Freeview: Winter Hill (Bolton, England) Full Freeview transmitter
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Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter

Google StreetviewGoogle mapBing mapGoogle Earth53.625,-2.516 or 53°37'30"N 2°30'56"WBL6 6SL

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: D3+4
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

WINTER HILL transmitter - Over the next week Winter Hill main transmitter: TV (digital) Liable to interruption, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. Digital tick


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The symbol shows the location of the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter which serves 2,690,000 homes.

Other maps:Winter Hill DABWinter Hill AM/FMWinter Hill regionBBC North WestGranada

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.


List by multiplex|List by channel number|List by channel name|See terrain plot

Winter Hill 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.

MuxAerial positionFrequencyHeightModeWatts
PSB1
BBCA
 horizontal max
C50 (706.0MHz)726m64QAM 8K 2/3
24.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2		100,000W
Channel icons
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, 301 301, plus 12 others

PSB2
D3+4
 horizontal max
C59 (778.0MHz)726m64QAM 8K 2/3
24.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2		100,000W
Channel icons
3 ITV (Granada), 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 (Granada),

PSB3
BBCB
 horizontal max
C54- (737.8MHz)726m256QAM 32KE 2/3
40.2Mb/s DVB-T2 MPEG4		100,000W
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

COM4
SDN
 horizontal max
C58 (770.0MHz)726m64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2		100,000W
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

COM5
ArqA
 horizontal max
C49 (698.0MHz)726m64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2		100,000W
Channel icons
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

COM6
ArqB
 horizontal max
C55 (746.0MHz)726m64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2		100,000W
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

MEN
 horizontal -20dB
C57 (762.0MHz)0mQSPK 8K 1/2
6.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2		1,000W
Channel icons
51 Movies4Men, 52 Movies4Men +1, 53 Sony SAB TV Asia, 56 Capital TV, plus 2 others



Regional news from the Winter Hill transmitter


BBC North West Tonight 3.1m homes 11.7%
from Salford M50 2QH, 22km southeast
to BBC North West region - 90 masts.

ITV Granada Reports 3.1m homes 11.6%
from Salford M50 2EQ, 22km southeast
to ITV Granada region - 80 masts.

How the transmission frequencies change over time

years1956~851984-971997-981998-20092009-1310/4/13-2013-182019-
aerial groupVHFC/D EC/D EC/D EC/D EC/D EWK
C9ITV
C12BBCtv
C22SDN
C25ArqA
C28ArqB
600C31com7
C37com8
C39BBCB
C42D3+4
C45BBCA
C48C5C5
700C49 ArqAArqA
C50 BBCABBCA
C54-BBCB-BBCB-BBCB
C55BBC1BBC1BBC1ArqBArqBArqB
C56+1local
C57MENMENMEN
C58SDNSDNSDN
C59ITVITVITVD3+4D3+4D3+4
C60+C
800C61ArqA
C62BBC2BBC2BBC2BBCA
C63+D
C65C4C4C4
C66+2
C67+B
C68+A

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 4th November and 2nd December 2009.

  • Ofcom have projected that a local television service for Manchester including Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport could use an Interleaved Frequency on the Winter Hill transmitter using C56
  • Ofcom have projected that a local television service for Liverpool including St Helens, Widnes, Wigan, Wirral could use an Interleaved Frequency on the Winter Hill transmitter using C56
  • Ofcom have projected that a local television service for Preston including Blackpool could use an Interleaved Frequency on the Winter Hill transmitter using C56
  • COM7, COM8 projected for 2013-16. COM7 and COM8 to operate as Saddleworth,Storeton, Winter Hill SFN.

Comparison of old analogue and current digital signal levels

Analogue 1-4 500kW
SDN, ARQA, ARQB, com7, com8, BBCA, D3+4, BBCB(-7dB) 100kW
Analogue 5(-16dB) 12.5kW
Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D*(-17dB) 10kW
MEN(-27dB) 1000W

History of Channel 3 in the Winter Hill transmitter area

May 1956-Jul 1968Granada Television†
May 1956-Jul 1968Associated British Corporation◊
Jul 1968-Feb 2004Granada Television
Feb 2004-Dec 2014ITV plc
Feb 1983-Dec 1992TV-am•
Jan 1993-Sep 2010GMTV•
Sep 2010-Dec 2014ITV Daybreak•
• Breakfast ◊ Weekends ♦ Friday night and weekends † Weekdays only.


