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Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter

first published this on - UK Free TV
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The symbol shows the location of the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter which serves 2,690,000 homes. The bright green areas shown where the signal from this transmitter is strong, dark green areas are poorer signals. Those parts shown in yellow may have interference on the same frequency from other masts.

Are there any planned engineering works or unexpected transmitter faults on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) mast?

Winter Hill transmitter - Winter Hill transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 25/03/2024 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels Digital tick


Choose from three options: ■ List by multiplex ■ List by channel number ■ List by channel name
_______

Which Freeview channels does the Winter Hill transmitter broadcast?

If you have any kind of Freeview fault, follow this Freeview reset procedure first.

Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.

MuxH/VFrequencyHeightModeWatts
PSB1
BBCA
 H max
C32 (562.0MHz)726mDTG-100,000W
Channel icons
1 BBC One (SD) North West, 2 BBC Two England, 9 BBC Four, 23 BBC Three, 201 CBBC, 202 CBeebies, 231 BBC News, 232 BBC Parliament, plus 17 others

PSB2
D3+4
 H max
C34 (578.0MHz)726mDTG-100,000W
Channel icons
3 ITV 1 (SD) (Granada), 4 Channel 4 (SD) North ads, 5 Channel 5, 6 ITV 2, 10 ITV3, 13 E4, 14 Film4, 15 Channel 4 +1 North ads, 18 More4, 26 ITV4, 28 ITVBe, 30 E4 +1, 35 ITV1 +1 (Granada),

PSB3
BBCB
 H max
C35- (585.8MHz)726mDTG-100,000W
Channel icons
46 5SELECT, 101 BBC One HD North West, 102 BBC Two HD England, 103 ITV 1 HD (ITV Granada), 104 Channel 4 HD North ads, 105 Channel 5 HD, 106 BBC Four HD, 107 BBC Three HD, 204 CBBC HD, 205 CBeebies HD, plus 1 others

COM4
SDN
 H max
C29 (538.0MHz)726mDTG-8100,000W
Channel icons
20 Drama, 21 5USA, 29 ITV2 +1, 32 5STAR, 33 5Action, 38 Channel 5 +1, 41 Legend, 42 GREAT! action, 57 Dave ja vu, 58 ITVBe +1, 59 ITV3 +1, 64 Blaze, 67 TRUE CRIME, 68 TRUE CRIME XTRA, 78 TCC, 81 Blaze +1, 83 Together TV, 89 ITV4 +1, 91 WildEarth, 209 Ketchup TV, 210 Ketchup Too, 211 YAAAS!, 267 Al Jazeera English, plus 30 others

COM5
ArqA
 H max
C31 (554.0MHz)726mDTG-8100,000W
Channel icons
11 Sky Mix, 17 Really, 19 Dave, 31 E4 Extra, 36 Sky Arts, 40 Quest Red, 43 Food Network, 47 Film4 +1, 48 Challenge, 49 4seven, 60 Drama +1, 65 That's TV 2, 70 Quest +1, 74 Yesterday +1, 75 That's 90s, 233 Sky News, plus 11 others

COM6
ArqB
 H max
C37 (602.0MHz)726mDTG-8100,000W
Channel icons
12 Quest, 25 W, 27 Yesterday, 34 GREAT! movies, 39 DMAX, 44 HGTV, 52 GREAT! romance, 56 That's TV (UK), 61 GREAT! movies extra, 63 GREAT! romance mix, 71 That’s 60s, 73 HobbyMaker, 82 Talking Pictures TV, 84 PBS America, 235 Al Jazeera Eng, plus 18 others

LM
 H -20dB
C40 (626.0MHz)572mDTG-121,000W
Channel icons
from 1st October 2014: 7 That's Manchester,

LL
 H -17dB
C24 (498.0MHz)572mDTG-122,000W
Channel icons
from 30th June 2014: 7 Bay TV Liverpool,

LPR
 H -20dB
C56 (754.0MHz)572mDTG-121,000W
Channel icons
from 1st October 2014: 7 That's Lancashire,

GIM
 H -20dB
C57 (762.0MHz)572mDTG-21,000W
Channel icons
 Now 90s,  Spotlight TV,  Clubland TV,  Country Music Entertainment ,  Classic Hits MCR, 76 That's TV 2 MCR, 77 That's 60s MCR, 80 That's 80s, 86 That's 90s MCR, 88 TV Warehouse+1,

DTG-8 64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-2 16QAM 2K 3/4 18.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)

Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Winter Hill transmitter?

regional news image
BBC North West Tonight 3.1m homes 11.8%
from Salford M50 2QH, 22km southeast (140°)
to BBC North West region - 92 masts.
regional news image
ITV Granada Reports 3.1m homes 11.6%
from Salford M50 2EQ, 22km southeast (139°)
to ITV Granada region - 80 masts.

