Sender Hesselberg, Communication tower in Gerolfingen, Germany.

Sender Hesselberg is a communication facility near Gerolfingen that broadcasts radio, television, and mobile signals. The structure combines a steel lattice mast with supporting guy wires that provide stability.

The current transmitter building was erected between 1968 and 1970, and analog television transmitters went into operation in 1970. In 1993 the tower received a new five-tonne GRP cylinder housing new TV antennas, at a total conversion cost of 2.1 million DM. Analog television was broadcast until the switch to DVB-T on 25 November 2008.

Amateur radio operators run a relay station on the Hesselberg for voice, Packet Radio and ATV on 439 MHz, 1240 MHz, 2400 MHz and 10.2 GHz, licensed at 15 W ERP. Its power comes only from solar cells and wind, so it keeps working during a blackout, a point raised in German amateur-radio circles after the energy debate following the war in Ukraine. A second station, DB0EBZ, has operated in APRS mode in the Hesselberghaus since 14 January 2014.

The facility stands in open countryside and is visible from a distance across the landscape. Keep in mind that this is an active transmission site and cannot be entered by the public.

The facility uses solar panels and wind power to keep the radio equipment running even during power outages. This independent energy supply makes the transmitter especially reliable for emergency communications.