Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
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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 04/11/2024 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels 
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Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.
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 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.
| Mux | H/V | Frequency | Height | Mode | Watts |
| PSB1 BBCA | H max | C32 (562.0MHz) | 726m | DTG- | 100,000W |
 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) | 726m | DTG- | 100,000W |
 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), 71 That’s 60s, | |||||
| PSB3 BBCB | H max | C35- (585.8MHz) | 726m | DTG- | 100,000W |
 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) | 726m | DTG-8 | 100,000W |
 20 U&Drama, 21 5USA, 29 ITV2 +1, 32 5STAR, 33 5Action, 38 Channel 5 +1, 41 Legend, 42 GREAT! action, 57 U&Dave ja vu, 58 ITV3 +1, 59 ITV4 +1, 64 Blaze, 67 TRUE CRIME, 68 TRUE CRIME XTRA, 81 Blaze +1, 83 Together TV, 91 WildEarth, 93 ITVBe +1, 209 Ketchup TV, 210 Ketchup Too, 211 YAAAS!, 251 Al Jazeera English, 255 FRANCE 24 (in English), 265 Rok Sky +1, plus 29 others | |||||
| COM5 ArqA | H max | C31 (554.0MHz) | 726m | DTG-8 | 100,000W |
 11 Sky Mix, 17 Really, 19 U&Dave, 31 E4 Extra, 36 Sky Arts, 40 Quest Red, 43 Food Network, 47 Film4 +1, 48 Challenge, 49 4seven, 60 U&Drama +1, 65 That's TV 2, 70 Quest +1, 74 &UYesterday +1, 76 That's TV 2 MCR, 233 Sky News, plus 13 others | |||||
| COM6 ArqB | H max | C37 (602.0MHz) | 726m | DTG-8 | 100,000W |
 12 Quest, 25 U&W, 27 U&Yesterday, 34 GREAT! movies, 39 DMAX, 44 HGTV, 52 GREAT! christmas, 56 That's TV (UK), 63 GREAT! romance mix, 73 HobbyMaker, 75 That's 90s, 82 Talking Pictures TV, 84 PBS America, 235 Al Jazeera Eng, plus 18 others | |||||
| LM | H -20dB | C40 (626.0MHz) | 572m | DTG-12 | 1,000W |
 from 1st October 2014: 7 That's Manchester, | |||||
| LL | H -17dB | C24 (498.0MHz) | 572m | DTG-12 | 2,000W |
 from 30th June 2014: 7 Bay TV Liverpool, | |||||
| LPR | H -20dB | C56 (754.0MHz) | 572m | DTG-12 | 1,000W |
 from 1st October 2014: 7 That's Lancashire, | |||||
| GIM | H -20dB | C57 (762.0MHz) | 572m | DTG-2 | 1,000W |
 Now 90s, Spotlight TV, Clubland TV, Country Music Entertainment , Classic Hits MCR, 77 That's 60s MCR, 78 TCC, 80 That's 80s, 86 That's 90s MCR, 88 TV Warehouse+1, | |||||
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?
BBC North West Tonight 3.1m homes 11.8%
from Salford M50 2QH, 22km southeast (140°)
to BBC North West region - 92 masts.
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?
| 1956-80s | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2009 | 2009-13 | 2013-18 | 2013-17 | 20 Feb 2020 | ||
| VHF | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E T | W T | W T | ||
| C9 | ITVwaves | ||||||||
| C12 | BBCtvwaves | ||||||||
| C24 | _local | ||||||||
| C29 | SDN | ||||||||
| C31 | com7 | com7 | |||||||
| C32 | BBCA | ||||||||
| C34 | D3+4 | ||||||||
| C35 | BBCB | ||||||||
| C37 | com8 | com8 | |||||||
| C40 | LOCAL2 | ||||||||
| C48 | C5waves | C5waves | |||||||
| C49tv_off | ArqA | ArqA | |||||||
| C50tv_off | BBCA | BBCA | |||||||
| C54tv_off | -BBCB | -BBCB | -BBCB | ||||||
| C55tv_off | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | ArqB | ArqB | ArqB | com7tv_off | ||
| C56tv_off | _local | _local | _local | LPR | |||||
| C57tv_off | GIM | GIM | GIM | GIM | |||||
| C58tv_off | SDN | SDN | SDN | ||||||
| C59tv_off | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | D3+4 | D3+4 | D3+4 | |||
| C61 | ArqA | ||||||||
| C62 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBCA | |||||
| C65 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves |
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 |
Local transmitter maps
Winter Hill Freeview Winter Hill DAB Winter Hill AM/FM Winter Hill TV region BBC North West GranadaWhich companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Winter Hill transmitter area
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Thursday, 20 January 2022
D
Derek Fyfield3:27 PM
Can't receive any freeview channels. I
have no signl message and black screen.
It has been like that for days now. Why should I pay for tv Licence, when receive any freeview channels.
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M
Mazbar 5:21 PM
Derek Fyfield: when you called out a aerial man to check your tv aerial and find out why you can not get any signal they told you the problem
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Friday, 21 January 2022
C
Chris.SE2:42 AM
Derek Fyfield:
Did you do a simple thing like looking up at your aerial first to see if it was still there pointing in the correct direction or fallen down or pointing at a satellite as it was so old it got damaged in the wind?
Mazbar: Was that you by any chance?
Oh, in response to your previous post, I'd never have guessed (having installed a few aerials in my time) that you'd need all that stock and tools and insurance etc. etc. pretty similar to any self employed electrcian, builder etc.
