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Full Freeview on the Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) transmitter

first published this on - UK Free TV
sa_gmapsGoogle mapsa_bingBing mapsa_gearthGoogle Earthsa_gps51.685,-3.037 or 51°41'7"N 3°2'14"Wsa_postcodeNP4 5XJ

 

The symbol shows the location of the Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) transmitter which serves 19,000 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 Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) transmitter.

Choose from three options: ■ List by multiplex ■ List by channel number ■ List by channel name
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Which Freeview channels does the Pontypool 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.

MuxH/VFrequencyHeightModeWatts
PSB1
BBCA
 V max
C23+ (490.2MHz)294mDTG-50W
Channel icons
1 BBC One (SD) Wales, 2 BBC Two Wales, 9 BBC Four, 23 BBC Three, 201 CBBC, 202 CBeebies, 231 BBC News, 232 BBC Parliament, plus 14 others

PSB2
D3+4
 V max
C26+ (514.2MHz)294mDTG-50W
Channel icons
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 (Wales),

PSB3
BBCB
 V max
C29+ (538.2MHz)294mDTG-50W
Channel icons
46 5SELECT, 101 BBC One HD Wales, 102 BBC Two HD Wales, 104 Channel 4 HD South ads, 105 Channel 5 HD, 106 BBC Four HD, 110 Channel 4 HD (Wales), 204 CBBC HD, 205 CBeebies HD, plus 1 others

COM4
SDN
 V max
C25- (505.8MHz)294mDTG-850W
Channel icons
 E4 (Wales), 20 Drama, 21 5USA, 29 ITV2 +1, 32 5STAR, 33 5Action, 38 Channel 5 +1, 41 Legend, 57 Dave ja vu, 58 ITVBe +1, 59 ITV3 +1, 64 Blaze, 67 TRUE CRIME, 68 TRUE CRIME XTRA, 78 TCC, 81 Blaze +1, 83 Together TV, 89 ITV4 +1, 91 WildEarth, 209 Ketchup TV, 210 Ketchup Too, 211 YAAAS!, 267 Al Jazeera English, plus 30 others

COM5
ArqA
 V max
C22- (481.8MHz)294mDTG-850W
Channel icons
11 Sky Mix, 17 Really, 19 Dave, 31 E4 Extra, 36 Sky Arts, 40 Quest Red, 43 Food Network, 47 Film4 +1, 48 Challenge, 49 4seven, 60 Drama +1, 65 That's TV 2, 70 Quest +1, 74 Yesterday +1, 75 That's 90s, 233 Sky News, plus 11 others

COM6
ArqB
 V max
C28- (529.8MHz)294mDTG-850W
Channel icons
12 Quest, 25 W, 27 Yesterday, 34 GREAT! movies, 39 DMAX, 44 HGTV, 52 GREAT! romance, 56 That's TV (UK), 61 GREAT! movies extra, 63 GREAT! romance mix, 71 That’s 60s, 73 HobbyMaker, 82 Talking Pictures TV, 84 PBS America, 235 Al Jazeera Eng, plus 18 others

DTG-8 64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)

The Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) mast is a public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these commercial (COM) channels: .

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 Pontypool transmitter?

regional news image
BBC Wales Today 1.2m homes 4.7%
from Cardiff CF5 2YQ, 25km southwest (214°)
to BBC Wales region - 206 masts.
regional news image
ITV Cymru Wales 1.2m homes 4.7%
from Cardiff CF5 6XJ, 30km southwest (215°)
to ITV Wales region - 206 masts.

How will the Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) transmission frequencies change over time?

1984-971997-981998-20102010-1329 Jun 2019
A K TA K TA K TA K TA K T
C21BBC1wavesBBC1wavesBBC1waves
C22-ArqAArqA
C23+BBCABBCA
C24ITVwavesITVwavesITVwaves
C25-SDNSDN
C26+D3+4D3+4
C27BBC2wavesBBC2wavesBBC2waves
C28-ArqBArqB
C29+BBCBBBCB
C31C4wavesC4wavesC4waves

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 3 Mar 10 and 31 Mar 10.

How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?

