Peterborough transmitting station

Peterborough

250px Morborne Hill site from west
Peterborough transmitting station is located in Cambridgeshire
Location	Cambridgeshire
Mast height	154 metres (505 ft)
Coordinates
Grid reference	TL127913
Built	1959 (original) 2006 (current)
Collapsed	2004 (original)

The Peterborough transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility at Morborne Hill, near Peterborough, (grid reference TL127913).

There are two tall structures on adjacent sites: a guyed steel lattice mast belonging to Arqiva, and a 98.45 metres tall reinforced concrete tower belonging to BT. These sites are known by their owners as 'Peterborough' and 'Morborne Hill' respectively.

Arqiva mast

File:Morborne mast collapsed.jpg

Original steel lattice mast collapsed, showing contact with building at the base.

A 154 metres (505 ft) guyed high steel lattice mast, belonging to Arqiva, is used primarily for FM broadcasting but carries many other services.

Originally, this mast was built for broadcasting television on VHF Band I.

On 30 October 2004 this mast was destroyed by fire. It collapsed, seriously damaging the transmitter building at the base. Services were temporarily restored by transferring them to the adjacent BT tower and two temporary masts, including the BBC emergency mast which was put in use for the first time. A new replacement mast has now been built and is in full service.

Services available

Analogue radio

Frequency	kW	Service
90.1 MHz	40	BBC Radio 2
92.3 MHz	40	BBC Radio 3
94.5 MHz	40	BBC Radio 4
95.7 MHz	5.1	BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
99.7 MHz	40	BBC Radio 1
101.9 MHz	40	Classic FM

Digital radio

Frequency	Block	kW	Operator
221.352 MHz	11D	5	Digital One
225.648 MHz	12B	10	BBC National DAB
229.072 MHz	12D	4	NOW Peterborough

BT concrete tower

The adjacent tower is one of twelve reinforced concrete towers owned by BT in the UK. It is used mainly for point-to-point microwave links and forms part of BT's national telecommunications network. It was not damaged by the collapse of the Arqiva mast.

See also

• British Telecom microwave network
• Telecommunications towers in the United Kingdom
• Communications in the United Kingdom
• List of masts
• List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
• List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain
• List of towers
• Radio masts and towers
• Radio masts and towers - catastrophic collapses

External links

• The Transmission Gallery: Peterborough Transmitter photographs and information
• The Transmission Gallery: FM coverage map
• Peterborough Transmission Mast at Structurae
• Map of site
• Peterborough Transmitter at thebigtower.com