Tag: Transmitter

August 4th – A weary but lovely ride out in the afternoon was hard going for the first 30 miles, but really picked up as the day cooled. 

I’d wanted to visit Mancetter and ride Salt Street/Roe House Lane for most of the summer, and possibly after a hard week at work this wasn’t the best day for it – but the sun was lovely and I headed out through Canwell, Carroway Head, Middleton, Middlon Lakes, Whitacre Heath, Foul End, Mancetter, Sheepey, Twycoss and No Man’s Heath, returning via Clifton, Harlaston and Whittington.

Salt Street was as wonderful as it ever was at sunset, and the clouds of dust drifting across the landscape from harvesting caught the golden light beautifully. 

The harvest continued well into the night after dark fell right across South Staffordshire and made for a real, end of Sumer feel although hopefully that’s a long way away yet.

July 1st – It was a great sunset, which I caught best from Meerash near Hammerwich. 

The sunsets lately really have been excellent.

I’m also a sucker for radio transmitters and sunsets – I find something really enigmatic about them.

A great end to not the best day, but a good evening outing none the less.

April 18th – I took the train to Macclesfield, and rode back. If the cycling game is to be upped this year, challenging rides are required, and this one was at the very limits of my cycling ability.

On my way, I visited Sutton Common, the Cold War microwave transmission station in the same series as Cannock’s Pye Green. Meaning to visit for years, I climbed to the peak of the hill at 403m to see it, and was rewarded with stunning vies of Macclesfield, Manchester and The Wirral, as well as the Roaches and Dane Valley.

It was a great day, sunny, but again, so cold. Look out for ride videos coming soon on my main blog.

January 28th – After the recent warm, damp weather, a quiet wind, and cold and clear sunrise as I headed down through Mill Green, I’ve been very lucky with sunrises in the last few months, and it’s good to se them.

A beautiful sunrise holds wonderful promise for the day ahead; it makes you happy inside, and in these generally wet and grey days, a bit of beauty is so very welcome.

December 18th – Heading off to Birmingham early again, I shot through Mill Green late, but I couldn’t resist photographing that gorgeous sunrise. The past couple of days have shown the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets – and arriving at the station too late for the train, it gave me chance for a better go at the view of Hill Hook I took from the train yesterday.

The weather of late has been awful, but sights like this make the misery of cycling in such wet weather totally worth it.

October 22nd – A great dawn in fine weather with a much appreciated tail wind was a real joy to ride in, and a marked difference from the day before when I got soaked in persistent, heavy rain.

At Mill Grren, I stopped to watch the sun rise over Hill Hook and towards Tamworth. A massive, red-smeared sky opened out minute by minute, and was truly captivating.

Mornings like this make me much more comfortable with autumn, for sure.

October 20th – Passing through Mill Green at dawn the countryside was magical. Very slightly misty, with high cloud, nonetheless the top of Sutton transmission mast was obscured.

Usually, I’m running too late to take pictures in the morning, but I see some beautiful sights. Now winter is coming I must allow extra time so I can share more of these wonderful views here.

February 4th – We’re in the season of great sunsets again. Caught on the way home, a glimpse over the black country of an old-style GSM transmitter in Darlaston. I love the contrast of the lattice-work tower with then sky and streetlights behind.

I don’t know why, but I love this sort of stuff – radio towers, pylons and suchlike. They can be so beautifully elegant, and so often derided and overlooked.

July 10th – Slowly, but surely, the temporary mast at Sutton Coldfield is being dismantled. I explained a month ago how a crane was fixed to the upper stages, and the structure was dropped carefully, piece by piece. 

Today I noticed the DAB antenna were in the process of being stripped. These are the spiky structures clustered around the main mast in one spot, for about a 6th of the total height. If you look carefully at the bottom picture, you can see where cables, once connected to the elements are now hanging free.

It was a dull, overcast day, and I was hoping to catch a team at work up there, but have still yet to see one. 

This is remarkable, painstaking work by very, very uniquely skilled people.

June 11th – What goes up… must come down. It’s been a few years now that we’ve had two TV masts at Sutton Coldfield. Normally just one, the second was erected before the digital switchover, to act as a temporary stand-in while the main one was increased in height and re-equipped for the digital age. The upgraded transmitter has now been functional for 12 months or so, and the substitute – built on the foundation of an older one – is being dismantled.

To achieve this, a crane beam is bolted to the penultimate section, the upper being unbolted. When it’s free, the upper part is lifted clear, swung around 90 degrees, and lowered to the ground.The technicians who work up there have balls of steel, and very large pay packets.  they deserve every penny.