Jump to content

Oxford transmitting station

Coordinates:51°47′26″N1°10′45″W/ 51.790556°N 1.179167°W/51.790556; -1.179167
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oxford transmitting station
Oxford transmitting station is located in Oxfordshire
Oxford transmitting station
Oxford transmitting station (Oxfordshire)
Mast height165.7 metres (544 ft)
Coordinates51°47′26″N1°10′45″W/ 51.790556°N 1.179167°W/51.790556; -1.179167
Grid referenceSP567105
Built
  • 1962 (original)
  • 1968 (current)
BBC regionBBC South (Oxford)
ITV region
Local TV serviceThat's Oxfordshire

TheOxford transmitting station(sometimes known as theBeckley transmitter[1]) is a broadcasting andtelecommunicationsfacility, situated on land 129.5 metres (425 ft) aboveOrdnance Datum(mean sea level) to the north east of the city ofOxford,inOxfordshire,England (grid referenceSP567105). It has aguyed steel lattice mastwhich is 154.4 metres (507 ft)[2]in height to the top of the main steel structure. TheUHFtelevision antenna, which consist of a vertical array of transmitting panels, is mounted above the steel structure. The total height of the mast to the top of this UHF antenna is 165.7 metres (544 ft).[3]It is owned and operated byArqiva.

History[edit]

Analogue and digital television[edit]

  • The station was originally constructed by the BBC during the early 1960s to provide the BBC's VHF/FM national and regional radio networks and the BBC-TV service on405-lineVHF to the city of Oxford and the surrounding area. The mast carried a two-tierBand Iarray above a six-tier slot array forBand IIFM. A smaller 150-foot tower in the western corner of the site carried receiving aerials.[4]
  • The station was extended in 1968, having been chosen as a suitable site for high power colourUHFtransmissions, which entered service on 17 February 1968 carryingBBC Two.BBC Onefollowed in May 1970 andITV(ATV) in June of the same year.Channel 4was carried from launch day in November 1982. Theeffective radiated power(ERP) of these four analogue TV transmissions was 500 kW
  • In 1997, the station began analogue transmissions ofChannel 5at an ERP of only 40 kW. The lower power was necessary to avoid co-channel interference with other transmitters sharing this frequency in the surrounding areas.
  • The Oxford transmitter was included in the first 81 transmitters to carry theUK digital terrestrial television servicewhen it was launched in the UK on 15 November 1998. Six digitalmultiplexsignals were transmitted at low power from the station in addition to the five existing analogue television services.[5]
  • In 1999, the station began analogue transmissions of Oxford'sRSLlocal station,The Oxford Channel,on low-power. At this time the Oxford transmitting site carried a total12 television transmissions,six analogue services, and six digital multiplexes.
  • On 28 September 2011 all the analogue television services at Oxford transmitter were switched off as part of theUK Digital Switch Over project.Three of the frequencies (uhf channels 53, 57 and 60) that had been used for the analogue service were transferred to the digital television service at high power (100 kW). The remaining three multiplex signals continued to be operated at lower power until the completion of switchover on 18 April 2012 when their power was increased to 50 kW. At the same time the highest frequency multiplex, on uhf channel 62, was moved to channel 50 as part of the UK scheme to clear the800 MHz frequency bandfor use by mobile 4G services.[5]
  • In 2014 the UK telecommunications regulatoryOfcomdecided that the 700 MHz band should be cleared of digital television to be used for mobile broadband services by the summer of 2020 and this would require Oxford's channels moving down the band in 2018.
  • In December 2014 a low power local television multiplex was added to the site.[5]In November 2015 the service had a soft launch asThat's Oxfordshirewith studios based in Abingdon
  • During 2015 two additional television multiplexes (known as Com7 and Com8) were broadcast from the Oxford site both using theDVB-T2transmission system. This allowed a range of new channels to be broadcast to the Oxford area including thehigh definitionversions of some of the channels only available at standard definition on the mainFreeviewservice.
  • In 2018 (between 27 Feb and 23 May) the 700 MHz clearance occurred at Oxford and as a result the frequencies of the six main Freeview digital television transmissions were moved to lower frequencies. This meant that Oxford changed from a C/D group (for the main 6 MUXES) to a K group, and, in poor signal areas, original C/D group aerials may struggle to pick up all the channels (seegraph). In addition the two additional services of Com7 and Com8 were moved temporarily into the 700 MHz band pending a resolution on their future location in the UK's digital television spectrum.[6][7][8]

