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Darvel (East Ayrshire, Scotland) digital TV transmitter

55.579,-4.291 or 55°34'45"N 4°17'26"W

KA16 9LS

4G at 800MHz (at800) Freeview reception issues

When 800MHz 4G mobile broadband services start there will be 2 multiplexes in the higher risk range (C21-23, C30, C59-60): C23: SDN, C22: BBCA
See How do I know if the 4G broadband will overload my Freeview? and Full UK map of 4G issue areas for details.

Transmitter faults and engineering works

Want to better understand the current TV faults? See the all new UK Free TV page

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The symbol shows the location of the Darvel transmitter. The Darvel transmitter covers 150,000 homes.

Other maps:

STV Central (Glasgow micro region)

Radiation patterns

Radiation patterns withheld

Map key

The bright green areas shown where the signal from this transmitter is strong, dark green areas are poorer signals. Those parts shown in yellow may have interference on the same frequency from other masts.

Darvel transmitter Freeview broadcasts

If you have any kind of Freeview fault, follow this Freeview reset procedure first.

Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below. The rating shown takes in account the output power level and the various Freeview transmission modes and do not indicate an ongoing fault.

Mux	Effective power level, aerial position	Rating	Mode	Watts
PSB1 BBCA	horizontal	Maximum	64QAM 8K 2/3 24.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2	20,000
	1 BBC One Scotland, 2 BBC Two Scotland, 7 BBC Three, 8 BBC Alba, 9 BBC Four, 70 CBBC Channel, 71 CBeebies, 80 BBC News, 81 BBC Parliament, 301 301, plus 14 others • as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C22- (481.8MHz) from 446m datum.
PSB2 D3+4	horizontal	Maximum	64QAM 8K 2/3 24.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2	20,000
	3 STV (STV Central (Glasgow micro region)), 4 Channel 4 Scotland ads, 5 Channel 5 Scotland ads, 6 ITV 2, 13 Channel 4+1 Scotland ads, 14 More 4, 28 E4, 33 STV+1 (STV Edinburgh), • as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C25 (506.0MHz) from 446m datum.
PSB3 BBCB	horizontal	Maximum	256QAM 32KE 2/3 40.2Mb/s DVB-T2 MPEG4	20,000
	101 BBC One HD Scotland, 102 BBC Two HD (England), 103 STV HD (STV West), 104 Channel 4 HD Scotland ads, plus 1 others 232 The Space, • as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C28 (530.0MHz) from 446m datum.
COM4 SDN	horizontal	Above average	64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2	10,000
	10 ITV 3, 20 G.O.L.D. (not free), 25 Dave ja vu, 26 Home (not free), 27 ITV 2 +1, 30 5, 31 5USA, 34 ESPN UK (not free*), 38 Quest, 39 The Zone, 44 Channel 5 +1, 72 CITV, plus 22 others • as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C23 (490.0MHz) from 446m datum.
COM5 ArqA	horizontal	Above average	64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2	10,000
	TV News, TV Stars, 11 PICK TV, 12 Dave, 17 Really, 29 E4+1, 32 Movie Mix, 46 Challenge, 48 Food Network, 82 Sky News, 87 Community Channel, plus 9 others • as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C26 (514.0MHz) from 446m datum.
COM6 ArqB	horizontal	Above average	64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2	10,000
	15 Film 4, 18 4Music, 19 Yesterday, 21 VIVA, 24 ITV 4, 41 Sky Sports 1 (not free), 42 Sky Sports 2 (not free), 47 4seven, 83 Al Jazeera English, 85 RT English , plus 21 others • as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C29 (538.0MHz) from 446m datum.

Regional news from the Darvel transmitter

BBC Reporting Scotland 2.4m homes 9.2%
from Glasgow G51 1DA, 31km north
to BBC Scotland region - 230 masts.

STV News 1.3m homes 4.8%
from Glasgow G51 1PQ, 31km north
to STV Central (Glasgow) region - 94 masts.

