Brougher Mountain transmitting station

54°25′24″N 7°27′38″W / 54.42327°N 7.46043°W / 54.42327; -7.46043BBC regionBBC Northern IrelandITV regionUTVLocal TV serviceNVTV

Brougher Mountain transmitting station is a major transmitting station in Northern Ireland.^[1][2] It is located between County Tyrone and County Fermanagh, on top of a 317 m (1,040 ft) high hill called Brougher Mountain.^[3]

It has four other transmitter sites in its digital television transmitter group, at Ederny, Derrygonnelly, Belcoo, and Lisbellaw.^[4]

Brougher Mountain came into service on 24 February 1964, transmitting the BBC Television Service on VHF 405 lines.

The ITV service provided by Ulster Television launched from the Strabane transmitter located 40 miles north of Brougher Mountain on 18 February 1963 and its coverage extended down to the area covered by Brougher Mountain.

It became the main UHF transmitter for the area in July 1978, when BBC One, BBC Two and UTV started transmitting in colour on the 625 line UHF service. Channel 4 started transmitting from the transmitter in December 1983.^[5][6][7]

Due to its close proximity to the Republic of Ireland, since the transmitter went on air in 1964, many living in counties Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo could receive the UK channels via spill-over signals from Brougher Mountain, as well as the Strabane transmitter.

The site was the location of an Provisional IRA bombing on the 9th February 1971, which left 5 BBC workers dead when their vehicle was destroyed by a landmine. The workers were travelling up the mountain to repair the transmitter when the landmine, which was detonated by a tripwire, detonated. It has been suggested that the booby trap was in fact set to target members of the British Army, who regularly patrolled in the border area.

Services transmitted by frequency

Analogue radio

Frequency	kW	Service
89.4 MHz	5	BBC Radio 2
91.6 MHz	5	BBC Radio 3
93.8 MHz	5	BBC Radio Ulster
95.6 MHz	5	BBC Radio 4
96.6 MHz	5	Downtown Radio
99.0 MHz	5	BBC Radio 1
101.2 MHz		Q Radio Tyrone & Fermanagh

Digital radio

Frequency	Block	kW	Operator
225.648 MHz	12B	3.2	BBC National DAB
229.072 MHz	12D	4.35	Bauer Northern Ireland

Analogue television (before 24 October 2012)

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service
479.25 MHz	22	100	BBC One Northern Ireland
503.25 MHz	25	100	UTV
527.25 MHz	28	100	BBC Two Northern Ireland
559.25 MHz	32	100	Channel 4

See also

• Divis transmitting station
• Limavady transmitting station

References

External links

• Picture of Brougher Mountain from the air