How will the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmission frequencies change over time?

1956-80s1984-971997-981998-20092009-132013-182013-1720 Feb 2020
VHFC/D EC/D EC/D EC/D EC/D E TW TW T
C9ITVwaves
C12BBCtvwaves
C24_local
C29SDN
C31com7com7
C32BBCA
C34D3+4
C35BBCB
C37com8com8
C40LOCAL2
C48C5wavesC5waves
C49tv_off ArqAArqA
C50tv_off BBCABBCA
C54tv_off-BBCB-BBCB-BBCB
C55tv_offBBC1wavesBBC1wavesBBC1wavesArqBArqBArqBcom7tv_off
C56tv_off_local_local_localLPR
C57tv_offGIMGIMGIMGIM
C58tv_offSDNSDNSDN
C59tv_offITVwavesITVwavesITVwavesD3+4D3+4D3+4
C61ArqA
C62BBC2wavesBBC2wavesBBC2wavesBBCA
C65C4wavesC4wavesC4waves

tv_off Being removed from Freeview (for 5G use) after November 2020 / June 2022 - more
Table shows multiplexes names see this article;
green background for transmission frequencies
Notes: + and - denote 166kHz offset; aerial group are shown as A B C/D E K W T
waves denotes analogue; digital switchover was 4 Nov 09 and 2 Dec 09.

How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?

Analogue 1-4 500kW
SDN, ARQA, ARQB, BBCA, D3+4, BBCB(-7dB) 100kW
com7(-12.9dB) 25.7kW
com8(-13.4dB) 22.6kW
Analogue 5(-16dB) 12.5kW
Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D*(-17dB) 10kW
LL(-24dB) 2kW
GIM, LM, LPR(-27dB) 1000W

Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Winter Hill transmitter area

May 1956-Jul 1968Granada Television†
May 1956-Jul 1968Associated British Corporation◊
Jul 1968-Feb 2004Granada Television
Feb 2004-Dec 2014ITV plc
Feb 1983-Dec 1992TV-am•
Jan 1993-Sep 2010GMTV•
Sep 2010-Dec 2014ITV Daybreak•
• Breakfast ◊ Weekends ♦ Friday night and weekends † Weekdays only.

Comments
Tuesday, 8 March 2022
O
Oliver
12:06 AM

I have lost C55 746mhz, C57 762mhz the past couple of days with just the odd
flash of pixilation and sound every few seconds but nothing watchable when it was fine a few days earlier. Interestingly CH56 754mhz is still perfect at 82% strength 100% quality.

I believe this is probably due to new 5G in the area, is it worth trying to get a filter
or will these MUX's be switched off very soon anyway, no amps in use btw.

link to this comment
Oliver's 9 posts GB flag
O
Oliver
12:26 AM

I have lost C55 746mhz, C57 762mhz the past couple of days with just the odd
flash of pixilation and sound every few seconds but nothing watchable when it was fine a few days earlier. Interestingly CH56 754mhz is still perfect at 82% strength 100% quality.

I believe this is probably due to new 5G in the area, is it worth trying to get a filter at all
or will these MUX's be switched off very soon anyway, no amps in use btw.

link to this comment
Oliver's 9 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

2:40 AM

Oliver:

Posts sometimes take an inordinate amount of time to appear on this site, so please wait several minutes before reposting. Also, there is little point in subsequently repeating your post at 1/2hrly intervals, it won't get a quicker response.

I think you are not looking at your TV tuning section correctly as there have been no Freeview transmissions (on any transmitter) on UHF channels C56 & C57 since the completion of the 700MHz Clearance program in August 2020.
The list at the top of this page has not been fully updated since the end of the 700MHz Clearance as the site owner has not been able to find time to update everything.

See my post (p219, Saturday, 5 February 2022, 8.08am), the one just before your first post, for full details of Winter Hill's UHF channels.
I can't find any reports of any faults at Winter Hill (the BBC are normally very good at providing information as COM7 problems would affect BBC News HD and BBC Four HD), and the transmitter isn't currently listed for Planned Engineering.

As you haven't provided a full postcode the information may not be 100% accurate.
If there are/were to be any new 4G/5G transmissions in the 700MHz band near you that would affect your reception, then you should have received a postcard from https://restoretv.uk/
The mast would need to be very very close to you if it were not on the line-of-sight to Winter Hill, even then it would need to be within 1km or so.
If there is such a mast, then a Free filter would be obtainable from restoretv.uk Such a filter would cut down all transmissions above UHF C48. In any event COM7 is a temporary mux due to be switched off by the end of June2022 under the terms of its current licence. If you are getting 4G/5G interference a filter is still recommended contact restoretv.uk for more information and detail about nearby masts.

