Rampisham
Encyclopedia
Rampisham is a village in west Dorset
, England
, situated in a steep valley
ten miles north west of Dorchester. The village has a population
of 102 . The principal means of making a living is agricultural, mainly grain production.
Above the village on Rampisham Down
is a large communications station which was one of the main BBC World Service
transmitter sites, operated by Babcock International Group
as part of the takeover of VT Group (formerly VT Communications and Merlin Communications following the privatisation of BBC Transmission Services in 2007).
Following extensive budget cuts by the BBC World Service
, due to the ceasing of funding by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the site was earmarked for closure in Summer 2011.
The final broadcast from the site took place on Saturday 29 October 2011. Sender 48 was the final transmitter on-air, broadcasting Deutsche Welle
's German service to Europe on 6075kHz between 21:00 and 21:59. This was the final Deutsche Welle
broadcast to Europe.
The final BBC transmissions were in Arabic between 20:00 and 21:00 on 5790kHz and 11680kHz to North Africa.
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated in a steep valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
ten miles north west of Dorchester. The village has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 102 . The principal means of making a living is agricultural, mainly grain production.
Above the village on Rampisham Down
Rampisham Down
Rampisham Down is a steep chalk hill in the Dorset Downs, eight miles north west of Dorchester in west Dorset, England. The highest part of the hill is 221 metres . To the north east of the hill is the Frome valley and the village of Rampisham, to the south west is the Hooke valley and the...
is a large communications station which was one of the main BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
transmitter sites, operated by Babcock International Group
Babcock International Group
Babcock International Group plc is a British-based support services company specialising in managing complex assets and infrastructure in safety-critical and mission-critical environments. Although the company has civil contracts, its main business is with public bodies, particularly the UK...
as part of the takeover of VT Group (formerly VT Communications and Merlin Communications following the privatisation of BBC Transmission Services in 2007).
Following extensive budget cuts by the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
, due to the ceasing of funding by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the site was earmarked for closure in Summer 2011.
The final broadcast from the site took place on Saturday 29 October 2011. Sender 48 was the final transmitter on-air, broadcasting Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
's German service to Europe on 6075kHz between 21:00 and 21:59. This was the final Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
broadcast to Europe.
The final BBC transmissions were in Arabic between 20:00 and 21:00 on 5790kHz and 11680kHz to North Africa.
External links
- Census data
- mb21 - BBCWS Transmitter Site
- Image of Merlin - BBCWS Relay Station Signage - http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/rampisham/rampisham-mc-04.jpg