The signal from winter hill has a relatively easy journey towards stoke.
From a very tall mast high on the west Pennine moors, it's downhill all the way to Manchester, flat across the Cheshire plains and only starts to get hilly again as you approach Stoke.
If you live north of Stoke on a north facing incline or in a valley descending to the north, you are more likely to receive your signal from Winter Hill.
You may be able to receive a signal from Fenton if you have an elevated aerial, that is, one on a long pole with a relatively clear line of sight to the transmitter. That will have an additional cost, will be subject to the structure being suitable strong to affix such an aerial, and will be subject to movement and picture break-up in strong winds. These days, most people don't see the point as you get the same shit, just with different news!
When did that happen? I can remember the BBC showing programmes in Welsh from Holme Moss on the old channel 2 service, I don't remember Granada doing that.
I'm sure what you say is true though.
Don't know details of the period but just one sample example
RADIO AND TV PROGRAMMES
The Manchester Guardian (1901-1959) [Manchester (UK)] 02 Jan 1959: 11.
4:10 pm News in Welsh
4:15 pm Clodrern as fywyd (Sorry first word is very difficult to read)
5:00 pm Normal English language programmes.
Should be easy to work out the period from the archives
I have an idea where in Stoke you live by what you post as most of that area is split. You have half on Winter Hill and NW and half on Fenton and Central. Its one of those strange ones. Its the same for DAB I'm guessing your town (if I have guessed right) will suffer in places as Alsagers Bank doesnt cover it and the lack of a local and D1 transmitter on Mow Cop means loads of gaps exist.
Saying that imagine living in Congleton where you only get Free view lite. Mind you not impressed now we have lost the NW regional DAB as we now get Heart N Wales and not NW which used to beat the crap that Signal output on the radio.
Winter Hill does get out a very long way beyond its intended service area. I've got a feeling it might have the highest transmitting aerial AOD in the UK? (do correct me if I'm wrong on that)
I know of quite a few people on the Montgomeryshire/Shropshire border for whom its the most reliable signal. I also remember picking it up quite clearly on a set-top aerial some 20 years ago when I was living in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
I have never understood why they haven't used Sutton Common as a rely for TV. Its used for radio by both Stoke and Manchester stations and covers N. staffs and the Moorlands perfectly - however guessing there will be a reason why its not used.
Its like the radio fr Alsagers Bank - you can pick up Signal 1 well down the m5 past B'ham and well up the m6 past Blackpool. Seems some sites just go for miles. Mind you I had Nottingham, Derby, Stoke, Manchester and N. Wales DAB in the car the other day running happily in the Staffs Moors.
I have never understood why they haven't used Sutton Common as a rely for TV. Its used for radio by both Stoke and Manchester stations and covers N. staffs and the Moorlands perfectly - however guessing there will be a reason why its not used.
Probably a shortage of available frequencies is one factor, the UHF band is very 'busy' in that area
I have an idea where in Stoke you live by what you post as most of that area is split. You have half on Winter Hill and NW and half on Fenton and Central. Its one of those strange ones. Its the same for DAB I'm guessing your town (if I have guessed right) will suffer in places as Alsagers Bank doesnt cover it and the lack of a local and D1 transmitter on Mow Cop means loads of gaps exist.
Saying that imagine living in Congleton where you only get Free view lite. Mind you not impressed now we have lost the NW regional DAB as we now get Heart N Wales and not NW which used to beat the crap that Signal output on the radio.
Interesting. Maybe you could PM me with where you think I live and what gave it away as I'm quite vague about my exact location as some people on here have been itching to out me so I play my cards very close to my chest when it comes to letting on exactly where I live. That's why I never let on because certain trolls on here have been trying to get it out if me. Was it what I said on here or other posts?
Interesting. Maybe you could PM me with where you think I live and what gave it away as I'm quite vague about my exact location as some people on here have been itching to out me so I play my cards very close to my chest when it comes to letting on exactly where I live. That's why I never let on because certain trolls on here have been trying to get it out if me. Was it what I said on here or other posts?
