Full Freeview on the Oxford (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter
This transmitter has no current reported problems
The BBC and Digital UK report there are no faults or engineering work on the Oxford (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter.
Click to recheck
map is loading, please wait...
The symbol shows the location of the Oxford (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter which serves 410,000 homes.
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 plotOxford 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.
| Mux | Aerial position | Frequency | Height | Mode | Watts |
PSB1
BBCA | horizontal max | C53+ (730.2MHz) | 295m | 64QAM 8K 2/3
24.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2 | 100,000W |
| 
1 BBC One Oxford, 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 200 BBC Red Button, 700 BBC Radio 1, 701 BBC 1Xtra, 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 6 Music, 708 BBC Radio 4 Extra, 709 BBC Asian Network, 710 BBC World Service,
|
PSB2
D3+4 | horizontal max | C60- (785.8MHz) | 295m | 64QAM 8K 2/3
24.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2 | 100,000W |
| 
3 ITV (Central (South micro region)), 4 Channel 4 South ads, 5 Channel 5 Part Network ads, 6 ITV 2, 13 Channel 4+1 South ads, 14 More 4, 28 E4, 33 ITV +1 (Central west),
|
PSB3
BBCB | horizontal max | C57 (762.0MHz) | 295m | 256QAM 32KE 2/3
40.2Mb/s DVB-T2 MPEG4 | 100,000W |
| 
101 BBC One HD (England no regional news), 102 BBC Two HD (England), 103 ITV HD (ITV Central West), 104 Channel 4 HD South ads, plus 1 others 232 The Space,
|
COM4
SDN | horizontal -3dB | C62 (802.0MHz) | 295m | 64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2 | 50,000W |
| 
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 Mail Travel TV, Bluebird 1, ADULT Playboy, 16 QVC, 23 Bid TV, 49 The Jewellery Channel, 170 ADULT Section, 171 Television X, 180 XxXpanded TV, 201 Teletext Hols, 202 Rabbit, 203 Gay Rabbit, 204 1-2-1 Dating, 228 Christian, 229 CONNECT 2, 230 VISION2, 234 CONNECT 4, 235 God TV, 236 Sony SAB TV Asia, 724 Capital FM, 727 Absolute Radio, 728 Heart,
|
COM5
ArqA | horizontal -3dB | C59- (777.8MHz) | 319m | 64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2 | 50,000W |
| 
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 36 Create and Craft, 37 Price Drop TV, 43 Gems TV 1, 173 ADULT smileTV3, 175 ADULT PARTY, 176 ADULT Blue, 177 Babestation Xtra, 206 SkyText, 723 talkSPORT,
|
COM6
ArqB | horizontal -3dB | C55 (746.0MHz) | 319m | 64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2 | 50,000W |
| 
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 Kerrang!, 22 Ideal World, 35 QVC Beauty, 40 Rocks and Co 1, 55 Argos TV, 172 ADULT smileTV2, 174 Babestation, 199 ADULT Section, 225 VISION, 226 CCTV, 227 Sports, 231 Racing TV , 306 Channel Zero, 711 The Hits radio, 712 Smash Hits!, 713 Kiss, 714 heat, 715 Magic, 716 Q, 718 Smooth radio, 725 Premier Radio,
|
Regional news from the Oxford transmitter
How the transmission frequencies change over time
| years | 1950s~85 | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2011 | 2011-13 | 29/5/13- | 2013-18 | |
| aerial group | VHF | C/D E | C/D E | W | C/D E | C/D E | W | |
| C2 | BBCtv | | | | | | | |
| C29 | | | | D | | | | |
| 600 | C31 | | | | | | | com7 | |
| C34 | | | | 1 | | | | |
| C37 | | | | | | | com8 | |
| C48 | | | | C | | | | |
| 700 | C49 | | | C5 | C5 | | | | |
| C50 | | | | | | SDN | SDN | |
| C51 | | | | -A | | | local | |
| C52 | | | | -B | | | | |
| C53 | | C4 | C4 | C4 | +BBCA | +BBCA | +BBCA | |
| C55 | | | | | ArqB | ArqB | ArqB | |
| C57 | | BBC1 | BBC1 | BBC1 | BBCB | BBCB | BBCB | |
| C59 | | | | | -ArqA | -ArqA | -ArqA | |
| C60 | | ITV | ITV | ITV | -D3+4 | -D3+4 | -D3+4 | |
| 800 | C62 | | | | | SDN | | | |
| C63 | | BBC2 | BBC2 | BBC2 | | | | |
| C68 | | | | 2 | | | | |
| 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 WItalics for
analogue, digital switchover was Wednesdays 14th September and 28th September 2011.
