Waltham transmitting station

Waltham
Location	Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Leicestershire
Height of mast	315 metres (1,033 ft)
Grid reference	SK809233
Built	1966, 1968
Collapsed	1966
BBC region	BBC East Midlands
ITV region	ITV Central
Analogue switch-off	17 August 2011 (Stage 1) 31 August 2011 (Stage 2)
Built for the BBC with first transmission on 31 August 1968

The Waltham transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility at Waltham-on-the-Wolds, 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Melton Mowbray. It sits inside the Waltham civil parish near Stonesby, in the district of Melton, Leicestershire, UK. It has a 315 metres (1,033 ft) guyed steel tubular mast. The main structure height to the top of the steelwork is 290.8 metres (954 ft), with the UHF television antennas contained within a GRP shroud mounted on top.

Construction

First structure

The first mast was built in 1966. On 16 November 1966, it collapsed. Parts of the wreckage are still in use as pig shelters. It had been built by the British Insulated Cables Construction Company. It was to have began broadcasts in the summer of 1967.

Second structure

The structure was rebuilt in 1968 by the BBC. This delayed its first transmissions until 31 August 1968 of BBC2 only. It broadcast ITV from February 1970 and BBC1 from August 1970. On 9 April 1970 the whole region lost the signal when an excavator damaged the station's main cable. Sutton Coldfield came on air a few months earlier in November 1969. The mast was one of three similar types built at the same time by the BBC, with Mendip and Bilsdale.

It is a shorter version of the second Emley Moor transmitter which collapsed whilst broadcasting on 19 March 1969, due to the weight of ice on the structural cables. The Waltham mast has four sets of stay levels as opposed to the six of the ex-Emley mast. The latter was identical to the current 385m high Belmont mast, both built by the ITA.

It is east of the A607 between Grantham and Melton Mowbray, and directly next door to Masterfood's Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition.

Coverage

The mast was originally built to provide BBC2 (on the new UHF 625 lines system) to the East Midlands. It became the main mast for ITV's Central East Midlands from 1982 and BBC East Midlands from 1991. Previously it had carried broadcasts from Birmingham.

It is now the main TV transmitter for all digital terrestrial channels covering the East Midlands, predominantly including most of Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. It can also be received in parts of Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Yorkshire. It is owned and operated by Arqiva. The BBC West Midlands area is three times the size of the East Midlands, has three main transmitters, with Sutton Coldfield being four times as powerful as Waltham.

Digital TV

Waltham first broadcast digital TV on November 15 1998. In July 2007 was confirmed by Ofcom that at DSO (Digital Switchover) Waltham would be transmitting five - of the six - MUXes within its original C/D group.

Relay stations

The two most powerful relays are at Nottingham (just west of the M1 J26) and at Stanton Moor (near Bakewell). The area to the South East of Buxton is the meeting point between the Winter Hill, Emley Moor, Sutton Coldfield, and Waltham broadcasting regions. Further north-west of Bakewell, the filler transmitters are BBC North West, and North-east Derbyshire, east of Tideswell and Hope takes Emley Moor (BBC Leeds).

Waltham's Darley Dale relay station was Britain's 1000th television relay station.

Transmitted Services

Relay station at Swingate, west of the M1/A610 Junction 26, is the 2kW Nottingham transmitter which went digital in April 2011

Relay station at Eastwood

Analogue radio

Frequency	kW	Service
106.6 MHz	10.8	Smooth Radio

Digital radio

Frequency	Block	kW	Operator
222.06 MHz	11D	8.8	Digital One
225.64 MHz	12B	5	BBC National DAB
227.36 MHz	12C	4	NOW Nottingham

Analogue television

Analogue television is no longer transmitted from Waltham. BBC Two closed on UHF 64 on 17 August 2011. ITV1 was moved into its frequency at the time and the BBC A multiplex began transmitting on UHF 61. The remaining four analogue channels were switched off on 31 August.

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service
583.25 MHz	35	250	Channel 5
735.25 MHz	54	250	Channel 4
767.25 MHz	58	250	BBC One
791.25 MHz	61	250	ITV1
815.25 MHz	64	250	BBC Two

Digital television

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
538.0 MHz	29	8	SDN
737.8 MHz	54-	50	Digital 3&4
754.0 MHz	56	25	Arqiva A
762.0 MHz	57	25	Arqiva B
770.0 MHz	58	50	BBC B
794.0 MHz	61	50	BBC A

• SDN will increase to 25 kW on 12 October 2011.

Before switchover

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
538.0 MHz	29†	8	SDN (Mux A)
554.0 MHz	31‡	8	Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)
570.0 MHz	33	8	BBC (Mux B)
642.0 MHz	42	5	Arqiva (Mux D)
666.0 MHz	45	5	Arqiva (Mux C)
698.0 MHz	49	10	BBC (Mux 1)

• Multiplex 1 (BBC) on UHF 49 was closed on 17 August 2011 and replaced by BBC A on UHF 61.

† Broadcast on UHF 26 until 29 March 2011.

‡ Broadcast on UHF 23 until 29 March 2011.

See also

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

External links

• Photos and details of Waltham TV mast, including co-receivable transmitters.
• The Transmission Gallery: photographs, coverage maps and information
• Waltham Transmitter at thebigtower.com
• Freeview
• Reception frequencies and repeater transmitters.
• Skyscraperpage
• Google Maps
• Live Maps

Relay stations

• Ashbourne on Wyaston Road
• Ashford-in-the-Water off the A6
• Belper on Firestone Hill near Hazelwood
• Birchover at Uppertown Farm towards Winster
• Bolehill near the National Stone Centre
• Darley Dale
• Eastwood next to Morrisons
• Little Eaton next to the A38
• Matlock at High Tor, east of the A6
• Nottingham in Strelley, Broxtowe
• Parwich towards Tissington
• Stamford on Barnack Road next to Stamford High School
• Stanton Moor at Stanton in Peak next to the Nine Ladies