Freeview Light on the Gulval (Cornwall, England) transmitter
 | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 50.130,-5.534 or 50°7'47"N 5°32'4"W |  | TR18 3LX |
The symbol shows the location of the Gulval (Cornwall, England) transmitter which serves 1,000 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 Gulval (Cornwall, England) transmitter._______
Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
The Gulval (Cornwall, England) mast is a public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these commercial (COM) channels: U&Yesterday, 4seven, 5Action, 5STAR, 5USA, Al Jazeera Eng, Al Jazeera English, Blaze, Blaze +1, Challenge, Channel 5 +1, DMAX, E4 Extra, YAAAS!, Film4 +1, Food Network, GREAT! action, GREAT! movies, GREAT! romance, GREAT! romance mix, HGTV, HobbyMaker, ITV2 +1, ITV3 +1, ITV4 +1, ITVBe +1, Legend, PBS America, Quest +1, Quest Red, Really, Sky Mix, Sky News, Talking Pictures TV, TCC, That's 90s, That's TV 2, Together TV, TRUE CRIME, TRUE CRIME XTRA, U&Dave, U&Dave ja vu, U&Drama +1, U&W.
If you want to watch these channels, your aerial must point to one of the 80 Full service Freeview transmitters. For more information see the will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? page.
Which Freeview channels does the Gulval 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 | V max | C26 (514.0MHz) | 77m | DTG- | 5W |
 1 BBC One (SD) South 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 | V max | C23 (490.0MHz) | 77m | DTG- | 5W |
 3 ITV 1 (SD) (West Country), 4 Channel 4 (SD) South ads, 5 Channel 5, 6 ITV 2, 10 ITV3, 13 E4, 14 Film4, 15 Channel 4 +1 South ads, 18 More4, 26 ITV4, 28 ITVBe, 30 E4 +1, 35 ITV1 +1 (West Country), | |||||
| PSB3 BBCB | V max | C29 (538.0MHz) | 77m | DTG- | 5W |
 46 5SELECT, 101 BBC One HD South West, 102 BBC Two HD England, 103 ITV 1 HD (ITV Meridian Southampton), 104 Channel 4 HD South ads, 105 Channel 5 HD, 106 BBC Four HD, 107 BBC Three HD, 204 CBBC HD, 205 CBeebies HD, plus 1 others | |||||
Are you trying to watch these 44 Freeview channels?
The Gulval (Cornwall, England) mast is a public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these commercial (COM) channels: U&Yesterday, 4seven, 5Action, 5STAR, 5USA, Al Jazeera Eng, Al Jazeera English, Blaze, Blaze +1, Challenge, Channel 5 +1, DMAX, E4 Extra, YAAAS!, Film4 +1, Food Network, GREAT! action, GREAT! movies, GREAT! romance, GREAT! romance mix, HGTV, HobbyMaker, ITV2 +1, ITV3 +1, ITV4 +1, ITVBe +1, Legend, PBS America, Quest +1, Quest Red, Really, Sky Mix, Sky News, Talking Pictures TV, TCC, That's 90s, That's TV 2, Together TV, TRUE CRIME, TRUE CRIME XTRA, U&Dave, U&Dave ja vu, U&Drama +1, U&W.
If you want to watch these channels, your aerial must point to one of the 80 Full service Freeview transmitters. For more information see the will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? page.
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Gulval transmitter?
BBC Spotlight 0.8m homes 2.9%
from Plymouth PL3 5BD, 104km east-northeast (76°)
to BBC South West region - 107 masts.
ITV West Country News (West) 0.8m homes 2.9%
from Plymouth PL7 5BQ, 112km east-northeast (77°)
to ITV West Country region - 107 masts.
All of lunch, weekend and 50% evening news is shared with West Country (East)
How will the Gulval (Cornwall, England) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2009 | 2009-13 | 1 May 2019 | |||||
| A K T | A K T | A K T | A K T | A K T | |||||
| C23 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | D3+4 | D3+4 | ||||
| C25 | BBCA | ||||||||
| C26 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBCA | |||||
| C29 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | BBCB | BBCB | ||||
| C33 | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves |
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 Jul 09 and 5 Aug 09.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-4 | 26W | |
| BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-7dB) 5.2W |
Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Redruth transmitter area
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Is the transmitter output the same in all directions?