- Ofcom have projected that a local television service for Oxford including Abingdon, Didcot could use an Interleaved Frequency on the Oxford transmitter using C51
- 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 | |
| Analogue 5 | (-11dB) 40kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2* | (-17dB) 10kW | |
| Mux C*, Mux D* | (-18dB) 8kW | |
| Mux A*, Mux B* | (-19.2dB) 6kW | |
History of Channel 3 in the Oxford transmitter area
• Breakfast ◊ Weekends ♦ Friday night and weekends † Weekdays only. Oxford 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
First comments 
Earlier comments ◊ Later comments
Latest comments
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.
RachelThursday 16 September 2010 11:37PM
So Thursday has been and gone, no improvement in signal strength so I presume the new transmitter hasn't been switched on. Why am I not surprised. And as usual no news from anyone official on why there seems to be a further delay, just the same useless repeated announcement (above) from Transmitter engineering :-(mnewtonThursday 16 September 2010 11:44PM
Signal will be lower in strength now.
We will probably have to adjust our arials if we can get a reception. So thats £80.
I bet sky love all the extra trade this has caused.OXFORD transmitter - Over the next week Oxford main transmitter: TV (analogue) Possible weak signal, TV (digital) Possible weak signal, Radio (analogue) working normally, Radio (digital) working normally. [DUK] RachelFriday 17 September 2010 10:56AM
Is it all over? I got a new aeriel when it became apparent that this work was going on for so long, as I had lost all MUX 2 channels. With my new ariel I have been getting all my channels, including MUX 2. On Wednesday evening all channels signal strength fell to the point where MUX 2 became unreliable, and levels have stayed low since. I sincerely hope the work hasn't been completed as my signals are now lower than pre-feb. when I had a substandard aeriel:-(BillFriday 17 September 2010 12:02PM
Leighton Buzzard At last I have most of the channels back.
96 instead of just a handful. Not sure about these ADULT channels though, and one called CHANNEL ZERO?
Roll on March 2011 for the power increase.
RachelFriday 17 September 2010 12:37PM
Adam. Yes UK Digital does indeed contradict itself, so I phoned them. They assured me that all work is now complete. It would seem after consulting them and my aeriel fitter, that I now need to have the aeriel amplifier I had fitted with my new aeriel removed, "because the signals are so strong now", as I live only 5 miles from the transmitter!
Bill: why don't you create a favourites list and you need never scroll through channels you don't want anymore?mnewtonFriday 17 September 2010 1:14PM
So that all means i need to either buy a sat dish or move to oxford. This is infuriating.Adam BFriday 17 September 2010 1:26PM
Dunstable Rachel: Many thanks for the info. I hope your problem is cured by the removal of the amplifier.
Regards,
Adam. mnewton: I have no idea why you say that. BillFriday 17 September 2010 2:48PM
Leighton Buzzard Rachel: Thanks, I will create a favourite list, but I'll have to have a good view of each channel first, just in case I might like some of them. ;o)
The shopping channels will be the first to be dropped, then the TopUpTv ones.
Dave will stay! (Not the Tory one I hope).
mnewton: What's your postcode?AngelaFriday 17 September 2010 6:23PM
Dont move to Oxford for a better reception. I live there and it has made absolutely no difference.I still dont have all the channels I had before Feb. MarkSaturday 18 September 2010 7:01AM
I live in Sandford-on-Thames, just 8 miles from the Oxford transmitter, and I have been without ITV1, ITV2, Channel 4, Five, etc. since February. I complained to DIgitalUK, ITV, Channel 4, Five, and Arqiva, and got passed between them all. Responses ranged from 'we are not aware of a problem' to what became more widely reported, and I gradually discovered, along with others, that there is absolutely nothing we can do if we lose anything but BBC1 and 2. A local aerial company confirmed that my aerial was fine. This morning, after 7 months without these channels, I tried retuning again and found that all the stations appear to be back!Mark: Yes, that sounds correct. Multiplex 2's 64QAM mode causes it to be the most likely candidate for loss when the signal was lowered for the installation of the new equipment. mstSaturday 18 September 2010 10:40AM
Oxford's Mux 2 is also on UHF 68 almost the highest possible frequency/ shortest wavelength so seems more susceptible to attenuation due to weather/trees/aerial roll-off etc. Oxford also has a crazy frequency allocation also using UHF 29 testing the other end of your wideband aerial system - and as you can see in the table above its still going to be C29 to C62 after DSO, although only the "new MUX8" will be out of the older analogue TV aerial band.
