Hampshire & Solent Coverage Area Maps

BBC RADIO SOLENT (96.1 MHz v.h.f. / fm Stereo):

The BBC map showing coverage of BBC Radio Solent

ILR HAMPSHIRE (SOUTHAMPTON, PORTSMOUTH WINCHESTER & ISLE OF WIGHT):
(Ocean Sound / Ocean FM 97.5 & 96.7 / Power FM 103.2 / The Gold AM / Capital Gold 1557 & 1170 )

IBAmap showing coverage of ILR Southampton
(Ocean Sound / Ocean FM / Power FM etc)

IBA coverage map showing the coverage area of the additional VHF relay
at Crabwood Farm, Winchester, for ILR Southampton (Ocean Sound etc)

The above map shows the expected coverage in Green from the original RADIO VICTORY which broadcast from 1975 to 1986 from the transmitter at Fort Widley on 95.0 MHz with 0.2 kW e.r.p. The Yellow area is for Fort Widley after OCEAN SOUND took over and when power was increased to 0.85 kW e.r.p. and freqency changed to 97.5 MHz

A Short HISTORY Of ILR In Portsmouth and Southampton

Radio Victory provided an extremely popular local radio service in its small transmission area around Portsmouth from its inception in 1975 until it was forced to relinquish the franchise in 1986. Radio Victory lost the Portsmouth franchise when the IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority) re-organised the transmission area, in 1985, which was expanded to cover Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester. The IBA then awarded the new franchise area to Ocean Sound, which took over programme provision in 1986 from a new perpose built broadcast unit in Sedgensworth.

The transmitters introduced for Ocean Sound were as follows:

Chillerton Down: 103.2 MHz v.h.f. 2.0 kW e.r.p. directional transmitter situated on the Isle of Wight and covering
Southampton, South-West Hampshire and most of the Isle of Wight. (new tx for Ocean)

Crabwood Farm: 96.7 MHz v.h.f. 0.5 kW e.r.p. covering Winchester and Mid-Hampshire. (new tx for Ocean)

Fort Widley: 97.5 MHz (power increased from 0.2 kW to:) 0.85 kW e.r.p. covering Portsmouth and South-East Hampshire.

Farlington Marshes: 1170 kHz (257 meters) medium wave 0.12 kW e.m.r.p. (formerly used by Radio Victory)

Veals Farm: 1557 (193 meters) medium wave 0.5 kW (new tx for Ocean)

By 1989 Ocean Sound had split its various transmitters into several individual sevices:

97.5 FM Portsmouth continued to carry "Ocean Sound"
103.2 FM Southampton began to carry all pop station "Power FM"
96.7 FM Winchester began to Carry "Ocean Sound -The Light FM"
1170 kHz M.W. and 1557 kHz M.W. began to carry "Ocean Sound - The Gold AM"

Later Winchester 96.7 and Portsmouth 97.5 were re-merged into "Ocean Sound".

The Ocean Sound organisation later merged with adjoining stations including Southern Sound Radio which ran Southern FM in Sussex, to form a radio group called "Southern Radio". The FM services of Ocean FM, Power FM and Southern FM remained separate, but the Southern Sound AM transmitter on 1323 KHz (0.5kW) in Brighton started to carry a newly named station called "South Coast Radio". South Coast Radio was also carried on the former "Ocean Sound - The Gold AM" transmitters on 1170KHz (Farlington Marshes) and 1557 KHz (Veals Farm).

When Capital Radio took over the organisation they added an extra 0.7 kW AM transmitter for the "South Coast Radio"service at Bexhill, for Eastbourne and East Sussex, on 945 KHz.

The AM service "South Coast Radio" was eventually abandoned in favour of a low cost relay of the "Capital Gold" service from London with only around three hours of local opt-outs per day. "Power FM" continued on 103.2 and "Ocean FM" remained on 97.5 and 96.7 and Southern FM on its FM frequencies in Sussex (102.4; 103.5; 102.0 and 96.9 MHz).

ILR PORTSMOUTH (FM2)(107.4 MHz v.h.f.) (Victory FM / 107.4 The Quay etc):

The above pixel plot shows the predicted coverage area for a newer small scale licencee for Portsmouth using 107.4 MHz and uses the directional parameters of the aerial system as published by Ofcom.

The original name of the station was "Victory FM", echoing the old 'Radio Victory' name, apparently the new station did not prove as popular as the original Radio Victory and was later re-named and re-launched as "107.4 The Quay"

Strangely the new station opted to use a transmitter located at Fort Southwick, rather than Fort Widley, and this seems to have compromised coverage to the East of the area, with South Hayling and Havant seemingly rather shielded from the transmissions. Admittedly Fort Southwick only uses 0.08 kW vertical + 0.02 kW horizontal, wheras the Original Radio Victory used 0.1 kW vertical + 0.1 kW horizontal, but even so a plot from Fort Widley using 0.08 + 0.02 seems to produce a better coverage than the Fort Southwick site.

Update:
January 2005 - Fort Southwick upgraded to 0.1 kW Vertical + 0.1 kW Horizontal

ILR BASINGSTOKE (Kestrel FM etc)

The map above show the RadioMobile pixel plot predicting the approximate coverage for the small scale ILR radio station for Basingstoke (Kestrel FM etc). The frequency used is 107.6 MHz.

The transmitter is located on the top of Fanum House, the Automobile Association building, to the East of the town. Transmitter power is only 0.1 kW (vertical) but the station can be heard in Reading (not shown on this map) with an ordinary portable radio. The dark green area represents good reception - the service area - with the possibility of stereo. Within the light green area reasonable mono reception may be possible.

(Map specially produced for Mr M. Carver of Basingstoke.)

The Ofcom map above shows the coverage from the Solent Regional radio station (Wave 105).

The station uses two transmitters: 105.2 MHz VHF / FM from Chillerton Down (the old ITA VHF 405 line television site of the 1950's). Power is 10 kW e.r.p. mixed polarisation with a directional pattern; minimal power to the south to avoid interference to French radio stations. 5kW is transmitted with vertical polarisation and 5kW with horizontal polarisation.

The secondary transmitter is at the Poole TV site near Bournemouth. This is on 105.8 MHz VHF / FM with a power of 0.625 kW e.r.p. mixed polarisation. This transmission is also slightly directional with the greatest power directed to the north-west. 0.5 kW is transmitted with vertical polarisation and 0.125 kW with horizontal polarisation.