Fenton transmitter - analogue switch-off

Fenton digital switchover schedule

Note: This is the only schedule for digital switchover. Digital services cannot be introduced before the dates listed for "testing purposes" as they will generally use the same transmission frequencies as the services they replace. Another alternative, available today, is Freesat.

Fenton Full Freeview transmitter details - full details of the Freeview services fron Fenton.

April 2011 S M T W T F S - - - - - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 - - - - - - -

BBC One West Midlands, BBC Two England, ITV-1 Central West, five and Channel 4 analogue switched off. It will be necessary to perform a full rescan of your Freeview box on this day.

Transmission frequencies

Before Sunday 15th November 1998

C21	C24	C27	C31	C35
C4	ITV1	BBC TWO	BBC One	FIVE

Sunday 15th November 1998 to Wednesday 6th April 2011

C21	C22+	C24	C25+	C27	C28+	C30-	C31	C32+	C34-	C35
C4	Mux A	ITV1	Mux B	BBC TWO	Mux C	Mux 2	BBC One	Mux D	Mux 1	FIVE

After Wednesday 20th April 2011

C21	C22	C24	C25	C27	C28	C29
Mux BBCB	Mux ArqA	Mux BBCA	Mux SDN	Mux D3+4	Mux ArqB	Mux NEW7

Colour bands denote aerial groups: Red:A Yellow:B Green:C/D Brown:E Grey:K Black:Wideband

Notes

'Out of group' frequencies are marked with a star. Analogue power output 10,000 Watts, post switchover average digital multiplex output will be 1,286 Watts.

To receive signals from this transmitter, the aerial must be mounted for vertical polarization - the elements going from top to bottom.

Before switchover, the public service broadcasting multiplexes were 1, 2 and B; afterwards they were first PSB1, 2 and 3 but now called BBCA, D3+4 and BBCB. The commercial multiplexes A, C and D had initial post-switchover names COM4, 5 and 6; now they are SDN, ArqA and ArqB. At switchover BBCA, ArqA and ArqB will switch from 16QAM to 64QAM mode transmission, so five multiplexes will transmit in the 64QAM (2/3) 8k mode. BBCB is used for Freeview HD (DVB-T2, 256QAM), and has a pre-switchover service on selected main transmitters.

After switchover an existing group A aerial will provide all digital TV services.

Comparison of analogue and digital signal levels

Analogue 1-5
	10kW
BBCA, D3+4, BBCB
	2kW (-7dB)
SDN, ARQA, ARQB
	1000W (-10dB)
Mux1*, Mux2*, MuxA*, MuxB*
	100W (-20dB)
MuxC*, MuxD*
	50W (-23dB)
*-pre digital switchover (DSO). Decibel values compare to strongest signal value.

The aerial must be mounted vertically, with the elements in the up-down position

See full list of analogue transmitters for a complete list of shutdown dates.

itv1 - Sutton Coldfield transmitter area*

Date	Incumbent ITV company
17th Feb 1956 to July 1968	Associated TeleVision (weekdays only)
18th Feb 1956 to July 1968	Associated British Corporation (weekends)
July 1968 to 31st Dec 1981	Associated TeleVision
1st Jan 1982 to date	Central Independent Television
1st Feb 1983 to 31st Dec 1992	TV-am (breakfast)
1st Jan 1993 to date	GMTV (breakfast)
Note	For digital switchover this region is now known as Central West.

* The Fenton transmitter was not an original ITV VHF 405-line transmitter: the historical information shown above includes the details of the company reponsible for the Fenton transmitter when it began transmission.

Your comments are always welcome. Please use the form below to add your thoughts or questions to this page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.