Freeview: Pontop Pike (County Durham, England) full-Freeview transmitter
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Freeview on the Pontop Pike (County Durham, England) transmitter

Google StreetviewGoogle mapBing mapGoogle Earth54.868,-1.771 or 54°52'5"N 1°46'15"WDH9 9AT

4G at 800MHz (at800) Freeview reception issues

When 800MHz 4G mobile broadband services start there will be 1 multiplex in the higher risk range (C21-23, C30, C59-60): C59: ArqA
See How do I know if the 4G broadband will overload my Freeview? and Full UK map of 4G issue areas for details.

Transmitter fauls and engineering works



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The symbol shows the location of the Pontop Pike transmitter which serves 700,000 homes.

Other maps:Pontop Pike DABPontop Pike regionBBC North East and CumbriaTyne Tees

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.

Pontop Pike 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.

MuxEffective power level, aerial positionRatingModeWatts
PSB1
BBCA
 horizontal
Maximum64QAM 8K 2/3
24.1Mb/s
DVB-T MPEG2		100,000
Channel icons
1 BBC One North East and Cumbria, 2 BBC Two England, 7 BBC Three, 9 BBC Four, 70 CBBC Channel, 71 CBeebies, 80 BBC News, 81 BBC Parliament, 301 301, plus 12 others
• as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C58 (770.0MHz) from 447m datum.
PSB2
D3+4
 horizontal
Maximum64QAM 8K 2/3
24.1Mb/s
DVB-T MPEG2		100,000
Channel icons
3 ITV (Tyne Tees), 4 Channel 4 North ads, 5 Channel 5 The North ads, 6 ITV 2, 13 Channel 4+1 North ads, 14 More 4, 28 E4, 33 ITV +1 (Tyne Tees),
• as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C54 (738.0MHz) from 447m datum.
PSB3
BBCB
 horizontal
Maximum256QAM 32KE 2/3
40.2Mb/s
DVB-T2 MPEG4		100,000
Channel icons
101 BBC One HD (England no regional news), 102 BBC Two HD (England), 103 ITV HD (ITV Granada), 104 Channel 4 HD North ads, plus 1 others
• as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C49 (698.0MHz) from 447m datum.
COM4
SDN
 horizontal
Above average64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s
DVB-T MPEG2		50,000
Channel icons
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 C50 (706.0MHz) from 447m datum.
COM5
ArqA
 horizontal
Above average64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s
DVB-T MPEG2		50,000
Channel icons
 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 C59 (778.0MHz) from 447m datum.
COM6
ArqB
 horizontal
Above average64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s
DVB-T MPEG2		50,000
Channel icons
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 C55 (746.0MHz) from 447m datum.


Regional news from the Pontop Pike transmitter


BBC Look North (Newcastle) 1.6m homes 6.0%
from Newcastle NE99 2NE, 15km northeast
to BBC North East and Cumbria region - 73 masts.

ITV Tyne Tees News 1.4m homes 5.4%
from Gateshead NE11 9SZ, 12km north-northeast
to ITV Tyne Tees region - 47 masts.

Self-help relays

Kieldor DamActive deflector6 homes Holiday complex
Low HaberActive deflectorWest Allen Dale, 18 kn SW Hexham caravan site
North HartlepoolTransposer84 homes

How the transmission frequencies change over time

years1950s~851984-971997-981998-20122012-132013-182013-18
aerial groupVHFC/D EC/D EC/D EC/D EC/D EW
C5BBCtv
600C33com7
C34com8
C481
700C49BBCBBBCBBBCB
C50SDNSDNSDN
C53-D
C54C4C4C4D3+4D3+4D3+4
C55+2ArqBArqBArqB
C56local
C58BBC1BBC1BBC1BBCABBCABBCA
C59+AArqAArqAArqA
800C61ITVITVITV
C62+B
C64BBC2BBC2BBC2
C65+C

orange background for multiplexes names moregreen background for transmission frequencieslilac background for power levels in watts800MHz band: 4G mobile to start in 2013700MHz band: possible 4G in 2019 more600MHz 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 12th September and 26th September 2012.

