Hillsborough
Sheffield
S6 2LL
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Sudbury was opened in 1968 (see details of original transmitter) for the transmission of BBC2 and then BBC1 & ITV were added in 1970, finally Channel 4 came along in 1982. It is horizontally polarised and was originally a B group before the advent of Digital / Freeview. The figures for the mast heights vary according to which source you look at, but I reckon
the mast height for the original TX is about 140m (a.g.l) with the aerial array (covered by
its fibreglass shroud) on top of that, possibly another 20m. The second of the structures,
the one transmitting digital, is around 130m in total height, see How High is High ?
The site height is 70m and the TX is located about 14 miles WSW of Ipswich.
There are a few post digital switchover out of group issues. The final MUX allocations (from the 27th Jun 12) will mean that MUXES 4 and 5 (on CHs 58 & 60) which would not normally be receivable on a B group aerial. MUX 6, on CH 56 may be received on a B group though possibly not some crappy contract aerials though....... Thus Sudbury is now an E group.
Sudbury Transmitters from the South. The original Sudbury transmitter is on the right and the supplementary transmitter on the left. Back to the top
Ahhh, so they are different heights ! Sudbury`s two masts from a point exactly equidistant from both of them. The fact they`re bending inwards is obviously down to the wide angle
lens, not some new fangled engineering technology. The fact the picture is of low quality was down to the lighting conditions, but I`m not going all the way back just for one photo !
Above left we have Sudbury`s pre DSO transmitting antennas from the West, and above right a picture taken from the East.
Post DSO, from July 2011, the PSB MUXES will be transmitted from the (omni-
When switchover is fully complete the second mast will become the COM reserve.
Sudbury television transmitter`s frequencies/channels* Note the gaps in the table below for channels 31 to 37 and 61 to 68, they`re reserved for “other uses”........
Also check Sudbury`s eight small repeater transmitters.
The frequencies given are for (most) digital MUXES, for analogue channels deduct 3MHz.
* There are a few retune events (temporary MUX reallocations) just before and after DSO which may not be shown on these tables.
If you`ve found this site informative and, hopefully, interesting as well,
Sudbury`s channels* in relation to the UHF TV band and the gain curves of the aerials
we recommend for it. DM Log Log40 Yagi18E DY14WB XB16E
Note the gain plot of the original B group of the transmitter and how certain MUXES are
out of band, namely MUXES 4, 5 and 6, particularly the 4 and 5.
Also see other relevant E group curves.
* There are a few retune events (temporary MUX reallocations) after DSO which are not shown on this graph.
There are two interleaved spectrum channels allocated to Sudbury, CH49 and CH57. In addition there is a possibility of 2 or 3 more MUXES being transmitted between CHs 31 and 37, all of these possible channels will be receivable on a (decent) E group aerial, or a wideband.
For Sudbury`s TV Channels / Frequencies see its channel allocation guide. This also
includes the same information for other potentially co-
The Channel Allocation Guides can be very useful in the diagnosis of co-
interference problems and 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-
The transmitter is about 2 miles East of the railway line from Marks Tey to Sudbury and
this was opened in 1849. Sudbury station has an interesting history as it was originally situated about 200yds further NW into Sudbury, but was moved when the line to Haverhill/Cambridge was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1865. Sadly this later addition closed in 1967.
External Links
Sudbury transmitter Page on MB21
Sudbury transmitter Page at The Big Tower
Sudbury transmitter Page on Wikipedia
Digital UK Sudbury transmitter
Digital UK details of Anglia transmitters
Those situated to the West of Sudbury may find that during certain weather condition
they can suffer from co-
Sudbury Transmitter OS Grid Ref TL 912 376
Note, as work takes place on various digital transmitters (to prepare for the DSO) you may
experience problems, e.g. with certain MUXES disappearing. First try rescanning your
TV / 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. Also see basic digital fault finding.
DSO occurred at Sudbury between the 6 and the 20 of July 2011, but there are further MUX reallocation and power increases due over the next year.
We are more than willing to give advice to those actually purchasing from us.
Could those only seeking information please just find the answer somewhere on this site,
or ring an aerial installer local to them, or call the reception advice phone numbers.
By the time Sudbury finally finishes its switchover it will be quite a powerful transmitter, specifically the joint eighth most powerful in the country.
Note the huge power increase at switchover.
Sudbury`s MUXES 4 to 6 will suffer a slight reduction in error correction data from 27 Jun 12
Sudbury`s approximate population coverage is just under one and a half million and it has
eight small repeater transmitters off it.
Also see Digital UK`s channel allocations for Sudbury.
For Sudbury we recommend the DM log for strong signal areas, the Log 40 for
medium signal areas, the Yagi18E or 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.
a = (ex) analogue 1 to 4
b = (ex) analogue C5
c = digital
d = (ex) digital MUX2 on CH68
