Full Freeview on the Darvel (East Ayrshire, Scotland) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 55.579,-4.291 or 55°34'45"N 4°17'26"W |  | KA16 9LS |
The symbol shows the location of the Darvel (East Ayrshire, Scotland) transmitter which serves 150,000 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 Darvel (East Ayrshire, 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
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which Freeview channels does the Darvel 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 Darvel transmitter?
BBC Reporting Scotland 2.4m homes 9.2%
from Glasgow G51 1DA, 31km north (1°)
to BBC Scotland region - 230 masts.
STV News 1.3m homes 4.8%
from Glasgow G51 1PQ, 31km north (2°)
to STV Central (Glasgow) region - 94 masts.
Are there any self-help relays?
| Craigie Gardens | Transposer | 1 homes 90 caravans | |
| Inversnaid | Active deflector | 35 km N Dumbarton | 8 homes Hotel caravan park |
How will the Darvel (East Ayrshire, Scotland) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2011 | 2011-13 | 5 Sep 2018 | |||||
| A K T | A K T | A K T | A K T | W T | |||||
| C22 | -BBCA | BBCA | |||||||
| C23 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | SDN | |||||
| C25 | D3+4 | D3+4 | |||||||
| C26 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | ArqA | |||||
| C28 | BBCB | BBCB | |||||||
| C29 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | ArqB | |||||
| C30 | _local | ||||||||
| C31 | com7 | ||||||||
| C32 | SDN | ||||||||
| C33 | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | ||||||
| C34 | ArqA | ||||||||
| C35 | C5waves | C5waves | ArqB | ||||||
| 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 11 May 11 and 25 May 11.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-5 | 100kW | |
| BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-7dB) 20kW | |
| SDN, ARQA, ARQB | (-10dB) 10kW | |
| com8 | (-10.9dB) 8.19kW | |
| com7 | (-11.2dB) 7.5kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B* | (-14dB) 4kW | |
| Mux C*, Mux D* | (-17dB) 2kW |
Local transmitter maps
Darvel Freeview Darvel DAB Darvel AM/FM Darvel TV region BBC Scotland STV Central (Glasgow micro region)Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Darvel transmitter area
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Is the transmitter output the same in all directions?
Radiation patterns withheldFriday, 10 June 2011
R
Richard3:20 PM
Erskine
Hello Mike,
Very interesting !! I'm not line of sight to Blackhill incidentally, well, I don't consider myself as line of sight as I cannot see the mast. I'm about 50 foot ASL here, there may be other obstacles in the path, I don't know for sure. Maybe need a path profile analysis to find out for sure !! I could try that on my GPS and see what it shows. Incidentally yes, Freeview channel 22 (Ideal World)was one of the channels that could be received on the Freeview TV perfectly 100%, but not on the Philips Freeview box until I retuned it to the second 'Central Scotland' option that was presented to me. The TV (when I retuned it) offered no such option - it just retuned with no prompts at all. I guess that is what the Philips Freeview box should have done too. Thanks again for your helpful comments.
Regards,
Richard
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Richard's: mapR's Freeview map terrainR's terrain plot wavesR's frequency data R's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Strathearn
3:32 PM
3:32 PM
Richard: I haven't read all your recent postings, but are you aware that between you and Darvel there's Whiteless, the largest windfarm in Europe, and here in Clydebank [just across the river from Erskine and also - in theory - in the Darvel transmission area] it is the cause of regular receiving problems. So much so, that any complaints are passed on to Scottish Power who then will offer a free service to redirect your aerial to Blackhill.
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M
Mike Dimmick4:52 PM
Richard: I was looking at Terrain - shows radio profile between two UK sites to optimise you DTT, Freeview, DAB or analogue TV reception . That site suggests using Multimap to find the National Grid Reference, but Microsoft have since closed it down after introducing their more recent Bing Maps service. Instead I use nearby.org.uk to get the postcodes for a co-ordinate.
It does indeed show that the path to Darvel relies on refraction over Queenseat Hill and the Whitelees wind farm.
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R
Richard7:07 PM
Erskine
Hi Strathearn and Mike.
Thanks for the info. I didn't know about the Whitelees Wind Farm issue - but the Darvel signal here is not good - I tried moving the TV antenna around to face Darvel and retuned the TV. It didn't pick any usable signal up !! Which totally surprised me. So I opted for Blackhill and I think it will obviously be even better after 22nd June when the power is upped. But right now from Blackhill it is entirely OK.
Thanks again.
Regards,
Richard
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Richard's: mapR's Freeview map terrainR's terrain plot wavesR's frequency data R's Freeview Detailed Coverage
J
jb389:41 PM
Mike Dimmick: (2.35pm posting) Yes, and as Richard has since confirmed, you were obviously quite correct regarding the true meaning of Ch22, as all comments made by me were based on taking at face value Richards 9.24pm posting where "UHF"channel 22 was mentioned, that said though I do admit to having wondered how such a strong signal could be received at Erskine, especially considering its just over 20 miles or so away from Darvel with a PSB1 maximum ERP of only 20Kw, this compared to Blackhill's PSB1 on an ERP of 100Kw.
