Emley Moor

[Satsearching]

On my daily drive back home up north on the M1, viewing the Emley moor transmitter is a landmark that tells me I'm nearly home.

Here are some facts about it....

The current Emley moor tower is the tallest free-standing building in the United Kingdom, 4th in the Europe Union, and 24th in the world.

The current tower is the third structure to have occupied the site.

The first permanent transmitter to be built there was an ITV transmitter, covering much of the North. It used a 135 metre lattice tower, which
provided only limited coverage.

The performance of the site was improved in 1966, in anticipation of colour PAL transmissions, when a 385 metre
guy-supported tubular mast was erected.


On 19 March 1969, a combination of strong winds and the weight of ice that had formed around the top of the mast and on the guy wires brought the structure down.



The collapse left sections of twisted mast strewn across the surroundings of the transmitter site and across several small local roads. Although one of the falling
stay cables cut through a local church and wreckage was scattered all over the transmitter site, nobody was hurt in the collapse.
The noise was reportedly heard for several miles.

After a series of temporary masts, erection of the current concrete-built tower began in 1969 with UHF (625-line colour) transmissions commencing on 21 January 1971.

A section of the collapsed tower was converted for use as a racing control tower at nearby Huddersfield Sailing Club.

The current structure is a tapered, reinforced concrete tower. It is the tallest freestanding structure in the United Kingdom at a height of 1,084 feet (330 m).

[Satsearching]

A week today marks the end of Analogue on Emley Moor. So for us Yorkshire users of that transmitter.......

Don't forget to retune on 21/09/2011.

Switchover at 6am

Click --> Digital UK - Emley Moor

Users of repeaters in that area can expect switchover times of between 6am and mid morning on that date.

SS