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Hannington transmitting station
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<h2 id="broadcast-interruptions">Broadcast interruptions</h2> <h3>1977 Ashtar Galactic Command message</h3> <p class="note">Main article: <a href="/facts/Southern_Television_broadcast_interruption/K8doal7b">Southern Television broadcast interruption</a></p> <p>On Saturday 26 November 1977 at around 5:10 pm, the Southern ITV broadcast from this transmitter had its UHF sound transmission hi-jacked by unknown agents. At that time Hannington re-broadcast off-air UHF transmissions from Rowridge on the Isle of Wight. The UHF audio signal from Rowridge was swamped by a signal presumably from a location much closer to the Hannington transmitter, overriding the sound of the local <a href="/facts/ITV_(TV_network)/pIlD3oza">ITV</a> station <a href="/facts/Southern_Television/UAPwu6Jo">Southern Television</a> and broadcast their own audio message purporting to be from Vrillon, an <a href="/facts/Extraterrestrial_life_in_popular_culture/4UAkSVh4">alien</a> from an institution calling itself the <a href="/facts/Ashtar_Galactic_Command/MzpmPgLD">Ashtar Galactic Command</a>. The message, transmitted over an <a href="/facts/ITN/SYYJ94jL">ITN</a> News bulletin and a subsequent <a href="/facts/Merrie_Melodies/CACQ4o5f">Merrie Melodies</a> <a href="/facts/Cartoon/24v34f3m">cartoon</a>, lasted six minutes. </p><p>Despite extensive investigations by <a href="/facts/Hampshire_Police/pEefwVJj">Hampshire Police</a>, the <a href="/facts/Independent_Broadcasting_Authority/r19NWSlY">Independent Broadcasting Authority</a> and Southern Television, those responsible have never been identified, and the potential culprits have ranged from students to university professors to disgruntled television technicians. </p> <h3>1994 World Cup Final blackout</h3> <p>On 17 July 1994 vandals sabotaged the mast's power supply during the <a href="/facts/1994_FIFA_World_Cup_Final/ReEk97jY">1994 FIFA World Cup Final</a>, meaning that hundreds of thousands of viewers missed about an hour of the match.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="services-available">Services available</h2> <h3>Analogue radio</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th>Frequency</th><th>kW<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a></th><th>Service</th></tr><tr><td>102.9 MHz</td><td>4</td><td><a href="/facts/Heart_South/xeCqfrjf">Heart South</a></td></tr><tr><td>104.1 MHz</td><td>3</td><td><a href="/facts/BBC_Radio_Berkshire/Bzsj4zyp">BBC Radio Berkshire</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <h3>Digital radio</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th>Frequency</th><th>Block</th><th>kW</th><th>Operator</th></tr><tr><td>222.064 MHz</td><td>11D</td><td>4.8</td><td><a href="/facts/Digital_One/RQyyKVSL">Digital One</a></td></tr><tr><td>225.648 MHz</td><td>12B</td><td>5</td><td><a href="/facts/BBC_National_DAB/1Kwn9x5w">BBC National DAB</a></td></tr><tr><td>229.072 MHz</td><td>12D</td><td>1</td><td><a href="/facts/NOW_Berkshire_%26_North_Hampshire/l9qqG4aR">NOW Berkshire & North Hampshire</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <h3>Digital television</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th>Frequency</th><th>UHF</th><th>kW</th><th>Operator</th><th>System</th></tr><tr><td>618.000 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>39</td><td>50</td><td><a href="/facts/BBC/qFateIz8">BBC</a> B</td><td><a href="/facts/DVB-T2/eWpyllDm">DVB-T2</a></td></tr><tr><td>626.000 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>40</td><td>25</td><td><a href="/facts/S4C_Digital_Networks/fpl8L0zj">SDN</a></td><td><a href="/facts/DVB-T/oLaP9twt">DVB-T</a></td></tr><tr><td>642.000 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>42</td><td>50</td><td><a href="/facts/Digital_3%264/KWMy03NH">Digital 3&4</a></td><td><a href="/facts/DVB-T/oLaP9twt">DVB-T</a></td></tr><tr><td>650.000 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>43</td><td>25</td><td><a