Freeview Light on the Saltdean (Brighton and Hove, England) transmitter
This transmitter has no current reported problems
The BBC and Digital UK report there are no faults or engineering work on the Saltdean (Brighton and Hove, England) transmitter.
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The symbol shows the location of the Saltdean (Brighton and Hove, England) transmitter which serves 1,500 homes.
What do the colours on the map mean?
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 plotWhich Freeview channels does the Saltdean transmitter broadcast?
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 | vertical -1.9dB | C55 (746.0MHz) | 64m | 64QAM 8K 2/3
24.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2 | 26W |
| 
1 BBC One South East, 2 BBC Two England, 7 BBC Three, 9 BBC Four, 70 CBBC Channel, 71 CBeebies, 80 BBC News, 81 BBC Parliament, 301 BBC Red Button 1, plus 12 others 200 BBC Red Button, 700 BBC Radio 1, 701 BBC Radio 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 Radio 6 Music, 708 BBC Radio 4 Extra, 709 BBC Asian Network, 710 BBC World Service,
|
PSB2
D3+4 | vertical max | C54 (738.0MHz) | 64m | 64QAM 8K 2/3
24.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2 | 40W |
| 
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),
|
PSB3
BBCB | vertical max | C58 (770.0MHz) | 64m | 256QAM 32KE 2/3
40.2Mb/s DVB-T2 MPEG4 | 40W |
| 
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, 303 BBC Red Button HD, plus 1 others 232 The Space,
|
Are you trying to watch these 27 Freeview channels?
The
Saltdean (Brighton and Hove, England) mast is a
public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these
commercial (COM) channels: 4Music, 4seven, 5*, 5USA, Al Jazeera English, BBC Red Button 2, Challenge, Channel 5 +1, CITV, Community Channel, Dave, Dave ja vu, E4+1, Film 4, Food Network, ITV 2 +1, ITV 3, ITV 4, Movie Mix, PICK TV, Quest, Really, RT English , Sky News, The Zone, VIVA, Yesterday.
If you want to watch these channels, your aerial must point to one of the 80
Full service Freeview transmitters. For more information see the
will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? page.
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Saltdean transmitter?
How will the Saltdean (Brighton and Hove, England) transmission frequencies change over time?
| years | | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2012 | 2012-13 | 2013-18 | 2013-18 | |
| aerial group | | E | E | E | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E | |
| C47 | | C4 | C4 | C4 | | | | |
| 700 | C51 | | BBC1 | BBC1 | BBC1 | | | | |
| C54 | | | | | D3+4 | D3+4 | D3+4 | |
| C55 | | ITV | ITV | ITV | BBCA | BBCA | BBCA | |
| C58 | | | | | BBCB | BBCB | BBCB | |
| 800 | C66 | | BBC2 | BBC2 | BBC2 | | | | |
| 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 7th March and 21st March 2012.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| D3+4, BBCB | 40W | |
| BBCA | (-1.9dB) 26W | |
| Analogue 1-4 | (-4.6dB) 14W | |
Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Whitehawk Hill transmitter area
| Aug 1958-Jan 1992 | Southern Television |
| Jan 1982-Dec 1992 | Television South (TVS) |
| Jan 1993-Feb 2004 | Meridian |
| Feb 2004-Dec 2014 | ITV plc |
| | Feb 1983-Dec 1992 | TV-am• |
| Jan 1993-Sep 2010 | GMTV• |
| Sep 2010-Dec 2014 | ITV Daybreak• |
|
• Breakfast ◊ Weekends ♦ Friday night and weekends † Weekdays only. Saltdean 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 ◊ 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.
R
R.J. WalkerWednesday 18 April 2012 4:20AM
I will connect the two cables to a distribution amplifier using a Y piece.
Will the joint siganals be decodable at the set(I use a iDTV).
I am thinking of using a Y piece because I do not have a diplexer.
ThanksPeter Barnard: See the top of the page.
You get Public Service channels only which are BBC TV and radio, ITV1, ITV1+1, Channel 4, Channel 4+1, E4, More 4, Channel 5 and the four HD channels.
If you are lucky, you may be able to receive from a main station such as Heathfield so as to get the full service when it switches over in June. J
JonTuesday 24 April 2012 8:27PM
Brighton
Jon: The Saltdean transmitter will never transmit the Commercial channels as their operators do not wish to do so and this is the case in nearly 1,100 similar sites in the UK. See 
Will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
The only possible way to get the channels is if they can be received from a station that carries them. Those being Whitehawk, Rowridge and perhaps Heathfield (which switches in June).
I had a look on Google Streetview and spotted an aerial on Whitehawk on a house on Ashdown Avenue.
Numbers 34 and 36 Chorley Avenue also have aerials on Whitehawk (photos taken March 2009). The former's aerial is below the top of the roof of the latter.