Your comments: most recent posts are at the bottom

  ◊  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.

Deb
Tuesday 24 October 2006 9:17PM
Over the last month the quality of channels other then BBC through freeview have been patchy and in many cases unable to view. Have just returned from a weeks holiday I can only receive the BBC channels through freeview and no others via the Winter Hill. Can any one help.
Briantist
Tuesday 24 October 2006 10:02PM
Deb: the engineering works should be complete by the end of this week (27/10). If you problems have not been resolved after 6pm on Friday, please repost.
Joe Benyon
Tuesday 24 October 2006 10:26PM Wigan
WN2 4NP Up until about 4 weeks ago I was able to receive most channels but now am unable to get the ITV group of channels (plus Channel 5, E4 and others). I have a high gain aerial which I have checked and reset. Freeview Box (Ferguson) is ok as I checked it at my parents house (they have a basic aerial and live in a bungalow) and got all my previous channels and more.
I have clear sight of the mast at Winter Hill (looks pretty with its nice new shiny lights). I have rescanned, unplugged, dusted and swore at my freeview box but I still can't get any ITV channels.

Why are the MUX2 and MUXA channel transmissions low? Is it because all the electricity is going to power the new lights on the mast?

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
Briantist
Wednesday 25 October 2006 12:18AM
Joe Benyon: there are onging engineering works on this transmitter and the power output has been reduced. If your services do not restore after the end of the work, ie, 6pm this Friday then you have a problem.
Joe Benyon
Wednesday 25 October 2006 9:31PM
Briantist: thankyou for the information.
I look forward to this Friday.
paul henney
Sunday 29 October 2006 3:13PM
Hi i have experienced the same problems as Joe Benyon. I live in Liverpool L62WB and am having problems with mux2 and mucA groups. They have worked fine for last few months and all of a sudden have disappeared. This engineering work, do you know if it has finished now. As I am still now getting the channels at all. btw its good t find a site that actually tells you what is happening, thanks.
Briantist
Sunday 29 October 2006 4:24PM
paul: Multiplex 2 and A broadcast in 64QAM mode, which makes them slightly more difficult to receive than the others. First check your cables and connectors are OK, and (if you can) that your aerial is in the optimal position.
Joe Benyon
Sunday 29 October 2006 8:53PM
As with Paul I am still missing Mux2 and MuxA. I am assuming the engineering works are not yet finished as the power is still low or very low.
Is there a way of checking when it will be complete?
Ian
Tuesday 31 October 2006 3:58PM
Joe
I'm missing MUX A and MUX B in the last few weeks (Chorley)
www.bbc.co.uk link icon BBC - Help receiving TV and Radio - Today's transmitter work now shows enginering work to 10 November
Joe Benyon
Wednesday 1 November 2006 1:57PM
Ian, sorry to hear you have the same problem. It is now getting very annoying. It is interesting that the BBC say that there is engineering work still on-going as this is the response I got from ITV - "Winter Hill (Multiplex 2 and A) is not currently operating at reduced power. The service is being radiated within nominal limits, as per usual. No transmitter work is scheduled for today at this site."