href="/facts/Arqiva/l9qqG4aR">Arqiva</a> A</td><td><a href="/facts/DVB-T/oLaP9twt">DVB-T</a></td></tr><tr><td>666.000 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>45</td><td>50</td><td><a href="/facts/BBC/qFateIz8">BBC</a> A</td><td><a href="/facts/DVB-T/oLaP9twt">DVB-T</a></td></tr><tr><td>674.000 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>46</td><td>25</td><td><a href="/facts/Arqiva/l9qqG4aR">Arqiva</a> B</td><td><a href="/facts/DVB-T/oLaP9twt">DVB-T</a></td></tr><tr><td>746.000 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>55</td><td>36.7</td><td>COM7</td><td><a href="/facts/DVB-T2/eWpyllDm">DVB-T2</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <h4>Before switchover</h4> <table><tbody><tr><th>Frequency</th><th>UHF</th><th>kW</th><th>Operator</th></tr><tr><td>626.166 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>40+</td><td>20</td><td><a href="/facts/S4C_Digital_Networks/fpl8L0zj">SDN</a> (Mux A)</td></tr><tr><td>634.166 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>41+</td><td>10</td><td><a href="/facts/Arqiva/l9qqG4aR">Arqiva</a> (Mux D)</td></tr><tr><td>650.166 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>43+</td><td>20</td><td><a href="/facts/Digital_3%264/KWMy03NH">Digital 3&4</a> (Mux 2)</td></tr><tr><td>658.166 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>44+</td><td>10</td><td>Arqiva (Mux C)</td></tr><tr><td>674.166 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>46+</td><td>20</td><td><a href="/facts/BBC/qFateIz8">BBC</a> (Mux B)</td></tr><tr><td>706.000 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>50</td><td>20</td><td>BBC (Mux 1)</td></tr></tbody></table> <h3>Analogue television</h3> <p>Analogue television transmissions ceased from Hannington during February 2012; BBC2 analogue closed on UHF 45 on 8 February 2012 and all other analogue services closed on 22 February 2012. </p> <table><tbody><tr><th>Frequency</th><th>UHF</th><th>kW</th><th>Service</th></tr><tr><td>583.25 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>35</td><td>60</td><td><a href="/facts/Channel_5_(UK)/kbsdLU02">Channel 5</a></td></tr><tr><td>615.25 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>39</td><td>250</td><td><a href="/facts/BBC1/t4SaSm6X">BBC1 South</a></td></tr><tr><td>639.25 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>42</td><td>250</td><td><a href="/facts/ITV_Meridian/gWh0kmu2">Meridian</a></td></tr><tr><td>663.25 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>45</td><td>250</td><td><a href="/facts/BBC2/TErpjSD4">BBC2 South</a></td></tr><tr><td>831.25 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a></td><td>66</td><td>250</td><td><a href="/facts/Channel_4/qosXcrpc">Channel 4</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <ul><li>Aerial group: E</li> <li>Polarisation: horizontal</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/hannington/index.php">Hannington Transmitter at MB21</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.aerialsandtv.com/knowledge/transmitters/hannington-transmitter">Info and pictures of Hannington transmitter including historical power/frequency changes and present co-receivable transmitters</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.thebigtower.com/live/Hannington/Index.htm">Hannington Transmitter at thebigtower.com</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Hannington (including relays)". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 26 September 2024. <a href="https://ukfree.tv/maps/tvregions/23" target="_blank">https://ukfree.tv/maps/tvregions/23</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Graham Moorby (18 July 1994). "Vandals black out World Cup". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2019. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/vandals-black-out-world-cup-1414571.html" target="_blank">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/vandals-black-out-world-cup-1414571.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Radio Listeners Guide 2010 <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>