Both of these are bungalows which, by their very nature, have their aerials lower down that houses. So if they can get it, then it should raise hopes that others might do. P
Peter BarnardTuesday 24 April 2012 11:34PM
Our freeview installation was to give an alternative to the free sky satellite, but, with such a limited service it was a waste of money. Thankfully we still have the dish etc Peter Barnard: I sympathise. This is private enterprise doing what it does best; serve its own interests.
Whilst, as far as I know, the Freeview literature carries in the small print something along the lines of "subject to coverage", I do not believe that it makes clear that some channels are only available in most areas, or even better, that certain areas receive only restricted channels.
Freesat is a possibility and there is a comparison of channels available on Freesat versus those on the full Freeview service:
Compare Freeview and Freesat-from-Sky TV | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
ITV3 is available on Freesat. A
AndyFriday 21 September 2012 11:43AM
Recently, I received a messsage on screen telling me that new channels were available and advising me to retune.
I retuned (wiped out channels and used first time install). After scanning, I was surprised to find that I was picking up BBC1 as a very weak and poor quality signal signal on Channel 60, previously I was receiving a very strong signal (and high quality signal) on Channel 55.
I deleted Channel 60 and manually scanned Channel 55 and regained the original strong and high quality signal.
The only explanation I can think of is that my tv scanned the and found the highest channel for BBC1 (60) and then did not scan further for other BBC1 channels. In other words, it looks like the TV searches for the higher channel number. Am I correct?
Incidently, I could not see any new channels after the rescan!
Thanks.
Best wishes.
AAndy: I've re-read the exchanges that you have had previously with myself and others.
BBC on C60 is from Whitehawk. C55 is from Saltdean, as you have gathered.
Some changes to Freeview logical channel numbers (LCNs) took place on Wednesday:
Freeview channel numbers change on September 19th 2012 | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
Others were due to also take place on that day, but due to two channels disputing the change, these will either be cancelled or postponed:
Updated - changes to Freeview channel numbers this week on September 19th 2012 | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
One such channel is Sky News which has gone to court. Briantist has said that the reason is because viewers will have to enter three digits instead of two to get to it. This is a bit rich given that all channels on Sky's satellite service are three digits anyway!
If you are receiving from Saltdean, then you will not have available the Commercial (COM) channels which include Sky News. The HD channels were due to move to 10x numbers, but this doesn't seem to have happened. So in actual fact there were probably no changes for the PSB channels and therefore no changes to the services broadcast by Saltdean.
As you were receiving BBC on C60 from Whitehawk with the aerial facing the wrong way, then we must wonder whether you could receive a full service from it on a reliable basis. This would give you the COM channels which Saltdean does not transmit.
See this page for the six multiplexes (each is a separate signal), three of which are PSB and three, COMs:
DTG :: DTT Services by Multiplex
The only reason you may not have good reception from Whitehawk is because of the high ground at Rottingdean on and immediately behind Westmeston Avenue.
It may be worth noting that the effective transmission power of Whitehawk is greater on all six digital channels than it was on the former analogue, so it is expected to reach parts that it didn't before.
If I were you, I would be investigating the possibility of reception from Whitehawk in order to receive all channels. A
AndyFriday 21 September 2012 3:03PM
Reception from Whitehawk is of very poor quality. Moving the aerial is not an option. In any event, no one around me gets reception from Whitehawk.
Hence, I use the saltdean transmitter.
My reason for posting was to ask why on re-scanning I received the poor quality 60 (Whitehawk), rather than the high quality 55 (Saltdean).
I deleted the 60 (far too blocky), and manually re-scanned for 55 (high quality).
Best wishes.
AAndy: Having scanned, some receivers go with the first signals that were found. As yours has gone with the highest then obviously this isn't the cause.
I'm not an RF professional, but the best logical explanation I can give you is that "if" it has picked up the three COMs from Whitehawk, then "maybe" it has chosen to go with PSB1 (BBC) from Whitehawk because it matches it closer from a strength point of view.
You will know if you have tuned the three COMs because there will be [10]ITV3 (which is carried on COM4), [11]Pick TV (COM5) and/or [12]Dave (COM6) present.
As Whitehawk and its relays switched over in March, then prior to that there was probably no chance of it being received at your location. Thus, only from then onwards would there be any benefit in receiving from it (rather than Saltdean), if indeed it is available. So if no one has taken that step to investigate the possibility — maybe some aren't aware — then everyone will continue to use Saltdean. R
Richard EasyWednesday 17 October 2012 3:20PM
SALTDEAN transmitter - Freeview BBC Digital TV Off Air from 09:05 today to 16:56 today HD Digital TV Off Air from 09:05 today to 16:56 today [BBC] SALTDEAN transmitter - Freeview BBC Digital TV Off Air from 09:05 on 17 Oct to 16:56 on 17 Oct HD Digital TV Off Air from 09:05 on 17 Oct to 16:56 on 17 Oct [BBC] updates
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