Sender Wiederau

Sender Wiederau
Sender Wiederau in July 2010 (left transmitter mast blown up at the end of October 2013)
Basic data
Place:	Wiederau ( Pegau )
Country:	Saxony
Country:	Germany
Altitude :	125  m above sea level NHN
Coordinates: 51 ° 11 ′ 6 ″  N , 12 ° 16 ′ 48 ″  E
Use:	Broadcasting station
Accessibility:	Transmission mast not open to the public
Mast data
Construction time :	1969-1970
Building material :	steel
Operating time:	since 1970
Total height :	212  m
Data on the transmission system
Waveband :	FM transmitter
Radio :	VHF broadcasting
Position map
Sender Wiederau

The transmitter Wiederau is the oldest broadcasting station in Saxony near Wiederau . It is located near the village of Wiederau, which belongs to the city of Pegau, and is used to transmit radio programs (in the VHF range, previously also in the MW and KW range) and previously also for television programs .

history

In operation from 1932–1945

The transmitter Wiederau went into operation on October 28, 1932 as a medium wave transmitter for Saxony on the frequency 782 kHz. It had a transmission power of 120 kilowatts and used a T-antenna as an antenna , which was attached to two 125-meter-high freestanding wooden towers. Despite its high transmission power, the Wiederau transmitter could not be received during the night in areas more than 80 kilometers away from Wiederau, because the transmitting antenna used emitted high levels of sky waves , which led to near fading even at a short distance from the transmitter . In addition, a transmission tower was partially burned out due to an electrical charge on January 14, 1934 at a height of 98 meters. Therefore, in 1935, the T antenna was replaced by a vertical antenna that hung in a 150 meter high freestanding timber lattice tower. In 1939 a second medium wave transmitter was set up in Wiederau. This transmitter, which is still functional today, was designed for rapid frequency changes and used a triangular antenna as antenna that could be used for any frequency in the MW band. During the air raids in World War II, this transmitter, together with other transmitters, formed a single-frequency network to make it difficult to use the Wiederau transmitter for the navigation of Allied bombers. In 1943 the construction of a short-wave transmitter began in Wiederau, but it was not completed before the end of the Second World War. Instead, some transmitters were used to interfere with radio communications between the aircraft. The Wiederau transmitter remained in operation until April 12, 1945. That day, the station's power supply failed.

In operation from 1945–1990

The transmitter remained out of service until September 1945. Only then did the Soviet military management allow broadcasting again. In 1947, its transmission frequency was changed to 722 kHz. In 1953, the Wiederau transmitter received a new antenna mast in the form of a tubular steel mast insulated from earth , which went into operation on September 19, 1953. On October 27, 1953, the old wooden transmission tower, which was the tallest wooden structure in the former East Germany, was blown up. In 1950, shortwave broadcasts began in Wiederau. In May 1954 the broadcasting area was flooded. Although the water was sometimes up to 70 centimeters high, it was possible to continue broadcasting. As a consequence, the station was diked in 1958. In 1959, the station's 156-meter-high transmission mast received an antenna for VHF radio and television on its top. This increased its height to 236 meters. During this work, the medium wave program was broadcast by a triangular antenna that was erected at the former location of the 150 meter high wooden tower. After completing this work, its transmission frequency was changed from 722 kHz to 575 kHz. This was done not only because of the better ground wave propagation of this frequency, but also to make it more difficult to receive the Mühlacker transmitter, which operates on the same frequency, as well as the 566 kHz transmitter Free Berlin from West Berlin. In 1970 a second guyed transmission mast with a height of 212 meters was erected in the immediate vicinity of the old 236 meter high transmission mast. In contrast to the old mast, this one is earthed and can therefore only be used for broadcasting VHF and television programs. Two years later, a shortwave transmitter was put into operation, for which four rhombus antennas were available. In 1985, the self-radiating 236-meter-high tubular mast - whose base point insulator was in poor condition - was grounded and has not been usable as a medium wave radiator since then. As a result of the Geneva Wave Plan , the station Wiederau had to change its frequency to 531 kHz. This change in frequency ended his interference with the reception of the Mühlacker transmitter (although this was still significantly disrupted by the Wöbbelin transmitter ), but disrupted the Beromünster transmitter in Switzerland, which was operating on the same frequency . Until Radio Moscow's new transmitter in Wachenbrunn was put into operation in 1989, the system was also used to broadcast Radio Moscow's programs . The broadcast was on 1322 kHz. The broadcasts began on December 20, 1945. Originally, the station was intended to provide members of the Soviet troops with a home program. The modulation of the transmitter was obtained by so-called ball reception . In the Leipzig district of Probstheida - later in Holzhausen near Leipzig - a special receiving station had been set up, the task of which was to receive programs from Radio Moscow, which were broadcast on short or medium waves in the former Soviet Union , and to transmit them to the transmitter via cable. Later, the Burg transmitter took over this task as Radio Volga on 263 kHz and the frequency 1322 kHz in Wiederau was used to transmit the foreign language service of Radio Moscow .

Operation from 1990

After German reunification, the number of VHF transmitters installed in Wiederau increased, while the shortwave transmitters - last used by Deutsche Welle (until the reunification of Radio Berlin International ) - were shut down in 1993 and all shortwave antennas dismantled in 1994/1995. In 1995 the frequency of the medium wave transmitter was shifted from 531 kHz to 783 kHz in order to end the disturbance of the Beromünster transmitter. In 1998 a new medium wave transmitter, completely equipped with transistors, was installed in Wiederau. One of the two triangular antennas with its three 50-meter-high masts was renewed, which now serves as a medium-wave transmission antenna. The above-mentioned 212 meter high mast is now used for broadcasting VHF programs. There was still a 51 meter high reserve transmission mast for medium wave on the transmitter site, which was used regularly until 2001.

