Moorside Edge transmitting station, Radio transmission facility in Kirklees, England
Moorside Edge is a transmitting station on open moorland in the Pennine Hills, in the Kirklees area of West Yorkshire, England. It has two tall steel lattice towers and operates on the medium-wave band, sending radio signals across a large part of northern England.
The station opened in 1931 to broadcast BBC programmes for the north of England, using transmitters on separate frequencies from the start. The equipment was updated several times over the following decades as broadcasting technology changed.
For many people across northern England, the BBC programmes broadcast from this station have been part of daily life for generations. Hearing a familiar radio voice while driving across the Pennines is a quiet reminder that the signal comes from this hilltop.
The site is on an exposed hilltop where the weather can change quickly, so warm and waterproof clothing is a good idea. This is a working facility, so access around the towers may not be possible in all areas.
The ground beneath the station is naturally waterlogged, which makes the soil a better conductor and helps strengthen the medium-wave signal. This is thought to have been one of the reasons this particular moorland spot was chosen when the site was first set up.
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