Stockland Hill transmitting station

Last updated

Stockland Hill
Stockland Hill Transmitter.jpg
Devon UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Stockland Hill transmitting station (Devon)
Mast height235 metres (771 ft)
Coordinates 50°48′26″N3°06′18″W / 50.807222°N 3.105°W / 50.807222; -3.105
Grid reference ST222014
Built29 April 1961
BBC region BBC South West
ITV region ITV West Country

The Stockland Hill transmitting station is a transmitting facility of FM Radio and UHF television located near Honiton, Devon, England.

Contents

It was constructed in 1961 by the IBA to transmit ITV 405-line television with transmissions commencing on Band III channel 9 from antennas at 450 m (1,475 ft) above sea level.

Colour television came to the site in 1971. [1] Channel Four started up in November 1982. Stockland Hill never radiated the analogue Channel Five service.

Digital television was first introduced at this site in 1998, and Digital Switchover happened in May 2009. Stockland Hill was the second transmitter in the south west of England to have its analogue television transmissions shut off. BBC Two was switched off on 6 May 2009 and the rest of the analogue services were switched off on 20 May 2009 around after midnight.

Stockland Hill currently transmits all of the DTT multiplexes at full planned ERP. The three PSB multiplexes are at 50 kW, the other three multiplexes are at 25 kW. [2]

This transmitter mainly serves the East of Devon, West Somerset and West Dorset. This includes cities and towns such as Exeter, Sidmouth, Tiverton, Exmouth, Taunton, Yeovil, Bridport, Weymouth and Sherborne.

Services

Analogue television

29 April 1961 – 13 September 1971

405-line VHF ITV television arrived in the southwest with the simultaneous building of this station and Caradon Hill 60 miles (100 km) to the west in Cornwall.

FrequencyVHFkWService
194.75  MHz 9V100 Westward

13 September 1971 – 1 November 1982

UHF colour television commenced.

FrequencyVHFUHFkWService
194.75  MHz 9V100 TSW (Westward until 1981)
487.25  MHz 23250 TSW (Westward until 1981)
511.25  MHz 26250 BBC2 South West
567.25  MHz 33250 BBC1 South West

1 November 1982 – 3 January 1985

The UK's fourth UHF television channel started up.

FrequencyVHFUHFkWService
194.75  MHz 9V100 TSW
487.25  MHz 23250 TSW
511.25  MHz 26250 BBC2 South West
535.25  MHz 29250 Channel 4
567.25  MHz 33250 BBC1 South West

3 January 1985 – 15 November 1998

The VHF 405-line system was discontinued across the UK, and from that point for the next 23 years, television from Stockland Hill was the originally-intended four channels on UHF only.

FrequencyUHFkWService
487.25  MHz 23250 Westcountry (TSW until 1992)
511.25  MHz 26250 BBC2 South West
535.25  MHz 29250 Channel 4
567.25  MHz 33250 BBC1 South West

Analogue and Digital television

15 November 1998 – 6 May 2009

The initial roll-out of digital television involved running the digital services interleaved (and at low ERP) with the existing analogue services.

FrequencyUHFkWServiceSystem
481.833  MHz 22-5 BBC (Mux 1) DVB-T
487.25  MHz 23250 Westcountry PAL
505.833  MHz 25-5 SDN (Mux A)DVB-T
511.25  MHz 26250 BBC2 South West PAL
529.833  MHz 28-5 Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)DVB-T
535.25  MHz 29250 Channel 4 PAL
546.166  MHz 30+2.5 Arqiva (Mux C)DVB-T
561.833  MHz 32-5BBC (Mux B)DVB-T
567.25  MHz 33250 BBC1 South West PAL
578.166  MHz 34+2.5Arqiva (Mux D)DVB-T

6 May 2009 – 20 May 2009

Digital Switchover commenced at Stockland Hill, with analogue BBC2 being switched off on channel 26 and BBC Mux 1 being switched off on channel 22-. Channel 26 was reused by the new BBC A multiplex at full post-DSO power (50 kW) and using 64-QAM with 8k carriers.

