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 15/04/2024 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), | |||||
| 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 Drama, 21 5USA, 29 ITV2 +1, 32 5STAR, 33 5Action, 38 Channel 5 +1, 41 Legend, 42 GREAT! action, 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 | H max | C31 (554.0MHz) | 726m | DTG-8 | 100,000W |
 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 | H max | C37 (602.0MHz) | 726m | DTG-8 | 100,000W |
 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 | |||||
| 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, 76 That's TV 2 MCR, 77 That's 60s MCR, 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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Thursday, 21 November 2013
D
D Hardy7:24 PM
Stockport
Dave Lindsay
Thanks for your detailed comments lots of advice to take on board.
I'm using a wideband high gain aerial which I hope will help with signal strength/quality.
Some more adjustments to do I think!!
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D Hardy: Having looked at your location, you clearly have a number of factors that could cause you difficulty with reception from Winter Hill!
I refer to the fact that you are down a slope which is tree covered, and you may be in a bungalow (so lower down).
Looking at Streetview photos (taken October 2008) most aerials are on the Romiley relay transmitter.
What I will say is that higher gain isn't always better because in order to increase gain, the acceptance angle (or "viewing" angle) is narrower. Thus, you are looking for good average quality across a narrower angle, whereas a wider acceptance angle may give better average quality. The strength can be increased by an amplifier, but if the signal is poor nothing can be done.
Good luck!
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Friday, 22 November 2013
D
D Hardy8:41 AM
Stockport
Thanks, Dave
I'll keep having a go.
Not costing me anything except my time so worth it to see
what I can achieve.
Cheers
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D's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
D
D Hardy12:07 PM
Stockport
Dave Lindsey
Just moved aerial again and this time I'm clearly on MYP and the signal strength and quality are pretty good.
Presumably I could diplex Romiley and MYP but does that mean a large reduction in signal strength/quality?
Could you recommend an suitable diplexer as some are perhaps not the best quality and what do I need to watch out for.
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D Hardy: You won't be able to diplex Moel-y-Parc and Romiley because the broadcast channels used don't allow. You could diplex MYP with Ladder Hill, if you can receive a good enough signal from it.
For more information on diplexing see:
Television Aerial Boosters / Amplifiers, Splitters, Diplexers & Triplexers
The three MYP COM channels are 48, 51 and 52. Romiley uses 41, 44 and 47. Ladder Hill uses 23, 26 and 29.
Diplexers generally split at 36, 38 or 51.
I can't advise on particular models as I'm not an aerial installer. However, ATV Sheffield provides a wealth of information and has an online shop. I know they sell Blake stuff and Vision stuff. Televes, Triax and Antiference are three other names that spring to mind.
I've come across these "overlap blocking filters" from Blake:
Overlap Blocking Filter from Blake UK
However, I'm not sure any will be of use to you. Whilst there is one that passes 48 to 62, there isn't one that passes 21 to 47. The filters will slope off so 48 is likely to be reduced a bit. The same effect is true of diplexers on channels adjacent to the split. I suspect that even if you could get filters with these passbands that 47 and 48 would not be useable because of the slope-off and the edge of the band.
There are notch filters available, but these are expensive. I know Televes do them, but you're talking over £20 for one which only does two channels.
Moel-y-Parc is due to have two new HD multiplexes soon, and these will be on 32 and 34. If you can pick them up where you are then, having diplexed a Ladder Hill aerial, you'll have filtered them out. What you're really looking for are two blocking filters 21 to 30 and 31 to 52 (or higher) so as to make your own diplexer.
One word of warning: In five years' time it could all change again. The two quasi-national HD muxes I mentioned - which use 31 to 37 exclusively - have been granted licences which could be revoked in 2018. This is because the 700MHz band (roughly 49 to 60) could be sold off for mobile services (5G maybe). This would obviously mean that transmitters on those channels will have to move downwards and probably those on lower channels shuffle down as well. There have been suggestions that the three COM multiplexes could become single frequency networks on channels in the 20s.
If this were to happen and you had diplexed a MYP aerial with a Ladder Hill one (with a 36 or 38 diplexer) then you would have to change it. Providing that Romiley was still Group B and on channels that your diplexer allowed, then you could simply switch your Ladder Hill aerial to face MYP and the MYP one to face Romiley.
With this in mind, I suggest that you get a Group A aerial that would be suitable for reception from MYP. Wideband yagis are a compromise and on Group A channels aren't as good as higher up the band:
Aerials, TV Aerial and Digital Aerial
The Group A aerial would be suitable for Ladder Hill now, whilst being suitable for MYP if it used Group A channels.
Alternatively, you could have a MYP aerial and Romiley aerial and keep them separate. You might use MYP as your main transmitter and switch to Romiley for regional programming. This would require a separate set-top box receiver. If you distribute the signals to different rooms you would require two distribution systems in order to have regional programming in each room (and of course you would need a set-top box in each room).
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D
D Hardy3:18 PM
Stockport
Dave Lindsay
Thank you for your advice I'm very grateful for the time you've taken.
Need to think about all you've said but must admit some of it has gone right over my head!
I do have separate aerials for Romiley and the w/band high gain aerial I mentioned earlier so I can already use both but have to change the aerial lead of course.
Lots to think about!!
Thank you for all your help.
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MikeP
9:31 PM
9:31 PM
D Hardy:
It is always a problem to bring the signals from 2 different aerials together without causing serious problems.
One possible method to consider is to use a shielded coaxial switch with 2 inputs and 1 output. The downlead from one aerial is fed to one input and the other downlead fed to the second input. You can the select which transmitter service you want to watch by manually 'flipping' the switch. I have successfully used that method to receive signals from Mendip and Oxford (they offer different 'local' news, etc). I have to stress that you should buy a good quality shielded switch designed specifically for UHF TV signal reception. The inputs and output may be either a 'standard' IEC coaxial socket or an 'F-connector' as is commonly used for satellite cables.
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Saturday, 23 November 2013
D
D Hardy9:10 AM
Stockport
Mike P
Thanks for your comments.
Last night I decided I would connect both aerial leads to a cheap plastic y shaped aerial connector I've had for years and never used. I assume it's designed to split a signal but I've reversed that.
Then I have plugged the Y connector directly into my Freeview PVR but not re-tuned it leaving it tuned to the Romiley transmitter.
Then simply connected the PVR to the TV in the normal way. Then re-tuned the TV only whilst it is receiving a signal from both aerials.
Afterwards I checked whether BBC 1, 2 and ITV were north West and they were and being received from the Romiley transmitter most of the rest including Yesterday and the other channels I couldn't previously receive are
coming from MYP transmitter.
The PVR is only tuned to Romiley and that's all it's picking up the TV however is picking up both.
Slightly concerned by your comment about serious problems perhaps you could expand on that?
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D Hardy: Using the splitter as a combiner is, by far, the cheapest and most straightforward possible solution. It isn't forced to work, but worth a try, particularly as there's no other straightforward solution.
The point is that the best practice way to combine two feeds is to have them filtered, which is how a diplexer works.
With your combiner, when receiving from Moel y Parc the Romiley aerial is connected and vice versa. Ideally, the one you don't want should be filtered out.
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D
D Hardy7:05 PM
Stockport
Hi, Dave
The set up is working OK since I combined the two aerials into one feed to the PVR/TV
Unfortunately the PVR doesn't allow me to sort the channels which is a a pity.
As has been suggested a switch might be the ultimate solution but for now it's working OK.
Cheers.
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D's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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