Pre-February I had full signal strength and quality on all muxes - I don't have now, but may need to get things re-aligned - to get decent picture from Channels on Mux 2 my external aerial is currently pointing a different direction to others in my street.
Note that digiboxes all report signal strength/ quality in different ways - and even the twin tuners in my Topfield 5800 report different numbers. The displayed signal strength does not change significantly if put a 10dB attenuator in line - so I suspect "signal" is actually SNR, and quality related to decoded Bit Error rate - when picture is unwatchable both figures are unstable suggesting it can't measure SNR if not locked onto the carrier.Howie BSaturday 18 September 2010 11:33AM
Heavens above, what is all the fuss about. Here at OX9 3-- even after the fire my Pana box signal bars were at 100% on all muxs (except ch68 on 90%).And that's using a squitty little group A loft aerial. Now everything is at 100% so someone's done something right over at beckley towers! Just one quick query. Is DSO at Oxford really 31 March 2011; I'm sure I read somewhere it's now October or even November 2011?ray sharpSaturday 18 September 2010 12:45PM
oxford seem to be playing cat and mouse one day full power next day reduced power by the way march 2011 dso starting with bbc2 analouge being turned off i live in aylesbury and recieve the beckley signaljonSaturday 18 September 2010 2:46PM
i live in aylesbury and since wednesday 15th sep i have had massive issues with the tv reception! before wed i had perfect on every channel, now all the itv channels, all the channel 4 channels have squares all over the screen and suffer from massive interference. my tv is reporting that signal strength is 100% but quality is only 10%, before wed morning both were close to 100%. Why has this happened?!?MattSaturday 18 September 2010 3:02PM
Oxford Hi, I live in Botley (just 6 miles from Oxford transmitter). When the work started on the transmitter in Feb I lost alot of the channels, in particular major ones like ITV, Ch4, Ch5. More than 6 months later I still cannot get these channels, though I reinstall the channels about once a week, ever hopeful there will have been a change. My understanding is there should no longer be a problem, but it seems to me I'm not going to get these channels back. I'm absolutely at my wits end with this, I have no idea what to do about it, who to complain to etc. It's utterly unacceptable to lose major channels for such a long time. I would appreciate any advice/suggestions, thanks.mstSaturday 18 September 2010 4:10PM
@jon - your signal could now be too strong - are you using an amp - or can fit an attenuator?
@Matt - check with your neighbours, could be problem with your aerial/cabling - just coincidence with timing?
But results are strange - I'm 4 miles west of it and signal not as strong as before February as well - have they put the transmitter the right way round?jonSaturday 18 September 2010 5:00PM
hhmmm its a shared aerial i live in a brand new block of flats, if its the signal quality and not the strength do you think an attenuator will help, further up the list other people seem to be having issues to? do you think its the type of aerial we have? would it be worth trying a high gain internal aerial?RachelSaturday 18 September 2010 6:56PM
"Heavens above, what is all the fuss about.............
Posted by Howie B (2 posts) on Saturday 18 September 2010"
Howie B, if you have read this entire thread you will see that alot of people have been without major channels for a very long time. Some including myself have spent money trying to improve matters, sometimes sucessful, sometimes not. I think you should sympathise not tell us we are making a fuss, count yourself lucky that you have been unaffected.Howie BSaturday 18 September 2010 9:15PM
Rachel. I'm old enough to remember when I was a kid in Manchester in the late 1950's. My old man wouldn't invest in a band III VHF aerial to get Granada and BBC1 North West from Winter Hill. We had to put up with BBC from Holme Moss on band 1, channel 2, most of whose output was in Welsh anyway! The only saving grace was the picture was cracking.....except when a plane went over, which in my part of the city was about very 5 minutes! Nos da, ffach!Howie BSaturday 18 September 2010 10:03PM
Also, back in the 60's I used to write to Ronan O Rahilly to complain about reception of Radio Caroline after dark when it was swamped by a load of foreign interference. Radio 1 was always unlistenable in Oxford on 247 meters and it disappeared completely when Radio Tirana switched on at 6pm every night. Letters of complaint to the Albanian government went unanswered as you would expect.RachelSaturday 18 September 2010 11:33PM
Howie B: I don't think that your experience of radio and tv in the 1950s and 60s has any relavance to the problems some of us have been having recently. You are assuming that I am too young to have lived in an era of leaner radio and tv, you are wrong. I think the difficulty most of us had was that in this day and age we have all come to expect more than just two tv channels and radio reception that is not affected by pirate stations. The other issue here is that there was no notice of the initial work and very little information during the work. There is no excuse for that since communcation has come on alot since carrier pigeons and morse code!Howie BSunday 19 September 2010 10:54AM
