Ryan Tower
Ryan Tower is a 228.9-metre (751 ft) tall guyed mast above the Clifford Slope of Camp Fortune in Chelsea, Quebec, Canada. The tower is used to support broadcast antennas for TV and FM transmitters located at the CBC-owned and operated facility.
History
Sponsored by CFRA-FM owner Frank Ryan, the tower was erected at the foot of the Carp Ridge near the town of Hazeldean, Ontario (present-day Ottawa), by helicopter in 1961. Its top was 580 metres (1,900 ft) above sea level, making it the highest point in the Ottawa/Gatineau area and was an easy-to-spot landmark. The tower would later be disassembled and relocated to the Camp Fortune site for improved coverage. A portion of the tower still exists and is visible from Hazeldean Road. It is currently used as a cellular network hub site.
An old tower (painted red and white to comply with Transport Canada and Department of Communications Regulations Concerning Broadcast Towers)[1], 38 meters (123.5') dating from 1961 was the original antenna support structure for the radio station CFMO-FM, was taken down on November 4, 2012 and the current gray tower visible at the Camp Fortune site is actually the nearby replacement tower.
It stood as the 15th tallest guyed structure in Canada, and provides a large portion of the Ottawa Valley's broadcast television and radio signals.
Stations broadcast from Ryan Tower
FM radio stations broadcasting from the Ryan Tower included:
- CHUO 89.1 Radio Ottawa
- CIHT 89.9 Newcap
- CBOF 90.7 CBC
- CBO 91.5 CBC
- CKCU 93.1 Radio Carleton
- CKKL 93.9 Bell Media
- CJFO 94.5 RFO
- CIMF 94.9 Bell Media
- CJMJ 100.3 Bell Media
- CBOX 102.5 CBC
- CBOQ 103.3 CBC
- CKTF 104.1 Bell Media
- CISS 105.3 Rogers Media
- CHEZ 106.1 Rogers Media
- CKQB 106.9 Corus Entertainment
Television stations broadcasting from the Ryan Tower included:
- CBOT-DT 25 (4.1) CBC
- CIII-DT-6 6 Global
- CBOFT-DT 9 CBC
- CJOH-DT 13 Bell Media
- CICO-DT-24 24 TVO
- CIVO-DT 30 Tele-Quebec
- CFGS-DT 34 Remstar
- CHOT-DT 40 TVA
Tower replacement
The Frank Ryan Tower was taken down by crane after cutting the tower guy lines on Sunday, November 4, 2012. The microwave television link and FM radio antennas were moved to a new tower.[2]