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[renluop]

Don't want to intrude on this erudite conversation, but trying to understand at least something. I found this while browsing. Perhaps it may contribute?

[burakkucat]

I found this while browsing. Perhaps it may contribute?

Looks interesting, thank you.

[Weaver]

@renluop - now that is really useful, thanks very much

[Weaver]

@burakkucat - the wonders of Google street view. Good man!

You've found the correct telephone poles, at road level and house level! In the pic, you see, as you said, a really enormous tree. My house is high up, to the right of that big tree as viewed from the cattle grid where the pic was taken from. From the high level telephone pole, there is a fairly short horizontal run for the three lines into the house at first-floor level into the window of my office (that I used when I was well).

So in fact because you are (relatively) so low down, my house is off to the right above the frame of that shot.

To get a better view, you can walk ahead to the point where the road falls then rises substantially, you can see the house well if you spin round 160° to your right.

[burakkucat]

Instructions followed (as best as Google Street View would allow) and another glimpse was obtained between the trees . . .

[Weaver]

You must have wrist-ache after that long, exhausting walk from Broadford.

[Weaver]

I've discovered exactly where the Broadford (NSBFD) Telephone Exchange is. Looking at the Big Church in the centre of Broadford, near the Petrol Station, on the left next door to to the church is a fairly small public toilets building with a brown wooden door. To the left of that is -

- a mysterious building with a traditional tiled roof, no windows, and no obvious door at the front. It's set back a little way so that there's off-street parking for your big Openreach van. It is hopefully a small fortress, a happy home for all those EO lines 

Psychic camouflage, the number of times I must have walked past it without noticing this true hub of tech that powers my very life.

[burakkucat]

Looking in my 1977 editions of the List of Exchanges (Part 1 -- the red book & Part 2 -- the green book), they tell me that, back then, Broadford was a Unit Automatic Exchange type 13, with facilities for subscribers to use the 999 service and dial their own STD calls. It served 55 businesses and 185 residences. Its parent exchange, from whence all operator services were provided, was Kyle and that was described as a non-Director crossbar exchange type 1 with an auto-manual board. There were 70 businesses and 134 residences served by the latter exchange and it had facilities for subscribers to use the 999 service and dial their own STD calls.

Both Broadford and Kyle were listed as part of the Aberdeen & North of Scotland Telephone Area, Scottish Board.

I suspect that nowadays the Broadford and Kyle exchanges are just remote concentrators for some far-away System X exchange. Maybe Aberdeen? 

[burakkucat]

I've discovered exactly where the Broadford (NSBFD) Telephone Exchange is. Looking at the Big Church in the centre of Broadford, near the Petrol Station, on the left next door to to the church is a fairly small public toilets building with a brown wooden door. To the left of that is -

- a mysterious building with a traditional tiled roof, no windows, and no obvious door at the front. It's set back a little way so that there's off-street parking for your big Openreach van.

It is a traditional style of building for what was a UAX13, with ventilation louvres for the diesel engined emergency power generating set and a side window & door. I suspect that the power generating set has long been removed and what few equipment racks that now exist each have their own trickle-charged batteries. (No longer a big central battery set.)

Looking closely from either side, we can see that a flat-roofed extension has been built behind the original building. I would guess that there is more empty space than equipment contained within!

[Weaver]

Another very basic question.

Where do the copper paths and any fibre cables physically go to get into / out of the NSBFD exchange? * Really basic stuff like what is buried where? * What is fibre and want is Cu?

* I presume there are some EO lines? * I'm wondering what happened to cables immediately exiting the exchange that are heading for a cab?

* Where does the fibre optical cable go (physically) that plays the main role of backhaul ?

Just trying to get a physical picture of where things are what fibre vs what is metallic path and where things are buried ducted etc? How does BT gain access to the conductors and optics in Broadford?

[Black Sheep]

Another very basic question.

Where do the copper paths and any fibre cables physically go to get into / out of the NSBFD exchange? * Really basic stuff like what is buried where? * What is fibre and want is Cu?

* I presume there are some EO lines? * I'm wondering what happened to cables immediately exiting the exchange that are heading for a cab?

* Where does the fibre optical cable go (physically) that plays the main role of backhaul ?

Just trying to get a physical picture of where things are what fibre vs what is metallic path and where things are buried ducted etc? How does BT gain access to the conductors and optics in Broadford?

All MPF's (Copper/Ali) are presented on a MDF (Main Distribution Frame). Basically an ironwork frame with labelled blocks to identify the circuit we are working on.
The fibre cables go to a separate part of the building and are presented in lockable cabinets for their engineers to access.

Bothe sets of cables leave all Exchanges the same way ...... through a below ground cable chamber, through the external Exchange man-hole, and then on their way to whatever destination has been planned for them. In urban environment, this will be by ducts with man-holes/joint-boxes at various stages where a mechanical cable joint is required.
In rural environments, and a lot of 1960'70's housing schemes, the cable will be DIG (Direct-In-Ground).

Where do fibre optic cables go ? That's too open-ended to answer, I'm afraid ?? Years ago around my area, they would put various fibre 'Loops' in so that if anyone (normally businesses) wanted fibre BB, they simply tapped into the 'Loop' at the nearest point to the EU.
But I suppose it depends on how near to the Exchange the EU is, the fibre could leave the Exchange and go direct to the premises ?? There's also the fibres that make up the FTTC project.

Both Fibre and MPF go through the same man-holes/joint boxes ............ the fibre cable however will be blown in through a separately installed sub-duct (Basically, a duct within a duct).

Hope this helps in some small way ?? 

[Black Sheep]

I've discovered exactly where the Broadford (NSBFD) Telephone Exchange is. Looking at the Big Church in the centre of Broadford, near the Petrol Station, on the left next door to to the church is a fairly small public toilets building with a brown wooden door. To the left of that is -

- a mysterious building with a traditional tiled roof, no windows, and no obvious door at the front. It's set back a little way so that there's off-street parking for your big Openreach van.

It is a traditional style of building for what was a UAX13, with ventilation louvres for the diesel engined emergency power generating set and a side window & door. I suspect that the power generating set has long been removed and what few equipment racks that now exist each have their own trickle-charged batteries. (No longer a big central battery set.)

Looking closely from either side, we can see that a flat-roofed extension has been built behind the original building. I would guess that there is more empty space than equipment contained within!

As always, you suspect correctly, Mr Cat. 

In all Exchanges, including the 'Unmanned Automated eXchange mentioned here, the large, open wet-cells that were required to a) Take the Exchange load until the generator set had got to running speed, and b) Again take the load for a required minimum 1hr period, should the Genny set fail ............ have all been replaced with the miniscule in comparison Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) batteries. Each one is slightly larger than a car battery.

Indeed, once the old Strowger, Crossbar, TXE telephony systems had been removed, vast swathes of space were left. But, and what a joy it was ...... also gone were the heat and noise !! Heaven.

[licquorice]

I have to say UAX 13s never had a diesel generator, they relied totally on mains and battery power. Diesel generators were introduced when they were replaced by TXE2s in the seventies and eighties.

[Black Sheep]

Good info Licquorice ...... alas, I didn't start on BT until the mid-eighties on 'Power & BES', so that's all I ever knew. 

[licquorice]

Found a picture online of the typical batteries.