Caradon Hill transmitting station

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Caradon Hill transmitter towers

The Caradon Hill transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility on Bodmin Moor in the civil parish of Linkinhorne, located in Caradon, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is 6 km north of Liskeard, and 1.25 km south-east of Minions, the highest village in Cornwall (grid reference SX273707). Built in 1961, the station has a 228 metre guyed mast. The average height for the television antennas is 580 m above sea level. The site has two smaller towers used for telecommunications and a wireless internet signal. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

The South Caradon Copper Mine, 1 km to the SW of the transmitter, was the largest copper mine in the UK in its heyday, 150 years ago. Many other copper, tin and granite mines are scattered around the base of the hill.

1 History
2 Coverage
3 Channels listed by frequency
4 External links
5 See also

[edit] History

The station was built in 1961 by the Independent Television Authority to bring ITV to South West England for the first time. Inaugural broadcasts were from the ITV franchise holder for the area, Westward Television. 405-line monochrome transmissions were on channel 12, Band III VHF. The station was also the first in the area to broadcast television using Band III.

In 1969 it was chosen to become a main station in the new colour UHF television network, broadcasting BBC One, BBC Two and Westward Television. Both the UHF and VHF services continued in tandem until 1985, when VHF television was discontinued in the UK.

In 1992 Caradon Hill (along with Redruth) was chosen as the site of the first commercial radio broadcasts in Cornwall, with Pirate FM taking to the air on 11 March of that year.

[edit] Coverage

Caradon Hill covers east and central Cornwall, from Truro and Falmouth in the west to Plymouth and Bude in the east. It also reaches into west Devon, as far as Barnstaple, Okehampton and Salcombe.

[edit] Channels listed by frequency

Main mast and base station

Analogue Radio (FM VHF)
- 95.2 MHz - BBC Radio Cornwall
- 102.2 MHz - Pirate FM
- 105.1 MHz - Atlantic FM

Digital Radio multiplexes (DAB)
- 218.64 MHz (Block 11B) - NOW Cornwall
- 222.06 MHz (Block 11D) - Digital One
- 225.65 MHz (Block 12B) - BBC

Analogue Television (ERP 500 kW)
- UHF 22 - BBC One
- UHF 25 - ITV1
- UHF 28 - BBC Two
- UHF 32 - Channel 4

Digital Television
- UHF 21 - Multiplex B BBC ERP 4 kW
- UHF 24 - Multiplex C National Grid Wireless ERP 4 kW
- UHF 27 - Multiplex D National Grid Wireless ERP 4 kW
- UHF 31 - Multiplex 2 ITV and CH4 transmitted by Digital 3 and 4 ERP 4 kW
- UHF 34 - Multiplex 1 BBC ERP 5 kW
- UHF 48 - Multiplex A SDN ERP 4 kW