Sorry if you have taken that the wrong way, I just wasn't sure if you wanted me to mention specific towns on the internet. I just guessed that you would have said the exact area if you wanted this public knowledge on the internet.
I have no idea if your trolls comment is serious or a joke.
some stoke folk also get sutton coldfield. with a surprisingly tiny aerial. it all depends which one of 6000 molehills and slagheaps your house is built on ........
some stoke folk also get sutton coldfield. with a surprisingly tiny aerial. it all depends which one of 6000 molehills and slagheaps your house is built on ........
Yes as when C5 first came out that was where people in Stoke could get it from with a bit of a dodgy picture at times. It was not until some time after that Fenton got the delights of C5.
Don't know details of the period but just one sample example
Should be easy to work out the period from the archives
Prior to the opening of the ITA transmitters in north Wales in late 1962 and early 1963 (the BBC had opened Llanddona in May 1962) Granada provided some Welsh language programmes from Winter Hill for viewers in north Wales.They were usually shown in late afternoon and tended to be magazine format.For many years the BBC showed Welsh programmes during the day from Holme Moss which had ben received on the north Wales coast since 1951.
Prior to the opening of the ITA transmitters in north Wales in late 1962 and early 1963 (the BBC had opened Llanddona in May 1962) Granada provided some Welsh language programmes from Winter Hill for viewers in north Wales.They were usually shown in late afternoon and tended to be magazine format.For many years the BBC showed Welsh programmes during the day from Holme Moss which had ben received on the north Wales coast since 1951.
Perhaps Granada were hoping the ITA would consider extending their coverage into North Wales. What happened of course was the ITA created a North and West Wales
ITV franchise, and the ill fated Teledu Cymru ended up on Moel-y-Parc.
The lunchtime Welsh language BBC broadcasts were carried on Holme Moss, Sutton Coldfield, and Crystal Palace, my understanding is it was tied up with what distribution circuits were available, the test card was shown in other regions.
Perhaps Granada were hoping the ITA would consider extending their coverage into North Wales. What happened of course was the ITA created a North and West Wales
ITV franchise, and the ill fated Teledu Cymru ended up on Moel-y-Parc.
The lunchtime Welsh language BBC broadcasts were carried on Holme Moss, Sutton Coldfield, and Crystal Palace, my understanding is it was tied up with what distribution circuits were available, the test card was shown in other regions.
Teledu Cymru was the only ITV company ever to go bankrupt, probably because the ITA had overlooked the fact the majority of potential viewers were sheep. and a franchise for just west and north Wales was not viable. TWW initially took over its franchise and then lost out to Harlech.
Not in Crewe as its all winter hill. Its more right on the staffs / Cheshire boarder where the confusion over area happens. I have friends who live near audley and despite being high up near alsagers bank, some go north, others go south. Same I believe in areas on the fringe as well.
Not in Crewe as its all winter hill. Its more right on the staffs / Cheshire boarder where the confusion over area happens. I have friends who live near audley and despite being high up near alsagers bank, some go north, others go south. Same I believe in areas on the fringe as well.
Thanks for that, I've often wondered how widespread Central actually was in the Crewe/Nantwich area. I suppose years ago there would have been a bigger case for having an additional aerial but not so much now.
If it was a slow news day in the actual West Midlands conurbation, Central West would typically cover stories from the extremes of Crewe, Wrexham and Northampton in the same programme!!
It's strange as there are towns on the edge of Staffs and Cheshire that are real split. Like the poster said at first you may be pointing towards central, yet next door will be going Granada. Its a very strange setup and throw in all the small sites like Congleton, Leek, Cheadle etc and you get a real mish mash of channels and choice.
Its very much the same for DAB. I sometime drive through Kidsgrove town centre. You even lose the Stoke DAB transmitter in the heart of the town centre. That town is a real black hole for DAB unless its BBC National which I believe use Mow Cop - but this actually sends a signal well up past Preston , so more proof of how high up it is and how flat Cheshire is.