On April 30, 2013, the medium wave transmission from MDR Info ended at this location with the activation of a notification loop that referred to the alternative reception channel DAB + and should continue to run until May 6, 2013 at 6 a.m. After the notification loop was switched off at 6 a.m., an empty carrier ran until the transmitter was completely switched off at 7 a.m. At 9 o'clock the message loop was activated again on all channels (Wiederau, Wilsdruff and Reichenbach ). The transmission system was finally switched off manually at 11:30 a.m. by a technician from the broadcaster operator Media Broadcast .

In mid-September 2013, the triangular antenna and the 51 meter high reserve transmission mast for medium wave were dismantled.

The 236-meter-high tubular steel mast, which had become inoperative since the shutdown of analog television in 2007 and was in great need of renovation, was blown up on October 25, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. after the two original dates on September 28, 2012 and the week of September 29, 2013. October and November 2, 2012 were canceled.

Frequencies and Programs

Analog radio ( FM )

In the case of directed radiation, the main radiation directions are given in degrees in the antenna diagram.

Frequency   (MHz)	program	RDS PS	RDS PI	Regionalization	ERP   (kW)	Antenna diagram round (ND) / directional (D)	Polarization horizontal (H) / vertical (V)
88.4	MDR culture	__MDR___ / _KULTUR_	D3C3	-	100	ND	H
90.4	MDR Jump	MDR_JUMP	D3C2	-	100	ND	H
93.9	MDR Saxony	MDR_SACH	D6C1	Leipzig	100	ND	H
96.6	Deutschlandfunk	__Dlf___	D210	-	100	ND	H
102.9	Radio PSR	RADIOPSR	D3C8	Leipzig	100	ND	H
104.9	Radio SAW	_S_A_W__	D4D9 (regional), D3D9	Hall	100	D (150-110 °)	H
106.5	MDR Saxony-Anhalt	MDR_S-AN	D4D1	Hall	30th	D (150-110 °)	H
106.9	Hitradio RTL Saxony	Hitr.RTL	D3C9	Leipzig	100	ND	H

Analog radio (MW)

Medium wave transmission was discontinued on April 30, 2013. A notification loop with alternative reception options for MDR Info ran until May 6, 2013 .

Frequency   (kHz)	program	Transmission power (kW)	Transmission diagram round (ND) / directional (D)	Regionalization
783	MDR info	100	ND	-

Analog television (PAL)

Until the introduction of DVB-T in Saxony (December 5, 2005) and Saxony-Anhalt (October 9, 2007), the following analog television stations were broadcast. The broadcast of Sat.1 and the double broadcast of Das Erste on channel 35 were stopped long before the digital switchover.

Note: In contrast to the other programs, the program of Das Erste on Channel 9 did not come from a 212 meter high, but from a 236 meter high tubular mast.

channel	Frequency   (MHz)	program	ERP (kW)	Transmission diagram round (ND) / directional (D)	Polarization horizontal (H) / vertical (V)
9	203.25	The First (MDR)	100	ND	V
22nd	479.25	MDR television (Saxony)	460	ND	H
26th	511.25	Sat 1	200	D.	H
35	583.25	The First (MDR)	100	D.	H
42	639.25	ZDF	500	ND	H
52	719.25	MDR television (Saxony-Anhalt)	100	D.	H

Since then, the television signals for the Leipzig region have come from the DVB-T transmission tower in Leipzig , as the Wiederau station was too far away from Leipzig .

literature

• Gerd Klawitter: 100 years of radio technology in Germany. Verlag für Wissenschaft und Technik, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-89685-500-X , pp. 155–162.

See also

• List of transmitters in Saxony

Web links

Commons : Sender Wiederau  - Collection of images

• Sender Wiederau. In: Structurae (150-meter wooden transmission tower)
• Sender Wiederau. In: Structurae (main broadcast mast)
• Sender Wiederau. In: Structurae (VHF transmitter mast)

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Jan Balzer: History of the broadcasting station Wiederau. Retrieved October 25, 2013 . 
2. ↑ Kai Ludwig: date of demolition for mast J1 in Wiederau. (No longer available online.) October 22, 2013, archived from the original on October 29, 2013 ; Retrieved October 24, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ^ ^{A b} Kai Ludwig: Medium wave transmitter Wiederau and Reichenbach demolished. (No longer available online.) September 25, 2013, archived from the original on October 29, 2013 ; Retrieved October 24, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ radioeins.de: MW transmitter switched off in Saxony ( memento of the original from July 1, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ youtube.com: Video with reference to the shutdown of MDR medium waves on April 30, 2013
6. ↑ soundcloud.com: Recording of the transition to the hint loop on the morning of April 30, 2013
7. ↑ Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk: The transmission mast in Wiederau has been blown up. October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013 . 
8. ↑ radioeins.de: Mast I1 in Wiederau will be demolished ( Memento of the original from June 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
9. ↑ 3sat teletext page 716
10. ↑ lvz-online.de: New blast date "unclear"
11. ^ Jan Balzer: Sender Wiederau. Retrieved October 25, 2013 .