BBC RBS transmitter tests

The BBC's annual-ish analogue rebroadcast standby test, postponed from January due to snow, will take place this weekend, in the wee hours on Sunday morning.

The fibre feeds of BBC One and Two to the transmitter sites will be removed, so that all that's left is a radio link from TV Centre to Crystal Palace; then what's left of the analogue network will rebroadcast the signal from its nearest transmitter.

It'll be interesting to see how the DSO will affect this, as there are now big gaps in the analogue transmitter network, following DSO in South West, West, Wales and North West regions (plus Scotish Borders - and probably some others I've forgotten...!)

The only areas it should affect are Scotland and N Ireland as they are the only 2 areas on the wrong side of the digital-only zone. You're correct this is the whole west of Great Britain up to southern Scotland, and then across along the scottish border. They seem to be working from the edges in... the next bit is northern Scotland.

BBC Scotland and N Ireland presumably don't have to rely on getting alternative sources of signal from London as there is another BBC 1 and 2 coming from Glasgow and Belfast. I think that Scotland have their own arrangements for RBS as they did their own set of tests last time round. I'm pretty sure that NI RBS's Scotland

I think there's also an issue with Sandy Heath and anywhere up country which uses it as an RBS source - it's fed from DSat following BBC Cambridge's relocation.

Apparently so. However it shouldn't be a problem for anything above it... which can still RBS Sandy Heath even if it is being fed from satellite.

I suppose to test the RBS system of Sandy itself they just need to pull out the line from the sat receiver?

Does anything RBS Winter Hill?

Not any more!

I'd have thought (and this is just assumption) that it would go up from London in a spider like pattern directly up country, So WH would have RBS's Sutton Coldfield and then Caldbeck RBS'ed WH. As Caldbeck is digital only and so is Moel Y Parc in north Wales then nothing would rebroadcast it now

The eastern side of the country I assume would go Sandy->Waltham->Belmont/Emley->Bilsdale etc

So roughly what time will BBC One analogue and BBC Two analgue get the test signal on Rowridge? Will it be the testcard?

It has been suggested (via mb21's TX List) that the tests could happen on BBC One from 2:15-3:15am and on BBC Two from 3:30am-4:30am.

The test signal is usually Testcard J, with tone on one leg, and the speaking clock (internal BBC version, as voiced by Radio 4's Charlotte Green) on the other leg.

Nice one - it IS happening - and Duncan Newmarch just said "enjoy the test card"!

Any moment now - "pause symbol" cue dots on BBC One atm!