Major TV & radio transmission mast, covering over 500k homes in North Yorkshire & North East is on fire. (10/8/21)

[cupid_stunt]

Looks like that could be out of action for a while, and one assumes whatever relay stations that take their signal from this main mast.

Bilsdale mast near Helmsley which provides TV signal for North Yorkshire and the North East has caught fire.

The transmitter sends a signal to approximately 570,000 houses across the region - only viewers who receive their television via Freeview are affected.

Radio services affected include BBC Radios 1-4, Radio Tees & BBC DAB, SDL, North Yorkshire DAB, BAUER Teeside, Digital 1, TFM, Capital, Heart & Classic FM.

So, basically all Freeview, DAB & FM services for the area.

I wonder if it was caused by a fault or loons.

TV services will not be restored this weekend after Bilsdale mast fire | ITV News

Households left without TV and radio services after transmitter fire could see services restored after a new temporary transmitter has been installed. | ITV News Tyne Tees

www.itv.com

 

[cupid_stunt]

Blimey smoke actually coming from the mast itself.

Bilsdale transmitter fire: TV and radio disrupted in 1m homes

More than a million people across North Yorkshire and parts of the North East are affected.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Smangus]

A bit too late to stop this Covid lark

 

[nogojones]

A bit to late to stop this Covid lark

If it's also doing 5g it might stop the chips being activated in the vaccines.

 

[Calamity1971]

Think I'm pontop pike or burnhope.
If not.. Emmerdale

 

[A380]

I'd like to hear the firefighters who get told by their station manger to climb to the top...

 

[NoXion]

What on Earth is there on a mast that can burn? I thought they were made of metal?

 

[Calamity1971]

What on Earth is there on a mast that can burn? I thought they were made of metal?

Insulated cables maybe, electrical fault. But yeh, wouldn't have thought that much smoke?

 

[cupid_stunt]

Think I'm pontop pike or burnhope.
If not.. Emmerdale

You better hope it's Pontop Pike, because Burnhope only transmits FM & DAB radio nowadays.

 

[skyscraper101]

I'd bet serious money that it was sabotage.

Someone once did it to a transmitter near Newbury during the World Cup Final in 1994. I was watching it in Reading and it just went black. Loads of people were seriously pissed at that. We could still get the London feed where we were so it was all good.

 

[cupid_stunt]

What on Earth is there on a mast that can burn? I thought they were made of metal?

Insulated cables maybe, electrical fault. But yeh, wouldn't have thought that much smoke?

It's a steel tubular mast, so could just be acting as a chimney.

 

[Calamity1971]

You better hope it's Pontop Pike, because Burnhope only transmits FM & DAB radio nowadays.

Just in and all's well. Must be pontop.

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

What on Earth is there on a mast that can burn? I thought they were made of metal?

Jet fuel doesn't melt steel beams!!!!!!!

 

[baldrick]

Probably thieves after the copper.

 

[elbows]

Part of later updates to this news were along the lines of "concerns about its structural integrity".

Bilsdale transmitter fire: TV and radio disrupted in 1m homes

More than a million people across North Yorkshire and parts of the North East are affected.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[cupid_stunt]

Part of later updates to this news were along the lines of "concerns about its structural integrity".

Bilsdale transmitter fire: TV and radio disrupted in 1m homes

More than a million people across North Yorkshire and parts of the North East are affected.

www.bbc.co.uk

It's a guyed mast, so I would have concerns over any damage to the guy wires, as well as the mast itself.

 

[cupid_stunt]

The guy wires are still in place, but you can see damage to the steel tubular mast, could be cosmetic, although towards the base of the mast, it does look a look a little deformed.



I guess once they decide it's reasonably safe, they will be able to get inside and see what damage has been done.

 

[elbows]

Tempting to read between the lines of this bit from recent reporting:

Firefighters were sent to the site at 13:19 BST on Tuesday after a call from an engineer working on the transmitter near Helmsley.

Bilsdale transmitter fire: TV and radio for 1m off air indefinitely

The operators of a transmitter which serves part of northern England cannot say when it will be fixed.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[cupid_stunt]

According to some reports they were installing 5G equipment.

 

[JuanTwoThree]

Probably thieves after the copper.

Followed by the copper after the thieves

 

[two sheds]

Installers had likely been vaccinated and so created an unstable 5G feedback loop

 

[cupid_stunt]

Back in the day, a lot of people would been lost by a TV black-out, whereas nowadays most will have cable, satellite and/or broadband, so will cope, like with this family.

Sian Merron explained how her family kept themselves entertained last night stating: "(We) don't watch Freeview at night anyway we watch Disney or prime. It was the kids who missed out on CBeebies but they entertained themselves with trashing the house instead."

 

[Cid]

The guy wires are still in place, but you can see damage to the steel tubular mast, could be cosmetic, although towards the base of the mast, it does look a look a little deformed.

View attachment 283110

I guess once they decide it's reasonably safe, they will be able to get inside and see what damage has been done.

That looks like an absolute nightmare. Dunno how you’d even approach checking something like that. I suppose gradually work up checking corrosion… maybe drone imaging of the guy connections. It’s a massive nope from me.

 

[cupid_stunt]

That looks like an absolute nightmare. Dunno how you’d even approach checking something like that. I suppose gradually work up checking corrosion… maybe drone imaging of the guy connections. It’s a massive nope from me.

I suspect they will use drones to check the outside, if that is deemed safe, I assume some poor sod is going have to go up on the inside.

 

[bellaozzydog]

What on Earth is there on a mast that can burn? I thought they were made of metal?

Cables

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

That looks like an absolute nightmare. Dunno how you’d even approach checking something like that. I suppose gradually work up checking corrosion… maybe drone imaging of the guy connections. It’s a massive nope from me.

You go up Cid, I'll hold the ladder steady.

 

[platinumsage]

There's all sorts up there. 200,000 candela LED arrays for aircraft warning for example.

 

[cupid_stunt]

I've never understood how the hell people climb these masts, that fucker is over 1000 foot.

When the engineers had put up a new mast at one of the radio stations I worked on, everyone had a go climbing it, except me I took one look at the 120 foot scaffold pole mast, with guy wires, and thought even with the special climbing kit - fuck that.

One of those engineers has even climbed the old 300 foot mast on the Radio Caroline ship, where you had to climb on the outside for the last half, on a bloody ship, over 12 miles out in the North sea, and even if the ship was hardly moving, you would be swinging around up there, fucking crazy bastard.



That's just half way up.

 

[bellaozzydog]

I've never understood how the hell people climb these masts, that fucker is over 1000 foot.

When the engineers had put up a new mast at one of the radio stations I worked on, everyone had a go climbing it, except me I took one look at the 120 foot scaffold pole mast, with guy wires, and thought even with the special climbing kit - fuck that.

One of those engineers has even climbed the old 300 foot mast on the Radio Caroline ship, where you had to climb on the outside for the last half, on a bloody ship, over 12 miles out in the North sea, and even if the ship was hardly moving, you would be swinging around up there, fucking crazy bastard.

View attachment 283116

That's just half way up.

How long does the mast have to be that when you are on the top and lean it tips the boat

 

[cupid_stunt]

How long does the mast have to be that when you are on the top and lean it tips the boat

Fucking high , because it was counter balanced with hundreds of tonnes of concrete in the hull, and the ship itself was 987 tonnes.