Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 53.625,-2.516 or 53°37'30"N 2°30'56"W |  | BL6 6SL |
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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Sunday, 9 October 2022
C
Chris.SE1:06 PM
D. Worwood:
This sounds like a problem with interference - No, they do not turn down the power at certain times!
But the transmitter occasionally has Planned Engineering where that might be the case, however there is none listed, nor faults, at this time. If this is occurring regularly at every weekend then it won't be transmitter faults or engineering.
If you have a weak signal, you will be more vulnerable to interference. You cannot necessarily dismiss the aerial just because it is "quite new". If water is getting into the connections/coax then this will affect the signal.
You may not even be correctly tuned to Winter Hill which may not even give you the best signals.
Check in your TV tuning section if you are tuned to Winter Hill's UHF channels
In the multiplex order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6, Winter Hill's UHF channels since the 700 MHz clearance are -
The main multiplexes on C32, C34, C35, C29, C31, C37
The Local ones you may receive are Liverpool Local mux on C21, and maybe, but unlikely Manchester GI on C27.
Have you checked the aerial is still pointing correctly? Is the downlead secure and not flapping in the wind?
CH52 is a large area and signals will vary across it.
You need to provide a FULL postcode to check your predicted reception, the best transmitter and which way the aerial should point. The reception predictors do not work on partial postcodes.
Does the problem start at an exact time when it starts at the weekend?
Do you have any electrical or electronic equipment that you switch on at the weekend not used at other times?
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Saturday, 29 April 2023
J
Joseph Mcgarry2:18 PM
Hi there my tv signal keeps on interfering I have had a 4G/5G filter on my rooftop tv aerial to block the phone mask signal but that hasn't fixed the problem I had an engineer come out and he said the aerial was all fine and it was working good after that my tv transmitter is Moel Yr Parc and Winter Hill
Thank you J.mcgarry_
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Joseph's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
C
Chris.SE2:25 PM
Joseph Mcgarry:
Visit https://restoretv.uk, see the Contact Us page, ring them up on 0808-1313-800, it's a free call. They are the organisation that are responsible for providing Free Filters and etc to ensure you can watch interference free. Explain your problem, they may send an extra filter, they may send an engineer free of charge.
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J
Joseph Mcgarry2:31 PM
Chris.SE:
Thanks for that i already called them and they sent out an engineer and he put a filter on my roof last week
And then it was working fine but there no signal on the tv now
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Joseph's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
C
Chris.SE2:55 PM
Joseph Mcgarry:
Do not retune when you have no signal as this will usually just clear any correct tuning that you had.
Go into your TV Tuning section and have a look for which UHF channels you are tuned to for the various multiplexes.
If you also tell us which way your aerial is pointing that may help to discover which transmitter you should actually be receiving as there's 3 possibilities in your location.
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J
Joseph Mcgarry5:04 PM
Chris.SE:
Thank you
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Joseph's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
C
Chris.SE6:54 PM
Joseph Mcgarry:
If you did retune earlier when you had no signal and it's cleared your current tuning, you'll have to repeat a retune BUT it depends which way your aerial points and which service you want as a primary service.
If you do an automatic tune, the set may prompt you for the region - England or Wales. If it doesn't do that you may have to do a manual tune if it doesn't give the your preferred channels and you may need to clear the tuning again if it's given the wrong preference - the wrong service on 1 & 3 and the wanted service in the 800s.
If you want England your aerial should point ~NorthEast for Winter Hill or North for Storeton (which also has Wales!). Although the aerial will probably still pick up the Welsh service at Moel-y-Parc as you are much closer to it, that is West.
The channels are as follows in the multiplex order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6
Winter Hill UHF channels C32, C34, C35, C29, C31, C37 & possibly Local multiplexes on C21 & C27
Storeton (Granada) UHF channels C28, C25, C22, C23, C26, C30 + C43 (Local)
Storeton Wales) UHF Channels C45, C39, C42 (no COMs or Local).
Moel_y_Parc UHF Channels C45, C39, C42, C33, C36, C48, and possibly a Local multiplex on C27.
See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which TV Channels (LCNs) are carried on which multiplex.
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Monday, 19 June 2023
Tuesday, 20 June 2023
C
Chris.SE12:50 AM
Gino:
Even though Winter Hill is still listed for Planned Engineering and you are some 63km from it, you are predicted to get a good signal on all 6 main multiplexes.
Now, there has been some quite variable weather related Tropospheric Ducting in recent days which can affect reception because of interference being received from more distant transmitters in Europe or the UK - not all multiplexes are necessarily affected, but this isn't normally sustained for any lengthy periods, nor is there normally any lengthy interruptions to transmission during engineering and even if they are on reduced power for a while, you should still be receiving signals.
Did you perchance Retune at any point when you may have had no signal for a short while either due to Interference or Engineering? If so this very often clears your correct tuning. It's not advised to retune when you have no signal or badly pixellated pictures if you were initially correctly tuned.
If you did, and you don't know if your tuning has been cleared, your best best will be to do a Manual tune for Winter Hill's UHF channels.
They are C32, C34, C35, C29, C31, & C37 that's in multiplex order -
BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6
You may also get the G-MAN Local mux on C27 and a choice of L-MAN on C24 (Manchester local news) or L-LIV on C21 (Liverpool local news)
See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which TV Channels (LCNs) are carried on which multiplex.
If you are finding your problem persisting, check your aerial looks intact and is pointing correctly, that the downlead looks undamaged and isn't flapping in the wind, that you haven't lost power to any amps/splitters etc. and all you coax plugs are inserted correctly. Check if a near neighbour has the same problem. Then post back with more detail of your aerial installation and things you've checked/tried.
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Thursday, 22 June 2023
K
Karl5:32 AM
A very (very) old issue seems to have reappeared as of yesterday the 21st June.
The problem relates to older Sony equipment (such as RDR-HXD870 recorders) and basically renders them unusable.
Key points are channels such as BBC1 do not display.
The EPG is 'wrong', its the wrong colour for one thing.
Signal checks show 'tuning' and then the screen goes blank.
This was a massive issue 10 yrs ago and did get resolved by Freeview. The symptoms seem the same as back then. Factory resets etc (if they work at all) have the issue reappear when the machine does its background channel scans.
There was a huge thread on this issue on 'avforums' at the time as back then there were lots of this sort of gear in use.
Any thoughts? perhaps as to what has actually changed.
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