Sandy Heath transmitting station

Infobox UK Transmitter
name = Sandy Heath


height = 240m
built = 1966
demolished =
collapsed =
BBC = BBC East
ITV = ITV Anglia

Sandy Heath transmitter is a television broadcast station located between Sandy, Bedfordshire and Potton near the B1042. It is owned by Arqiva, formerly NTL Broadcast. It was built in 1966, originally broadcasting Anglia Television with BBC1 and BBC2 being added in later years. It carried Channel 4 and Five from their launch days. Today it broadcasts all five terrestrial channels (BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1, Channel 4 and five) in analogue, and broadcasts digital television on the DTT platform. It also broadcasts the BBC local radio station BBC Three Counties Radio and the independent radio station 96.9 Chiltern FM. Sandy has co-channel interference [http://www.aerialsandtv.com/sandytransmitter.html#SandysPreDSOchannels issues] with a few other transmitters, most significantly with Sutton Coldfield and Waltham.After Digital Switchover (DSO) it has been confirmed by [http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/tech/dsodetails/81plan.pdf Ofcom] that Sandy will remain a wideband transmitter, though most K groups would pick up all six MUXES and an original A group aerial will still [http://www.aerialsandtv.com/sandytransmitter.html#SandyWidebandGraph receive] the three main Public Service Boadcast (PSB) MUXES. At DSO its digital transmission power will increase from 20kW to 200kW.

It is also the main local TV transmitter for Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and north Hertfordshire, bringing the nearby area Look East and Anglia Tonight.

Channels listed by Frequency

* Analogue Radio (FM)
** 96.9 MHz - Chiltern FM
** 95.5 MHz - BBC 3CR

* Digital Radio
** BBC DAB National
** Digital One

* Analogue Television
** UHF Ch.21 (474 MHz) - Channel 4
** UHF Ch.24 (498 MHz) - ITV1
** UHF Ch.27 (522 MHz) - BBC Two
** UHF Ch.31 (554 MHz) - BBC One
** UHF Ch.39 (618 MHz) - Five
* Digital Television
** UHF Ch.40 (626 MHz) - Multiplex C (National Grid Wireless)
** UHF Ch.42 (642 MHz) - Multiplex 1 (BBC)
** UHF Ch.43 (650 MHz) - Multiplex A (SDN)
** UHF Ch.45 (666 MHz) - Multiplex 2 (ITV)
** UHF Ch.46 (674 MHz) - Multiplex D (National Grid Wireless)
** UHF Ch.67 (842 MHz) - Multiplex B (BBC)

External links

* [http://www.aerialsandtv.com/sandytransmitter.html Info and pictures of Sandy Heath, including co-receivable transmitters.]
* [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/sandy-heath.php MB21 Transmission Gallery - Sandy Heath]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/230023 Picture]
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Heath+Lodge,+Mill+Ln,+Everton,+Sandy,+Bedfordshire+SG19,+United+Kingdom&sll=54.162434,-3.647461&sspn=9.913991,26.586914&ie=UTF8&cd=1&mpnum=0&ll=52.130584,-0.241152&spn=0.002536,0.006491&t=h&z=17&om=1 Google Maps]
* [http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=52.129851~-0.242517&style=a&lvl=17&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&encType=1 Live Maps]