Westerglen transmitting station
 The four masts at the Westerglen transmitting station | |
| Location | 2 miles (3 km) south west of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°58′30″N 3°49′6″W / 55.97500°N 3.81833°W |
| Grid reference | NS868773 |
| Built | May 1932 |
The Westerglen transmitting station is a facility for mediumwave (and formerly also longwave) broadcasting established in 1932 at Westerglen Farm, 2 miles (3 km) southwest of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland (grid reference NS868773).
Transmission
[edit]Medium wave
[edit]Three medium-wave radio programmes are broadcast from the site on frequencies of 810, 909, and 1089 kHz. The transmitter also carried Absolute Radio on 1215 kHz until Bauer ended all station transmissions on MW in January 2023.[1]
The medium-wave broadcast is strong enough to be heard as far south as Cornwall at certain times of the day, and in south-western Germany at night with good conditions.
Long wave
[edit]Westerglen was formerly used for long wave transmissions, latterly broadcasting BBC Radio 4[2] on 198 kHz. It was broadcast in a single-frequency network with the Droitwich and Burghead transmitting stations.
Radio 4 transmissions ended on 27 June 2026 at 01:00 BST, switching over to a looped recording of retuning advice scheduled to switch off three days later.[3][4][5]
It was fully shut down just after 12:00 BST on 30 June.[citation needed]
Structure
[edit]There are three guyed steel lattices mast radiators on the site, which are insulated against the ground. These carry combinations of the above services. There is a shorter fourth mast that carries non-broadcast services.
One of the masts carried the long-wave transmission in a synchronised group with the transmitters at Droitwich and Burghead on the same frequency (198 kHz; previously, until February 1988, 200kHz). This mast is of guyed steel lattice construction with a triangular cross-section, and it carries a 'capacity hat', which increases the antenna's efficiency, at the top.
The site is owned and operated by Arqiva.
History
[edit]The new structure was announced in December 1930. It would replace transmitters in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. It would be the BBC's third twin transmitter.[6] There would be 70kW on each wavelength.[7] Construction was complete by December 1931. Test transmissions began in April 1932, the National on 288.5 metres (1040 kHz), and Regional on 376.4 metres (797 kHz). Tests on the Regional service began on Monday, 2 May 1932.[8]
The site officially opened on 20 May 1932. The Regional service broadcast from Sunday, 12 June 1932.[9] The National programme began on Sunday 25, September 1932.[10]
Services available
[edit]| Frequency | kW[11] | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 810 kHz | 100 | BBC Radio Scotland |
| 909 kHz | 50 | BBC Radio 5 Live |
| 1089 kHz | 50 | Talksport |
Former services
[edit]| Frequency | kW[11] | Service | Switch-off date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 198 kHz | 50 | BBC Radio 4 | 27 June 2026 |
| 1215 kHz | 50 | Absolute Radio | 20 January 2023 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Absolute Radio ends AM broadcasts". Digital Radio Choice. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ↑ "BBC turns off iconic radio service after almost a century". 27 June 2026.
BBC Radio 4, the UK's last long wave station, permanently switched off at 1am on Saturday [27 June]. Long wave services, in use since 1934 [..] Radio 4 moved to the frequency in 1978, where it has remained until now.
- ↑ "Radio 4 broadcasts on Long Wave to end on 27 June 2026". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 June 2026. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
BBC Radio 4 broadcasts on Long Wave will end on 27 June 2026, ahead of the Long Wave platform closing on 30 June 2026.
- ↑ "BBC sets June date for Radio 4 long wave closedown". Radio Today. 12 May 2026. Archived from the original on 27 June 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- ↑ "BBC Long Wave Shutdown - Radio Society of Great Britain - Main Site : Radio Society of Great Britain – Main Site". Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ Dundee Courier Tuesday 16 December 1930, page 4
- ↑ The Scotsman Friday 9 October 1931, page 8
- ↑ Falkirk Herald Saturday 30 April 1932, page 7
- ↑ The Scotsman Friday 10 June 1932, page 7
- ↑ The Scotsman Saturday 24 September 1932, page 9
- 1 2 Radio Listeners Guide 2010
External links
[edit]- Westerglen at The Transmission Gallery Archived 14 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- http://www.wabweb.net/radio/radio/lw2.htm#Droitwich
- Westerglen Transmission Tower at Structurae
- "Drawings of Westerglen AM Transmitter - SkyscraperPage.com". skyscraperpage.com. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- Map of site
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
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