Full Freeview on the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 50.676,-1.369 or 50°40'35"N 1°22'7"W |  | PO30 4HT |
The symbol shows the location of the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter which serves 620,000 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 Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) mast?
Rowridge transmitter - Rowridge transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 13/10/2025 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.
64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which Freeview channels does the Rowridge 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.
64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Rowridge transmitter?
BBC South Today 1.3m homes 4.9%
from Southampton SO14 7PU, 26km north (354°)
to BBC South region - 39 masts.
ITV Meridian News 0.9m homes 3.6%
from Whiteley PO15 7AD, 24km north-northeast (20°)
to ITV Meridian (South Coast) region - 39 masts.
All of lunch, weekend and 50% evening news is shared with all of Meridian plus Oxford
Are there any self-help relays?
| Portsmouth Docks | Transposer | 2 km N city centre | 50 homes Estimate. Group of houses' |
How will the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1950s-80s | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2012 | 2012-13 | 2 May 2018 | ||||
| VHF | A K T | A K T | A K T | A K T | W T | ||||
| C3 | BBCtvwaves | ||||||||
| C21 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | +BBCB | BBCB | ||||
| C22 | +ArqA | ArqA | |||||||
| C24 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBCA | BBCA | ||||
| C25 | SDN | SDN | |||||||
| C27 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | D3+4 | D3+4 | ||||
| C28 | ArqB | ArqB | |||||||
| C29 | LSO | ||||||||
| C31 | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | com7 | |||||
| C37 | com8 | ||||||||
| C55tv_off | com7tv_off | ||||||||
| C56tv_off | COM8tv_off |
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 7 Mar 12 and 21 Mar 12.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-4 | 500kW | |
| PSB1≡, PSB1||, PSB2≡, PSB2||, PSB3≡, PSB3|| | (-4dB) 200kW | |
| COM4||, COM4≡, COM5||, COM5≡, COM6||, COM6≡ | (-10dB) 50kW | |
| com7≡ | (-13.1dB) 24.4kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D* | (-14dB) 20kW | |
| com8≡ | (-14.3dB) 18.4kW | |
| LSO≡ | (-17dB) 10kW |
Local transmitter maps
Rowridge Freeview Rowridge DAB Rowridge TV region BBC South Meridian (South Coast micro region)Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Rowridge transmitter area
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Saturday, 17 May 2025
C
Chris.SE2:09 AM
tony:
Sorry, I haven't missed any point BUT I am missing a post. After posting the above I then saw your post on Coverage Maps about your aerial being Vertical, so made a further post here apologising and commenting then it must be the current weather conditions. That post seems to have disappeared!!
Making several posts in different places with different information isn't really that helpful.
Vertical polarisation doesn't unfortunately make signals immune from Tropospheric conditions, and also in some situations signal polarisation can change along a propagation path, so it's even possible that a signal that originated as horizontal could end up vertical in tropospheric conditions as there can be multiple reflections of the interfering signals.
Above, I didn't repeat the information that I'd posted in the post immediately prior to your Thursday one here (which I would have hoped you'd seen and read) albeit in response to another post in Nov.'24, I stated -
"How long have you had the problem? It could be current weather conditions, there is some tropospheric conditions around that will be causing interference problems for some on occasion. Such conditions can be very frequency dependant, so not all multiplexes will be affected, if indeed any others, it just depends on where the interfering signals originate."
In my direct reply to your post here, I did say we had such "tropo conditions" at present with links to current BBC and Freeview information.
Unfortunately, in your locale, from predicted reception information, COM5 would appear to be the most vulnerable of the COM muxes to this sort of interference.
Though you haven't explicitly said, from your recent comments I would deduce that your issue only started again recently with this current high pressure weather.
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Wednesday, 4 June 2025
I have been using the Rowridge transmitter for 6 months without issue. However this week it has breakups and pixelation. The freview site does indeed mention maintenance will start this week, which probably explains it. However it goes no indication how long this will take.
Does anyone have the answer?
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S
StevensOnln17:23 PM
Barrie Gibson: Arqiva (the company operating the transmitters) don't give any information about their engineering work, so unfortunately nobody is likely to know what sort of work they are carrying out or how long it is expected to last.
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Wednesday, 9 July 2025
T
tony2:01 PM
i am now going to give up on this site as it is hoplessly outdated
By the way Arqiva muxes from rowridge are practially uselss from my location
ALL the other muxes are peachy , just fine, perfecto....... a Banging signal and no dropouts..
Arqiva is a joke right? its not supposed to work ????
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Thursday, 10 July 2025
C
Chris.SE2:59 PM
tony:
Give up if you wish, your choice. One of the few, if only, places that you'll get free, independent and usually accurate responses to technical queries from generally experienced engineers.
And the site is not "hopelessly" outdated - yes there are some inaccuracies and errors, virtually all of which have been pointed out by ourselves when posters have a query relating to such errors and they've then been given factually correct information.
