Macclesfield digital TV transmitter (no analogue)

Macclesfield 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.

November 2009 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 Two England analogue switched off. The following Freeview digital services will be available: 1 BBC One North West 2 BBC Two England 7 BBC Three 9 BBC Four 70 CBBC Channel 71 CBeebies 80 BBC News 81 BBC Parliament 105 BBC Red Button 301 BBCi 301 700 BBC Radio 1 701 1Xtra BBC 702 BBC Radio 2 703 BBC Radio 3 704 BBC Radio 4 705 BBC Radio 5 Live 706 BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra 707 BBC Radio 6 Music 708 BBC Radio 7 709 BBC Asian Network 710 BBC World Service

December 2009 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 31 - -

BBC One North West, ITV-1 Granada and Channel 4 analogue switched off. The following Freeview digital services will be available: 3 ITV1 Granada 4 Channel 4 5 FIVE 6 ITV2 13 Channel 4+1 14 More4 28 E4 33 ITV2+1 50 BBC HD 51 ITV1 HD 52 Channel 4 HD 100 Teletext 102 Rabbit 106 Direct Gov 107 Gay Rabbit 728 Heart

Transmission frequencies

Before Sunday 15th November 1998

C22	C25	C28	C32
BBC One	ITV1	BBC TWO	C4

Sunday 15th November 1998 to Wednesday 4th November 2009

C22	C25	C28	C32
BBC One	ITV1	BBC TWO	C4

After Wednesday 2nd December 2009

C22	C25	C28
Mux BBCB	Mux D3+4	Mux BBCA

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 37 Watts, post switchover average digital multiplex output will be 7 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 1-4
	37W
BBCA, D3+4, BBCB
	7.4W (-7dB)
*-pre digital switchover (DSO). Decibel values compare to strongest signal value.

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

itv1 - Winter Hill transmitter area*

Date	Incumbent ITV company
3rd May 1956 to July 1968	Granada Television (weekdays only)
5th May 1956 to July 1968	Associated British Corporation (weekends)
July 1968 to date	Granada 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 Granada.

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

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