The Belmont transmitting station is a
broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...
and
telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
s facility next to the B1225, one mile west of the village of
Donington on Bain
Donington on Bain is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.
The village is approximately south-west from Louth and north from Horncastle, and is on the east bank of the River Bain, and in the Linco ...
in the civil parish of
South Willingham
South Willingham is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, and partly within the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, . It is situated south of the A157 Lincoln to Louth road, wes ...
, near
Market Rasen
Market Rasen ( ) is a town and civil parish within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The River Rase runs through it east to west, approximately north-east from Lincoln, east from Gainsborough, 14 miles (23 km) west of Louth ...
and
Louth Louth may refer to:
Australia
*Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia
* Louth, New South Wales, a town
* Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia
**Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality
Canada
* Louth, Ontario
Ireland
* Cou ...
in
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
, England (). It is owned and operated by
Arqiva
Arqiva () is a British telecommunications company which provides infrastructure, broadcast transmission and smart meter facilities in the United Kingdom. The company is headquartered at the former Independent Broadcasting Authority headquarters ...
.
It has a
guyed tubular steel mast, with a lattice upper section. The mast was shortened in April 2010 and is now in height.
Before this it was high and was considered to be the tallest structure of its kind in the world (taller masts, such as the
KVLY-TV mast
The KVLY-TV mast (formerly the KTHI-TV mast) is a television-transmitting mast in Blanchard, North Dakota. It is used by Fargo station KVLY-TV channel 11 and KXJB-LD's Argusville/ Valley City/ Mayville translator K28MA-D channel 28. Completed ...
in the United States, use
steel lattice construction), the tallest structure of any type in the United Kingdom. After the top section was removed, the mast's reduced height relegated it to the second-highest in the UK after
Skelton.
Despite the mast being shortened it can be seen in daylight on clear days from most areas close to and within the
Lincolnshire Wolds
The Lincolnshire Wolds are a range of low hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England which run roughly parallel with the North Sea coast, from the Humber Estuary in the north-west to the edge of the Lincolnshire Fens in the south-east. They a ...
. On clear nights its bright red
aircraft warning lights
Aviation obstruction lighting is used to enhance the visibility of structures or fixed obstacles which may conflict with the safe navigation of aircraft. Obstruction lighting is commonly installed on towers, buildings, and even fences located i ...
can be very widely seen across much of
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
from as far north as the
River Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the ...
and
Barton-Upon-Humber
Barton-upon-Humber () or Barton is a town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 11,066. It is situated on the south bank of the Humber Estuary at the southern end of the Humber Bridge. It is s ...
; from the west of the county it can be seen from
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln ...
,
Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
and
Grantham
Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln and ...
; from the south of the county it can be seen from
Spalding and
Bourne
Bourne may refer to:
Places UK
* Bourne, Lincolnshire, a town
** Bourne Abbey
** Bourne railway station
* Bourne (electoral division), West Sussex
* Bourne SSSI, Avon, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrington, North Somerset
* Bourne ...
; and from the east it can be seen from
Skegness
Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 19,579 as of 2011, i ...
,
Mablethorpe
Mablethorpe is a seaside town in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, part of the civil parish of Mablethorpe and Sutton.OS Explorer map 283:Louth and Mablethorpe: (1:25 000): The population including nearby Sutton-on-Sea was 12, ...
and most areas along the Lincolnshire coast. The lights can also be seen from many parts of
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
, coastal areas of
North West Norfolk
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
and a few parts of
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
on very clear nights.
Construction
The mast was constructed in 1965 and it came into service on 20 December of that year. As built it was a tubular pipe long by in diameter, surmounted by a lattice upper section (an identical mast was constructed in 1964 at
Emley Moor
The Emley Moor transmitting station is a telecommunications and broadcasting facility on Emley Moor, west of the village centre of Emley, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.
It is made up of a concrete tower and apparatus that began ...
near
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, but the other mast collapsed due to guy failure caused by icing and high winds on 19 March 1969). Its ropes weigh 85 tons, made by
British Ropes British Ropes was a company established on 6 June 1924 through the merger of eight companies.
The companies were:
Gateshead
* Haggie Brothers, Gateshead
* Tyne Wire Drawing Co (a subsidiary of the above)
Liverpool:
* R. S. Newall and Son
London: ...
, with steel from
Steel, Peech and Tozer
Steel, Peech and Tozer was a large steel maker with works situated at Ickles and Templeborough, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.
History
An area of land, almost a crescent shape through Masbrough and Ickles, on the edge of Rotherham to ...
of
Templeborough
Templeborough (historically Templebrough) is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The suburb falls within the Brinsworth and Catcliffe ward of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. The area takes its name from the remains of the R ...
in South Yorkshire. The column weighs 210 tons and has 375 segments, with steel from
United Steel Companies
The United Steel Companies was a steelmaking, engineering, coal mining and coal by-product group based in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England.
