Zendstation Smilde

The radio tower Smilde is a 303.5 meter high tower hybrid of the Dutch broadcasting for FM and TV, which was completed in 1958 near Smilde.

History

The radio tower Smilde was put into operation in 1959 and was in the north of the Netherlands, the tallest structure. On August 14, 1968, he was grazed by a U.S. fighter jet of the type North American F -100 and badly bent the tip of the antenna mast.

After a fire, the guyed radio mast on 15 July 2011, it erupted and collapsed in the middle. The lower concrete tower was at the collapse also damaged. All from there radiated public and commercial radio and TV programs were made ​​, of which a large part of the north of the Netherlands was affected. Therefore, the decommissioned 27 March 2011 medium wave transmitter Orfordness was rented in order to supply the affected regions with the program of Radio 1 to 4 August 2011. On October 31, 2011 began with the reconstruction of the transmitter. The reconstruction was completed in mid- May 2012. On the night of 14 to 15 September 2012, the radio tower was put into operation again. The last station was unlocked on the night of 24th to 25th September 2012.

Description

This broadcasting tower was carried out as the Gerbrandytoren as a hybrid tower. It consists of a 80 meter high concrete tower on which a 223.5 meter high guyed mast was mounted so that the construction had a total height of 303.5 meters. Originally this tower, which is not open to the public, only 270 meters high.