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Wenvoe transmitting station

Wenvoe transmitting station

Mast height	260.7 metres (855 ft)
Built	1952
BBC region	BBC Wales
ITV region	ITV Cymru Wales
Local TV service	Cardiff TV

The Wenvoe transmitting station, officially called Arqiva Wenvoe is a television, radio and telecommunications transmitter. It is close to the welsh village of Wenvoe in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The site is owned and managed by Arqiva. The site is estimated to serve 630 thousand households.

History

The original 230 m mast in the site was built in 1952 by the BBC. It originally only carried BBC One on 405-line VHF television. It used to broadcast on Band I channel 5. From the 15 August 1952 it used its reserve transmitters, and from the 20 December 1952 using its main transmitter. The original mast was used until 1985, with the closure of 405-line television.

In 1955 FM radio started broadcasting from the transmitter, with the BBC Home Service. The BBC Light Programme was added in 1956 and the Third Programme in 1959.

In 1963 a second, shorter 191 m mast was built next to the original structure. It was made to carry the new BBC Wales 405-line service on Band III channel 13. It began broadcasting on 9 February 1964. The transmitter used for this service closed in 1983.

On 12 September 1965, a 625-line black and white television service BBC2 started transmitting from Wenvoe on UHF. The transmitter used was able to broadcast in colour from the beginning and was used for unannounced colour test transmissions from that point on.

In September 1967, BBC2 officially started a colour TV service from Wenvoe. This was a few months after BBC2 Crystal Palace and others started the first regular colour TV service in the UK in July.

In 1970, the 625-line colour television was introduced for BBC1 and HTV Wales (ITV). S4C was added in 1982 when it began broadcasting.

In 1985, after the end of 405-line television in the United Kingdom, the site was redone. This involved the removal of the two original masts. They were replaced by a new mast (which became known as Wenvoe "A"), which remains at the site to this day. Wenvoe "B" is a telecommunications mast that is placed nearby. The FM radio antennas were upgraded from the old horizontally polarised antennas to new mixed polarisation antennas. The transmitter power was also doubled.

Channel 5 launched in 1997, but was transmitted from Mendip instead of Wenvoe. It was assumed that the transmitter at Mendip would serve a good number of houses in Wenvoe's area. At the time, many houses that could receive Mendip were already pointing at it, instead of Wenvoe.

Work started on a new temporary mast that was 217.7 metres tall (called Wenoe "C") on 14 June 2006. The construction was finished in September 2006. This carried analogue signals while Wenvoe "A" was being improved and extended by 23 metres. Wenvoe "A" was given a new high-power digital antenna and a reserve antenna. New high-power digital TV transmitters were put in the buildings, which allows Wenvoe "A" to broadcast the six main digital TV multiplexes and a seventh multiplex proposed by OFCOM after analogue television signals ended in 2010.

The upgrade to Wenvoe "A" was completed in the summer of 2009 and Wenvoe "C" was removed starting in late August 2009.

Wenvoe's analogue BBC Two service was turned off on 3 March 2010. The other analogue TV services closed on 31 March 2010, marking the point where Wales had officially finished digital switchover.

Services listed by frequency

Analogue television

15 August 1952 - 9 February 1964

Frequency	VHF	kW	Service
66.75 MHz	5V	100	BBC Television

9 February 1964 - 12 September 1965

The second mast began service and carried the BBC Wales service.

Frequency	VHF	kW	Service
66.75 MHz	5V	100	BBC1 West
214.75 MHz	13V	200	BBC1 Wales

12 September 1965 - April 1970

Frequency	VHF	UHF	kW	Service
66.75 MHz	5V		100	BBC1 West
214.75 MHz	13V		200	BBC1 Wales
711.25 MHz		51	500	BBC2 Wales

April 1970 - 1 November 1982

In April 1970, UHF services that broadcasted ITV and BBC1 entered use at Wenvoe.

