Transmitter Monte Ceneri
Encyclopedia
The Monte Ceneri transmitter is the nationwide transmitter
for Italian speaking
Switzerland
, working on 558 kHz
, located on Monte Ceneri in Ticino
, Switzerland
.
at 46°8'26"N 8°54'56"E and used, as its transmission antenna
, a free-standing lattice tower
insulated from the ground. This was originally 120 metres tall. Today this tower is used for DAB
and DVB-T
broadcasting
. For this purpose a 15 metres tall antenna was installed on its top, so its height is 135 metres today.
at 46°8'19"N 8°59'25"E was built for the Monte Ceneri transmitter. This uses, as its main antenna, a 220 metres tall guyed
lattice-steel
mast
insulated from the ground and, as backup, a T-antenna
, which is spun between two guyed tubular steel masts. The main mast, which is the only tall guyed mast, and the second-tallest tower-type structure in Switzerland, is equipped with an elevator
, whose machinery is installed in a cabinet just above the basement insulator. In spite of the location change, the old name of the transmitter has remained until today. On June 30, 2008 the transmitter was shut down. Radio Moscow later expressed interest in acquiring the 558 kHz frequency, and received permission from the Swiss Federal Office of Communications to transmit on February 9, 2011. Transmissions are due to start on April 1, 2011.
as the Monte Ceneri transmitter so one can still receive Italian language
broadcasts on 558 kHz.
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
for Italian speaking
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, working on 558 kHz
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
, located on Monte Ceneri in Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
1933 tower
From 1933 to 1979 it stood on Monte Ceneri PassMonte Ceneri Pass
Monte Ceneri Pass is a mountain pass in the Alps in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.It connects the Magadino plain and the Vedeggio valley....
at 46°8'26"N 8°54'56"E and used, as its transmission antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
, a free-standing lattice tower
Lattice tower
A lattice tower or truss tower is a freestanding framework tower. They can be used as electricity pylons especially for voltages above 100 kilovolts, as a radio tower or as an observation tower....
insulated from the ground. This was originally 120 metres tall. Today this tower is used for 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....
and DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-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...
broadcasting
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...
. For this purpose a 15 metres tall antenna was installed on its top, so its height is 135 metres today.
1978 mast
In 1978 a new facility north of IsoneIsone
Isone is a municipality in the district of Bellinzona in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.Isone is mainly known for being the location of the grenadier school of the Swiss Army. The Grenadiers are a corps of the infantry and is being instructed in Isone since 1970...
at 46°8'19"N 8°59'25"E was built for the Monte Ceneri transmitter. This uses, as its main antenna, a 220 metres tall guyed
Guy-wire
A guy-wire or guy-rope, also known as simply a guy, is a tensioned cable designed to add stability to structures . One end of the cable is attached to the structure, and the other is anchored to the ground at a distance from the structure's base...
lattice-steel
Lattice girder
A lattice girder is a girder where the flanges are connected by a lattice web. This type of design has been supplanted in modern construction with welded or bolted plate girders, which use more material but have lower fabrication and maintenance costs...
mast
Radio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
insulated from the ground and, as backup, a T-antenna
T-antenna
A T-antenna is an antenna whereby "a vertical or sloping wire is connected to the approximate centre of a straight horizontal top wire" . This forms its characteristic "T"-shape.-External links:*...
, which is spun between two guyed tubular steel masts. The main mast, which is the only tall guyed mast, and the second-tallest tower-type structure in Switzerland, is equipped with an elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
, whose machinery is installed in a cabinet just above the basement insulator. In spite of the location change, the old name of the transmitter has remained until today. On June 30, 2008 the transmitter was shut down. Radio Moscow later expressed interest in acquiring the 558 kHz frequency, and received permission from the Swiss Federal Office of Communications to transmit on February 9, 2011. Transmissions are due to start on April 1, 2011.
Italian transmitter
A radio station in Southern Italy works on the same frequencyFrequency
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...
as the Monte Ceneri transmitter so one can still receive Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
broadcasts on 558 kHz.