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Full Freeview on the Chesterfield (Derbyshire, England) transmitter

first published this on - UK Free TV
sa_gmapsGoogle mapsa_bingBing mapsa_gearthGoogle Earthsa_gps53.283,-1.429 or 53°16'60"N 1°25'43"Wsa_postcodeS18 4BT

 

The symbol shows the location of the Chesterfield (Derbyshire, England) transmitter which serves 25,000 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.

This transmitter has no current reported problems

The BBC and Digital UK report there are no faults or engineering work on the Chesterfield (Derbyshire, England) transmitter.

Choose from three options: ■ List by multiplex ■ List by channel number ■ List by channel name
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Which Freeview channels does the Chesterfield 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
 V -3dB
C31 (554.0MHz)230mDTG-400W
Channel icons
1 BBC One (SD) Yorkshire, 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
 V -3dB
C37 (602.0MHz)230mDTG-400W
Channel icons
3 ITV 1 (SD) (Yorkshire (Emley Moor micro region)), 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 (Yorkshire Emley Moor),

PSB3
BBCB
 V max
C29 (538.0MHz)230mDTG-800W
Channel icons
46 5SELECT, 101 BBC One HD Yorkshire, 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
 V -3dB
C43 (650.0MHz)236mDTG-8400W
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
 V -3dB
C46 (674.0MHz)231mDTG-8400W
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
 V -3dB
C40 (626.0MHz)231mDTG-8400W
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

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

The Chesterfield (Derbyshire, England) mast is a public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these commercial (COM) channels: .

If you want to watch these channels, your aerial must point to one of the 80 Full service Freeview transmitters. For more information see the will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? page.

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

regional news image
BBC Look North (Leeds) 1.9m homes 7.4%
from Leeds LS9 8AH, 58km north (353°)
to BBC Yorkshire region - 56 masts.
regional news image
ITV Calendar 1.9m homes 7.4%
from Leeds LS3 1JS, 59km north (351°)
to ITV Yorkshire (Emley Moor) region - 59 masts.
All of lunch, weekend and 80% evening news is shared with Belmont region

How will the Chesterfield (Derbyshire, England) transmission frequencies change over time?

1984-971997-981998-20112011-135 Feb 2020
A K TA K TA K TK TK T
C23ITVwavesITVwavesITVwavesD3+4
C26BBC2wavesBBC2wavesBBC2wavesBBCA
C29C4wavesC4wavesC4wavesBBCBBBCB
C31BBCA
C33BBC1wavesBBC1wavesBBC1waves
C37D3+4
C40ArqBArqB
C43SDNSDN
C46ArqAArqA

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 Aug 11 and 24 Aug 11.

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

Analogue 1-4 2kW
BBCB(-4dB) 800W
SDN, ARQA, ARQB, BBCA, D3+4(-7dB) 400W
Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D*(-17dB) 40W
Mux A*(-20dB) 20W

Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Emley Moor transmitter area

May 1956-Jul 1968Granada Television†
May 1956-Jul 1968Associated British Corporation◊
Jul 1968-Oct 2002Yorkshire Television
Oct 2002-Dec 2014ITV
Feb 1983-Dec 1992TV-am•
Jan 1993-Sep 2010GMTV•
Sep 2010-Dec 2014ITV Daybreak•
• Breakfast ◊ Weekends ♦ Friday night and weekends † Weekdays only. Chesterfield was not an original Channel 3 VHF 405-line mast: the historical information shown is the details of the company responsible for the transmitter when it began transmitting Channel 3.

Comments
Wednesday, 16 February 2022
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:31 AM

Greg:

As mentioned in the following reply Chesterfield (Derbyshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter | free and easy Waltham is over 70km away. If it were a persistent problem for you, neither Freeview's Detailed coverage checker (mentioned by StevensOnln1) nor the Radio and Television Interference Service or the BBC (I checked all) would predict good reception of C31 for you. Yes your set could tune to the best signals it finds if no other preferences have been specified or can be set. Manual tuning the wanted UHF channels is the solution to that one.

Waltham is in the complete opposite direction to Chesterfield & Emley at your location and so would have to be receiving the horizontally polarised signals from Waltham off the back of your vertically polarised aerial. Whilst it's unlikely under normal conditions it's not inconceivable. It you had a suitable aerial (with sufficient gain) pointing at Waltham you are predicted to get good signals for the PSBs but NONE for ArqB/COM6 which is on C31 at Waltham, that being due to the strong C31 from Chesterfield.
I assume you aerial doesn't have any missing bits.