Rachel. A couple of points here. No-one has an automatic (or even a legal) right to perfect tv and radio reception . The broadcaster is responsible for dealing with the fire and resulting low power from Beckley .I imagine he was too busy fixing the problem to answer the deluge of emails and phone calls. Now it's fixed, what happens to that signal once it's left beckley is not his problem. Much of freeview's output seems to consist of soft porn and shopping channels. There is the odd gem, granted but it's as rare as a pork pie at a bahmitzvah. After DSO is complete I reckon the license fee will go and you'll need yet another set top box and viewing card to watch the beeb. Morse? Now that WAS a gem of a tv show!Andy HSunday 19 September 2010 11:25AM
It seems, having read all the threads here, that the only answer is to be 'terribly British' and spend the next 12 months 'fiddling, fannying and fussing' combined with the occasional thumping of non-responsive digital equipment in the hope that channels might miraculously reappear. No-one seems to know what is going on. Still, I've got plenty of dvd's - Morse included. Must dash - off to kick my digibox.mstSunday 19 September 2010 11:26AM
@Jon - if its a communal aerial setup to work while the TX on low power since February (Ignore the May firework that was just when testing the new main), then you need a visit from the installer/maintainer to adjust the levels.
Communal systems normally selectively amplify and balance the signals for distribution - sounds like it needs to be redone, and will have to again during DSO changes next year.RachelSunday 19 September 2010 12:24PM
Howie: I know I have no legal right to perfect TV or Radio, but once you have had it for some years, it is difficult not to be frustrated if it is taken away. Imagine the mayhem if suddenly we were not allowed cars and all had to go back to horses and carts! [Maybe you remember them ;)]I'm also pretty sure that the person responsible for public relations is not the same person up the mast fixing things, so I still believe there is no excuse for the poor communication to the public at large. As for the soft porn and shopping channels, just don't put them on your favourites list. At least we do agree on one thing, Morse was indeed a good show!James HoustonSunday 19 September 2010 12:50PM
So it's back to normal then. I'm in West Oxfordshire and still have no ITV channels, it worked better before they 'fixed' it. The sad thing is the very poor communication from anyone associated with transmission, in most other walks of life they would be sacked. Please, please just give us some factual information for once, like when we will get the standard of signal before repair work commenced.Howie BSunday 19 September 2010 12:58PM
I along with millions of others had lots of great radio stations to listen to in the 1960's because the beeb couldn't or wouldn't provide us with what we wanted. Then along came the Labour government and took them all away with the Marine Offences Act in the so called summer of love 1967. We got our own back at the ballot box in 1970 and commercial radio was ours. Surveying the broadcasting scene today I wonder if we did the right thing back then! I do remember the horse and cart -our coalman had one and all us kids used to follow it with a shovel so our mums' rosebushes would grow.RachelSunday 19 September 2010 2:13PM
"....it worked better before they 'fixed' it. The sad thing is the very poor communication from anyone associated with transmission, in most other walks of life they would be sacked. Please, please just give us some factual information for once, like when we will get the standard of signal before repair work commenced.Posted by James Houston (1 post) on Sunday 19 September 2010"
Here, here!ashchalpalSunday 19 September 2010 2:42PM
Swindon Rachel
Have you tryed using your 'pre-digital age' loft aeriel if your new aeriel amplifier needs removing?
Our signals both dropped on the same day and mine are now back to what thery were in Febuary and i have done nothing to my aeriel other than waiting.RachelSunday 19 September 2010 2:59PM
ashchapal: you have a point, the aeriel fitter is coming tomorrow, I will see what he thinks, although my pre-digital loft aeriel was never supposed to be able get freeview, I guess we were just lucky!
I think we will probably stick with the new roof top one minus ampifier, as I don't think this is the end of the story. We still have DSO with retuning etc... next Spring to come, goodness knows what that will bring!!lee taylorSunday 19 September 2010 4:26PM
well....I have several digital recievers inthe house...the newest (which must have the best amplifier in it) actualy managet fo find itv and c4!!!!!! we were over joied!!! then when we turned them on to look at them they were unwatchable....I agree with the previous poster...it was better before they fixed it! I can now pick up a load of adult channels i dont realy want (not saying i dont disoprove of them I just would rather have the itv and c4 channels I had before they changed everythingHowie BSunday 19 September 2010 4:48PM
Final comment before Briantist bars me from here. Remember, all of you, DON'T expect the TRUTH from the PR department of ANY organisation. Oh and according to uk digital the DSO date for Beckley is NOT 30th March, 2011. Well, that's what their PR department are saying at any rate (!) If you were living in West Oxfordshire and your name was Cameron, perhaps things would be different now but I imagine the freeview signal from Crystal Palace at Downing Street is superb, plus they get Freeview HD. If my memory serves me right, Oxford was one of the FIRST areas to get colour back in 1969.Mike MoldSunday 19 September 2010 4:53PM
Howie B's original query has so far gone unanswered, that he had read somewhere that DSO at Oxford TX has been put back to October or November of next year.
