Sandy Heath TV Transmitter Freeview Channels

Poor Sandy Reception?

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The Sandy Heath TV transmitter provides Freeview DTT coverage to Bedfordshire (Bedford & Dunstable areas), Cambridgeshire (Cambridge, Huntingdon & St. Neots) including parts of Northamptonshire (Wellingborough & Kettering), and north Hertfordshire (Letchworth, Hitchin, Royston and Stevenage). Sandy Heath Freeview reception is also possible in parts of Northampton, Milton Keynes, Buckingham, Silverstone and Brackley.

This article provides digital switchover information for the Sandy Heath TV transmitter together with the UHF channel numbers for each Freeview DTT multiplex covering both pre and post digital switchover.

Extreme fringe Freeview reception from the Sandy Heath transmitter may be possible in parts of Peterborough, Corby, Market Harborough, Wisbech and Daventry, but only with a digital compatible high gain wideband TV aerial and subject to favourable local terrain. UHF DTT multiplex channels and power levels for the Sandy Heath transmitter are given in the table below.

To check whether you are in the Sandy Heath TV transmitter coverage area enter your postcode at the Freeview site by clicking here. For long distance DVB-T Freeview coverage predictions for Sandy Heath click here.

Sandy Heath TV Transmitter UHF DTT Digital Multiplex Channels
Mux 1	Mux 2	Mux A	Mux B	Mux C	Mux D
Ch42 - 20kW	Ch45 - 20kW	Ch43 - 20kW	Ch67 - 20kW	Ch40 - 20kW	Ch46 - 20kW

After Digital TV Switchover Date 2011
DVB-T PSB1	DVB-T PSB2	DVB-T COM4	DVB-T PSB3	DVB-T COM5	DVB-T COM6
UHF Ch21	UHF Ch24	UHF Ch48	UHF Ch27	UHF Ch51	UHF Ch52

Final digital switchover DVB-T multiplex channel information is subject to change.

We recommend a high gain wideband TV aerial for Freeview DVB-T reception from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter. Many homes served by this transmitter will need an aerial upgrade to get good Freeview reception as a high proportion of existing TV aerials will be Group A, which will give very poor reception.

If retained, Sandy Heath Group A aerials will give poor Freeview reception on all DTT multiplexes, as all Freeview channels from Sandy Heath are transmitted on UHF channels between 40 and 67 - well outside the frequency range that a Group A aerial will receive.

The Group A aerial is designed for channels UHF channels 21 - 37 only. Only in areas very close to the transmitter will DVB-T Mux B be receivable on a Group A aerial.

Sandy Heath Freeview Reception Problems

If some Freeview channels are missing from your channel line up start by checking your aerial. If you are getting Freeview reception problems from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter, start by checking the signal quality on the Mux B UHF channel 67 DTT multiplex.

If Mux B signal quality is very low compared to the signal quality on Mux C (UHF channel 40) and you are well inside the DTT coverage area from Sandy Heath, it is possible that your installed aerial is not the required wideband type. In this case, you'll need to buy a high gain wideband aerial and get it installed by a CAI registered aerial contractor. Alternatively, if you live in a strong DTT signal area, you can try installing a loft aerial yourself. High gain wideband aerials are available from Maplin.co.uk. A suitable wideband aerial for Sandy Heath DTT reception is Maplin's A35GC.

If you're using an indoor loft aerial for Freeview from Sandy Heath, it's worth noting that the higher the UHF channel number being received, the more TV signal attenuation will be experienced through trees, roof tiles and walls. Therefore, it's likely that Freeview Mux B from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter will be received at a lower signal quality on an indoor aerial than the other DTT multiplexes, even with the correct wideband aerial. This is because it is transmitted on one of the highest UHF channels (67).

The best solution is to use an outdoor TV aerial mounted on the chimney, to eliminate signal attenuation caused by the roof tiles. In fringe DTT reception areas, Sandy Heath Mux B may not be receivable on an indoor aerial. Mounting a UHF TV aerial in the loft will typically halve the received TV signal.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this page is provided in good faith and is accurate to the best of our ability. No guarantees are offered concerning accuracy of information provided.

Freeview aerials & signal boosters from Maplin: click here

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