| MuxCo (Sussex & Surrey) | |
| Licensed area | Surrey & North Sussex |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 10B (211.648 MHz) / 10C (213.360 MHz) |
| Air date | Yet to Launch (Delayed) |
| Owner | MuxCo / UKRD |
| Website | www.muxco.com |
MuxCo (Sussex & Surrey), as the name suggests, is the name of the DAB multiplex operator for Surrey and North Sussex. It serves an area similar to the analogue area served by Heart Sussex and Surrey (formerly Mercury FM) and 96.4 The Eagle.
The DAB licence was advertised by Ofcom on December 19, 2007. At the close on March 26, 2008, the regulator had received only one application, from MuxCo (Sussex & Surrey), a consortium made up of two companies - UKRD owning 50% with transmitter company National Grid Wireless owning the other 50%. They had to wait until April 22, 2008, before they were confirmed as having won the licence.
Under the original proposals it was to be one of the rare licences which uses two frequencies, with Block 10C serving the Western parts (served by 96.4 The Eagle) with Block 10B serving the Eastern parts (Heart Sussex and Surrey). Four transmitters were confirmed as carrying the platform initially; Guildford, Reigate, Midhurst and Leatherhead.
However, in 2010 MuxCo announced their intention to apply to Ofcom to alter the multiplex area to cover the county of Surrey only, feeling it would make more sense for North Sussex to be covered by an extension of the existing NOW Sussex Coast multiplex. [1].
As such, following the publication of their consultation document 'An Approach to DAB coverage planning', published in June 2011, Ofcom now propose using Block 10C only, and for the multiplex to be scaled back to cover Surrey and North-East Hampshire only. This would allow the DRG London multiplex to change from Block 11B to Block 10B, thus allowing NOW Sussex Coast on Block 11B to be extended across the whole of East and West Sussex.[2][3][4]
As required, the local BBC service, BBC Surrey, has to be carried on this platform.
[5] (Adjusted to reflect the way UK radio is now)
Unless indicated, the following services are expected to be carried on both frequencies.
| Service | Service Type | Signal | Bit-Rate | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBC Surrey | BBC Local service | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Also on FM 104.0 (Reigate) & 104.6 (Guildford) & AM - 1368 |
| 96.4 Eagle Radio | Full Service | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Also on FM - 96.4 |
| County Sound Radio | Classic Hits | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Also on AM - 1566 |
| Heart Sussex and Surrey | Contemporary Hit Music | Joint Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Also on 102.7. |
| Easy Radio | Easy Listening | mono | 96 kbit/s | Provided by London Media Company (Sunrise) |
| NME Radio | Modern Rock | mono | 96 kbit/s | Now on Digital One. |
| Redstone FM [6] | Community radio | TBA | TBA | |
| Shuffle | Youth | Stereo | 128 kbit/s | Provided by MuxCo. |
| Podcast Service | various | mono | 16-80 kbit/s | Depending on service. |
These are the only confirmed transmitter sites at present:[7]
| Transmitter | KW | AREA |
|---|---|---|
| Guildford | ? | Depending on strength. |
| Reigate | ? | Depending on strength. |
| Midhurst | ? | Sussex Downs |
| Leatherhead | ? | Leatherhead & Epsom |
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