Full Freeview on the Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) transmitter
 | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 51.685,-3.037 or 51°41'7"N 3°2'14"W |  | NP4 5XJ |
The symbol shows the location of the Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) transmitter which serves 19,000 homes. The bright green areas shown where the signal from this transmitter is strong, dark green areas are poorer signals. Those parts shown in yellow may have interference on the same frequency from other masts.
Are there any planned engineering works or unexpected transmitter faults on the Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) mast?
Pontypool transmitter - Pontypool transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 11/11/2024 Screen may go black on some or all channels 
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Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.
64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
The Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) mast is a public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these commercial (COM) channels: .
If you want to watch these channels, your aerial must point to one of the 80 Full service Freeview transmitters. For more information see the will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? page.
Which Freeview channels does the Pontypool transmitter broadcast?
If you have any kind of Freeview fault, follow this Freeview reset procedure first.Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.
64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
The Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) mast is a public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these commercial (COM) channels: .
If you want to watch these channels, your aerial must point to one of the 80 Full service Freeview transmitters. For more information see the will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? page.
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Pontypool transmitter?
BBC Wales Today 1.2m homes 4.7%
from Cardiff CF5 2YQ, 25km southwest (214°)
to BBC Wales region - 206 masts.
ITV Cymru Wales 1.2m homes 4.7%
from Cardiff CF5 6XJ, 30km southwest (215°)
to ITV Wales region - 206 masts.
How will the Pontypool (Torfaen, Wales) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2010 | 2010-13 | 29 Jun 2019 | |||||
| A K T | A K T | A K T | A K T | A K T | |||||
| C21 | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | ||||||
| C22 | -ArqA | ArqA | |||||||
| C23 | +BBCA | BBCA | |||||||
| C24 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ||||||
| C25 | -SDN | SDN | |||||||
| C26 | +D3+4 | D3+4 | |||||||
| C27 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | ||||||
| C28 | -ArqB | ArqB | |||||||
| C29 | +BBCB | BBCB | |||||||
| C31 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves |
tv_off Being removed from Freeview (for 5G use) after November 2020 / June 2022 - more
Table shows multiplexes names see this article;
green background for transmission frequencies
Notes: + and - denote 166kHz offset; aerial group are shown as A B C/D E K W T
waves denotes analogue; digital switchover was 3 Mar 10 and 31 Mar 10.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-4 | 250W | |
| SDN, ARQA, ARQB, BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-7dB) 50W | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B* | (-11dB) 20W | |
| Mux C*, Mux D* | (-14dB) 10W |
Local transmitter maps
PONTYPOOL Freeview PONTYPOOL DAB PONTYPOOL AM/FM Wenvoe TV region BBC Wales WalesWhich companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Wenvoe transmitter area
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Thursday, 31 March 2011
J
Jamie3:53 PM
Cwmbran
Hi I upgraded to Freeiview HD at christmas time 2010 and since doing so the HD channels have been very unreliable they will be fine for weeks then out of the blue they will be no signal or unwatchable due to break ups.
The SD channels are perfect but all the HD channels currently are no signal or unwatchable and this has been the case since approx 5:00pm Saturday 18th March.
Since then I have had no HD channels either no signal or stutter stutter stutter.
My equipment is fine I have had it tested so it must be transmitter signal strength reduction or unplanned work for the past few weeks if this doesn't improve I have no choice but to go to freesat for proper reliable HD channels.
Any input appreciated.
Cwmbran.
NP44 7AY.
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Jamie's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
M
Mike Dimmick5:17 PM
Reading
Jamie: Digital UK's predictor suggests that it should get better in May, presumably after Ridge Hill, Lark Stoke and The Wrekin complete switchover.
Normally at a distance of 5 km with clear line of sight to the transmitter you wouldn't have a problem, but Pontypool's transmitting aerial is designed to cover the area to the east. You are due south of it, so you get less signal than if you were due east.
The Mynydd Machen transmitter forms a Single-Frequency Network with Pontypool (for the PSB multiplexes), and transmits to the north and north-west. However, there is some terrain blocking your sight of it.