History
The company was registered in 1918 and the following year saw a joining together of ste ...
at
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe () is an industrial town and unparished area in the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative centre. Scunthorpe had an estimated total population of 82,334 in 2016. A pre ...
in northern
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
.
In September 1967, meteorological equipment was added to the mast extending its height to . The imperial measurement was the accepted value quoted by publications including the 1993 edition of the ''
Guinness Book of Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
''.
[Guinness Book of Records 39th Edition (1993), page 93 – ] The metric measurement quoted by the current owners is shorter.
Between October 2009 and April 2010, the mast was shortened as part of the Digital Switchover works, most of the top section abov
the fifth stay level was removed(along with the sixth stay level) and the mast now stands high.
Coverage
From its location, high in the
Lincolnshire Wolds
The Lincolnshire Wolds are a range of low hills in the county of Lincolnshire, England which run roughly parallel with the North Sea coast, from the Humber Estuary in the north-west to the edge of the Lincolnshire Fens in the south-east. They a ...
, it broadcasts digital television and both analogue and digital radio to
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
, eastern Yorkshire, northern parts of
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
and some parts of
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
. When it was first operated it transmitted (amongst others)
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
station
Anglia Television
ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...
. Following a re-organisation of ITV coverage in 1972, from 1974 it started transmitting neighbouring station
Yorkshire Television
ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
instead, which it continues to do to this day. Due to most of the region being flat, Belmont has few relay stations although there is a main relay station at
Oliver's Mount
Oliver's Mount is an area of high ground overlooking Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It offers views over the town, a tribute monument to the war dead, camping and caravanning at selected times of the year, 10 football pitches, 1 rugby l ...
covering the
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
area.
Transmitter power
In the analogue era Belmont, at 500
kW E.R.P. for the four main analogue television channels, was one of the most powerful transmitters in the UK, though there were four UK transmitters which were more powerful; Sutton Coldfield, Crystal Palace and Sandy Heath were all at 1000 kW and Emley Moor was 870 kW. After
digital switchover
The digital television transition, also called the digital switchover (DSO), the analogue switch/sign-off (ASO), the digital migration, or the analogue shutdown, is the process in which older analogue television broadcasting technology is conv ...
Belmont's digital transmitting power was 50 kW for SDN (previously Mux A), 100 kW for Arqiva A & B (Mux C, D) and 150 kW for BBC A, D3&4 and BBC B (Mux 1, 2, B).
700MHz clearance
On 4 March 2020, Belmont was due to complete its 700MHz clearance and will become an A group transmitter, excluding the temporary MUXES 7 and 8 (se
graph. Since Belmont started out as an A group for (just) analogue it returns to that band after being a wideband for 21 years. Technically the advent of C5 analogue complicated the issue for a few months prior to (dual) running digital transmissions started in 1998.
Services listed by frequency
Analogue television
20 December 1965 – 19 November 1966
First transmissions from the site: ITV's 405-line television service was fed by off-air reception of Mendlesham at Great Massingham in Norfolk, with an onward microwave link to Belmont via an intermediate point at Winceby in Lincolnshire.
19 November 1966 – 24 May 1971
The BBC's services came online on both VHF and UHF. BBC 1 was initially fed by means of an off-air rebroadcast of
Holme Moss
Holme Moss ( a.s.l.) is high moorland on the border between the Holme Valley district of Kirklees in West Yorkshire and the High Peak district of Derbyshire in England. Historically on the boundary between the West Riding of Yorkshire and Che ...
but this was plagued by co-channel interference from the continent. BBC2 was an off-air rebroadcast from
Emley Moor
The Emley Moor transmitting station is a telecommunications and broadcasting facility on Emley Moor, west of the village centre of Emley, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.
It is made up of a concrete tower and apparatus that began ...
. On 19 March 1969, the Emley Moor mast collapsed, taking Belmont's BBC2 transmissions off-air for several days.
Despite the programme sources on VHF and UHF being (for many years) off-air rebroadcasts of other transmitters in the vicinity, Belmont was always regarded by the BBC as being a "main station" both on VHF and UHF. The IBA initially regarded it as a relay of
Mendlesham
Mendlesham is a village in Suffolk with 1,407 inhabitants at the 2011 census. It lies north east of Stowmarket and from London.
The place-name 'Mendlesham' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as ''Melnesham'' an ...
(and numbered it 14.2 in their numbering of VHF stations) but from 1974 it became a "main station" for Yorkshire Television (renumbered as 20.0 in the IBA's numbering of VHF stations) after changes in the minor franchise areas.
It was always number 120.0 in the BBC/IBA numbering scheme for UHF stations).
