Arfon transmitting station
 | This article needs to beupdated.(May 2019) |
 | |
  Arfon  Llanddona | |
| Mast height | 317.4 m (1,041 ft) |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°01′11″N4°16′24″W/ 53.0197°N 4.2733°W |
| Grid reference | SH476493 |
| Built | 1962 |
| Relay of | Llanddona |
| BBC region | BBC Wales |
| ITV region | ITV Cymru Wales |
TheArfon transmitting stationis a facility forFM,DAB digital radioandtelevisiontransmission near the villages ofNeboandNasarethinGwynedd,northwesternWales(grid referenceSH476493). It includes a 308.5 m (1,012 ft)guyed mastwithantennasattached at various heights. The mast is surmounted by a television transmitting antenna, which brings the total height of the structure to 317.4 m (1,041 ft), making it the tallest structure in Wales.[1]It is owned and operated byArqiva.
History[edit]
The station was built by theITAin the early 1960s to provide a405-lineITVBand III(VHF) TV service for north west Wales. Unlike theBBC,which served the area fromLlanddona(on the island ofAnglesey), Arfon gave bettercoverageto some areas. The tower was completed in 1962 and began broadcasting on 9 November of that year.
In October 1975 the site became a medium powerUHFanaloguecolour televisionrelay of Llanddona, at the time carryingBBC One,BBC TwoandITV.S4Cwas added in 1982.
405-line TV was finally discontinued in the UK in 1985, but it appears that Arfon's VHF transmitters were decommissioned a year early in 1984 andthe transmitters themselves were reused for clinical radiotherapy.[citation needed]
More recently, Police and Ambulance communications have been added, in addition to mobile (cellular) telephone antennas. In 1993,Classic FMbegan using the site for FM coverage of north west Wales in preference to Llanddona (the BBC's regional FM site), partly due to a dispute over BBC charges for sharing fees of its transmitter masts and antennas, but more because Arfon, in conjunction with Great Orme's Head (nearLlandudno) gave Classic FM better coverage than the BBC sites.
On 16 November 1998, local commercial radio stationChampion 103launched from studios inBangorwith its transmitter at Arfon.
The mast had itsaircraft warning lightsreplaced in Summer 2006 to red lamps employing arrays of ultrabrightLEDs.
On 18 July 2006, national digital radio networkDigital Onebegan broadcasting from the station.
Coverage area[edit]
The primary television service area includes most of Anglesey and central parts of theLlŷn Peninsula,however many viewers in southDublinand northCounty Wicklowcan also receive Arfon's broadcasts. The radio service area is slightly larger, reaching further downCardigan BaytowardsTonfanaunearTywyn.[1]
Channels listed by frequency[edit]
Analogue television[edit]
9 November 1962 – October 1975[edit]
Initially, Arfon was a relay ofPreseli,receiving its 405-line VHF transmission off-air on channel 8 and rebroadcasting it on channel 10.
| Frequency | VHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 199.75MHz | 10 | 10 | HTV Wales(Teledu Cymruuntil 1968) |
October 1975 – 1 November 1982[edit]
With the coming of colour TV on 625 lines, Arfon acted as a relay of Llanddona, whilst continuing to relay Preseli's VHF transmission.
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 199.75MHz | 10 | — | 10 | HTV Wales |
| 631.25MHz | — | 41 | 3.6 | HTV Wales |
| 655.25MHz | — | 44 | 3.6 | BBC2 Wales |
| 711.25MHz | — | 51 | 3.6 | BBC1 Wales |
1 November 1982 – January 1984[edit]
1982 saw the rollout of the UK's 4th planned UHF television channel. As with all Welsh transmitters, Arfon was required to carryS4Cinstead ofChannel 4which is broadcast to the rest of the United Kingdom.
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 199.75MHz | 10 | — | 10 | HTV Wales |
| 631.25MHz | — | 41 | 3.6 | HTV Wales |
| 655.25MHz | — | 44 | 3.6 | BBC2 Wales |
| 679.25MHz | — | 47 | 3.6 | S4C |
| 711.25MHz | — | 51 | 3.6 | BBC1 Wales |
January 1984 – 21 October 2009[edit]
After 22 years of VHF television from this site, the service was discontinued in January 1984. On UHF, Arfon was destined only ever to transmit the originally-planned four of the eventual five analogueterrestrial televisionchannels.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 631.25MHz | 41 | 3.6 | ITV1 Wales(HTV Wales until 2002) |
| 655.25MHz | 44 | 3.6 | BBC Two Wales |
| 679.25MHz | 47 | 3.6 | S4C |
| 711.25MHz | 51 | 3.6 | BBC One Wales |
Analogue and digital television[edit]
21 October 2009 – 18 November 2009[edit]
There never was a pre-DSOdigital TV service from Arfon.
DSO for the repeaters ofLlanddonaoccurred between 21 October & 18 November 2009. In preparation for this, the transmitting antenna at the top of the Arfon mast was replaced in March 2008. This new antenna is slightly taller than the previous one, resulting in the mast's total height increasing to 317.4 metres (1,041 ft) from its previous height of 313.9 metres (1,030 ft).[1]
On 21 October, BBC2 Analogue was switched off, and ITV1 Wales took over its frequency for its final three weeks of service. BBC Mux A took over channel 41 that had just been vacated by ITV.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 634.166MHz | 41+ | 2 | BBCA | DVB-T |
| 655.25MHz | 44 | 3.6 | ITV1 Wales | PALSystem I |
| 679.25MHz | 47 | 3.6 | S4C | PAL System I |
| 711.25MHz | 51 | 3.6 | BBC One Wales | PAL System I |
Digital television[edit]
18 November 2009 – present[edit]
The analogue television transmissions from Arfon ceased and were replaced by digital transmissions. Unusually for the UK, the digital transmissions from this site are considerably more powerful than is usual practice considering the ERP of the analogue services that they replace.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 634.166MHz | 41+ | 2 | BBCA |
| 658.000MHz | 44 | 2 | Digital 3&4 |
| 682.000MHz | 47 | 2 | BBC B |
Analogue radio (FM VHF)[edit]
| Frequency | kW[2] | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 100.7MHz | 3.75 (H) 15 (V) |
Classic FM |
| 103.0 MHz | 2.5 | Capital Cymru |
| 107.2 MHz | 2.5 | Heart North and Mid Wales |
Digital radio (DAB)[edit]
| Frequency | Block | kW[2] | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 215.072 MHz | 10D | — | MuxCo North West Wales† |
| 222.064 MHz | 11D | 1.9 | Digital One |
| 225.648 MHz | 12B | 4 | BBC National DAB |
† MuxCo North west Wales is on this transmitter carrying both the Welsh language Capital Cymru and the English Capital North West & Wales. Also carries Smooth Radio, Nation Radio Wales and Dragon Radio.
See also[edit]
- Category:Transmitter sites in the United Kingdom
- List of masts
- List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain
- List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
References[edit]
- ^abGwynedd Council: Track & Trace Planning Applications: Application Details
- ^abRadio Listeners Guide 2010
External links[edit]
- MB21's page on 405 TV to Wales and the West
- 405 Alive's list of transmitters
- More details on 405-line ITV transmitters
- The Transmission Gallery: Photographs and Information
- The Transmission Gallery: Coverage Map
- http://skyscraperpage /diagrams/?b54126
- Arfon Transmitter at thebigtower
Transmitter sites inWales | |
|---|---|
| Transmitter stations | |
| Transmitter sites |
|
|---|---|
