The Fernsehturm Heidelberg is a

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission ** ...

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

for FM and

DVB-T DVB-T, short for Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial, is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in Singapore in Feb ...

on the Königstuhl hill of

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

at . It was the property of the City of Heidelberg and sold to the SWR. Because of its exposed location on the crest of the hill the tower itself is only 82 meters high. The Heidelberg TV tower has an open-air

observation deck An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclose ...

30 metres up its height, which can be reached by an

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They ar ...

. The observation deck is now permanently closed for visitors due to safety concerns. The sale of the tower sealed the fate of the observation deck which used to enable tourist a spectacular 360 degrees view of the region. In the first years of its existence the tower was also used as a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conjun ...

. The water tank is located within the main body behind the observation deck. 11 digital TV channels on 3

multiplex Multiplex may refer to: * Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make * Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain * Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company * Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which meas ...

es are broadcast from the TV tower. DVB-T Frequencies are channel 21 (474 MHz) for the

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

transponder In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...

, 49 (698 MHz) and 60 (698 MHz) for the ARD/ SWR transponders. TV channels broadcast are ARD, ZDF, SWR, HR, WDR, BR, 3Sat, Doku/Kika, Phoenix, Arte and EinsPlus. Each Multiplex is broadcast with 50 kW, with plans to double that to 100 kW near or mid-term. On November 5, 2008, frequencies were changed for all 3 transponders. That transition canceled the SFN (

Single-Frequency Network A single-frequency network or SFN is a broadcast network where several transmitters simultaneously send the same signal over the same frequency channel. Analog AM and FM radio broadcast networks as well as digital broadcast networks can operate ...

) with the Stuttgart region (New frequencies will be in place on Nov. 11th, 2008, due to a new TV master plan for Europe). 4 analog FM radio channels are broadcast from this tower. SWR1 97.8 MHz, SWR2 88.8 MHz, SWR3 99.9 MHz and SWR4 104.1 MHz. Also one digital radio multiplex (

DAB DAB, dab, dabs, or dabbing may refer to: Dictionaries * ''Dictionary of American Biography'', published under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies * ''Dictionary of Australian Biography'', published since 1949 Places * Dąb ...

) is broadcast from this tower on DAB channel 12A. Available channels on that digital channel are SWR 1 Baden–Württemberg, SWR 2, SWR 3, DASDING and SWR cont.ra. The Telecom Telecommunication Tower Heidelberg and former Telecommunication Tower of US-Forces Heidelberg (returned to the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg) are located close by. Both are off limits to the public.

External links

* * http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b7805
Buildings and structures in Heidelberg Communication towers in Germany Water towers in Germany Observation towers {{telecomm-stub

See also

External links