Ochsenkopf TV Tower
Encyclopedia
The Ochsenkopf Transmitter (}) is a 163 metre tall radio and TV tower of reinforced concrete, which was built in 1958 as replacement for a 50 metre tall guyed steel tube TV mast, which collapsed in January 1958 as result of icing, on the summit of the 1024 metre high Ochsenkopf
mountain, the second highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge
mountain chain in Northern Bavaria
, Germany. Ochsenkopf TV Tower, which is not accessible for tourists, has a characteristic hyperbolic shaped basement, in which are 5 floors with technical equipment. Above it, there are platforms for directional antennas. The antennas for FM-transmission are on the upper part of the concrete tower, that for TV transmission on a steel tube mast on the top.
Ochsenkopf TV Tower played an important role for the former GDR's supply with West German FM and TV programmes - notably ARD
, West Germany
's first - and between 1952 and 1963 only - television channel. Its signal could penetrate deep into the southern territory of East Germany due to its closeness to the border, its use of a low frequency (VHF
Band I
channel 4) and of vertical polarization. Its signal could be received as far away as Görlitz
on the East German-Polish
border under good conditions, even though most aerials there were pointed at the West Berlin
transmitters.
The technical characteristics of the transmitter in turn required large and specifically mounted aerials nicknamed Ochsenkopf-Antenne or short Ochsenkopf, thus making the homes of viewers of western television easily recognizable. A campaign in the early 1960s by East Germany's state youth organisation FDJ
aimed at turning away or removing such aerials exploited this fact.
These are e.g.:
The public channels ZDF
and Bayerisches Fernsehen for the region used to be transmitted from the nearby mountain Großer Waldstein
.
Television (digital, DVB-T
launched on 25 Nov 2008
Ochsenkopf (Fichtelgebirge)
The Ochsenkopf is the second-highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge with a height of . On its summit is an observation tower and a transmission tower for VHF and TV programmes by Bayerischer Rundfunk....
mountain, the second highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge
Fichtelgebirge
The Fichtelgebirge is a mountain range in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. It extends from the valley of the Red Main River to the Czech border, a few foothills spilling over into the Czech Republic. It continues in a northeastern direction as the Ore Mountains, and in a southeastern direction as...
mountain chain in Northern Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany. Ochsenkopf TV Tower, which is not accessible for tourists, has a characteristic hyperbolic shaped basement, in which are 5 floors with technical equipment. Above it, there are platforms for directional antennas. The antennas for FM-transmission are on the upper part of the concrete tower, that for TV transmission on a steel tube mast on the top.
Role for Supply of TV from West Germany in former GDR
Das Erste
Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
's first - and between 1952 and 1963 only - television channel. Its signal could penetrate deep into the southern territory of East Germany due to its closeness to the border, its use of a low frequency (VHF
Very high frequency
Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency...
Band I
Band I
Band I is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band I ranges from 47 to 88 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting....
channel 4) and of vertical polarization. Its signal could be received as far away as Görlitz
Görlitz
Görlitz is a town in Germany. It is the easternmost town in the country, located on the Lusatian Neisse River in the Bundesland of Saxony. It is opposite the Polish town of Zgorzelec, which was a part of Görlitz until 1945. Historically, Görlitz was in the region of Upper Lusatia...
on the East German-Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
border under good conditions, even though most aerials there were pointed at the West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
transmitters.
The technical characteristics of the transmitter in turn required large and specifically mounted aerials nicknamed Ochsenkopf-Antenne or short Ochsenkopf, thus making the homes of viewers of western television easily recognizable. A campaign in the early 1960s by East Germany's state youth organisation FDJ
Free German Youth
The Free German Youth, also known as the FDJ , was the official socialist youth movement of the German Democratic Republic and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany....
aimed at turning away or removing such aerials exploited this fact.
