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Above: The twin masts at Tacolneston in May 2010. Enlarged Landscapes
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thebigtower |
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tacolneston |
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Above: The twin masts at Tacolneston in May 2010. Enlarged Landscapes |
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THE TACOLNESTON TRANSMITTER is the main station for UHF and BBC FM radio across Norfolk, sited approximately ten miles south-west of the county city of Norwich. It is the primary UHF main station within East Anglia and in this capacity its functions include the distribution of programme feed to the region's other UHF main stations at Sandy Heath (Bedfordshire) and Sudbury. The station came into operation in early 1955, initially broadcasting BBC 405-line television on VHF Band I. BBC National FM Radio has been provided from here since 1957 and UHF television since 1967. (See TimeLine for more) There is no adjacent transmitter site of Independent Television Authority (ITA) origin as the ITA located their main 405-line transmitter for East Anglia at Mendlesham in Suffolk. PRONUNCIATION |
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Tacolneston is pronounced 'Tacolston', the 'ne' being silent. |
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Aerials (1)> Aerials (2)> Site & Plates> Supersize Images> Enlarged Landscapes> BBC Crest> UHF Map> TimeLine |
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| UHF COVERAGE |
| The UHF range of Tacolneston is approximately 25-30 miles in radius and covers most of Norfolk, the main exception being the area around North-West Norfolk and The Wash which receives television pictures from the Belmont transmitter. FM COVERAGE |
| BBC National FM transmissions from Tacolneston cover most of Norfolk and Suffolk, the North-West Norfolk coastal area again being the notable exception. The Manningtree transmitter also serves some parts of Suffolk as well as North Essex whilst the Peterborough transmitter covers the region's main western counties of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. |
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Original Mast |
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New mast |
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| Above: May 2010. Enlarged Landscapes |
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| ANALOGUE POWER |
Tacolneston currently delivers a maximum Effective Radiated Power (ERP) of 250 kilowatts (both UHF and VHF) and therefore unusually for a primary UHF main station it is not the most powerful transmitter within its region, the UHF transmitters at Sandy Heath being the highest-powered at 1000 kilowatts. |
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| Above: January 2010. Enlarged Landscapes |
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There are three Tacolneston-dependent relays in the North-West Norfolk area that provide only a BBC1 and ITV1 service. Sited at Burnham, Kings Lynn and Wells-next-the-Sea, these were built by the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to provide viewers around North-West Norfolk and The Wash with the option of reverting back to East Anglia regional coverage, thereby resolving the anomaly created by the reallocation of the Belmont transmitter from the Anglia to Yorkshire region in 1974. |
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| Above: January 2010. Enlarged Landscapes |
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STRUCTURES AND DIGITAL SWITCHOVER WORKS |
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There are two structures in service on the Tacolneston site, the main broadcast mast and a 60 metre (200-ft) self-supporting tower, the latter being constructed in 1998 to provide additional space to support commercial tenant services. The main mast meanwhile is a square-cross-section lattice stayed structure which stands at a basic height of 147 metres (482-ft) with the surmounting UHF antenna extending the overall height to 165 metres (541-ft). However, to support the transmission aerial system required for Digital Switchover, the existing main mast is being completely replaced by a higher structure. The new mast is 191-metre (627-ft) high with the main UHF aerial extending the overall height to 206-metre (675-ft). This is being constructed to the north of the existing mast at the far rear of the site. Two other ex-BBC sites (Divis and Rowridge) as well as two ex-ITA/IBA sites (Black Hill and Caldbeck) are also undergoing full mast replacement for Digital Switchover. Like these other sites, the principal requirement of additional height for the post-DSO aerial system is something that cannot be achieved safely at Tacolneston by extending the existing structure. Construction of the new mast at Tacolneston commenced in Autumn 2009 with a view to completion in time for the switchover at this site which is currently scheduled to complete on 30 June 2011. As of May 2010, the new mast was standing at the full UHF aerial-inclusive height of 206 metres (675-ft) with the twelve-tier cylindrical reserve aerial now also installed. |
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Aerials (1)> Aerials (2)> Site & Plates> Supersize Images> Enlarged Landscapes> BBC Crest> UHF Map> TimeLine |
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Above: June 2009. Enlarged Landscapes |
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STATION HISTORY |
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Tacolneston was the first permanent television transmitter facility to be established within East Anglia. It was constructed under the second phase of BBC 405-line transmitters, based on medium-power installations designed to serve populated areas around major cities not covered by the initial batch of high-power stations. This second phase of BBC Television transmitters also included the stations at Divis, Meldrum, North Hessary Tor, Pontop Pike, Rowridge and Sandale. The BBC tentatively planned Tacolneston as their first VHF Band III station, due to the fact that Band I was already becoming overcrowded in the UK and neighbouring countries. However, this plan had to be abandoned once Band III was allocated to ITV and Tacolneston was instead slotted into Band I Channel 3. Visit TACOLNESTON TIMELINE for more historical information. |
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Aerials (1)> Aerials (2)> Site & Plates> Supersize Images> Enlarged Landscapes> BBC Crest> UHF Map> TimeLine |
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| Above: June 2009. Enlarged Landscapes |
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SITE INFORMATION |
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Location: |
High Park Wood, New Road, Tacolneston, NR16 1DW |
Grid Reference: |
TM131958 |
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Landlord: |
Arqiva (Legacy: BBC/Crown Castle/NGW) |
Ground Height: |
70m |
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ITV Region: |
Anglia |
Mast Height: |
147m |
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BBC Region: |
East |
Aerial Height: (*) |
221m |
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UHF Tx Number: |
11400 |
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(*) Average UHF aerial height above sea level (a.o.d) |
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CURRENT TRANSMISSIONS |
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Analogue Television |
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Analogue Radio (FM) |
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Service |
: Ch/Polarisation/e.r.p |
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Service: |
(MHz) |
(e.r.p) |
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BBC1 |
: 62 / H / 250kW |
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BBC Radio 1: |
99.3 |
250kW |
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BBC2 |
: 55 / H / 250kW |
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BBC Radio 2: |
89.7 |
250kW |
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ITV1 |
: 59 / H / 250kW |
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BBC Radio 3: |
91.9 |
250kW |
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Ch4 |
: 65 / H / 250kW |
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BBC Radio 4: |
94.1 |
250kW |
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Five |
: 52 / H / 4kW |
Classic FM: |
101.5 |
250kW |
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Digital Television |
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Digital Radio |
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Service |
: Ch/Polarisation/e.r.p |
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BBC National (Block 12B) |
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Mux1 |
: 63 / H / 10kW |
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Digital One (Block 11D) |
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Mux2 |
: 60 / H / 10kW |
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MuxA |
: 53 / H / 5kW |
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MuxB |
: 58 / H / 5kW |
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MuxC |
: 61 / H / 5kW |
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MuxD |
: 64 / H / 5kW |
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