Television coverage area[edit]

The coverage area provided by the digital television service is roughly the same as that provided by the analogue service. The transmitting station coversOxfordshire,westernBuckinghamshire,small parts of southwesternNorthamptonshire,small parts of easternGloucestershireand northern parts ofBerkshireandWiltshire.[9]This includes cities and towns such asOxford,Milton Keynes,Banbury,Swindon,Aylesbury,Buckingham,Brackley,Didcot,Abingdon,andStow-on-the-Wold.It is sometimes called theBeckleymast, a reference to an adjacent village, or theOtmoormast, this referring to the area on which it is located.

Oxford has 5 relay stations which are located inChipping Norton,[10]Charlbury,[11]Icomb,[12]Guiting Power,[13]and Ascott under Wychwood.[14]

From 2006, a new non-franchise regional news areaITV Thames Valleywas provided from the ITV Meridian studios atWhiteley,Hampshire. This programme was replaced in February 2009, in a cost-saving reorganisation, by ITV Meridian'sMeridian Tonight.However,Central Independent Televisionremained the licensee and broadcaster until 2014, when it was formally transferred to ITV Meridian.

Analogue radio[edit]

  • The Oxford site started transmitting four BBC VHF/FM services (theBBC Light Programme,BBC Third Programme,BBC Home Service, Midlands,andBBC Home Service, South & West) on 28 May 1962.[15]The transmissions were horizontally polarised as they were intended mainly for fixed rooftop aerials. With an ERP of 22 kW the transmitter covered the whole of Oxfordshire and much of the surrounding adjacent counties.[9]
  • In early 1970 the BBC Home Service South & West region transmission on 95.85 MHz was closed down in prior to the introduction ofBBC Radio Oxfordwhich launched on 29 October 1970 on 95.0 MHz. The frequency was changed to 95.2 MHz on 26 June 1973 as part of a reorganisation of local radio frequencies in and around the London area.[9]
  • On 25 November 1988 theBBC Radio 1service was added to site to be followed byClassic FMin the mid 1990s. During the same period the FM transmitting antennas were replaced by a mixed polarised antenna better suited to providing a service to portable and car aerials. To maintain the coverage of the horizontally polarised signal the transmitter power was roughly doubled to give an ERP of 46 kW.
  • On 15 September 1989 the independent local radio stationFox FMwas launched on 102.6 MHz at an ERP of 9 kW. In 2005 the station became a part ofGCap Mediaand in March 2009 the station was rebranded toHeart Oxfordshire.
  • The Oxford site transmitted the AM service of Virgin Radio from its launch on 30 April 1993 on a frequency of 1197 kHz. The service is radiated from a vertical antenna which is supported by a slopping wire from the Oxford mast.[16]

Digital radio[edit]

  • When the BBC launched itsDigital Radionational service on 27 December 1997 the Oxford transmitter was included in the network to provide coverage to Oxfordshire and to boost the coverage to surrounding areas. The first national commercial network,Digital One,was added to the transmitter on 23 September 1999 and a second national commercial network,Sound Digitalon 29 February 2016.[17]
  • On 21 December 2012 Now Digital, a local digital radio multiplex owned and operated byArqiva,started transmission from the Oxford site. It provides a mix of local and national radio stations to a population of some 610,000 in the city of Oxford and surrounding area.[18]

May 2010 incident[edit]

On 13 May 2010 the digital and analogue television transmitters (exceptChannel 5) went off the air at about 13:20UTCfollowing an incident when smoke was seen drifting from the top of the mast. The fire service reported that there had been an intense fire and that the cause was unknown. Engineering work to reinstate service began once fire crews left and the mast was made safe. Transmissions were restored via the reserve transmitter at reduced power by 20:30 UTC.[1][19]

The incident occurred during testing of a new main antenna which had been installed during the previous few months in readiness for the proposeddigital switchover.Investigation into the cause of the fire established that it was damaged beyond repair and a replacement was installed by the end of September 2010.[1][20]

Services transmitted since June 2018 – listed by frequency[edit]

Analogue radio (AM medium wave)[edit]