Similar Towers
Many other TV towers of similar design were built after 1958 in Germany and other European countries.These are e.g.:
- Święty Krzyż TV TowerSwiety Krzyz TV TowerŚwięty Krzyż TV Tower is the tallest free-standing TV tower in Poland. . Święty Krzyż TV Tower, which was built in 1966, is a 157 metre tall concrete TV tower situated near the monastery on Łysa Góra...
in Poland - Brotjacklriegl TV Tower in Germany
- Donnersberg TV Tower in Germany
- Ještěd TowerJešted TowerJeštěd Tower is a 94 metre-tall tower used to transmit television signal built on the top of Ještěd mountain near Liberec in the Czech Republic....
in Czech - Schladming TV Tower, Austria http://www.dxradio-ffm.de/AUTSchladming.jpg
- Kitzbühl Horn transmitter. Austria
- Mugel TV Tower, Austria
- Burgas-Предаватели TV Tower, Bulgaria http://www.predavatel.com/bg/5/bur.htm
- Стръмни Рид TV Tower, Bulgaria http://www.predavatel.com/bg/4/kar.htm
- Ostankino TowerOstankino TowerOstankino Tower is a free-standing television and radio tower in Moscow, Russia. Standing tall, Ostankino was designed by Nikolai Nikitin. It is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers, currently the tallest in Europe and 4th tallest in the world. The tower was the first free-standing...
in Moscow, Russia
FM Radio
| Program | Frequency | ERP |
|---|---|---|
| Bayern 1 | 90.7 MHz | 100 kW |
| Bayern 1 | 91.2 MHz | 20 kW |
| Bayern 2 Radio | 96.0 MHz | 100 kW |
| Bayern 3 | 99.4 MHz | 100 kW |
| DLF | 100.3 MHz | 100 kW |
| Bayern 4 Klassik | 102.3 MHz | 100 kW |
| Antenne Bayern | 103.2 MHz | 100 kW |
| B5 Aktuell | 107.1 MHz | 100 kW |
Television (analogue, PAL standard)
shut down on 30 Nov 2008| Program | Frequency | ERP |
|---|---|---|
| ARD (BRF region) | Ch E4 vertical | 50 kW (used to be 100 kW) |
The public channels ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
and Bayerisches Fernsehen for the region used to be transmitted from the nearby mountain Großer Waldstein
Großer Waldstein
The Großer Waldstein is part of the Waldstein range in the Fichtelgebirge Mountains of Germany. It is known primarily for its rock formations caused by so-called 'woolsack' weathering , its ruined castles and the only remaining bear trap in the region.The River Saale rises at the foot of the...
.
Television (digital, DVB-TDVB-TDVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
standard)
launched on 25 Nov 2008| Channel Television channel A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and... |
Frequency Frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency... [MHz] |
Multiplex Multiplex (TV) A multiplex or mux is a group of TV channels that are mixed together for broadcast over a digital TV channel and separated out again by the receiver... |
Programme im Multiplex | ERP Effective radiated power In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains... [kW] |
Antenna Diagram rund (ND) / gerichtet (D) |
Polarisation horizontal (H) / vertikal (V) |
Modulation Modulation In electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a high-frequency periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with a modulating signal which typically contains information to be transmitted... |
FEC FEC FEC is an acronym which may refer to:*Foreign exchange certificate, a type of currency*Forward error correction, a system of error control for data transmission*Family entertainment center, a small amusement park or indoor equivalent intended for family fun... |
Guard Interval | Bit Rate Bit rate In telecommunications and computing, bit rate is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time.... [MBit/s] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E23 | 490 | ZDFmobil-Bouquet |
|
50 | ND | H | 16-QAM | 2/3 | 1/4 | 13.47 |
| E29 | 538 | ARD Bouquet |
Das Erste Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany... Arte Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts... Phoenix (German TV station) Phoenix is a publicly-funded television station in Germany which is produced jointly by public broadcasting organizations ARD and ZDF. Its programming consists of documentaries, news broadcasts, special events coverage, and discussion programmes... EinsPlus EinsPlus is a digital television channel from the German broadcaster ARD, available as part of the ARD digital package of channels. It launched on 23 April 2005 as EinsMuXx... |
100 | ND | H | 16-QAM | 2/3 | 1/4 | 13.47 |
| E40 | 626 | BR-Bouquet |
BR-alpha BR-alpha is a German television station owned by regional broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk BR-alpha broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with programmes from BR, as well as from ARD and Austrian broadcaster ORF.-Programmes:... |
100 | ND | H | 16-QAM | 2/3 | 1/4 | 13.47 |
External links
- http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b54478
- Video: Final closedown of analogue channel E4