<html><head></head><body style="zoom: 0%;"><div dir="auto">I think it's worth doing as reference. Data can be pulled out later for other projects? <br><br></div>
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<div class="gmail_quote" >On 1 Jan 2021, at 11:45, Dan Glover <<a href="mailto:dan@dgsys.co.uk" target="_blank">dan@dgsys.co.uk</a>> wrote:<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<pre class="blue">On 2021-01-01 09:59, Robert Hanwell via Talk-GB wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 1ex 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid #729fcf; padding-left: 1ex;"> Ok thanks. I'm thinking updating this into the points on the map.<br> <br> <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Telecom_microwave_network">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Telecom_microwave_network</a><br> <br> But as it's probably no current would you still mark it on the map?<br></blockquote><br>This is timely, since it's a new year and time to look at things I <br>didn't finish last year...<br><br>Quite a lot of data on currently licenced microwave links is available <br>from Ofcom - though under what terms I can't remember right now. I will <br>go and find out. It is used to compile this map <br><a href="https://carte-fh.lafibre.info//index.php?zone=uk">https://carte-fh.lafibre.info//index.php?zone=uk</a><br><br>The problem with the historical Post Office/BT sites is where to draw <br>the line. That Wikipedia article is far from comprehensive and includes <br>schemes which were either experimental, sites long since gone, or <br>proposals - not all of the "Backbone" network was actually built due to <br>changes in requirements.<br><br>As it happens I have been (very slowly) researching the history of the <br>PO/BT network and have a work-in-progress site with what I have found so <br>far. Underneath it is a database of what I consider to be the main sites <br>but my criteria for inclusion/exclusion are a bit arbitrary. The <br>locations have been compiled mainly by using aerial photos once the <br>general locations were identified. Very few have actually been visited <br>by me and none have been independently surveyed.<br><br>99% of the "legacy" sites are still used either as mobile phone base <br>stations, inter-exchange linking or for third party links (including for <br>mobile phone networks). So the problem becomes whether to include all <br>the currently active end-points for the BT licences, or just the <br>historical core sites, or start adding everything, everywhere (pun not <br>entirely unintentional). A lot may depend on the terms accompanying the <br>Ofcom data. I know it suffers from the usual problems: much was compiled <br>using 6-digit NGRs, but some has been done to greater precision <br>resulting in the appearance of two sites near each other which are <br>actually the same, etc. A handful of sites have been redeveloped.<br><br>At the moment the presentation of the pages relating to individual sites <br>and routes is all over the place because various things have been tried <br>and abandoned at different stages. In particular I decided to migrate <br>from Google maps to OSM at quite a late stage and haven't yet gone back <br>to finish that aspect. However, warts and all, it can be viewed from <br><a href="http://dgsys.co.uk/btmicrowave">http://dgsys.co.uk/btmicrowave</a>/<br><br>Happy to discuss further: 2021 is hopefully the year when I will <br>"finish" the project...there is probably not much more archive material <br>to be found, though I am starting to get "oral history" from those <br>involved.<br><br><br>Dan<br><br></pre></blockquote></div></body></html>