Briantist
Wednesday 1 November 2006 3:46PM
Ian: the engineering works are for analogue only at the moment.
Joe: if it worked before, can you check your cables, connectors and aerial are in good order, then try www.ukfree.tv link icon This reset procedure, and post again if that doesn't fix it.
paul henney
Wednesday 1 November 2006 6:48PM
hi mine are back on, keep comming on intermitantley. Think the weather has an effect to be honest. Have checked all connections, aerial connector in the wall (well snapped it a bit) and changed my signal booster. Think im going to need a new aerial. Its just annoying that it works fine, but as soon as it starts raining heavily or a car pulls up outside the house, i cant receive some of the most important channels. What i cant understand is why ITVs transmittor is so low when some of the other "less popular" channels have fine output.
Briantist
Wednesday 1 November 2006 8:08PM
ITV/C4 use 64QAM mode which is harder to receive and more prone to interference. They decided it was better to have more channels than a stable signal.
Keith Howard
Friday 3 November 2006 4:07PM Bury
Sir,
I have a new T.V. and have had a new aerial installed, BUT in digital mode, every minute or so, the picture freezes for a mini second. I have installed a PHILEX 2 way aerial amplifier to try to solve the problem. It has made it slightly better, but the problem is still there. I live in Bury
Briantist
Friday 3 November 2006 5:10PM
Keith: such a problem could be caused by either mains interference from a washing machine, fridge/freezer or other domestic appliance, or from a GSM mobile phone.
Marie
Monday 13 November 2006 6:51PM
I purchased a pvr from Curry's, their own brand, matsui, we lose the sound on itv and have to go up and down the channels until the sound returns, I took the set back to the store but was informed it was caused by winter hill and should be resolved within a couple of weeks, looking on your website it would appear that this info is incorrect, other freeview boxes in the house work ok, do you recommend returing the box to the store
Briantist
Tuesday 14 November 2006 1:13PM
Marie: if you are unhappy with your purchace you have every right to return it to the store and demand an immediate refund or replacment under the Sale of Goods Acts. The engineering work at Winter Hill has finished, so if your box does not work perfectly when connected to the same aerial as the other boxes in the house, I would suggest you exercise your rights to a immediate working replacement.
SHEILA
Saturday 18 November 2006 3:19PM
Daewoo has had multiple reports of itv in the winter hill region being lost to a black screen and then coming back on again about 10 seconds later. the same set is being sold all over the country but is only having problems here and in one other transmitters area.
it would appear that the transmitters are to blame or the fault would occur in other areas. do you have any comments or information?
Glenn
Saturday 18 November 2006 4:55PM
Having Freeview from four sources at home,I can confirm problems affecting ITV, C4, Five and other associated services from Winter Hill on all of them. BBC services apparently untouched.
Jo
Saturday 18 November 2006 8:09PM
I too have no sound on ITV1, I have searched forums and found that there are a variety of different set top boxes experiencing this problem. I had replaced my old freeview box for a freeview recorder recently, I never had this problem with the old freeview box and i do have another box in the house that works fine. I have read about other people with the same make freeview box as me who have taken it back to the shop and had it replaced but the new one not have sound on ITV either. I have also read that someone managed to get sound if they recorded the channel - but this doesn't work for me. I am in two minds as to whether or not i should take it back to the shop as so many different makes of freeview box are effected by the same problem and I have read that there could be problems with the transmitter.
Briantist
Sunday 19 November 2006 5:05PM
SHEILA/Glenn/Jo: I'll get onto ITV and see what more information I can find out. Can you post your postcodes please?
dave
Saturday 25 November 2006 5:33AM
I am also having trouble the past few days with winter hill reception.
BB2 and C4 analouge produce a poor picture and ITV 1 & 2 digital become unstable or the signal appears too week for the freeview decoders completely, however early in the morning all is fine ie it is now 5 32 am and all channels work perfectly on all tv and decoders
Dave
john
Saturday 25 November 2006 4:55PM
We need to upgrade our aerial to get the very best results we can.What is the very best one to get and at what height does it need to be to see winter hill. There is a a mast about 7 miles away at moly parc in north wales but it would be nice to get the granada and local BBC programmes too.Be grateful if you could shed some light on this,thanks.John
John
Saturday 25 November 2006 5:02PM Wirral
Sorry i forgot to include my postcode. Its CH48 3HF. We need to upgrade our aerial to get the very best results we can.What is the very best one to get and at what height does it need to be to see winter hill. There is a a mast about 7 miles away at moly parc in north wales but it would be nice to get the granada and local BBC programmes too.Be grateful if you could shed some light on this,thanks.John
Rik Lawn
Saturday 25 November 2006 10:14PM Chester
CH1 4QD
Had Most Freeview channels (apart from MUX's A & 2) until today, when now there is no signal on all apart from MUX 1 channels, tried reseting & re-scanin, only to get Mux 1 Channels, Whats going on with winter hill??
claire
Sunday 26 November 2006 5:44PM Manchester
My freeview has been working perfectly up until around 5 days ago. Now it alternates between being able to get bbc 1&2, and itv&ch4&ch5.

Today it got worse and half of the channels have gone even the radio ones! Ive tried rescanning but it cant find them.

Whats going on?

postcode is m15 6jx.
Mark
Tuesday 28 November 2006 10:43AM
I got a freeview set yesterday and all was ok, it found all channels etc.

This morning, I cannot get anything! The decoder seems to function, but no signal (can get a signal if I put the aerial cable back into the tv set).

