Peterborough transmitting station
 Morborne Hill site from west | |
  Peterborough transmitting station (Cambridgeshire) | |
| Location | Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|
| Mast height | 154 metres (505 ft) |
| Coordinates | 52°30′28″N 0°20′36″W / 52.507778°N 0.343333°W |
| Grid reference | TL127913 |
| Built | 1959 (original) 2006 (current) |
| Collapsed | 2004 (original) |
The Peterborough transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility at Morborne Hill, near Peterborough, England (grid reference TL127913).
There are two tall structures on adjacent sites: a guyed steel lattice mast belonging to Arqiva, and a 98.45 m (323.0 ft) tall reinforced concrete tower belonging to BT. These sites are known by their owners as 'Peterborough' and 'Morborne Hill' respectively.[1]
Arqiva mast[edit]
A 154-metre (505 ft) guyed high-steel lattice mast, belonging to Arqiva, is used primarily for FM broadcasting but carries many other services.
Originally, this mast was built for broadcasting television on VHF Band I.
On 30 October 2004, the original mast was destroyed by a fire. It collapsed, seriously damaging the transmitter building at the base. Services were temporarily restored by transferring them to the adjacent BT tower and two temporary masts, including the BBC emergency mast which was put in use for the first time.[2] A new replacement mast finished construction in 2006 and is in full service.
Services available[edit]
Analogue radio[edit]
| Frequency | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 90.1 MHz | 40 | BBC Radio 2 |
| 92.3 MHz | 40 | BBC Radio 3 |
| 94.5 MHz | 40 | BBC Radio 4 |
| 95.7 MHz | 5.1 | BBC Radio Cambridgeshire |
| 99.7 MHz | 40 | BBC Radio 1 |
| 101.9 MHz | 40 | Classic FM |
Digital radio[edit]
| Frequency | Block | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 216.928 MHz | 11A | 5 | SDL National |
| 221.352 MHz | 11D | 5 | Digital One |
| 225.648 MHz | 12B | 10 | BBC National DAB |
| 229.072 MHz | 12D | 4 | NOW Peterborough |
BT concrete tower[edit]
The adjacent tower is one of fourteen reinforced concrete towers owned by BT in the UK. It is used mainly for point-to-point microwave links and forms part of BT's national telecommunications network. It was not damaged by the collapse of the Arqiva mast.
See also[edit]
- British Telecom microwave network
- List of catastrophic collapses of broadcast masts and towers
- List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
- List of tallest structures
- List of tallest structures in the United Kingdom
- List of tallest towers
- Radio masts and towers
- Telecommunications in the United Kingdom
- Telecommunications towers in the United Kingdom
References[edit]
- ^ Engineers, Institution of Electrical (1959). Electronics & Power. Institution of Electrical Engineers.
- ^ "Mast fire 'could be deliberate'". 1 November 2004. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
External links[edit]
- The Transmission Gallery: Peterborough Transmitter photographs and information
- The Transmission Gallery: FM coverage map
- Peterborough Transmission Mast at Structurae
- Map of site
- Peterborough Transmitter at thebigtower.com
