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  Arfon  Llanddona | |
| Mast height | 317.4 m (1,041 ft) |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°01′11″N4°16′24″W / 53.0197°N 4.2733°W /53.0197; -4.2733 |
| Grid reference | SH476493 |
| Built | 1962 |
| Relay of | Llanddona |
| BBC region | BBC Wales |
| ITV region | ITV Cymru Wales |
TheArfon transmitting station is a facility forFM,DAB digital radio andtelevision transmission near the villages ofNebo andNasareth inGwynedd, northwesternWales (grid referenceSH476493). It includes a 308.5 m (1,012 ft)guyed mast withantennas attached at various heights. The mast is surmounted by a television transmitting antenna, which brings the total height of the structure to 317.4 m (1,041 ft), making it the tallest structure in Wales.[1] It is owned and operated byArqiva.
The station was built by theITA in the early 1960s to provide a405-lineITVBand III (VHF) TV service for north west Wales. Unlike theBBC, which served the area fromLlanddona (on the island ofAnglesey), Arfon gave bettercoverage to some areas. The tower was completed in 1962 and began broadcasting on 9 November of that year.
In October 1975 the site became a medium powerUHFanaloguecolour television relay of Llanddona, at the time carryingBBC One,BBC Two andITV.S4C was added in 1982.
405-line TV was finally discontinued in the UK in 1985, but it appears that Arfon's VHF transmitters were decommissioned a year early in 1984 andthe transmitters themselves were reused for clinical radiotherapy.[citation needed]
More recently, Police and Ambulance communications have been added, in addition to mobile (cellular) telephone antennas. In 1993,Classic FM began using the site for FM coverage of north west Wales in preference to Llanddona (the BBC's regional FM site), partly due to a dispute over BBC charges for sharing fees of its transmitter masts and antennas, but more because Arfon, in conjunction with Great Orme's Head (nearLlandudno) gave Classic FM better coverage than the BBC sites.
On 16 November 1998, local commercial radio stationChampion 103 launched from studios inBangor with its transmitter at Arfon.
The mast had itsaircraft warning lights replaced in Summer 2006 to red lamps employing arrays of ultrabrightLEDs.
On 18 July 2006, national digital radio networkDigital One began broadcasting from the station.
The primary television service area includes most of Anglesey and central parts of theLlŷn Peninsula, however many viewers in southDublin and northCounty Wicklow can also receive Arfon's broadcasts. The radio service area is slightly larger, reaching further downCardigan Bay towardsTonfanau nearTywyn.[1]
Initially, Arfon was a relay ofPreseli, receiving its 405-line VHF transmission off-air on channel 8 and rebroadcasting it on channel 10.
| Frequency | VHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 199.75 MHz | 10 | 10 | HTV Wales(Teledu Cymru until 1968) |
With the coming of colour TV on 625 lines, Arfon acted as a relay of Llanddona, whilst continuing to relay Preseli's VHF transmission.
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 199.75 MHz | 10 | — | 10 | HTV Wales |
| 631.25 MHz | — | 41 | 3.6 | HTV Wales |
| 655.25 MHz | — | 44 | 3.6 | BBC2 Wales |
| 711.25 MHz | — | 51 | 3.6 | BBC1 Wales |
1982 saw the rollout of the UK's 4th planned UHF television channel. As with all Welsh transmitters, Arfon was required to carryS4C instead ofChannel 4 which is broadcast to the rest of the United Kingdom.
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 199.75 MHz | 10 | — | 10 | HTV Wales |
| 631.25 MHz | — | 41 | 3.6 | HTV Wales |
| 655.25 MHz | — | 44 | 3.6 | BBC2 Wales |
| 679.25 MHz | — | 47 | 3.6 | S4C |
| 711.25 MHz | — | 51 | 3.6 | BBC1 Wales |
After 22 years of VHF television from this site, the service was discontinued in January 1984. On UHF, Arfon was destined only ever to transmit the originally-planned four of the eventual five analogueterrestrial television channels.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 631.25 MHz | 41 | 3.6 | ITV1 Wales(HTV Wales until 2002) |
| 655.25 MHz | 44 | 3.6 | BBC Two Wales |
| 679.25 MHz | 47 | 3.6 | S4C |
| 711.25 MHz | 51 | 3.6 | BBC One Wales |
There never was a pre-DSO digital TV service from Arfon.
DSO for the repeaters ofLlanddona occurred between 21 October & 18 November 2009. In preparation for this, the transmitting antenna at the top of the Arfon mast was replaced in March 2008. This new antenna is slightly taller than the previous one, resulting in the mast's total height increasing to 317.4 metres (1,041 ft) from its previous height of 313.9 metres (1,030 ft).[1]
On 21 October, BBC2 Analogue was switched off, and ITV1 Wales took over its frequency for its final three weeks of service. BBC Mux A took over channel 41 that had just been vacated by ITV.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 634.166 MHz | 41+ | 2 | BBC A | DVB-T |
| 655.25 MHz | 44 | 3.6 | ITV1 Wales | PAL System I |
| 679.25 MHz | 47 | 3.6 | S4C | PAL System I |
| 711.25 MHz | 51 | 3.6 | BBC One Wales | PAL System I |
The analogue television transmissions from Arfon ceased and were replaced by digital transmissions. Unusually for the UK, the digital transmissions from this site are considerably more powerful than is usual practice considering the ERP of the analogue services that they replace.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 634.166 MHz | 41+ | 2 | BBC A |
| 658.000 MHz | 44 | 2 | Digital 3&4 |
| 682.000 MHz | 47 | 2 | BBC B |
| Frequency | kW[2] | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 100.7MHz | 3.75 (H) 15 (V) | Classic FM |
| 103.0 MHz | 2.5 | Capital Cymru |
| 107.2 MHz | 2.5 | Heart North and Mid Wales |
| Frequency | Block | kW[2] | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 215.072 MHz | 10D | — | MuxCo North West Wales† |
| 222.064 MHz | 11D | 1.9 | Digital One |
| 225.648 MHz | 12B | 4 | BBC National DAB |
† MuxCo North west Wales is on this transmitter carrying both the Welsh language Capital Cymru and the English Capital North West & Wales.Also carries Smooth Radio, Nation Radio Wales and Dragon Radio.
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