Croydon Transmitter
Encyclopedia
The Croydon transmitting station (also known as the NTL
Tower) is a broadcasting
and telecommunications facility located on Beulah Hill in Upper Norwood
, London
, England
, in the London Borough of Croydon
, owned by Arqiva
. It was founded in 1955 and initially used a small lattice tower. The tower present on the site today is 152 metres (499 ft) high and was built in 1962.
The Croydon Transmitter was originally used to broadcast the London ITV
signal on VHF Band III
. When UHF
broadcasting began the nearby Crystal Palace Transmitter
was used. VHF television was discontinued in 1985, and the Croydon Transmitter was not used again for regular TV broadcasting until 1997, when a new directional
UHF antenna, designed to avoid interference with continental
transmitters, was installed to carry the newly-launched Channel 5 in the London area. It still carries Channel 5's analogue signal, although its digital terrestrial service uses Crystal Palace. Croydon also has reserve transmitters for BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1 and Channel 4, but these are only used in the event of engineering works or a failure at Crystal Palace. When the digital switchover occurs in April 2012, no television signals will be broadcast from Croydon, but will still be used as a backup for Crystal Palace.
The site is also a maintenance base for transmitter teams and previously used to house one of four Regional Operations Centres or ROCs.
Analogue radio (FM
† Backup for Crystal Palace.
Digital radio (DAB
† Backup for Crystal Palace.
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...
Tower) is a broadcasting
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 located on Beulah Hill in Upper Norwood
Upper Norwood
Upper Norwood is an elevated area in south London, England within the postcode SE19. It is a residential district largely in the London Borough of Croydon although some parts extend into the London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Bromley. Upper Norwood...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in the London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
, owned 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...
. It was founded in 1955 and initially used a small lattice tower. The tower present on the site today is 152 metres (499 ft) high and was built in 1962.
The Croydon Transmitter was originally used to broadcast the London ITV
ITV
ITV 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...
signal on VHF Band III
Band III
Band III is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band III ranges from 174 to 230 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting...
. When UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
broadcasting began the nearby Crystal Palace Transmitter
Crystal Palace Transmitter
The Crystal Palace transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications site in the Crystal Palace area of the London Borough of Bromley, England .Its tower is the third-tallest structure in London...
was used. VHF television was discontinued in 1985, and the Croydon Transmitter was not used again for regular TV broadcasting until 1997, when a new directional
Directional antenna
A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates greater power in one or more directions allowing for increased performance on transmit and receive and reduced interference from unwanted sources....
UHF antenna, designed to avoid interference with continental
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
transmitters, was installed to carry the newly-launched Channel 5 in the London area. It still carries Channel 5's analogue signal, although its digital terrestrial service uses Crystal Palace. Croydon also has reserve transmitters for BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1 and Channel 4, but these are only used in the event of engineering works or a failure at Crystal Palace. When the digital switchover occurs in April 2012, no television signals will be broadcast from Croydon, but will still be used as a backup for Crystal Palace.
The site is also a maintenance base for transmitter teams and previously used to house one of four Regional Operations Centres or ROCs.
Analogue radio (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...
VHF)
| Frequency | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 94.9 MHz | N/A | BBC Radio London† |
| 95.8 MHz | 4 | Capital FM |
| 97.3 MHz | 4 | LBC LBC 97.3 LBC 97.3 is a London-based talk and phone-in radio station. It is one half of the latest incarnation of LBC, the news and speech service which was Britain's first commercial radio station when it went on air in October 1973... |
| 100.0 MHz | 4 | Kiss 100 Kiss 100 London Kiss is a UK radio station broadcasting on FM and Digital Radio, specialising in hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music. It also broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio around the UK & nationally on Freeview, Sky and TalkTalk TV... |
| 102.2 MHz | 4 | Smooth FM 102.2 Smooth FM 102.2 Smooth FM was an Independent Local Radio station for Greater London. It replaced 102.2 Jazz FM on the 7 June 2005 at 10am, with the help of R&B singer Lemar and the then breakfast show host Jon Scragg... |
| 105.4 MHz | 4 | Magic |
| 106.2 MHz | 4 | Heart Heart 106.2 Heart 106.2 is an Independent Local Radio station based in London and is owned by Global Radio as part of the Heart Network.On 25 June 2007 it was announced that Heart along with its sister stations The Arrow, Sky News Radio, LBC and Galaxy were to be sold for £170 million to Global Radio from... |
† Backup for Crystal Palace.
Digital radio (DABDigital audio broadcastingDigital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
)
| Frequency | Block | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 218.640 MHz | 11B | 2.5 | DRG London DRG London DRG London is a Digital Audio Broadcasting multiplex available in the London area that has been broadcasting since January 2002. It is also referred to as the Greater London 3 multiplex... |
| 227.360 MHz | 12C | 5 | CE London CE London CE London is a Digital Audio Broadcasting multiplex available in the London area and has been broadcasting since May 2000. It is also referred to as the Greater London 1 multiplex... |
Analogue television
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 487.25 MHz | 23 | N/A | ITV1 ITV1 ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their... † |
| 511.25 MHz | 26 | N/A | BBC One BBC One BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution... † |
| 543.25 MHz | 30 | N/A | Channel 4 Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel... † |
| 567.25 MHz | 33 | N/A | BBC Two BBC Two BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio... † |
| 599.25 MHz | 37 | 1000 | Channel 5 |
† Backup for Crystal Palace.
See also
- Wrotham TransmitterWrotham TransmitterThe Wrotham Transmitting Station is located on the North Downs, close to the village of Wrotham in Kent, England and just north of the M20 motorway. Its National Grid Reference is...
, Brookmans Park TransmitterBrookmans Park TransmitterThe Brookmans Park transmitting station is a facility for medium wave broadcasting north of London . The station was built by the BBC as the first of a network of regional dual transmitter stations, replacing the city based ones used previously, and this was to cover the Home Counties, London and...
and Droitwich AM transmitterDroitwich AM transmitterThe Droitwich transmitting station is a large broadcasting facility for longwave and mediumwave transmissions, established in 1934 in the civil parish of Dodderhill, just outside the village of Wychbold, which is near Droitwich, Worcestershire, England...
for the main radio transmitters serving London on VHF, mediumwaveMediumwaveMedium wave is the part of the medium frequency radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. For Europe the MW band ranges from 526.5 kHz to 1606.5 kHz...
and longwaveLongwaveIn radio, longwave refers to parts of radio spectrum with relatively long wavelengths. The term is a historic one dating from the early 20th century, when the radio spectrum was considered to consist of long, medium and short wavelengths...
respectively. - List of towers
- List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain