The Unusual Club of the FBK

This talk-presentation on LA1ASK, by Peter Ebsworth, LB0K & G8CBK, was about the history of broadcasting around the city of Bergen and especially of the transmitting site at Erdal. The first MW AM TX was thrown up in a part of the city, then finally moved to a site giving coverage to the city centre and to the westerly coastal area. Having been shut down in 1978 its ‘rescue’ from demolition was partly due to a member of the Bergen Group of NRRL. A number of members from this group are now some of those providing guidance and research into the history of the installation. These people keep an eye on the buildings and contents in return for using the building as a clubhouse. The Telefunken TX itself is still untouched, and in situ, it is a good illustration of the efforts put into glorifying technological advances still in the 20s and 30s. The Marconi transmitter is also still in place in the basement. One of the remits we have is to continue broadcasting from the site, as a museum activity and to keep a (national) presence on the Medium Waves, this is fulfilled on the two frequencies of 1314 and 1611KHz. We are now using more modern FET based transmitters. We also have the concession for 830KHz, and are active on FM 93.8MHz with another concession.

(Hosted by Warrington ARC, with Bury Radio Society)