I also have come across this speculation on another forum, does anybody have a definative answer to this question?RachelSunday 19 September 2010 5:59PM
I have just scoured the UK digital website and as I understand it, Central TV region starts DSO on March 30th 2011, but within this region there are 9 different transmitter groups each served by a main transmitter. It looks like Oxford is due to switch over "late 2011"
If you wish to read more try:-
http://www.digitaluk.co.u….pdf NottsUKSunday 19 September 2010 6:32PM
Howie B: If my memory serves me right all three TV channels, BBC 1, BBC 2 and ITV, started transmitting in colour in November 1969. Before then for maybe 18 months there was a colour test transmission only on BBC 2. The first FA Cup match to be shown in colour was in 1968 between West Bromwich Albion and Everton. I remember seeing it in a Co-op electrical shop. Where I live these transmissions were coming from Sutton Coldfield. My favourite test transmission on BBC 2 was the round Britain power boat race.Andy HSunday 19 September 2010 7:34PM
Well, just harking back to my one lonely post this morning about fussing and fannying about, I have just finished doing so in the loft - tweaked the ariel position, rechecked all cables and connections, retuned as per first time installation and...I now have all channels at full strength. Back to normal at last. Good luck to all of you still struggling and here's hoping you will all be back to normal asap.BoagongruiSunday 19 September 2010 10:48PM
Oxford Disconnect the booster worked f
or my Freeview box
but not for my computer
TV dongleBoagongruiSunday 19 September 2010 10:51PM
Oxford Disconnect the booster worked
for my Freeview box
but not for my computer
TV dongleMike DimmickSunday 19 September 2010 10:55PM
Reading Rachel: the requirement is set out in the multiplex operators' licences to operate. The switchover process in the former Central ITV region is supposed to be complete by the end of September 2011.
At one stage, in 2006, it was planned to do Oxford in March, before Waltham, The Wrekin, Ridge Hill, etc. I'm not sure what changed, but the plan is now to do Nottingham first, starting on 30 March, then Lark Stoke, Bromsgrove, The Wrekin and Ridge Hill starting on 6 April.
It may be that Oxford has been left until later because it now operates as part of ITV Meridian's western news region, rather than Central. The historical Meridian region doesn't start switchover until 2012.RachelMonday 20 September 2010 9:50AM
The further away DSO in Oxford the better (which no doubt will cause more unheaval), I have my aeriel fitter here now and he has found that the signal with the amplifier is too strong, so has removed it. He is now having to move the aeriel to get a decent signal without it!
I sincerely don't believe that everything is back to pre-Feb.strength now.RachelMonday 20 September 2010 10:32AM
My big outdoor aeriel is now removed as it was picking up too much signal and interference, since Wednesday's switch back. I now have a medium sized (but still alot bigger than my original!) loft aeriel which will not pick up interference, plus the amplifier is back to ensure the signal is strong enough! Right now I have good signal strength and pictures on all channels. Here's hoping it lasts!!KaitlinTuesday 21 September 2010 3:20AM
Im now on my 9th day without tv due to the transmitter at Oxford undergoing repairs. It was supposed to be ready for normal transmission last Thursday, then Monday and now? My aerial is a communal one, erected by Swindon Borough Council 4 years ago. Since the fire last May at the Oxford Transmitter, we have had up to three days at a time without tv but this is the longest time ever, what on earth is happenning. Its only us pensioners and those with very small ( expensive ) children, who cant afford Sky or Virgin tv, so its us who have nothing to do except wonder whats happenning and when we can watch tv again.
Smart TV failing the connectivity t…
Local TV Association elects chair -…
BBC may charge Sky for content as r…
BT Tower is just a relic? Wrong: It…
Company behind Bid and Price Drop s…
Ariel - BBC Trust: Online must impr…
Google TV: silent but not forgotten…
The quality of live subtitling Impr…
http://help.digitaluk.co.…7434
Freeview modes | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice . 
Oxford Transmitter
Show: 