Radiation patterns withheldTuesday, 18 June 2024
R
Richie Smith7:41 PM
Penzance
Hi, I'd like to get Freeview reception using a 'High-Gain Portable Freeview TV DAB Digital Antenna Indoor Outdoor Magnetic Caravan Aerial August DTA240' because its cheap and wifi reception here is a bit scatty. Postcode TR20 8XG. I haven't bought it yet, but if I do, will it work? Many thanks, Richie
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Richie's: mapR's Freeview map terrainR's terrain plot wavesR's frequency data R's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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StevensOnln111:41 PM
Richie Smith: You're predicted to receive a good signal from the Redruth transmitter 21km away (it's predicted to be better than the much closer Gulval relay) however most portable high gain antennas are little more than a piece of wire sticking out of an amplifier and are only any good with a strong signal). It might work but you would probably be better off with a full size rooftop or loft aerial.
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C
Chris.SE11:54 PM
Richie Smith:
Hmm, well, is the postcode you've given where you'll be wanting the reception?
If not please give the relevant postcode.
Whilst you've posted on the Gulval relay transmitter page, the predicted signal at the postcode you've given is variable (not at all good tbh) even though the transmitter is only 2km away, vertical polarisation, at compass bearing 232 degrees (roughly SW), it's a very very low power (5W) relay with only the PSB multiplexes.
A far better (good) signal from Redruth 21km away, (horizontal polarisation) is predicted, at compass bearing 71 degrees (almost ENE) and has all 6 multiplexes. 20kW for the PSBs & 10kW for the COMs.
As far as that aerial goes, they claim it has a gain of 3dB (not much) certainly not high gain. It's omnidirectional so will pick up signals from all directions including reflected ones. And as far as all the other waffle/rubbish goes, ignore it. A 50 mile range !! that will depend on the power of the transmitter you're going to receive. Aerials are aerials they pick up RF signals, they don't care if they are analogue, digital, HD, SD and there are no 4K transmissions in the UK! As far as "optimised for digital" what rubbish.
As you say, it's cheap, so if you want to give it a try, please do. BUT it ought to be external and have a clear line-of-sight to the transmitter - no trees or other caravans etc in the way.
Frankly, if it's TV reception only, you'd be far better off with something like this -
https://www.blake-uk.com/aerials-tv-log/bla-lp20k.html
This is of course an external aerial which will require some sort of pole mounting. You'd need an F-connector for the aerial end, some low loss double screened coax and a coax plug for the TV.
It will receive signals from any UK transmitter where the signal is good (as it's group K which also has protection from mobile mast interference).
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Wednesday, 19 June 2024
S
Steve Donaldson2:35 AM
Richie Smith: The aerial you have referred to is omnidirectional. It claims to have a gain of 3dBi and says this is "high gain". I don't think so.
What is more, the TV transmitter you are looking to receive is Redruth which is horizontally polarised. You would have to mount the aerial horizontally, as in on its side, for best effect.
A directional aerial has "gain" in one direction, the direction which it is most sensitive. This is at the expense of increased "loss" (less sensitivity) in other directions. It's like fitting a reflector behind a bulb to give a "gain" of light in front of it.
The TV signals are all coming from the same direction, from the same transmitter site, and as such the most effective aerial must be one that is directional.
An assessment needs to be made of where the aerial is to be sited. The best situation is at a window or wall which faces the transmitter. A clearer view the better.
As far as using an aerial that isn't a set-top one then I don't think you will better the Blake BLA-LP20K referred to by Chris.SE. It is compact at just 45cm long, and it is also designed for UHF channels 21 to 48. Channels 49 upwards formerly used for TV have been cleared and given over to the mobile phone operators. There is little point in buying a TV aerial that is designed to pick up these channels.
In terms of indoor 'set-top' aerials, the 'Silver Sensor' is a good design:
https://antiference.co.uk/product/silver-sensor-indoor-uhf-antenna/
There are no guarantees of reception, especially with indoor aerials. How good it will is dependant on the location.
If you do go down this route then you may need to move the aerial around to find the best spot. But if the TV isn't tuned then you have two unknowns. You can't tune to something that isn't there. For this reason you should use manual tuning on the channels used by Redruth.
Another point to be aware of is that the Caradon Hill transmitter is on a bearing just 7degrees away from Redruth, but further away. You need to make sure your TV is tuned to Redruth and not Caradon Hill. This is because pointing the aerial in the general direction of Redruth is to point it in the general direction of Caradon Hill as well. Of the two, I would expect Redruth to give better reception at your location.
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