 | |
  Caldbeck transmitting station (Cumbria) | |
| Mast height | 337 metres (1,106 ft) |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 54°46′24″N3°05′26″W / 54.773333°N 3.090556°W /54.773333; -3.090556 |
| Grid reference | NY299425 |
| Built | 1961(original) 2008(current) |
| Demolished | 2008(original) |
| BBC region | BBC North East and Cumbria BBC Scotland |
| ITV region | ITV Border |
| Local TV service | That's Cumbria |
TheCaldbeck transmitting station is abroadcasting andtelecommunications facility, situated close to the village ofCaldbeck, inCumbria,England (Grid Reference: NY299425). It is owned and operated byArqiva.
It includes a 337-metre-high (1,106 ft)guyed steel lattice mast, which is the third highest structure in theUnited Kingdom. The transmissionantennas surmounting the structure are contained within a fibreglass cylinder.
The station was originally commissioned by theIndependent Television Authority to bring ITV signals (provided byBorder Television) to South West Scotland and Northern parts of Cumberland and Westmorland, includingCarlisle andDumfries using405-line onVHF Channel 11 (Band III). Constructed in 1961, it originally included a 306.6 metres (1,006 ft) tall guyed steel lattice mast that came into service on 1 September of that year. The BBC's VHF television and radio services were carried by the nearbySandale transmitting station.
WhenUHF television started in the UK in 1969, Caldbeck was selected to carry all the625-line services for the area. The original three channel line-up came into service in September 1971.Channel 4 began from Caldbeck from its launch in November 1982. 405 line television was discontinued in the UK in 1985.
In 1993,CFM Radio launched from Caldbeck on 96.4 MHz FM, and later in 2001 the national digitalmultiplexDigital One entered service.
Caldbeck was one of the first transmitters in the UK to be upgraded to high power digital only TV broadcasting. TheDigital Switchover took place between June & July 2009. At this time, the analogue signal was permanently switched off. Extra multiplexes forBBC Scotland andITV Border (Scotland) were added to the transmitter at the time.
Caldbeck underwent major engineering work to accommodate the new transmitters and aerials. The work entailed complete replacement of the existing mast with a brand new 337 m (1,106 ft) mast, work on which began on 26 April 2007. Construction of the new mast structure was completed at the beginning of March 2008.[1] Once installation of the transmitting aerials on the new mast was complete, the old one was dismantled.
| Frequency | kW[2] | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 96.4 MHz | 3 | Greatest Hits Radio Cumbria & South West Scotland |
| Frequency | Block | kW[3] | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 222.064 MHz | 11D | 2.8 | Digital One |
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator | BBC region | ITV region | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 473.833 MHz | 21- | 50 | BBC B | Scotland | Border (Scotland) | DVB-T2 |
| 481.833 MHz | 22- | 100 | BBC B | NE & Cumbria | Border (England) | DVB-T2 |
| 489.833 MHz | 23- | 50 | SDN | — | — | DVB-T |
| 497.833 MHz | 24- | 50 | Digital 3&4 | — | Border (Scotland) | DVB-T |
| 505.833 MHz | 25- | 100 | BBC A | NE & Cumbria | — | DVB-T |
| 513.833 MHz | 26- | 50 | Arqiva A | — | — | DVB-T |
| 521.833 MHz | 27- | 50 | BBC A | Scotland | — | DVB-T |
| 529.833 MHz | 28- | 100 | Digital 3&4 | — | Border (England) | DVB-T |
| 538.000 MHz | 29 | 4 | LTVmux | — | — | DVB-T |
| 545.833 MHz | 30- | 50 | Arqiva B | — | — | DVB-T |
| 570.000 MHz | 33 | 5 | LTVmux | — | — | DVB-T |
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 490.000 MHz | 23 | 15 | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) |
| 506.000 MHz | 25 | 10 | BBC (Mux 1) |
| 514.166 MHz | 26+ | 15 | SDN (Mux A) |
| 618.000 MHz | 39 | 3.2 | BBC (Mux B) |
| 642.000 MHz | 42 | 1.6 | Arqiva (Mux D) |
| 666.000 MHz | 45 | 1.6 | Arqiva (Mux C) |
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 527.25 MHz | 28 | 500 | Border |
| 543.25 MHz | 30 | 500 | BBC1 North East |
| 559.25 MHz | 32 | 500 | Channel 4 |
| 575.25 MHz | 34 | 500 | BBC2 North East |
| 751.25 MHz | 56 | 10 | Channel 5 |