The Preseli Transmitting station was built in 1962 by the Independent Television Authority to broadcast BLACK AND WHITE 405 line TV for Wales West and North (Teledu Cymru).

This was then the new commercial TV company for rural Wales.

TWW from Cardiff provided programmes for South Wales and the West Country areas (Cardiff and Bristol). Before this the only other TV available came from the single BBC channel.

So it was on the evening of Friday, September 14, 1962 that Preseli went on the air with Channel 8.

I was fortunate to be part of the small band of broadcast engineers who were involved in ensuring that those early transmissions took place.

This required that we were on duty whenever programmes were being transmitted during the day or evening (night time programmes and 24 hour broadcasting were things of the future.)

As a consequence we operated a shift system to provide this service.

There were 10 engineers making up a self relieving three shift system to cover days and evenings seven days a week. This was under the supervision of the engineer in charge.

The world being a very different place then, we were backed up by various support staff that ensured that the station operated in an self-sufficient mode.

The administration was handled during weekdays by our station clerk.

Our two drivers looked after the station transport Landover ‘long wheelbase’ bus

We were fortunate enough to have two cooks who provided for lunch not only during the week and also at the weekend.

Our cleaner / handyman looked after the general state of the site.

Finally our security night watchman looked after the site when we all went home at the end of shift before midnight.

Oh what luxury!!

Again back then it was the custom to have everything possible available on site.

A large backup diesel alternator set provided emergency power should the need arise (provision had been made to have two separate power feeds from the grid, one from the north and one from the south of the county.)

All of the critical equipment was duplicated from the programme links delivered by BT, all the transmission equipment, even the transmitting aerials at the mast top.

To enable repairs to be facilitated with the minimum of delay it was necessary to have comprehensive equipment spares and valve stores.

Even a fully equipped workshop was provided to manufacture components on site.

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As we were fairly isolated there was a large static water tank outside, just in case of fire (which doubled as a swimming pool in hot summers that we had then).

This would provide water for our own portable fire engine until the fire brigade arrived.

Because of the hill top isolation the well equipped kitchen also had a large larder of emergency rations in case we were snowed in, which we were many times of the subsequent years. Collapsible “Z” beds were also provided for those events.

Just to complete the picture we even had our own sewage farm.

And what changes the next 60 years realized.

1973 saw the introduction of 625 line colour on the UHF Transmitter.

Although unknown to the viewing public Preseli was actually fed with 625 line transmissions from 1969 but thanks to an Independent Television Authority invented and developed a device called a “standards converter” which allowed the pictures to be converted down to 405 lines for the Black And White Channel 8 service.

This allowed the network feeding the Transmitter from the studios to be upgraded in readiness for the start of colour transmissions.

The development work done at this time laid the foundations of the now world wide digital TV system.

Because the new colour transmitter equipment was much more reliable, development work by the now Independent Broadcasting Authority, (having now also having responsibility for the fledgling commercial radio system – Swansea Sound included.) was to allow the remote operation of the network of transmitter stations from special operation centres.

With the introduction of colour in the UK, the number of transmitters and relays increased dramatically from only 47 UK sites supporting the black and white service to over 1000 for colour. Wales went from 12 to 176 with Pembrokeshire from one to 12 new sites.

Thus this required major changes to the organisation of the early 70’s; with the introduction of mobile maintenance and the discontinuing of evening and night shifts.

A big improvement, but at the cost of much increased flexibility in all working conditions and locations for the staff.

The Preseli ‘mobile maintenance team’s’ area of responsibility was from Hereford (Ridge Hill) to Cross Hands (Carmel) and up to Aberystwyth (Blaen Plwyf) plus of course Pembrokeshire.

All accomplished in a heavily laden Transit van – later Volvo Estates and Range Rovers carried the equipment loads.

During the mid 70’s Oracle / Teletext started to make its presence felt with its first introduction of digital/computer technology. Even with the first ever subtitles for the deaf.

Towards the end of the 70’s came the announcement of the proposed launch of Channel 4 and S4C.

The IBA again rose to the challenge of building a complete network for the UK covering 99.7 per cent of the population within a launch period of less than three years. Heady stuff this.

Again Preseli was modified and fitted with S4C Transmitter systems in time for the grand opening on November 1, 1982 one day before Channel 4 opened on the 2nd!!!

This was accomplished despite of the delays resulting from the dramatically heavy snow falls over the South West in the earlier part of that year.

The rigours testing and modifications carried out before switch on ensured that the new service was a technical success.

And so it has continued. Early 1983 saw the introduction of TV-am (Breakfast TV)

Mid 80’s it was Nicam Stereo sound turn to turn to appear together with wide screen developments.

With the 405 line service being finally switched off in 1985.

IBA engineering was sold off by the government in the early ‘90s and became NTL who in turn were bought by Cable tel (Although still remaining with the name ntl:),

The broadcast and field engineering arm of ntl: was acquired by Macquarie (Australia) in 2005 and became Arqiva, and have now been joined by the old transmission part of the BBC.

Now it is the turn of Digital Television to come of age.

This Engineering innovation has allowed many more TV (and Radio) channels to be brought into your home. This process began in the early 90’s and is now ongoing with continual developments which allow you the viewer to enjoy entertainment from your TV aerial.

A little bit of my personal history was made in the early hours of September 16, 2009, when almost 47 years to the day of first coming on the air, the Preseli TV Transmitter’s analogue signals were switched off as part of the great national changeover over to digital television.

I was privileged to be present and as postscript to the Analogue switch off, the S4C transmitter this was the same equipment that I first powered into service in 1982.

So next time you look at or listen to your favourite programme (so long as it isn’t on satellite or cable) please remember the early pioneers of broadcast technology who first provided the signals from the ‘mast’, on top of Foel Drych - Preseli, into your sets and homes.