Skelton Transmitting Station


The Skelton Transmitting Station is a radio transmitter site at near Skelton, Cumbria, England about north west of Penrith, run by Babcock International and owned by the Ministry of Defence. Since the Belmont Mast was shortened in 2010, the mast at Skelton has been the tallest structure in the United Kingdom.
In 1946, the BBC was heralding the site as being "the World's largest and most powerful radio station".
The main purpose of it is shortwave broadcasting. The site is capable of Digital Radio Mondiale on at least 3955 kHz and 3975 kHz beamed at 121° towards Germany and Central Europe. On AM the frequencies of 5995 kHz and 6195 kHz and 9410 kHz and 12095 kHz are known.
A British Navy very low frequency transmitter is also located there. It is used to transmit encrypted orders to submarines. It uses as its aerial a 365-metre high guyed steel lattice mast, which is insulated against ground and is the tallest structure in the UK. The transmitter went into service in 2001 and is the successor to the GBR transmitter at Rugby Radio Station.