Full Freeview on the Pontop Pike (County Durham, England) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 54.868,-1.771 or 54°52'5"N 1°46'15"W |  | DH9 9AT |
The symbol shows the location of the Pontop Pike (County Durham, England) transmitter which serves 700,000 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 Pontop Pike (County Durham, England) mast?
Pontop Pike transmitter - Pontop Pike transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 04/11/2024 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 Pontop Pike 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 Pontop Pike transmitter?
BBC Look North (Newcastle) 1.6m homes 6.0%
from Newcastle NE99 2NE, 15km northeast (42°)
to BBC North East and Cumbria region - 70 masts.
ITV Tyne Tees News 1.4m homes 5.4%
from Gateshead NE11 9SZ, 12km north-northeast (29°)
to ITV Tyne Tees region - 47 masts.
All of lunch, weekend and 50% evening news is shared with Border
Are there any self-help relays?
| Kieldor Dam | Active deflector | 6 homes Holiday complex | |
| Low Haber | Active deflector | West Allen Dale, 18 kn SW Hexham | caravan site |
| North Hartlepool | Transposer | 84 homes |
How will the Pontop Pike (County Durham, England) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1950s-80s | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2012 | 2012-13 | 13 Nov 2019 | ||||
| VHF | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E T | W T | ||||
| C5 | BBCtvwaves | ||||||||
| C32 | SDN | ||||||||
| C33 | com7 | ||||||||
| C34 | com8 | ||||||||
| C35 | ArqB | ||||||||
| C39 | BBCA | ||||||||
| C42 | D3+4 | ||||||||
| C45 | BBCB | ||||||||
| C49tv_off | BBCB | ||||||||
| C50tv_off | SDN | ||||||||
| C54tv_off | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | D3+4 | |||||
| C55tv_off | ArqB | com7tv_off | |||||||
| C56tv_off | LNE | ||||||||
| C58tv_off | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBCA | |||||
| C59tv_off | ArqA | ||||||||
| C61 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ||||||
| C64 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves |
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 12 Sep 12 and 26 Sep 12.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-4 | 500kW | |
| BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-7dB) 100kW | |
| SDN, ARQA, ARQB | (-10dB) 50kW | |
| com8 | (-11.6dB) 34.6kW | |
| com7 | (-11.7dB) 33.8kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D* | (-17dB) 10kW | |
| LNE | (-20dB) 5kW |
Local transmitter maps
Pontop Pike Freeview Pontop Pike TV region BBC North East and Cumbria Tyne TeesWhich companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Pontop Pike transmitter area
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Friday, 22 June 2012
Les Nicol
1:24 PM
1:24 PM
P.S - Should have ended as "definitive answer". Also, if the transmitter is remaining active after switchover,then there may be enough channels available even with "Freeview Lite" to meet your viewing needs with the bedroom sets;given what you currently have for reception vis a via the dish and aerial installed..
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William Laverty: According to Digital UK, Newton relay transmitter will be operational after switchover.
However, it will be a Public Service (PSB) only transmitter (sometimes referred to as "Freeview Lite") and will not carry Commercial channels. PSBs carry BBC, ITV1, ITV1+1, ITV2, Channel 4, Channel 4+1, E4, More 4, Channel 5 and the four HD services.
Freesat would give you all the PSB channels plus others. There are some which are available on full-service Freeview but not Freesat. See here for a comparison (ITV3 IS on Freesat):
Compare TV | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
Your existing dish will be suitable for Freesat. For each receiver (whether they be Freesat or Sky), you need a separate cable feed from the dish. This includes where a satellite receiver has a recording capability where one channel can be watched and whilst recording another.
The LNB is the bit on the arm that the cables connect to. This may need changing to give greater capacity (which allow more cable to be attached). For example, if you have a dual LNB, and you have two cables feeding your lounge, then you will need to have it replaced with a quad-LNB to allow four cables to be attached, they being the two you have now plus one for each bedroom.
The Freesat option is available now, so you don't have to wait until the terrestrial switchover in September.
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Monday, 2 July 2012
J
Janine Hindmarsh9:53 PM
Newcastle Upon Tyne
My parents receive freeview via shotley field originating at pont top because they live in the transmission shadow of the Derwent Valley (High Westwood) they have lost all channels except BBC 1 + 2 since thursday. They've rescanned etc. Do you have any other information. Keep it simple please they're in their 70s and already stressed as they've lost their BT phoneline too.
