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 18/09/2023 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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Saturday, 16 June 2012
J
John12:09 PM
Southampton
Why are the strong channels placed on vertical transmissions when 90% odd of all aerials are horizontal?
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John's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
John: The short answer is shortage of channels (frequencies). And the fact that the Commercial services' coverage isn't as extensive as the Public Service ones.
To understand the long answer, it is necessary to explain that there are two types of services:
- Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) | These being BBC, Channel 3 (the various ITV1 regions in England), Channel 4 and Channel 5. The PSB multiplexes (signals) also carry ITV1+1, ITV2, Channel 4+1, E4, More 4 and the four HD services.
- Commercial (COM) | These carry other services like ITV3, Pick TV, Yesterday, Film 4 and Dave.
For a full list of what's carried on what, see DMOL Post-DSO Multiplex Channel Allocations
This page shows that there are three PSB multiplexes and three COMs. Each is carried on a single UHF channel; each single analogue service used one UHF channel.
The design of the network of transmitters means that PSBs are given the same coverage as the former four-channel analogue. The plan was for aerials that worked with analogue before to work for the PSBs.
There are 81 main and larger relay transmitters that carry all six multiplexes. The 1,000 or so other small relays are PSB-only. The COMs achieve about 90% coverage of the population, whereas the PSBs cover 98.5%.
The COMs don't have a "Public Service" obligation which is why they don't have the extensive coverage that the PSBs do. So no one who can receive the PSBs is "guaranteed" to receive the COMs.
In some cases, aerials may need to be replaced to receive COMs. Or in the case of Rowridge viewers, they may need to adjust their aerials to vertical.
The horizontal signals from Rowridge are therefore primarily to ensure compatibility with horizontal aerials.
Due to the shortage of channels (frequencies) available, Rowridge's COMs use channels that are also used by other transmitters, including Crystal Palace and Stockland Hill (PSBs are not co-channel). These two transmitters are exclusively horizontal. Stockland's COMs are co-channel with those of Rowridge, but lower power to its PSBs. So you can see that they have had to restrict the coverage of Stockland's COMs so as to prevent interference. Or to look at it another way, channels are reused by transmitters in much closer proximity that they would have been previously.
So fringe viewers on Stockland, for example, will only COMs intermittantly, or may have to spend money on a more sensitive aerial, or may only be able to receive PSBs.
For the reason of these other horizontally polarised transmitters using the same channels, Rowridge's COMs have restricted power horizontally. That is, to protect against interference where Stockland and Crystal Palace overlap Rowridge.
The PSBs get the better channel allocations whereas COMs may get ones where they are restricted in coverage and in places where other transmitters prevent reception because they are co-channel.
Previously with analogue, each transmitter had four channels. With digital, the 81 most powerful transmitter require six. Plus there is the fact that the number of channels available is reduced due to the plan to sell of some for 4G mobile operators and some more being ringfenced for selling to three more COM licencees. If the channels set aside for future COMs had been used, then there would have been less clashes and less people who have to replace or adjust their aerials.
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Sunday, 17 June 2012
C
Colin9:39 AM
Dave and Jamie: thanks for the replies. I have tried a small length of wire in the tv, this gave good pics but with slightly reduced strength and quality. Having had time to investigate, I only receive channels 24 and 27, the psbs, in both hp and vp. Would this be due to my location to the south of Rowridge, out of transmitting direction for the coms?, aside from my position behind a hill and trees? My next attempt will be to run a wire to the top of the hill for a direct view of Rowridge. I will let you know how I get on. Thanks again for the informative replies.
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Colin: How did you get on with your wire to the top of the hill?
It is possible that the COMs don't broadcast to the south. Maybe they couldn't get international clearance for them to do so.
The radiation patterns of the transmitters is secret, unfortunately.
See here for a list of multiplexes (those with a bullet in the "E"/England column apply): DMOL Post-DSO Multiplex Channel Allocations
What I suggest you do is focus on one service from each. I usually look for the first in each:
PSB1 (BBC One) = C24
PSB2 (ITV1) = C27
PSB3 (BBC One HD) = C21
COM4 (ITV3) = C25
COM5 (Pick TV) = C22
COM6 (Yesterday) = C28
So for COM4, look at ITV3 if it is tuned in on your receiver, or manually tune to C25 until you pick it up.
They installed a taller mast at Rowridge for DSO, so you could always go and ask if you can have a few sections of the old one to mount your aerial on.
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Monday, 18 June 2012
ROWRIDGE transmitter - Over the next week Rowridge main transmitter: TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK] Over the next week Rowridge main transmitter: TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK]
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ROWRIDGE transmitter - Over the next week Rowridge main transmitter: TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK] Over the next week Rowridge main transmitter: TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK]
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Wednesday, 20 June 2012
C
charles hayter9:25 AM
Verwood
bh31 7df we are getting beakup on only bbc chanels through the day but seems to clear up in the evening but not always, never had any trouble before the switch over.still have old ariel no trouble on any other channel perfect picture.we also have a booster in the roof.charles, verwood dorset
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charles's: ...
ROWRIDGE transmitter - Freeview BBC Digital TV Weak Signal; DSO related from 09:31 yesterday HD Digital TV Weak Signal; DSO related from 09:32 yesterday [BBC] Over the next week Rowridge main transmitter: TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK]
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ROWRIDGE transmitter - Freeview BBC Digital TV Weak Signal; DSO related from 09:31 yesterday HD Digital TV Weak Signal; DSO related from 09:32 yesterday [BBC] Over the next week Rowridge main transmitter: TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK]
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ROWRIDGE transmitter - Freeview BBC Digital TV Weak Signal; DSO related from 09:31 yesterday HD Digital TV Off Air from 09:50 today to 09:56 today HD Digital TV Weak Signal; DSO related from 09:32 yesterday [BBC] Over the next week Rowridge main transmitter: TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK]
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