Sandy Heath transmitting station

Sandy Heath
	Sandy Heath transmitting station (Bedfordshire)
Mast height	244 metres (801 ft)
Coordinates	52°07′49″N 0°14′29″W / 52.130139°N 0.241389°WCoordinates: 52°07′49″N 0°14′29″W / 52.130139°N 0.241389°W
Grid reference	TL2036249485
Built	1965
BBC region	BBC East
ITV region	ITV Anglia

Sandy Heath transmitting station 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 1965, originally broadcasting Anglia Television on VHF 405-lines, UHF with 625-line services of BBC2, BBC1, and Anglia Television being added by January 1971. It carried Channel 4 and Channel 5 from their launch days, Channel 5 at lower power than the other four services. Today it broadcasts digital television on the DTT platform as Digital Switchover took place on 13 April 2011. On 17 June 2018, as part of the 700MHz clearance, Com5 (ARQ A) moved from Ch52 to Ch36, Com7 (Arq C) moved from Ch32 to Ch55 and Com8 (Arq D) moved from Ch34 to Ch56

It is a K group or wideband TV transmitter (horizontal polarization), though an original A group aerial will still receive four of the main six Muxes, in fact from Feb 2020 only MUX 4 (SDN) will be out of the A group. During DSO, the digital transmission power for the PSB and Commercial muxes increased from 20 kW to 180 kW and 170 kW respectively.

Sandy Heath is the main local TV transmitter for Bedfordshire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and north Hertfordshire as well as North West Essex, bringing the nearby area Look East and Anglia Tonight (except on HD freeview-103 where it sends Meridian). Coverage extends to parts of Buckinghamshire, Norfolk, Leicestershire, Peterborough, and South Lincolnshire.

It also broadcasts the BBC local radio station BBC Three Counties Radio and the independent radio station Heart Bedford formerly Chiltern.

Construction[]

It was opened on 5 July 1965 by Charles Hill, Baron Hill of Luton for the ITA (Anglia TV). By the end of 1965, it was hoped that nine ITA transmitters would be open.

From its start until late 1966, the transmitter could not broadcast schools programmes in the morning because the frequency (waveband) clashed with the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory in nearby Cambridgeshire. Anglia TV broadcast on channel 6 from noon to midnight, and the astronomy observatory broadcast on it during the morning.

Services listed by frequency[]

Analogue radio[]

Frequency	kW	Service
95.5 MHz	1	BBC Three Counties Radio
96.9 MHz	0.84	Heart East

Digital radio[]

Frequency	Block	kW	Operator
222.064 MHz	11D	4.7	Digital One
225.648 MHz	12B	5	BBC National DAB

Digital television[]

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator	System
474.166 MHz	21+	180	BBC B	DVB-T2
498.000 MHz	24	180	Digital 3&4	DVB-T
522.000 MHz	27	180	BBC A	DVB-T
570.000 MHz	33	170	SDN	DVB-T
594.000 MHz	36	170	Arqiva A	DVB-T
690.000 MHz	48	170	Arqiva B	DVB-T
746.000 MHz	55	49.6	Arqiva C	DVB-T2
754.000 MHz	56	49.1	Arqiva D	DVB-T2

Before switchover[]

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
626.166 MHz	40+	20	Arqiva (Mux C)
641.833 MHz	42-	20	BBC (Mux 1)
650.166 MHz	43+	20	SDN (Mux A)
665.833 MHz	45-	20	Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)
674.166 MHz	46+	20	Arqiva (Mux D)
842.000 MHz	67	20	BBC (Mux B)

Analogue television[]

Analogue television services are no longer available. BBC Two was closed on 30 March 2011 and the remaining services on 13 April 2011.

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service
471.25 MHz	21	1000	Channel 4
495.25 MHz	24	1000	ITV
519.25 MHz	27	1000	BBC Two
551.25 MHz	31	1000	BBC One
615.25 MHz	39	10	Channel 5