Full Freeview on the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 50.676,-1.369 or 50°40'35"N 1°22'7"W |  | PO30 4HT |
The symbol shows the location of the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter which serves 620,000 homes. 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.
Are there any planned engineering works or unexpected transmitter faults on the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) mast?
Rowridge transmitter - Rowridge transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 15/04/2024 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels 
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Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.
64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which Freeview channels does the Rowridge 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.
64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Rowridge transmitter?
BBC South Today 1.3m homes 4.9%
from Southampton SO14 7PU, 26km north (354°)
to BBC South region - 39 masts.
ITV Meridian News 0.9m homes 3.6%
from Whiteley PO15 7AD, 24km north-northeast (20°)
to ITV Meridian (South Coast) region - 39 masts.
All of lunch, weekend and 50% evening news is shared with all of Meridian plus Oxford
Are there any self-help relays?
| Portsmouth Docks | Transposer | 2 km N city centre | 50 homes Estimate. Group of houses' |
How will the Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1950s-80s | 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2012 | 2012-13 | 2 May 2018 | ||||
| VHF | A K T | A K T | A K T | A K T | W T | ||||
| C3 | BBCtvwaves | ||||||||
| C21 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | +BBCB | BBCB | ||||
| C22 | +ArqA | ArqA | |||||||
| C24 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBCA | BBCA | ||||
| C25 | SDN | SDN | |||||||
| C27 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | D3+4 | D3+4 | ||||
| C28 | ArqB | ArqB | |||||||
| C29 | LSO | ||||||||
| C31 | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | com7 | |||||
| C37 | com8 | ||||||||
| C55tv_off | com7tv_off | ||||||||
| C56tv_off | COM8tv_off |
tv_off Being removed from Freeview (for 5G use) after November 2020 / June 2022 - more
Table shows multiplexes names see this article;
green background for transmission frequencies
Notes: + and - denote 166kHz offset; aerial group are shown as A B C/D E K W T
waves denotes analogue; digital switchover was 7 Mar 12 and 21 Mar 12.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-4 | 500kW | |
| PSB1||, PSB1≡, PSB2||, PSB2≡, PSB3||, PSB3≡ | (-4dB) 200kW | |
| COM4≡, COM4||, COM5≡, COM5||, COM6≡, COM6|| | (-10dB) 50kW | |
| com7≡ | (-13.1dB) 24.4kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D* | (-14dB) 20kW | |
| com8≡ | (-14.3dB) 18.4kW | |
| LSO≡ | (-17dB) 10kW |
Local transmitter maps
Rowridge Freeview Rowridge DAB Rowridge TV region BBC South Meridian (South Coast micro region)Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Rowridge transmitter area
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Tuesday, 12 June 2012
C
Colin5:17 PM
Ventnor
Hi,
My postcode is PO38 2LE.
I can't get C28 (film4 etc).
I have tried both horizontal and vertical aerial position (high gain slx 48 is in the loft.) The main channels are all good strength signal and quality in both positions.
Any ideas please?
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Colin's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Colin: You should definately have your aerial vertical as the Commercial channels aren't as strong horizontally. The marked difference in strength can be an issue.
You may have too much signal, what with the transmitter being only five miles away:
Freeview news | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
The Rowridge mast can be seen in the photographs taken by Google Streetview on Chale Lane:
PO38 2LE - Google Maps
And Atherfield Road:
PO38 2LE - Google Maps
What's the reason for a high-gain aerial? Perhaps you should turn it the other way and point it at France!
If your aerial is a wideband one, which a look on the Philex site suggests that all SLx 48 models are, then it will have less gain at Group A channels, of which all of Rowridge's are.
There's no such thing as a high-gain wideband yagi aerial that has "high-gain" on Group A channels. See these curves:
Gain (curves), Again
Thus a high-gain wideband yagi aerial used on Group A channels isn't so high-gain.
