Sutton Common BT Tower

Radio tower near Macclesfield, Cheshire, England

53°12′22″N 2°06′03″W / 53.206129°N 2.100728°W / 53.206129; -2.100728Grid referenceSJ9327467710Built1960s

Sutton Common BT Tower is a 72-metre (238-foot)^{[citation needed]} radio tower built of reinforced concrete at Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Sutton Common was originally conceived as part of the 1950s 'Backbone' chain designed to provide the UK and NATO with survivable communications during nuclear war.^[1]

The tower stands near the summit of Croker Hill on the western edge of the Peak District national park. Sutton relays signals to Heaton Park in the north and Pye Green to the south. For survivability during a nuclear war, the Backbone towers are some of the few communication towers in the United Kingdom built of reinforced concrete.

A wind farm was proposed on land adjacent to the transmitter but was objected to for various reasons, including the possible effects of turbine blades on the fixed link.^[2]

Channels available from this site

Analogue radio

Frequency	kW ^[3]	Service
96.4 MHz	0.250	Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire
106.9 MHz	0.300	Silk Radio

Digital radio

Frequency	Block	kW	Operator
220.352 MHz	12C	0.5	Manchester
229.072 MHz	12D	0.5	Stoke & Stafford

References

^ Backbone radio link and radio standby to line links for safeguarding vital communications. GPO paper for the Official Committee on Civil Defence, July 1956. The National Archives (UK) CAB 134/1207
^ "Planning Application Details". Cheshire East Council. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
^ Radio Listeners Guide 2010

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sutton Common microwave tower.

Map sources for Sutton Common BT Tower
Sutton Common's entry at mb21

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