Mendlesham transmitting station
  Mendlesham transmitting station (Suffolk) | |
| Location | Mendlesham,Stowmarket,Suffolk |
|---|---|
| Mast height | 305.4 metres (1,002 ft) |
| Coordinates | 52°14′04″N1°06′27″E/ 52.234444°N 1.1075°E |
| Grid reference | TM123640 |
| Built | 1959 |
| ITV region | Anglia Television(1959-1985) |
TheMendlesham transmitting stationis abroadcastingandtelecommunicationsfacility, situated close to the village ofMendlesham,near the town ofStowmarket,inSuffolk,United Kingdom(grid referenceTM123640). It is owned and operated byArqiva.
It has a 305.4 metres (1,002 ft) highguyed steel lattice mast.Constructed in 1959, it came into service on 27 October of that year. It was at the time the highest television mast to be constructed in Europe and the first of six of the same height subsequently used at otherIndependent Television Authoritystations. It was fabricated in Hereford from zinc-galvanised steel, and was erected by British Insulated Callender's Construction Co. (BICC), now known asBalfour Beatty.
It was originally commissioned to bring ITV signals (provided byAnglia Television) toEast Anglia,includingNorfolk,Suffolkand parts ofEssexandCambridgeshireon405-lineVHF,using Channel 11 (Band III).
WhenUHFtelevision came to East Anglia, main transmitters were commissioned atTacolneston,nearNorwichandSudbury,nearColchester.Mendlesham was not required in the UHF plan, so when 405 line television was discontinued in the UK in 1985, the mast ceased to be used for any broadcast transmissions for over a decade.
However, in 1997, the site was chosen to be a main transmitter for new regional commercial radio station Vibe FM (renamedKiss 105-108in 2006), on 106.4 MHzVHFFMat a power of 20 kW. Vibe FM launched November 1997. Later in December 2001, nationaldigital radiomultiplexDigital Onealso added its antennas to the mast. TheBBC National DABMultiplex was added on 13 July 2010.
Channels listed by frequency[edit]
Analogue radio (VHF FM)[edit]
| Frequency | kW[1] | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 106.4 MHz | 20 | Greatest Hits Radio Ipswich & Suffolk |
Digital radio (DAB)[edit]
| Frequency | Block | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 222.064 MHz | 11D | 1 | Digital One[2] |
| 225.648 MHz | 12B | 4.3 | BBC National DAB[3] |
Analogue television[edit]
VHF analogue television was transmitted from Mendlesham from its launch in 1959 until the nationwide shutdown of VHF signals in 1985.
| Frequency | VHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 204.75MHz | 11 | 200 | Anglia |
See also[edit]
- List of masts
- List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain
- List of radio stations in the United Kingdom