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Mast height | 309.48 metres (1,015.4 ft) |
---|---|
Coordinates | 53°37′32″N2°30′53″W / 53.625556°N 2.514722°W |
Grid reference | SD660145 |
BBC region | BBC North West |
ITV region | ITV Granada |
Local TV service | Bay TV Liverpool That's Lancashire That's Manchester |
The Winter Hill transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications site on Winter Hill, at the south eastern boundary of the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England, and above Bolton. It is owned and operated by Arqiva.
The original mast at Winter Hill was a 140-metre (450 ft) tower that came into service on 3 May 1956, and carried the programmes of Granada Television (weekdays) and ABC Weekend Television. In 1966 services were transferred to a new higher mast erected adjacent to the original tower. The main mast structure is 309.48 metres (1,015.4 ft) tall and has a diameter of 2.75 metres (9.0 ft). During the period of parallel digital and analogue transmissions, the DTT antenna attached to the top of the mast brought the overall height to 315.4 metres (1,035 ft), [1] however as part of the Digital Switchover plans, this antenna has now been removed, reducing its overall height to 309.48 metres (1,015.4 ft). [1] It is one of the tallest structures in the United Kingdom, the tallest being Skelton mast; however, at 778.1 metres (2,553 ft) above sea level, Winter Hill has the highest television transmitting antenna in the United Kingdom and is higher than Green Hill, the highest hill in Lancashire.
Unlike most masts, which are of a lattice design, Winter Hill mast is of a tubular construction. Five other masts in England share this design (Belmont, Bilsdale, Mendip, Waltham and the original ill-fated structure at Emley Moor).
Support wires, to hold the mast vertical, are pitched at 120° when viewed from above. These are connected at five heights, giving 15 supports in total. These wires have been strengthened, and 152 metric tons (150 long tons) of dampening chains have been fitted by Arqiva (then NTL Broadcast) to reduce the oscillations caused by high winds that were a factor in the collapse of Emley Moor's original structure in 1969. During 2007 - 2009, the mast was strengthened to allow the installation of the new heavier digital transmission aerials. [2] Its ropes weigh 85 tons, made by British Ropes, with steel from Steel, Peech and Tozer of Templeborough in southern Yorkshire. The column weighs 210 tons and has 375 segments, with steel from United Steel Companies at Scunthorpe in northern Lincolnshire. [3]
An advantage of the tubular design is that engineers can ascend the inside of the mast and avoid adverse weather, which is a problem on frame structures. Maintaining the outside of the mast is typically performed using a bosun's chair.
The mast has always had a series of red aircraft warning lights but in October 2006 these lights were substantially brightened making the mast far more visible to passing aircraft. These lights can be maintained from the inside, as the lamps swing inwards for maintenance.
Eight external platforms encircle the mast along its height. These can be accessed from the inside of the mast, and are used to maintain the supporting wires, and the ILR antennas.
![]() | This article possibly contains original research .(March 2018) |
The station's coverage includes approximately 6.3 million people. The coverage area is for mainly Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and southern Cumbria along parts of Derbyshire, Staffordshire and North Yorkshire. Relay transmitters are needed around eastern Manchester, northern Lancashire and the Wirral peninsula. The transmitter also covers the North Wales coastal areas and although not the 'correct' television region, it is the preferred region for some in North Wales, mainly because it carries Channel 4 (as opposed to S4C, however since digital switchover Channel 4 is also available on all Welsh transmitters), Channel 5 and a much more powerful[ quantify ] digital terrestrial output than the Welsh transmitters. The region's ITV franchisees, Granada Television (weekdays only until 1968) and ABC Weekend TV (launched in 1956), were on air much earlier than North Wales' franchisee, WWN (Teledu Cymru) which launched in 1962 (subsequently HTV Wales) giving viewers more choice than they would with the Welsh transmissions. ABC Television lost its franchise in 1968, when Granada Television commenced broadcasting seven days a week. Since the digital switchover, the Welsh transmitters are broadcasting DTT at a much higher power and Channel 4, and Channel 5 are now included in the line-up. However, because of the terrain and the rough landscapes of North Wales, many have likely stayed with Winter Hill, not least because small local relays only broadcast a limited range of multiplexes with a reduced number of channels.
