Technical performance of long chains of u.h.f. television broadcast transmitters

The u.h.f. colour-television transmission networks of the IBA and BBC have expanded considerably in the last few years, to the point where 97% of the population is now covered. In some areas, because of topographical difficulties, the signal may have to pass through several main or relay stations before it is received by the viewer. This paper considers the particular problems of transmission equipment and the technical performance of main and relay stations; it also gives examples of the predicted performance of typical transmission chains using a computer program developed by the IBA. The paper concludes by suggesting that the terminal station performance may in future be predicted more accurately using statistical data.