Mynydd Emroch television relay station

Mynydd Emroch
Mynydd Emroch Kilvey Hill
Mast height	25 metres (82 ft)
Coordinates	51°35′48″N 3°46′09″W / 51.5968°N 3.7692°W / 51.5968; -3.7692Coordinates: 51°35′48″N 3°46′09″W / 51.5968°N 3.7692°W / 51.5968; -3.7692
Grid reference	SS775901
Built	1980s
Relay of	Kilvey Hill
BBC region	BBC Wales
ITV region	ITV Wales

The Mynydd Emroch television relay station is sited on the eponymous hill to the east of Port Talbot, clearly visible to eastbound traffic on the M4 motorway between junction 41 and junction 40, and to westbound traffic from about 600 m before junction 40. It was originally built in the 1970s as a fill-in relay for UHF analogue television. It consists of a 25 m self-supporting lattice mast standing on a hillside which is itself about 180 m above sea level (about 150 m above the town). The transmitters are beamed southwards to cater for those digital terrestrial TV subscribers in Port Talbot and Margam which for reasons of geography can't get a signal from the Kilvey Hill transmitter across the bay at Swansea. The Mynydd Emroch transmission station is owned and operated by Arqiva.

In the current age of digital television, Mynydd Emroch transmitter re-radiates the signal received off-air from Kilvey Hill about 15 km to the west. However, when it was originally built, the station was considered a relay of Carmel about 40 km to the northwest. When it came, the digital switchover process for Mynydd Emroch duplicated the timing at Kilvey Hill (Mynydd Emroch's new 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 18 W each.^[1]

Channels listed by frequency

Analogue television

1980s - 12 August 2009

Mynydd Emroch (being in Wales) transmitted the S4C variant of Channel 4. When it was built, the site was considered a relay of Carmel, but it was silently re-assigned to relay Kilvey Hill's analogue transmissions in February 2009.^[2] This was done so that on-screen announcements about the upcoming Digital Switchover at Kilvey Hill would be seen by its subscribers.

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service
623.25 MHz	40	0.09	BBC One Wales
647.25 MHz	43	0.09	ITV1 Wales (HTV Wales until 2002)
671.25 MHz	46	0.09	BBC Two Wales
703.25 MHz	50	0.09	S4C

Analogue and digital television

12 August 2009 - 9 September 2009

The UK's digital switchover commenced at Kilvey Hill (and therefore at Mynydd Emroch 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. 18 W).

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service	System
623.25 MHz	40	0.09	BBC One Wales	PAL System I
650.000 MHz	43	0.018	BBC A	DVB-T
671.25 MHz	46	0.09	ITV1 Wales	PAL System I
703.25 MHz	50	0.09	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	0.018	BBC A
674.000 MHz	46	0.018	Digital 3&4
706.000 MHz	50	0.018	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] Mynydd Emroch's "BBC B" multiplex will have to be moved from channel 50 to channel 40.^[4]

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
626.000 MHz	40	0.018	BBC B
650.000 MHz	43	0.018	BBC A
674.000 MHz	46	0.018	Digital 3&4

References

External links

The Transmission Gallery: Mynydd Emroch

Transmitter sites in Wales

Transmitter stations	Arfon Blaenplwyf Carmel Criggion Ferryside Haverfordwest Kilvey Hill Llanddona Moel-y-Parc Preseli St. Hilary Tenby Wenvoe Wrexham-Rhos

Carmel UHF 625-line Transmitter Group

Transmitter stations	Abercraf Brechfa Bronwydd Arms Builth Wells Cilycwm Cwm Twrch Cwmgors Erwood Greenhill Llandrindod Wells Llanelli Llansawel Llanwrtyd Wells Mynydd Emroch Penderyn Rhayader Talley Tenby Ystalyfera

Kilvey Hill UHF DVB Transmitter Group

Transmitter stations	Alltwen Briton Ferry Burry Port Cilfrew Craig-Cefn-Parc Efail Fach Mynydd Emroch Neath Abbey (H) Neath Abbey (V) Pontardawe

Television transmitter and major relay sites in the United Kingdom

England

East	Mendlesham Sandy Heath Sudbury Tacolneston

East Midlands	Belmont Chesterfield Waltham

Greater London	Alexandra Palace Croydon Crystal Palace

North East	Berwick-upon-Tweed Burnhope Chatton Pontop Pike

North West	Caldbeck Sandale Storeton West Kirby Winter Hill

South East	Bluebell Hill Chillerton Down Dover Frémont Point (Channel Islands) Hannington Heathfield Membury Midhurst Oxford Rowridge Whitehawk Hill

South West	Beacon Hill Caradon Hill Huntshaw Cross Mendip North Hessary Tor Redruth Stockland Hill Washford

West Midlands	Lichfield Ridge Hill Sutton Coldfield The Wrekin

Yorkshire and the Humber	Bilsdale Emley Moor Halifax Holme Moss Oliver's Mount Sheffield

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

Italics denotes a transmitter no longer used for transmitting television signals.

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