Membury transmitting station
Encyclopedia
The Membury transmitting station is a broadcasting
and telecommunications facility, situated adjacent to the M4 motorway
at the Membury services in the south-west corner of the parish of Lambourn close to the town of Hungerford
, in Berkshire
. It is owned and operated by Arqiva
.
It has a 152.4 m (500 ft) high guyed steel lattice mast. It was constructed by the ITA
in 1965 to bring ITV
signals (provided by ATV
) to the South Midlands, including Oxford
, Swindon
, Newbury
and Marlborough on 405-line VHF, using Channel 12 (Band III
).
It was not used for any broadcast services for over a decade after the closure of 405 line television in 1983. However in the late 90s a low power VHF FM
filler for the four national BBC radio networks was added (at 125watts), improving reception along the M4 corridor between Newbury
and Swindon
.
In January 2003, a DAB
transmitter was added for the NOW Swindon & Wiltshire multiplex
. The BBC
added a signal for its national DAB services in 2009.
The mast also hosts transmission equipment for numerous mobile telephone networks.
The mast is a highly visible landmark and can be clearly seen from the Ridgeway
, White Horse Hill and most of the Lambourn Downs
, making it a useful reference point for hikers and ramblers
Analogue radio (FM
Digital radio (DAB
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
and telecommunications facility, situated adjacent to the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
at the Membury services in the south-west corner of the parish of Lambourn close to the town of Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...
, in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. It is owned and operated by Arqiva
Arqiva
Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless...
.
It has a 152.4 m (500 ft) high guyed steel lattice mast. It was constructed by the ITA
Ita
Ita or ITA may refer to:* Itá, Paraguay* ITA Software, Inc., a travel industry software firm* Italian language, from its ISO 639-2 language code* Italy, from its ISO 3166-1 country code* Aeta, an ethnic group in the Philippine Islands...
in 1965 to bring ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
signals (provided by ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
) to the South Midlands, including Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
and Marlborough on 405-line VHF, using Channel 12 (Band III
Band III
Band III is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band III ranges from 174 to 230 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting...
).
It was not used for any broadcast services for over a decade after the closure of 405 line television in 1983. However in the late 90s a low power VHF FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
filler for the four national BBC radio networks was added (at 125watts), improving reception along the M4 corridor between Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
and Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
.
In January 2003, a DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
transmitter was added for the NOW Swindon & Wiltshire multiplex
Multiplexing
The multiplexed signal is transmitted over a communication channel, which may be a physical transmission medium. The multiplexing divides the capacity of the low-level communication channel into several higher-level logical channels, one for each message signal or data stream to be transferred...
. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
added a signal for its national DAB services in 2009.
The mast also hosts transmission equipment for numerous mobile telephone networks.
The mast is a highly visible landmark and can be clearly seen from the Ridgeway
Ridgeway
A ridgeway is a road or path that follows a ridge, or the highest part of the landscape.-Roads and pathways:*The Ridgeway, an ancient track in southern England, which now forms part of the Ridgeway Path or National Trail...
, White Horse Hill and most of the Lambourn Downs
Berkshire Downs
The Berkshire Downs are a range of chalk downland hills in southern England, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, making it a useful reference point for hikers and ramblers
Ramblers
The Ramblers, formerly known as the Ramblers' Association, is the largest walkers' rights organisation in Great Britain which aims to look after the interests of walkers...
Analogue radio (FMFrequency modulationIn telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
VHF)
| Frequency | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 88.9 MHz | N/A | BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres... |
| 91.1 MHz | N/A | BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation... |
| 93.3 MHz | N/A | BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the... |
| 98.4 MHz | N/A | BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock... |
Digital radio (DABDigital audio broadcastingDigital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
)
| Frequency | Block | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 220.352 MHz | 11C | 1 | NOW Wiltshire NOW Wiltshire NOW Wiltshire is a local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves West Wiltshire and Bath. It launched on 7 February 2003 and is operated by Now Digital who are owned by Global Radio.-Stations carried:* BBC Wiltshire... |
| 225.648 MHz | 12B | 5 | BBC National DAB |
See also
- List of masts
- List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain
- List of radio stations in the United Kingdom