Full Freeview on the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 50.676,-1.369 or 50°40'35"N 1°22'7"W |  | PO30 4HT |
The symbol shows the location of the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter which serves 620,000 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 Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) mast?
Rowridge transmitter - Rowridge transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 02/10/2023 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 Rowridge 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 Rowridge transmitter?
BBC South Today 1.3m homes 4.9%
from Southampton SO14 7PU, 26km north (354°)
to BBC South region - 39 masts.
ITV Meridian News 0.9m homes 3.6%
from Whiteley PO15 7AD, 24km north-northeast (20°)
to ITV Meridian (South Coast) region - 39 masts.
All of lunch, weekend and 50% evening news is shared with all of Meridian plus Oxford
Are there any self-help relays?
| Portsmouth Docks | Transposer | 2 km N city centre | 50 homes Estimate. Group of houses' |
How will the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1950s-80s | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2012 | 2012-13 | 2 May 2018 | ||||
| VHF | A K T | A K T | A K T | A K T | W T | ||||
| C3 | BBCtvwaves | ||||||||
| C21 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | +BBCB | BBCB | ||||
| C22 | +ArqA | ArqA | |||||||
| C24 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBCA | BBCA | ||||
| C25 | SDN | SDN | |||||||
| C27 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | D3+4 | D3+4 | ||||
| C28 | ArqB | ArqB | |||||||
| C29 | LSO | ||||||||
| C31 | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | com7 | |||||
| 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 7 Mar 12 and 21 Mar 12.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-4 | 500kW | |
| PSB1||, PSB1≡, PSB2||, PSB2≡, PSB3||, PSB3≡ | (-4dB) 200kW | |
| COM4≡, COM4||, COM5≡, COM5||, COM6≡, COM6|| | (-10dB) 50kW | |
| com7≡ | (-13.1dB) 24.4kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D* | (-14dB) 20kW | |
| com8≡ | (-14.3dB) 18.4kW | |
| LSO≡ | (-17dB) 10kW |
Local transmitter maps
Rowridge Freeview Rowridge DAB Rowridge TV region BBC South Meridian (South Coast micro region)Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Rowridge transmitter area
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Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Sean: I'm not an installer, but your first sentence aligns with my thoughts - HP is merely for legacy purposes.
The point is that neither Ofcom nor Digital UK bothered to counteract this. And having done so, Ofcom didn't mandate COM7, COM8 and the new local multiplex to use mixed polarity.
In effect, Rowridge HP and Rowridge VP are two different transmitting stations. The operators of these new multiplexes don't consider it worthwhile to broadcast from Rowridge VP (assuming clearance would have been granted).
In all this there is the stink of how things are done these days - we don't think as far as our nose end and passing the buck is so easy because "the system" is so fragmented, as is apparent in the statement from Ofcom in response to your point.
All channels are in Group A, so as new aerial isn't generally necessary. The exception is if it has some defect or perhaps it's old and one wishes to kill two birds with one stone and replace it at the same time as switching to VP.
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SEAN,
VP is the way forward.
COM7 HP doesn't carry many channels and they are at very low signal levels.
To receive these in some locations you will need to have a high gain aerial and possibly an amplifier which will then also mean you will need to 4G filter your system.
Installs are now being fitted VP with much better wind loading aerials and shorter masts.
I have been to high gain aerial installs damaged in storms which had amplifiers and 20 foot masts, I have been able to change them to a smaller aerial with a 6 foot mast and no amplifier.
At this stage I would imagine the sacrifice of these few channels is worth it, hopefully in time the new channels will be on VP and eventually they ditch HP.
regards
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jamie's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
S
Sean8:05 PM
Well I haven't had a reply from Arqiva yet - there's a surprise. I'll nag them until they respond. I'm wondering if this nonsense might be of interest to local news. "New channels are for old aerials only" or something.
I previously had a monster aerial that looked like a spaceship. Now it's a nice neat log periodic, plus VP means the local obese pigeons can't sit on it and loosen it.
I still want BBC4hd though, plus hopefully more to come.
