Sandy Heath TV Transmitter Freeview Channels

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The second stage of the digital switchover of the Sandy Heath Transmitter was completed on 13th April 2011 - the official DSO date when all Analogue TV transmissions ceased from Sandy.

A wideband aerial is required after 13th April 2011 to receive the full range of digital TV services from Sandy Heath.

Digital switchover has now been completed on the relay transmitters of Sandy Heath which are: Dallington Park (Northampton), Luton (Bedfordshire) and Kimpton in Hertfordshire.

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 together with a calendar of forthcoming multiplex changes.

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 13th April 2011 - Mux information
BBCB (HD)	Group 2	Group 1	Group 5	Group 3	Group 4
UHF Ch21	UHF Ch24	UHF Ch27	UHF Ch67	UHF Ch43	UHF Ch40

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

Sandy Heath multiplexes will stay on their pre-switchover channels and power levels for some time following digital switchover on the 13th April 2011.

Calendar of Scheduled Multiplex Changes:

On 31st August 2011 the Group 3 multiplex of the Sandy Heath transmitter will move temporarily to UHF Ch31 (from Channel 43), before moving to UHF Ch51 on 18th April 2012.
On 14th September 2011 the Group 4 multiplex will change to UHF Ch67 (from Channel 40), before moving to UHF Channel 52 on the 23rd November 2011 which will is expected to be its final channel allocation.
On 14th September 2011 the Group 5 multiplex will move from Channel 67 to its final position of UHF Channel 48.

We recommend a high gain wideband TV aerial (horizontally polarised) 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 the higher frequency multiplexes 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 UHF channel 67 DTT multiplex.

If multiplex signal quality is very low 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. A suitable wideband aerial for Sandy Heath DTT reception is the Triax Unix 52.

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 the Ch67 Mux 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.

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 of Sandy Heath some multiplexes may not be receivable on an indoor aerial. It's worth noting that mounting a UHF TV aerial in the loft will typically reduce your received digital TV signal by 50% or more, often making it below the threshold of reliable reception.

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.