Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
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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 25/11/2024 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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Saturday, 20 April 2013
J
jb3810:49 AM
DebbieK: Thanks once again for the info! this having been noted for reference purpose, Winter Hill being indicated at 8 miles away from you on a bearing of 344 degrees and which according to the natural terrain indicator should be reasonably line-of-sight from the transmitter but with the exclusion of any possible man made structures being in the way, as the indications given only refer to the bare land devoid of forest's or anything man made, these being completely excluded from the indications.
That said though, I did notice a number of the aerials in your area having been positioned on exceptionally long mast poles, something which contrary to the indications referred to suggest that your particular part of the area can suffer from reception difficulties caused locally by the signal being obstructed, and in these types of areas variations in the reception level between each of the muxes tend to be common place even when in areas located as close as (or even less) than 8 miles away from a 100kw transmitter, this seemingly the case I was wondering if you as yet have made any "local" enquiries to determine as to whether or not the Ch50 / Ch49 problem is affecting anyone else? albeit I suspect that it will be.
Another point that always has to remembered being, that even although a person might well have had good reception prior to the recently made changes its not necessarily the case that the signal level received was particularly strong, although albeit with it possibly being stable hence why no problems were noticed even although it "might" have been hovering at just above the lower threshold cut off level of the receiver, but which has now fallen well under, the reason for possibly being a combination of the aerial now being much less efficient due to the new channels in use being at lowest end of the aerials operating range "if" a C/D group aerial is being used (identified by a green end blanking plug) and with this deficiency in the aerial being coupled to level changes caused by propagational variations that exist between frequencies.
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D
DebbieK10:58 AM
Thanks jb38. You're right, all the houses in our immediate area have their aerials on long poles, so I guess we're not in the best place to receive these signals. I'll ask around the neighbours, see if they're having the same problems.
I was interested to hear the new channels (49 & 50) are at the lowest end of the operating range. Why on earth would they move BBC & Sky News there?! Why not shove Pick TV or some of the other cr@ppy channels in there? Why would they choose to move the channels that folk watch the most?
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DebbieK: The difficulty with reception on your road would appear to be due to the terraces on Elliott Street and Alexander Street which are on higher ground.
On standing on Elliott Street and looking down Norris Street the apex of the houses on Maesbrook Drive appear to be about level with the bottom of the first floor of the terraces:
M29 8DT - Google Maps
You can also see quite a way to the horizon.
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DebbieK1:35 PM
Dave Lindsay: that sounds about right, it is quite a steep hill. So the hill and the houses on Alexander Street etc are in the way of the signal?
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J
JamesT1:51 PM
Manchester
Since the 10th I have also not been able to get any signal from channel 50. Also my HD channels on 54 pixelate and usually have no signal quality. I have noticed that the frequency for 54 is set at 738000hz on mt LG TV but above it says it should be 737800hz?!
Tried retuning numerous time. Tried retuning with no arial then plugging it back in again and repeating. Tried removing and inserting the arial in from channel 46 onwards.
I live in an apartment block so can't simply check the arial.
Any advice? I live in Manchester city centre M1 1EW.
Thanks
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JamesT's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
DebbieK: Think of yourself as being in a shadow.
If the sun is low in the sky, you get long shadows from objects on the ground like trees and buildings. The transmitter is, of course, low to the ground which is why I draw the similarity.
The fact that there is a 'shadow' doesn't necessarily mean that you will definately have an issue, it just follows that there may be more issues in such an area because there are objects in the way.
The good signal is probably quite a bit above you. Theoretically, if you had a long enough pole to get your aerial to the height of (and therefore in line with) the aerials on the rooves of the terraces on Elliott Street then reception may be as easy (good) as at those properties.
So it is the ground dropping, as it were, that means that the signal closer to that ground level isn't as good.
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JamesT: Perhaps your communal aerial system needs adjustment to allow through C50 (BBC) and possibly also C49 (Pick TV, Dave etc). Seomtimes they are fitted with filters that only allow, from the aerial, channels used by the designated transmitter.
The discrepancy with the frequency in MHz shown for C54 is due to the negative offset on that channel from Winter Hill.
The "centre" of C54 is 738.000MHz. C54 with a negative offset is 0.2MHz (or 200kHz) below the "centre".
I'm not sure whether that makes any difference here, that is your TV may report that the signal is on 738MHz when it is infact a little lower.
The only thing I will say is that the HD multiplex (C54) uses DVB-T2 signal mode whereas all the other broadcasts (the standard definition ones) use DVB-T mode. So make sure that that is set correctly, if there is such an option.
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DebbieK3:34 PM
Thanks Dave. So basically we're stuffed. Our options are:
a) move house
b) add two storeys to our house, thus lifting the roof to the level of the houses up the hill
c) get a ridiculously long aerial pole
d) get freesat
e) get sky multiroom
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J
jb384:41 PM
DebbieK: Even although the signal may well have presently vanished as a direct result of the frequency changes etc, there is always a chance of it partially returning at some point in the next month or so as signal propagation is usually always affected by seasonal changes to the terrain, the effect of being far more noticeable in areas such as yours and where any signal that is being received is likely only to be through signal diffraction. (bending over objects such as hills)
Of course the problem there being, that even if the signal did return to a level that produces a picture its usually always of a short lived nature to the extent that it cannot be relied upon, Freesat being the mode that's virtually guaranteed to provide perfect subscription free reception for about 99.9% of the year, and with the only time not being for a few minutes at the most during a very heavy thundery type downpour, or alternatively in other instances during spells of heavy snow and where some may have accumulated in the bowl of the dish, this being easily cleared if the dish has been mounted within reach of a long brush handle.
By the way, in any Freesat installation where a dish is "not" being provided through a subscription, its always best policy to request that what's known as a "Zone 2" dish be fitted, as indeed is done as standard in Scottish regions, because by it being just that little bit larger it provides a slightly higher level of signal over that of Sky's standard (English region) Zone 1 types, this making it that little bit more resistant to being affected by heavy rain etc.
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DebbieK: It is probably best to see what an installer says when on site.
I am not saying that the aerial has to be at the height of the houses on the hill. My point is that as you tend away from that height there is more potential for difficulty.
The trick is to find a spot where all channels are good, and in situations such as yours that may be found to be more difficult. Evidently the lower frequency signal on C50 isn't as good as the others, where you aerial happens to be. But the aerial was put there before the C50 came one air.
As jb38 says, Freesat is one possibility.
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