitter?
It can't be better, or exactly the same, but it can be pretty close (for
FM relays). I've compared the output of my local relay with its parent,
Oxford, and can't really detect a difference. By the way, Oxford itself
is off air fed from Sutton Coldfield !
Different kettle of fish of course with DTT etc. Just a case of
_exactly_ the same 1s and 0s !
Is it also true that Wrotham is better than any other transmitter, or was this entirely historic?
I suspect there was (is) a fault with one of those transposers
On Tue, 24 Oct 2023 12:35:54 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 has
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9 >>Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at >>Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
And how would you say this compares with the usual programming :-)
On Tue 24/10/2023 12:35, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 has
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9
Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at
Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
Well, almost. Mendip transmits TV, DAB and some commercial local FM radio
but NOT BBC national stations. For national in your area you have to go to Wenvoe for high power, or as you say Bathampton a for lower power relay.
At least where you live Bathampton is line of sight so it isn't a signal strength issue!
Perhaps the noise should be on R3? They have always liked their experimental music. Theme of an Autumn evening played by Angle grinder wellder and old sofa.
Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote:
Perhaps the noise should be on R3? They have always liked their experimental >> music. Theme of an Autumn evening played by Angle grinder wellder and old >> sofa.
Memories of the Shagbut, Minnikin and Flemish Clacket.
If you think R3 was odd, you should have heard some of the programmes on >Resonance F.M. My programme, where I D.J.ed 78s. barrel pianos and wax >cylinders, in the manner of a 1950s BBC announcer, was positively
mainstream by comparison.
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 17:50:38 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote:
Perhaps the noise should be on R3? They have always liked their
experimental music. Theme of an Autumn evening played by Angle grinder
wellder and old sofa.
Memories of the Shagbut, Minnikin and Flemish Clacket.
If you think R3 was odd, you should have heard some of the programmes on >Resonance F.M. My programme, where I D.J.ed 78s. barrel pianos and wax >cylinders, in the manner of a 1950s BBC announcer, was positively >mainstream by comparison.
Is there any link to your DJ'ing skills?
Woody <harrogate3@ntlworld.com> wrote:
On Tue 24/10/2023 12:35, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
I first noticed this at just before 12:00 today (Oct 24). BBC R4 has
been replaced by a carrier heavily modulated with white noise. It
extends from 93.1 Mc/s to 93.7 Mc/s. There is a fainter carrier at 93.9 >> > Mc/s carrying the normal programme.
There is also a strong unmodulated carrier at 100.16 Mc/s.
This is in the Bath area which is served by a local transmitter at
Bathampton Down and the Mendip transmitter.
Well, almost. Mendip transmits TV, DAB and some commercial local FM
radio but NOT BBC national stations. For national in your area you have
to go to Wenvoe for high power, or as you say Bathampton a for lower
power relay.
At least where you live Bathampton is line of sight so it isn't a signal
strength issue!
No problem with signal strength, it was quite a bit stronger than the
signal Bathampton Down usually provides and looked like a solid block of
mush 600 kc/s wide on the panoramic adaptor. It was just possible to
hear R4 modulation underneath it, but I don't know whether that was
being transmitted with the mush or whether that was the Bathampton
signal just audible through it.
R4 is back to normal now but the unmodulated carrier is still there at
100.16 Mc/s.
On 25/10/2023 13:29, Mark Carver wrote:
I suspect there was (is) a fault with one of those transposers
I don't what is used now but previous ones were notorious for not muting
when incoming signal lost.
In the past some crummy feed of radio 4 was broadcast if the input
failed, not just noise. Brian
In article <1qj437t.1541ev71j14zi8N%liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid>,[...]
Liz Tuddenham <liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid> scribeth thus
R4 is back to normal now but the unmodulated carrier is still there at >100.16 Mc/s.
You could try mailing Ofcom but...
Or Arqiva?..
radio@arqiva.com
They usually take sensible complaints seriously..
Be a waste of time contacting the BBC :-(
Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 17:50:38 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote:
Perhaps the noise should be on R3? They have always liked their
experimental music. Theme of an Autumn evening played by Angle grinder >> >> wellder and old sofa.
