Anthorn Radio Station
Anthorn Radio Station
Anthorn Radio Station is a naval and government transmitter site near Anthorn in Cumbria, England, overlooking the Solway Firth. It is operated by Babcock International (after a merger with VT Communications) and has three transmitters: very low frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF), and an eLoran navigation transmitter.
History
The site sits on the former World War II Fleet Air Arm airfield, built in 1943–44 and commissioned as HMS Nuthatch in September 1944. The airfield closed in March 1958. A road to Cardurnock still runs along the old perimeter, and some airfield relics remain visible.
Today’s transmitters
- VLF transmitter: 19.6 kHz with about 550 kW output. The callsign is GQD. It uses a large umbrella-shaped antenna with a central mast and six radiators, forming a star-like pattern. VLF messages are mainly for submarines and are designed to work even after nuclear events. It is part of a NATO network controlled from Northwood HQ.
- LF transmitter: part of the station’s communications capability (used for additional low-frequency transmissions).
- eLoran: an enhanced LORAN navigation transmitter added in 2007 for mariners. The service was largely shut down at the end of 2015 in many places, but the Anthorn site remains active for research and support.
Timekeeping and monitoring
In 2007, Britain’s national time signal MSF moved to Anthorn. The 60 kHz MSF signal provides time and date information and is monitored from the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, with synchronization to GPS. The on-site aerial is computer-controlled to adjust for wind and other conditions, and monitoring is done via the Internet. The transmitter’s effective radiated power is about 17 kW.
Construction and management
The project to build Anthorn as a NATO facility began after a member-country competition. The British Post Office oversaw the contract, working with the Ministry of Public Building and Works. Continental Electronics Systems Incorporated of Dallas won the contract in 1961. Construction started in 1962, and the station was accepted in 1964. Originally, it was designed to carry a single telegraph channel at up to 45.5 baud, with powers from 50 kW at 16 kHz to 100 kW at 20 kHz and carrier stability of one part in 108 per month.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:52 (CET).