  • Ofcom have projected that a local television service for Newcastle including Gateshead, South Shields, Sunderland could use an Interleaved Frequency on the Pontop Pike transmitter using C56
  • COM7, COM8 projected for 2013-16.

Comparison of old analogue and current digital signal levels

Analogue 1-4 500kW
com7, com8, BBCA, D3+4, BBCB(-7dB) 100kW
SDN, ARQA, ARQB(-10dB) 50kW
PreDSO-BBCB*, Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D*(-17dB) 10kW

History of Channel 3 in the Pontop Pike transmitter area

• Breakfast ◊ Weekends ♦ Friday night and weekends † Weekdays only. Pontop Pike 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.


Your comments: most recent posts are at the bottom

firstFirst comments prevEarlier comments  ◊  Later commentsnext Latest commentslast

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.

Mark Fletcher
Thursday 5 July 2012 10:32PM Halifax
John Mason.4seven will be available from Pontop Pike in the early hours of Wednesday morning 26 September 2012 DSO2 once the new higher powered ArqB multiplex is switched on.
As Dave Lindsay rightfully states it will not be available presently until then.
Mark Fletcher
Thursday 5 July 2012 10:35PM Halifax
Scott Milstead.No problem whatsoever,best bet is to wait until DSO !
G. Elstob
Wednesday 11 July 2012 7:03PM
I have retuned my television ready for the change over,however I cannot receive the new channel 4 seven. Have I not done something that I should have done?
Dave Lindsay
Wednesday 11 July 2012 8:03PM
G. Elstob: 4seven is not available on Freeview areas that haven't switched. You will receive it when Pontop Pike switches in September.
Brian Easton
Thursday 12 July 2012 6:17PM
Will the signal strength be increased after the changeover?
Dave Lindsay
Thursday 12 July 2012 7:40PM
Brian Easton: Yes.
David Brown
Thursday 12 July 2012 7:47PM
I live in Upper Weardale, served by the Frosterley (Weardale) relay.Can you please inform me where I am able to find which TV and Radio channels I am likely to receive after the switchover in September. Thanking you in anticipation.
Dave Lindsay
Thursday 12 July 2012 7:57PM
David Brown: Weardale transmitter will be only carry the Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) multiplexes after switchover.

This means that it will carry BBC, ITV1, ITV1+1, ITV2, Channel 4, Channel 4+1, E4, More 4, Channel 5 and the four HD services.

For a full list of post-switchover Freeview services, see:

www.dmol.co.uk link icon http://www.dmol.co.uk/mux….php

The COMs are not broadcast from Weardale.
maria
Thursday 19 July 2012 3:37PM Bishop Auckland
i believe i receive from the frosterley sub transmitter as channel 4 is on channel 47 since the 17th july channel 4 has been disappearing (on analogue i can't receive freeview yet)it came back just now for ten minutes but has gone again, i wondered if work was being done on the transmitter? you can see the picture very faintly behind layers of horizontal lines there is no sound, but like i said it briefly came back as normal but has gone again. thanks in advance for any help.
Andrew Vincent
Wednesday 8 August 2012 3:55PM
the signal quality that I receive from channel 63 is poor and consequently I cannot view BBC HD ITV HD etc on freeview HD. all the other channels i.e. 48 55 59 65 53 and 62 are 100% quality. will the strength for channel 63 increase in september or do youj think my arial is not capable of picking up tghat one signal
Dave Lindsay
Wednesday 8 August 2012 4:36PM
Andrew Vincent: You should have better reception after switchover, no doubt. There are those who use Pontop Pike who are unable to receive the digital signals now because they aren't powerful enough; as far as HD goes you are in that bracket.

