Waltham transmitting station
 |
|
 |
|
| Location | Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Leicestershire |
|---|---|
| Mast height | 315 metres (1,033 ft) |
| Coordinates | 52°48′N 0°48′W / 52.8°N 0.8°WCoordinates: 52°48′N 0°48′W / 52.8°N 0.8°W |
| Grid reference | SK809233 |
| Built | 1966 (original) 1968 (current) |
| Collapsed | 1966 (original) |
| BBC region | BBC East Midlands |
| ITV region | ITV Central |
| Local TV service | Notts TV |
Waltham on the Wolds transmitter
The Waltham transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility at Waltham-on-the-Wolds, 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Melton Mowbray. It sits inside the Waltham civil parish near Stonesby, in the district of Melton, Leicestershire, UK. It has a 315 metres (1,033 ft) guyed steel tubular mast. The main structure height to the top of the steelwork is 290.8 metres (954 ft), with the UHF television antennas contained within a GRP shroud mounted on top.
The first mast was built in 1966. On 16 November 1966, it collapsed. Parts of the wreckage are still in use as pig shelters. It had been built by the British Insulated Cables Construction Company. It was to have begun broadcasts in the summer of 1967.
The structure was rebuilt in 1968 by the BBC. This delayed its first transmissions until 31 August 1968 of BBC2 only. It broadcast ITV from February 1970 and BBC1 from August 1970. On 9 April 1970 the whole region lost the signal when an excavator damaged the station's main cable. The mast was one of three similar types built at the same time by the BBC, with Mendip and Bilsdale.
It is a shorter version of the second Emley Moor transmitter which collapsed whilst broadcasting on 19 March 1969, due to the weight of ice on the structural cables. The Waltham mast has four sets of stay levels as opposed to the six of the ex-Emley mast. The latter was identical to the current 385m high Belmont mast, both built by the ITA.
...
Wikipedia