Torreta de Guardamar
| Torreta de Guardamar | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Mast radiator insulated against ground |
| Location | Guardamar, Spain |
| Completed | 1962 |
| Height | 370 m (1,213.91 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Main contractor | US Navy |
Torreta de Guardamar (Catalan pronunciation: [toˈreta ðe ɣwaɾðaˈmaɾ], Spanish: [toˈreta ðe ɣwaɾðaˈmar]) is a 370-metre tall guyed radio mast erected by the US Navy near Guardamar del Segura, Spain. It was built in 1962 and is both the tallest architectural structure in the Iberian peninsula and the tallest architectural structure in the European Union since the height reduction of Belmont TV Mast. Its base is situated 64 metres above sea level at a distance of 1.4 km from the sea.
Torreta de Guardamar is a mast radiator insulated against ground used for the transmission of orders to submerged submarines. It is made as a lattice structure with triangular cross section. As it is, in spite of its enormous height, still low in relation to the wavelength of the waves it transmits, its capacity is augmented by multiple ropes connected to its top and running to basements around the mast. These guys are electrically connected to the mast and are divided in a certain distance by insulators.
The transmitter using Torreta de Guardamar as antenna has been, since its inauguration, remotely controlled by the US Naval Communication Station in Rota. As opposed to other VLF transmitters such as the DHO38 in Rhauderfehn, it has no fixed frequency allocation by ITU and carries no callsign.
This installation is currently guarded by Spanish Infanteria de Marina, and is marked as "Radio Estacion Naval - Antena LF 380 metros - Guardamar"