Wenvoe Transmitter
Encyclopedia
The Wenvoe transmitting station is a facility for broadcasting
and telecommunications situated close to the village of Wenvoe
in the Vale of Glamorgan
, Wales
, in the UK
. It comprises a 248 metres (814 ft) guyed mast
with antennas
attached at various heights. The mast (with extension completed February 2008) plus the Main UHF antenna on top now gives a structure height of 260.7 metres (855 ft). The average height above sea level is 392 metres for the television antennas. It is owned and operated by Arqiva
.
VHF television to south Wales and the west of England. The station broadcast on Band I
channel 5 (66.75 MHz) from 15 August 1952 using its reserve transmitters, and from 20 December 1952 with its main high-power transmitters. It remained on air until the closure of 405-line television in 1985.
In 1955 VHF FM
radio was added to the mast, carrying the BBC's Home Service
. This was followed by the addition of the Light Programme in 1956 and the Third Programme in 1959.
In 1963 a second mast was built alongside the existing structure. This was in order to carry the new BBC Wales 405-line TV service on Band III
VHF channel 13.
On 12 September 1965 BBC2 a 625-line black and white television service became available from Wenvoe on UHF. This new transmitter was capable of colour broadcasting from the start and was used for unannounced colour TV engineering test-transmissions from that point onwards.
In September 1967 BBC2 officially launched a colour TV service from Wenvoe, a few months after BBC2 Crystal Palace and others had launched the UK's first colour broadcasting in July of that year.
In 1970 UHF 625-line colour television was introduced for BBC1
and ITV
Wales (HTV Wales
. S4C
was added later when it launched in 1982.
In 1985, when 405-line TV closed, the site was re-engineered and both of the existing masts were taken down. They were replaced by a brand new mast (to be known as Wenvoe "A"), which is the structure currently in place at the site. Wenvoe "B" is a self-supporting telecommunications mast nearby. The VHF FM antennas were upgraded from the old horizontally polarised slot antennas to new mixed polarisation antennas, and the transmitter power was doubled.
The new analogue Channel 5 was launched in 1997, but this was never transmitted from Wenvoe. It was presumably thought that the 125 kW transmitter at Mendip would serve a satisfactory number of homes in Wenvoe's service area. At the time, many homes within range of Mendip already had aerials pointing at it so as to receive the English-only Channel 4
rather than the bilingual English/Welsh S4C
transmitted from Wenvoe.
Work began on a new temporary 217.7 m (714 ft) stayed mast (Wenvoe "C") on 14 June 2006 and it was completed in September 2006. This carried the analogue signals whilst Wenvoe "A" was to be structurally improved and extended by 23 metres (75 ft). Wenvoe "A" was fitted with a new high-power digital antenna and a full reserve antenna. New high-power digital TV transmitters were installed in the buildings, which would allow Wenvoe "A" to broadcast all six main digital TV multiplexes, as well as a seventh currently proposed by OFCOM after the analogue signals were switched off in 2010.
This mechanical upgrade was completed by the summer of 2009 and Wenvoe "C" was dismantled starting in late August 2009. Other sites that required major engineering work before Digital Switchover
were Divis
(Northern Ireland
) and Sandy Heath
, (Bedfordshire
), which also required mechanical strengthening work. Furthermore, complete replacement masts were required at Caldbeck
(Cumbria
) and Black Hill
, (Lanarkshire
).
Wenvoe's analogue BBC Two service was switched off on 3 March 2010 and the remaining analogue TV services were switched off on 31 March 2010. At this point, Wales had officially completed its switchover to digital TV services.
† Monochrome initially, colour TV service started September 1967.
† Monochrome initially, colour production at BBC One Wales started 9 July 1970.
on channel 51 closed after 45 years of service, and ITV1 Wales was moved from channel 41 to that channel for what would be its final month of service.
system. The transmitter frequencies and power outputs were chosen not to interfere with the UHF TV channels, but to be received with the same aerial-group. The QAM constellations and number of carriers were changed around 2002 after the collapse of ITV Digital
as the service was taken over by the Freeview consortium.
