The Mynydd Pencarreg transmitting station is a

broadcasting Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

and

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

facility located on high ground about south of

Lampeter Lampeter (; (formal); ''Llambed'' (colloquial)) is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, after Aberystwyth and C ...

, in

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The site has a guyed lattice mast erected on land that is itself about above sea level. It was originally built by the GPO as a telecommunications relay, and (amongst other things) was responsible for handling the microwave feed carrying the now-defunct

405-line The 405-line monochrome analogue television broadcasting system was the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting. The number of television lines influences the image resolution, or quality of the picture. It ...

VHF

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television service to the television transmitter at

Blaenplwyf Blaenplwyf (''Pontllanio'' previously) is a village in Ceredigion, to the southwest of Aberystwyth. It is noted for the Blaenplwyf transmitting station, which serves Aberystwyth and Cardigan Bay area. It was originally built by the BBC in 1956– ...

about to the northwest near

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

. Despite this, Mynydd Pencarreg was never a 405-line TV broadcast site. Broadcast UHF television was added to the site in early 1981, launching with just the three programme services that were active at the time. S4C was added in 1982 when it launched. Currently, the transmitter provides

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 Fe ...

digital television to the Lampeter area, along with FM radio.

Services listed by frequency

Analogue television

February 1981 - 1 November 1982

When 625-line colour television came to the area, the site became a relay of Preseli about to the southwest.

1 November 1982 - 19 August 2009

Channel 4 was added to the set transmitted from the site when it launched in November 1982. Being in Wales, Mynydd Pencarreg radiated the

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

variant.

Analogue and digital television

19 August 2009 - 16 September 2009

The UK's

digital switchover Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Businesses *Digital bank, a form of financial institution *Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company *Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...

commenced, mirroring the changes taking place at the parent transmitter at Preseli. Analogue BBC Two Wales closed on channel 64 and ITV1 Wales took over on that frequency for what would be its final 3 weeks of service, vacating channel 61 as it did so. The new digital BBC A multiplex started up at full power in 64-QAM mode on channel 61.

Digital television

16 September 2009 - 31 October 2012

All the analogue television services closed and the new digital multiplexes took over their frequencies.

31 October 2012 - present

OFCOM have announced that channel 61 is also to be cleared so as to make space for future 4G mobile phone services. At Mynydd Pencarreg, BBC A was moved from channel 61 to channel 49.

Analogue radio (FM VHF)

August 1981 - Late 1980s

FM radio from Mynydd Pencarreg launched in 1981, initially with just the three services that were typical of the time. For radio, the site was an off-air relay of Blaenplwyf.

Present

References

External links

The Transmission Gallery: Photographs and Information

The 'ukfree' listing for Mynydd Pencarreg
{{Television transmitters in the UK Buildings and structures in Carmarthenshire Transmitter sites in Wales