24 May 1971 – 30 July 1974
ITV's UHF service began.
30 July 1974 – 2 November 1982
After changes to the regional structure of ITV in 1972, Belmont stopped being a relay of
Mendlesham
Mendlesham is a village in Suffolk with 1,407 inhabitants at the 2011 census. It lies north east of Stowmarket and from London.
The place-name 'Mendlesham' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as ''Melnesham'' an ...
and became a main station for Yorkshire TV.
It was fed by a Post Office (later BT) microwave link from Leeds, allowing Yorkshire TV to supply Belmont with a separate 7-minute segment of their regional news magazine programme "Calendar", a Belmont titled version of Anglia's weather forecast, as well as having the ability to sell advertising separately in the Belmont and Emley Moor areas. The microwave link from Leeds to Belmont apparently ran via Emley Moor, where the IBA could insert test transmissions, such as Test Card "F"
2 November 1982 – 30 March 1997
Both the BBC and ITV 405-line VHF TV services from Belmont were discontinued early
in mid-1982, and when Channel 4 began formal transmissions in November that year it was radiated on UHF from the site:
30 March 1997 – 15 November 1998
Belmont started transmitting the UK's final terrestrial analogue UHF TV service: Channel 5. This was done well out-of-band and at reduced power compared with the main group.
Analogue and digital television
15 November 1998 – 3 August 2011
Belmont began transmitting digital TV, with the new digital
multiplexes
In telecommunications and computer networking, multiplexing (sometimes contracted to muxing) is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium. The aim is to share a scarce resource - a ...
spaced far from the existing analogue channels. In July 2007 it was confirmed by Ofcom that Belmont would be remaining a wideband transmitter after
digital switchover
The digital television transition, also called the digital switchover (DSO), the analogue switch/sign-off (ASO), the digital migration, or the analogue shutdown, is the process in which older analogue television broadcasting technology is conv ...
.
3 August 2011 – 17 August 2011
BBC Two closed on UHF 28. BBC One was moved on to that channel for its final three weeks of service. Pre-DSO Multiplex 1 (BBC) on UHF 30 was closed and was replaced by BBC A on UHF 22.
Digital television
17 August 2011 – 26 November 2013
All the remaining analogue and existing digital signals were turned off and replaced with higher-power digital signals.
*Arqiva A and Arqiva B were limited to 4 kW until 23 November 2011, when they were increased to 100 kW.
26 November 2013 – 4 February 2020
Local TV, carrying Estuary TV, and Arqiva C, carrying additional HD services, launched on 26 November 2013.
5 February 2020 - 03 March 2020
Arqiva A moved from UHF 53 to UHF 23, in accordance with the 700MHz clearance.
4 March 2020 - 24 June 2020
Arqiva B moved from UHF 60- to UHF 26, and a power increase of the Local multiplex, in accordance with the 700MHz clearance.
25 June 2020 - Present
COM 8 was switched off permanently in accordance with the 700MHz clearance programme.
Analogue radio (FM VHF)
19 November 1966 – 11 November 1980
11 November 1980 – February 1992
BBC Radio Lincolnshire started broadcasting.
February 1992 – present day
Lincs FM and Classic FM join the set of FM broadcasts.
Digital radio (DAB)
Relays
Below is a list of transmitters that relay Belmont.
Digital television
See also
*
List of tallest buildings and structures in the world
The world's tallest human-made structure is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (of the United Arab Emirates). The building gained the official title of "tallest building in the world" and the tallest self-supported structure at its opening on Januar ...
*
List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain
This list contains all types of structures in height or more, which is the accepted criterion for a building to qualify as a skyscraper in the United Kingdom.
Entries in ''italics'' denote approximate figures.
Structures taller than 300 ...
*
List of masts
The tallest structure in the world is the Burj Khalifa skyscraper at . Listed are guyed masts (such as telecommunication masts), self-supporting towers (such as the CN Tower), skyscrapers (such as the Willis Tower), oil platforms, electricity t ...
*
List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
This is a list of radio stations in the United Kingdom.
National analogue and digital (DAB) stations
This list does not include stations which broadcast on numerous local digital multiplexes or MW licences to achieve near-national coverage.
DA ...
References
External links
*
The Transmission Gallery: Belmont index
Info and pictures of Belmont, including co-receivable channels
Belmont at UK Free TV
Pictures of Belmont at Geograph
Relay stations
GrimsbyHunmanbyLincoln CentralOliver's MountWeaverthorpe
{{Supertall
Radio masts and towers in Europe
Buildings and structures in Lincolnshire
Transmitter sites in England
Infrastructure completed in 1965
1965 in British television
1965 establishments in England
East Lindsey District
Mass media in the East Midlands
West Lindsey District
Yorkshire Television