For the duration of the switchover, all the channels carried on Multiplex B were duplicated on this new PSB1 multiplex.
Channel 30 was re-used for Multiplex C, freeing Multiplex C's old allocation at channel 43-
† High-definition channels; BBC One HD, BBC HD, ITV1 HD and S4C Clirlun using DVB-T2 transmission, coded with MPEG4 100 kW ERP.
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
and telecommunications situated close to the village of Wenvoe
Wenvoe
Wenvoe is a Welsh village between Barry and Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Nearby is the Wenvoe Transmitter near Twyn-yr-Odyn and the HTV Wales Television Centre at Culverhouse Cross in the suburbs of Cardiff.-History:...
in the Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It comprises a 248 metres (814 ft) guyed mast
Guyed mast
A guyed mast is a tall thin vertical structure that receives support from guy lines.Guyed masts are frequently used for radio masts. The mast can either support aerials mounted at its top, or the entire structure itself can function as an antenna ; this is called a mast radiator...
with antennas
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
attached at various heights. The mast (with extension completed February 2008) plus the Main UHF antenna on top now gives a structure height of 260.7 metres (855 ft). The average height above sea level is 392 metres for the television antennas. It is owned and operated by Arqiva
Arqiva
Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless...
.
History
The original mast at the site was built in 1952 by the BBC to provide 405-line405-line
The 405-line monochrome analogue television broadcasting system was the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting....
VHF television to south Wales and the west of England. The station broadcast on Band I
Band I
Band I is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band I ranges from 47 to 88 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting....
channel 5 (66.75 MHz) from 15 August 1952 using its reserve transmitters, and from 20 December 1952 with its main high-power transmitters. It remained on air until the closure of 405-line television in 1985.
In 1955 VHF FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio was added to the mast, carrying the BBC's Home Service
BBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a British national radio station which broadcast from 1939 until 1967.-Development:Between the 1920s and the outbreak of The Second World War, the BBC had developed two nationwide radio services, the BBC National Programme and the BBC Regional Programme...
. This was followed by the addition of the Light Programme in 1956 and the Third Programme in 1959.
In 1963 a second mast was built alongside the existing structure. This was in order to carry the new BBC Wales 405-line TV service on Band III
Band III
Band III is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band III ranges from 174 to 230 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting...
VHF channel 13.
On 12 September 1965 BBC2 a 625-line black and white television service became available from Wenvoe on UHF. This new transmitter was capable of colour broadcasting from the start and was used for unannounced colour TV engineering test-transmissions from that point onwards.
In September 1967 BBC2 officially launched a colour TV service from Wenvoe, a few months after BBC2 Crystal Palace and others had launched the UK's first colour broadcasting in July of that year.
In 1970 UHF 625-line colour television was introduced for BBC1
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
and ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
Wales (HTV Wales
HTV
HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968...
. S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
was added later when it launched in 1982.
In 1985, when 405-line TV closed, the site was re-engineered and both of the existing masts were taken down. They were replaced by a brand new mast (to be known as Wenvoe "A"), which is the structure currently in place at the site. Wenvoe "B" is a self-supporting telecommunications mast nearby. The VHF FM antennas were upgraded from the old horizontally polarised slot antennas to new mixed polarisation antennas, and the transmitter power was doubled.
The new analogue Channel 5 was launched in 1997, but this was never transmitted from Wenvoe. It was presumably thought that the 125 kW transmitter at Mendip would serve a satisfactory number of homes in Wenvoe's service area. At the time, many homes within range of Mendip already had aerials pointing at it so as to receive the English-only Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
rather than the bilingual English/Welsh S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
transmitted from Wenvoe.
Work began on a new temporary 217.7 m (714 ft) stayed mast (Wenvoe "C") on 14 June 2006 and it was completed in September 2006. This carried the analogue signals whilst Wenvoe "A" was to be structurally improved and extended by 23 metres (75 ft). Wenvoe "A" was fitted with a new high-power digital antenna and a full reserve antenna. New high-power digital TV transmitters were installed in the buildings, which would allow Wenvoe "A" to broadcast all six main digital TV multiplexes, as well as a seventh currently proposed by OFCOM after the analogue signals were switched off in 2010.