Winter Hill is the principal transmitter for the North West region (formerly Granada ITV region) and in 2009 it became the first in the UK to broadcast digital television in high definition. [4] [5]
Winter Hill's 700MHz clearance will end on 10 February 2020 when, somewhat surprisingly, Winter Hill will become an A group (excluding MUX 7 which are due to be switched off before the end of 2020 anyway). Because the A group is the opposite end of the band from Winter Hill's C/D, people with original C/D group aerials in poor signal areas may struggle to pick up the signal (see Winter Hill graph).
Only four of the 70 Winter Hill relays broadcast six digital multiplexes (Lancaster, Saddleworth, Pendle Forest and Storeton). All the others broadcast just the three public service multiplexes BBC A, BBC B and D3&4. Winter Hill also broadcasts a Manchester multiplex on Channel 27[ citation needed ].
These were moved around until February 2020 due to the 700MHz clearance.
Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator | System |
---|---|---|---|---|
474.000 MHz | 21 | 3 | LTVmux (Liverpool) | DVB-T |
498.000 MHz | 24 | 2 | LTVmux (Manchester) | DVB-T |
522.000 MHz | 27 | 1 | GImux (G_MAN) | DVB-T |
538.000 MHz | 29 | 100 | COM4 (SDN) | DVB-T |
554.000 MHz | 31 | 100 | COM5 (ARQ A) | DVB-T |
562.000 MHz | 32 | 100 | PSB1 (BBC A) | DVB-T |
578.000 MHz | 34 | 100 | PSB2 (D3&4) | DVB-T |
585.833 MHz | 35- | 100 | PSB3 (BBC B) | DVB-T2 |
602.000 MHz | 37 | 100 | COM6 (ARQ B) | DVB-T |
626.000 MHz | 40 | 4 | LTVmux (Preston) | DVB-T |
Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
---|---|---|---|
754.166 MHz | 56+ | 10 | BBC (Mux 1) |
786.166 MHz | 60+ | 10 | Arqiva (Mux C) |
810.166 MHz | 63+ | 10 | Arqiva (Mux D) |
834.166 MHz | 66+ | 10 | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) |
842.166 MHz | 67+ | 10 | BBC (Mux B) |
850.166 MHz | 68+ | 10 | SDN (Mux A) |
Analogue television transmissions from Winter Hill ceased officially during the early hours of 2 December 2009. Since then the site has carried only digital terrestrial television transmissions.
Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
---|---|---|---|
687.25 MHz | 48 | 12.5 | Channel 5 |
743.25 MHz | 55 | 500 | BBC1 North West |
775.25 MHz | 59 | 500 | Granada |
799.25 MHz | 62 | 500 | BBC2 North West |
823.25 MHz | 65 | 500 | Channel 4 |
The following is a list of the television relays served by Winter Hill, including UHF channels for each multiplex it carries. Only Lancaster, Pendle Forest, Saddleworth and Storeton carry all the main 6 multiplexes and have done so since 1998 when Winter Hill also started broadcasting these channels. Before 2009, the Cornholme, Lydgate, Todmorden, Walsden and Walsden South transmitters in West Yorkshire also relayed signals from Winter Hill, until this was changed to relay Emley Moor in 2009.
