Freeview: Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) full-Freeview transmitter
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Freeview on the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter

Google StreetviewGoogle mapBing mapGoogle Earth50.677,-1.369 or 50°40'35"N 1°22'7"WPO30 4HT

4G at 800MHz (at800) Freeview reception issues

When 800MHz 4G mobile broadband services start there will be 2 multiplexes in the higher risk range (C21-23, C30, C59-60): C22: ArqA, C21: BBCB
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 Rowridge transmitter which serves 620,000 homes.

Other maps:Rowridge DABRowridge AM/FMRowridge regionBBC SouthMeridian (South Coast micro region)

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.

Rowridge 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
 vertical
 horizontal
Maximum
Maximum		64QAM 8K 2/3
24.1Mb/s
DVB-T MPEG2		200,000
200,000
Channel icons
1 BBC One South, 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 C24 (498.0MHz) from 320m datum.
PSB2
D3+4
 vertical
 horizontal
Maximum
Maximum		64QAM 8K 2/3
24.1Mb/s
DVB-T MPEG2		200,000
200,000
Channel icons
3 ITV (Meridian (South Coast 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 (Meridian south coast),
• as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C27 (522.0MHz) from 320m datum.
PSB3
BBCB
 vertical
 horizontal
Maximum
Maximum		256QAM 32KE 2/3
40.2Mb/s
DVB-T2 MPEG4		200,000
200,000
Channel icons
101 BBC One HD (England no regional news), 102 BBC Two HD (England), 103 ITV HD (ITV Meridian Southampton), 104 Channel 4 HD South ads, plus 1 others
• as a digital multiplex transmitted on frequency C21+ (474.2MHz) from 320m datum.
COM4
SDN
 vertical
 horizontal
Maximum
Low		64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s
DVB-T MPEG2		200,000
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 C25 (506.0MHz) from 299m datum.
COM5
ArqA
 vertical
 horizontal
Maximum
Low		64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s
DVB-T MPEG2		200,000
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 C22+ (482.2MHz) from 302m datum.
COM6
ArqB
 vertical
 horizontal
Maximum
Low		64QAM 8K 3/4
27.1Mb/s
DVB-T MPEG2		200,000
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 C28 (530.0MHz) from 302m datum.


Regional news from the Rowridge transmitter


BBC South Today 1.3m homes 4.9%
from Southampton SO14 7PU, 26km north
to BBC South region - 39 masts.

ITV Meridian News 0.8m homes 3.2%
from Whiteley PO15 7AD, 24km north-northeast
to ITV Meridian (South Coast) region - 36 masts.

Self-help relays

Portsmouth DocksTransposer2 km N city centre50 homes Estimate. Group of houses'

How the transmission frequencies change over time

years1950s~851984-971997-981998-20122012-132013-182013-182019-
aerial groupVHFA KA KA KA KA KA KA K
C3BBCtv
C21C4C4C4+BBCB+BBCB+BBCBBBCB
C22+ArqA+ArqA+ArqASDN
C24BBC2BBC2BBC2BBCABBCABBCAD3+4
C25SDNSDNSDNArqA
C27ITVITVITVD3+4D3+4D3+4BBCA
C28+BArqBArqBArqBArqB
C30-Alocal
600C31BBC1BBC1BBC1com7
C32+2
C33+D
C341
C37+Ccom8

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 7th March and 21st March 2012.

  • Ofcom have projected that a local television service for Southampton including Eastleigh, Fareham, parts of Isle of Wight, parts of Portsmouth, Winchester could use an Interleaved Frequency on the Rowridge transmitter using C30
  • COM7, COM8 projected for 2013-16. COM7 and COM8 to operate as Midhurst,Rowridge VP, Salisbury SFN.
  • COM7, COM8 projected for 2013-16.

Comparison of old analogue and current digital signal levels

Analogue 1-4 500kW
COM4||, COM5||, COM6||, com7≡, com7||, com8||, com8≡, PSB1≡, PSB1||, PSB2≡, PSB2||, PSB3≡, PSB3||(-4dB) 200kW
COM4≡, COM5≡, COM6≡(-10dB) 50kW
Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D*(-14dB) 20kW

History of Channel 3 in the Rowridge transmitter area

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


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.

