Black Mountain transmitting station
Encyclopedia
The Black Mountain transmitting station is a broadcasting
and telecommunications facility, situated on land 301 metres (987 ft) above Ordnance Datum
(mean sea level
) to the west of the city of Belfast
, in Northern Ireland
. It includes a guyed steel lattice mast which is 228.6 metres (750 ft) http://tx.mb21.co.uk/info/sitedata/index.asp in height. The height of the top of the structure above mean sea level is 529 metres (1,737 ft). It is owned and operated by Arqiva
.
, north as far as Ballymena
, south as far as Downpatrick
and Newry
, and west past Dungannon
and Cookstown
.
Radio stations City Beat
and U105
have a more restricted coverage area, including areas around Greater Belfast, up to Carrickfergus
, Antrim
, and the shore of Lough Neagh
.
The low power UHF TV relay is only designed to cover areas of Belfast not already covered by Divis.
This channel will close in 2012 with the digital transmissions coming from the nearby Divis transmitter.
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
and telecommunications facility, situated on land 301 metres (987 ft) above Ordnance Datum
Ordnance Datum
In the British Isles, an Ordnance Datum or OD is a vertical datum used by an ordnance survey as the basis for deriving altitudes on maps. A spot height may be expressed as AOD for "above ordnance datum". Usually mean sea level is used for the datum...
(mean sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
) to the west of the city of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It includes a guyed steel lattice mast which is 228.6 metres (750 ft) http://tx.mb21.co.uk/info/sitedata/index.asp in height. The height of the top of the structure above mean sea level is 529 metres (1,737 ft). It is owned and operated by Arqiva
Arqiva
Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless...
.
History
- 1959: The station is commissioned by the Independent Television AuthorityIndependent Television AuthorityThe Independent Television Authority was an agency created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" , the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom...
to transmit ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
signals (provided by Ulster TelevisionUTVUTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
) on 405-line405-lineThe 405-line monochrome analogue television broadcasting system was the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting....
VHF, using Channel 9 (Band III) on high power. Service commences on 1 October. - 1970: UHF 625-line PALPALPAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
colour TV begins at high power from the adjacent Divis transmitting stationDivisDivis is a large mountain and area of sprawling moorland to the north-west of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The mountain is 478 m tall, making it the highest of the Belfast Hills...
. - 1975: A low power UHF filler service begins, designed to cover districts close to the station that cannot pick up Divis.
- 1976: FMFrequency modulationIn telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
commercial radio station Downtown RadioDowntown RadioDowntown Radio is an Adult Contemporary music radio station based in Newtownards, County Down, that serves all of Northern Ireland using a network of FM and AM transmitters.- History :...
(later Cool FMCool FM97.4 Cool FM is a commercial radio station, based in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, owned and operated by Bauer Radio and part of the Big City Network. The station began broadcasting in 1990 when its parent station Downtown Radio ceased simulcasting and split its AM and FM frequencies into two...
) starts transmissions. - 1985: VHF 405-line405-lineThe 405-line monochrome analogue television broadcasting system was the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting....
television is discontinued in the UK, having been replaced by the UHF service. The VHF service from Black Mountain closes. - 1990: FM commercial radio station BCR (later City BeatBelfast CityBeatBelfast CityBeat is a two-time Arqiva 'Station Of The Year' and multi-Sony Award winning Northern Irish radio station. It broadcasts to Greater Belfast on 96.7 MHz FM and on DAB Digital Radio across all of Northern Ireland. From 5 April 2007, Citybeat became available on 102.5FM for North Belfast,...
) begins on 96.7 MHz on 6th April. - 1997: Analogue transmissions of Channel 5 begin at high power.
- 2001: DAB Digital Radio transmissions start from Score Northern Ireland on block 12D on 6 September.
- 2005: FM station U105U105U105 is a Belfast based radio station, providing a mix of music and speech as well as hourly news bulletins. It is owned by UTV Radio and was launched at 6am on Monday 14 November 2005....
begins on 105.8 MHz on 14 November.
Coverage
For high power UHF television of Channel 5, and Cool FM, coverage includes most of central and eastern UlsterUlster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
, north as far as Ballymena
Ballymena
Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....
, south as far as Downpatrick
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...
and Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, and west past Dungannon
Dungannon
Dungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time...
and Cookstown
Cookstown
Cookstown may refer to either of the following:*Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland*Cookstown, Ontario, Canada*Cookstown, New Jersey, United States...
.
Radio stations City Beat
Belfast CityBeat
Belfast CityBeat is a two-time Arqiva 'Station Of The Year' and multi-Sony Award winning Northern Irish radio station. It broadcasts to Greater Belfast on 96.7 MHz FM and on DAB Digital Radio across all of Northern Ireland. From 5 April 2007, Citybeat became available on 102.5FM for North Belfast,...
and U105
U105
U105 is a Belfast based radio station, providing a mix of music and speech as well as hourly news bulletins. It is owned by UTV Radio and was launched at 6am on Monday 14 November 2005....
have a more restricted coverage area, including areas around Greater Belfast, up to Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...
, Antrim
Antrim, County Antrim
Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council...
, and the shore of Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh, sometimes Loch Neagh, is a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. Its name comes .-Geography:With an area of , it is the largest lake in the British Isles and ranks among the forty largest lakes of Europe. Located twenty miles to the west of Belfast, it is approximately twenty...
.
The low power UHF TV relay is only designed to cover areas of Belfast not already covered by Divis.
Analogue radio
| Frequency | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 96.7 MHz | 0.55 | Belfast CityBeat Belfast CityBeat Belfast CityBeat is a two-time Arqiva 'Station Of The Year' and multi-Sony Award winning Northern Irish radio station. It broadcasts to Greater Belfast on 96.7 MHz FM and on DAB Digital Radio across all of Northern Ireland. From 5 April 2007, Citybeat became available on 102.5FM for North Belfast,... |
| 97.4 MHZ | 3.2 | Cool FM Cool FM 97.4 Cool FM is a commercial radio station, based in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, owned and operated by Bauer Radio and part of the Big City Network. The station began broadcasting in 1990 when its parent station Downtown Radio ceased simulcasting and split its AM and FM frequencies into two... |
| 105.8 MHz | 0.96 | U105 U105 U105 is a Belfast based radio station, providing a mix of music and speech as well as hourly news bulletins. It is owned by UTV Radio and was launched at 6am on Monday 14 November 2005.... |
Digital radio
| Frequency | Block | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 229.072 MHz | 12D | 7 | Score Northern Ireland Score Northern Ireland Bauer Northern Ireland is a DAB digital radio multiplex broadcasting to Northern Ireland. The multiplex is now operated by Bauer Radio, having originally been awarded to the Scottish Radio Holdings unit Score Digital; SRH was sold to Emap, who were in turn subsequently purchased by Bauer.Aside... |
Analogue television
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 599.25 MHz | 37 | 1.1 | Channel 5 |
This channel will close in 2012 with the digital transmissions coming from the nearby Divis transmitter.
See also
- List of masts
- List of tallest buildings and structures in the United Kingdom
- List of radio stations in the United Kingdom