Ffestiniog transmitting station

Ffestiniog
Tower height 45 metres (148 ft)
Coordinates 52°56′02″N 3°55′19″W / 52.934°N 3.922°W / 52.934; -3.922Coordinates: 52°56′02″N 3°55′19″W / 52.934°N 3.922°W / 52.934; -3.922
Grid reference SH709391
Built 1969
BBC region BBC Wales (1967-1982)
ITV region HTV Wales

The Ffestiniog transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located on the slopes of Mynydd Maentwrog about 3 km south of the town of Llan Ffestiniog, in Gwynedd, Wales. It was originally built by the IBA, entering service in early 1969 acting as a BBC and ITV relay transmitter for the now-defunct 405-line VHF television system.

Specifications

The site has a self-standing 45 m (148 ft) lattice tower erected on land that is itself about 310 m above sea level. The television broadcasts primarily cover the towns of Ffestiniog, Blaenau Ffestiniog and the Vale of Ffestiniog in general.

625-line colour TV came to the site in the late 1970s.

The 405-line VHF television service closed across the UK in 1985, but according to the BBC's and ITV's transmitter list[1] and the BBC's internal "Eng. Inf." magazine,[2] Ffestiniog's 405 line services were due to close early - in the third quarter of 1982.

Ffestiniog currently broadcasts digital television and analogue FM radio.

Services listed by frequency

Analogue television

28 February 1969 - Late 1970s

The start date is for ITV service from the site. It is not clear when the BBC service commenced. The transmitter was classed as a relay of Blaenplwyf about 65 km to the south (for BBC) and as a relay of Preseli about 120 km to the south (for ITV). However, the line-of-sight to Preseli is obstructed about 10 km to the south of Ffestiniog, and it is likely that the signal feed was obtained by off-air reception of Arfon about 25 km to the west, itself a repeater of Preseli.

Frequency VHF kW Service
66.75 MHz 5H 0.05 BBC1 Wales
214.75 MHz 13V 0.1 HTV Wales

Late 1970s - Third Quarter 1982

Colour TV eventually arrived, with the site now additionally acting as a very indirect relay of Llanddona (about 30 km to the north) for the 625-line services, receiving its signal off-air from Llandecwyn, itself receiving a signal off-air from Arfon, which received its signal off-air from Llanddona itself.

Frequency VHF UHF kW Service
66.75 MHz 5H — 0.05 BBC1 Wales
214.75 MHz 13V — 0.1 HTV Wales
479.25 MHz — 22 1.2 BBC1 Wales
503.25 MHz — 25 1.2 HTV Wales
527.25 MHz — 28 1.2 BBC2 Wales

Third Quarter 1982 - 21 October 2009

Channel 4 launched across the UK on 1 November 1982. Being in Wales, Ffestiniog broadcast the S4C variant. 405-line television was discontinued (after a mere 13 years) at about the same time as this new service started up. For the next 27 years there were to be no changes to the television output at this site.

Frequency UHF kW Service
479.25 MHz 22 1.2 BBC1 Wales
503.25 MHz 25 1.2 HTV Wales
527.25 MHz 28 1.2 BBC2 Wales
559.25 MHz 32 1.2 S4C

Analogue and Digital Television

21 October 2009 - 18 November 2009

Digital switchover started at Llanddona and therefore at Ffestiniog and all its other relays. BBC 2 was closed down on channel 28 and ITV 1 was moved from channel 25 to channel 28 for its final three weeks of service. Mux A started up on the newly vacated channel 25 at full post-DSO power.

Frequency UHF kW Service System
479.25 MHz 22 1.2 BBC1 Wales PAL System I
506.000 MHz 25 0.24 BBC Mux A DVB-T
527.25 MHz 28 1.2 HTV Wales PAL System I
559.25 MHz 32 1.2 S4C PAL System I

Digital Television

18 November 2009- present

All the remaining analogue TV transmitters were shut down and the three multiplexes of Freeview Lite took over their frequencies, leaving channel 32 unused for now.

Frequency UHF kW Service
482.000 MHz 22 0.24 Digital 3&4
506.000 MHz 25 0.24 BBC Mux A
530.000 MHz 28 0.24 BBC Mux B

Analogue radio (FM VHF)

14 December 1992 - January 2012

For its FM radio services, Ffestiniog acts as an off-air relay of Blaenplwyf.

Frequency kW Service
88.1 MHz 0.1 Radio 2
90.3 MHz 0.1 Radio 3
92.5 MHz 0.1 Radio Cymru
97.7 MHz 0.1 Radio 1
103.5 MHz 0.1 Radio 4

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.pembers.freeserve.co.uk/405-Lines/Transmitters.gif
  2. ↑ http://www.bbceng.info/Eng_Inf/EngInf_4.pdf

External links

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