Frequency kW Service
1197kHz(off air) 0.25 Absolute Radio

Analogue radio (FM VHF)[edit]

Frequency kW Service
89.5MHz 46 BBC Radio 2
91.7 MHz 46 BBC Radio 3
93.9 MHz 46 BBC Radio 4
95.2 MHz 5.8 BBC Radio Oxford
99.2 MHz 46 BBC Radio 1
101.3 MHz 46 Classic FM
102.6 MHz 9 Heart South

Digital radio (DAB)[edit]

Frequency Block kW[21] Operator
211.648 MHz 10B 5 NOW Oxford
216.928 MHz 11A 10 Sound Digital
222.064 MHz 11D 7.8 Digital One
225.648 MHz 12B 10 BBC National DAB

[17]

Digital television[edit]

Frequency UHF kW Operator System
482.000MHz 22 10 Local 1 (That's Oxfordshire) DVB-T
538.000MHz 29 50 SDN DVB-T
554.000MHz 31 50 ArqivaB DVB-T
602.000MHz 37 50 ArqivaA DVB-T
634.000MHz 41 100 BBCA DVB-T
658.000MHz 44 100 Digital 3&4 DVB-T
674.000MHz 46 10 Local 2 (not yet on air) DVB-T
682.000MHz 47 100 BBCB DVB-T2
746.000MHz 55 16.4 Com7 DVB-T2

Historical television transmissions listed by frequency[edit]

Analogue television[edit]

29 January 1962 – 17 February 1968[edit]

Frequency VHF kW Service
51.75MHz 2 0.65 BBC Television

17 February 1968 – June 1970[edit]

Frequency VHF UHF kW Service
51.75MHz 2 0.65 BBC1
807.25MHz 63 500 BBC2

June 1970 – 2 November 1982[edit]

Frequency VHF UHF kW Service
51.75MHz 2 0.65 BBC1
759.25MHz 57 500 BBC1
783.25MHz 60 500 Central(ATV until 1982)
807.25MHz 63 500 BBC2

2 November 1982 – 3 January 1985[edit]

Frequency VHF UHF kW Service
51.75MHz 2 0.65 BBC1
727.25MHz 53 500 Channel 4
759.25MHz 57 500 BBC1
783.25MHz 60 500 Central
807.25MHz 63 500 BBC2

3 January 1985 – 30 March 1997[edit]

Frequency UHF kW Service
727.25MHz 53 500 Channel 4
759.25MHz 57 500 BBC1
783.25MHz 60 500 Central
807.25MHz 63 500 BBC2

30 March 1997 – 15 November 1998[edit]

Frequency UHF kW Service
695.25MHz 49 40 Channel 5
727.25MHz 53 500 Channel 4
759.25MHz 57 500 BBC1
783.25MHz 60 500 Central
807.25MHz 63 500 BBC2

Analogue and digital television[edit]

15 November 1998 – June 1999[edit]

Frequency UHF kW Service System
538.000MHz 29 8 Arqiva(Mux D) DVB-T
578.000MHz 34 10 BBC(Mux 1) DVB-T
690.000MHz 48 8 Arqiva (Mux C) DVB-T
695.25MHz 49 40 Channel 5 PALSystem I
713.833MHz 51- 6 SDN(Mux A) DVB-T
721.833MHz 52- 6 BBC(Mux B) DVB-T
727.25MHz 53 500 Channel 4 PAL System I
759.25MHz 57 500 BBC1 PAL System I
783.25MHz 60 500 Central PAL System I
807.25MHz 63 500 BBC2 PAL System I
850.000MHz 68 10 Digital 3&4(Mux 2) DVB-T

June 1999 – April 2009[edit]

Frequency UHF kW Service System
538.000MHz 29 8 Arqiva(Mux D) DVB-T
578.000MHz 34 10 BBC(Mux 1) DVB-T
679.25MHz 47 Six TV(The Oxford Channel until 2003) PALSystem I
690.000MHz 48 8 Arqiva (Mux C) DVB-T
695.25MHz 49 40 Channel 5 PALSystem I
713.833MHz 51- 6 SDN(Mux A) DVB-T
721.833MHz 52- 6 BBC(Mux B) DVB-T
727.25MHz 53 500 Channel 4 PAL System I
759.25MHz 57 500 BBC1 South PAL System I
783.25MHz 60 500 Central PAL System I
807.25MHz 63 500 BBC2 South PAL System I
850.000MHz 68 10 Digital 3&4(Mux 2) DVB-T

