About Ferryside Relay
Ferryside television relay station is a small TV relay in the village of Ferryside, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The Ferryside relay is fed with the off-air signal from Preseli about 28 km to the northwest. It is one of the few UK broadcasting transmitters using a wooden pole as aerial tower. It was built in 1985 partly to provide a stronger signal to Ferryside itself, but also to lower Llansteffan on the western side of the estuary which could not receive a usable signal either from Preseli nor from Carmel about 22 km to the northeast. Digital switchoverThe Ferryside relay is unique because it was chosen as the site of the UK's experimental switchover trial, and as such became the first UK TV transmitter to be converted to digital, complete with the loss of the old analogue TV signal. This mimicked what would actually start to happen later in the decade as the analogue TV signals were progressively turned off in favour of DVB across the country as whole. At the end of 2004, the relay was equipped to provide the four primary DTT multiplexes (Multiplex 1, 2, A and B) and after a three-month period, all local residents were given Freeview boxes. Three of the four analogue services were switched off at midnight on 30 March 2005. Only BBC Two Wales analogue remained. There had reportedly been some local concerns, caused by the differing content of the BBC 2W digital service compared with BBC Two Wales analogue.
Ferryside Relay Description
Ferryside television relay station is a small TV relay in the village of Ferryside, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The Ferryside relay is fed with the off-air signal from Preseli about 28 km to the northwest. It is one of the few UK broadcasting transmitters using a wooden pole as aerial tower. It was built in 1985 partly to provide a stronger signal to Ferryside itself, but also to lower Llansteffan on the western side of the estuary which could not receive a usable signal either from Preseli nor from Carmel about 22 km to the northeast. Digital switchoverThe Ferryside relay is unique because it was chosen as the site of the UK's experimental switchover trial, and as such became the first UK TV transmitter to be converted to digital, complete with the loss of the old analogue TV signal. This mimicked what would actually start to happen later in the decade as the analogue TV signals were progressively turned off in favour of DVB across the country as whole. At the end of 2004, the relay was equipped to provide the four primary DTT multiplexes (Multiplex 1, 2, A and B) and after a three-month period, all local residents were given Freeview boxes. Three of the four analogue services were switched off at midnight on 30 March 2005. Only BBC Two Wales analogue remained. There had reportedly been some local concerns, caused by the differing content of the BBC 2W digital service compared with BBC Two Wales analogue.