Re: Suggestions for an Essex or Herts Hilltop location
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 1:56 pm
Hello Bob
Thank you for your very helpful reply. Recent photographs of the Church Green site can be found on the television mast anorak's web site http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/danbury-church-green.phpand there is a link to the Bakers Lane site too, the shrouded yagi's for the Fire Brigade can still be seen on those photos.
Church Green is indeed a Electricity Board mast and I managed to find a planning application from 1992 showing the two open yagis and two shrouded yagis. From the bearing on the open yagis, they point at Chelmsford and possibly Thurfield. In an email directly to my website http://www.ringbell.co.uk/ukwmo/Page252.htm a person who served at Chelmsford Council EC, said their UHF link to the RGHQ went via Danbury.
In 1980 I visited Colchester ROC and noted three VHF yagis pointing 8 o'clock. In 1981 when I was attempting to trace the Bedford ROC inter-group radio circuits I had visited the Thurfield mast amongst others two pairs of yagi pointed at 5 o'clock. I never got a further opportunity to continue the search due to a change of job. The missing mast has weighed heavily on my tiny mind for all these years. My conjecture is the 'Missing' mast, possibly Danbury would carry the Bedford - Colchester, Bedford - Maidstone, Colchester Maidstone and Colchester - Horsham inter group links. There would be a lot of kit at the missing location - 8 VHF yagis and 8 transceivers. I didn't note the direction of the Colchester ROC UHF yagi on the RGHQ circuit but it too could go the same way.
Everything helps piece together the jigsaw. Over the years my own searching plus two other emails have enabled me to put together quite an extensive map of the pre-WARC era Home Defence network. If anyone had any old 1970's notes in the loft showing any little bit of the Royal Observer Corp / UKWMO home defence network would help build a little more of the picture.
Thanks for your help
Stephen
Thank you for your very helpful reply. Recent photographs of the Church Green site can be found on the television mast anorak's web site http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/danbury-church-green.phpand there is a link to the Bakers Lane site too, the shrouded yagi's for the Fire Brigade can still be seen on those photos.
Church Green is indeed a Electricity Board mast and I managed to find a planning application from 1992 showing the two open yagis and two shrouded yagis. From the bearing on the open yagis, they point at Chelmsford and possibly Thurfield. In an email directly to my website http://www.ringbell.co.uk/ukwmo/Page252.htm a person who served at Chelmsford Council EC, said their UHF link to the RGHQ went via Danbury.
In 1980 I visited Colchester ROC and noted three VHF yagis pointing 8 o'clock. In 1981 when I was attempting to trace the Bedford ROC inter-group radio circuits I had visited the Thurfield mast amongst others two pairs of yagi pointed at 5 o'clock. I never got a further opportunity to continue the search due to a change of job. The missing mast has weighed heavily on my tiny mind for all these years. My conjecture is the 'Missing' mast, possibly Danbury would carry the Bedford - Colchester, Bedford - Maidstone, Colchester Maidstone and Colchester - Horsham inter group links. There would be a lot of kit at the missing location - 8 VHF yagis and 8 transceivers. I didn't note the direction of the Colchester ROC UHF yagi on the RGHQ circuit but it too could go the same way.
Everything helps piece together the jigsaw. Over the years my own searching plus two other emails have enabled me to put together quite an extensive map of the pre-WARC era Home Defence network. If anyone had any old 1970's notes in the loft showing any little bit of the Royal Observer Corp / UKWMO home defence network would help build a little more of the picture.
Thanks for your help
Stephen