April 2009 – 14 September 2011[edit]

Frequency UHF kW Service System
538.000MHz 29 8 Arqiva(Mux D) DVB-T
578.000MHz 34 10 BBC(Mux 1) DVB-T
690.000MHz 48 8 Arqiva (Mux C) DVB-T
695.25MHz 49 40 Channel 5 PALSystem I
713.833MHz 51- 6 SDN(Mux A) DVB-T
721.833MHz 52- 6 BBC(Mux B) DVB-T
727.25MHz 53 500 Channel 4 PAL System I
759.25MHz 57 500 BBC1 South PAL System I
783.25MHz 60 500 Central PAL System I
807.25MHz 63 500 BBC2 South PAL System I
850.000MHz 68 10 Digital 3&4(Mux 2) DVB-T

14 September 2011 – 28 September 2011[edit]

BBC2 closed on UHF 63 on 14 September 2011. Channel 4 temporarily moved into its frequency at the time to allow BBC A to launch on UHF 53. The remaining analogue signals ceased on 28 September.

Frequency UHF kW Service System
538.000MHz 29 8 Arqiva(Mux D) DVB-T
578.000MHz 34 8 Arqiva (Mux C) DVB-T
695.25MHz 49 40 Channel 5 PALSystem I
713.833MHz 51- 6 SDN(Mux A) DVB-T
721.833MHz 52- 6 BBC(Mux B) DVB-T
730.166MHz 53+ 100 BBCA DVB-T
759.25MHz 57 500 BBC One PAL System I
783.25MHz 60 500 Meridian PAL System I
807.25MHz 63 500 Channel 4 PAL System I
850.000MHz 68 10 Digital 3&4(Mux 2) DVB-T

Digital television[edit]

28 September 2011 – 18 April 2012[edit]

Frequency UHF kW Operator System
730.166MHz 53+ 100 BBCA DVB-T
746.000MHz 55 12.5 ArqivaB DVB-T
762.000MHz 57 100 BBC B DVB-T2
777.833MHz 59- 12.5 Arqiva A DVB-T
785.833MHz 60- 100 Digital 3&4 DVB-T
802.000MHz 62 12.5 SDN DVB-T

18 April 2012 – 2015[edit]

Arqiva A & B and SDN increased to 50 kW on 18 April 2012, after completion of the digital switchover atCrystal Palace transmitting station. SDN was moved to UHF 50 from UHF 62 due to the clearance of the 800 MHz Band.

Frequency UHF kW Operator System
706.000MHz 50 50 SDN DVB-T
730.166MHz 53+ 100 BBCA DVB-T
746.000MHz 55 50 ArqivaB DVB-T
762.000MHz 57 100 BBC B DVB-T2
777.833MHz 59- 50 Arqiva A DVB-T
785.833MHz 60- 100 Digital 3&4 DVB-T

2015 – 26 February 2018[edit]

Frequency UHF kW Operator System
538.000MHz 29 10 Local DVB-T
554.000MHz 31 16.4 Com7 DVB-T2
602.000MHz 37 17.1 Com8 DVB-T2
706.000MHz 50 50 SDN DVB-T
730.166MHz 53+ 100 BBCA DVB-T
746.000MHz 55 50 ArqivaB DVB-T
762.000MHz 57 100 BBC B DVB-T2
777.833MHz 59- 50 Arqiva A DVB-T
785.833MHz 60- 100 Digital 3&4 DVB-T

27 February 2018 to 22 May 2018[edit]

On 27 February 2018, Arqiva B moved from UHF 55 to UHF 31 and COM 7 moved from UHF 31 to UHF 55, as part of the 700 MHz clearance.

