Full Freeview on the Black Hill (North Lanarkshire, Scotland) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 55.861,-3.874 or 55°51'40"N 3°52'27"W |  | ML7 4NZ |
The symbol shows the location of the Black Hill (North Lanarkshire, Scotland) transmitter which serves 940,000 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 Black Hill (North Lanarkshire, Scotland) 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
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which Freeview channels does the Black 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.
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 Black Hill transmitter?
BBC Reporting Scotland 2.4m homes 9.2%
from Glasgow G51 1DA, 26km west (271°)
to BBC Scotland region - 230 masts.
STV News 1.3m homes 4.8%
from Glasgow G51 1PQ, 26km west (271°)
to STV Central (Glasgow) region - 94 masts.
Are there any self-help relays?
| Ardtornish A | Transposer | 22 km NW Oban | 15 homes |
| Balquhidder | Transposer | 12 km NW Callander | 42 homes |
| Benmore B | Active deflector | 50 m WNW Glasgow | 7 homes |
| Blair Drummond | Transposer | 5 homes caravan park | |
| Blyth Bridge | Active deflector | 30 km SW Edinburgh | 50 homes |
| Glendaruel | Active deflector | 40 hotel | 40 homes hotel |
| Glendaruel B | Active deflector | 12 homes (second level) |
How will the Black Hill (North Lanarkshire, Scotland) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1957-80s | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2011 | 2011-13 | 3 Oct 2018 | ||||
| VHF | B E T | B E T | B E T | E T | W T | ||||
| C10 | ITVwaves | ||||||||
| C30 | _local | ||||||||
| C32 | com7 | ||||||||
| C35 | com8 | ||||||||
| C37 | C5waves | C5waves | |||||||
| C40 | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBCB | BBCB | ||||
| C41 | +SDN | SDN | |||||||
| C43 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | D3+4 | D3+4 | ||||
| C44 | ArqA | ArqA | |||||||
| C46 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBCA | BBCA | ||||
| C47 | ArqB | ArqB | |||||||
| C50tv_off | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | ||||||
| C51tv_off | LG | ||||||||
| C55tv_off | com7tv_off | ||||||||
| C56tv_off | _local | 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 8 Jun 11 and 22 Jun 11.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-5 | 500kW | |
| SDN, ARQA, ARQB, BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-7dB) 100kW | |
| com7 | (-10.7dB) 42.9kW | |
| com8 | (-11.1dB) 39.2kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D* | (-14dB) 20kW | |
| LG | (-20dB) 5kW |
Local transmitter maps
Black Hill Freeview Black Hill DAB Black Hill TV region BBC Scotland STV Central (Glasgow micro region)Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Black Hill transmitter area
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Saturday, 15 January 2011
S
Scott3:05 PM
I live about 20 miles from Black Hill, west end of Glasgow. I get perfect quality and 95% signal strength so I am a bit mystified about your situation. Can you check the signal strength on your TV set? It is an 'option' on mine.
My understanding is the same as yours: 10 kW from a lower position on the mast.
I see you are using a wideband aerial. I was strongly advised not to use such an aerial as it is less efficient than an aerial designed for the correct group. Wideband is a compromise. If you look elsewhere on this site you will see the aerial groups. Mine is Group E but as far as I can see after switchover the appropriate aerial will be Group B.
Do you have any joins - even wall sockets? I was told there should be no joints of any sort, with the cable leading direct from the aerial to the back of the set.
I think the HD channel is 55 not 59.
My understanding is that amplifiers are more for analogue than digital as digital is 'all or nothing' and double nothing is still nothing.
As you say, there will be a massive power increase - to 100 kW AIUI - in June so maybe you should just wait and see what happens then.
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andrew12106:55 PM
Deffinately CH59 for HD Mux.
I gave in and am just patiently (or not so) waiting on the DSO to get HD only 2 miles away from me :(
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David Sharp7:47 PM
I have tried a few Aerial, including Gp B (which allows for most channels but not all), and Group E (which is ok in fine weather and poor in windy) and finally a really good wideband, which seems to do the trick, except of course for HD Mux (although none of the others gave me it either!!)
