The BBC's new
VHF-FM service.
The first of the BBC's new VHF-FM radio service
commenced on May 2nd 1955 from Wrotham in Kent
23 Miles south east of
central London. This new service brought
high fidelity radio to an audience of around 13 million potential
listeners in London and the South East bringing
audio quality never before experienced by the public. Three BBC stations broadcast from Wrotham, the Home
Service on
93.5 MHz, the Light Service on 89.1 MHz and Third
Service on 91.3
MHz. These transmissions were
horizontally polarized using novel 'slot-cylinder'
aerials and were of 120Kw in power.
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The FM band at
this time covered frequencies between 88.0 MHz and
95.0 MHz. It was less susceptible to the types of
interference often encountered on medium and long
waves which used the lower bandwidth AM mode of
transmission. All the VHF-FM transmissions were
initially in mono with the stereo service being
rolled out across the BBC's VHF network through the
1960's, 70s and 80's.
The BBC Third program transmitting on 91.3MHz was
the first station to broadcast in Stereo from
Wrotham in August 1962 as part of experimental
stereophonic transmissions using the Zenith-GE
system.
2nd May 1955