Pontop Pike Television Transmitter
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Pontop Pike mast, left, with dish aerial array to the right |
Pontop Pike Television Transmitter, , is a
British transmitter situated between
Stanley and
Consett,
County Durham, near the village of
Dipton, providing
UHF television transmissions to
Tyne and Wear, County Durham,
Tees Valley, most of
Northumberland and parts of
North Yorkshire.
The mast was built in
1953 and its construction was brought forward by the
BBC so that people in
North East England could watch the
Coronation of
Queen Elizabeth II live on the 405-lines monochrome
VHF television system then in use in the
UK.
Test transmissions from a low-power temporary
aerial began on Monday,
20 April,
1953, and the first programmes were transmitted on Friday,
1 May,
1953, in plenty of time for the Coronation on
2 June.
It also carries the national
BBC Radio FM signals, covering the whole
North East, as well as 95.4FM
Radio Newcastle. It was one of the first national FM transmitters in December
1955.
The mast is 145 metres high, giving average transmitter height of 450 metres above sea level. It is owned and operated by
National Grid Wireless.
*
List of masts*
List of radio stations**
List of radio stations in the United Kingdom*
OFCOM television reception advice for Pontop Pike*
Transmitter coverage map*
Historical essay with some background detail*
Map showing the old 405-lines transmitter network and coverage.
*
Newcastle FM coverage.*
Entry on Pontop Pike on Mike Brown's mb21 site*
Map of site