Des Ewers
Monday 2 January 2006 2:42PM
I have a W antenna with integral booster. I get 45 digital free view channels with average signal strength of 70% and average quality of 90%, however, can't get ITV 1 or Chan 4. Any ideas???

Des Ewers
Pimperne Dorset
Briantist
Monday 2 January 2006 3:19PM
Try removing or disabling the integral booster, they are generally not suited to digital reception.
Stewart Russell
Monday 10 April 2006 7:23PM
When we fir-- saw the ad--rts fo- -he new dig--al signal, it wa- sold t- -s as offe---g no int-rf----ce com--red -- the ol- ana----ue si---l.

Well, th- Rowr---- ---nal we ge- -t PO7 6-- has rec--tly be-- br--ki-- up wi-h irr--at--g reg---rity.

Do I g-- a disc---t on -- -V lic---e?
Briantist
Monday 10 April 2006 8:16PM
LOL. I would check that your aerial has not been moved or damaged by wind or weather first!
Briantist
Tuesday 18 April 2006 3:20PM
The reason for the problems with the ITV/C4 multiplex is the transmission mode, see: www.ukfree.tv link icon Freeview modes
Dave Oman
Thursday 4 May 2006 12:19AM
I have an integrated digital TV, an aerial booster, and have upgraded to a digital aerial. I can now receive all of the BBC channels and most other channels with quality 9... except for the ITV channels and CH4 - where the reception quality fluctuates all the time between 0 and 4, and CH5 where I can't get any reception at all!

Can anyone advise why the BBC quality is always 9 - whatever the outside conditions - yet the ITV/CH4 reception fluctuates all of the time and I cannot get CH5 at all?

Briantist
Thursday 4 May 2006 10:39AM
Dave, as ITV/C4 and five/QVC broadcast using 64QAM mode. please see www.ukfree.tv link icon Freeview transmission modes. You probably need a class I digital aerial.
dave
Thursday 18 May 2006 8:42PM
hi,

doesanyonw know if you can pick up freeview in christchurch (near bournemouth)

i have been on the dtt site but it says i cant get multiplex1?

seems stange as im so close to the transmitter? www.dtg.org.uk link icon http://www.dtg.org.uk/...
Briantist
Saturday 20 May 2006 8:36AM
Please goto the Uk free checker at UK Free Freeview coverage.
Mike Thomas
Tuesday 23 May 2006 12:13AM
I am living abroad and want to know how my digital receiver will behave in the UK. I am planning on camping on Hayling Island, which is well inside the Rowridge Freeview area. Is there anyone out there on Hayling who will share their experiences?
I am also confused, is freeview free or not? On the freeview site it mentions something about a once-only start up fee. On other sites there is no mention of any fees.
Mike Thomas, Denmark
Briantist
Tuesday 23 May 2006 8:25AM
You can view the Freeview reception information by clicking here: www.ukfree.tv link icon Freeview reception on Haling Island. The only charge for Freeview is buying a box (and new roof-mounted wideband aerial), there is no other charges.
Dave Oman
Friday 2 June 2006 12:39AM
Following on from my previous comment and your reply ... I have a class 1 aerial!

The ITV/CH4 reception has been between 7 and 9 for the last 2 weeks - then suddenly dropped to between 0 and 1... have you any idea what may have caused this wild fluctuation? [The BBC reception is still on 9???].
Briantist
Friday 2 June 2006 11:41AM
The ITV/C4 multiplex is in 64QAM mode and is more suseptable to interference. The "signal quality" indicators in most set-top boxes are quite random in their meaning unfortunatly. See www.ukfree.tv link icon  Freeview modes
Angela Ramsell
Monday 30 October 2006 10:02AM
How do I find out if there is a problem with the Rowridge transmitter as the reception for all ITV programmes has been very poor since yesterday afternoon (29 October 2006)?
Briantist
Monday 30 October 2006 11:35AM
Angela: any known engieering work is shown at the top of each transmitter's page, but only the BBC make this information aviliable online.
Mike
Thursday 9 November 2006 12:38PM
I have a Freecom DVB-T USB stick connected to my PC. It has been working fine for many months. I stopped getting reception for the four BBC programmes on the same MUX, frequency 490MHz. All other MUXs programmes were fine. I checked with my TV Freeview set top box. BBC progs were fine there.
I tried a rescan but no success. Tried again this morning, same problem. Tried again this afternoon. All OK. Does anyone have any idea what has been happening?
1. A BBC service problem?
2. A problem with my Freecom DVB-T USB stick?

