Editing Wachenbrunn transmitter

{{Short description|Radio transmitter in Germany}}

{{More citations needed|date=February 2017}}

[[Image:Quadratantenne Wachenbrunn.JPG|thumb|Antenna of "Voice of Russia" in Wachenbrunn]]
The '''Wachenbrunn transmitter''' was a large broadcasting facility for [[medium wave]] in Wachenbrunn near [[Themar]], [[Thuringia]], [[Germany]], established in the 1950s. Until 1993 the main transmitter of this facility, the medium wave transmitter for 882 [[Hertz|kHz]] was run with 250 kilowatts. In that year the transmission power of this transmitter, which was formerly used for transmitting the "[[Rundfunk der DDR|Voice of DDR]]" and since the beginning of the 1990s for "MDR info" was reduced to 20 kilowatts.

==History==
Since 1988 the transmitter Wachenbrunn has also been the site of a medium wave transmitter of the [[Russia]]n foreign radio service [[Voice of Russia]] (formerly Radio Moskau) on 1323&nbsp;kHz. This transmitter is similar to the transmitter of "MDR info" run by [[Deutsche Telekom]]. In the afternoon and evening, a programme of the Voice of Russia was transmitted in German. With a power of 1000&nbsp;kW, this transmitter was the third strongest in Germany. It used a directional aerial consisting of four 125.1 metre (407&nbsp;feet) high guyed steeltube framework masts insulated against ground with triangular cross section. These masts, which were locally called the "Russian Quartet", were located 800 metres (½ mile) away from the other parts of the facility, in order to avoid undesirable interference. For the transmission of the radio frequency power a [[Radio frequency power transmission|cage line]] from the transmitter, which was located close to the transmitter of "MDR info" and the "Russian Quartet", was used until the modernisation of the facility in 2002–2003. In the course of the modernization, a completely transistorized transmitter with a power of 1,000 kilowatts was installed in an old store building close to the "Russian Quartet". Therefore, the cage line was for its greatest parts obsolete and therefore shortened. By shortening the transmission line and installation of the new transmitter the efficiency was increased to 84%.  During the modernisation the masts of the "Russian Quartet", which had until that point of time a grey colour, were painted red-white.

MDR Info transmissions from Wachenbrunn transmitter on 882&nbsp;kHz ceased on 30 June 2011. An automated announcement notified listeners until 10:00 on 4 July 2011 of the closure.<ref>http://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/medienmagazin/radio_news/beitraege/2011/wachenbrunn_stillgelegt.html {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> The 882&nbsp;kHz transmitter was demolished on 14 July 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jans-radioseiten.de/wachenbrunn.html|title=Sender Wachenbrunn|author=|date=|website=www.Jans-Radioseiten.de|access-date=5 May 2017}}</ref>

The 1323&nbsp;kHz transmitter used by the Voice of Russia and Universelles Leben was not affected by the closure, as it operated from a separate site located about 1&nbsp;km from the first. However, the high power has been the cause of complaints from nearby residents about interference to electrical equipment.

Voice of Russia announced in December 2012 that they intended to cease medium wave transmissions from Germany for financial reasons from 1 January 2013. Besides Wachenbrunn, this also involved the transmitter sites in [[Cremlingen transmitter|Cremlingen-Abbenrode]] and [[Wilsdruff transmitter|Wilsdruff]].<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.dxaktuell.de/?p=2766 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130217053906/http://www.dxaktuell.de/?p=2766 | url-status = dead | archive-date = February 17, 2013 | title = Russischer Rotstift: Stimme Russlands kürzt Mittelwellensendungen aus Deutschland | date = 22 December 2012 | newspaper = dxaktuell.de }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.dxaktuell.de/?p=2889 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130217052530/http://www.dxaktuell.de/?p=2889 | url-status = dead | archive-date = February 17, 2013 | title = Stimme Russlands: Keine analogen Kurzwellen mehr aus Moskau für Deutschland, nur 693 kHz verbleibt | newspaper = dxaktuell.de | date = 22 December 2012 }}</ref> Wachenbrunn transmitter site was switched off as scheduled on 31 December 2012 at 23:00.<ref>{{cite news | archiveurl = https://archive.today/20130701022008/http://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/medienmagazin/radio_news/beitraege/2013/stimme_russlands.html | archivedate = 2013-07-01 |url= http://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/medienmagazin/radio_news/beitraege/2013/stimme_russlands.html | title = Abschaltungen bei der Stimme Rußlands vollzogen | publisher = radioeins rbb | date = 2 January 2013}}</ref>

The remaining four transmitting masts were demolished on 19 September 2013 at 14:55, ending the existence of the transmitter site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mdr.de/thueringen/sued-thueringen/wachenbrunn_sprengung_sendemasten100.html|publisher=Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk|title=Sendemasten bei Wachenbrunn gesprengt|trans-title=|language=|date=19 September 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060243/http://www.mdr.de/thueringen/sued-thueringen/wachenbrunn_sprengung_sendemasten100.html|archivedate=2013-09-21}}</ref>

===Solar power plant===
On 12 March 2015 the construction of a solar power plant started on the location of the former 882&nbsp;kHz transmitter site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonnewindwaerme.de/photovoltaik/spatenstich-8-mw-buerger-solaranlage|title=Spatenstich bei 8 MW Bürger-Solaranlage|last=peschel|date=16 March 2015|website=SonneWindWaerme.de|access-date=5 May 2017}}</ref> On 13 May 2015 it was connected to the network.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maxsolar.de/erste-netzeinspeisung-in-wachenbrunn/|title=MaxSolar GmbH - Erste Netzeinspeisung in Wachenbrunn!|author=|date=|website=www.MaxSolar.de|access-date=5 May 2017|archive-date=6 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706183433/http://www.maxsolar.de/erste-netzeinspeisung-in-wachenbrunn/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Facility==
As an aerial two guyed steel tube masts insulated against ground with heights of 142.8 metres (464&nbsp;feet) were used. One of these masts had been a reflector mast at [[Berlin-Köpenick transmitter]] site until 1988, before it was dismantled and rebuilt at Wachenbrunn. This type of transmission aerial allowed a better radiation toward the south-west. Furthermore, until the mid-1990s there was a triangle area aerial and a small guyed mast, which was insulated to ground. Neither installation still exists.

==See also==
[[List of masts]]
 
==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* {{Structurae|id=20011495|title=J2-Sendemast Wachenbrunn}}
* {{Structurae|id=20011496|title=J1-Antenne Wachenbrunn}}
* {{Structurae|id=20011497|title=Quadratantenne Wachenbrunn}}
* [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b45888 Skyscraper page 45888]
* [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b45889 Skyscraper page 45889]
* [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b45890 Skyscraper page 45890]
* [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b45891 Skyscraper page 45891]
* [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b45892 Skyscraper page 45892]
* [http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b45893 Skyscraper page 45893]
* [https://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&ie=UTF8&om=1&ll=50.493067,10.565774&spn=0.001546,0.003659 Google Maps: MDR Info Transmitter Wachenbrunn]
* [https://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&ie=UTF8&ll=50.485663,10.559256&spn=0.001546,0.003659&om=1 Google Maps: VoR Transmitter Wachenbrunn]

{{Coord|50|29|34|N|10|33|59|E|region:DE_type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wachenbrunn Transmitter}}
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Hildburghausen (district)]]
[[Category:Former radio masts and towers]]
[[Category:Radio masts and towers in Germany]]
[[Category:1950s establishments in West Germany]]
[[Category:Towers completed in the 1950s]]
[[Category:2013 disestablishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2013]]