Frequency	VHF	UHF	kW	Service
66.75 MHz	5V		100	BBC1 West
214.75 MHz	13V		200	BBC1 Wales
631.25 MHz		41	500	HTV Wales
655.25 MHz		44	500	BBC1 Wales
711.25 MHz		51	500	BBC2 Wales

1 November 1982 - 4 January 1983

On 1 November 1982, S4C started broadcasting and was carried on Wenvoe from the start.

Frequency	VHF	UHF	kW	Service
66.75 MHz	5V		100	BBC1 West
214.75 MHz	13V		200	BBC1 Wales
631.25 MHz		41	500	HTV Wales
655.25 MHz		44	500	BBC1 Wales
679.25 MHz		47	500	S4C
711.25 MHz		51	500	BBC2 Wales

4 January 1983 - 3 January 1985

The 405-line BBC1 Wales service was ended early. The off-air relays at Abergavenny, Carmarthen and Llanelli had been closed in 1982.

Frequency	VHF	UHF	kW	Service
66.75 MHz	5V		100	BBC1 West
631.25 MHz		41	500	HTV Wales
655.25 MHz		44	500	BBC1 Wales
679.25 MHz		47	500	S4C
711.25 MHz		51	500	BBC2 Wales

3 January 1985 - 15 November 1998

The 405-line television system ended in the UK This caused Wenvoe's TV output to be 625-line UHF only, until the start of digital television services.

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service
631.25 MHz	41	500	HTV Wales
655.25 MHz	44	500	BBC1 Wales
679.25 MHz	47	500	S4C
711.25 MHz	51	500	BBC2 Wales

Analogue and digital television

15 November 1998 - 3 March 2010

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service	System
546 MHz	30	10	BBC (Mux 1)	DVB-T
578 MHz	34	5	Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)	DVB-T
625.833 MHz	40-	5	SDN (Mux A)	DVB-T
631.25 MHz	41	500	HTV Wales	PAL System I
649.833 MHz	43-	5	Arqiva (Mux C)	DVB-T
655.25 MHz	44	500	BBC1 Wales	PAL System I
673.833 MHz	46-	5	Arqiva (Mux D)	DVB-T
679.25 MHz	47	500	S4C	PAL System I
705.833 MHz	50-	5	BBC (Mux B)	DVB-T
711.25 MHz	51	500	BBC2 Wales	PAL System I

3 March 2010 - 31 March 2010

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service	System
546 MHz	30	5	Arqiva (Mux C)	DVB-T
578 MHz	34	5	Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)	DVB-T
625.833 MHz	40-	5	SDN (Mux A)	DVB-T
634.166 MHz	41+	100	BBC A	DVB-T
655.25 MHz	44	500	BBC1 Wales	PAL System I
673.833 MHz	46-	5	Arqiva (Mux D)	DVB-T
679.25 MHz	47	500	S4C	PAL System I
705.833 MHz	50-	5	BBC (Mux B)	DVB-T
711.25 MHz	51	500	HTV Wales	PAL System I

Digital television

31 March 2010 - 27 April 2011

The remaining analogue services were ended after 40 years. The low power digital transmissions (apart from Arqiva A and SDN) were upgraded to full power transmissions.

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
546 MHz	30	10	Arqiva A
634.166 MHz	41+	100	BBC A
658 MHz	44	100	Digital 3&4
682 MHz	47	100	BBC B
698 MHz	49	50	Arqiva B
714 MHz	51	10	SDN

27 April 2011 - 23 January 2013

The digital switchover at Wenvoe uniquely needed a third phase so that time for UHF channels 42 and 45 could be cleared at the nearby Ridge Hill. After the channels were cleared, Arqiva A and SDN were moved into the group with an increase in transmitter power.

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
634.166 MHz	41+	100	BBC A
642.166 MHz	42+	50	SDN
658 MHz	44	100	Digital 3&4
666 MHz	45	50	Arqiva A
682 MHz	47	100	BBC B
698 MHz	49	50	Arqiva B

23 January 2013 - 10 December 2013

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
618 MHz	39	50	Arqiva B
634.166 MHz	41+	100	BBC A
642.166 MHz	42+	50	SDN
658 MHz	44	100	Digital 3&4
666 MHz	45	50	Arqiva A
682 MHz	47	100	BBC B