As all Rowridge's channels are in Group A, where a high-gain aerial is needed, then it is best to go with a high-gain Group A aerial.
That said, why is a high-gain aerial required at only five miles with apparently good line of sight?
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J
JAMIE8:39 PM
Portsmouth
Colin -
you should try to locate the aerial in a different possition within the loft, sometimes simply moving the aerial a few feet either left or right can make all the difference.
advice from jays cabling services
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JAMIE's: ...
Colin: If the problem is excessive signal, you may well have enough to distribute it to multiple rooms using an unpowered splitter:
Television Aerial Boosters / Amplifiers, Splitters, Diplexers & Triplexers
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Wednesday, 13 June 2012
C
Colin5:12 PM
Hi, and thanks to all for the replies.
We live in a dip in the landscape and there is a 40 foot hill directly at the back of the property so there is no direct view of the mast.
I tried a high gain aerial because the existing one didn't get C28 either,so a bit of trial and a lot of error...
I don't understand why the main channels are fine, but C28 doesn't get anything on vertical when the signal strength should be the same, if I am reading the info correctly.
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D
Denzil Dexter6:34 PM
Hello (again) all,
I posted the following just after the 18th April regarding the Rowridge retune.....
"I live in Poole, BH17 and have, since the 18th April, been having problems with Really, E4+1 and Dave. The picture stays for about 30s with approx 65% signal strength and 100% quality, then drops to 0% and 0% before repeating the cycle. I get this on my Sony TV and Sony PVR.
I have a wideband aerial (2yrs old) on a mast on the roof together with a 17db to 27db mast head amplifier. I have reduced the mast head amplifier to it's minimum 17db setting having read the signal may have been too high post switch over".
These TV channels are all on the COM5 mux (482Mhz). Anyway it was suggested that I try a YAGI 18A grouped aerial without the MHA. I've now have the YAGI 18a and have tried everything I can think of namely:
* YAGI 18A vertically and horizontally polarised.
* MHA fitted and not fitted.
* Aerial tilted up, down, left and right.
* Numerous retunes.
I have new PF100 cable fitted throughout.
The aerial is on a 2m pole on the roof pointing directly at Rowridge and yet I still get the total signal loss every 30ish seconds. It's as if something else is periodically transmitting on 482Mhz to interfere???
Can anyone suggest anything else to try as I'm close to losing it? Everything was fine prior to the 18th April.
Kindest regards,
DD
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Thursday, 14 June 2012
Colin: Obviously try the "existing" aerial vertically. Indeed, whilst there is perhaps nothing lost to try it horizontally, be mindful that vertically is expected to be better.
Could you receive digital before switchover?
Did you have to wait until 18th April to receive the Commercial channels?
I'm not a professional aerial installer, but I use a loft aerial. It was sufficient to get solid reception on all channels before switchover.
However, after switchover I found that my Sony RDR-HXD870 froze for a few seconds every 15 or 30 minutes on the worst affected channels. With two other receivers connected to the same aerial as well, all tuned to the same channel, the others were solid and the Sony continued with occasional freezing.
I moved the aerial down the loft and replaced it and the problem continued. It was mounted on the L shaped bracket on one of the rafters.
The solution was to use a straight pole and mount it on the top of one of the joists so as to allow 2 or 3 feet between the back of the aerial and the sloping roof. Previously it was more like a foot with the L pole.
There is another loft aerial, which appears to be a shorter Philex SLx model to the one you have. This works solid even though it is also mounted with its rear within a foot of the rafters and felt. It has a massive reflector on the rear so I can only conclude that it screens against whatever the roof does to affect the signal.
Obviously different roof types affect the signal in different ways. Also the direction to the transmitter probably plays a part.
You might try sloping it upwards a bit, with the thinking that the signal is "sort of" coming from above.
I would be looking to test whether it may be too much signal. I tried this with my own problem and it didn't make a scrap of difference, although I'm 25 miles from the transmitter so it's not likely to be the cause.