Perhaps you are only just receiving the standard definition channels and the HD one isn't quite good enough; the HD mode tends to suffer from poor reception before the standard definition ones.
Andrew Vincent
Wednesday 8 August 2012 4:55PM Newcastle Upon Tyne
So hopefully after September the signal will be stronger and I should be able to receive the HD channels without any breakup in the signal
Dave Lindsay
Wednesday 8 August 2012 5:10PM
Andrew Vincent: Based on the predictions, you at your location it is anticipated that you will have excellent reception, even now. The pre-switchover power of Pontop Pike is 20kW which is the post-switchover power of quite a few main transmitters, so it isn't "low" as such. The 20kW is the power of all standard- and high-definition multiplexes.

Perhaps it could be too high a signal level that you have, the effects of which appear the same as that of too low a signal, but affecting HD reception before any other. If you have a booster, then try removing it. If you have a booster so as to distribute the signals to more than one room, then try bypassing it, connecting the incoming aerial feed to the room feed where your HD TV is and then try watching the HD services.
Andrew Vincent
Wednesday 8 August 2012 5:39PM Newcastle Upon Tyne
the incoming feed is directly into the HD TV I dont have any other TV and I dont have a booster to remove. All other freeview channels work HD channels dont due to the signal strength of channel 63.
Andrew Vincent
Thursday 9 August 2012 1:03AM Newcastle Upon Tyne
The aerial is on the roof with only one tv connected to it a full HD TV with built in freeview HD all tv channels can be viewed except the HD ones transmitted from pontop pike on channel 63 the signal strength is low the pictures break up to give a blank screen with low signal message
Transmitter engineering
Wednesday 15 August 2012 10:59PM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Freeview HD Digital TV Weak Signal from 20:53 today [BBC]
Transmitter engineering
Thursday 16 August 2012 4:57AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Freeview HD Digital TV Weak Signal from 20:53 yesterday to 21:29 yesterday [BBC]
Transmitter engineering
Friday 17 August 2012 7:59AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Freeview HD Digital TV Weak Signal from 20:53 on 15 Aug to 21:29 on 15 Aug [BBC]
Lis Glyptis
Sunday 2 September 2012 2:38AM
31 August I lose ITV 1 ITV2 ITV3
channel 4 all chanels
Channel 5 -all chanels
Sept 1stI lost same channels

the picture is cut up distorted or blank screen

It begins about 11pm and continues through night. I have tried reseting I don't need a freeview box. My TV is a Humax digital TV It is working fine on all other chaneels.
It seems to be some kind of interference.
maybe from one of the diso nightclubs or a local radio ham.

My post code NE33 2PP
Steve
Wednesday 5 September 2012 7:43PM Chester Le Street
I live is Chester-le-street and have no signal at all, I have free view tv, but no signal and had this issue for the last two weeks, yet they say there is no problem with pontop pike.
I live in a flat with communal arial
Bryan
Friday 7 September 2012 7:44PM
At what time will the weardale transmitter be ready on the 12th and 26th. I need to travel a fair way to reset my fathers TV?
Thank You
KMJ,Derby
Friday 7 September 2012 8:05PM
Bryan: According to Digital UK it is planned to have each stage of switchover at Weardale complete by "mid-morning" on both dates.
stephen
Friday 7 September 2012 8:30PM
hello i live in sunderland and useing a 38db airal and not getting anything need help thanks
Mark Fletcher
Friday 7 September 2012 11:36PM Halifax
Stephen.We cannot really help you without your full postcode preferably,and as such as you did not provide this and for what you stated i would look up inversion effect as the cause of your difficulties.
Mark Fletcher
Friday 7 September 2012 11:38PM Halifax
Steve,Chester Le Street.I would ask your landlord/landlady to check the communal aerial if that is at fault.
Transmitter engineering
Monday 10 September 2012 10:54AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 22:39 on 08 Sep to 00:26 yesterday BBC TWO Weak Signal from 04:45 today [BBC]
Transmitter engineering
Tuesday 11 September 2012 4:54AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 22:39 on 08 Sep to 00:26 on 09 Sep BBC TWO Weak Signal from 04:45 yesterday [BBC]
Transmitter engineering
Wednesday 12 September 2012 4:55AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 00:30 today BBC ONE Weak Signal from 22:39 on 08 Sep to 00:26 on 09 Sep BBC TWO Weak Signal from 04:45 on 10 Sep to 00:30 today [BBC]
john
Wednesday 12 September 2012 11:32PM Sunderland
have tried to retune tv and freeview reset, still cant get bbc1 or bbc2 in sr6 area?
Dave Lindsay
Thursday 13 September 2012 12:34AM
john : Could you receive Freeview before the switchover yesterday? What is the make and model of your TV?
ds
Thursday 13 September 2012 4:27AM
No major issues here with switchover stage 1. Only problem was a Freeview HD STB which apparently uses first found rather than best signal when deciding which instance of any given channel gets the allocated channel number. However, it's possible to tell it to scan particular frequencies: more fiddly, but much faster than a full scan.

