Alltwen television relay station
The Alltwen television relay station is sited on a hill to the southwest of Pontardawe in the Swansea Valley, at least a kilometre away from the village of Alltwen from which it takes its name. It was originally built in the late 1980s[1] as a fill-in relay for UHF analogue colour television. It consists of a 17 m self-supporting lattice mast standing on Craig Glyn Meirch, (Alltwen transmitter is on the facing mountain surely? Near here 51.715809, -3.835659) hillside which is itself about 140 m above sea level (about 90 m above the valley floor). The transmitters are beamed northwards and eastwards to cater for those digital terrestrial TV subscribers in the towns of Pontardawe and Alltwen which for reasons of geography can't get a signal from the much bigger and more powerful Pontardawe transmitter. The Alltwen transmission station is owned and operated by Arqiva.
Alltwen transmitter re-radiates the signal received off-air from Kilvey Hill about 12 km to the southwest. When it came, the digital switchover process for Alltwen duplicated the timing at the parent station, with the first stage taking place on Wednesday 12 August 2009 and the second stage was completed on Wednesday 9 September 2009, with the Kilvey Hill transmitter-group becoming the first in Wales to complete digital switchover. After the switchover process, analogue channels had ceased broadcasting permanently and the Freeview digital TV services were radiated at an ERP of 2 W each.[2]
Channels listed by frequency
Analogue television
10 March 1989 - 12 August 2009
Alltwen (being in Wales) transmitted the S4C variant of Channel 4.
Analogue and digital television
12 August 2009 - 9 September 2009
The UK's digital switchover commenced at Kilvey Hill (and therefore at Alltwen and all its other relays) on 12 August 2009. Analogue BBC Two Wales on channel 46 was first to close, and ITV Wales was moved from channel 43 to channel 46 for its last month of service. Channel 43 was replaced by the new digital BBC A mux which started up in 64-QAM and at full power (i.e. 2 W).
Frequency |
UHF |
kW |
Service |
System |
623.25 MHz |
40 |
0.006 |
BBC One Wales |
PAL System I |
650.000 MHz |
43 |
0.002 |
BBC A |
DVB-T |
671.25 MHz |
46 |
0.006 |
ITV1 Wales |
PAL System I |
703.25 MHz |
50 |
0.006 |
S4C |
PAL System I |
Digital television
9 September 2009 - present
The remaining analogue TV services were closed down and the digital multiplexes took over on the original analogue channels' frequencies.
Frequency |
UHF |
kW |
Operator |
650.000 MHz |
43 |
0.002 |
BBC A |
674.000 MHz |
46 |
0.002 |
Digital 3&4 |
706.000 MHz |
50 |
0.002 |
BBC B |
13 March 2013
As a side-effect of frequency-changes elsewhere in the region to do with clearance of the 800 MHz band for 4G mobile phone use,[3] Alltwen's "BBC B" multiplex will have to be moved from channel 50 to channel 40.[4]
Frequency |
UHF |
kW |
Operator |
626.000 MHz |
40 |
0.002 |
BBC B |
650.000 MHz |
43 |
0.002 |
BBC A |
674.000 MHz |
46 |
0.002 |
Digital 3&4 |
References
External links
Transmitter sites in Wales |
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| Transmitter stations | |
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Wenvoe UHF 625-line Transmitter Group |
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| Transmitter stations |
- Aberbeeg
- Abercynon
- Aberdare
- Abergavenny
- Abertillery
- Abertridwr
- Alltwen
- Bargoed
- Bedlinog
- Blackmill
- Blaenau Gwent
- Blaenavon
- Blaenllechau
- Blaina
- Brecon
- Briton Ferry
- Burry Port
- Caerhendy
- Cilfrew
- Clydach
- Clyro
- Craig-Cefn-Parc
- Crickhowell
- Crucorney
- Crumlin
- Cwm Ffrwd-Oer
- Cwmafon
- Cwmaman
- Cwmfelinfach
- Deri
- Dowlais
- Ebbw Vale
- Ebbw Vale South
- Efail Fach
- Ferndale
- Fernhill
- Gelli-fendigaid
- Gilfach
- Kilvey Hill
- Llanfach
- Llanfoist
- Llangeinor
- Llanharan
- Llanhilleth
- Llyswen
- Machen Upper
- Machen Upper
- Maesteg
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Monmouth
- Mynydd Bach
- Mynydd Machen
- Nant-y-Moel
- Nantyglo
- Neath Abbey (H)
- Neath Abbey (V)
- Ogmore Vale
- Pennar
- Pennorth
- Penrhiwceiber
- Pontardawe
- Pontypool
- Pontypridd
- Porth
- Rhondda A
- Rhondda B
- Rhondda Fach
- Rhymney
- Risca
- Sennybridge
- South Maesteg
- South Tredegar
- Taffs Well
- Ton Pentre
- Tonypandy
- Tonyrefail
- Trebanog
- Trecastle
- Trefechan
- Treharris
- Tynewydd
- Upper Killay
- Usk
- Van Terrace
- Wattsville
- Ynys Owen
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Television transmitter and major relay sites in the United Kingdom |
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| East Midlands | |
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| Greater London | |
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| North East | |
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| North West | |
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| South East | |
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| South West | |
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| West Midlands | |
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| Yorkshire and the Humber | |
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| Scotland | |
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| Wales | |
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| Northern Ireland | |
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| Italics denotes a transmitter no longer used for transmitting television signals. |
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