Memories of the Shagbut, Minnikin and Flemish Clacket.
If you think R3 was odd, you should have heard some of the programmes on
Resonance F.M. My programme, where I D.J.ed 78s. barrel pianos and wax
cylinders, in the manner of a 1950s BBC announcer, was positively
mainstream by comparison.
Is there any link to your DJ'ing skills?
Search for "Life Before Vinyl". I believe you can still download the >programmes from Resonance F.M. but if you can't, follow this link...
http://www.poppyrecords.co.uk/lifebeforevinyl/P01.htm
Directly underneath where it says :Programme 1" is a dot, click on that
for an MP3 download. Similarly on all the other programme pages.
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 21:10:39 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 17:50:38 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote:
Perhaps the noise should be on R3? They have always liked their
experimental music. Theme of an Autumn evening played by Angle grinder >> >> wellder and old sofa.
Memories of the Shagbut, Minnikin and Flemish Clacket.
If you think R3 was odd, you should have heard some of the programmes on >> >Resonance F.M. My programme, where I D.J.ed 78s. barrel pianos and wax >> >cylinders, in the manner of a 1950s BBC announcer, was positively
mainstream by comparison.
Is there any link to your DJ'ing skills?
Search for "Life Before Vinyl". I believe you can still download the >programmes from Resonance F.M. but if you can't, follow this link...
http://www.poppyrecords.co.uk/lifebeforevinyl/P01.htm
Directly underneath where it says :Programme 1" is a dot, click on that
for an MP3 download. Similarly on all the other programme pages.
Thanks. I'll listen in detail later but the first track sounds like a
78 rpm shellac?
Were all 78s shellac or could other materials be used?
On Thu, 26 Oct 2023 10:39:55 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 21:10:39 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:Thanks. I'll listen in detail later but the first track sounds like a
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 17:50:38 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote:
Perhaps the noise should be on R3? They have always liked their
experimental music. Theme of an Autumn evening played by Angle grinder
wellder and old sofa.
Memories of the Shagbut, Minnikin and Flemish Clacket.
If you think R3 was odd, you should have heard some of the programmes on
Resonance F.M. My programme, where I D.J.ed 78s. barrel pianos and wax
cylinders, in the manner of a 1950s BBC announcer, was positively
mainstream by comparison.
Is there any link to your DJ'ing skills?
Search for "Life Before Vinyl". I believe you can still download the
programmes from Resonance F.M. but if you can't, follow this link...
http://www.poppyrecords.co.uk/lifebeforevinyl/P01.htm
Directly underneath where it says :Programme 1" is a dot, click on that >> >for an MP3 download. Similarly on all the other programme pages.
78 rpm shellac?
The title track is a composite of a record firstly played on a clockwork >gramophone, then merging into an electrical transcription of the same >record. It is poor quality and well-worn 78 rpm shellac from a very
cheap manufacturer.
Were all 78s shellac or could other materials be used?
By far the greatest number were pressed on 'Shellac', or 'Solid stock', >which is mostly slate dust and other abrasives held together with a
binder of shellac. In the early days the groove profile wasn't clearly >specified (the very first ones were etched with acid) so the needle
point had to be ground down to fit the groove on each individual record.
An astounding variety of other materials were tried at various times, >ranging from solid chocolate to cellophane on cardboard. One of the
most successful 'laminate' records used a core of coarse rubbish
(including cotton flock) with surface layers of extremely finely-ground >'shellac' compound for the grooves. 'Direct cut' discs were cellulose >nitrate varnish on an aluminium base, but scarcity of aluminium during
WWII led to galvanised steel and glass being used as substitutes.
Vinyl was too expensive to use before the days of microgroove records,
but the very last 78s were pressed on vinyl because the machinery to
make and press solid stock had become uneconomical for the small
quantities needed.
Thanks. The last paragraph is what I wondered. My grandfather had a 78
rpm turntable and I *thought* I had seen a vinyl disc (but it was a
very long time ago). My parents said you had to replace the stylus
after every play. Is this correct?
Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 21:10:39 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:Thanks. I'll listen in detail later but the first track sounds like a
On Wed, 25 Oct 2023 17:50:38 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote:
Perhaps the noise should be on R3? They have always liked their
experimental music. Theme of an Autumn evening played by Angle grinder
wellder and old sofa.
Memories of the Shagbut, Minnikin and Flemish Clacket.
If you think R3 was odd, you should have heard some of the programmes on >> >> >Resonance F.M. My programme, where I D.J.ed 78s. barrel pianos and wax >> >> >cylinders, in the manner of a 1950s BBC announcer, was positively
mainstream by comparison.
Is there any link to your DJ'ing skills?
Search for "Life Before Vinyl". I believe you can still download the
programmes from Resonance F.M. but if you can't, follow this link...
http://www.poppyrecords.co.uk/lifebeforevinyl/P01.htm
Directly underneath where it says :Programme 1" is a dot, click on that
for an MP3 download. Similarly on all the other programme pages.
78 rpm shellac?
The title track is a composite of a record firstly played on a clockwork >gramophone, then merging into an electrical transcription of the same
record. It is poor quality and well-worn 78 rpm shellac from a very
cheap manufacturer.
Were all 78s shellac or could other materials be used?
By far the greatest number were pressed on 'Shellac', or 'Solid stock',
which is mostly slate dust and other abrasives held together with a
binder of shellac. In the early days the groove profile wasn't clearly >specified (the very first ones were etched with acid) so the needle
point had to be ground down to fit the groove on each individual record.
An astounding variety of other materials were tried at various times, >ranging from solid chocolate to cellophane on cardboard. One of the
most successful 'laminate' records used a core of coarse rubbish
(including cotton flock) with surface layers of extremely finely-ground >'shellac' compound for the grooves. 'Direct cut' discs were cellulose >nitrate varnish on an aluminium base, but scarcity of aluminium during
WWII led to galvanised steel and glass being used as substitutes.
Vinyl was too expensive to use before the days of microgroove records,
but the very last 78s were pressed on vinyl because the machinery to
make and press solid stock had become uneconomical for the small
quantities needed.
On Thu, 26 Oct 2023 10:39:55 +0100, liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid[...]
(Liz Tuddenham) wrote:
Were all 78s shellac or could other materials be used?
By far the greatest number were pressed on 'Shellac', or 'Solid stock', >which is mostly slate dust and other abrasives held together with a
binder of shellac. In the early days the groove profile wasn't clearly >specified (the very first ones were etched with acid) so the needle
point had to be ground down to fit the groove on each individual record.
An astounding variety of other materials were tried at various times, >ranging from solid chocolate to cellophane on cardboard. One of the
most successful 'laminate' records used a core of coarse rubbish
(including cotton flock) with surface layers of extremely finely-ground >'shellac' compound for the grooves. 'Direct cut' discs were cellulose >nitrate varnish on an aluminium base, but scarcity of aluminium during
WWII led to galvanised steel and glass being used as substitutes.
Vinyl was too expensive to use before the days of microgroove records,
but the very last 78s were pressed on vinyl because the machinery to
make and press solid stock had become uneconomical for the small
quantities needed.
Thanks. The last paragraph is what I wondered. My grandfather had a 78
rpm turntable and I *thought* I had seen a vinyl disc (but it was a
very long time ago). My parents said you had to replace the stylus
after every play. Is this correct?
An astounding variety of other materials were tried at various times, >ranging from solid chocolate to cellophane on cardboard. One of the
most successful 'laminate' records used a core of coarse rubbish
(including cotton flock) with surface layers of extremely finely-ground >'shellac' compound for the grooves. 'Direct cut' discs were cellulose >nitrate varnish on an aluminium base, but scarcity of aluminium during
WWII led to galvanised steel and glass being used as substitutes.
Vinyl was too expensive to use before the days of microgroove records,
but the very last 78s were pressed on vinyl because the machinery to
make and press solid stock had become uneconomical for the small
quantities needed.
tony sayer <tony@bancom.co.uk> wrote:
In article <1qj437t.1541ev71j14zi8N%liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid>,[...]
Liz Tuddenham <liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid> scribeth thus
R4 is back to normal now but the unmodulated carrier is still there atYou could try mailing Ofcom but...
