Belmont transmitting station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Belmont | |
 Tallest Structure in the UK and EU |
|
| Height | 385 metres (1,263 ft) |
|---|---|
| Built | 1965 |
| BBC Region | BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire |
| ITV Region | ITV Yorkshire (ITV Anglia 1965-1974) |
The Belmont transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, situated next to the B1225, one mile west of the village of Donington on Bain, near Market Rasen and Louth in Lincolnshire, England (grid reference TF217837). It is owned and operated by Arqiva. It includes a guyed tubular steel mast, which is with a height of 1,265 feet (385 m) not only the tallest structure in the United Kingdom, but also in the European Union. It may be also the tallest tubular guyed mast in the world.
Contents |
[edit] History
Constructed in 1965, it came into service on December 20 of that year. (An identical mast was constructed in 1964 at Emley Moor near Huddersfield in Yorkshire, but that mast collapsed due to guy failure caused by icing and high winds on March 19, 1969.)
In 1967 meteorological equipment was added to the mast extending its height to 1,272 ft (388 m).
From its location, high in the Lincolnshire Wolds, it is used to broadcast both analogue and digital television and radio to parts of Lincolnshire, north Nottinghamshire, eastern South Yorkshire, north-west Norfolk, Hull and East Yorkshire. When it was first operated it transmitted (amongst others) pictures from Independent Television station Anglia Television. Following a re-organisation of ITV coverage in 1972, from 1974 it started transmitting pictures from neighbouring station Yorkshire Television instead, which it continues to do to this day.
[edit] Transmitter power
At 500 kW E.R.P. (for the four main analogue channels) Belmont is one of the most powerful transmitters in the UK. Channel 5 is only broadcast at 50 kW and digital at 10 kW (Multiplex 1, 2, A, B) and 4 kW (Multiplex C, D) although this level of digital power is theoretically equal to 500 kW on analogue in terms of the received carrier to noise ratio required to give a "perfect" picture. After digital switchover Belmont's digital transmitting power will rise to 50 kW (for MUX4), 100kW (for MUXES 5 & 6) and 150kW (for MUXES 1 to 3)[1].
[edit] Channels listed by frequency
[edit] Analogue radio (FM VHF)
- 88.8 MHz - BBC Radio 2
- 90.9 MHz - BBC Radio 3
- 93.1 MHz - BBC Radio 4
- 94.9 MHz - BBC Radio Lincolnshire
- 98.3 MHz - BBC Radio 1
- 100.5 MHz - Classic FM
- 102.2 MHz - Lincs FM
[edit] Digital radio (DAB)
- Block 11D: 222.06 MHz - Digital One
- Block 12A: 223.93 MHz - MXR Yorkshire
- Block 12B: 225.64 MHz - BBC
[edit] Analogue television
- UHF 22 (479.25 MHz) - BBC One Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
- UHF 25 (503.25 MHz) - ITV1 Yorkshire
- UHF 28 (527.25 MHz) - BBC Two
- UHF 32 (559.25 MHz) - Channel 4
- UHF 56 (751.25 MHz) - Five
[edit] Digital television
- UHF 30 (546 MHz) - Multiplex 1 - BBC
- UHF 48 (690 MHz) - Multiplex 2 - Digital 3&4
- UHF 57 (762 MHz) - Multiplex D - National Grid Wireless
- UHF 60 (786 MHz) - Multiplex C - National Grid Wireless
- UHF 66 (834 MHz) - Multiplex B - BBC
- UHF 68 (850 MHz) - Multiplex A - S4C Digital Networks
Details of all the muxes can be found at [1]
[edit] Digital switchover
In July 2007 it was confirmed by Ofcom that Belmont would be remaining a wideband transmitter after digital switchover, though the first four - of the six - MUXES would still be available within the original A group. The switchover will occur at the Belmont site in July 2011, the existing analogue and digital signals will be turned off and replaced with higher power digital signals, the channels for these signals will be:
- UHF 22 - BBC A - Previously Multiplex 1
- UHF 25 - D3&4 - Previously Multiplex 2
- UHF 28 - SDN - Previously Multiplex B
- UHF 30 - BBC B - Previously Multiplex A
- UHF 53 - NGW A - Previously Multiplex C
- UHF 60 - NGW B - Previously Multiplex D
[edit] References
[edit] See also
- List of masts
- List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain
- List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
[edit] External links
- The Transmission Gallery: Belmont index.
- Info and pictures of Belmont.
- Skyscraperpage plan of Belmont
- Belmont TV Mast in the Structurae database
- Pictures
- Google Maps
- Live Maps