Transmitter | BBC A | D3&4 | BBC B | SDN | ARQA | ARQB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austwick | 45 | 39 | 42 | — | — | — |
Backbarrow | 53 | 60 | 57 | — | — | — |
Bacup | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Barrow Town Hall | 44 | 41 | 47 | — | — | — |
Birch Vale | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Blackburn | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Bollington | 27 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — |
Brinscall | 21 | 24 | 27 | — | — | — |
Broadbottom | 45 | 42 | 39 | — | — | — |
Brook Bottom | 53 | 60 | 57 | — | — | — |
Burbage | 47 | 41 | 44 | — | — | — |
Buxton | 27 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — |
Cartmel | 28 | 25 | 22 | — | — | — |
Chaigley | 27 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — |
Chatburn | 26 | 23 | 29 | — | — | — |
Chinley | 53 | 60 | 57 | — | — | — |
Congleton | 44 | 41 | 47 | — | — | — |
Dalton | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Darwen | 45 | 39 | 42 | — | — | — |
Delph | 26 | 23 | 29 | — | — | — |
Dog Hill | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Elton | 27 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — |
Far Highfield | 52 | 56 | 48 | — | — | — |
Glossop | 28 | 25 | 22 | — | — | — |
Haslingden | 26 | 23 | 29 | — | — | — |
Haughton Green | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Ladder Hill | 26 | 23 | 29 | — | — | — |
Lancaster | 27 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 22 |
Langley | 27 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — |
Lees | 28 | 25 | 22 | — | — | — |
Littleborough | 27 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — |
Macclesfield | 28 | 25 | 22 | — | — | — |
Manchester Hulme | 44 | 41 | 47 | — | — | — |
Melling HP | 57 | 60 | 53 | — | — | — |
Melling VP | 57 | 60 | 53 | — | — | — |
Middleton | 28 | 25 | 22 | — | — | — |
Millom Park | 28 | 25 | 22 | — | — | — |
Moss Bank | 27 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — |
Mottram in Longdendale | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Newchurch | 21 | 24 | 27 | — | — | — |
Norden | 53 | 57 | 60 | — | — | — |
North Oldham | 27 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — |
Oakenhead | 44 | 41 | 47 | — | — | — |
Over Biddulph | 57 | 53 | 60 | — | — | — |
Parbold | 41 | 44 | 47 | — | — | — |
Pendle Forest | 28 | 25 | 22 | 27 | 21 | 24 |
Penny Bridge | 26 | 23 | 29 | — | — | — |
Portwood | 28 | 25 | 22 | — | — | — |
Prestbury | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Ramsbottom | 53 | 60 | 57 | — | — | — |
Ribblesdale | 41 | 44 | 47 | — | — | — |
Romiley | 44 | 41 | 47 | — | — | — |
Roose HP | 22 | 28 | 25 | — | — | — |
Roose VP | 22 | 28 | 25 | — | — | — |
Saddleworth | 45 | 39 | 42 | 33 | 36 | 48 |
Skelmersdale | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Stavely-in-Cartmel | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Stockport | 24 | 21 | 27 | — | — | — |
Storeton | 28 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 29 |
Stunningdale | 44 | 41 | 47 | — | — | — |
Trawden | 53 | 60 | 57 | — | — | — |
Urswick | 44 | 41 | 47 | — | — | — |
Walton-Le-Dale | 27 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — |
Wardle | 28 | 25 | 22 | — | — | — |
West Kirby | 27 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — |
Whaley Bridge | 45 | 39 | 42 | — | — | — |
Whalley | 46 | 43 | 40 | — | — | — |
Whitewell | 53 | 60 | 57 | — | — | — |
Whitworth | 28 | 25 | 22 | — | — | — |
Woodnook | 45 | 39 | 42 | — | — | — |
Frequency | kW [6] | Service |
---|---|---|
88.6 MHz | 4† | BBC Radio 2 |
90.8 MHz | 4† | BBC Radio 3 |
93.0 MHz | 4† | BBC Radio 4 |
97.4 MHz | 2 | Hits Radio Lancashire |
98.2 MHz | 4† | BBC Radio 1 |
100.4 MHz | 5 | Smooth North West |
103.9 MHz | 2 | BBC Radio Lancashire |
105.4 MHz | 5 | Heart North West |
† Relays the signal from Holme Moss to cover south and central Lancashire [6]
Frequency | Block | kW [6] | Operator |
---|---|---|---|
213.360 MHz | 10C | 1.2† | Bauer Liverpool |
216.928 MHz | 11A | 20 | SDL National |
222.064 MHz | 11D | 10 | Digital One |
223.936 MHz | 12A | 1.5‡ | Lancashire |
225.648 MHz | 12B | 10 | BBC National DAB |
227.360 MHz | 12C | 3.5† | CE Manchester |
† Broadcasts from a directional aerial to cover Greater Manchester.