All that said, there is one more common source of problems with interference to C55. Have you altered anything around, moved cables etc. in your installation? Make sure you don't have any HDMI cables near any unscreened/poorly screened flyleads/aerial leads especially if those aerial/flyleads aren't double screened coax as HDMI has been known to cause interference.

link to this comment
Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
O
Oliver
9:34 PM

Many thanks for your reply Chris. I wasn't aware it was actually posting as I kept getting an
error performing query evertime I submitted my post.

You are indeed correct what I thought was CH56 is actually CH24 on which I can pick up
That's TV Manchester ok. What I thought was CH57 is actually CH27 with the GIM Mux that's
breaking up but I have watched it fine before. CH55 was fine until just before the weekend and I haven't changed anything with the setup to explain it.

I haven't had a postcard but I have had this in the local press TV interference in Glossop as mobile networks upgraded - Quest Media Network - Tameside Radio, Tameside Reporter, Oldham Reporter, Glossop Chronicle

I'm really not sure where the mast would be and yes I do have good CT100 type coax. I shall see if I can get a filter if they are free it cant hurt to try I guess.

link to this comment
Oliver's 9 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 9 March 2022
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:33 AM

Oliver:

Hi Oliver, I hadn't appreciated that the fatal error on posting was still occurring as I haven't had it myself recently. I wish the site owner would try and fix these problems.

It will depend on exactly where your locale is, parts of the general area won't get brilliant reception from Winter Hill, but especially C55. The Planned Engineering lists aren't always 100% accurate so there may be work going on at present affecting your reception.
As for the GIM mux, it's apparently not uncommon for it to have "technical" problems - it's not maintained by the same company that do the main multiplexes! A tip that I picked up was a good way to try and get issues resolved quickly was to phone TV Warehouse and tell them you were struggling to watch as there seemed to be something wrong with transmission (if you can't see what they're selling you can't buy) - they know exactly who to chase!

I would contact https://restoretv.uk/ and ask them if there's a new mast that'll affect your reception in your postcode. If they say yes, ask them why they haven't sent out postcards - not the first time I've heard this of late, they don't seem to be doing an effective job!
If they say no, it could be down to engineering so hopefully will resolve soon. Don't forget any 700MHz filter they supply will cut out C55. You could ask them if they have any C60 filters left (that was to do with the previous 800MHz clearance) but may cut down on any signals close to and above C55 if they aren't that strong/close to you.

link to this comment
Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
Saturday, 12 March 2022
O
Oliver
2:50 PM

I contacted Restore TV and they confirmed new 700mhz 5G activity in my area. Basically told me COM7 is going as we know so just tough you lost it early from the interference.

They did send me a 700mhz filter which as expected totally wiped out any signal at all on COM7
but it has interestingly taken the signal quality up on CH27 GMAN from about 55% to 80%. I expect the main reason for that is my K group aerial being at its most resonant in the 700mhz region.

I shall wait to see what happens longterm with the HD channels on Freeview but may well end up moving to Freesat.

link to this comment
Oliver's 9 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:14 PM

Oliver:

Any very strong signal within the band will cause the receiver to lose some sensitivity, this will have a more marked effect on any of the weak signals, especially if those may be subject to interference from other transmitters in some locations. At least your GMAN signal is a bit better.
Virtually all aerials (except log-periodics) have more gain at the higher frequencies within their band.
If the HD channels on COM7 don't move to another HD mux (which would involve at least one other mux having to convert to T2) then I'd guess quite a few people will add Freesat - a lot of modern TVs already have a satellite tuner, so just a dish and LNB would be needed.

Did restoretv.uk explain why they hadn't bothered sending out postcards?

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Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
Friday, 1 April 2022
I
Ian Price
2:42 PM

What degree is winter hill from Kirkby Liverpool

link to this comment
Ian Price's 1 post GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:23 PM

Ian Price:

Posts unfortunately take an inordinate amount of time to appear sometimes on this site, so it's best to wait several minutes to see if they appear before trying again, even if you get an error message!

Winter Hill will be around compass bearing 59 degrees from Kirkby Liverpool. It might vary a fraction depending on exactly where you are in the area, but the beamwidth of your aerial should take care of that.

link to this comment
Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 12 April 2022
J
James Robinson
10:39 PM

Do we know whether COM7 will close on the same day all over the country or will it be staggered?

And will we really have DTT right up to 2034 given Ofcom renewed the D3&4 licence the other day,?

Will other muxes be closing and if so any idea when? Thanks.

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James Robinson's 5 posts GB flag
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