Full Freeview on the Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 52.130,-0.242 or 52°7'47"N 0°14'33"W |  | SG19 2NH |
The symbol shows the location of the Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) transmitter which serves 920,000 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 Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) transmitter._______
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
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which Freeview channels does the Sandy Heath 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
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Sandy Heath transmitter?
BBC Look East (West) 1.0m homes 3.7%
from Cambridge CB4 0WZ, 29km east-northeast (65°)
to BBC Cambridge region - 4 masts.
70% of BBC East (East) and BBC East (West) is shared output
ITV Anglia News 1.0m homes 3.7%
from Norwich NR1 3JG, 119km east-northeast (60°)
to ITV Anglia (West) region - 5 masts.
All of lunch, weekend and 80% evening news is shared with Anglia (East)
How will the Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1965-80s | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2011 | 2011-13 | 12 Feb 2020 | ||||
| VHF | A K T | K T | K T | W T | W T | ||||
| C6 | ITVwaves | ||||||||
| C21 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | +BBCB | BBCB | ||||
| C24 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | D3+4 | D3+4 | ||||
| C27 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBCA | BBCA | ||||
| C31 | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | ||||||
| C32 | com7 | ||||||||
| C33 | SDN | ||||||||
| C34 | com8 | ||||||||
| C35 | _local | ||||||||
| C36 | ArqA | ||||||||
| C39 | C5waves | C5waves | |||||||
| C43 | _local | ||||||||
| C48 | ArqB | ArqB | |||||||
| C51tv_off | SDN | ||||||||
| C52tv_off | ArqA | ||||||||
| 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 30 Mar 11 and 13 Apr 11.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-4 | 1000kW | |
| BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-7.4dB) 180kW | |
| SDN, ARQA, ARQB | (-7.7dB) 170kW | |
| com7 | (-13dB) 49.6kW | |
| com8 | (-13.1dB) 49.1kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D* | (-17dB) 20kW | |
| Analogue 5 | (-20dB) 10kW |
Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Sandy Heath transmitter area
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Monday, 2 May 2011
S
Steve6:22 PM
Wrexham
JohnB - I am no expert on Skyboxes, but IIUC the "RF Out" from a skybox would be whatever came into its "RF In" PLUS a simulated RF signal of whatever the Skybox was receiving/replaying. Obviously the Skybox needs to be set to use a "Spare RF" channel - as suggested by top right of this page - which does not conflict with any broadcast channel used locally.
But if your TV has SCART it is better to use that as it avoids adding and then removing the RF carrier.
So as TVs have to be VERY old not to have SCARTs few modern boxes provide RF outputs. You can get it for freeview - and as you suggest it is compatible with much existing in-house cabling.
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Steve's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
S
Sally10:38 AM
Letchworth Garden City
Lo and behold, my freeview box automatically went into updating last night and guess what, all my BBC channels have returned! Really don't know what was going on, but thankful that it's all working properly again.
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Sally's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
D
Debbie6:19 PM
I don't want to wait until Sept 11 to get Film 4, Yesterday, etc back. My TV has built in Freeview, which is connected to a shared digital aerial in my block of flats. If I buy a Freeview or Freesat set top , will I get any more channels than I do now? Thanks
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M
Mike Dimmick6:29 PM
Debbie: Talk to the landlord or agent about getting the communal system checked. Make sure the system was properly reconfigured on the switchover days, and that they're aware that some services are on temporary frequencies. Perhaps print out this document:
http://www.digitaluk.co.u….pdf
I can't really offer any more advice without a full postcode, so we can check the predictions - whether there is something preventing the Arqiva B multiplex from working.
It's very unlikely that you would get better reception from a set-top than from a properly set-up communal system. Satellite signals are so weak that the dish must be mounted outside with a clear view of the southern horizon. Again, a threat to have a dish installed could be an incentive for the building management to get the communal aerial sorted out.
It is worth checking whether the building already has a communal satellite dish, in which case you could buy a Freesat box to replace the Freeview box - although the channel line-up is different, and the services you're missing mostly require a Sky subscription.
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Mike Dimmick6:39 PM
Stephen Hall: You're in an awkward location that's between three main transmitters, but the terrain blocks line of sight to all of them.
Your best option will be Sutton Coldfield once it switches over in September. Sandy Heath is expected to continue to be poor, for you.
You're quite close to the Dallington Park relay, but again it's the wrong side of a hill, and the radiation pattern is restricted in your direction.
If you're currently without TV at all, you could try Sutton Coldfield now. You're unlikely to get reliable digital service, but you should get reasonable analogue pictures: the problem here is that digital power levels are relatively low at Sutton Coldfield (and at Oxford, the other alternative).
If you're insistent on Anglia news, you'll probably have to look into satellite.
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Wednesday, 4 May 2011
I
Ian11:35 PM
I retuned my freeview box on the morning of 13th April and I was delighted to see that I could receive Yesterday and ITV4 perfectly. However, when I returned home in the evening these channels had gone, i.e. no signal. I just wondered why these worked fine in the morning and had disappeared by the end of the day.
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Thursday, 5 May 2011
Ian: You are probably on the fringe of the reception are for ArqB, due to the low power output until 14th September 2011.
But, also see Single frequency interference | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
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Tuesday, 10 May 2011
M
Mick1:43 PM
Wellingborough
Hi, NN9 5ND
Have retuned my tv (which has Freeview tuner built in) several times and the strength and quality of the signal is fine, as is the picture.
My only problem is that I am not receiving the Freeview HD channels.
I see on the channel guide on my tv that channel 52 is yet to be allocated.
Can anyone help as to if the HD channels are being broadcast or do I have an equipment problem.
Regards
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Mick's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
M
Mike Dimmick4:07 PM
Mick: The HD channels are being transmitted. Most likely you have an 'HD Ready' rather than a 'Freeview HD' TV. Please see What does "Full HD Ready" actually mean? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice for more information.
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Thursday, 12 May 2011
M
Maz6:17 PM
Bedford
Hi....
Could anyone tell me if the the power output of the 20kw frequencies on the sandy heath transmitter will be upgraded to 180kw in the future.
regards
Maz
| link to this comment |
Maz's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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