Hillsborough
Sheffield
S6 2LL
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you may experience problems, e.g. with certain MUXES disappearing.
First try rescanning your set top box (do it manually if possible), but if this fails to work check on Transmitter work or call the reception advice phone numbers.
Oxford transmitter is situated 4 miles NE of the City and it has a population coverage of around three quarters of a million. Its transmissions can be picked up in Swindon, Reading, Banbury, Bicester and Milton Keynes amongst others. A VHF/405 line transmitter built in 1962 originally occupied the site (it is still there but now covered in microwave dishes) but this was replaced by the current 160m structure in 1968, see How High is High ?
At 500kW power (analogue) it is very powerful though it`s C5 output is only 40kW.
Digital / Freeview MUXES 1 & 2 are transmitted at 10kW whilst 3 & 4 are put out at 6kW and 5 & 6 at 8kW. It may be worth pointing out that dropping from 10 to 6kW would
normally only have a marginal effect on reception. That said (bearing in mind the cliff edge effect) such a difference could be significant if you are in a fringe area. Being a main transmitter Oxford is horizontally polarised and was originally a C/D group but in order to accommodate Digital it has gone E / wideband. Consultation of the Oxford`s Frequency / Channel Guide will reveal that whilst most of the Digital output is within the original group, two of the MUXES may require swapping your aerial to a wideband to ensure reception.
That said, C/D group antennas often pick up signal quite well below their designed for band, so reception may well still be possible, see the graph for Oxford.
Oxford transmitter has (only) two smaller repeaters to improve its coverage in hilly areas.
and for “post DSO” (below).
The frequencies given are for the analogue channels, for (most) digital MUXES add 3MHz.
Note the number of co-
31 to 35, 37, 39 to 40 and 63 to 68.
Overall view of Oxford TV transmitter, the original VHF structure of 1962 is on the left.
Picture Justin Smith ATV
Close up of one of the massive concrete anchors for the stays, there is considerably more
of it underground...... Picture Justin Smith ATV
Sun shining through the Oxford television transmitter, one of my favourite pictures. Picture Justin Smith ATV
Oxford`s channels in relation to the UHF TV band and the gain curves of the aerials
we recommend for it. DM Log Log40 DY14WB XB16E
Note that MUX 6 and (bizarrely) MUX1 are out of the original C/D group of the transmitter. But the graph shows quite clearly that the “cut off” for C/D group aerials is not precipitous and that most people in decent signal areas may well get all the Digital OK off their “old”
C/D group aerial, reception of MUX 1 being more likely than that of MUX 6.
At DSO in 2011 Oxford will return to a C/D group and the power is going to be increased by a large margin.
For Oxford`s frequencies see its Channel Allocation Guides for before & after the DSO.
Also see other relevant Wideband curves.
For Oxford we recommend the DM log for strong signal areas, the Log 40 for
medium signal areas, the DY14WB for poor signal areas,
and the XB16E for those with the most marginal signals. The dimensions and test performance of the aerials can be found on the relevant tables.
If requiring a “high gain aerial” in the loft we recommend the DY14WB over the XB16 because of the former aerial`s smaller size.
Somewhat bizarrely one of the out of band MUXES is (arguably) the most important since MUX1 carries the main BBC channels. The Channel Guide also reveals how many
compromises the channel planners had to make to fit in all the new broadcasts and
how many co-
one can see that Oxfords analogue C5 is transmitted on the same frequency as
Waltham`s MUX1. The guides can also be invaluable if you are trying to find a spare
channel for a modulated output (e.g. for a Sky box or CCTV system) to be added to your
TV setup/distribution system without suffering from co-
Somewhat surprisingly, Ofcom report that the output of Oxford is more or less omni directional. DSO is due to occur in 2011 and it has been confirmed by Ofcom that Oxford will be returning to a C/D group.
There are two interleaved spectrum channels allocated to Oxford, CH 49 and CH 29. It must
be admitted that CH29 would only be received on a C/D group aerial in a reasonable
signal area, otherwise a wideband or E group would be required, which we recommend
for Oxford anyway. Post DSO CH29 will have co-
The transmitter can be seen on the hill from the railway between Oxford and Banbury which was opened in 1850 by the Great Western Railway as part of a route which eventually reached Chester and Birkenhead. Interestingly it was built as a broad gauge line then converted to mixed gauge in 1852 before becoming standard gauge only in 1869.