Try connecting the lead to the TV with only the centre conductor connected. So strip back the screening and put the centre core into the centre of the TV's aerial socket. Then see what you get on C28. It's crude but it should hopefully "loose" some signal if this is your problem.
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C
Colin9:02 AM
Dave:
many thanks for the help. We have only moved here recently and the loft aerial previously there looks like an ancient uhf...surprisingly this worked ok but didn't get C28, hence the attempt with the new one.
I will have another go at the weekend with your suggestions.
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Colin: Let us know how it goes.
I can see the contours on the map and from the satellite images they have trees on them which could be a problem. They may be a problem all the time or just at some times, such as when they're wet, blowing about or when they have leaves on. Or, having sorted the problem with C28, you may be lucky and never encounter poor reception.
Try to get C28 tuned in, even if this means taking the aerial and moving it, perhaps on the first floor or even outside in the garden. Each time, do a manual tune on C28. Logically, it would seem a good assumption that the further away from the bottom of the decline you are the more chance you are of picking it up. Try moving in that direction (going into the garden if necessary). Whilst moving it, try and view the strength and quality of the other multiplexes to get an idea of where the best and worst spots are.
The COMs (25, 22 and 28) use a less robust mode of signal, so a poorer signal makes them more susceptible to break-up than the PSBs (24 and 27). I have no idea to what degree that might affect things, but maybe being mindful of this might help identify "not-so-good-spots".
Different receivers have differing levels of functionality and usefulness for the DIY aerial installer. Some give little away, maybe having a single scale for both strength and quality. So look at the receivers you have and find the one or ones that give the most information and use it/them for your testing.
Once you have C28 tuned in and it has added the services on it (Yesterday etc), then don't retune as the tuning is correct.
Try to logically discount things. So if the cable runs down from the loft to the lounge and you keep going down to the lounge to look at the set, then disconnect the cable from the aerial and attach a short piece to which you connect a TV to see what you get.
If you then get something on C28, keep it connected like that whilst you site your aerial to best effect. Then turn your attention to the seemingly faulty downlead. Maybe try the old aerial as well and see which works best.
I should point out that if you have a distribution amp for feeding multiple rooms, then disconnect this whilst you're trying to get your aerial to work. It could be a problem caused by the amp.
If you have a mast-head amp, then trying with and without and with varying levels of amplification (if there is such a setting) might be worth a try.
Always be mindful that you could have too much signal and be looking to test the theory.
An aerial's gain in one direction comes about at the expense of sensitivity in other directions. So to have more gain, there is more loss of sensitivity in other directions. So a higher gain aerial tends to have a narrower angle of acceptance.
If you live within line of sight of the transmitter, but a long way away such that when the signal gets to you it is weak, then obviously gain on the narrow beam from the transmitter is what you want.
But the lower you live down a drop, the more you are trying to pick up a less focused signal. If the brow and the slope have trees on, then they will be moving about changing the signal. Thus an aerial with narrow acceptance angle may be what you don't want in such circumstances.
As I say, I'm not a professional but I've seen this explained and it makes sense.
I cannot say whether this is or is not of importance in your case. Clearly the fact that you are close to the transmitter helps more than if you had been further away.
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Friday, 15 June 2012
J
JAMIE5:08 PM
Portsmouth
COLIN -
Hi, I am a PROFESSIONAL INSTALLER RDI APPROVED
sometimes there has been ocassions when some locations will have a complete mux missing even though all others are OK.
RARE but possible.
You could be just one of the unlucky ones.
As I said before, try the aerial in different locations as simply moving the aerial a few feet left or right, or even up and down can make a difference in how your signal is received.
This may be difficult if you are not using a meter which can show you the readings of the MUXS seperately.
GOOD LUCK
regards
Jamie Stevens
Jays Cabling Services
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JAMIE's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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