Sandy Heath transmitting station

Sandy Heath
Height of mast	244.0 m
Built	1966
BBC region	BBC East
ITV region	ITV Anglia

Sandy Heath transmitter is a television broadcast station located between Sandy, Bedfordshire and Potton near the B1042. It is owned by Arqiva, formerly NTL Broadcast. It was built in 1966, originally broadcasting Anglia Television on VHF 405-lines, UHF with 625-line services of BBC2, BBC1 and Anglia Television being added by January 1971. It carried Channel 4 and Channel 5 from their launch days, Channel 5 at lower power than the other four services. Today it broadcasts digital television on the DTT platform as Digital Switchover took place on 13th April 2011.

It is a wideband TV transmitter (horizontal polarization), though an original A group aerial will still receive the three main Public Service Broadcast (PSB) Muxes. During DSO the digital transmission power for the PSB muxes increased from 20kW to 180kW. The commercial muxes remain at 20kW pending a further reorganization in late 2011.

Sandy Heath is the main local TV transmitter for Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and north Hertfordshire, bringing the nearby area Look East and Anglia Tonight.

It also broadcasts the BBC local radio station BBC Three Counties Radio and the independent radio station Heart Bedford formerly Chiltern.

Services listed by frequency

Analogue radio

Frequency	kW	Service
96.9 MHz	0.84	Heart Bedford
95.5 MHz	1	BBC Three Counties Radio

Digital radio

Frequency	Block	kW	Operator
222.064 MHz	11D	4.7	Digital One
225.648 MHz	12B	5	BBC National DAB

Digital television

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
474.2 MHz	21+	180	BBC B
498.0 MHz	24	180	Digital 3&4
522.0 MHz	27	180	BBC A
554.0 MHz	31	20	SDN
690.0 MHz	48	170	Arqiva B
722.0 MHz	52	170	Arqiva A

• SDN will move to UHF 51 on 9th May 2012 and its power will increase to 170KW.

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• BBC B is DVB-T2

External links

• Info and pictures of Sandy Heath, including co-receivable transmitters.
• MB21 Transmission Gallery – Sandy Heath
• Picture
• Google Maps
• Live Maps