Tacolneston transmitting station

The Tacolneston transmitting station is a facility for both analogue and digital VHF/FM radio and UHF television transmission near Tacolneston, 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Norwich, 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 transmitting antenna, 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)). The transmitter provides broadcast television and radio services to Norfolk and north Suffolk. However, northwestern parts of Norfolk including King's Lynn and Wells-next-the-Sea receive better TV signals from the Belmont TV transmitter situated in north Lincolnshire but the local relay transmitters in both towns receive signals from the Tacolneston transmitter. History Construction The station's original mast, built from early 1954, was 61 metres (200 ft) tall and first broadcast television transmissions, albeit temporarily, from 1 February 1955. 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. The BBC Light Programme was not available during this test phase, and there were warnings that the service would occasionally be interrupted for engineering reasons. The main structure was built by J. L. Eve Construction in August 1956, for the new BBC East region. The Peterborough BBC mast was the same height and shape as Tacolneston, built in October 1959, and carried BBC television, before Sandy Heath. In February 1958, the ITA was looking to put an Anglia transmitter, possibly at either Tacolneston, Snetterton, or Mendlesham in central Suffolk. Transmissions The station began broadcasting regular programmes from Norwich purely for East Anglian audiences on the Midlands Home Service from Tuesday 5 February 1957, and the transmitter went to full power for VHF from 6.35pm on Tuesday 30 April 1957. Regular television broadcasts began from Monday 8 October 1956. On 27 January 1957 the first regional television broadcast for East Anglia only was made, from Tacolneston itself, to publicise the VHF service. On Monday 9 June 1958 the TV transmission power was doubled. The transmission site is located at 52° 31' 3.9" North, 1° 8' 19.3" East (National Grid Reference: TM131958). In July 1989, it was reported that the transmitting station cost almost £500,000 a year to run. Arqiva (formerly National Grid Wireless) announced, on 6 August 2007, that they plan to replace the current 165 metres (541 ft) mast with a new 206.1 metres (676 ft) mast in order to ensure good digital TV reception across East Anglia after 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. Work was completed on the new structure in September 2013 and the old 165m mast was dismantled in 2014. Structure The current mast has an average height of 221 metres above sea level. It is now owned and operated by Arqiva, but was owned by the BBC before they privatised their transmission department prior to 1997. Radio services listed by frequency Analogue radio (FM VHF) Digital radio (DAB) Television services listed by frequency Digital television Digital transmissions became at least ten times stronger in power after the digital switchover (DSO), and their frequencies were reorganised. 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). Before switchover Analogue television Tacolneston switched to digital-only television transmissions in November 2011; analogue BBC Two transmissions ceased on 9 November, and two weeks later, on 23 November 2011, the other four analogue channels ceased analogue transmissions. See also List of masts List of tallest structures in the United Kingdom List of radio stations in the United Kingdom References External links The Transmission Gallery: photographs, coverage maps and information Tacolneston transmitter at TheBigTower.com