This mechanical upgrade was completed by the summer of 2009 and Wenvoe "C" was dismantled starting in late August 2009. Other sites that required major engineering work before Digital Switchover
Digital switchover in the United Kingdom
Digital switchover is the name given to the process by which UK analogue broadcast television in an area is converted to digital television. It is sometimes referred to as "analogue switch off". For full details see UK Digital switchover....
were Divis
Divis
Divis is a large mountain and area of sprawling moorland to the north-west of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The mountain is 478 m tall, making it the highest of the Belfast Hills...
(Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) and Sandy Heath
Sandy Heath transmitting station
Sandy Heath transmitter is a television broadcast station located between Sandy, Bedfordshire and Potton near the B1042. It is owned by Arqiva, formerly NTL Broadcast. It was built in 1966, originally broadcasting Anglia Television on VHF 405-lines, UHF with 625-line services of BBC2, BBC1 and...
, (Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
), which also required mechanical strengthening work. Furthermore, complete replacement masts were required at Caldbeck
Caldbeck transmitting station
The Caldbeck transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, situated close to the village of Caldbeck, in Cumbria, England . It is owned and operated by Arqiva....
(Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
) and Black Hill
Black Hill Transmitter
The Black Hill transmitting station is a facility for FM and TV broadcasting at Black Hill , on Duntilland Road, Salsburgh, North Lanarkshire, Scotland which is near the town of Airdrie. It has a guyed mast 306.6 metres tall, bringing the antennas to a height of 540 metres above sea level...
, (Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
).
Wenvoe's analogue BBC Two service was switched off on 3 March 2010 and the remaining analogue TV services were switched off on 31 March 2010. At this point, Wales had officially completed its switchover to digital TV services.
Analogue radio (VHF FM)
| Frequency | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 89.9 MHz | 250 | BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres... |
| 92.1 MHz | 250 | BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation... |
| 94.3 MHz | 250 | BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the... |
| 96.8 MHz | 250 | BBC Radio Cymru BBC Radio Cymru BBC Radio Cymru is BBC Cymru's Welsh-language radio station, broadcasting throughout Wales from studios in Cardiff, Bangor, and Aberystwyth on FM since 1977. At the time of its launch it was one of the few FM-only radio services in the UK... |
| 99.5 MHz | 250 | BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock... |
| 101.7 MHz | 125 | Classic FM Classic FM (UK) Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:... |
| 106.8 MHz | 4.04 | Nation Radio Nation Radio Nation Radio launched on 16 June 2008 as a regional radio station broadcasting to the South Wales area from Neath.Nation Radio took over the Ofcom broadcasting licence held by Xfm South Wales when GCap Media sold the station to Town and Country Broadcasting for an unspecified fee on 30 May 2008.... |
Digital Radio (DAB)
| Frequency | Block | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 222.06 MHz | 11D | 4 | Digital One Digital One Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covers more than 90% of the populationfrom a total of 137 transmitters... |
| 225.64 MHz | 12B | 9 | BBC |
| 227.36 MHz | 12C | 4 | MXR Severn Estuary MXR Severn Estuary MXR Severn Estuary is a regional commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves the West of England and South Wales, including Bristol, Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, the South Wales Valleys and north Somerset.... |
15 August 1952 - 1963
| Frequency | VHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66.75 MHz | 5 | 100 | BBC TV |
1963 - 12 September 1965
| Frequency | VHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66.75 MHz | 5 | 100 | BBC West BBC West BBC West is the BBC English Region serving Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.-Television:... |
| 214.75 MHz | 13 | 200 | BBC Wales BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside... |
12 September 1965 - April 1970
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66.75 MHz | 5 | — | 100 | BBC One BBC One BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution... |
| 214.75 MHz | 13 | — | 200 | BBC One Wales |
| 711.25 MHz | — | 51 | N/A | BBC Two Wales BBC Two Wales BBC Two Wales is the national variation of BBC Two for BBC Cymru Wales. It is broadcast to Wales from Broaadcasting House in Cardiff. The channel can opt out from the main BBC Two schedule to show Welsh made programming, however this is used less frequently than in the past.Between 5 November 2001... † |
† Monochrome initially, colour TV service started September 1967.
