Huntshaw Cross transmitting station is a telecommunications facility serving North Devonincluding the towns of Barnstaple and South Molton. It broadcasts television, radio and mobile telephone services. It is located on the B3232 road at Huntshaw, Great Torrington. Grid reference SS527220. The mast is 164 metres high. The high power output of the transmitter and its location allow its signal to be received clearly in parts of south Wales, before Freeview it was a popular transmitter to receive Channel 4 which was not broadcast on Welsh transmitters.
The site is owned by Arqiva and was opened by the Independent Television Authority using the 405 line transmission system on 22 April 1968 carrying the ITV programmes of Westward Television. It switched to 625 line colour transmission on 5 November 1973.
Digital switchover began at the site in the early hours of 1 July 2009 when the BBC Two analogue service was switched off just after 01:20 BST. Switchover was completed in the early hours of 29 July 2009 with the analogue services disappearing one by one, starting with BBC One at a few seconds after 01:30. Viewers were required to perform another retune on 30 September 2009 as SDN and Arqiva A reached their final frequency positions and increased in power. A further retune will be required at a future date in 2012 when Arqiva B will increase to its final power level. Freeview HD became available to viewers using this transmitter on 24 September 2010.
Contents |
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 690.0 MHz | 48 | 10 | SDN |
| 722.0 MHz | 52 | 10 | Arqiva A |
| 745.8 MHz | 55- | 20 | BBC B |
| 754.0 MHz | 56 | 4† | Arqiva B |
| 777.8 MHz | 59- | 20 | Digital 3&4 |
| 801.8 MHz | 62- | 20 | BBC A |
† Will increase to 10kW in 2012.
| Frequency | kW[1] | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 94.8 MHz | 0.675 | BBC Radio Devon |
| 96.2 MHz | 2.5 | Heart Devon |
| Frequency | Block | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 222.064 MHz | 11D | 4 | Digital One |
| 225.648 MHz | 12B | 2.5 | BBC National DAB |