FrequencyUHFkWServiceSystem
487.25  MHz 23250 Westcountry PAL
505.833  MHz 25-5 SDN (Mux A)DVB-T
514.166  MHz 26+50 BBC ADVB-T
529.833  MHz 28-5 Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)DVB-T
535.25  MHz 29250 Channel 4 PAL
546.166  MHz 30+2.5 Arqiva (Mux C)DVB-T
561.833  MHz 32-5BBC (Mux B)DVB-T
567.25  MHz 33250 BBC1 South West PAL
578.166  MHz 34+2.5Arqiva (Mux D)DVB-T

Digital television

20 May 2009 – 18 April 2012

Digital switchover was completed at Stockland Hill. All analogue television was switched off and the new post-DSO multiplexes took over the analogue frequencies plus a few new ones. Full power could not immediately be achieved for the COM multiplexes due to interference issues at Rowridge and in France. [3] [4]

FrequencyUHFkWOperatorSystem
481.833  MHz 22-10 Arqiva A DVB-T
490.166  MHz 23+50 Digital 3&4 DVB-T
505.833  MHz 25-10 SDN DVB-T
514.166  MHz 26+50 BBC ADVB-T
529.833  MHz 28-10Arqiva BDVB-T
538.166  MHz 29+50BBC B DVB-T2

18 April 2012 - present

The current UHF channels that Stockland Hill is transmitting are:

FrequencyUHFkW [5] OperatorSystem
481.833  MHz 22-25 Arqiva A DVB-T
490.166  MHz 23+50 Digital 3&4 DVB-T
505.833  MHz 25-25 SDN DVB-T
514.166  MHz 26+50 BBC ADVB-T
529.833  MHz 28-25Arqiva BDVB-T
538.166  MHz 29+50BBC B DVB-T2

Analogue radio (FM)

FrequencykWService
103.0 MHz1 Heart West

Digital radio (DAB)

FrequencyBlockkW [6] Operator
221.352 MHz11C5 NOW Exeter and Torbay
222.064 MHz11D2 Digital One
225.648 MHz12B5 BBC National DAB

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal Palace transmitting station</span> Telecommunications site in Bromley, England

The Crystal Palace transmitting station, officially known as Arqiva Crystal Palace, is a broadcasting and telecommunications site in the Crystal Palace area of the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located on the site of the former television station and transmitter operated by John Logie Baird from 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont transmitting station</span> Broadcasting and telecommunications facility in Lincolnshire, England

The Belmont transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility next to the B1225, 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the village of Donington on Bain in the civil parish of South Willingham, near Market Rasen and Louth in Lincolnshire, England. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mendip transmitting station</span> Broadcasting and telecommunications facility

The Mendip transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility on the summit of Pen Hill, part of the Mendip Hills range in Somerset, England, at 305 metres (1,001 ft) above sea level. The station is in St Cuthbert Out civil parish, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of Wells. Its mast, 293 m (961 ft) high, was built in 1967 and is the tallest structure in South West England. The mast broadcasts digital television, FM analogue radio and DAB digital radio, and had broadcast analogue colour television from 1967 until 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arfon transmitting station</span>

The Arfon transmitting station is a facility for FM, DAB digital radio and television transmission near the villages of Nebo and Nasareth in Gwynedd, northwestern Wales. It includes a 308.5 m (1,012 ft) guyed mast with antennas attached at various heights. The mast is surmounted by a television transmitting antenna, which brings the total height of the structure to 317.4 m (1,041 ft), making it the tallest structure in Wales. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caradon Hill transmitting station</span> Broadcasting and telecommunications facility

The Caradon Hill transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility on Bodmin Moor in the civil parish of Linkinhorne, located on Caradon Hill, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Liskeard, and 34 mile (1.2 km) south-east of Minions, the highest village in Cornwall. Built in 1961, the station includes a 237.7 metres (780 ft) guyed steel lattice mast. The mean height for the television antennas is 603 metres (1,978 ft) above sea level. The site has a smaller towers used for telecommunications and a wireless internet signal. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moel-y-Parc transmitting station</span> Telecommunications transmission site in north-east Wales, UK

The Moel-y-Parc transmitting station is situated on Moel y Parc, a hill in north-east Wales at the northern end of the Clwydian range, close to the town of Caerwys and several miles (kilometres) north-east of Denbigh. It was built in 1962/1963 by the IBA to bring 405-line VHF ITV television to North Wales and it has been on the air since 1963. Its original height of 229 metres (751 ft) made it the tallest structure in North Wales and it stands on land that is itself about 335 metres (1,099 ft) above sea level. In 1965, VHF television transmissions from the BBC commenced from the site.