The remark was slightly tongue in cheek, but some installers charge a "standard price" for "bog standard" installs, so if they are using a lower cost aerial, they make a couple of extra quid.
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Wednesday, 26 January 2022
A
Alan Driver4:44 PM
I just retuned my TV (26 Jan 2022 and lost a number of Channels in the process including ITV4, E4, Great TV,. I called called Freeview help centre and was informed that they were doing engineering work on the transmitter (Winter Hill) but she could not give any idea as to how long this was going to take! All she advised me to do was retune my TV each day until I get them back!
I note your website states there is no engineering work at Winter, so I pass this information on to you so your site can be updated unless of course Freeview are fobbing me off
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C
Chris.SE6:13 PM
Alan Driver:
Hi Alan. Who knows!! Winter Hill is NOT on Freeview's own list (and the checker says there's no Planned Engineering or current outages) but then we know from experience it isn't always correct. Even then, this site has a problem at present and what engineering is being done isn't currently reaching Tx pages and the site owner hasn't been able to sort it (yet?).
Rather than doing what the "bot" said, I'd try manually retuning the correct missing UHF channels until you get them, as auto-tuning will sometimes miss a weaker mux especially as there's some tropo weather conditions around which may upset reception periodically.
In the multiplex order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6, COM7
Winter Hill UHF channels since the 700 MHz clearance are -
The main multiplexes are C32, C34, C35, C29, C31, C37, C55
The Local ones are Local Manchester, Manchester GI on C24 & C27.
Liverpool Local mux on C21, Preston Local mux on C40.
Which Local mux(es) you may get, and possibly COM7 will depend on location.
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Tuesday, 1 February 2022
A
andy10:30 PM
Did Radio 2 FM Transmit Test Tones
about 1.30 am on 1st Feb
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C
Chris.SE10:41 PM
andy:
I doubt anybody here or even looking at the Winter Hill Freeview page would know the answer to that.
I did have a quick look for any reported faults on FM at Winter Hill, but there's nothing.
You may be best contacting BBC Engineering who might be able to answer that.
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Friday, 4 February 2022
A
Anthony12:55 PM
Accrington
Hello. I have an LG 47" smart TV with built-in Freeview HD and Free-To-Air Satellite tuners, model 47LB585V-ZM, and a Panasonic DMR--BW780 Freeview HD PVR / Blu-Ray disc recorder, at postcode BB5 6PN receiving signals from Winter Hill Transmitter near Bolton Lancashire, on a newly installed basic 8 element aerial horizontally polarised and I'm getting variable results,
LG 47LB585V-ZM Smart TV Freeview reception results,
Ch29 Excellent signal strength and quality
Ch31 as above
Ch32 as above
Ch34 as above
Ch35 as above but occasional pixelation and dropout
Ch37 excellent signal strength
Ch39 variable
Ch55 nothing
Panasonic DMR-BW780 HDD / BluRay Disc Recorder Reception Results
Ch29 Signal Strength 10 / Quality Variable
Ch32 Signal Strength 10 / Quality Flicking Between 8 and 10
Ch34 Signal Strength 10 / Quality Flicking Between 7 and 10
Ch35 Signal Strength 10 / Quality Flicking Between 3 and 6
Ch 37 Signal Strength 10 / Quality Flicking Between 4 and 6
Ch 39 Signal Strength 7 / Quality Flicking Between 0 and 3
Channel 55 Signal Strength 7 / Quality 0
I've gone through the indoor bit of the installation and there's nothing I can see that's amiss, gone through everything, and when I try and split the feeds with a splitter, and seperate coax cables from Wilko, things worsen further.
Looking around the area, everybody else is using wideband aerials, there are a few of them, and are probably getting far better reception than I am, all that's been put up is a basic 8 element aerial.
Would a 32 or 48 element wideband aerial at my location improve things or would it be fruitless and pointless?
I don't want to go on a Freeview Lite relay of which 2 are available in my area aka Woodnook or Haslingden as they carry far fewer Freeview services.
The BBC reception checker on the BBC Reception website says I should get good reception of all Winter Hill Transmitter services, but I don't know what's up? Is the 8 element aerial trained on Winter Hill Transmitter inadequate for the signal strength being transmitted or does my existing equipment need a stronger signal provided by a much better wideband aerial?
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Anthony's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Saturday, 5 February 2022
C
Chris.SE8:08 AM
Anthony:
The figures you have given suggest that not only have you got adequate signal strength but possibly too much!
What are the precise figures for strength and quality for each multiplex on your LG TV?
You are predicted to get very good/excellent reception from Winter Hill.
You should not be tuned to UHF C39, that is the D3&4/PSB2 mux from the Woodnook vertically polarised relay 1km from you (compass bearing 184 degrees, almost due S).
Your aerial (horizontal) should be pointing at compass bearing 215 degrees, that's 10 degrees S of SW.
In the multiplex order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6, COM7
Winter Hill UHF channels are -
The main multiplexes are C32, C34, C35, C29, C31, C37, C55
The Local ones are Local Manchester, Manchester GI on C24 & C27.
Liverpool Local mux on C21, Preston Local mux on C40.
I doubt whether you'd get ANY of the Local multiplexes (even only 18km from Winter Hill) as none of them are beamed in your direction, you are not predicted to get any, the Preston one is the only likely possibility IMHO.
One thing to check is that you don't have any HDMI cables close to any aerial or flylead cables especially if those flyleads are not double screened types. HDMI has been known to cause interference, especially to C55.
Is your downlead double screened coax?
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Tuesday, 8 March 2022
O
Oliver12:06 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.
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