Are there still works going on at WinterHill?

Mark
Briantist
Thursday 30 November 2006 11:37PM
Mark: check your cables and connectors are in good order. If they are, your box may be faulty.
Steve
Saturday 2 December 2006 10:16AM
Hi,
I have had a panasonic lcd tv for 2 years now, and most of the time when I switch on the TV I get no sound on ITV1 at all, but if i flick between channels for approx 1 min, the sound on ITV 1 appears again. it does get annoying, I have been told this is a fault with Freeview. I live in the CW4 area (Crewe)

Has any one else had these problems
Trevor Emmens
Monday 4 December 2006 10:40AM
I live outside Oldham, About 20 miles from the Winter Hill transmitter and in direct sight of the mast. Freeview reception with a Nokia set top box, and more recently a Wharfedale LCD TV with built-in Freeview, has always been good, until last weekend. On Sunday evening Dec 3, Channel 5 disappeared completely. On checking all the channels this morning, the BBC channels are fine, and the TV reports the signals as very good, but the signals on ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are very weak.
Does anyone know of ongoing engineering works or other problems at Winter Hill?
angela sayers
Tuesday 5 December 2006 10:41AM Wigan
hi my name is angela i live in wigam at wn3 5lp and my freeview box is only part received half of the channels and the box is only plugged in to a combo tv/video combined and i have no uhf areil in my extension is there any other way i can sort this out with out paying for an uhf ariel and i also went to argos and and bought and in door areil and plugged in to the back of the tv but it does nt work can u advide me what to do angela....
Tony Hopkinson
Thursday 7 December 2006 1:11PM
Postcode BB4, Winter Hill Transmitter

When I first got my Freeview LCD TV a year ago I was very pleased because it received all Channels very well at full strength without problems.

However, since the work on the Winter Hill transmitter this summer reception of the Mux 2 & A channels is either poor or non-existant.

