The Wrekin transmitting station
Broadcasting facility in Shropshire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wrekin transmitting station is a telecommunications and broadcasting facility on The Wrekin, a hill in the county of Shropshire, England. It includes a 52 metres (171 ft) tall free-standing lattice tower with transmitting antennas attached at various heights. The DTT transmitting arrays add about another 10m to this. It broadcasts digital television, alongside digital and FM (analogue) radio. The station was first proposed in 1966. As The Wrekin is a local beauty spot, many objections had to be overcome and alternative sites analysed before planning consent was given. The transmitter opened in 1975.[1] The building is semi-underground and the tower stands on its roof.
The tower and antennas | |
Location within Shropshire | |
| Location | Telford, Shropshire, England |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 52 metres (171 ft) |
| Coordinates | 52.671050°N 2.549788°W |
| Grid reference | SJ628082 |
| Built | 1975 |
| BBC region | BBC West Midlands |
| ITV region | ITV Central |
Television
The Wrekin serves a large part of North and Mid Shropshire including the towns of Shrewsbury, Telford and Oswestry.
This transmitter has 4 local relays: Buckhall, Clun, Coalbrookdale and Halesowen.[2]
Digital
Before switchover
Unlike analogue television, The Wrekin had a sub-transmission site, also known as The Wrekin B, designed to serve the east of the region, to fill areas in which the main transmitter didn't broadcast into. This was necessary due to co-channel interference issues with Moel-y-Parc, on channels 42, 45 and 49 (see external links). After digital switchover, the frequencies serving the east of the region were removed for compromise frequencies that has better reception in all areas of the region.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 474.000 MHz | 21 | 2 | BBC (Mux 1) |
| 498.166 MHz | 24+ | 2 | SDN (Mux A) |
| 522.166 MHz | 27+ | 2 | BBC (Mux B) |
| 554.000 MHz | 31 | 2 | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) |
| 618.166 MHz | 39+† | 2 | BBC (Mux 1) |
| 642.000 MHz | 42† | 2 | SDN (Mux A) |
| 666.000 MHz | 45† | 2 | BBC (Mux B) |
| 698.000 MHz | 49† | 2 | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) |
| 730.000 MHz | 53 | 1 | Arqiva (Mux C) |
| 762.000 MHz | 57 | 1 | Arqiva (Mux D) |
† Transmitted from The Wrekin B.
Analogue
Analogue television was switched off during April 2011; BBC2 analogue was switched off on 6 April and BBC1 was moved to BBC2's old frequency, for its final weeks of service. and the remaining four on 20 April.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 487.25 MHz | 23 | 100 | Central |
| 511.25 MHz | 26 | 100 | BBC1 Midlands |
| 535.25 MHz | 29 | 100 | Channel 4 |
| 567.25 MHz | 33 | 100 | BBC2 Midlands |
| 583.25 MHz | 35 | 100 | Channel 5 |
Radio
Alongside television, the Wrekin broadcasts a number of local and national radio stations.
Analogue radio
| Frequency | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 96.0 MHz | 4.8 | BBC Radio Shropshire |
| 103.1 MHz | 2.7 | Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire |
Digital radio
| Frequency | Block | kW[3] | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 211.648 MHz | 11A | 4 | SDL National |
| 218.640 MHz | 11B | 0.5 | NOW Wolverhampton |
| 222.064 MHz | 11D | 8 | Digital One |
| 225.648 MHz | 12B | 5 | BBC National DAB |