Frequency UHF kW Operator System
538.000MHz 29 10 Local DVB-T
554.000MHz 31 50 ArqivaB DVB-T
602.000MHz 37 17.1 COM 8 DVB-T2
706.000MHz 50 50 SDN DVB-T
730.166MHz 53+ 100 BBCA DVB-T
746.000MHz 55 16.4 COM 7 DVB-T2
762.000MHz 57 100 BBC B DVB-T2
777.833MHz 59- 50 Arqiva A DVB-T
785.833MHz 60- 100 Digital 3&4 DVB-T

23 May 2018 to 24 June 2020[edit]

On 23 May 2018, the following services moved to new frequencies, as part of the 700 MHz clearance:

  • Local Multiplex moved from UHF 29 to UHF 22 (with an additional beam on UHF 46).
  • SDN moved from UHF 50 to UHF 29.
  • Arqiva A moved from UHF 59- to UHF 37.
  • BBC A moved from UHF 53+ to UHF 41.
  • Digital 3&4 moved from UHF 60- to UHF 44.
  • BBC B moved from UHF 57 to UHF 47.
  • COM 8 moved from UHF 37 to UHF 56.
Frequency UHF kW Operator System
482.000MHz 22 10 Local DVB-T
538.000MHz 29 50 SDN DVB-T
554.000MHz 31 50 ArqivaB DVB-T
602.000MHz 37 50 Arqiva A DVB-T
634.000MHz 41 100 BBCA DVB-T
658.000MHz 44 100 Digital 3&4 DVB-T
674.000MHz 46 10 Local DVB-T
682.000MHz 47 100 BBC B DVB-T2
746.000MHz 55 16.4 COM 7 DVB-T2
754.000MHz 56 17.1 COM 8 DVB-T2

25 June 2020 to present[edit]

On 25 June 2020, COM8 was permanently switched off from Oxford, due to the effects of the 700 MHz clearance programme.

Frequency UHF kW Operator System
482.000MHz 22 10 Local 1 (That's Oxfordshire) DVB-T
538.000MHz 29 50 SDN DVB-T
554.000MHz 31 50 ArqivaB DVB-T
602.000MHz 37 50 Arqiva A DVB-T
634.000MHz 41 100 BBCA DVB-T
658.000MHz 44 100 Digital 3&4 DVB-T
682.000MHz 47 100 BBC B DVB-T2
746.000MHz 55 16.4 COM 7 DVB-T2

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abc"Thousands get TV back after fire".BBC. 13 May 2010.
  2. ^"Mb21 - the Transmission Gallery - Site Data".Archived fromthe originalon 25 September 2006.Retrieved25 September2006.
  3. ^"The Transmission Gallery Oxford".mb21.co.uk. 2018.Retrieved20 June2018.
  4. ^"Planning Application P60/M0403".Government of the United Kingdom.
  5. ^abc"Full Freeview on the Oxford (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter".UK Free TV. 2018.Retrieved21 June2018.
  6. ^"700 MHz clearance programme timescale review"(PDF).Ofcom. 2017.Retrieved15 June2018.
  7. ^"700MHz clearance".DigitalUK. 2018.Retrieved14 June2018.
  8. ^"Trade and Industry Information, 700MHz Clearance Events, Central Region"(PDF).DigitalUK. 2018.Retrieved25 June2018.
  9. ^abc"The transmission gallery: Oxford coverage area maps".mb21. 2018.Retrieved25 June2018.
  10. ^"Freeview Light on the Over Norton (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter".May 2004.
  11. ^"Freeview Light on the Charlbury (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter".May 2004.
  12. ^"Freeview Light on the Icomb Hill (Gloucestershire, England) transmitter".May 2004.
  13. ^"Freeview Light on the Guiting Power (Gloucestershire, England) transmitter".May 2004.
  14. ^"Freeview Light on the Ascott under Wychwood (Oxfordshire, England) transmitter".May 2004.
  15. ^"Oxford - historic and re-engineering of Band II".mb21. 2018.Retrieved3 July2018.
  16. ^"The transmission gallery: Oxford, The Virgin Radio wire aerial".mb21. 2018.Retrieved26 June2018.
  17. ^ab"Oxford (Oxfordshire, England) DAB transmitter".UK Free TV. 2018.Retrieved26 June2018.
  18. ^"DAB Radio and multiple xing services in Oxfordshire".Ayqiva. 2018.Retrieved26 June2018.
  19. ^"The transmission gallery: Oxford, DSO3: Fire at Oxford".mb21. 2018.Retrieved26 June2018.
  20. ^"The transmission gallery: DSO5, Replacing the antenna at Oxford".mb21. 2018.Retrieved26 June2018.
  21. ^Radio Listeners Guide 2010

External links[edit]