TIA

Mike
Briantist
Thursday 9 November 2006 12:43PM
The problem is probably related to interference caused by www.ukfree.tv link icon  The Inversion Effect. The USB sticks are more prone to interference effects than set top boxes.
Mike
Thursday 9 November 2006 2:04PM
Briantist
Thank you for the link to The Inversion Effect.
I am in a weak reception area and www.freeview.co.uk link icon Freeview - Welcome to free TV land states that "Freeview cannot currently be received in your postcode area."
Not true.
In addition there are tall trees between my aerial and the Rowbridge transmitter
I get a good uninterrupted signal when there is no wind and rain.

Roll on switchover from analog to digital for strong signals.

Mike
Briantist
Friday 10 November 2006 11:15AM
Mike: please use www.ukfree.tv link icon OUR Freeview prediction system, it is 100% independent of the Freeview one. I can't be held responsible for Freeview's!
William
Saturday 11 November 2006 5:37PM
In my experience in Poole you can not get any Freeview at all regardless of where you point your aerial, not a jot.
Briantist
Saturday 11 November 2006 6:17PM
You can in Branksome, by pointing at Rowridge.
David
Monday 13 November 2006 11:24AM Ventnor
I live in Chale IW PO38 2JN. Rowridge is 5m north of here and I can see it from my window. I get an excellent analogue signal but according to the "official" site, no Freeview. When I last tried a digibox there were a few stations but no main ones.

I have been told that the digital signal to the south of Rowridge has been blanked off to prevent interference to French stations. Is this situation likely to change befare (or even after) switchover?
Briantist
Tuesday 14 November 2006 1:24PM
David: it is also possible that you don't have a wideband aerial and that your existing aerial is blocking the channels.
David
Monday 27 November 2006 10:11PM Ventnor
I have tried again (from PO38 2JN) on a borrowed box and wideband aerial - absolutely zilch. The Curry's man who supplied the box wasn't surprised - said something about being within French military airspace. "Official" site (linked from BBC) still says "not available yet" Does anyone know who I can write to to find why we are being denied a signal and when it might change?
Briantist
Thursday 30 November 2006 11:32PM
David: French miliary airspace has to be the most airheaded excuse I have ever heard. You could try pointing a wideband aerial due north (from your postcode) on a long pole to get a signal from the Hannington transmitter.
Jon
Friday 1 December 2006 12:07PM
Last week I lost reception for all ITV and C4 related channels (inc E4, More4 etc), & Channel 5. I have not experienced this to date, is there a specific problem with the Rowridge transmitter for these channels? All BBC are fine. There isn't even a faint signal registering, just a blank screen and "No Signal" registering in the OSD.
Briantist
Friday 1 December 2006 1:09PM
There are no reported works on this transmitter, please try the www.ukfree.tv link icon My Freeview box has no EPG, is missing Film4 or the channel line up is wrong procedure, and if this does not fix the problem check your cables, connectors and aerial are in good order.
john
Monday 11 December 2006 12:01PM
I have a TELEVE DAT75 aerial with booster and and CAT100 cable - BH193EU. I get BBC from Rowlidge at 9-10 but all ITV channels vary from zero to 9 and break-up which makes them unwatchable. Are the broadcast power levels different, will the power levels increase between now and switchover or after?
Briantist
Monday 11 December 2006 3:38PM
john: the ITV and Channel 4 channels are carried on multiplex 2 which is broadcast in '64QAM' mode, which is OK for reception close to the transmitter, but is more prone to interference and no-service problems slightly futher away from the transmitter, where those multiplexes that broadcast in '16QAM' mode. Do you have a masthead amplifier or a booster by the TV set? If the booster is by the set, try removing it from the set-up, as boosters can often raise the interference levels more than the digital signal.
Matthew Wood
Saturday 23 December 2006 11:59AM
Last night (22nd December 2006), all channels disappeared from my Freeview box. I have re-scanned using two different boxes, and also tried tuning in an analogue TV. The latter picks up a very feint picture; one Freeview box detects nothing; the other Freeview box gets BBC 1 and 2, but the signal is weak and unusable. Could this really be due to atmospheric conditions (high pressure, fog, etc)? I have tried again this morning with the same results. Does anyone have any ideas?