Its the same in my area. At lest 60% of the houses still have there aerials pointing towards Black Hill 35 miles or so to the southwest from years ago when it was the strongest signal in the old analogue days and have not bothered to move them to pick up Craigkelly that's only 14 or 15 miles southeast from here. Some parts of my area and south Edinburgh still cant pick up a good signal from Criagkelly due to a small hill.
Its all to do with the lie of the land.
Darren
That "small hill" is actually Corstophine Hill which blocks the signal from Craigkelly to a large part of western Edinburgh. It's also blocked in the Cameron Toll area due to Arthur's Seat being in the way,
On the north side of the city it's a mixture of aerial directions - north for Craigkelly and west for Black Hill.
Prior to the opening of the ITA transmitters in north Wales in late 1962 and early 1963 (the BBC had opened Llanddona in May 1962) Granada provided some Welsh language programmes from Winter Hill for viewers in north Wales.They were usually shown in late afternoon and tended to be magazine format.For many years the BBC showed Welsh programmes during the day from Holme Moss which had ben received on the north Wales coast since 1951.
I remember that when the Granada continuity announcer said goodnight back in the early 1960s, he said it in Welsh and English... with another word in between. It was "Nos Da, ?????? , Goodnight". The middle word sounded vaguely like "euwah" or "iruwar" but I never did work it out, or what language it was. Does anyone know?
EDIT
Found it! After 50 years.
It was Nos Da, Oíche mhaith (pronounced EE-hah wah), Goodnight.
I have an idea where in Stoke you live by what you post as most of that area is split. You have half on Winter Hill and NW and half on Fenton and Central. Its one of those strange ones. Its the same for DAB I'm guessing your town (if I have guessed right) will suffer in places as Alsagers Bank doesnt cover it and the lack of a local and D1 transmitter on Mow Cop means loads of gaps exist.
Saying that imagine living in Congleton where you only get Free view lite. Mind you not impressed now we have lost the NW regional DAB as we now get Heart N Wales and not NW which used to beat the crap that Signal output on the radio.
The vast majority of Congleton doesn't use the Congleton transmitter - you can tell by the fact the roof-top aerials are 'horizontally' set (i.e. the 'blades' are left to right, rather than 'top to bottom' for vertically set).
Congleton relay is a 'Freeview' lite transmitter but is also vertically polarised.
There are a couple of areas of the town which can't get the signal from Winter Hill, but it's a small minority.
The vast majority of Congleton doesn't use the Congleton transmitter - you can tell by the fact the roof-top aerials are 'horizontally' set (i.e. the 'blades' are left to right, rather than 'top to bottom' for vertically set).
Congleton relay is a 'Freeview' lite transmitter but is also vertically polarised.
There are a couple of areas of the town which can't get the signal from Winter Hill, but it's a small minority.
It was quite common for people to get horizontally polarised antenna for the main station then when a vertically polarised local relay came on, they would just turn the antenna to point towards it. If the signal was strong they could often get away with it even if the antenna was the wrong group.
Comments
You might be able to get an ok BBC Midlands/ITV Central West signal from the Wrekin transmitter (analogue map at: http://tx.mb21.co.uk/mapsys/map.php?mapid=87 )
Don't know details of the period but just one sample example
Should be easy to work out the period from the archives
Saying that imagine living in Congleton where you only get Free view lite. Mind you not impressed now we have lost the NW regional DAB as we now get Heart N Wales and not NW which used to beat the crap that Signal output on the radio.
I know of quite a few people on the Montgomeryshire/Shropshire border for whom its the most reliable signal. I also remember picking it up quite clearly on a set-top aerial some 20 years ago when I was living in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Its like the radio fr Alsagers Bank - you can pick up Signal 1 well down the m5 past B'ham and well up the m6 past Blackpool. Seems some sites just go for miles. Mind you I had Nottingham, Derby, Stoke, Manchester and N. Wales DAB in the car the other day running happily in the Staffs Moors.