April 1970 - 1 November 1982
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66.75 MHz | 5 | — | 100 | BBC One BBC One BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution... |
| 214.75 MHz | 13 | — | 200 | BBC One Wales |
| 631.25 MHz | — | 41 | N/A | HTV HTV HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968... |
| 655.25 MHz | — | 44 | N/A | BBC One Wales† |
| 711.25 MHz | — | 51 | N/A | BBC Two Wales BBC Two Wales BBC Two Wales is the national variation of BBC Two for BBC Cymru Wales. It is broadcast to Wales from Broaadcasting House in Cardiff. The channel can opt out from the main BBC Two schedule to show Welsh made programming, however this is used less frequently than in the past.Between 5 November 2001... |
† Monochrome initially, colour production at BBC One Wales started 9 July 1970.
1 November 1982 - 3 January 1985
| Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66.75 MHz | 5 | — | 100 | BBC One BBC One BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution... |
| 214.75 MHz | 13 | — | 200 | BBC One Wales |
| 631.25 MHz | — | 41 | N/A | HTV HTV HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968... |
| 655.25 MHz | — | 44 | N/A | BBC One Wales |
| 679.25 MHz | — | 47 | N/A | S4C S4C S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on... |
| 711.25 MHz | — | 51 | N/A | BBC Two Wales BBC Two Wales BBC Two Wales is the national variation of BBC Two for BBC Cymru Wales. It is broadcast to Wales from Broaadcasting House in Cardiff. The channel can opt out from the main BBC Two schedule to show Welsh made programming, however this is used less frequently than in the past.Between 5 November 2001... |
3 January 1985 - 3 March 2010
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 631.25 MHz | 41 | 500 | ITV1 Wales (HTV HTV HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968... ) |
| 655.25 MHz | 44 | 500 | BBC One Wales |
| 679.25 MHz | 47 | 500 | S4C S4C S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on... |
| 711.25 MHz | 51 | 500 | BBC Two Wales BBC Two Wales BBC Two Wales is the national variation of BBC Two for BBC Cymru Wales. It is broadcast to Wales from Broaadcasting House in Cardiff. The channel can opt out from the main BBC Two schedule to show Welsh made programming, however this is used less frequently than in the past.Between 5 November 2001... |
3 - 31 March 2010
BBC Two WalesBBC Two Wales
BBC Two Wales is the national variation of BBC Two for BBC Cymru Wales. It is broadcast to Wales from Broaadcasting House in Cardiff. The channel can opt out from the main BBC Two schedule to show Welsh made programming, however this is used less frequently than in the past.Between 5 November 2001...
on channel 51 closed after 45 years of service, and ITV1 Wales was moved from channel 41 to that channel for what would be its final month of service.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 655.25 MHz | 44 | 500 | BBC One Wales |
| 679.25 MHz | 47 | 500 | S4C S4C S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on... |
| 711.25 MHz | 51 | 500 | ITV1 Wales |
15 November 1998 - 3 March 2010
This was the initial roll-out for digital television using the DVB-TDVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
system. The transmitter frequencies and power outputs were chosen not to interfere with the UHF TV channels, but to be received with the same aerial-group. The QAM constellations and number of carriers were changed around 2002 after the collapse of ITV Digital
ITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network as ONdigital in 1998 and briefly re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001, before the service ceased in May 2002. Its main shareholders...
as the service was taken over by the Freeview consortium.
