Following full technical clearance from the regulator Ofcom, Vectis Radio (FM104.6) will be raising its transmitter power on 18th August from the current 25 Watts to 150 watts.
This should improve the community radio station’s coverage to many of the outlying areas of Newport.
Mac: International approval needed for power increase
Station Manager, Ian Mac, said,
“We applied to Ofcom in 2019 to increase our official service area to include many of the villages on the outskirts of Newport. They agreed to our request to do this by a power increase and issued a set of technical requirements for us to meet.
“As a coastal station, it was necessary to get international approval for our power increase and although this arrived earlier in the year, lockdown stopped us progressing any further for the time being.
“I am pleased to say that we have set Tuesday 18th August for the work to be carried out.”
Currie: Interruptions will be kept to a minimum
Director, Kelvin Currie, said,
“All being well we will have the new aerial and transmitter installed and tested during that day.
“There will inevitably be some interruptions to our FM Broadcasts whilst the upgrade is happening, but these will be kept to a minimum.”
Cherry-picker needed
Finally, Vectis Radio is asking if there are any organisations on the Island who could help them by providing a cherry-picker with a suitably qualified operator for a few hours that day.
If you can help, please email [email protected]
The technical stuff
For the technically minded, Vectis Radio currently broadcasts on 104.6 MHz with an Effective Radiated Power (ERP) of 25 watts, horizontally polarised. The upgrade will be to 150 watts ERP with circular polarisation. The new polarisation should enable optimal reception across the station’s increased service area.
