Freeview Light on the Black Mountain (Northern Ireland) transmitter
 | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 54.586,-6.024 or 54°35'10"N 6°1'28"W |  | BT17 0LU |
The symbol shows the location of the Black Mountain (Northern Ireland) transmitter which serves 6,600 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.
This transmitter has no current reported problems
The BBC and Digital UK report there are no faults or engineering work on the Black Mountain (Northern Ireland) transmitter._______
Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.
DTG-11 QPSK 32KN 2/3 10.0Mb/s DVB-T2 MPEG4
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
The Black Mountain (Northern Ireland) mast is not one of the extended Freeview HD (COM7 and COM8) transmitters, it does not provide these high definition (HD) channels: .
If you want to watch these HD channels, either use Freesat HD, or move your TV aerial must point to one of the 30 Full Freeview HD transmitters. For more information see the want to know which transmitters will carry extra Freeview HD? page.
Which Freeview channels does the Black Mountain 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.
| Mux | H/V | Frequency | Height | Mode | Watts |
| PSB1 BBCA | V -26dB | C41 (634.0MHz) | 486m | DTG- | 5W |
 1 BBC One (SD) Northern Ireland, 2 BBC Two Northern Ireland, 9 BBC Four, 23 BBC Three, 201 CBBC, 202 CBeebies, 231 BBC News, 232 BBC Parliament, 250 BBC Red Button, plus 13 others | |||||
| PSB2 D3+4 | V -26dB | C44 (658.0MHz) | 486m | DTG- | 5W |
 3 UTV (SD) (UTV), 4 Channel 4 (SD) NI ads, 5 Channel 5, 6 ITV 2, 10 ITV3, 13 E4, 14 Film4, 15 Channel 4 +1 NI ads, 18 More4, 26 ITV4, 30 E4 +1, 35 UTV +1 (UTV), | |||||
| PSB3 BBCB | V -26dB | C47 (682.0MHz) | 486m | DTG- | 5W |
 56 5SELECT, 101 BBC One HD Northern Ireland, 102 BBC Two HD (England), 103 UTV HD (UTV), 104 Channel 4 HD NI ads, 105 Channel 5 HD, 106 BBC Four HD, 109 BBC Three HD, 204 CBBC HD, 205 CBeebies HD, plus 1 others | |||||
| NIMM | H max | C33+ (570.2MHz) | 486m | DTG-11 | 2,000W |
 53 TG4, 54 RTÉ One, 55 RTÉ Two, | |||||
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Are you trying to watch these 0 Freeview HD channels?
The Black Mountain (Northern Ireland) mast is not one of the extended Freeview HD (COM7 and COM8) transmitters, it does not provide these high definition (HD) channels: .
If you want to watch these HD channels, either use Freesat HD, or move your TV aerial must point to one of the 30 Full Freeview HD transmitters. For more information see the want to know which transmitters will carry extra Freeview HD? page.
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Black Mountain transmitter?
BBC Newsline 0.6m homes 2.5%
from Belfast BT2 8HQ, 1,044km northeast (51°)
to BBC Northern Ireland region - 46 masts.
How will the Black Mountain (Northern Ireland) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1959-80s | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2012 | 2012-13 | 4 Sep 2019 | ||||
| VHF | B E T | B E T | B E T | B E T | K T | ||||
| C9 | ITVwaves | ||||||||
| C33 | NIMM | ||||||||
| C37 | C5waves | C5waves | |||||||
| C39 | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | +NIMM | |||||
| C41 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | BBCA | |||||
| C42 | D3+4 | ||||||||
| C44 | D3+4 | ||||||||
| C45 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBCA | |||||
| C47 | BBCB | ||||||||
| C49tv_off | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | BBCB |
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 10 Oct 12 and 24 Oct 12.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 5 | 50kW | |
| NIMM≡ | (-14dB) 2kW | |
| Analogue 1-4 | (-33dB) 25W | |
| BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-40dB) 5W |
Local transmitter maps
Black Mountain Freeview Black Mountain DAB Divis TV region BBC Northern Ireland UTVWhich companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Divis transmitter area
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Is the transmitter output the same in all directions?
Radiation patterns withheldFriday, 30 November 2012
J
jb3811:44 PM
P. Kieran Ward: I did mean to finalise the reply I made earlier on this morning (08.18am) by stating, that needless to say should it be found on the "before and after" extension cable signal comparison check that there is quite a difference in levels between the two positions, then this could be rectified by the addition of a booster of about 6db or so preferably (but not essentially) preceding the cable run.
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Saturday, 1 December 2012
P
P. Kieran Ward11:12 AM
Belfast
Hi jb38!
Many thanks for the suggestions. I have already checked the continuity of the main core of the cable and confirmed no short circuit. Now in my mid-sixties, I was self-taught in the field of electronics back in my late teens and early twenties. I did tutor Electrical Principles for a few years in the late nineties but not using my former knowledge I now forget a lot of it nowadays.
I will try your second test over the weekend and see what it produces.
What I cant understand is that one of my other cable runs is about 50 feet (just over 15 metres) and it has no problems with carrying a received signal covering the range of UHF Channels 21 to 52 from the three transmitters I receive signals from.
The interesting thing about my problem is that the two UHF channels I cant receive on the cable run in question are channels for which you require receivers with MPEG4 although I also receive the multiplex PSB3/BBCB which is the Freeview HD channels which also requires DVB-T2 capability - BBC HD, BBC One NI, UTV HD and Channel 4 along with two other data channels.
