Allouis

Allouis
The church in Allouis The church in Allouis
Allouis
Location within Centre region Allouis
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Cher
Arrondissement	Vierzon
Canton	Mehun-sur-Yèvre
Intercommunality	Terres d'Yèvre
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Alain Deshoulières
Area1	35.59 km2 (13.74 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	927
• Density	26/km2 (67/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	18005 / 18500
Elevation	126–129 m (413–423 ft) (avg. 129 m or 423 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Allouis is a commune in the Cher department of the Centre region of France.

Geography

An area of lakes, woods and farming comprising the village and several hamlets, situated in the valley of the river Yèvre, some 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Bourges at the junction of the D20, D79 and the D122 roads.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1962	610	—
1968	551	−9.7%
1975	562	+2.0%
1982	639	+13.7%
1990	706	+10.5%
1999	771	+9.2%
2008	927	+20.2%

Places of interest

• The church of St.Germain, dating from the eleventh century.
• A megalith, the “Pierre de Lu”.
• Traces of a fifteenth-century fortified house.
• The chapel of St.Jean.
• The château les Fontaines.
• The radio mast.

Transmission facility

Main article: Allouis longwave transmitter

Since 1939, the town of Allouis has housed the central transmitter station for long and short wave broadcasts of French national radio France Inter. In 1944, retreating German troops destroyed its four-latticed mast antenna system which was used in conjunction with the existing 900 kilowatt(kW) transmitter.

On 19 October 1952 a new long wave transmitter with an output of 250 kW was put into service at Allouis. It featured three special prism aerials, which were suspended between steel framework mastsat a height of 308 meters. Transmitting power was increased to 600 kW in 1957, to 1,000 kW in 1974 and to 2,000 kW in 1981. The system attains its full transmitting potential during daylight hours. The antenna system underwent extensive conversion in 1974.

The prism aerials were removed and antenna masts were increased to a height of 350 meters. In addition, a second 350-meter high mast was built to provide better coverage within France. Since 1977, the Allouis transmitter not only broadcasts France Inter radio programs, but also transmits standard time signals for AMDS. Wave frequencies are generated on the basis of an atomic clock located in the transmitter station and serves for calibration frequency purposes.

See also

• Communes of the Cher department

References

• INSEE

External links

• Allouis on the Quid website (French)
• Installation of ALLISS modules at the TDF SW relay station