Chesterfield Transmitter - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Chesterfield transmitting station is a television and radio transmitter which serves the town of Chesterfield

Chesterfield

Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...

in Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

and surrounding areas. The transmitter is an analogue television relay of the large Emley Moor mast in West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....

, although digital TV services are line fed from Sheffield (Crosspool) (also known as the Tapton Hill transmitting station). The Chesterfield transmitter sits on a hillside to the north of the town and transmits digital television and radio services. Before the digital switchover, it was one of the few transmitters in the UK to transmit digital television but not analogue channel, Channel 5, and a number of its digital MUXES were transmitted on the same channels as Emley Moor so it was not uncommon for co-channel interference to be a problem; similar problems still exist with Sutton Coldfield and Waltham (see external links). These co-channel issues with Emley meant that its output was attenuated to the North.

The transmitter is vertically polarised as are most relays/repeaters. The altitude of the transmitting aerials is 231 metres, the actual tower being around 50 metres (164 ft) in height and of a similar design to many of the repeaters around the country. In the early 2000s an extra smaller tower was added at the side of the larger tower possibly for mobile phone use. Currently not much digital radio is broadcast from this site (or anywhere in Derbyshire) but it is just possible to receive digital radio in Chesterfield from other transmitters, specifically Tapton Hill in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

. From the 8th November 2007, the transmitter has broadcast the Digital One DAB Multiplex. The plans for the upcoming NOW Derbyshire

NOW Derbyshire

Now Derbyshire is an upcoming local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which will serve Derbyshire and other parts of the East Midlands....

DAB multiplex which was due to start broadcasting by July 2008 (but now delayed) state that the Chesterfield transmitter is to be used to broadcast this service along with another four transmitters across Derbyshire. The Chesterfield transmitter is owned by Arqiva

Arqiva

Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless...

(previously NTL).

Analogue radio

Frequency	kW	Service
89.0 MHz	0.4	BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
91.2 MHz	0.4	BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
93.4 MHz	0.4	BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
94.7 MHz	0.4	BBC Radio Sheffield BBC Radio Sheffield BBC Radio Sheffield is the BBC Local Radio service for English metropolitan county of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. This includes the city of Sheffield, plus Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, Chesterfield and surrounding areas. It was the BBC local radio station, beginning on 15 November 1967...
98.6 MHz	0.4	BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
107.4 MHz	0.1	Peak FM Peak FM Peak FM is a British independent local radio station in north Derbyshire. The strapline, 'Today's Best Mix', has been used since 2009 and is broadcast to reflect the station playlist.-Towns:...

Digital radio

Frequency	Block	kW	Operator	Notes
211.648 MHz	10B	N/A	NOW Derbyshire NOW Derbyshire Now Derbyshire is an upcoming local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which will serve Derbyshire and other parts of the East Midlands....	Awarded but yet to launch
222.064 MHz	11D	1	Digital One Digital One Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covers more than 90% of the populationfrom a total of 137 transmitters...
225.648 MHz	12B	1	BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

Analogue television

Analogue television signals are no longer transmitted from Chesterfield. BBC Two was switched off on 10 August 2011 and the remaining three on 24 August.

Frequency	UHF	kW	Service
487.25 MHz	23	2	ITV1 ITV1 ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
511.25 MHz	26	2	BBC Two BBC Two BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
535.25 MHz	29	2	Channel 4 Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
567.25 MHz	33	2	BBC One BBC One BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

Aerial group: A
Polarisation: vertical

Digital television

In July 2007 it was confirmed by Ofcom that Chesterfield would be remaining a wideband transmitter after DSO (Digital Switchover), though the first three of the six MUXES will still be available within the original A group. The Chesterfield transmitter had its analogue services switched off on 10 & 24 August 2011. The frequencies for the digital muxes also changed, and the power for most muxes increased to 400W, apart from BBC B which increased to 800W.

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
490.0 MHz	23	0.4	Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 is a consortium consisting of regional Channel 3 companies and Channel 4 Television Corporation, which operates a multiplex broadcasting from a number of transmitter sites in the UK, carrying television and radio channels from both ITV and Channel 4; however three per-cent of the...
514.0 MHz	26	0.4	BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... A
538.0 MHz	29	0.8	BBC B
650.0 MHz	43	0.4	SDN S4C Digital Networks SDN is a company that operates Multiplex A, one of the six groups of channels on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom...
674.0 MHz	46	0.04	Arqiva Arqiva Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless... A
706.0 MHz	50	0.04	Arqiva B

Arqiva A & B are restricted to 40W until 12 October 2011.

Before switchover

Frequency	UHF	kW	Operator
578.2 MHz	34+	0.04	BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... (Mux 1)
626.0 MHz	40	0.04	Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 is a consortium consisting of regional Channel 3 companies and Channel 4 Television Corporation, which operates a multiplex broadcasting from a number of transmitter sites in the UK, carrying television and radio channels from both ITV and Channel 4; however three per-cent of the... (Mux 2)
650.0 MHz	43	0.02	SDN S4C Digital Networks SDN is a company that operates Multiplex A, one of the six groups of channels on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom... (Mux A)
674.0 MHz	46	0.04	BBC (Mux B)
706.0 MHz	50	0.04	Arqiva Arqiva Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless... (Mux C)
722.0 MHz	52	0.04	Arqiva (Mux D)

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