As I have said I will try to undertake your suggestions.
Many thanks
P. Kieran Ward
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Sunday, 2 December 2012
J
jb3812:24 AM
P. Kieran Ward: The only reason that I mentioned / described the cable checking procedure was simply because that you had only referred to a visual check having been made, however if the cable has been checked by yourself as being OK and the box referred to "has" been verified (and important that is has) as being OK on both Ch39 and Ch52, especially Ch52 Saorview DVB-T but MPEG4, then your problem is suggestive of being associated with signal levels.
This of course where I do admit to being a bit puzzled as to why you can receive what you seemingly can do considering the wide range of transmitter power levels involved in relation to the stations received, because as far as the locals are involved Black Mountains (@ 4 miles) PSB muxes are only rated at 5 watts, whereas in contrast to this you have Divis's (2.5 mls) 100Kw PSB / 50 kw Com transmitters, although if the more distant Clermont Carn is involved this includes reception from 160Kw transmissions, and so all of those various channels just have to be coming in at vastly different levels.
Any receiving device (TV or box) located at only 2.5 miles from a 100Kw transmitter (Divis) will in most circumstances be suffering from signal overloading problems in the tuner, that is if reception is not completely blocked, but should it not be then the other commonly experienced problem in situations like this is that the exceptionally strong signal completely desensitizes the tuner thereby making it difficult to pick up weaker stations, although unlike the norm you can seemingly achieve this from Black Mountain's PSB only transmitters operating on 5 watts, albeit that the NIMM operates on 2 Kw.
In cases like this signal level comparison checks are extremely important as it gives an idea of what's happening, because although you would appear to have a good quality installation I suspect (maybe wrongly!) that there is an underlying problem and that why you are managing to receive what you do.
If its not too inconvenient I would be interested in the result of this particular test, and which involves testing the signal strength of either Ch39 or Ch52 on one of the four positions that these channels can be received at, then at the SLX end take the feed link for that position out of the booster and connect it directly onto the aerial downlead that would normally be connected into the booster, in other words by-passing the booster / splitter whereby the aerial is feeding directly into the test receiver.
Also, maybe you could give a brief description of your aerial set up, as this is an aspect that is unknown.
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Monday, 3 December 2012
P
P. Kieran Ward10:54 PM
Belfast
Hi jb38!
Sorry I have been unable to conduct and further work on my problem.
I'll get back to you soon.
Regards
P. Kieran Ward
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J
jb3811:33 PM
P. Kieran Ward: No problem! as I will be keeping a watch out anyway for any further updates from you regarding this issue.
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Friday, 12 April 2013
B
binzer3:47 PM
i have a freesat hd box and live in west belfast can i get rte cannels
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binzer: Not with Freesat unfortunately.
You may be able to receive it from Black Mountain, for which you will need a Freeview HD receiver (even though the pictures are standard definition).
Or you may be able to receive the full Saorview service from Clermont Carn in Co. Louth. For this, you will probably require a Freeview HD receiver although some standard definition ones have the capability to show Saorview pictures. Or a Saorview-branded receiver will do the trick (again, if you can receive it at your location).
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Wednesday, 11 December 2013
P
P. Kieran Ward 3:44 PM
Belfast
Hi all!
Is anyone else not currently receiving the NIMM on UHF Channel 39 since yesterday (10th December 2013) - is it off-air?
P. Kieran Ward
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Friday, 20 February 2015
J
john evans8:48 AM
Hello, I really hope you maybe able to help.
I have one aerial fixed to my chimney. it has two (aerials), coming from the pole which is secured to the chimney.
My aerial has recent been removed and place on the back chimney. I now cant find the same reception as I used to be able to get.
In the past I could get BBC 1, BBC 2, RTE 1 with a clear picture. Now I cant get any of these stations only UTV poorly and I cant understand why.
I have no knowledge in this field of work but if I was guess my way forward, I would like to find the direction of which the aerials should point and then I might be able to make some progress. (I have looked at other houses aerials and there is no pattern to suggest which way to point.)
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
My post code is BT147HH, abbeydale cresent
Rgds,
John
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Dave Lindsay
12:06 PM
12:06 PM
john evans: There are a number of possibilities of how they might have been and how they might best be now. Do these aerials feed into the same cable so you can watch the output of both on the same TV/box? Are they vertical or horizontal? When you received RT One could you also receive TV3?
As I say, there are a number of possibilities and this is complicated by reception of RT and other channels from the South.
However, Divis is on a bearing of 243 degrees with the aerial horizontal. This will give you all the Freeview channels and the local Belfast service, NVTV.
RT One, RT Two and TG4 are available from Black Mountain, horizontally polarised so as to match that of Divis. This is on a bearing of 223 degrees and a Freeview HD receiver will be required in order to pick this up even though the pictures are standard definition. Thus, if you have a single horizontally-polarised aerial then it should be directed somewhere between the two (the idea being that a single aerial will do for both in most cases).
However, if your other aerial is vertically polarised *and* you received all Saorview channels, including TV3, then you must have been receiving from a transmitter in the South (as TV3 isn't carried by Black Mountain). If your aerial is vertical then I would suggest it's probably for Clermont Carn, although I can't give you a bearing, only around 200 degrees.
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