I did think that perhaps my aerial RF signal booster had packed in, but I experimented with the analogue TV reception. Unplugging the booster caused the picture to disappear altogether, suggesting that the booster is at least doing something!
Briantist
Saturday 23 December 2006 12:11PM
Matthew Wood: what is your postcode? It is hard to say what is wrong without knowing where you are. It sounds like your aerial may have moved, as sudden total failure on all multiplexes is unusual.
Alan Darcy
Monday 25 December 2006 5:38PM
Hi
I purchased my original DTV box (NetGem)several years ago - and till recently it has been receiving all the signals acceptably, (postcode SP52DP). - Periodically I have retuned as more channels have been made available.

However, approx 6-8 weeks ago, I started experiencing loss of the ITV channels - either continually breaking-up or unavailable. - Thought at first it may be local interference, but see the problem at all times night & day.
(The BBC channels are all still fine though !)

Now can only watch ITV / Channel4 on analogue (this isn't great as the analogue transmitter power has been reduced over the years - in preparation for Digital TV !).

My question is what has happened in the last couple of months to cause this problem.
Is there ongoing engineering work ?
Were the ITV channels always 64QAM mode ?
When is the next scheduled upgrade in Output power / mode due ?
Briantist
Monday 25 December 2006 6:44PM
Alan Darcy: I think that if you say of ITV that 'analogue transmitter power has been reduced over the years - in preparation for Digital TV' then this points the the problem. The transmitter power has NOT been reduced on any transmitter. The existing analogue and digital signals will both be removed in 2012, and replaced with brand-new digital-only signal at higher power. This suggests that your reception equipment is being degraded instead. The most likely cause will be weather damage, most likely that your aerial has moved slightly or that your cables and/or connectors have rusted. Check all your cables and connectors are in good order - even slight damage to a cable or a stray wire on a connector can cause the signal to appear weaker.
Alan Darcy
Monday 1 January 2007 12:27PM Salisbury
Hi Brian
Strangely enough I have seen a noticeable improvement on the ITV channels in the last 3 days or so. - Still not as good as they were, but watch-able most of the time.
These are all (still) reporting Rowridge as the transmitter (on the diagnostics / signal strength status screen). Does this really mean it is direct from Rowridge or could it have been re-transmitted from a local relay station ?
- If so, are you aware of a relay that has recently come back on line ?

Re the previous comment on the deterioration of the analogue signal - this has definitely happened - whether or not the transmitter power has been reduced. - I did find a comment on another site, suggesting interference from the DTV signal, also suggesting that there should have been more separation between the channels - don't know if this is feasible though - isn't this why there was a problem when Channel5 analogue was introduced. ...

Reception on the Nebula box on my PC seems better though - but is still prone to interference problems as previously described.
Any further thoughts ?
colin
Tuesday 2 January 2007 12:28AM
i am unable to recieve itv stations is this due to low power output?
Briantist
Tuesday 2 January 2007 12:20PM
Alan Darcy: there are only two digital relays of Rowridge, these are Salisbury and Brighton (Whitehawk Hill). As I pointed out before, the signal levels will appear to decrease because of the deterioration of the receiving equipment. The effects of low-power digital signals from distant transmitters has a well-defined effect, and it is not that you describe. The problem for analogue Channel 5 was that many VCRs used the RF transmission channels that were allocated to the transmissions.
Briantist
Tuesday 2 January 2007 12:54PM
colin: actually it is technically the transmission mode, rather than the power output level.
Helen
Tuesday 9 January 2007 1:03PM Southampton
ref posting by Mike on Thursday 09th of November 2006
I also have a Freecom DVB-T USB stick to use with my laptop.
I live in Hedge End. I get freeview through my main rooftop aerial but I can get no signal through the USB aerial supplied by Freecom. I knew this may be an issue when I bought it. What I would like to know is if anyone knows of a suitable portable aerial that I can use instead.
Briantist
Tuesday 9 January 2007 2:19PM
Helen: portable aerials are not recommened for Freeview reception, however some do work, please see www.ukfree.tv link icon Indoor aerials
Dan Peachey
Tuesday 16 January 2007 10:03PM
I am one of the ones with the "E4-C4-ITV" missing problem and being something of a luddite can only vaguely comprehend the jargon going on here !

