Tacolneston transmitting station
 165m (pre-DSO) mast at Tacolneston | |
  Tacolneston transmitting station (Norfolk) | |
| Location | Wymondham Road,Tacolneston,Norfolk |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°31′04″N1°08′20″E/ 52.517778°N 1.138889°E |
| Grid reference | TM131958 |
| Built | 1954, 1956 |
| BBC region | BBC East |
| ITV region | ITV Anglia |
| Local TV service | That's Norfolk |
| Digital switchover | 9 November 2011 / 23 November 2011 |
TheTacolneston transmitting stationis a facility for bothanalogueanddigitalVHF/FMradioandUHFtelevisiontransmissionnearTacolneston,11 miles (18 km) south-west ofNorwich,Norfolk,England.
It includes a 206.1 metres (676 ft) tall guyed steel lattice mast, which was built between 2009 and 2012, and previously a 149.0 metres (489 ft) tall guyed steel lattice mast, which was built in 1956 (completed in late September/early October that year). On top of the current mast is located the UHF television transmittingantenna,which brings the overall height of the structure to 206.1 metres (676 ft) (the overall height of the previous mast being 165.0 metres (541 ft)).[1]
The transmitter provides broadcast television and radio services toNorfolkand northSuffolk.However, northwestern parts of Norfolk includingKing's LynnandWells-next-the-Seareceive better TV signals from theBelmontTV transmitter situated in northLincolnshirebut the local relay transmitters in both towns are transmitted from the Tacolneston transmitter.[2][3]
History[edit]
Construction[edit]
The station's original mast, built from early 1954, was 61 metres (200 ft) tall and first broadcast television transmissions, albeit temporarily, from February 1955.[4]VHF (FM) radio broadcasts began on a test basis from 22 December 1956, in order to allow East Anglia to receive programmes on VHF over the Christmas period.[5]TheBBC Light Programmewas not available during this test phase, and there were warnings that the service would occasionally be interrupted for engineering reasons.[5]The main structure was built byJ. L. Eve Constructionaround 1956, for the newBBC Eastregion.
Transmissions[edit]
The station began broadcasting regular programmes from Norwich purely for East Anglian audiences on theMidlands Home Servicefrom Tuesday 5 February 1957,[6]and the transmitter went to full power for VHF from 6.35pm on Tuesday 30 April 1957.[7]
The transmission site is located at 52° 31' 3.9 "North, 1° 8' 19.3" East[8](National Grid Reference: TM131958[9]). In July 1989, it was reported that the transmitting station cost almost £500,000 a year to run.[10]
The current mast has an average height of 221 metres above sea level.[11]It is now owned and operated byArqiva,but was owned by theBBCbefore they privatised their transmission department prior to 1997.
Arqiva(formerly National Grid Wireless) announced, on 6 August 2007,[12][13]that they plan to replace the current 165 metres (541 ft) mast with a new 206.1 metres (676 ft)[1]mast in order to ensure good digital TV reception acrossEast Angliaafter digital switchover, which took place in the area in November 2011. Arqiva also plan to replace the original transmitter hall at this site as it has now reached the end of its useful life.[14][15]Work has been completed on the new structure, and for the moment there will be three structures (two masts and a lattice tower) on the site. The old 165m mast is expected to start being dismantled in 2013.
Radio services listed by frequency[edit]
Analogue radio (FM VHF)[edit]
| Frequency (MHz) | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 89.7 | 125 (V) + 125 (H) | BBC Radio 2 |
| 91.9 | 125 (V) + 125 (H) | BBC Radio 3 |
| 94.1 | 125 (V) + 125 (H) | BBC Radio 4 |
| 99.3 | 125 (V) + 125 (H) | BBC Radio 1 |
| 101.5 | 125 (V) + 125 (H) | Classic FM |
Digital radio (DAB)[edit]
| Frequency (MHz) | Block | kW[16] | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 218.640 | 11D | 1.4 | Digital One |
| 225.648 | 12B | 5 | BBC National DAB |
Television services listed by frequency[edit]
Digital television[edit]
Digital transmissions became at least ten times stronger in power after the digital switchover (DSO), and their frequencies were reorganised.[17]
| Frequency (MHz) | UHF | kW | Operator | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 618.000MHz | 39 | 100 | Arqiva B | DVB-T |
| 626.000MHz | 40 | 100 | BBC A | DVB-T |
| 642.000MHz | 42 | 100 | SDN | DVB-T |
| 650.000MHz | 43 | 100 | D3+4 | DVB-T |
| 666.000MHz | 45 | 100 | Arqiva A | DVB-T |
| 674.000MHz | 46 | 100 | BBC B | DVB-T2 |
At Tacolneston, extra HD muxes are being broadcast on UHF 55 and UHF 56, along with a local TV service (That's Norfolk) using an interleaved frequency on UHF 32 (QPSK 8K 3/4 8.0 Mbit/s).
