Sandy Heath transmitting station is a
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
and
radio broadcasting
Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a lan ...
station in England, located between
Sandy, Bedfordshire
Sandy is a town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. It lies to the east of Bedford, to the south west of Cambridge and north of Central London. It had a population of 12,171 at the 2021 census.
The town takes its name from a ...
and
Potton near the B1042. It is owned by
Arqiva
Arqiva () is a British telecommunications company which provides infrastructure, broadcast transmission and smart meter facilities in the United Kingdom. The company is headquartered at the former Independent Broadcasting Authority headquart ...
, formerly NTL Broadcast. It was built in 1965, originally broadcasting
Anglia Television
ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...
on VHF 405-lines, UHF with 625-line services of
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
,
BBC1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
, and
Anglia Television
ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...
being added by January 1971. It carried
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
and
Channel 5 from their launch days, Channel 5 at lower power than the other four services. Today it broadcasts
digital television
Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using Digital signal, digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an ...
on the
DTT platform as
digital switchover
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Businesses
*Digital bank, a form of financial institution
*Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company
*Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...
took place on 13 April 2011. On 17 June 2018, as part of the 700MHz clearance, Com5 (ARQ A) moved from Ch52 to Ch36, Com7 (Arq C) moved from Ch32 to Ch55 and Com8 (Arq D) moved from Ch34 to Ch56
It is a K group or wideband TV transmitter (
horizontal polarization
, or , is a property of transverse waves which specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the wave. One example of a polarize ...
), though an original A group aerial will still receive four of the main six
muxes, in fact from Feb 2020 only MUX 4 (SDN) was out of the A group. During DSO, the digital transmission power for the PSB and commercial muxes increased from 20 kW to 180 kW and 170 kW respectively.
Sandy Heath is the main local TV transmitter for
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
,
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...
,
Peterborough
Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
,
North Hertfordshire
North Hertfordshire is one of ten local government districts in the county of Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Letchworth Garden City and the largest town is Hitchin. The district also includes the towns of Baldock and Royston ...
as well as
Stevenage
Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...
, north
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
(including
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
), parts of
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
(such as
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a market town and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. Th ...
and
Harlow
Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a Planned community, new town in 1947, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the ...
), parts of
Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
(such as
Newmarket and
Haverhill) and parts of
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
(including
Market Harborough
Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough District, Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, close to the border with Northamptonshire. The population was 24,779 at the United Kingdom census, 2021, 2021 census. It is the ad ...
).
Sandy Heath has 3 relay stations which are located in
Northampton
Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
,
Kimpton, and
Luton
Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census.
Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...
.
It also broadcasts the BBC local radio station
BBC Three Counties Radio and the independent radio station
Heart East, formerly Chiltern Radio.
History
The
Peterborough BBC mast opened on 5 October 1959, but had no ITV television broadcasting. The ITA referred to the 'Peterborough Bedford gap'. The only ITV broadcasting came from
Lichfield
Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...
or
Mendlesham. Mendlesham was the tallest mast in the UK.
Construction
In June 1962 the planning approval for a 500 ft mast was given by
Sandy Urban District. In April 1963 the new planning approval was given by
Biggleswade Rural District for a 750 ft mast.
In April 1964 it would be a £80,000 lattice mast, made by BICC of Preston, with all steelwork galvanised by Painter Brothers of Hereford, and a transmitter from EMI Electronics.
By January 1965 it was under construction, where in April 1965 it was damaged by lightning, and had reached 750 ft by 23 April 1965.
Transmission
It cost £200,000. The IBA station would be unmanned, merely a satellite of Mendlesham.
It was opened by
Charles Hill, Baron Hill of Luton
Charles Hill, Baron Hill of Luton, PC (15 January 1904 – 22 August 1989) was a British physician and medical spokesman, radio speaker, member of parliament, government minister and broadcasting executive.
Early life and career
Charles Hil ...
for the
ITA (Anglia TV), who arrived by
Westland Wessex
The Westland Wessex is a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34. It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters). One of the main changes from Sikorsky's H-34 was the rep ...
helicopter on Monday 5 July 1965. It would broadcast for 12 hours a day
By the end of 1965, it was hoped that nine ITA transmitters would be open.
From its start until late 1966, the transmitter could not broadcast
schools programmes in the morning because the frequency (
waveband) clashed with the
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
The Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory (MRAO) is located near Cambridge, UK and is home to a number of the largest and most advanced aperture synthesis radio telescopes in the world, including the One-Mile Telescope, 5-km Ryle Telescope, and ...
in nearby Cambridgeshire. Anglia TV broadcast on channel 6 from noon to midnight, and the astronomy observatory operated on these frequencies during the morning.
From 1 May 1966, there were no restrictions on channel 6. In October 1966 it was planned to carry BBC2 from 1968. BBC2 on channel 27 arrived on 15 September 1969, with tests from 2 September 1969 at 9am, in colour.
In June 1970, BBC1 was expected in late 1970, on 625 lines. No BBC television was broadcast from the station on 405 lines. BBC1 had been received in the area from London; viewers in Cambridge had terrible reception.
Tacolneston began Anglia colour test broadcasts in late September 1970, but Anglia in colour was not expected until early 1971. Anglia was to go colour on 18 January 1971, but there was a pay dispute with the
Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...
. Colour from Anglia arrived on Monday 8 February 1971. Anglia was about two years behind the BBC, with colour.
Test colour transmissions on BBC1 began on Monday 8 March 1971, with full colour from 22 March 1971. The BBC broadcast came from London, via the Peterborough mast.
[''Biggleswade Chronicle'' Friday 12 March 1971, page 14] Tacolneston went colour on 1 October 1970 and Sudbury on 18 November 1970.
Services listed by frequency
Analogue radio
Digital radio
Digital television
Before switchover
Analogue 625 line television
Analogue television services are no longer available. BBC Two was closed on 30 March 2011 and the remaining services on 13 April 2011.
References
External links
Info and pictures of Sandy transmitter including historical power/frequency changes and present co-receivable transmittersMB21 Transmission Gallery – Sandy Heath
{{Mendlesham_VHF_405-line_Transmitter_Group
1965 establishments in England
Buildings and structures in Bedfordshire
Infrastructure completed in 1965
Mass media in Bedfordshire
Sandy, Bedfordshire
Transmitter sites in England