It's possible that rotating the aerial a bit to the west could reduce pickup of unwanted signals and pick up more signal from Mynydd Machen in addition to Pontypool. Aerials do have a fairly wide 'acceptance angle' and this tends to be wider for vertical polarization than for horizontal.
In some weather conditions, signals can travel further than planned, and this can cause interference. This is probably the source of the problem and why it changes over time.
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Mike's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
J
Jamie2:29 PM
Hi Mike thanks for the post.
I just don't understand why this has happend because I have an indoor loft wideband antenna which has worked fine for HD up intil the date above. I have not made any additions electrically i.e. new heating system, wireless devices etc
Anyway if you are confident that what ever interference is occuring at present will likley disappear in May than I will hold out till then rather then mess with my antenna. Then if its still dead I will adjust my antenna or maybe think about relocating to the roof.
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Tuesday, 3 May 2011
J
Jamie3:57 PM
Cwmbran
The channels are viewable now but not reliable enough to watch or record from so I am guessing I will have to have a play with the arial or just give up and go with freesat.
The annoying thing is they were perfect then no channels at all then back but not reliblae enough to watch or record from :(
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Jamie's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Jamie: I would check the suggestion on the Freeview intermittent interference | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice page.
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Friday, 23 September 2011
H
HUGH SMITH1:00 PM
Cwmbran
I cannot get sufficient signal strenght on hd channels to keep a picture i have direct sight of the aerial at pontypool 2 miles to the south.BBC 1hd comes in on 832 itvhd833 bbchd 831 no channel 4 hd is pontypool transmitting an hd signal my aerial man says not yet
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HUGH's: ...
J
jb382:28 PM
HUGH SMITH: Pontypool HD is on Mux Ch29, but as you say reception from there is in the 800 ranges then you must also be picking up signals from some other station, and which has taken up the normal EPG channel positions.
Take the aerial out and carry out a scan without it, this blanking out whats stored, then re-connect the aerial again and carry out a further re-scan to see what comes up.
Further info supplied depending on results.
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Monday, 26 December 2011
M
morgan6:49 PM
Pontypool
Wanted 'Yesterday' channel on 24th Dec, but although all, or most, other channels (freeview) were there, channel 12 definitely was not, screen message said 'no signal' available
Gear is Samsung 40" LCD,
Samsung FV PVR, all cables are OK, antenna is a twelve element digital specific type, aimed at (?) Pontypool, but could be hitting on Mendips, I have clear line of sight on both TX stations, my antenna is at approx 300 Mtrs ASL, I ain't about to go fiddling at this hour, nor in the rain.
Presently alignment is horizontal, but easy reached to swing it to vertical.
However, I was under the impression in digital alignment was immaterial, I could be wrong, perhaps I read the 'rules' wrong when I first got TV.
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morgan's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
morgan: Mendip and Pontypool are only 11 degrees apart at your location. The difference is that the former requires a horizontally polarised aerial and the latter a vertically one.
The predictor suggests that Mendip is the best for all services, albeit that regional programming is West.
I would check that receivers are tuned to the correct UHF channels as there are quite a few transmitters that are receivable at your location.
For Wales regional programming, the predictor suggests Wenvoe will be best for all services, although the commercials are "variable".
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Thursday, 1 March 2012
W
Wayne kelly8:12 PM
Hi,
I am a local aerial installer and I am trying to find out if the mynyth machen transmitter may of been the problem I came across today at a customers house being that it is using the same frequency's as pontypool.(SFN). I had line of site to machen and line of site for pontypool. The aerial system is new and has been working perfectly with S/D but when a new H/D freeview tv was fitted there were no hd channels on mux29.. The mux looked fine using my promax explorer meter with a signal power reading of 55db but still no h/d. The only way I could get a h/d programme was to realign the aerial to wenvoe but it is a much weaker signal with only 43 db on mux 47 but it did work with stable pictures, but I am anticipating a call back in the summer to increase the pole size and maybe the aerial due to leaves growing on the trees which the aerial is now looking towards.
Hope you may shed some light on the problem, and has there been simular probs in other parts of the country with S.F.N transmitters.
Wayne
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