Gartow-Höhbeck transmitter is a large facility for FM and

TV transmission Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

, Germany, situated behalf of the communities of

Gartow Gartow is a municipality in the district Lüchow-Dannenberg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the easternmost tip of Lower Saxony, not far from the river Elbe, approx. 30 km northeast of Salzwedel, and 20 km west of Wittenberge ...

and

Höhbeck Höhbeck is a municipality in the district Lüchow-Dannenberg, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Rus ...

. The Gartow-Höhbeck transmitter had, until 2009, two guyed antenna masts, one with a height of 327 metres, the other with a height of 344 metres. This made Gartow-Höhbeck transmitter the only transmission site in Europe with two supertall towers, that were exclusively used for transmissions in the

VHF Very high frequency (VHF) is the ITU designation for the range of radio frequency electromagnetic waves (radio waves) from 30 to 300 megahertz (MHz), with corresponding wavelengths of ten meters to one meter. Frequencies immediately below VHF ...

UHF Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter (on ...

range.

History

The since-demolished 327-metre mast, which was situated on the area of Höhbeck community, was built in 1963; the remaining 344-metre mast, which is situated on the site of Gartow community, was completed in 1978.

Radio equipment and usage

At time of completion it was, together with the since-demolished mast of the Berlin-Frohnau radio relay station, the tallest structure in former West Germany, and served together with the 327-metre mast for a directional radio link to

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

. The terminal in Berlin for the link starting from the 327-metre tower was Berlin Telecommunication Tower, and for the link starting from the 344-metre tower, the terminal was the Berlin-Frohnau radio relay station. For these links, both masts were equipped with directional radio antennas; on the smaller mast,

dipole antenna In radio and telecommunications a dipole antenna or doublet is the simplest and most widely used class of antenna. The dipole is any one of a class of antennas producing a radiation pattern approximating that of an elementary electric dipole w ...

s with reflectors were installed, while on the larger mast, conventional antennas for directional radio links mounted on platforms were used. Because structures used for carrying directional radio links have to withstand great wind forces, as such antennas cause high wind loads, both masts are of a very strong design and anchored by double guys. The larger mast, which is today used mainly for FM-broadcasting, meteorological measurements and carbon dioxide monitoring, is equipped with several closed cabinets for technical equipment. The topmost of these cabinets is situated at 325 metres, making it the highest closed room on a man-made structure in the European Union. The smaller mast also carried a small cabinet on its lower section. By using the large masts of the Gartow-Höbeck transmitter and the Berlin-Frohnau radio relay station, the first direct directional radio link between former West Germany and Berlin could be realized. This link was in service until

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

in 1990. Beside these two masts, there is also a free-standing directional radio tower much lower than the masts, which carried until 1990 huge disk antennas for the scattered directional radio link to former West Berlin.

Obsolete mast

After 1990, the 327-metre tall mast became increasingly obsolete, and was made completely redundant by the

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 ...

of TV broadcasting in 2008. As there was no requirement to keep two supertall masts at the site, it was demolished with explosives on August 20, 2009. File:Hoehbeck Sender Gartow 1 8082.jpg, Gartow Transmission Tower 1 File:Hoehbeck Sender Gartow 2 8087.jpg, Gartow Transmission Tower 2 File:Hoehbeck Sender Gartow 1 Sprengung 0550.jpg, Blasting of Gartow 1 on 20 August 2009 File:Gartow Telecommunication Tower.JPG, Directional radio tower

References

External links

* * * http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b46674 * http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b46673
Video of demolition of Gartow Transmission Tower 1

History

Radio equipment and usage

Obsolete mast

References

External links

See also