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thebigtower |
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waltham |
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THE WALTHAM TRANSMITTER is the UHF main station that provides coverage to the East Midland counties. It is one of five main UHF transmitters serving the Midlands and amongst them it features the tallest transmission mast. (Read more here) It is located on the Leicestershire side of the border with Lincolnshire, on a site of low-to-medium elevation near the village of Waltham-On-The-Wolds, which is situated on the A607 between Melton Mowbray and Grantham. The station first came into operation on 31 August 1968, eighteen months later than originally scheduled (See THE COLLAPSE below) and initially broadcast BBC2 only before the addition of ITV and BBC1 transmitters in February and August 1970 respectively. It was one of the first transmitters to be used for sub-regional broadcasting, following the separation of ITV into West and East Midlands from 1 January 1982. It is also one of the few main UHF transmitters not to carry BBC National FM radio, due to the fact these services can be received across the East Midlands from either Peterborough, Belmont, Sutton Coldfield or Holme Moss. Local FM radio and national DAB are however broadcast from this site. |
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Aerials> Mast Base> Transmission Site (800x600 or 1024x768 version)> Supersize Portraits> UHF Map> Waltham Collapse |
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| UHF SERVICE AREA |
| Waltham's transmissions are intended to serve an approximate 30 mile radius principally covering Leicestershire, Rutland, South-West Lincolnshire and Central Nottinghamshire. However, due mainly to the low ground which prevails towards the east coast, it's signal can be received clearly across most of Lincolnshire and parts of North-West Norfolk (significantly overlapping with the Belmont transmitter) and also parts of North-West Suffolk and North Cambridgeshire (overlapping with Sandy Heath). (See UHF Coverage Map) |
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Aerials> Mast Base> Transmission Site (800x600 or 1024x768 version)> Supersize Portraits> UHF Map> Waltham Collapse |
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| Waltham's transmission mast is a cylindrical 'steel tube' structure which stands at a basic height of 290m (950ft) extending to an overall height of 315m (1032ft) with the addition of the UHF aerial array and surrounding fibre-glass (GRP) cylinder at the top. The structure is fitted with eight layer platforms on the exterior, with alternate platforms each marking the attachment points for three of the twelve stay lines that hold the mast in place. The lines are secured in pairs at ground level by a total of six anchoring blocks. The mast was the first of three cylindrical structures to be built for the BBC, all of which were constructed between 1966 and 1969 on sites built new for UHF transmission. The second structure, which is identical to the Waltham mast, is sited at Bilsdale whilst the third is located at Mendip. Together these three structures were the tallest built for the BBC, in the same way the cylindrical masts built at Belmont, Emley Moor and Winter Hill were the tallest constructed for the ITA. Prior to acquisition by Arqiva, Waltham and the two other BBC-built cylindrical structures remained the tallest under the ownership of Crown Castle UK and National Grid Wireless. |
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| Originally scheduled to come into operation in early 1967, the newly-built Waltham station suffered a major setback on 16 November 1966 when the near-completed mast collapsed due to a failure in one of the temporary stay fixtures, brought on by high winds. This dramatic event was eclipsed in March 1969 by the even more catastophic collapse of the 385-metre (1265-ft) ITA-built cylindrical mast at Emley Moor. The mast which stands today at Waltham is identical in design to it's ill-fated predecessor. The story of The Waltham Collapse as reported in the Melton Times can be read here. |
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Aerials> Mast Base> Transmission Site (800x600 or 1024x768 version)> Supersize Portraits> UHF Map> Waltham Collapse |
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| Transmission Site Images |
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(From Melton Times) |
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STATION SUMMARY |
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Location: |
Manor Farm, Waltham-On-The-Wolds, Leicestershire, LE14 4AH |
Grid Reference: |
SK809233 |
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Landlord: |
Arqiva (Legacy: BBC/Crown Castle/National Grid Wireless) |
Ground Height: |
133m |
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ITV Region: |
Carlton Central East Midlands |
Mast Height: |
290m |
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BBC Region: |
East Midlands |
Aerial Height: (*) |
429m |
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UHF Tx Number: |
11100 |
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(*) Average UHF aerial height above sea level (a.o.d) |
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TRANSMISSIONS SUMMARY |
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Analogue Television (Until 2011) |
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Analogue Radio (FM) |
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Service |
: Ch/Polarisation/e.r.p |
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Station: |
(MHz) |
(e.r.p) |
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BBC1 |
: 58 / H / 250kW |
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Saga: |
106.6 |
TBC |
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BBC2 |
: 64 / H / 250kW |
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ITV1 |
: 61 / H / 250kW |
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Ch4 |
: 54 / H / 250kW |
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Five |
: 35 / H / 250kW |
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Digital Television (Until 2011) |
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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 |
: 49 / H / 5kW |
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Digital One (Block 11D) |
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Mux2 |
: 23 / H / 4kW |
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Now Nottingham (Block 12A) |
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MuxA |
: 26 / H / 4kW |
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MuxB |
: 33 / H / 4kW |
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MuxC |
: 45 / H / 5kW |
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MuxD |
: 42 / H / 5kW |
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Other Cylindrical Masts |
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(North Yorkshire) |
(Somerset) |
(Lincolnshire) |
(Lancashire) |
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