I had just put this doubt I had down to the possibility that Blackhills signal wasn't being received quite so good in the Erskine area, something that actually applies in many parts of Glasgow let alone to the West of it, and of course if that was the case then Darvel could appear as a better bet for reception, and indeed as is used by some friends of mine who reside in the South of the city, them magically managing to escape the effects of the ever present Whitelee's wind farm menace.
However, to finalise, as it transpired the Ch22 being referred to was Ideal Worlds EPG channel number and not the multiplex channel number, not exactly the best of examples to use for determining the cause of a possible problem.
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R
Richard10:40 PM
Erskine
Hi jb38,
I'm sorry if I confused anyone here - I was confused myself as to what was going on to be honest. I only used the Freeview channel 22 as an example because that was the one my wife said she could not watch after the new Philips box was tuned. Scientifically not the best one to pick I guess. She said she could watch it OK when she switched back to the Freeview TV. This is what prompted my initial query as to why this should be with both Freeview TV and Freeview external box on the same antenna (and as I thought, on the same UHF channel). However it seems to have been down to my misinterpretation of what was actually happening. When I subsequently forced the Philips Freeview box into a retune, I then saw the two 'Central Scotland' options and it was asking me to chose one or the other. The first time I had tuned the Philips box I did see this option but just thought nothing of it and chose the first one. This was not the same as the TV was tuned to. Hence the subsequent problems and queries from myself. However, I think I've now taken enough of your time up and will thank you for all the help and direction I have had. It can only therefore be that the Philps box is actually receiving the Darvel transmissions off the side of the antenna and reporting it as a option to the main Blackhill signal itself. I am still puzzled why the Phiilips box did this - and not the TV when it was retuned.
Thank you again.
Regards,
Richard
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Richard's: mapR's Freeview map terrainR's terrain plot wavesR's frequency data R's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Saturday, 11 June 2011
J
jb3811:09 AM
That's OK Richard, a fully understandable error! - Digital television has the unfortunate side effect that although it may well offer a far wider selection of programme choices etc its reception by any means other than satellite can introduce a whole range of difficulties for the average viewer, and who in most cases has hitherto enjoyed years of reasonably stable analogue reception, and I am quite sure that even when all the transmitters in the UK have been switched over to their final powers / frequencies that its almost inevitable that there will still be a constant flow of people with a range of queries over what ever existed with analogue transmissions, DTT just invites it!
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Tuesday, 14 June 2011
D
david c11:00 AM
jb38: I live in the south of the Isle of Arran. I've been running 4TV's using indivial freeview boxes supplied by a good quality digital compatible arial with mast head booster and good qual 4 way signal booster. Up until 2 weeks ago I got very occasional problems with picture break up. Now as soon as it gets to dusk I begin to lose all BBC channels. They all free then break up. As soon as dusk has past the picture returns to normal? I wasn't aware of atmospherics effecting DVT? I know I'm right between 2 transmitters - Darvel & Ulster - any ideas?
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R
Richard2:14 PM
Erskine
Hello David,
That's an interesting one. Temperature inversion sometimes causes strange signal paths especially across water. UTV on Black Mountain is SW of you and almost off the back of your antenna more or less if you are pointed at Darvel so shouldn't be giving you any problems. Dusk (when the sun dips below the horizon and the temperature drops) could be causing some momentary ducting with temperature inversion - but you would need the experts to respond to that one. I'm not so sure if that would be the cause to be honest. Especially as it only started two weeks ago. I'd be interested to see what Mike, Brian or jb38 have to say about that one.
Regards,
Richard
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Richard's: mapR's Freeview map terrainR's terrain plot wavesR's frequency data R's Freeview Detailed Coverage
J
jb383:55 PM
david c / Richard: I think that my last comment to you is very much applying with david c's problem, insomuch that any RF signal no matter of what composition can get warped by reflections or obstructions, reflections being the most likely in david c's case, or to be more accurate the lack of! as I feel that they are in evidence when the reception is good.
Analogue TV signals can vary up and down quite a bit without much being noticed on the screen, the only clue being that the picture might turn a little grainy in the evenings or whatever, however in the case of digital as soon as the signal starts to go downward and be hovering anywhere near the cut off threshold, known as the digital cliff", then pixilation and other problems start to show up, after which any further drop in signal strength will cause it to fall under the receiving threshold of the equipment in use, this varying dependant on the sensitivity etc of the TV or PVR in use, Panasonic and Humax being particularly good in this respect.
To be honest about it nothing can really be done, but it would be interesting if you david c could take a note of the signal strength before then after the picture cuts out, as even although it may have cut out the signal strength / quality indications will still be shown in the appropriate section of the tuning menu.
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