Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 53.625,-2.516 or 53°37'30"N 2°30'56"W |  | BL6 6SL |
The symbol shows the location of the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter which serves 2,690,000 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 Winter Hill (Bolton, England) mast?
Winter Hill transmitter - Winter Hill transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 11/11/2024 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.
DTG-8 64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-2 16QAM 2K 3/4 18.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which Freeview channels does the Winter Hill 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 | H max | C32 (562.0MHz) | 726m | DTG- | 100,000W |
 1 BBC One (SD) North 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 | H max | C34 (578.0MHz) | 726m | DTG- | 100,000W |
 3 ITV 1 (SD) (Granada), 4 Channel 4 (SD) North ads, 5 Channel 5, 6 ITV 2, 10 ITV3, 13 E4, 14 Film4, 15 Channel 4 +1 North ads, 18 More4, 26 ITV4, 28 ITVBe, 30 E4 +1, 35 ITV1 +1 (Granada), 71 That’s 60s, | |||||
| PSB3 BBCB | H max | C35- (585.8MHz) | 726m | DTG- | 100,000W |
 46 5SELECT, 101 BBC One HD North West, 102 BBC Two HD England, 103 ITV 1 HD (ITV Granada), 104 Channel 4 HD North ads, 105 Channel 5 HD, 106 BBC Four HD, 107 BBC Three HD, 204 CBBC HD, 205 CBeebies HD, plus 1 others | |||||
| COM4 SDN | H max | C29 (538.0MHz) | 726m | DTG-8 | 100,000W |
 20 U&Drama, 21 5USA, 29 ITV2 +1, 32 5STAR, 33 5Action, 38 Channel 5 +1, 41 Legend, 42 GREAT! action, 57 U&Dave ja vu, 58 ITV3 +1, 59 ITV4 +1, 64 Blaze, 67 TRUE CRIME, 68 TRUE CRIME XTRA, 81 Blaze +1, 83 Together TV, 91 WildEarth, 93 ITVBe +1, 209 Ketchup TV, 210 Ketchup Too, 211 YAAAS!, 251 Al Jazeera English, 255 FRANCE 24 (in English), 265 Rok Sky +1, plus 29 others | |||||
| COM5 ArqA | H max | C31 (554.0MHz) | 726m | DTG-8 | 100,000W |
 11 Sky Mix, 17 Really, 19 U&Dave, 31 E4 Extra, 36 Sky Arts, 40 Quest Red, 43 Food Network, 47 Film4 +1, 48 Challenge, 49 4seven, 60 U&Drama +1, 65 That's TV 2, 70 Quest +1, 74 &UYesterday +1, 76 That's TV 2 MCR, 233 Sky News, plus 13 others | |||||
| COM6 ArqB | H max | C37 (602.0MHz) | 726m | DTG-8 | 100,000W |
 12 Quest, 25 U&W, 27 U&Yesterday, 34 GREAT! movies, 39 DMAX, 44 HGTV, 52 GREAT! christmas, 56 That's TV (UK), 63 GREAT! romance mix, 73 HobbyMaker, 75 That's 90s, 82 Talking Pictures TV, 84 PBS America, 235 Al Jazeera Eng, plus 18 others | |||||
| LM | H -20dB | C40 (626.0MHz) | 572m | DTG-12 | 1,000W |
 from 1st October 2014: 7 That's Manchester, | |||||
| LL | H -17dB | C24 (498.0MHz) | 572m | DTG-12 | 2,000W |
 from 30th June 2014: 7 Bay TV Liverpool, | |||||
| LPR | H -20dB | C56 (754.0MHz) | 572m | DTG-12 | 1,000W |
 from 1st October 2014: 7 That's Lancashire, | |||||
| GIM | H -20dB | C57 (762.0MHz) | 572m | DTG-2 | 1,000W |
 Now 90s, Spotlight TV, Clubland TV, Country Music Entertainment , Classic Hits MCR, 77 That's 60s MCR, 78 TCC, 80 That's 80s, 86 That's 90s MCR, 88 TV Warehouse+1, | |||||
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-2 16QAM 2K 3/4 18.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Winter Hill transmitter?
