Huntshaw Cross transmitting station
Mast height | 164 metres (538 ft) |
---|---|
Coordinates | 50°58′37″N 4°06′04″W / 50.977°N 4.101°W |
Grid reference | SS527220 |
Built | 1968 |
BBC region | BBC South West |
ITV region | ITV West Country |
Huntshaw Cross transmitting station is a telecommunications facility serving
The site was opened by the
The 405-line transmissions from Huntshaw Cross were discontinued in the 2nd quarter of 1983, somewhat before the final UK-wide shutdown of the VHF system in January 1985.
Digital switchover began at the site in the early hours of 1 July 2009 when the BBC Two analogue service was switched off just after 01:20 BST. Switchover was completed in the early hours of 29 July 2009 with the analogue services disappearing one by one, starting with BBC One at a few seconds after 01:30. Viewers were required to perform another retune on 30 September 2009 as SDN, Arqiva A and Arqiva B reached their final frequency positions. Final post-DSO power levels were not reached by all multiplexes on this station until March 2012.
A local DAB multiplex for North Devon began transmitting on 2 February 2012 ahead of full launch on 6 February 2012, the local DAB service is an exact mirror of the DAB service for Exeter and Torbay.
Channels listed by frequency
Analogue television
22 April 1968 – 5 November 1973
Frequency | VHF | kW | Service |
---|---|---|---|
204.75 MHz | 11H | 0.5 | Westward |
5 November 1973 – 1 November 1982
UHF colour television commenced.
Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
---|---|---|---|---|
204.75 MHz | 11H | — | 0.5 | Westward (TSW from 1982) |
743.25 MHz | — | 55 | 100 | BBC1 South West
|
775.25 MHz | — | 59 | 100 | Westward (TSW from 1982) |
799.25 MHz | — | 62 | 100 | BBC2 South West
|
1 November 1982 - Second Quarter 1983
The UK's fourth UHF television channel started up, but wasn't broadcast from Huntshaw Cross until July 1984.
Frequency | VHF | UHF | kW | Service |
---|---|---|---|---|
204.75 MHz | 11H | — | 0.5 | TSW |
743.25 MHz | — | 55 | 100 | BBC1 South West
|
775.25 MHz | — | 59 | 100 | TSW |
799.25 MHz | — | 62 | 100 | BBC2 South West
|
823.25 MHz | — | 65 | 100 | Channel 4 |
Second Quarter 1983 - March 1997
405 line television was discontinued early,[1] and for the next 14 years only the four primary analogue UHF channels were radiated.
Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
---|---|---|---|
743.25 MHz | 55 | 100 | BBC1 South West
|
775.25 MHz | 59 | 100 | Westcountry from 1993)
|
799.25 MHz | 62 | 100 | BBC2 South West
|
823.25 MHz | 65 | 100 | Channel 4 |
March 1997 - 1 November 1998
The fifth UK analogue UHF channel was added.
Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
---|---|---|---|
743.25 MHz | 55 | 100 | BBC1 South West
|
775.25 MHz | 59 | 100 | Westcountry
|
799.25 MHz | 62 | 100 | BBC2 South West
|
823.25 MHz | 65 | 100 | Channel 4 |
839.25 MHz | 67 | 2 | Channel 5 |
Analogue and Digital television
1 November 1998 – 1 July 2009
The initial roll-out of digital television involved running the digital services interleaved (and at low ERP) with the existing analogue services.
Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator | System |
---|---|---|---|---|
729.833 MHz | 53- | 4 | Arqiva (Mux C) | DVB-T |
737.833 MHz | 54- | 4 | BBC (Mux 1) | DVB-T |
743.25 MHz | 55 | 100 | BBC1 South West
|
PAL |
761.833 MHz | 57- | 4 | Arqiva (Mux D) | DVB-T |
769.833 MHz | 58- | 4 | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) | DVB-T |
775.25 MHz | 59 | 100 | Westcountry | PAL |
793.833 MHz | 61- | 4 | SDN (Mux A) | DVB-T |
799.25 MHz | 62 | 100 | BBC2 South West
|
PAL |
817.833 MHz | 64- | 4 | BBC (Mux B) | DVB-T |
823.25 MHz | 65 | 100 | Channel 4 | PAL |
839.25 MHz | 67 | 2 | Channel 5 | PAL |
1 July 2009 – 29 July 2009
Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator | System |
---|---|---|---|---|
729.833 MHz | 53- | 4 | Arqiva (Mux C) | DVB-T |
743.25 MHz | 55 | 100 | BBC1 South West
|
PAL |
761.833 MHz | 57- | 4 | Arqiva (Mux D) | DVB-T |
769.833 MHz | 58- | 4 | Digital 3&4 (Mux 2) | DVB-T |
775.25 MHz | 59 | 100 | Westcountry | PAL |
793.833 MHz | 61- | 4 | SDN (Mux A) | DVB-T |
801.833 MHz | 62- | 20 | BBC A | DVB-T |
817.833 MHz | 64- | 4 | BBC (Mux B) | DVB-T |