Why is it that so called maintenance work results in a reduction of the service? Surely we should at least get the transmission quality we were getting earlier in the year, shouldn't we ?
Briantist
Saturday 9 December 2006 6:39PM
Steve: this sounds like a fault with your TV. Sadly you are out of the one-year timeframe where you can demand a immediate replacement. Your best option may be to purchace a Freeview set-top box.
Briantist
Saturday 9 December 2006 7:11PM
Trevor Emmens: there is listed work for thje transmitter on Monday - work is listed in red at the top of this page.
Briantist
Saturday 9 December 2006 8:32PM
angela sayers: reliable Freeview reception is usually only possible with a roof-top aerial.
Briantist
Saturday 9 December 2006 9:26PM
Tony Hopkinson: as multiplex 2 and A are both lower powered and use 64QAM mode, any reduction in signal level can result in no service at all. However, you should check that your cables and connectors are in good order, as the current output level of these multiplexes has returned to normal.
Andy
Thursday 14 December 2006 10:36PM
I have the exact same problem as Tony. It all worked great before the maintenance works a few months ago, and then I think it was OK for a few weeks immediately after the maintenance, but then it has been rubbish on the two weakest Muxs (2 and A) for the last few weeks and shows no sign of getting better - disappointing! I've checked all my connections, but I'm reluctant to start messing with the aerial (in the loft) since it's not been moved since it was working perfectly. I'm at South Manchester M23.
Briantist
Friday 15 December 2006 12:00AM
Andy: your best course of action is to remount the aerial on the roof, as Freeview reception is poor on the 64QAM multiplexes with loft aerials.
Peter Lyon
Friday 29 December 2006 6:48PM Rochdale
Similar to Trevor, I live in Rochdale (OL12 7GQ) and all three '5' channels disapeared in early Dec plus general reception of all channels is now incredibly poor and unwatchable. We have since changed tv to one with a built in decoder and it couldn't even find the '5' channels on initial scanning!! Our arial is brand new and all singing/dancing. This was rarely a problem before December. It does seem that there is a problem with Winter Hill. Is there any way of finding out what is going on??
Thanks
Peter Lyon
Peter Lyon
Friday 29 December 2006 7:59PM Rochdale
Similar to Trevor, I live in Rochdale (OL12 7GQ) and all three '5' channels disapeared in early Dec plus general reception of all channels is now incredibly poor and unwatchable. We have since changed tv to one with a built in decoder and it couldn't even find the '5' channels on initial scanning!! Our arial is brand new and all singing/dancing. This was rarely a problem before December. It does seem that there is a problem with Winter Hill. Is there any way of finding out what is going on?? Thanks Peter Lyon (OL127GQ)
Matt Sharples
Friday 29 December 2006 10:05PM Wrexham
some of my freeview channels have gone. I still get the prog info but no sound and picture film4 the hits, TMF, ideal world FTN,and UKtv style are all missing does anyone else have the same problem. I live in wrexham and recieve a signal from winter hill
Briantist
Saturday 30 December 2006 11:44AM
Matt Sharples: please follow the My Freeview box has no EPG, is missing Film4 or the channel line up is wrong
procedure
miss mary bishop
Friday 5 January 2007 7:37PM
hi my son is ausitic and is fascinated by winterhill and the mast after reading your article is it true it will be no longer working after 2009 its just so i can let my son down gently if need be
Briantist
Friday 5 January 2007 8:04PM
miss mary bishop: I'm not sure what makes you think it will no longer work after 2009.
James Wyllie
Tuesday 16 January 2007 11:20PM Knutsford
When I first had Freeview in WA16 9AB I had good quality pictures from all producers except Channel 5. Now it seems only a few BBC stations plus lots of rubbish is available, and your message says the quality of all 640AM stations is "Low" in this area. Does that mean I will never get a decent picture of Channel 4 or ITV stations again? I seem to have been conned! Please comment.
James
Briantist
Tuesday 16 January 2007 11:31PM
James Wyllie: The graphs at the top of the page say "Effective power graph" and reflect the power of the signal that can be received, not the quality. 64QAM mode reduces the effective strenth of the signal. See www.ukfree.tv link icon Freeview modes | ukfree.tv - get free UK television The effect is that, for the same output power the drop-off point where an insufficient signal to decode the digital signals is much closer to the transmitter for 64QAM mode. If you had the services before you should check your cables, connectors and aerial are in good order, and that you are not using a loft aerial. See www.ukfree.tv link icon Loft aerials | ukfree.tv - get free UK television
James Wyllie
Friday 19 January 2007 8:12PM Knutsford
Your response sounds like an admission that quality on MJK/Mux 2 and A will have deteriorated during the last year and the only remedy I have is to purchase and install a new aerial. My aerial is currently attached to a chimney and the connection has not changed for some years. Analogue reception of ITV1 Ch4 and 5 continues to be fine, but I miss More4, and the other ITV channels. I can obviously receive E4 through E4+1 an hour later than advertised. I believe my protest is justified by the effective withdrawal of a satisfactory service so that more junk can be added to the spectrum!
James
Steve Traynor
Saturday 20 January 2007 4:58PM Bootle
yes since December, Winter Hill signal strength on ITV1, ITV2, CH4, FIVE Has been crap. I hear lots of people are no longer able to receive
them in my area. Disgraceful service.
Briantist
Saturday 20 January 2007 5:35PM
James Wyllie: multiplexes 2 and A have broadcast in the same mode, 64QAM since 15th Nov 1998 and have been providing the same 24Mb/s since that time.

However, I am not disagreeing with the assertions being made, simply explaing how the graphs at the top of the page work.
questioner
Monday 22 January 2007 8:51AM
Sometime on Sunday 21 Jan mid afternoon I lost signal strength on my freeview. As of Monday morning the problem continues. Up till then its worked fine - even through the very poor weather and yesterday, although wet, was not windy enough I believe to cause damage to the aerial. Is anyone else experiencing current difficulty with their reception?
Jim Capper
Monday 22 January 2007 12:39PM Chester
Winter Hill (Live in Chester):
Bought digital set top box 14/12/2006. Reception poor so had digital arial installed 21/12/2006.
Poor reception throughout Christmas (pixillation in vision & stutter on sound, worse on lower strength channels).
Situation worse yet over this weekend(now have no ITV/C4 and their derivatives).
Briantist
Monday 22 January 2007 12:56PM
Jim Capper: is the aerial mounted on the roof or in the loft? www.ukfree.tv link icon Loft aerials | ukfree.tv - get free UK television. Also note that 'BBC TV Breaks/Weak signal 15/01-23/01 (Digital)' for this transmitter.



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.

UK Free TV is here to help people. If you are rude or disrespectful all of your posts will be deleted and you will be banned.







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