Analogue 1-4 250W
SDN, ARQA, ARQB, BBCA, D3+4, BBCB(-7dB) 50W
Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*(-11dB) 20W
Mux C*, Mux D*(-14dB) 10W

Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Wenvoe transmitter area

Jan 1958-Jul 1968Television Wales and the West
Jul 1968-Feb 2004Harlech Television
Feb 2004-Dec 2014ITV plc
Feb 1983-Dec 1992TV-am•
Jan 1993-Sep 2010GMTV•
Sep 2010-Dec 2014ITV Daybreak•
• Breakfast ◊ Weekends ♦ Friday night and weekends † Weekdays only. Pontypool was not an original Channel 3 VHF 405-line mast: the historical information shown is the details of the company responsible for the transmitter when it began transmitting Channel 3.

Comments
Thursday, 31 March 2011
J
Jamie
3:53 PM
Cwmbran

Hi I upgraded to Freeiview HD at christmas time 2010 and since doing so the HD channels have been very unreliable they will be fine for weeks then out of the blue they will be no signal or unwatchable due to break ups.
The SD channels are perfect but all the HD channels currently are no signal or unwatchable and this has been the case since approx 5:00pm Saturday 18th March.
Since then I have had no HD channels either no signal or stutter stutter stutter.
My equipment is fine I have had it tested so it must be transmitter signal strength reduction or unplanned work for the past few weeks if this doesn't improve I have no choice but to go to freesat for proper reliable HD channels.
Any input appreciated.
Cwmbran.
NP44 7AY.

link to this comment
Jamie's 8 posts EU flag
Jamie's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
M
Mike Dimmick
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:17 PM
Reading

Jamie: Digital UK's predictor suggests that it should get better in May, presumably after Ridge Hill, Lark Stoke and The Wrekin complete switchover.

Normally at a distance of 5 km with clear line of sight to the transmitter you wouldn't have a problem, but Pontypool's transmitting aerial is designed to cover the area to the east. You are due south of it, so you get less signal than if you were due east.

The Mynydd Machen transmitter forms a Single-Frequency Network with Pontypool (for the PSB multiplexes), and transmits to the north and north-west. However, there is some terrain blocking your sight of it.

It's possible that rotating the aerial a bit to the west could reduce pickup of unwanted signals and pick up more signal from Mynydd Machen in addition to Pontypool. Aerials do have a fairly wide 'acceptance angle' and this tends to be wider for vertical polarization than for horizontal.

In some weather conditions, signals can travel further than planned, and this can cause interference. This is probably the source of the problem and why it changes over time.

link to this comment
Mike Dimmick's 2,486 posts GB flag
Mike's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
J
Jamie
2:29 PM

Hi Mike thanks for the post.
I just don't understand why this has happend because I have an indoor loft wideband antenna which has worked fine for HD up intil the date above. I have not made any additions electrically i.e. new heating system, wireless devices etc
Anyway if you are confident that what ever interference is occuring at present will likley disappear in May than I will hold out till then rather then mess with my antenna. Then if its still dead I will adjust my antenna or maybe think about relocating to the roof.

link to this comment
Jamie's 8 posts EU flag
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
J
Jamie
3:57 PM
Cwmbran

The channels are viewable now but not reliable enough to watch or record from so I am guessing I will have to have a play with the arial or just give up and go with freesat.
The annoying thing is they were perfect then no channels at all then back but not reliblae enough to watch or record from :(

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Jamie's 8 posts EU flag
Jamie's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Transmitter engineering
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

11:31 PM

PONTYPOOL transmitter - Freeview HD Digital TV Reduced Quality from 18:30 today to 22:49 today [BBC]

link to this comment
Transmitter engineering's 149,799 posts xx flag
Transmitter engineering
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

11:31 PM

PONTYPOOL transmitter - Freeview HD Digital TV Reduced Quality from 18:30 today to 22:49 today [BBC]

link to this comment
Transmitter engineering's 149,799 posts xx flag
Friday, 22 July 2011
Transmitter engineering
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

5:28 AM

PONTYPOOL transmitter - Freeview HD Digital TV Reduced Quality from 18:30 yesterday to 22:49 yesterday [BBC]

link to this comment
Transmitter engineering's 149,799 posts xx flag
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Your comment please
Please post a question, answer or commentIf you have Freeview reception problems before posting a question your must first do this Freeview reset procedure then see: Freeview reception has changed, Single frequency interference, and Freeview intermittent interference.

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