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Janine's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Janine Hindmarsh: Shotleyfield does not broadcast Freeview yet; it currently only carries the four analogue channels.
If their aerial is directed to the Shotleyfield transmitter it will be vertical. If they have been receiving Freeview with it, then they have been lucky!
There is engineering works ongoing at the various transmitters in preparation for switchover. Perhaps this is the cause of the (perhaps) slight change in signal which has resulted in them being unable to pick it up.
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As a PS:
After switchover, Shotleyfield will broadcast only Public Service channels which are BBC, ITV1, ITV1+1, ITV2, Channel 4, Channel 4+1, E4, More 4, Channel 5 and the four HD services.
The transmitters that broadcast Freeview before switchover will carry the full range of channels after switchover. In that general area these are Pontop Pike and Fenham.
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Janine Hindmarsh: I have had more of a look at this.
In a valley, which transmitter(s) can and cannot be received from can vary house by house. So my comments are general.
From what I can see, Pontop Pike is the only likely Freeview transmitter that "may" be received in the general area of your parents. With this in mind, they must have been receiving Freeview with the aerial facing another way and of opposite polarisation (aerial vertical whereas signal is horizontal).
This perhaps suggests (I remind you that I can only be general) that the signal is strong and that reliable reception from Pontop Pike "may" be possible with an appropriate aerial aligned correctly.
If they continue with their aerial directed to Shotleyfield, then until switchover, intermittent reception of all channels is possible (due to them being picked up from Pontop Pike).
Come switchover, as Shotleyfield will only carry the Public Service channels, then they will be expected to be OK as the aerial faces the transmitter. Because it won't carry the Commercial channels (ITV3, Pick TV, Film4, Dave etc), then should the receiver pick them up, which it may do, then they can only possibly come from Pontop Pike, so reception may be poor, intermittent or non-existant (a bit like now).
For this reason, they may decide (or you might think it a good idea to advise them) that they have an aerial on Pontop Pike now. I remind you that what I've written is general, and it is also the case that an assessment of whether reliable reception from Pontop Pike is possible can only be made by an installer on site.
The Commercial channels have limited coverage which is about 90% of the population, whereas the Public Service channels serve everywhere that the current analogue does. In some cases, reception may be possible from another transmitter that carries the Commercial channels.
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Thursday, 5 July 2012
S
Scott Milstead5:48 PM
Hi,
I live in NE296AS and use an outside aerial. My Freeview signal has been getting progressively worse for the last 9 months after years of experiencing no signal difficulties. Channels on MUX 2 are at best watchable 25% of the time.
I rescanned my LG LCD TV yesterday as per on screen instructions, however the following channels were not found; BBC1 HD, BBC HD, ITV1, ITV1 HD, ITV2, Channel 4, Channel 4 HD, Channel 5, and E4.
I have since managed to locate these channels following a manual scan using the TV's booster setting (channels could not be located without the boost), however signal strength is only 12% and signal quality varies from 10% to 65% meaning that the channels are again largely unwatchable.
Is there an ongoing problem with the Pontop Pike transmitter which is causing such poor reception and if so when is it likely to be fixed or the signal boosted?
Whilst I am currently still able to watch ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 on analogue, this option will no longer be available in a couple of month's time.
Any advice/assistance would be greatly appreciated!
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M
Mark Fletcher6:32 PM
Halifax
Scott Milstead.NE29 6AS.
Dont forget Pontop Pike currently broadcasts both analogue and lower-powered pre-digital switched signals,the latter more so does tend to deteriorate prior to switchover due to ongoing works in preparation for the analogue/lower-powered pre-digital switch off soon.
But come Wednesday 12 September 2012 (DSO1) and again two weeks later Wednesday 26 September 2012 (DSO2) the new higher powered post-digital switch on will vastly improve both reception and simultaneously signal quality and strength too.
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Mark's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
S
Scott Milstead9:05 PM
North Shields
Thanks for your prompt response Mark. I hope things do improve in September otherwise I'll probably have to go down the satellite route, which I would prefer to avoid.
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Scott's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
J
John Mason9:27 PM
Saltburn-by-the-sea
Hi,
I appear to be receiving all digital channels except the newest, channel 47. I have re-tuned my freeview television a number of times but still the channel is not found.
Can you help?
Thanks.
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John's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
John Mason: 4seven is not available before switchover due to insufficient capacity.
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