Bilsdale transmitting station

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Bilsdale
The Bilsdale mast stands high above the hills of the North Yorkshire Moors
Height	314 metres (1,030 ft)
Grid Reference	SE553962
Built	1971
BBC Region	BBC North East and Cumbria
ITV Region	ITV Tyne Tees

The Bilsdale transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, located at Bilsdale West Moor, close to Helmsley, North Yorkshire — UK. It includes a guyed steel tubular mast that is primarily used for radio and television transmission. The height of the mast is 314 metres (1,030 ft) to the pinnacle^[1]. It is among the most powerful in the UK at 500 kW ERP and has recently been equipped with new aircraft warning lights, in the form of arrays of ultra bright red LEDs.

[edit] History

Bilsdale was constructed in 1971 by the BBC to bring 625-line colour television on UHF to the Tees Valley for the first time. Having added UHF TV to the existing VHF TV stations at Pontop Pike and Emley Moor, it was quickly established that a new station would be required to cover County Durham and north North Yorkshire where existing coverage was poor, and thus the new station was built.

[edit] Coverage

Coverage extends throughout the Tees Valley region, encompassing north North Yorkshire and southern County Durham. This includes Harrogate and York to the south, Filey and Whitby to the east, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Darlington, Bishop Auckland, Hartlepool, Peterlee, some areas of Seaham and some areas of Sunderland to the north, and Barnard Castle and Richmond to the west.

[edit] Channels listed by Frequency

• Analogue Radio (FM VHF)
  • 89.0 MHz - BBC Radio 2
  • 91.2 MHz - BBC Radio 3
  • 93.4 MHz - BBC Radio 4
  • 95.0 MHz - BBC Radio Tees
  • 96.6 MHz - TFM
  • 98.6 MHz - BBC Radio 1
  • 100.7 MHz - Century FM
  • 101.6 MHz - Classic FM
  • 106.4 MHz - Galaxy North East

• Digital Radio (DAB)
  • Block 11D: 222.06 MHz - Digital One
  • Block 12A: 223.93 MHz - MXR Yorkshire
  • Block 12B: 225.64 MHz - BBC
  • Block 12C: 227.36 MHz - MXR North East

• Analogue Television
  • UHF 23 - Channel 4
  • UHF 26 - BBC Two
  • UHF 29 - ITV1 (ITV Tyne Tees)
  • UHF 33 - BBC One
  • UHF 35 - Five

• Digital Television
  • UHF 21 - Multiplex 2 (ITV)
  • UHF 24 - Multiplex B (BBC)
  • UHF 27 - Multiplex C (National Grid Wireless)
  • UHF 31 - Multiplex A (SDN)
  • UHF 34 - Multiplex 1 (BBC)
  • UHF 42 - Multiplex D (National Grid Wireless)

[edit] Digital switchover

In July 2007 it was confirmed by Ofcom that the television frequency assignment after digital switchover would be such that a wideband aerial would be required for reception of all six multiplexes. However, the three public service multiplexes will still fall within the station's original analogue frequency range assignment of aerial group A^[2].

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.muxco.com/docs/muxco-yorks.pdf MuxCo Ofcom DAB application document
2. ^ http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/tech/dsodetails/81plan.pdf Ofcom digital switchover plan

[edit] See also

• List of masts
• List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain
• List of radio stations in the United Kingdom

[edit] External links

• The Transmission Gallery: Photographs and Information
• The Transmission Gallery: Coverage Maps
• Info and picture of Bilsdale transmitter.
• A photograph
• Views of Bilsdale from Anorak's Guide to Radio in North Yorkshire.
• http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b19268

Coordinates: 54°21′31″N, 1°9′1″W