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 546.0 MHz | 30 | 10 | BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... (Mux 1) |
| 578.0 MHz | 34 | 5 | Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 is a consortium consisting of regional Channel 3 companies and Channel 4 Television Corporation, which operates a multiplex broadcasting from a number of transmitter sites in the UK, carrying television and radio channels from both ITV and Channel 4; however three per-cent of the... (Mux 2) |
| 625.8 MHz | 40- | 5 | SDN S4C Digital Networks SDN is a company that operates Multiplex A, one of the six groups of channels on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom... (Mux A) |
| 649.8 MHz | 43- | 5 | Arqiva Arqiva Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless... (Mux C) |
| 673.8 MHz | 46- | 5 | Arqiva (Mux D) |
| 705.8 MHz | 50- | 5 | BBC (Mux B) |
3 - 31 March 2010
Multiplex 1 from channel 30 was renamed BBC A and moved to channel 41+ (which had just been vacated by analogue ITV1 Wales). In addition to the power increase to 100 kW ERP, it was reconfigured to 64QAM and 8k carriers, which resulted in a service area similar to the old analogue transmissions but with much more bandwidth available than Multiplex 1 ever had.For the duration of the switchover, all the channels carried on Multiplex B were duplicated on this new PSB1 multiplex.
Channel 30 was re-used for Multiplex C, freeing Multiplex C's old allocation at channel 43-
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 546.0 MHz | 30 | 5 | Arqiva Arqiva Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless... (Mux C) |
| 578.0 MHz | 34 | 5 | Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 is a consortium consisting of regional Channel 3 companies and Channel 4 Television Corporation, which operates a multiplex broadcasting from a number of transmitter sites in the UK, carrying television and radio channels from both ITV and Channel 4; however three per-cent of the... (Mux 2) |
| 625.8 MHz | 40- | 5 | SDN S4C Digital Networks SDN is a company that operates Multiplex A, one of the six groups of channels on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom... (Mux A) |
| 634.2 MHz | 41+ | 100 | BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... A |
| 673.8 MHz | 46- | 5 | Arqiva (Mux D) |
| 705.8 MHz | 50- | 5 | BBC (Mux B) |
31 March 2010 - 27 April 2011
All remaining analogue television was shut down after 40 years of service. The pre-switchover low-power digital transmissions (apart from Arq A and SDN) were upgraded to full power and configured to 64QAM and 8k carriers, with frequency changes and with new names for the multiplexes:| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 546.0 MHz | 30 | 10 | Arqiva Arqiva Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless... A |
| 634.2 MHz | 41+ | 100 | BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... A |
| 658.0 MHz | 44 | 100 | Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 is a consortium consisting of regional Channel 3 companies and Channel 4 Television Corporation, which operates a multiplex broadcasting from a number of transmitter sites in the UK, carrying television and radio channels from both ITV and Channel 4; however three per-cent of the... |
| 682.0 MHz | 47 | 100 | BBC B† |
| 698.0 MHz | 49 | 50 | Arqiva B |
| 714.0 MHz | 51 | 10 | SDN S4C Digital Networks SDN is a company that operates Multiplex A, one of the six groups of channels on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom... |
† High-definition channels; BBC One HD, BBC HD, ITV1 HD and S4C Clirlun using DVB-T2 transmission, coded with MPEG4 100 kW ERP.
27 April 2011 - present
Unusually, the digital switchover at Wenvoe required a third phase to allow time for channels 42 and 45 to be cleared at Ridge Hill transmitting station. At this point, Arq A and SDN were shifted fully into the group with a power increase:| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 634.2 MHz | 41+ | 100 | BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... A |
| 642.2 MHz | 42+ | 50 | SDN S4C Digital Networks SDN is a company that operates Multiplex A, one of the six groups of channels on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom... |
| 658.0 MHz | 44 | 100 | Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 is a consortium consisting of regional Channel 3 companies and Channel 4 Television Corporation, which operates a multiplex broadcasting from a number of transmitter sites in the UK, carrying television and radio channels from both ITV and Channel 4; however three per-cent of the... |
| 666.0 MHz | 45 | 50 | Arqiva Arqiva Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless... A |
| 682.0 MHz | 47 | 100 | BBC B |
| 698.0 MHz | 49 | 50 | Arqiva B |
See also
- Radio masts and towersRadio masts and towersRadio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
- List of masts
- List of tallest buildings and structures in Great Britain