Sender Langenberg 1.57

The Langenberg transmission tower is a broadcasting station that transmits MW, FM and TV signals. It is located in Langenberg, Velbert, Germany and has had a very turbulent history since its inauguration. The transmitter first went into service in 1927 with 60 kilowatts of power and a T-aerial hanging on two 100-metre freestanding steel-frame towers insulated against ground.Attempted manipulationIn the early 1930s, communist underground groups tried to manipulate the line from the studio to the transmitter in order to broadcast their own propaganda. Their attempts failed, but they did manage to attach a red star to the top of one of the towers, which was removed on the same day.ModificationsPre-1945In 1934 the T-aerial was replaced by an aerial hanging from a 160-metre wood framework tower and the transmission power was increased to 100 kW. However, this tower was destroyed on October 10, 1935 by a tornado. After this a triangular aerial hung on three 45-metre freestanding towers was built; this went into service in December 1935. In 1940/41 a second aerial was installed on a 240-metre insulated guyed steel tube mast. The entire aerial system was destroyed by SS-Postschutz troops on April 12, 1945.Post-1945After World War II, British forces built two triangular aerials mounted on 6 masts, each 50 metres high. One of these aerials was removed in 1948 and a 160m insulated radio mast built on its site. The other aerial was destroyed in a storm in 1949 which broke two of the three masts. The third mast was transformed into an AM transmitter and was in service until 1957. In 1949 a second radio mast with a height of 120 metres was built, and in 1952 a third guyed mast followed with a height of 210 metres for FM and TV. The 120-metre mast was used as an AM transmitter and was insulated against ground, while the 210-metre mast, used eventually for TV and FM broadcasts, was grounded.