† Broadcasts from a directional aerial to cover flintshire North Wales (Rhyl, Prestatyn, Llanrwst, Llandudno and surrounding areas). From Moel-y-Parc.
‡ Broadcasts from a directional aerial to cover central Lancashire (Wigan, Preston, Southport, Blackpool and surrounding areas).
On 27 February 1958, a Silver City Bristol 170 Freighter (G-AICS) travelling from the Isle of Man to Manchester crashed into Winter Hill (also known as Rivington Moor) several hundred yards away from the mast. Thirty-five people died and 7 were injured. The weather that night was so severe that none of the engineers working in the transmission centre were aware of the crash. Several feet of snow hampered rescue efforts, and a snowcat vehicle had to be diverted from the A6 to cut a path for emergency vehicles.
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.
The Sutton Coldfield transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. In terms of population covered, it is the third most important transmitter in the UK, after Crystal Palace in London and Winter Hill near Bolton.
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.
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.
The Bilsdale transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, located at Bilsdale West Moor above Bilsdale, close to Helmsley, North Yorkshire, England. The original facility included a guyed steel tubular mast that was primarily used for radio and television transmission. The height of the mast was 314 metres (1,030 ft) to the pinnacle. Until a fire disabled the transmitter on 10 August 2021 it was among the most powerful transmitters in the UK. The power for analogue was 500 kW ERP and it was 100 kW / 50 kW for digital. The mast was equipped with aircraft warning lights, in the form of arrays of red LEDs. The station was owned and operated by Arqiva. After the main mast was disabled a temporary 80 metres (260 ft) mast was installed at the site. The temporary mast commenced operations on 13 October 2021.
The Waltham transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility at Waltham-on-the-Wolds, 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Melton Mowbray. It sits inside the Waltham civil parish near Stonesby, in the district of Melton, Leicestershire, UK. It has a 315 metres (1,033 ft) guyed steel tubular mast. The main structure height to the top of the steelwork is 290.8 metres (954 ft), with the UHF television antennas contained within a GRP shroud mounted on top.
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 3⁄4 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.
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 ITA 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.
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.
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.
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.
Storeton transmitting station is a television transmitter being a member of both the Winter Hill group of transmitters and of the Moel-y-Parc group of transmitter, and an FM radio transmitter, with transmitting antennas affixed to a mast located on Storeton Ridge, Higher Bebington, Wirral, UK. The site is owned and operated by Arqiva. It was originally solely an analogue TV relay of the Winter Hill transmitter. The 45 metre-high (150 ft-high) mast is situated at an elevation of 65.5 metres (215 ft). Thus, the top of the mast has an overall height of 110.5 metres (363 ft) above sea level. Construction of the mast was completed in 1980. As of 2009, the TV transmitter serves approximately 45,000 homes.
The Emley Moor transmitting station is a telecommunications and broadcasting facility on Emley Moor, 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the village centre of Emley, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.
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 Pontardawe television relay station was originally built in 1974/1975 as a relay for UHF analogue television. It consists of a 45 m self-supporting lattice mast standing on a hillside which is itself about 160 m above sea level. Currently, the transmitters cater for most of the digital terrestrial TV subscribers in the towns of Pontardawe and Alltwen and in the nearby villages of that section of the Tawe valley. The transmission station is owned and operated by Arqiva.
The Neath Abbey television relay station is sited on a hill north of the town of Neath. It was originally built in the 1980s as a fill-in relay for UHF analogue television serving the parts of the town of Neath to its east with its vertically polarised signal, and the parts of the town to its northwest with its horizontally polarised signal. This is an unusual layout, chosen to avoid signal degradation from reflections off the cliffs to the north. The site consists of a 12 m self-supporting lattice mast standing on land which is itself about 80 m above sea level. The Neath Abbey transmission station is owned and operated by Arqiva.
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 Llanelli transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located on high ground north of the town of Llanelli, South Wales. It was originally built by the BBC, entering service in mid 1970 transmitting the now-defunct 405-line VHF television system. As such, it was one of the last 405 transmitters ever built.