100.16 Mc/s.
Or Arqiva?..
radio@arqiva.com
They usually take sensible complaints seriously..
Be a waste of time contacting the BBC :-(
The 100.16 Mc/s signal is now carrying Classic F.M..
In message <1qj7e6f.prqz9x1rl7osgN%liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid> at
Thu, 26 Oct 2023 10:39:55, Liz Tuddenham
<liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid> writes
[]
An astounding variety of other materials were tried at various times, >ranging from solid chocolate to cellophane on cardboard. One of the
most successful 'laminate' records used a core of coarse rubbish
(including cotton flock) with surface layers of extremely finely-ground >'shellac' compound for the grooves. 'Direct cut' discs were cellulose >nitrate varnish on an aluminium base, but scarcity of aluminium during
WWII led to galvanised steel and glass being used as substitutes.
Not to mention, presumably, problems with them exploding if not
carefully handled, like old cinema film of the same base!
I remember reading - in the 1980s I think, it was in something I had
access to at work (Journal of the Aeronautical society maybe? That's
where I found one of the original Nyquist papers) - a series of papers
on using light (lasers IIRR) to read some metal discs, where rust had rendered them unplayable conventionally. Whether they were metal core
with a coating or just metal, I forget. They had been used to record
one-off material pre-war in Japan - can't remember whether it was folk
music or spoken history. The work was being done in Japan, as it was
their heritage. (I do remember some laser record players - in the '90s
were they? - that were generally not well reviewed: I think they cost
about 7000 quid then, and didn't produce remarkable results. I don't
think they had anything to do with the papers I found.)
On 26/10/2023 09:50, Liz Tuddenham wrote:
tony sayer <tony@bancom.co.uk> wrote:
In article <1qj437t.1541ev71j14zi8N%liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid>,[...]
Liz Tuddenham <liz@poppyrecords.invalid.invalid> scribeth thus
R4 is back to normal now but the unmodulated carrier is still there at >>> 100.16 Mc/s.You could try mailing Ofcom but...
Or Arqiva?..
radio@arqiva.com
They usually take sensible complaints seriously..
Be a waste of time contacting the BBC :-(
The 100.16 Mc/s signal is now carrying Classic F.M..
I hope it wasn't 101.16.
100.2 MHz is the frequency of Classic FM from the Bath relay
Most 78s are cut with 'coarse' grooves whereas later records (45 and
33+1/3 rpm) are 'microgroove'. Two different styli are needed and these
were often arranged on opposite sides of the cartridge, which could be
turned over to select the required stylus.
There were discs made of 'filled vinyl', which was vinyl with a lot of abrasive in it. These were used for broadcast transcription, for distributing programmes to remote transmitters and the internal
broadcasting systems of military bases. The advantage was that they
were lighter than shellac pressings for air freight and almost
unbreakable, but could still be played on existing equipment with a
needle in an electrical pickup. Some of them were 16" diameter, so you
would have difficulty playing them on domestic equipment.
I imagine a lot of "noisy, scratchy" 78 discs would actually
be less noisy if played with a proper 78 rpm coarser-groove stylus.
We have a shellac-on-aluminium disc of one of his
programmes, probably given to him by the BBC so he could listen to his programme afterwards.
would have difficulty playing them on domestic equipment.
On Friday, 27 October 2023 at 10:02:49 UTC+1, NY wrote:
Some of them were 16" diameter, so you
would have difficulty playing them on domestic equipment.
Jig saw.
At an exhibition a few years ago, someone once brought along a 20"
Pathé disc for me to play. I had designed the player to accept 16"
discs without modification and the only thing preventing it from playing
20" discs was an end cheek supporting the rails of the parallel-tracking >mechanism.
Out with the screwdriver, off with the end cheek. The rails proved >sufficiently rigid for the parallel-tracking carrige to work, even
though they were cantilevered from the only remaining bracket at the
opposite end of the machine.
The next snag was the playing speed of 120 rpm. We overcame this by
playing the disc 'digitally' i.e. spinning it with a finger. The result
was of more interest in the historical domain than the musical one.
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