Skelton Transmitting Station
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| Location | Skelton, Cumbria |
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| Mast height | 365 metres (1,198 ft) |
| Coordinates | 54°43′56″N 2°53′01″W / 54.73222°N 2.88361°W |
| Built | 2001 (current) |
The Skelton Transmitting Station is a radio transmitter site at grid reference NY433376 near Skelton, Cumbria, England, about 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Penrith, run by Babcock International and owned by the Ministry of Defence. Shortwave broadcasts from this station ended on 30 March 2023, replaced by Woofferton. [1] Another radio transmitting station in Cumbria is Anthorn Radio Station.
History
[edit]Construction
[edit]The site was built by J. L. Eve Construction during the Second World War, for long-distance short-wave transmissions, across Europe.
Transmissions
[edit]In 1946, the BBC was heralding the site as being "the World's largest and most powerful (shortwave) radio station".[2]
The main purpose of it was shortwave broadcasting. The site was capable of Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) on at least 3955 kHz and 3975 kHz (75m broadcast band) beamed at 121° towards Germany and Central Europe.[3][4] On AM the frequencies of 5995 kHz and 6195 kHz (49m broadcast band) and 9410 kHz (31m broadcast band) and 12095 kHz (25m broadcast band) were known.[5]
A Royal Navy very low frequency (VLF) transmitter is also located there. It is used to transmit encrypted orders to submarines, including the Trident SLBM fleet.[6] It uses as its aerial a 365-metre (1,198 foot) high guyed steel lattice mast, which is insulated against ground and is the tallest structure in the UK. The transmitter went into service in 2001 [7]
See also
[edit]
- List of masts
- List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain
- List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
- List of VLF-transmitters
References
[edit]- ^ "radioeins.de: Rundfunkbetrieb in Skelton endet". 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ Lowery, G.P.; Garlick, Chris (2007) [1990]. Ellen, Martin (ed.). "Skelton Transmitting Station 1942 to 1998 - Over half a century of short wave broadcasting". BBCeng.info. Pictures provided by Barnes, Russell W. Archived from the original on 9 March 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
- ^ "DRM schedule". Baseportal. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ^ "DRM". Mediumwave Info. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ^ "Bandscan". Listener's Guide. Archived from the original on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ^ Abaimov, Stanislav; Ingram, Paul (June 2017). "Hacking UK Trident: A Growing Threat" (PDF). Basic. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 September 2023.
- ^ Meredith, Nigel P.; Horne, Richard B.; Clilverd, Mark A.; Ross, Johnathan P. J. (July 2019). "An Investigation of VLF Transmitter Wave Power in the Inner Radiation Belt and Slot Region" (PDF). Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 124 (7): 5246–5259. Bibcode:2019JGRA..124.5246M. doi:10.1029/2019JA026715. S2CID 197563530.
External links
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