Will a signal booster not assist at all? I do receive the channels but usually it is a case of being badly pixellated, dropping in and out or sometimes receiving audio only. I have tried this with two freeview boxes and up until recently used to receive all channels perfectly. Is a new aerial the only option ?
Briantist
Tuesday 16 January 2007 10:13PM
Dan Peachey: The problem is caused by the transmission using 64QAM mode - www.ukfree.tv link icon Freeview modes | ukfree.tv - get free UK television For boosters please see. www.ukfree.tv link icon Do I need to buy a booster? | ukfree.tv - get free UK television - if you are using a loft aerial please see www.ukfree.tv link icon Loft aerials | ukfree.tv - get free UK television
Steve Barrett
Wednesday 17 January 2007 4:47PM Winchester
I'm trying to set up Freeview for my daughter at Winchester University using a set top aerial with mixed results. It's one of those aerials that has a sort of shield shaped thick plastic loop plus a telescopic aerial. Looking at this site it looks as if we need to point to either Hannington or Rowridge and I know what the compass bearings to these two are but the question is - does the aerial need to point side on or full on (if you see what I mean!!!)
Briantist
Wednesday 17 January 2007 5:51PM
Steve Barret: with these sorts of aerials the flat face points towards the transmitter and there is often a 'dial' that can be positioned horizontally or vertically as required. However, you might be fighting a loosing battle, see: www.ukfree.tv link icon Indoor aerials | ukfree.tv - get free UK television
sean
Thursday 15 February 2007 10:19PM Southampton
I live in a ground floor apartment block (SO15 2LE)

When my TV Ariel is plugged in I can pick up various channels including Sky One, E4, MTV etc but they are all pretty pooor quality. I have just purchase a new Samsung 32" LCD with built in Freeview however when i run the set-up, it cannot pick up a single channel?

Is there anything I can do??

Thanks in advance!
Briantist
Friday 16 February 2007 1:21PM
sean: you have a cable TV connection. Freeview is not compatible with this system. You need to connect the TV to a rooftop aerial.
Mike fluck
Tuesday 20 February 2007 3:57PM
good afternoon, we have daily problems with channel breakup on the bbc channels. i have installed a new arial (which is in the loft) and a booster to try and strengthen the signal (I know that this also enhances corruption) Is the rowridge transmitter working at the correct output? Any ideas? many thanks, MJF
Briantist
Wednesday 21 February 2007 8:28AM
Mike fluck: loft aerials are not recommened, so you may find that moving your existing aerial to the roof may fix the problem. If you are having problems with C23 (multiplex 1), you may also have a local interference problem. See www.ukfree.tv link icon Loft aerials | ukfree.tv - get free UK television
Tim Chan
Saturday 24 February 2007 4:41PM Southampton
Does anyone know why Mux 2 and A are on LOW power ? AS the channels are 64QAM I often suffer days where the signal is bad so it is unwatchable or it will be fine at 90%.

Im using an indoor areial and can't use outdoor areial because f**king videotron (cable & wireless, ntl and now virgin) removed that cable.

My areial is pointing at Rowridge. Mux 1, C, B & D that are on 16QAM are fine all the time. I have intermittent problems with channels that are on Mux 2 and A.

Apart from suffering from various interferences and inverison effects, is there anything I can do (booster could mean crap in crap out) ? I can't see pointing my areial at different transmitters being a help since they are further away and are at lower power.

Thanks,
Tim
claire
Monday 5 March 2007 1:06PM Andover
hi
have a ditigal freeview aerial televes 8024 which was fitted by the aerial installer it is pointing at rowridge and not hannington where the coverage is 100% for all channels

lost signal for all itv and c4 and five and radio one (uhf 28 and uhf 30)

tried to rescan and it hasnt picked them up at all

aerial was not installed on my chimney as i wanted but is just below roof level with a large tree in its path

postcode sp11 9nf i changed the scart lead to a gold tipped one and got an improvement to the initial installation but i paid a lot of money for the aerial and its driving me mad

any suggestions????/

Sean
Friday 30 March 2007 6:54AM
This week I am now unable to pick up anything other than 1 and C channels everything else is too weak to pick up. I am in Southampton, nothing else has changed HELP
Briantist
Friday 30 March 2007 8:43AM
Sean: what is your postcode?
Sean
Sunday 1 April 2007 10:53PM Southampton
Sorry for the delay So181Qp



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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