Also, BBCB is currently shown above with two signal strengths…
Transmitter engineering
Thursday 13 September 2012 7:57AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 00:30 yesterday BBC ONE Weak Signal from 22:39 on 08 Sep to 00:26 on 09 Sep BBC TWO Weak Signal from 04:45 on 10 Sep to 00:30 yesterday [BBC]
Transmitter engineering
Thursday 13 September 2012 4:57PM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 00:30 yesterday to 14:49 today BBC ONE Weak Signal from 22:39 on 08 Sep to 00:26 on 09 Sep BBC TWO Weak Signal from 04:45 on 10 Sep to 00:30 yesterday [BBC]
Transmitter engineering
Friday 14 September 2012 4:56AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 00:30 on 12 Sep to 14:49 yesterday BBC TWO Weak Signal from 04:45 on 10 Sep to 00:30 on 12 Sep [BBC]
Len Maughan
Friday 14 September 2012 10:41PM Sunderland
I have a Panasonic freeview HD set. After retuning I`m receiving all channels except HD. I did the retuning under the Shipping Condition mode. Communal aerial.
Transmitter engineering
Saturday 15 September 2012 7:56AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 00:30 on 12 Sep to 14:49 on 13 Sep BBC TWO Weak Signal from 04:45 on 10 Sep to 00:30 on 12 Sep [BBC]
Transmitter engineering
Saturday 15 September 2012 4:56PM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 00:30 on 12 Sep to 14:49 on 13 Sep BBC ONE Weak Signal from 14:41 today to 15:29 today BBC TWO Weak Signal from 04:45 on 10 Sep to 00:30 on 12 Sep [BBC]
Jim Johnson
Saturday 15 September 2012 10:28PM Nottingham
Len Maughan:
All Freeview HD broadcasts begin (on full power and on their final frequency) at the second stage of the switchover, 26 Sept.
As you will see at the top of this page,
Pontop Pike will be transmitting the BBCB (HD) multiplex on Channel 49.
You will not therefore be able to receive any Freeview HD programmes until you have retuned once more on
26 Sept.

Transmitter engineering
Sunday 16 September 2012 7:55AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 14:41 yesterday to 15:29 yesterday BBC ONE Weak Signal from 00:30 on 12 Sep to 14:49 on 13 Sep BBC TWO Weak Signal from 04:45 on 10 Sep to 00:30 on 12 Sep [BBC]
MR K Robson
Sunday 16 September 2012 11:18PM Sunderland
retuned hitachi 42" hd freeview tv using instructions all worked correctly until tv is switched to standby then once turned back on bbc 1,2 3 news have vanished until another retune performed and so on and so on please help very frustrated all worked perfect before update SR5 2RE Roof Aerial
ds
Sunday 16 September 2012 11:29PM
Also seeing this channel loss issue here (I-Can HD STB). Telling it to rescan on 770000MHz temporarily fixes things.