The Llanddona transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, situated at Llanddona, near Beaumaris, on the isle of Anglesey, Wales. It comprises a 106.7 metres (350 ft) guyed mast with antennas attached at various heights. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wenvoe transmitting station</span> Transmission station in Wales

The Wenvoe transmitting station, officially known as Arqiva Wenvoe, is the main facility for broadcasting and telecommunications for South Wales and the West Country. It is situated close to the village of Wenvoe in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preseli transmitting station</span>

The Preseli transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility on the eastern end of the Preseli Mountains, close to the villages of Crymych and Pentre Galar in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

The Oxford transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, situated on land 129.5 metres (425 ft) above Ordnance Datum to the north east of the city of Oxford, in Oxfordshire, England. It has a guyed steel lattice mast which is 154.4 metres (507 ft) in height to the top of the main steel structure. The UHF television antenna, which consist of a vertical array of transmitting panels, is mounted above the steel structure. The total height of the mast to the top of this UHF antenna is 165.7 metres (544 ft). It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haverfordwest transmitting station</span> Broadcasting and telecommunications facility

The Haverfordwest transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located at Woodstock about 13 km (8 mi) to the north east of the town of Haverfordwest, in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was originally built by the BBC, entering service in early 1964 acting as a main transmitter for the 405-line VHF television system, and as a repeater for Band 2 VHF FM radio received off-air from Blaenplwyf transmitting station. It is now owned and operated by Arqiva.

The Selkirk transmitting station is a telecommunications facility located next to Lindean Loch, near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. It includes a 229.1 metres (752 ft) high guyed steel lattice mast, surmounted by a UHF television transmitting antenna array, which brings the overall height of the structure to 238.8 metres (783 ft). It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntshaw Cross transmitting station</span> Telecommunications facility in Devon, England

Huntshaw Cross transmitting station is a telecommunications facility serving North Devon including the towns of Barnstaple and South Molton. It broadcasts television, radio and mobile telephone services and is currently owned by Arqiva. It is located on the B3232 road at Huntshaw, Great Torrington. Grid reference SS527220. The mast is 164 metres (538 ft) high.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaenplwyf transmitting station</span> Telecommunication tower

The Blaenplwyf transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located near the village of Blaenplwyf about 10 kilometres (6 mi) to the south west of the town of Aberystwyth, in Ceredigion, Wales. It was originally built by the BBC, entering service in October 1956 acting as a main transmitter for BBC Band II VHF FM radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilvey Hill transmitting station</span>

The Kilvey Hill transmitting station was originally built at the summit of Kilvey Hill in Swansea, Wales, by the BBC in 1967 as a relay for VHF and UHF television. VHF television came on air a few months before the UHF services. As built, the station did not radiate VHF FM radio, this was added later. Currently, the hill's transmitters cater for viewers and listeners in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Llanelli. The transmission station located on top of Kilvey Hill is owned and operated by Arqiva.

The Brecon transmitting station was originally built by the IBA in 1970 as a relay for VHF 405-line analogue television: one of the last 405-line TV stations to be built in Britain. As built, it consisted of a 46 m guyed lattice mast carrying the aerials at the top. This structure was built about 300 m NW of Slwch Tump Iron Age hill fort on the slopes of a 240 m hill known as "The Slwch" overlooking the town. The VHF television feed was provided off-air from Abergavenny, about 25 km to the southeast - itself an off-air relay of St. Hilary near Cardiff.

The Llandrindod Wells transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located on high ground about midway between Llandrindod Wells and Rhayader, in Powys, Wales. It was originally built by the BBC, entering service in 1961 transmitting the now-defunct 405-line VHF television system and the original three FM radio services.

The Abergavenny transmitting station was originally built by the IBA in 1969 as a relay for BBC and ITV VHF 405-line analogue television. It consists of a 46 m guyed lattice mast carrying the aerials at the top. This structure was built on a 440 m hill known as Gilwern Hill overlooking the towns of Gilwern and Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, South Wales. The band III VHF television feeds were provided off-air from St. Hilary and Wenvoe, both near Cardiff.

The Rosemarkie transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, situated close to the town of Rosemarkie, Scotland, in Highland. It consists of a 110 metres (361 ft) high guyed steel lattice mast erected on land that is itself about 210 m above sea level only a few hundred metres from the coast of the Moray Firth. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knock More transmitting station</span> Television transmitting station in the UK

The Knock More transmitting station is a broadcasting facility, located at Knock More, to east of the parish of Boharm, Scotland, in Moray. It is a guyed steel lattice mast which stands 113 metres (371 ft) high. The mast is located on elevated ground which is about 355 m above sea level, and is between Elgin and Keith. It was built by the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to improve and extend UHF television coverage in north east Scotland, and is now owned and operated by Arqiva.

References

  1. "ITV75p146w". txlib.mb21.co.uk. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014.
  2. "UK free TV".
  3. "About us".
  4. "About us" (PDF).
  5. Television Viewers Guide 2009
  6. Radio Listeners Guide 2010