BBC North West Tonight 3.1m homes 11.8%
from Salford M50 2QH, 22km southeast (140°)
to BBC North West region - 92 masts.
ITV Granada Reports 3.1m homes 11.6%
from Salford M50 2EQ, 22km southeast (139°)
to ITV Granada region - 80 masts.
How will the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1956-80s | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2009 | 2009-13 | 2013-18 | 2013-17 | 20 Feb 2020 | ||
| VHF | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E T | W T | W T | ||
| C9 | ITVwaves | ||||||||
| C12 | BBCtvwaves | ||||||||
| C24 | _local | ||||||||
| C29 | SDN | ||||||||
| C31 | com7 | com7 | |||||||
| C32 | BBCA | ||||||||
| C34 | D3+4 | ||||||||
| C35 | BBCB | ||||||||
| C37 | com8 | com8 | |||||||
| C40 | LOCAL2 | ||||||||
| C48 | C5waves | C5waves | |||||||
| C49tv_off | ArqA | ArqA | |||||||
| C50tv_off | BBCA | BBCA | |||||||
| C54tv_off | -BBCB | -BBCB | -BBCB | ||||||
| C55tv_off | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | ArqB | ArqB | ArqB | com7tv_off | ||
| C56tv_off | _local | _local | _local | LPR | |||||
| C57tv_off | GIM | GIM | GIM | GIM | |||||
| C58tv_off | SDN | SDN | SDN | ||||||
| C59tv_off | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | D3+4 | D3+4 | D3+4 | |||
| C61 | ArqA | ||||||||
| C62 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBCA | |||||
| C65 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves |
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 4 Nov 09 and 2 Dec 09.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-4 | 500kW | |
| SDN, ARQA, ARQB, BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-7dB) 100kW | |
| com7 | (-12.9dB) 25.7kW | |
| com8 | (-13.4dB) 22.6kW | |
| Analogue 5 | (-16dB) 12.5kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D* | (-17dB) 10kW | |
| LL | (-24dB) 2kW | |
| GIM, LM, LPR | (-27dB) 1000W |
Local transmitter maps
Winter Hill Freeview Winter Hill DAB Winter Hill AM/FM Winter Hill TV region BBC North West GranadaWhich companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Winter Hill transmitter area
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Sunday, 18 December 2011
M
Mark Fletcher10:05 PM
Halifax
Heather Lord,Lytham St Annes.Hard to say without a full postcode.Are you sure yer receiving Winter Hill transmissions,and not those from Moel-Y-Parc mast itself,as the Fylde coast can receive Moel-Y-Parc transmissions too.If ya receive BBC1 Wales on the BBCA mux on fr 45 instead of Winter Hill's BBCA (includes BBC1 North West) on fr 62,as well as ITV1 Wales and S4C on the D3+4 mux on fr 49 instead of Winter Hill's D3+4 (includes ITV1 Granada and Channel 4) mux on fr 59 then there is a likelyhood you will be picking up stray signals from Moel-Y-Parc at over 90 degrees right of where your aerial is positioned at Winter Hill.Perform as Dave Lindsay suggests or if you can manual scan,BBCB (HD) fr 54,ArqB fr 55,SDN fr 58,D3+4 fr 59,ArqA fr 61,BBCA fr 62 are all Winter Hill multiplexes.
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Mark's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Monday, 19 December 2011
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
A
adrian8:42 PM
Poulton-le-fylde
hi there, my name is adrian and i have to install an outdoor digital aerial in order to supply my freeview box. i don't know if i should use a class A, B, C/D or even a wideband aerial. i live in Hambleton, poulton le fylde, Lancashire but i am originally from Yorkshire and used to get our signals from the Emly Moor transmitter. what class of aerial do i need to buy and can you confirm if we get our signals from the Winter Hill transmitter? thankyou-Adrian
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adrian's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
adrian: For lots of information on aerials, see ATV Sheffield: www.aerialsandtv.com
Go to the "Digital Transmitters" link (ATV) on the left where you will see a guide for aerial types to use on transmitters including Winter Hill.
Based solely on the Digital UK Tradeview preditor (click the link next to your posting), you need to receive from either Winter Hill or Lancaster as both give all the channels. Winter Hill gets 100 scores across the board, so you probably want to be aiming for it (I base this statement only having looked at the predictor - it should be used as a guide only!).
