I tried to visit the former Radio Clyde transmitter at Dechmont Hill
this morning. At first I thought it would be easy, like Droitwich
dominating the skyline for miles around. When I got off the train, I
assumed I could follow the crowds, but there were none. I looked for
the tourist office but could not find it. I thought the locals must
know but no-one seemed to know about the transmitter despite it having
been there since 1973. One woman said it could be seen from the golf
club. I could not find Cafe 261 let alone Cafe 1152 (or even the
Amplitude Cafe). Eventually, I managed to find the transmitter in the
distance after the rain started.

My questions are:
1) Is this transmitter likely to be demolished now that Greatest Hits
Radio Glasgow and the West has ceased AM transmissions or will it be
kept in reserve for any purpose?
2) Is it likely to be an explosive demolition, like Daventry?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGFO-ShonEU

On 19/12/2023 21:57, Scott wrote:
> I tried to visit the former Radio Clyde transmitter at Dechmont Hill
> this morning. At first I thought it would be easy, like Droitwich
> dominating the skyline for miles around. When I got off the train, I
> assumed I could follow the crowds, but there were none. I looked for
> the tourist office but could not find it. I thought the locals must
> know but no-one seemed to know about the transmitter despite it having
> been there since 1973. One woman said it could be seen from the golf
> club. I could not find Cafe 261 let alone Cafe 1152 (or even the
> Amplitude Cafe). Eventually, I managed to find the transmitter in the
> distance after the rain started.

:-)

>
> My questions are:
> 1) Is this transmitter likely to be demolished now that Greatest Hits
> Radio Glasgow and the West has ceased AM transmissions or will it be
> kept in reserve for any purpose?

It's unlikely to be of any future use, and will probably be removed.
That said, I think its cousin Ashton Moss in Manchester, which closed
its 1152 kHz service a couple of years ago, still has the 4 mast array
standing proud (Though the site is still used for another service, from
a separate single mast)

http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/gallerypage.php?txid=1497

> 2) Is it likely to be an explosive demolition, like Daventry?
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGFO-ShonEU

Maybe, or maybe they will just get the vandals that demolished one of
the masts in the 1980s, using nothing more than a hacksaw back to do the
job properly !

On 19/12/2023 21:57, Scott wrote:
> I tried to visit the former Radio Clyde transmitter at Dechmont Hill
> this morning. At first I thought it would be easy, like Droitwich
> dominating the skyline for miles around. When I got off the train, I
> assumed I could follow the crowds, but there were none.

for some reason i'm not surprised that there were not crowds.

Am 19.12.2023 um 21:57:05 Uhr schrieb Scott:

> 1) Is this transmitter likely to be demolished now that Greatest Hits
> Radio Glasgow and the West has ceased AM transmissions or will it be
> kept in reserve for any purpose?

Like other sites not in use, I think it will be demolished.
For most broadcasters, medium wave has no future.

Maybe they use the mast for other purposes like mounting cellular
network antennas.

On 22/12/2023 07:18, Marco Moock wrote:
> Am 19.12.2023 um 21:57:05 Uhr schrieb Scott:
>
>> 1) Is this transmitter likely to be demolished now that Greatest Hits
>> Radio Glasgow and the West has ceased AM transmissions or will it be
>> kept in reserve for any purpose?
>
> Like other sites not in use, I think it will be demolished.
> For most broadcasters, medium wave has no future.
>
> Maybe they use the mast for other purposes like mounting cellular
> network antennas.
>
The masts at Dechmont are pretty flimsy, they can't support things like
cellular antennas

On 22/12/2023 09:02, Mark Carver wrote:
> On 22/12/2023 07:18, Marco Moock wrote:
>> Am 19.12.2023 um 21:57:05 Uhr schrieb Scott:
>>
>>> 1)  Is this transmitter likely to be demolished now that Greatest Hits
>>> Radio Glasgow and the West has ceased AM transmissions or will it be
>>> kept in reserve for any purpose?
>>
>> Like other sites not in use, I think it will be demolished.
>> For most broadcasters, medium wave has no future.
>>
>> Maybe they use the mast for other purposes like mounting cellular
>> network antennas.
>>
> The masts at Dechmont are pretty flimsy, they can't support things like
> cellular antennas

Could they be hanging on to the site in case they might want to use in
the future?

It is a lot easier to get permission to replace existing masts than
build a new site after the old one was cleared?

On Fri, 22 Dec 2023 09:02:49 +0000, Mark Carver <mark@invalid.com>
wrote:

>On 22/12/2023 07:18, Marco Moock wrote:
>> Am 19.12.2023 um 21:57:05 Uhr schrieb Scott:
>>
>>> 1) Is this transmitter likely to be demolished now that Greatest Hits
>>> Radio Glasgow and the West has ceased AM transmissions or will it be
>>> kept in reserve for any purpose?
>>
>> Like other sites not in use, I think it will be demolished.
>> For most broadcasters, medium wave has no future.
>>
>> Maybe they use the mast for other purposes like mounting cellular
>> network antennas.
>>
>The masts at Dechmont are pretty flimsy, they can't support things like
>cellular antennas

I am planning to drive there next week and will take a closer look
(but not a hacksaw).