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BBC Radio RBS Tests 2024
In the early hours of Wednesday 23rd October the BBC will run their yearly of their ReBroadcast Standby system for 2024.
The line feed to all of the FM network transmitters except Wrotham will be cut at times between 0200 and 0400 and test signals and tones will be played instead. These tones will travel from transmitter to transmitter across the country, with each main transmitter picking up a signal from a nearby neighbour and rebroadcasting it outward for other main transmitters (including their onward relays) to hear.
On this page we'll feature some audio clips of these tests from various locations across the country courtesy of OARC members, as well as tracking the quality of the received signal as it moves up through the chain.
Software
SDR++ (lightweight, open source): https://www.sdrpp.org/
SDR Console (has more features, including scheduled recording mode): https://www.sdr-radio.com/console
Notes for scanning/recording
Easy mode: pick a single frequency, listen in WFM mode, record audio between 02:00 and 04:00, or leave it going all night and check it in the morning.
If you want to get a bit more technical and monitor more frequencies you'll want to record a baseband of a section of the FM Broadcast band.
Info here soon
Map
Map of receiver locations (and maybe TX locations) here.