Caradon Hill Transmitting Station

Westcountry MPs including Joan Vickers, Douglas Marshall and Ian Fraser look at the Independent Television Authority’s new Caradon Hill transmitting station and control room on Bodmin Moor near Minions. The guyed mast was built and opened on 29 April 1961 bringing ITV to Cornwall and some parts of Devon on a 405-line Very High Frequency (VHF) Band III system. In 1964 the General Post Office allocated frequencies for 625-lined television for the four national networks.

In 1969 Caradon was chosen to become the main station to broadcast in colour Ultra High Frequency (UHF) for TV networks BBC 1, BBC 2 and ITV regional franchise, Westward TV. The main UHF aerial at the top of the mast was replaced in 2008 and in August and September 2009 the station began the digital switchover ending analogue television transmissions. In the 1960s programmes were broadcast all year round and broadcast television engineers are interviewed about working over Christmas in 1963. The message Do Not Adjust Your Set was often seen on the TV screen then and was displayed when there was a problem with transmission. They are the ones who were working to restore the broadcast!