Whitehawk Hill transmitting station

Whitehawk Hill

Whitehawk Hill Location in East Sussex
Mast height	45 m (148 ft)
Tower height	55 m (182 ft)
Coordinates	50°50′N0°07′W / 50.83°N 0.11°W / 50.83; -0.11
Grid reference	TQ32960452
Built	1959
BBC region	BBC South East
ITV region	ITV Meridian (West)
Local TV service	Latest TV

The Whitehawk Hill transmitting station (also known as the Whitehawk transmitting station) is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located at Whitehawk, an eastern suburb of Brighton in the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is the city's main transmission facility for television and radio signals. ^[1] It broadcasts digital television, FM and DAB radio to the coastal city of Brighton and Hove and to surrounding areas along the Sussex coast including Shoreham-By-Sea, Worthing and as far as Seaford. It stopped broadcasting analogue television when the digital switchover occurred locally in March 2012.

Services broadcast include BBC One (South East), BBC Two, ITV1 (Meridian), Channel 4, BBC national radio stations, BBC Sussex and Heart South.

History

A radar station was opened on the high ground of Whitehawk Hill, to the east of central Brighton, during World War II. Meanwhile, television broadcasts first reached the town in 1953 when a relay transmitter was erected on Truleigh Hill, several miles to the west on the South Downs. ^[1] On 5 April 1959, after the wartime facility was demolished, a 148-foot (45 m) transmitter was opened at Whitehawk. It took a feed from the Crystal Palace transmitting station until 14 April 1962; after that, signals were relayed from the Rowridge transmitting station. The original VHF signal was accompanied by colour UHF transmissions from 21 September 1970 (BBC1 and BBC2 only) until the VHF 405-line TV transmissions from this site ceased in 1983. UHF signals for ITV and Channel 4 followed from 28 April 1972 and 17 May 1983 respectively. ^[1] Radio broadcasts started on 13 March 1967, in mono only; stereo transmissions commenced on 4 November 1972. From the beginning, signals were relayed from the Wrotham transmitting station; ^[1] this arrangement continues as of 2025. ^[2]

The original mast was replaced in 1983 by the present structure, which stood alongside it for a short time until the earlier mast was demolished. The present mast is also 148 feet (45 m) tall; it reaches a height of 182 feet (55 m) when the UHF aerial is taken into account. It is the 10th tallest structure in Brighton and Hove and is a prominent landmark due to its position atop Whitehawk Hill, which is 396 feet (121 m) above sea level. In 1990, the transmitting station was reported to serve 400,000 people and was supported by relay transmitters at several locations around Brighton: Patcham, Ovingdean and Saltdean (all installed in 1982–83), and Coldean and the North Laine area of central Brighton (both planned for 1990 but delayed). ^[1]

Services available

Analogue radio

Frequency	kW	Service
99.7 MHz	0.25	BBC Radio 1 (FM)
90.1 MHz	0.25	BBC Radio 2 (FM)
92.3 MHz	0.25	BBC Radio 3 (FM)
94.5 MHz	0.25	BBC Radio 4 (FM)
95.3 MHz	0.5	BBC Radio Sussex (FM)
101.9 MHz	0.2	Classic FM
103.5 MHz	0.45	Heart South
107.2 MHz	0.2	Capital South

The coverage area of BBC Radio Sussex extends to Worthing and Shoreham-By-Sea. Other stations have smaller coverage areas from this transmitting station. ^[3]

Digital radio

Frequency	Block	kW	Operator
218.640 MHz	10B	1	Sussex
216.928 MHz	11A	0.6	Sound Digital
222.064 MHz	11D	0.5	Digital One
225.648 MHz	12B	2	BBC National DAB

The Sussex Coast DAB ensemble includes BBC Radio Sussex, Capital, Gold Sussex and Heart South. ^{[2] [4]}

Digital television

The transmitting station (seen here from the Palace Pier) stands on high ground to the east of the city.

The transmitting station provides Freeview television to 96,000 households. Since 28 August 2014, a local television station called Latest TV has been broadcast from LTVmux. ^[5]

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator	System
562.000  MHz	32	4	SDN	DVB-T
570.000  MHz	33	4	Arqiva B	DVB-T
578.000  MHz	34	4	Arqiva A	DVB-T
586.000  MHz	35	4	Digital 3&4	DVB-T
594.000  MHz	36	4	BBC B	DVB-T2
626.000  MHz	40	0.4	LTVMux	DVB-T
690.000  MHz	48	4	BBC A	DVB-T

Whitehawk Hill completed the 700MHz Clearance Programme in November 2019 and ceased transmitting on UHF 51, UHF 53, UHF 54, UHF 57 and UHF 60.

Analogue television

Analogue television transmissions were turned off in two stages—on 7 March 2012 and 21 March 2012. ^[5] At this time, the local BBC service broadcast from the transmitter was changed from BBC South to BBC South East. ^[6] BBC South East had been broadcasting around the fringes of Brighton and Hove prior to switchover and had been part of the region's remit since it's formation in 2001.

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service
583.25  MHz	35	5	Channel 5
727.25  MHz	53	10	Channel 4
759.25  MHz	57	10	BBC1 South East
783.25  MHz	60	10	Meridian
807.25  MHz	63	10	BBC2 South East

References

1. Carder 1990 , §24.
2. "Brighton (Whitehawk Hill)". Mike Brown. 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
3. "Whitehawk Hill (Brighton and Hove, England) analogue radio transmitter". UK Free TV. 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
4. "Whitehawk Hill (Brighton and Hove, England) DAB transmitter". UK Free TV. 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
5. "Full Freeview on the Whitehawk Hill (Brighton and Hove, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
6. "Your guide to switchover for all TV viewers: Meridian TV region" (PDF). Digital UK. 2011. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.

Bibliography

• Carder, Timothy (1990). The Encyclopaedia of Brighton. Lewes: East Sussex County Libraries. ISBN   0-861-47315-9.

External links

• The Transmission Gallery: Whitehawk Hill