Yeah I can get signal strength, but only for tuned channels, and as I cannot get anything on channel 59, I have no idea on signal strength there (unless someone can suggest a way of getting it? Sony KDL-40NX713 set).
As for signal strength I am getting the following
Mux 1: 100% Signal Quality and 90% Signal Strength. (checked on BBC1). This Mux is meant to be a Maximum signal according to this site.
Mux 2: 100% Signal Quality and 66% Signal Strength. (checked on STV). This Mux is meant to be a moderate signal according to this site.
Mux A: 0% Signal Quality and 52% Signal Strength. (checked on ITV3). This Mux is meant to be a low signal according to this site.
Mux B: 69% Signal Quality and 50% Signal Strength. (checked on BBC4). This Mux is meant to be a Maximum signal according to this site.
Mux C: 66% Signal Quality and 50% Signal Strength. This Mux is meant to be a Maximum signal according to this site. This Mux is playing up currently though.
Mux D: 100% Signal Quality and 50% Signal Strength. (checked on Yesterday). This Mux is meant to be a Maximum signal according to this site.
Mux HD: nothing, cant even manually tune!
(55.8005,-4.0147)
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Scott8:22 PM
Sorry about the channel number. I got confused by the table at the start and misread the display information on the TV also. I'm still puzzled. I'm getting 100% signal strength on BBC4 and I live a lot further away from you. My set is also a Sony. My only other suggestion is that I think I read somewhere that the temporary signal is directional. Maybe a bit of Google research would clarify this.
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Scott8:25 PM
Found it http://www.aerialsandtv.com/blackhilltx.html
"Black Hill is planned to transmit a pre switchover low power HDTV MUX (on CH59 at 10kW) from Feb 2010. Its radiation pattern is the same as that for analogue C5, which is concentrated in a cross shape, due N, S, E and W, i.e. it is nominally omnidirectional."
Not sure if this means a weaker signal if you are NE, NW etc.
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David Sharp8:36 PM
I have now had a play with the direction of the aerial, and move moved it nearer to 65 degree (54 is meant to be optimal), and have managed to improve the signal quality and strength across all Mux's, getting no less than 70% quality on any Mux, but still NOTHING on channel 59 HD Mux. Grrrrrrrrrr
I can only think to try a Masthead amp at about 8-12dB and see if it can boost it enough to pick it up.
I think for £25 it's worth a try.
Otherwise I can only wait and hope when the 'volume' gets pumped up at DSO in June I can suddenly receive HD. (55.8005,-4.0147)
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David Sharp8:45 PM
Hi Scott,
Yeah thats a great site, I got a lot of good advice from them (and purchased my aerials from them)
I am aware, as you said, about the cross shape broadcast pattern, and that may very well be the issue as I am NE relative to the transmitter, the suggested aerial direction being 54 degrees. I have found that i need to move the aerial more towards 60 degrees to ensure a good signal on Mux C (channel 55), as if I move nearer 54 degree I loose Mux C.
I am wondering if I move towards 69-72 degree I would then move into East, and 'might' suddenly get HD Mux.
Might be worth a go tomorrow, although knowing my luck, I'll get HD and loose something else!!! (55.8005,-4.0147)
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David Sharp8:48 PM
That should be I am SW relative to the transmitter, hence my aerial points NE (55.8005,-4.0147)
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David Sharp8:56 PM
HI Scott, any chance you have easy access to your aerial?
Only if you do have east access, can you stick a compass along the central spline of the aerial and let me know the directional orientation, if its more or less bang on East (which looking at a map would be correct) I think we may have the answer (that being the cross shaped broadcast pattern!!)
Cheers
David (55.8005,-4.0147)
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andrew12109:06 PM
I checked, I am approx. 2miles, NW of Blackhill on no HD recepiton, that is disregarding height issues as mentioned in my previous posts
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