When ITA colour will come to your district

The Independent Television UHF/colour service will start in some areas on 15th November 1969; these areas will include London and possibly also the Midlands, Lancashire and Yorkshire. A few weeks later the service is due to be extended to Central Scotland and to two main transmitters in the South of England (Rowridge and Dover).

Seven more main stations are due in operation during 1970, and eleven main stations in 1971 or the early months of 1972. Twelve lower power relay stations to serve specific districts should come into operation in 1970, and another 22 by the end of 1971 or early 1972. By the end of this first phase of the UHF network there will thus be about 60 ITA UHF stations on the air, with many more to follow in subsequent years.

FREEWHEELERS. A tense moment for Chris Chittell and Carole Mowlam. (Southern)

All these UHF transmitters will carry the combined colour/black-and-white transmissions from the time they are taken into service. The 405-line black-and-white-only version of the same programmes will continue to be radiated simultaneously from the existing network of ITA VHF (Band III) stations.

The main transmitters in the first phase (with ITA Channel Number, aerial polarization and group) are:

1969: Crystal Palace, London (23 H/A); Sutton Coldfield, nr. Birmingham (43 H/B); Winter Hill, Lancashire (59 H/C); Emley Moor, Yorkshire (47 H/B); Black Hill, nr. Glasgow (43 H/B); Rowridge, Isle of Wight (27 H/A); Dover, Kent (66 H/D).

1970: Waltham, nr. Melton Mowbray (61 H/C); Wenvoe, nr. Cardiff (41 H/B); Mendip, Somerset (61 H/C); Beckley, nr. Oxford (60 H/C); Pontop Pike, Durham (61 H/C); Divis, nr. Belfast (24 H/A); Tacolneston, Norfolk (59 H/C).

1971: Sudbury, Suffolk (41 H/B); Belmont, Lincolnshire (25 H/A); Bilsdale, Yorkshire (29 H/A); Sandy Heath, Bedfordshire (24 H/A); Caradon Hill, East Cornwall (25 H/A); Redruth, West Cornwall (41 H/B); Durris, Kincardineshire (25 H/A); Craigkelly, Fife (24 H/A); Caldbeck, Cumberland (28 H/A).

1971-72: Heathfield, East Sussex (64 H/D); Selkirk, Selkirkshire (59 H/C).

Low power relay stations planned for 1970: Guildford, Reigate, Tunbridge Wells, Hemel Hempstead, Brierley Hill, Bromsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent, Nelson/Colne (Pendle Forest), Wharfedale, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Kilvey Hill.

Low power relay stations planned for 1971 or early 1972: Hertford, High Wycombe, Kidderminster, Malvern, Lark Stoke, Darwen, Haslingden, Skipton, Todmorden, Saddleworth, Lancaster, Halifax, Keighley, Rhondda, Caerphilly, Pontypridd, Fenham, Salisbury, Brighton, Bath, Newhaven, Hastings.

The aerial groups A-E refer to the recommended UHF aerial group needed to cover the allocated UHF channels in the district.

1969 // THIS IS TRANSDIFFUSION