How the transmission frequencies change over time

	years	1984-97	1997-98	1998-2011	2011-13	2013-18	2013-18	2019-
	aerial group	A K	A K	A K	A K	A K	A K	A K
	C22			-1	-BBCA	-BBCA	-BBCA	SDN
	C23	ITV	ITV	ITV	SDN	SDN	SDN	BBCB
	C25			-2	D3+4	D3+4	D3+4	ArqA
	C26	BBC2	BBC2	BBC2	ArqA	ArqA	ArqA	D3+4
	C28			-B	BBCB	BBCB	BBCB	ArqB
	C29	C4	C4	C4	ArqB	ArqB	ArqB
	C30			+C			local	BBCA
600	C32			-A
	C33	BBC1	BBC1	BBC1
	C34			D
	C35		C5	C5

orange background for multiplexes names more

green background for transmission frequencies

lilac background for power levels in watts

800MHz band: 4G mobile to start in 2013

700MHz band: possible 4G in 2019 more

600MHz band: new or moved digital TV services more

Notes: + and - denote 166kHz offset; aerial group are shown as A B C/D E K W
Italics for analogue, digital switchover was Wednesdays 11th May and 25th May 2011.

Ofcom have projected that a local television service for Ayr including Kilmarnock could use an Interleaved Frequency on the Darvel transmitter using C30

Comparison of old analogue and current digital signal levels

Analogue 1-5	100kW
BBCA, D3+4, BBCB	(-7dB) 20kW
SDN, ARQA, ARQB	(-10dB) 10kW
Mux 1, Mux 2, Mux A, Mux B	(-14dB) 4kW
Mux C, Mux D	(-17dB) 2kW

Self-help relays

Craigie Gardens	Transposer		1 homes 90 caravans
Inversnaid	Active deflector	35 km N Dumbarton	8 homes Hotel caravan park

History of Channel 3 in the Darvel transmitter area

Aug 1957-Jun 1997	Scottish Television
Jun 1997-Dec 2014	STV plc

• Breakfast ◊ Weekends ♦ Friday night and weekends † Weekdays only. Darvel was not an original Channel 3 VHF 405-line mast: the historical information shown is the details of the company responsible for the transmitter when it began transmitting Channel 3.

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Transmitter engineering
Wednesday 26 January 2011 1:51PM

DARVEL transmitter - Analogue BBC TWO Off Air; DSO related from 01:11 today to 05:31 today [BBC] vel Transmitter works on 27 January 2011: Engineering transmitter work will take place between 00:01hrs and 06:00hrs on 27th January. TV services that will be disrupted: Analogue services - BBC2, ITV and Channel 4 will be affected by periods of shutdown between 00:01hrs to 06:00hrs on 27th January. Digital services - Mux1, Mux2 and MuxB will be affected by periods of shutdown between 00:01hrs to 06:00hrs on 27th January. [DUK] Over the next week Darvel main transmitter: TV (analogue) Liable to interruption, TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK]

52,200 posts platinum

Transmitter engineering
Thursday 27 January 2011 6:55AM

DARVEL transmitter - Analogue BBC TWO Off Air; DSO related from 01:26 today [BBC] vel Transmitter works on 27 January 2011: Engineering transmitter work will take place between 00:01hrs and 06:00hrs on 27th January. TV services that will be disrupted: Analogue services - BBC2, ITV and Channel 4 will be affected by periods of shutdown between 00:01hrs to 06:00hrs on 27th January. Digital services - Mux1, Mux2 and MuxB will be affected by periods of shutdown between 00:01hrs to 06:00hrs on 27th January. [DUK] Over the next week Darvel main transmitter: TV (analogue) Liable to interruption, TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK]

52,200 posts platinum

Transmitter engineering
Thursday 27 January 2011 7:55AM

DARVEL transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Off Air; DSO related from 01:15 yesterday to 05:38 yesterday BBC TWO Off Air; DSO related from 01:11 yesterday to 05:31 yesterday [BBC] vel Transmitter works on 27 January 2011: Engineering transmitter work will take place between 00:01hrs and 06:00hrs on 27th January. TV services that will be disrupted: Analogue services - BBC2, ITV and Channel 4 will be affected by periods of shutdown between 00:01hrs to 06:00hrs on 27th January. Digital services - Mux1, Mux2 and MuxB will be affected by periods of shutdown between 00:01hrs to 06:00hrs on 27th January. [DUK] Over the next week Darvel main transmitter: TV (analogue) Liable to interruption, TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK]

52,200 posts platinum

Transmitter engineering
Thursday 27 January 2011 8:56AM

DARVEL transmitter - Analogue BBC TWO Off Air; DSO related from 01:26 today to 05:45 today [BBC] Over the next week Darvel main transmitter: TV (analogue) Liable to interruption, TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK]

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