Hillsborough
Sheffield
S6 2LL
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The Wrekin Transmitter (& The Wrekin B) OS Grid Ref SJ 628 082
Note, as work takes place on various digital transmitters (to prepare for the DSO) you may
experience problems, e.g. with certain MUXES disappearing. First try rescanning your
TV / set top box (do it manually if possible), but if this fails to work check on transmitter work
or call the reception advice phone numbers. Also see basic digital fault finding.
The Wrekin transmitter is situated 4 miles W of Telford on a 400m high hill which is called, funnily enough, The Wrekin ! The tower is about 50m high with the (analogue) transmitting array adding around 10m on top of that. It was constructed in 1975 amid great controversy, due to the scenic and historic nature of the site. I can certainly testify to the former, the views are fantastic and well worth the mile and a half walk up the hill. Getting planning permission for the tower was made even more problematic by The Wrekin being the site
of a large Iron Age hill fort ! The BBC`s 1977 estimate for The Wrekin`s population coverage was about 160,000. Ofcom now quote The Wrekin`s maximum population coverage as
being around 282,000 homes (half a million people ?) but that includes many households which will be on another transmitter with overlapping coverage.
Analogue transmitting power is 100kW for all five channels and Digital is broadcast at 1kW on all six MUXES. Coverage is increased by five small repeater transmitters.
The Wrekin transmitter is Horizontally polarised and was an A group but some of the
Digital (MUXES 5 & 6 on CHs 53 & 57) now require require a wideband, or our Yagi 18K. MUX 6 on CH57 may be slightly down on our Yagi18K (compared to the equivalent wideband) but not necessarily. All the other channels would be received slightly better.
The Wrekin transmits MUXES 1 to 4 to the West only (see The Wrekin B). This is to
avoid co-
channel guide. MUXES 5 and 6 (on CH 53 and 57) are more omni directional, but still
have small nulls at NNE, SE and WSW. (Radiation patterns courtesy of Ofcom).
The Wrekin is due to stay a K group (or wideband) after DSO on the
6th April and 20th April 2011, though the three PSBs will still be within
the original A band, see The Wrekin graph.
At switchover The Wrekin`s digital power output will increase from the pre DSO 1kW output up to the post DSO level of 10 to 20kW (the latter for the PSBs).
There are two interleaved spectrum channels allocated to The Wrekin, CH29 and CH48, which are both within the previously announced post DSO group.
For The Wrekin`s frequencies see its Channel Allocation Guides for before and after
the DSO. These tables also include the same information for some of the other
transmitters receivable in the area Sutton Coldfield, Waltham, Fenton, Winter Hill,
Moel Y Parc, Blaenplwyf, Ridge Hill, Malvern, Bromsgrove and Brierley Hill.
Note how the transmissions “dovetail” together in an attempt to minimise co-
a spare channel for a modulated output (e.g. for a Sky box or CCTV system) to be added
to your TV setup/distribution system without suffering from co-
The Wrekin, that`s the hill and the transmitter can be clearly seen from the M54 as one passes Wellington, it`s a mile or so to the South. This section of the M54 (from junction 5
to junction 7) was opened in 1975, the remaining length to the M6 didn`t open until 1983.
The Railway opened rather earlier than that, in 1849, as the Shrewsbury and Birmingham, and it passes about 2 miles to the North of The Wrekin. Fortunately it`s still open unlike
the ex Wellington & Severn Junction line which used to run 3 miles to the East. The latter opened in 1854 and remained open until 1962, though the Telford Steam Railway now utilises a short section of the line.
The Iron Bridge Museum is also close by and is definitely worth a visit.
The Wrekin B This is a co-
(at 1kW, on CHs 39, 49, 42 & 45) to the East only, to avoid co-
To avoid co-
These 4 MUXES are out of the A group and so require a wideband antenna or our Yagi18K.
The Wrekin B will cease transmitting after DSO.
External Links
For The Wrekin and The Wrekin B we recommend the DM log for strong signal areas,
the Log 40 for medium signal areas, and the Yagi18K or XB10K for poor signal areas,
the latter aerial being particularly well suited to loft mounting
The XB16K is for those with the most marginal signals.
The dimensions and test performance of the aerials can be found on the relevant tables.
The Wrekin TV Transmitter, note the fabulous view in the background
The Wrekin`s Digital transmitting arrays.
Note the mesh panels behind each array to restrict the radiation pattern (s).
The View to the East from The Wrekin, Telford is visible centre left. The path up the hill
can be quite steep but the vast majority can ascend it, taking their time if lacking fitness !
Be warned that there are three or four “false brows” on the route, you keep thinking you`re near the top, only to be confronted by another “brow” ahead of you as you reach what you thought was the summit !
Below is a close up of the panel showing all the features which could be visible from
the top. It was erected by the Rotary Club for the Queen`s Silver Jubilee in 1977.
The Wrekin transmitter`s channels in relation to the UHF TV band and the gain curves of
the aerials we recommend for it. DM Log Log40 Yagi18K XB10K XB16K
Note MUX 6 on CH57 may be slightly down on our Ks (compared to the equivalent
wideband) but not necessarily. All the other channels would be received significantly better.
For those who must have CH57 (MUX6) we recommend the DY14WB.
The “original A group curve” is that for post 1995 aerials, when the A group was extended
up to CH37 from CH34. Thus the response curve for aerials fitted prior to this date would
be about 3 channels down.
Also see other relevant K group curves.
The Wrekin transmitter`s channel guides for before (above) and after (below) the DSO.
The frequencies given are for the analogue channels, for (most) digital MUXES add 3MHz.
In fact because of Wideband antennas poor response at the bottom of the band nobody should ever fit a “high gain” wideband on any K group transmitter, e.g. The Wrekin.
If the site is in a poor spot a “high gain” K group aerial should be used.
On the other hand if the signal is strong (or medium) then by definition it doesn`t need a “high gain” antenna anyway ! Under these circumstances a Log Periodic should be fitted instead. See The Wrekin graph
Spectrum = Interleaved Spectrum Channels
Some post switchover MUX allocations will be changed due to the 800MHz clearance.
If you`ve found this site informative and, hopefully, interesting as well,