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The Arfon transmitting station is a facility for FM radio and television transmission at Nasareth, Caernarfon, Gwynedd in northwestern Wales (grid reference SH476493). It comprises a 308.7m (1013ft) guyed mast with antennas attached at various heights. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

Contents 1 History 2 Coverage area 3 Channels listed by frequency 4 See also 5 External links

The station was built by the ITA in the 1960s to provide a 405-line ITV Band III (VHF) TV service for north west Wales. Unlike the BBC, which served the area from Llanddona (on the island of Anglesey), Arfon gave better coverage to some areas. 405-line TV was discontinued in the UK in 1985.

In October 1975 the site became a medium power 625 line UHF TV relay of Llandonna, at the time carrying BBC One, BBC Two and ITV. S4C was added in 1982. More recently, Police and Ambulance communications have been added, in addition to mobile (cellular) telephone antennas. In 1993, Classic FM began using the site for FM coverage of north west Wales in preference to Llanddona (the BBC's regional FM site), partly due to a dispute over BBC charges for sharing fees of its transmitter masts and antennae, but more because Arfon, in conjunction with Great Ormes Head (near Llandudno) gave Classic FM better coverage than the BBC sites.

On 16 November 1998, local commercial radio station Champion 103 launched from studios in Caernarfon with its transmitter at Arfon.

The mast had its aircraft warning lights replaced in Summer 2006 to red lamps employing arrays of ultrabright LEDs.

On 18 July 2006, national digital radio network Digital One began broadcasting from the station.

The primary television service area includes most of Anglesey and central parts of the Lleyn Peninsula, however many viewers in south Dublin and north County Wicklow can also receive Arfon's broadcasts. The radio service area is slightly larger, reaching further down Cardigan Bay towards Barmouth.

Arfon transmits four of the five analogue terrestrial television channels. As with all Welsh transmissions, Arfon is required to carry S4C instead of Channel 4 which is broadcast to the rest of the United Kingdom.

• Analogue radio (FM VHF)
  • 100.7 MHz - Classic FM
  • 103.0 MHz - Champion 103

• Digital Radio (DAB)
  • Block 11D: 222.06 MHz - Digital One

• Analogue television
  • UHF 51: BBC One Wales
  • UHF 44: BBC Two Wales
  • UHF 41: ITV1 Wales
  • UHF 47: S4C

• Category:UK transmitter sites
• List of masts
• List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain
• List of radio stations
  • List of radio stations in the United Kingdom

• The Transmission Gallery: Photographs and Information
• The Transmission Gallery: Coverage Map
• http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b54126

Coordinates: 53°1′12″N, 4°16′25″W