Hopefully, this is a temporary issue and will be resolved on or before the 26th.
jb38
Sunday 16 September 2012 11:38PM
MR K Robson: I would be inclined to carry out a "first time installation" rescan, as that would help overcome any possible glitches that may have occurred during the initial scan.
ds
Sunday 16 September 2012 11:54PM
… except that a full scan (replacing existing channels, or with the list already wiped) may not help. It certainly hasn't here.
Transmitter engineering
Monday 17 September 2012 4:55AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 14:41 on 15 Sep to 15:29 on 15 Sep BBC ONE Weak Signal from 00:30 on 12 Sep to 14:49 on 13 Sep [BBC]
Liz Charlton
Monday 17 September 2012 10:31PM Consett
Aerial on roof pointing to Pontop Pike. Have retuned tv and Freeview box many times. Sony Bravia tv and sony Freeview box Have no itv channel 4 or other D 3 +4 channels since switchover date
Dave Lindsay
Monday 17 September 2012 11:09PM
Liz Charlton: Carry out a manual scan of UHF channel 55 if your Bravia allows manual tuning; this is where ITV1, C4 etc is up until 26th.

Failing that, you will probably have to wait until then in order to get it back.
Transmitter engineering
Tuesday 18 September 2012 4:55AM
PONTOP PIKE transmitter - Analogue BBC ONE Weak Signal from 14:41 on 15 Sep to 15:29 on 15 Sep [BBC]
Tim Knight
Wednesday 19 September 2012 1:38PM Bishop Auckland
I have a sharp lc40le821e fed by bt vision box. I used to receive bbc and itv hd if I "switched out" of bt vision box and into freeview mode, but am now unable to receive the hd channels. Is there any reason for this? My location is DL14 6NR. Kind regards, Tim Knight.
ian chambers
Wednesday 26 September 2012 8:43PM
since the switch over on the 26th I am not getting film4 and itv4 on the arqb multiplex on c55 but I am getting the new 4seven.
Iain
Friday 28 September 2012 8:42PM Chester Le Street
On Digital 3 +4 Multiplex you have ITV1+1 listed as ITV Yorkshire but this changed to ITV Tyne Tees about 6 months ago.
John
Sunday 30 September 2012 9:59AM Morpeth
NE65 9QE (roof aerial) near Felton Northumberland
Since the switch over the reception on Channel 50- ITV 3 etc has been very poor - tolerable to non-existence.
It was perfectly OK prior to retuning.The variability suggests it is the signal, and not my set - up. Any suggestion to resolve this would be grateful.
jb38
Sunday 30 September 2012 11:07AM
John: Two points about your reception problems, the first being that the reception predictor does indicate your location with a status of "poor" as far as the reception of Pontop Pikes three commercial muxes is concerned and with this being on a permanent basis, so although predictors are not by any means 100% accurate (or anywhere near it!) this fact cannot be discounted.

The second point being that it would appear that the signal path to your location is at a very low angle whereby likely to be affected by trees and such likes, and variables seen on the signal strength / quality is nearly always (not exclusively though) caused by this sort of thing.

Do you use any form of booster? as in cases such as yours a booster can keep the signal running at a higher level whereby when it drops its still above the cut off threshold. That said though it depends on how much of a variable you get? as if its dropping from about 50% to near zero then a booster will not help.

Bilsdale at over twice the distance away as Pontop Pike does indicate superior reception of all muxes bar one ArqB, but I do have my doubts about this irrespective of what is indicated on the predictor.

Maybe you could give an update on the booster & the question on the span of the variables referred to.



Please post a question, answer or commentIf you have Freeview reception problems before posting a question your must first do this Freeview reset procedure then see: Freeview reception has changed, Single frequency interference, and Freeview intermittent interference.

If you have no satellite signal, see Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fault'

If you have other problems, please provide a full (not partial) postcode (or preferably enter it in box at the top right) and indicate where if aerial is on the roof, in the loft or elsewhere.

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