823.25 MHz | 65 | 100 | Channel 4 | PAL |
839.25 MHz | 67 | 2 | Channel 5 | PAL |
Digital television
23 July 2009 – 30 September 2009
All the remaining analogue TV channels were shut down and the new post-DSO digital multiplexes for the PSB channels started up at full power. Huntshaw Cross was subject to a complex multi-stage switchover, and the COM multiplexes (Mux A, Mux C and Mux D) were not switched from their pre-DSO configurations immediately.[3]
Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator | System |
---|---|---|---|---|
729.833 MHz | 53- | 4 | Arqiva (Mux C) | DVB-T |
745.833 MHz | 55- | 20 | BBC B | DVB-T |
761.833 MHz | 57- | 4 | Arqiva (Mux D) | DVB-T |
777.833 MHz | 59- | 20 | Digital 3&4 | DVB-T |
793.833 MHz | 61- | 4 | SDN (Mux A) | DVB-T |
801.833 MHz | 62- | 20 | BBC A | DVB-T |
30 September 2009 – 28 March 2012
With the post-DSO retune event at Mendip, the post-DSO COM multiplexes replaced the pre-DSO COM multiplexes on their final channel allocations,[4] though only the SDN multiplex gained full power at this point.[5]
Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator | System |
---|---|---|---|---|
690.000 MHz | 48 | 10 | SDN | DVB-T |
722.000 MHz | 52 | 4 | Arqiva A | DVB-T |
745.833 MHz | 55- | 20 | BBC B | DVB-T |
754.000 MHz | 56 | 4 | Arqiva B | DVB-T |
777.833 MHz | 59- | 20 | Digital 3&4 | DVB-T |
801.833 MHz | 62- | 20 | BBC A | DVB-T |
28 March 2012 - May 2013
With the second post-DSO retune event at Mendip, the Arq A and Arq B multiplexes gained full power.[5]
Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator | System |
---|---|---|---|---|
690.000 MHz | 48 | 10 | SDN | DVB-T |
722.000 MHz | 52 | 10 | Arqiva A | DVB-T |
745.833 MHz | 55- | 20 | BBC B | DVB-T |
754.000 MHz | 56 | 10 | Arqiva B | DVB-T |
777.833 MHz | 59- | 20 | Digital 3&4 | DVB-T |
801.833 MHz | 62- | 20 | BBC A | DVB-T |
From May 2013
Yet another retune was needed in May 2013 as part of the Europe-wide tactic of clearing Band V above 800 MHz so as to make space for future 4G mobile phone services.[6] The BBC A multiplex was reassigned to channel 50.
Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator | System |
---|---|---|---|---|
690.000 MHz | 48 | 10 | SDN | DVB-T |
706.000 MHz | 50 | 20 | BBC A | DVB-T |
722.000 MHz | 52 | 10 | Arqiva A | DVB-T |
745.833 MHz | 55- | 20 | BBC B | DVB-T |
754.000 MHz | 56 | 10 | Arqiva B | DVB-T |
777.833 MHz | 59- | 20 | Digital 3&4 | DVB-T |
From 19 June 2019
A retune will be needed from 19 June 2019 due to the 700 MHz clearance programme.[7] The recommended television aerial for Huntshaw Cross will change from group C/D to group A.
Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator | System |
---|---|---|---|---|
546.000 MHz | 30 | 20 | BBC A | DVB-T |
554.000 MHz | 31 | 20 | Digital 3&4 | DVB-T |
562.000 MHz | 32 | 10 | SDN | DVB-T |
578.000 MHz | 34 | 10 | Arqiva A | DVB-T |
586.000 MHz | 35 | 10 | Arqiva B | DVB-T |
602.000 MHz | 37 | 20 | BBC B | DVB-T2 |
Analogue radio
Frequency | kW[8] | Service |
---|---|---|
94.8 MHz | 0.5 | BBC Radio Devon |
96.2 MHz | 2 | Heart West |
Digital Radio
Block | Frequency (MHz) | Power (kW) | Multiplex Name |
---|---|---|---|
10C | 213.360 | 4.0 | Devon |
11D | 222.064 | 4.55 | D1 National |
12B | 225.648 | 2.5 | BBC National DAB |
References
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/transmitternetwork/tools__and__resources/almanac/installer_newsletters_transmitter_groups2009_pdfs/Installer_Newsletter_Huntshaw_Cross__1_month_out_Jun09_FINAL17Jun.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Digital Switchover: North Devon / Huntshaw Cross". 21 June 2009.
- ^ http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/transmitternetwork/tools__and__resources/almanac/installer_newsletters_transmitter_groups2009_pdfs/Special_edition-_W_C_installers_-_HC-R-P_-_30_Sept.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/transmitternetwork/tools__and__resources/almanac/special_editions/Special_edition-installers_MENDIP_retune_event_Sept2011_300811_Final.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "EU States Must Allow 4G on Analogue TV Spectrum". 15 February 2012.
- ^ "Digital UK | Home". www.digitaluk.co.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
- ^ Radio Listeners Guide 2010