| Frequency (MHz) | UHF | kW | Operator | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 562.000MHz | 32 | 10 | LNR | DVB-T |
| 746.000MHz | 55 | 18 | Com 7 | DVB-T2 |
Before switchover[edit]
| Frequency (MHz) | UHF | kW[18] | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 730.166MHz | 53+ | 5 | SDN(Mux A) |
| 769.833MHz | 58- | 5 | BBC(Mux B) |
| 786.000MHz | 60 | 10 | Digital 3&4(Mux 2) |
| 794.000MHz | 61 | 5 | Arqiva(Mux C) |
| 810.000MHz | 63 | 10 | BBC (Mux 1) |
| 818.000MHz | 64 | 5 | Arqiva (Mux D) |
Analogue television[edit]
Tacolneston switched to digital-only television transmissions in November 2011;[19]analogueBBC Twotransmissions ceased on 9 November, and two weeks later, on 23 November 2011,[19]the other four analogue channels ceased analogue transmissions.
| Frequency (MHz) | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 719.25MHz | 52 | 4 | Channel 5 |
| 743.25MHz | 55 | 250 | BBC2 East |
| 775.25MHz | 59 | 250 | Anglia |
| 799.25MHz | 62 | 250 | BBC1 East |
| 823.25MHz | 65 | 250 | Channel 4 |
See also[edit]
- List of masts
- List of tallest structures in the United Kingdom
- List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
References[edit]
- ^abSouth Norfolk District Council planning application, January 2008
- ^"Freeview Light on the Kings Lynn (Norfolk, England) transmitter".UK Free TV.1 May 2004.Retrieved28 November2023.
- ^"Freeview Light on the Wells next the Sea (Norfolk, England) transmitter".UK Free TV.1 May 2004.Retrieved28 November2023.
- ^"Eastern Daily Press". Eastern Counties Newspapers (Archant). 15 August 1997.
- ^ab"East Anglia has VHF for Christmas".Eastern Daily Press.Eastern Counties Newspapers.22 December 1956. p. 5.
- ^"TV and Radio - Clumsy Drama".Eastern Daily Press.Eastern Counties Newspapers.6 February 1957. p. 5.
On the radio, the first special VHF programme for East Anglia only was presented from 6.35 to 6.45.
- ^"Eastern Daily Press". Eastern Counties Newspapers. 1 May 1957.
- ^"Zoom Earth".Zoom Earth, formerlyFlash Earth.Neave.Retrieved12 July2016.
- ^Television Transmitting Stations Handbook.BBC&ITC.January 1994.
- ^"Eastern Daily Press". Eastern Counties Newspapers (Archant). 11 July 1989. p. 9.
- ^Civil Aviation Authority."Radar Vector Areas in UK Airspace"(PDF).p. 22. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 18 December 2004.Retrieved29 November2006.
- ^"Eastern Evening News".Retrieved17 August2007.
- ^"Eastern Daily Press". Archant Newspapers. 7 August 2007.
- ^"MB21 Transmission Gallery (News)".Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2007.Retrieved17 August2007.
- ^"Internet Archive (MB21 Transmission Gallery News)".Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2007.Retrieved2 January2010.
- ^Radio Listeners Guide 2010
- ^"Ofcom - DSO Transmitter Details: Anglia Region"(PDF).Retrieved30 September2010.
- ^Television Viewers guide 2009
- ^ab"Digital UK - Tacolneston".Retrieved30 September2010.