thebigtower |
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blaenplwyf |
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Above: A distant view of the Blaenplwyf mast towards the south taken from the heights of Aberystwyth. |
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THE BLAENPLWYF TRANSMITTER is the UHF and BBC FM/DAB main station that serves the Cardigan Bay area on the western coastline of Wales. Within its service area, the main population base is around the coastal resort town of Aberystwyth which the mast overlooks from its high position about four miles to the south. It is one of the six established main UHF transmitter sites in Wales (See also: Carmel, Llanddona, Moel-y-Parc, Presely and Wenvoe) and has a history dating back to the first decade of the national BBC 405-line transmitter network. TRANSMISSION STRUCTURE |
Blaenplywf transmits services from a 150.5 metre (494-ft) triangular cross-section lattice stayed mast. This is supported by nine stay lines which anchor to three single-line inner stay blocks and three dual-line outer stay blocks. The current mast dates from 1987 when it replaced the original 1957 structure. The main reason indicated for this was the FM radio upgrade to mixed polarised transmission, although all other such mast replacements took place at earlier BBC sites where the original FM Band II aerial 'cylindrical-slot' section was an integral component of the main structure and impossible to re-engineer. The fact that the current mast is not the original structure is made apparent by (a) the triangular cross-section design (all BBC masts from the 1950s around the 150 metre height were all square-cross section) and (b) the displaced positioning of the mast away from the main building area. (See Site/Station Building Images) |
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PRONUNCIATION |
The widely recognised pronunciation for the transmitting station name is 'Bline-Ploo-Wee'. However, this seemingly derives from the alternative spelling 'Blaenplwy' or 'Blaen-plwy' that was used in early BBC documentation and it was certainly reported in the local press that the BBC had obtained formal permission to use this spellling variant simply for ease of pronunciation. Based on the correct spelling, the location pronunciation is 'Bline-Ploo-Wyv' (Click this external link for a voice pronunciation) The alternative spelling is referred to in this BBC Research and Development document from 1955. However, the written use of this alternate spelling seems to have been abandoned by the time the station was fully operational, as indicated in this BBC Research and Development document from 1958 and in subsequent BBC publications. Despite the alternative spelling usage being quickly discontinued in print, the pronunciation seemingly based on it has remained. |
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Blaenplwyf was originally constructed by the BBC to provide their 405-line VHF Band I television and VHF Band II FM radio services to the Cardigan Bay area of West Wales. The opening of the station was tentatively planned for 1955 but, as with many of the stations that preceded it, lack of resources (principally transmission units and steel for the mast - the latter being a national shortage issue) lead to repeated postponements. The progress of the station was regularly reported in the local press, with several items referring to the possible acquisition of the temporary transmitting station at Truleigh Hill (near Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex) as a means of launching a provisional service. It was hoped these facilities would be available for redeployment in June 1956 once Rowridge became operational at full power, but in the event they had to remain at Truleigh Hill indefinitely in continued support of Rowridge. Although no other television transmitter units were available at this point, the BBC were by now able to deploy a temporary mast and transmission facilities to provide a much demanded improvement in FM coverage for the Welsh Home Service, albeit at reduced power. Based on this, Blaenplwyf came into provisional operation on 14 October 1956. Construction of the permanent station and 152 metre (500-ft) mast proceeded during the winter of 1956/1957 with a view to opening in the following Spring. After two weeks of television test transmission commencing 15 April 1957, the official opening of the permanent station took place on 29 April 1957, formally marking the extension of transmissions to BBC Television (VHF Channel 3) whilst the existing Welsh Home Service was upgraded to full power from the permanent mast and joined by the Light and Third Programmes. The opening of the permanent station marked the first major expansion of BBC VHF Television and Radio coverage in Wales since the first Welsh transmitter at Wenvoe became operational at full power in December 1952. The next significant development for the BBC VHF transmitter network in Wales was the opening of the Llanddona and Llangollen transmitters in December 1958, which combined with Blaenplwyf to provide BBC National FM radio coverage across the north and north-west coast of Wales. |
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STATION INFORMATION |
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Location: |
Blaenplwyf, nr Aberystwyth, Ceredigion |
Grid Reference: |
SN569756 |
Landlord: |
Arqiva (Legacy: BBC/Crown Castle UK/NGW) |
Ground Height: |
172.2m |
BBC Region: |
Wales |
Mast Height: |
150.5m |
ITV1 Region: |
Wales |
Aerial Height (*): |
334m |
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UHF Tx Number: |
13500 |
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(*) Average UHF aerial height above sea level (a.o.d) |
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CURRENT TRANSMISSIONS |
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Digital Television |
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Analogue Radio (FM) |
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Mux |
: Ch/Polarisation/e.r.p |
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Station: |
(MHz) |
(e.r.p) |
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PSB1 |
: 27 / H / 40kW |
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BBC Radio 1: |
98.3 |
250kW |
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PSB2 |
: 24 / H / 40kW |
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BBC Radio 2: |
88.7 |
250kW |
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PSB3 |
: 21 / H / 40kW |
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BBC Radio 3: |
90.9 |
250kW |
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COM4 |
: 25 / H / 10kW |
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BBC Radio 4: |
94.1 |
250kW |
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COM5 |
: 22 / H / 10kW |
BBC Radio Cymru: |
93.1 |
250kW |
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COM6 |
: 28 / H / 10kW |
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BBC Radio Wales: |
95.3 |
120kW |
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Classis FM: |
101.1 |
10kW |
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Digital Radio |
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Radio Ceredigion: |
103.3 |
5.8kW |
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Heart FM (North Wales): |
107.7 |
12.5kW |
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BBC National (Block 12B) |
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Digital One (Block 11D) |
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PRE-DIGITAL SWITCHOVER UHF TRANSMISSIONS |
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(Shutdown completed 10 March 2010) |
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Analogue Television |
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Digital Television |
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Service |
Ch/Polar/e.r.p |
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Service |
Ch/Polar/e.r.p |
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BBC1 |
: 31 / H / 100kW |
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Mux1 |
: 28 / H / 2.0kW |
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BBC2 |
: 27 / H / 100kW |
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Mux2 |
: 22 / H / 2.0kW |
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ITV1 |
: 24 / H / 100kW |
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MuxA |
: 25 / H / 2.0kW |
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S4C |
: 21 / H / 100kW |
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MuxB |
: 32 / H / 2.0kW |
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CH5 |
: 56 / H / 4kW |
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MuxC |
: 29 / H / 1.0kW |
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MuxD |
: 33 / H / 1.0kW |
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