Zendstation Smilde


Zendstation Smilde, also known as the CJ2 Data tower is a partially guyed tower in Hoogersmilde, Netherlands. Built in 1959 for directional radio services and TV and FM-transmissions, it consists of an high reinforced concrete tower topped since 2012 by a television mast. It originally had a tubular analog TV - UHF antenna for a mast, removed in September 2007 and replaced by a similar UHF antenna for DVB-T, raising the tower's height to. Destroyed by a fire on 15 July 2011, that mast was removed, and replaced in 2012 with the current steel lattice one.
The tower is similar in configuration to the Gerbrandy Tower.

Owner

Originally the mast was built by the state company for Post and Telephony but due to privatisation this has changed. Several masts in The Netherlands, including above mentioned Gerbrandy Tower, have a complex ownership structure:
  • The high concrete tower is owned by Alticom BV
  • The steel mast on top of the concrete tower is owned by NOVEC BV, a 100% daughter of TenneT BV, which is itself 100% state-owned
  • The grounds on which the mast is located is owned by KPN, except for a ring of around the base of the tower which is owned by Alticom.

Aircraft incident

On 14 August 1968 a US Air Force plane, an F-100 Super Sabre, from the Lakenheath Air Force Base in England was involved in an accident in heavy low clouds where the tip of a wing hit and broke one of the guy-wires of the tower, causing the upper section of the tower to bend. The pilot made an emergency landing at Soesterberg Royal Netherlands Air Force Base with considerable damage to the right wing.

Fire and collapse

On 15 July 2011, the antenna section caught fire and collapsed, leaving only the concrete base standing.
In the above-mentioned report a warning was given that there was an increased risk of accidents in the masts, mainly because of the complex ownership structure, which left safety processes unclear. An investigation by the Dutch police failed to show any criminal negligence or other contributing factors that could have caused the fire.

Rebuilding the mast

The fire destroyed the steel mast on top of the concrete tower completely and the top of the concrete tower was damaged. The owner of the steel mast, NOVEC BV, announced that starting in March 2012 erection of the new mast on top of the concrete tower would begin, which would be operational by the summer of 2012. The new steel lattice mast is a few metres higher than the previous tubular one, bringing the mast to the same height as before 2006. This will prevent the 'chimney effect' in a fire, increasing safety. On 14 May 2012, at 10:35 the highest point was reached by the builders of VolkerWessels The mast was fully operational again in October 2012.