| Telecommunications transmission site near Abbeville, France | |
| Building Type: | TV Radio and mobile Phone transmitter |
| Location: | Limeux, Picardie, France |
| Coordinates: | 50.0124°N 1.8303°W50.0122°N 1.8336°W |
| Status: | Built |
| Completion Date: | mast 1: end 1960's / mast 2 : january 2016 |
| Height: | mast 1 : 203m (666feet) / mast 2 : 202m (663feet) |
| Main Contractor: | TDF |
The Limeux transmitting station (50.0122°N 1.8303°W) (mast 1) and (50.0122°N 1.8336°W) (mast 2) is a facility for FM radio and television and mobile phone transmissions located near Abbeville, Somme, France. It has a 203m (666feet) tall guyed mast for FM radio and analogue and digital television services.It is the tallest built structure in the Somme.
As in most countries, TV Broadcast was a state monopoly in France. As a consequence, when the market opened to competitors, the historic operator TDF had the advantage of already having all the requested infrastructures. By Law, it was decided to permit access of the existing infrastructures to the competitors, paying a rent to the historic operator. The Operator Itas Tim found it more profitable to build its own mast and not paying the rent, thus a second mast was built at the end of 2015.[1] Itas tim switched over its own muxes to the new mast on February, 2nd 2016. But in the end TDF bought the operator Itas Tim at the end 2016.
| FM radio | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio name | Frequency | Power | |
| France Musique | 89.8 MHz | 2,5 kW | |
| France Inter | 93.1 MHz | 2,5 kW | |
| France Culture | 97.4 MHz | 2,5 kW | |
| France Bleu Picardie | 100.6 MHz | 5 kW | |
Digital switchover planned date on Abbeville-Limeux TV mast : February 1, 2011.
| Analogue TV SECAM with NICAM Subcarrier | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channel Name | UHF Channel | Power | Notes | |
| TF1 | 63H | 380 kW | ||
| France 2 | 57H | 380 kW | will be used for digital broadcasting when DSO completed | |
| France 3 Picardie | 60H | 380 kW | ||
| Canal+ | not transmitted | N/A | This Pay TV was received from Bouvigny TV mast (in analogue) (Switched off on 14/04/10). It is now only available using DTT on Limeux | |
| France 5/Arte | 45H | 80 kW | ||
| M6 | 42H | 80 kW | ||
Frequencies from May, 14th 2019Originally, all the multiplexes were transmitted from Mast 1. Itas tim's multiplexes were transferred to the new mast in early 2016.Extra compression made it possible to delete mux 5 and then to sell the frequencies over 700 MHz to mobile phone operators.
| Télévision Numérique Terrestre the French version of Freeview (UK) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multiplex Name | UHF Channel | Nominal power | Operator | Transmitting standard | Mast | |
| Multiplex R1 (GR1) | 35H | 80 kW | ITAS TIM (TDF) | DVB-T | 1 | |
| Multiplex R2 (NTN) | 25H | 80 kW | Towercast (NRJ Group) | DVB-T | 1 | |
| Multiplex R3 (CNH) | 22H | 80 kW | Towercast (NRJ Group) | DVB-T | 1 | |
| Multiplex R4 (Multi4) | 45H | 80 kW | ITAS TIM (TDF) | DVB-T | 1 | |
| Multiplex R5 (GR5 - TNT HD) | N/A | 80 kW from October 30, 2008 | OneCast (formerly a TF1 Subsidiary) | DVB-T | ||
| Multiplex R6 (SMR6) | 39H | 80 kW | ITAS TIM (TDF) | DVB-T | 2 | |
| Multiplex R7 (MHD7) | 28H | 80 kW | Towercast (NRJ Group) | DVB-T | 1 | |