Tapton Hill transmitting station

Tapton Hill
Height of mast	50 metres (164 ft)
Relay of	Emley Moor
BBC region	BBC Yorkshire
ITV region	ITV Yorkshire

The Tapton Hill transmitting station (grid reference SK324870) is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility which serves Sheffield in Yorkshire and is located on a hill in the suburb of Crosspool to the west of the city. It transmits analogue television (with vertical polarisation), digital television, analogue radio and DAB digital radio. It is a relay of Emley Moor and its aerials are at a height of 295 metres (968 ft) above mean sea level. It is owned by Arqiva, and is more generally known as the Sheffield (Crosspool) transmitting station. It also feeds the Chesterfield Transmitter with its digital television signal by means of an underground fibre optic cable. The transmitter has co-channel issues for its digital output with Belmont, Waltham and Bilsdale (see table) though these are largely mitigated by the vertical polarity of the Sheffield transmissions. Sheffield transmitter was originally an A group but to accommodate digital (and analogue Channel 5) it is now a wideband, thus any A group aerials on Sheffield were generally only able receive MUX1 (the main BBC channels, see graph) until its reallocation on 17 March 2010, after that date most sites wouldn't reliably pick up and of the digital channels without a wideband aerial. It has been confirmed by Ofcom that Sheffield will remain a wideband group after Digital Switchover (DSO), which occurred on 10 and 24 August 2011.

Transmitted services

Analogue radio (FM VHF)

Frequency	kW	Service
88.6 MHz	0.300	BBC Sheffield
89.9 MHz	0.320	BBC Radio 2
92.1 MHz	0.320	BBC Radio 3
93.2 MHz	0.050	Sheffield Live
94.3 MHz	0.320	BBC Radio 4
97.4 MHz	0.400	Hallam FM
99.5 MHz	0.320	BBC Radio 1
101.7 MHz	0.250	Classic FM
105.1 MHz	0.250	105 Capital FM
107.7 MHz	0.100	Real Radio Yorkshire

Digital radio (DAB)

Frequency	Block	kW	Operator
220.352 MHz	11C	0.70	Bauer South Yorkshire
222.064 MHz	11D	2.00	Digital One
223.936 MHz	12A	2.00	MXR Yorkshire
225.648 MHz	12B	2.00	BBC National DAB

Analogue television

Analogue broadcasts ceased permanently from Tapton Hill on 24 August 2011. BBC Two was previously closed on 10 August.

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service
471.25 MHz	21	5	Channel 4
495.25 MHz	24	5	ITV1
519.25 MHz	27	5	BBC Two
551.25 MHz	31	5	BBC One
839.25 MHz	67	2.5	Channel 5

• Aerial group: A/W
• Polarisation: vertical

Digital television

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
474.0 MHz	21	1	BBC B
498.0 MHz	24	1	Digital 3&4
522.0 MHz	27	1	BBC A
618.0 MHz	39	1	Arqiva B
642.0 MHz	42	1	SDN
666.0 MHz	45	1	Arqiva A

• Aerial group: A/W
• Polarisation: vertical

Before switchover

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
642.0 MHz	42	0.05	Arqiva (Mux D)
666.0 MHz	45	0.05	Arqiva (Mux C)
730.0 MHz	53	0.1	Digital 3&4 (Mux 2)
762.0 MHz	57	0.1	SDN (Mux A)
786.0 MHz	60	0.1	BBC (Mux B)
810.0 MHz	63†	0.1	BBC (Mux 1)

† On UHF 39 until 17 March 2010.

See also

• Belmont transmitting station
• Chesterfield transmitting station
• Emley Moor transmitting station
• Waltham transmitting station

External links

• Info and pictures of Sheffield transmitter
• The Transmission Gallery: Tapton Hill Transmitter photographs and information
• Switchover information page