The poster in question did not come back and provide a full postcode so we were unable to check predicted reception BUT located in Dronfield, both Chesterfield and Waltham would be in a generally SE direction and as pointed out by the other poster that replied it can be a problem in that area with poor aerial installation. Furthermore, if that poster had some form of splitter/booster system to feed several TVs, they may have had too much gain bringing in unnecessarily strong signals from Waltham as well as overloading the TV front ends with Chesterfield signals which would result in poor signal quality (a common problem with excessive signal).
Another possible relevant factor at that time was that Storm Arwen had occurred a few days before. We've no idea about the condition of that poster's aerial or downlead and its connections which may have been damaged or had water ingress. (I didn't ask about yours because you mentioned it was in the loft).

Having mentioned about reception under "normal" conditions, there's been no weather related "lifts/temperature inversion/tropospheric ducting" conditions in the last few days and only some very minor and very brief conditions a week ago. That wasn't the case though when the retune occurred as I mentioned previously.
As I also mentioned, predicted reception of Emley is generally better across your postcode BUT it is always dependent on local conditions. One thing people often tend to ignore is trees on the line-of-sight!

You mention your TV stops at 800, this seems rather odd. I'm not convinced you are not receiving C31 from Chesterfield, simply that your set is not using it as the preferred BBCA/PSB1 multiplex for some reason. It is common when sets receive two signals of the same multiplex (even when different regions) it will put the weaker signal (unless it's the chosen region) in the 800s.
HD channels have limited regions at present, that is due to change later in the year.

I suggest there's a few things you could do here. Go through your TV's settings and tuning sections looking for any "automated retune" on no signal setting - if you find one, turn it off, it's more trouble than it's worth. Retunes are rarely needed these days, often only when the commercial operators make some changes to their channels on the COM muxes and then there's usually a pop-up on screen message so you can either manually retune or initiate an automatic one.

In your TV tuning section wherever it gives the Strength and Quality (or Error/BER) figures for each UHF channel's multiplex, post those figures for each.

It might be an idea to check all your coax plugs, connections, flyleads etc, unplug connectors check for corrosion or other problems and reconnect them. Flyleads are a common problem, try swapping/changing them. Also check the connections at your aerial for corrosion particularly if its been installed for a long time but especially as you mentioned losing presumably C31 on your old TV a year ago.
Problematic connections can seem to affect reception of just an individual or several multiplexes.

Make sure you don't have any HDMI leads close to your aerial leads or flyleads, as HDMI has been known to cause interference.
Do you have a distribution amp/splitter?

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Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
G
Greg
2:12 PM
Chesterfield

Many Thanks Chris.SE for your detailed reply.
My loft is dry and well ventilated, so corrosion is not a problem, however the aerial in there is connected to a 3-way splitter/amplifier and it does point directly at a plastic cold water tank. I wonder if this is affecting the polarisation? Could C31 be boosted too strong?

I have been playing around with a great little phone app "UK Aerial Alignment" I would say that my aerial (Vertical) is pointing best towards Emley (Horizontal) where the strongest signal is. However Chesterfield (Vertical) is only slightly further North.

Examining a different TV (kitchen) it seems that one is picking up different signals again (from the same aerial) still no C31. A mixture of Emley & Chesterfield frequencies. I was tempted to go up and try the aerial Horizontally, but as I have great signal strength and quality on all available channels (except COM7) it would be better not upset things.

I have found this interesting, the fact I am missing C31 is just strange, but not causing me any problem as I now realise that the TV's will pick up the best signal from anywhere. I now suspect C31 could be too strong with my setup. At least I now have a much better understanding of my TV signals.

Very Many Thanks again for the great help on here.



link to this comment
Greg's 11 posts GB flag
Greg's: mapG's Freeview map terrainG's terrain plot wavesG's frequency data G's Freeview Detailed Coverage
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:02 PM

Greg:

The fact that C31 is "missing" is odd. It won't be directly/solely related to its strength. I still believe this has something to do with the way your set(s) are handling the tuning and the fact that Emley's signal appears to be stronger for the BBCA mux. Are they the same make/model?

When you have things like water tanks somewhere in front of the aerial, things can often get very unpredictable. If an aerial is not in a "particular" alignment it is possible for it to make a huge difference to reception maybe of just one multiplex, so at the moment it's anyone's guess. Especially as other nearby "external" local factors may have an influence, never mind the roof tiles, lead flashing etc etc.

One of the reasons I asked you to post the Strength and Quality figures for each mux (on the set that's only missing C31 but otherwise tuned to all Chesterfield) is to give a better idea about what might be going on.

As you have an amp/splitter (what make/model?), without changing anything else (ie. not retuning etc.) if you could also post the same Strength & Quality figures with the aerial directly fed (use a coax coupler) to the downlead for the same set and with the amp/splitter powered off.

This sort of information could help analyse what is happening without the need for professional equipment.

As far as loft environments go, yours may be dry and well ventilated but lofts can get very hot when in full sun and very cold at night if temperatures drop, and condensation can occur on anything metal, and that of course could sometimes introduce some corrosion. This is why it's always worth looking at the connections if it's been installed a long time - BUT do it after you've done and posted those Strength/Quaility figures!

As well as playing with your phone app "UK Aerial Alignment", I would use the Compass App to get a decent feel for the direction the aerial is actually pointing in. As mentioned in an earlier post Chesterfield is just 4 degrees W of due N according to DUK/Freeview's database from your location which should use the most accurate information. I've no idea what database that App might be using. BUT in any event local conditions MIGHT mean that the best alignment for the aerial is not necessarily precisely in that direction.

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Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
Friday, 25 November 2022
M
Michael Arnold
12:48 PM

10 minutes massive interference TV unwatchable.
Tuesday 22 November 2022
21.50hrs 22.00hrs.
Dronfield Summerfield Road.
Signal usually excellent and no interference.
Occasionally there is massive interference.
What is causing this?
Not propagation.

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Michael Arnold's 2 posts GB flag
Saturday, 26 November 2022
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:30 AM

Michael Arnold:

It's most likely to be some sort of electrical interference, but to try and narrow it down, more information would be needed.

How frequently is it occurring? Once a day, several times a day, once every few days, etc.?
What times? Does it always occur at the same time(s) of day/night?
Does it coincide with the use of any particular equipment - electrical or electronic? - eg. central heating coming on, recording equipment switched on, and so on?
Fluorescent or other discharge lighting being on? Even some LED bulbs can cause interference!
A motor vehicle/bike running (not diesel)?

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Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 11 April 2023
Transmitter engineering
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

10:07 AM

Chesterfield transmitter - Chesterfield transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 10/04/2023 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels [DUK]

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Transmitter engineering's 149,799 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 12 April 2023
M
Mark kelk
1:04 PM

I have a wall mounted low height 38 element aerial pointing NW of Worksop however,I am receiving multiple signals namely 3/4 different regions even ITV Granada which should be my default region or the best to receive?

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Mark kelk's 1 post GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

3:17 PM

Mark kelk:

We are going to need a FULL postcode to answer the technical question accurately, some parts of Worksop may get good signals from some transmitters, but others may not, it'll depend on Local terrain and any obstructive that may be on the line-of-sight to a transmitter.

Which region would you wish to be "part" of? Generally speaking you may have a choice of Yorkshire (South), Central East and Tyne Tees (when the replacement Bilsdale mast is completed early Summer). I would anticipate Granada would not be of special interest apart from which I doubt signals would be reliable and it would be a guess as to which transmitter you are actually getting (apart possibly from Winter Hill).
Some parts of Worksop may not get decent signals from Emley Moor (I'm guessing your aerial may be pointing at it as it's roughly NW), and some may not get good signals from Waltham.

You could go online and use iPlayer (possibly ITVX) to look at the local regions news to see which best covers your area of interest. As you are in Derbyshire, it might be Central East/East Midlands (from Waltham Tx) or being so close to Sheffield, it could be Yorkshire.

Apart from the Full postcode, it might help identify the transmitters if oin your TV tuning section you can say which UHF channel the set tunes to for which BBC or ITV region.

As mentioned, with an aerial pointing NW it's probably Emley for Yorkshire (UHF channels 47/44 BBC/ITV).
You may get Belmont (also Yorkshire) to the East off a rear side-lobe of the aerial (UHF 22/25).
You may get Waltham (Central East) to the SSE of a rear side-lobe of the aerial (UHF 32/34) but
Winter Hill (Granada also roughly NW well within the beam-width of the aerial) also uses UHF 32/34 for BBC/ITV multiplexes) so there may be interference depending on weather conditions. I doubt you'll be getting the Chesterfield transmitter as it's different polarisation (vertical) and low power using the same UHF channels as Waltham's/Winter Hill's COM multiplexes.

link to this comment
Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
Monday, 17 April 2023
Transmitter engineering
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

4:07 AM

Chesterfield transmitter - Chesterfield transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 17/04/2023 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels [DUK]

link to this comment
Transmitter engineering's 149,799 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 2 May 2023
Transmitter engineering
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

10:08 AM

Chesterfield transmitter - Chesterfield transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 01/05/2023 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels [DUK]

link to this comment
Transmitter engineering's 149,799 posts GB flag
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