Strabane transmitting station

Infobox UK Transmitter
name = Strabane


height = convert|305.5|m|ft|0|lk=on
built = 1963
demolished =
collapsed =
BBC = BBC Northern Ireland
ITV = UTV

The Strabane transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located at Legfordrum and situated very close to the town of Strabane, in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland (Grid Reference: H393947, GNR: IH393947). It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

It includes a convert|305.5|m|ft|0 high guyed steel lattice mast, which is the tallest structure in Ireland. The transmission antennas surmounting the structure are contained within a fibreglass cylinder. Constructed in 1963, it came into service on 18 February of that year.

It was originally commissioned by the Independent Television Authority to bring ITV signals (provided by Ulster Television) to West Ulster, including the districts of Derry, Donegal and Enniskillen on 405-line VHF, using Channel 8 (Band III). 405 line television was discontinued in the UK in 1985.

When UHF television came to Northern Ireland, main transmitters were commissioned at Limavady and Brougher Mountain, near Omagh. However this left a gap in the Strabane and Newtownstewart areas, so in July 1977 UHF television was added to the Strabane site. Due to the elevation of the antennas (584 m above sea level), a 2kW effective radiated power is sufficient to cover a very wide area, with coverage available well into County Donegal.

In 2001, the site was installed with a transmitter for Score Northern Ireland, a regional digital radio multiplex.

Digital switchover is scheduled to occur in Northern Ireland during 2012, when analogue TV transmissions from this station will be replaced by digital transmissions. The coverage area is expected to be approximately the same as the analogue services, and there are expected to be at least three digital multiplexes broadcast.

Channels listed by Frequency

* Digital Radio (DAB)
** Block 12D: 229.07 MHz - Score Northern Ireland

* Analogue Television
** UHF 39 (615.25 MHz) - BBC One
** UHF 42 (639.25 MHz) - Channel 4
** UHF 45 (663.25 MHz) - BBC Two
** UHF 49 (695.25 MHz) - UTV

ee also

*List of masts
*List of tallest structures in the United Kingdom
*List of radio stations in the United Kingdom

External links

* [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/strabane.php The Transmission Gallery: Photographs and Information]
* [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/mapsys/anatv/strabane.php TV Coverage Map]
* http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b54396