I hope you read my previous reply (and the Nov.24 one which it mentioned) the one before that was not helped by the post that went missing.
Unfortunately we have "tropo" conditions again, the latest BBC warning is here -
Latest engineering works and warnings | Help receiving TV and radio
It's not Arqiva's fault either. Here's a few more facts, whilst having been mentioned in various places on this site in the past, haven't been mentioned in direct response to you -
All frequencies used by Freeview (as well as European broadcasters) are shared and always have been. OK there are less of those frequencies now, which can cause problems on occasion.
You live near the south coast which makes you a little more vulnerable to interference from overseas transmissions (hence why Rowridge has Vertical and Horizontal polarisations, vertical helping to reduce the problem somewhat).
Part of your propagation path to Rowridge is over water which can add to problems on occasion.
The COM muxes share frequencies with a lot more transmissions that the PSBs, this makes them more vulnerable. This is so that the PSBs (Public Service Broadcasts) are protected as much as is possible from these potential interference issues, but none of this makes any of them immune.
Looking at the predicted reception for your locale, COM5 seems to be more vulnerable BUT there may also be some very local conditions near you that can also be having an effect which general postcode checks won't necessarily show up.
As previously explained, polarisation can change a bit over a propagation path in some conditions and sometimes due to signal reflections near your location as as result of very local buildings, trees and etc.
It seems from the dates of your posts that your issues do primarily arise when there are "tropo" conditions around, but as you are never explicit about how long they've being happening on a particular occasion or when they started, it's impossible to offer any other constructive advice, except - Do you have a (free) 5G Filter fitted between your aerial and any amp/splitter or just TV if only one?
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Friday, 11 July 2025
Rowridge HD transmissions are poor/not available. Even BBC non-HD transmission also have intermittent non-availability issues.
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Saturday, 12 July 2025
C
Chris.SE12:52 AM
Graham Scott:
As per the note at the top of this transmitter page, it is currently subject to Planned Engineering.
Do NOT retune if you have No Signal of badly pixelated pictures, it will likely just clear the correct tuning. You cannot tune to signals that aren't there or can't be decoded.
As you haven't provided a full postcode we can't advise on your predicted reception, however it's very likely that a lot of the rest of the comment in my previous post here will be applicable to you.
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Monday, 22 September 2025
We have just bought a static caravan at Ridge just outside Wareham in Dorset. It came with what looks like a relatively low gain aerial pointing at Rowridge. With an amplifier I get get PSB1 reliably but no other muxes. Even when it detects, say, PSB 2 or 3 it either reports no signal when you select the channel or it pixelates so much it is unwatchable. Setting the set to tune at different times if the day results in different numbers of channels being detected.
Unfortunately the van is down in a slight dip and the aerial is below the brow of the rise in front.
All other aerials on the site are set to horizontal. Is it worth trying vertical or just get a better aerial. If the latter what should I be looking for
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M
Matthew Bell5:30 PM
Newbury
Chris Simons:
As you haven't provided a postcode, I can't tell what specific transmitter you need, but I have estimated a postcode and inserted the postcode into BBC Reception. It shows three transmitters that could be received: Stockland Hill, Mendip and Rowridge (vertical). Rowridge VP seems to be the best transmitter for your location. You should be able to generally receive PSB 1, 2 and 3, but the commercial multiplexes are not as strongly received.
You could be better off with an aerial with higher gain or moving up the hill if possible. Also, check where the horizontal aerials are pointing. If they're pointing the same direction (Rowridge Horizontal), try that. You may experience a lower signal, though.
I unfortunately can provide much help since 1) I can't physically be there, and 2) I'm not a very good expert.
Regardless of that, I hope this information may help you.
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Matthew's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
C
Chris.SE10:07 PM
Chris Simons:
Ridge Farm Camping and Caravan Park comes up with postcode BH20 5BG.
As Matthew Bell says, Rowridge VP - aerial rods (or squashed Xs) vertical should give you the best reception. The compass bearing is 89 degrees that pretty much due E.
There is a "Local" relay Light transmitter PSBs only, but it's still 21km away - compass bearing 332 degrees (also VP) and not predicted to be as good as Rowridge VP.
Mendip is no where near as good, compass bearing 329 degrees HP and Stockland Hill 281 degrees HP is much worse. All data from Freeview.
Apart from this slight rise in ground by you, it's clear line-of-sight to Rowridge. With HP the Rowridge COM muxes are at lower power, with VP they are the same as the PSBs 200kW as with the PSBs HP.
Whether VP gives you better reception (in theory it should) it's a case of suck it and see.
If you can get the aerial up a bit higher that will no doubt help.
BUT there's one big fly in the ointment at present - as noted at the top of this page, Rowridge is currently undergoing Planned Engineering -
"Meridian - Rowridge - Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels"
So it's going to be hit and miss at the moment, VP may not be affected at the same time as HP and/or visa versa or both might be!
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