Mendlesham transmitting station
Encyclopedia
The Mendlesham transmitting station is a broadcasting
and telecommunications facility, situated close to the village of Mendlesham
, near the town of Stowmarket
, in Suffolk
, United Kingdom
(Grid Reference: TM123640). It is owned and operated by Arqiva
.
It has a 305.4 m (1002 ft) high guyed 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 other Independent Television Authority
stations.
It was originally commissioned to bring ITV signals (provided by Anglia Television
) to East Anglia
, including Norfolk
, Suffolk
and parts of Essex
and Cambridgeshire
on 405-line
VHF, using Channel 11 (Band III
).
When UHF television came to East Anglia, main transmitters were commissioned at Tacolneston, near Norwich
and Sudbury
, near Colchester
. 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 (renamed Kiss 105-108
in 2006), on 106.4 MHz VHF FM
at a power of 20 kW. Vibe FM launched November 1997. Later in December 2001, national digital radio multiplex
Digital One
also added its antennas to the mast. The BBC National DAB Multiplex was added on 13th July 2010.
Analogue Radio (VHF FM
Digital radio (DAB
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 close to the village of Mendlesham
Mendlesham
Mendlesham, Suffolk is a small village with 1328 inhabitants, north east of Stowmarket and from LondonMendlesham is known for its large street fair which is held on every May Day bank holiday. Mendlesham has a popular community newsletter, and a good primary school. There are two public houses in...
, near the town of Stowmarket
Stowmarket
-See also:* Stowmarket Town F.C.* Stowmarket High School-External links:* * * * *...
, in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(Grid Reference: TM123640). 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...
.
It has a 305.4 m (1002 ft) high guyed 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 other Independent Television Authority
Independent Television Authority
The 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...
stations.
It was originally commissioned to bring ITV signals (provided by Anglia Television
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
) to East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, including Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and parts of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
on 405-line
405-line
The 405-line monochrome analogue television broadcasting system was the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting....
VHF, using Channel 11 (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 television came to East Anglia, main transmitters were commissioned at Tacolneston, near Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
and Sudbury
Sudbury Transmitter
The Sudbury transmitting station is a facility for telecommunications and broadcastingtransmission at Sudbury, England. It consists of two guyed masts, one, the original, being 138m high, and a second mast . They have antennas attached at various heights. It is situated 14 miles WSW of Ipswich at a...
, near Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
. 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 (renamed Kiss 105-108
Kiss 105-108
Kiss 105-108 is the East of England's regional radio station broadcast from Reflection House, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, broadcasting dance music and R'n'B across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and North Essex....
in 2006), on 106.4 MHz VHF FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
at a power of 20 kW. Vibe FM launched November 1997. Later in December 2001, national digital radio multiplex
Multiplexing
The multiplexed signal is transmitted over a communication channel, which may be a physical transmission medium. The multiplexing divides the capacity of the low-level communication channel into several higher-level logical channels, one for each message signal or data stream to be transferred...
Digital One
Digital One
Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covers more than 90% of the populationfrom a total of 137 transmitters...
also added its antennas to the mast. The BBC National DAB Multiplex was added on 13th July 2010.
Analogue Radio (VHF 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...
)
| Frequency | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 106.4 MHz | 20 | Kiss 105-108 Kiss 105-108 Kiss 105-108 is the East of England's regional radio station broadcast from Reflection House, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, broadcasting dance music and R'n'B across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and North Essex.... |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 222.06 MHz | 11D | 1 | Digital One Digital One Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covers more than 90% of the populationfrom a total of 137 transmitters... |
| 225.648 MHz | 12B | 4.3 | BBC National DAB |
See also
- List of masts
- List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain
- List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
External links
- Mendlesham entry at The Transmission Gallery
- Mast location on MultiMap.com
- http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b61326
- Mendlesham Transmitter at thebigtower.com
- Confirmation of addition of BBC DAB Multiplex, July 2010