Pontop Pike TV Transmitter
Located at Pontop Pike, County Durham. Broadcasts UK Freeview on channel group Group K, vertical polarisation, at 100 kW.
The short answer
The Pontop Pike transmitter is one of the UK's main Freeview broadcast sites. It serves an estimated 1,500,000 people across 4 counties. Covers Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Tees Valley and most of Northumberland. Newcastle, Durham, Sunderland.
Technical specifications
- Location
- Pontop Pike, County Durham
- Channel group
- Group K
- Polarisation
- vertical
- Power
- 100 kW
- Mast height
- 149 m
- Latitude
- 54.8689°N
- Longitude
- 1.7711°W
Multiplexes (MUXes) carried
Pontop Pike broadcasts the following Freeview multiplexes. Each MUX carries multiple TV channels.
- BBC A
- D3&4
- BBC B HD
- SDN
- ARQ A
- ARQ B
Counties served
This transmitter is the primary Freeview source for the following counties:
Towns served by Pontop Pike
31 UK towns receive their primary Freeview signal from this transmitter:
- Alnwick
- Amble
- Ashington
- Bedlington
- Berwick-upon-Tweed
- Billingham
- Bishop Auckland
- Blyth
- Chester le Street
- Consett
- Cramlington
- Durham
- Gateshead
- Haltwhistle
- Hebburn
- Hexham
- Jarrow
- Morpeth
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- Newton Aycliffe
- North Shields
- Peterlee
- Prudhoe
- Seaham
- South Shields
- Spennymoor
- Stanley
- Sunderland
- Wallsend
- Washington
- Whitley Bay
What aerial works on Pontop Pike?
The transmitter broadcasts on Group K with vertical polarisation. Most modern wideband aerials will receive this transmitter, but a group-specific aerial gives better signal-to-noise where there's known interference. If you're in a known black spot or fringe area, a high-gain Yagi may be needed.