Have a look around to see what neighbours are on. Also look around for local obstructions which won't be taken into account with the predictor. Trees and buildings in the way need to be avoided if possible.
I plotted the signal path using Megalithia and it says you have line of sight:
Terrain - shows radio profile between two UK sites to optimise you DTT, Freeview, DAB or analogue TV reception
"Base station" is your end. You need to convert your location to an OS grid reference and select Winter Hill.
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Thursday, 12 January 2012
M
Mark Fletcher12:31 AM
Halifax
Adrian.Hambleton,Poulton-Le-Fylde.For the main Winter Hill transmitter you need either a group C/D Yagi 18C/D,or preferably at your new location a group E X-Beam XB16E aerial.As Dave Lindsay rightfully suggests looking at the ATV Sheffield website is worth recommending,and even more recommending on my part is if you do decide to purchase a new outdoor antenna buy it from ATV (Aerials & Television) of Sheffield believe me they are the best,forget the rest,don't bother buying from DIY stores,most of them from the likes of B&Q,Wickes,Argos,etc,they're all inferior group W wideband aerials.Also i'd recommend buying from ATV Sheffield superior quality black (preferably) coloured satellite grade copper-copper co-ax cable and only brass co-ax plugs.
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Mark's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
adrian: I'm not an aerial installer myself, so what I say is pretty much what I'd do in your situation if I was going to DIY.
I had a look around the area on Streetview and I couldn't see anything much bigger than a 10 element "crappy" contract. Bear in mind that many of these aerials would have worked with the lower power signals before switchover. The ground looks pretty flat and the Megalithia website does suggest that you have line of sight with the top of the transmitter.
Having done your research, I would speak to the guys at ATV. Also explain the lengths of cable you are likely to use, where you're intending putting your aerial. It is also quite likely that you will be able to feed more than one room from a non-powered splitter. If you think you might do this, then say so along with the length of cable-runs.
On the basis of what I've seen, my inclination is that you probably want a Log 40 or you might even find a DM Log works just fine. ATV don't sell contract aerials; the logs are what they would use instead. As I say, I'm not an aerial installer and this is based on what I know and the logical deduction arrived at based on what others in the area appear to be using.
Winter Hill is a C/D transmitter (at present), but with the likelihood that the powers that be will be auctioning off channels around 31 to 37 for future use, you might find yourself at a disadvantage if you put a C/D aerial up. I would say that you should only use such a group aerial if you are in a poor signal area where it might be necessary and from what I've seen, you're not.
Logs have pretty flat gain curves, whereas wideband yagis don't. So a wideband log should work in the future, should Winter Hill start using channels much lower than C/D.
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Monday, 23 January 2012
D
DARIO1:42 PM
Ashton-under-lyne
Any one know why movies for men chanels aren't broadcasting at the momoent. Message saying "BACK SOON"
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DARIO's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Thursday, 26 January 2012
DARIO: We don't know at the moment. Sony has bought the channels, but why they would stop broadcasting the channels they have bought is an interesting question.
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Thursday, 2 February 2012
D
Dave1:51 AM
I know that not all freeview tv channels can be received in all areas, but my understanding is that there are a number which you should expect to get in all areas. I was told this by the travelling helpdesk. I can't recall which they are, though. From memory, all the BBC ones, ITV, Channel 4 and its subsidiaries, and Channel 5 - but not necessarily 5USA, 5*, Dave, Yesterday, etc.
Could somebody please confirm the minimum expectations?
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Dave: That is correct.
The coverage of the Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) groups of channels are equivalent to that of the four analogue channels that went before.
The commercial (COM) groups of channels are available to about 90% of the population, leaving about 9% with only PSBs.
See this page for the multiples (groups of channels):
Freeview multiplexes | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
PSBs are BBC A, D3&4 and BBC B.
Some people will be able to receive the COMs, but will require a replacement of their aerial (including possibly a re-alignment on a different transmitter) or a second aerial.
If you supply your location, preferably post code, we can make a suggestion as to the likely possibility of success for you to receive the commercial channels.
If not, then the main alternative is Freesat.
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