Probably a shortage of available frequencies is one factor, the UHF band is very 'busy' in that area
Interesting. Maybe you could PM me with where you think I live and what gave it away as I'm quite vague about my exact location as some people on here have been itching to out me so I play my cards very close to my chest when it comes to letting on exactly where I live. That's why I never let on because certain trolls on here have been trying to get it out if me. Was it what I said on here or other posts?
Sorry if you have taken that the wrong way, I just wasn't sure if you wanted me to mention specific towns on the internet. I just guessed that you would have said the exact area if you wanted this public knowledge on the internet.
I have no idea if your trolls comment is serious or a joke.
Yes as when C5 first came out that was where people in Stoke could get it from with a bit of a dodgy picture at times. It was not until some time after that Fenton got the delights of C5.
Prior to the opening of the ITA transmitters in north Wales in late 1962 and early 1963 (the BBC had opened Llanddona in May 1962) Granada provided some Welsh language programmes from Winter Hill for viewers in north Wales.They were usually shown in late afternoon and tended to be magazine format.For many years the BBC showed Welsh programmes during the day from Holme Moss which had ben received on the north Wales coast since 1951.
Perhaps Granada were hoping the ITA would consider extending their coverage into North Wales. What happened of course was the ITA created a North and West Wales
ITV franchise, and the ill fated Teledu Cymru ended up on Moel-y-Parc.
The lunchtime Welsh language BBC broadcasts were carried on Holme Moss, Sutton Coldfield, and Crystal Palace, my understanding is it was tied up with what distribution circuits were available, the test card was shown in other regions.
Teledu Cymru was the only ITV company ever to go bankrupt, probably because the ITA had overlooked the fact the majority of potential viewers were sheep. and a franchise for just west and north Wales was not viable. TWW initially took over its franchise and then lost out to Harlech.
I ask as even in the early 2000s Central News West would still cover the odd Crewe story and that area was included on the West Midlands weather map.
Is it to do with local reception issues or do some people have more interest in the Midlands than the North-West?
Thanks for that, I've often wondered how widespread Central actually was in the Crewe/Nantwich area. I suppose years ago there would have been a bigger case for having an additional aerial but not so much now.
If it was a slow news day in the actual West Midlands conurbation, Central West would typically cover stories from the extremes of Crewe, Wrexham and Northampton in the same programme!!
Its very much the same for DAB. I sometime drive through Kidsgrove town centre. You even lose the Stoke DAB transmitter in the heart of the town centre. That town is a real black hole for DAB unless its BBC National which I believe use Mow Cop - but this actually sends a signal well up past Preston , so more proof of how high up it is and how flat Cheshire is.
That "small hill" is actually Corstophine Hill which blocks the signal from Craigkelly to a large part of western Edinburgh. It's also blocked in the Cameron Toll area due to Arthur's Seat being in the way,
On the north side of the city it's a mixture of aerial directions - north for Craigkelly and west for Black Hill.
I remember that when the Granada continuity announcer said goodnight back in the early 1960s, he said it in Welsh and English... with another word in between. It was "Nos Da, ?????? , Goodnight". The middle word sounded vaguely like "euwah" or "iruwar" but I never did work it out, or what language it was. Does anyone know?
EDIT
Found it! After 50 years.
It was Nos Da, Oíche mhaith (pronounced EE-hah wah), Goodnight.
Welsh, Irish, English. Ah the memories!
The vast majority of Congleton doesn't use the Congleton transmitter - you can tell by the fact the roof-top aerials are 'horizontally' set (i.e. the 'blades' are left to right, rather than 'top to bottom' for vertically set).
Congleton relay is a 'Freeview' lite transmitter but is also vertically polarised.
There are a couple of areas of the town which can't get the signal from Winter Hill, but it's a small minority.
It was quite common for people to get horizontally polarised antenna for the main station then when a vertically polarised local relay came on, they would just turn the antenna to point towards it. If the signal was strong they could often get away with it even if the antenna was the wrong group.