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Thursday, 9 January 2014
B
Bob Eades10:31 AM
I've been waiting for info on when the additional HD channels will start, but have got this right they will only be on HP not VP as well, as on moving I needed to change to a VP aerial to get a stable signal from Comm's 4, 5, 6.
If I need to go back to HP will need amp's and filters because of the signal conditions an proximity to 3 phone mast?
As a TV engineer since the mid seventies I feel that someone in authority needs to be pointed out to them that messing about like this very confusing and expensive and should be clearer in the advertising implying more channels on the way so make certain you get an HD TV when you up grade, not much use if every time they change transmissions you need to change your aerial better off inventing an auto-rotating aerial!
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Friday, 10 January 2014
S
Sean8:18 AM
Still no reply from enquiries@arqiva.com, three days later.
I've forwarded my previous email to their Head of Public Relations. We'll see if they'll consider replying to a mere licence fee-paying member of the public.
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Saturday, 11 January 2014
Exactly when in January 2014 are COM7 and COM8 due to start broadcasting from Rowridge?
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Tuesday, 14 January 2014
S
Sean8:58 PM
Here is the response I received from Arqiva. I don't think they'll mind me publishing it here - there's nothing private in it...
"Thank you for your email about the new HD services, specifically concerning their absence from the VP antenna at Rowridge. As Head of PR Im not the normal recipient of these enquiries but have spoken to various teams in order to send you the following information.
Arqiva Services Limited was awarded the licence last year for the Television Multiplex Service utilising channels within the 600 MHz band in which the new HD services are carried. The channels licensed for the new HD services are limited to Channels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 37 which is best received on a Group A or a wide band rooftop aerial. Given the limited number of channels available, many of the sites from which the new HD services will broadcast will unfortunately utilise frequency channels outside of the traditional aerial group for the area. Rowridge is still a Group A area and so many viewers should be able to receive the new HD services using a Group A or wide band HP aerial. Where an upgrade has been made to a VP aerial as a result of the installers choice , then regrettably it is unlikely that the new HD services will be received.
The infrastructure for the new HD services has not been funded by Government nor by the TV Licence Fee. The full cost of rolling out the new services has been borne by Arqiva Services Limited as a private company. Arqiva has opted to roll out the new services to the maximum number of sites permissible by Ofcom under the licence, and has exceeded the minimum coverage requirements stipulated by Ofcom in the licence of 50% national coverage, rolling the network out to circa 70% without any governmental assistance. This does include Rowridge, but only from the HP antenna. Both the VP and HP antennas at Rowridge still do give access to a broad range of Freeview services, including simulcast SD versions of all those channels currently being carried in the HD genre, as well as the HD services carried on 101 -104.
With regard to the Rowridge VP broadcasts, the cost of modifying the on-site infrastructure to radiate the new HD services in VP was considered to be excessive given the small number of homes that could be served by it, and unfortunately viewers who only access the Rowridge VP antenna will fall into the 30% of homes nationally which will not receive these new HD services.
We trust that this provides the information you are seeking. "
So there we go - we have our answer. The new channels are only for old aerials.
I can see Arqiva's point from their business point of view. But following this logic, nobody would have ever made a DVD player as DVDs didn't exist at the time. Nobody would have invented a television as there were no programmes to watch on it. Sometimes there has to be a strategy, and you need eggs to make chickens.
We now have a choice of all channels with poor signal quality or FreeviewLiteHD with decent signal quality.
I'm going to think about whether this can be taken further. All thoughts welcome.
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Sean: I think you've done well to get a reply from Arqiva, and such a comprehensive one at that. Of course, it isn't the answer you wanted but it is an answer nonetheless.
COM7, according to Digital UK Coverage Checker, is at 23.7kW whereas COM4-6 are 50kW. Is it not possible to use horizontal polarisation, perhaps with some degree of amplification?
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Sean: Thanks for posting that. I have modified the UK Free TV database to represent this information.
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Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Alan Rowe
7:45 AM
Southampton
7:45 AM
Southampton
For some people, they might end up with 2 aerials and a combiner. Most will have to be Hp for the new services.
Maybe one of the leading brands could design a Vp/Hp LTE combo, wouldn't be that hard.
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Alan's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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