DVB-T Rhine-Main

The DVB-T Rhine-Main broadcasting area , the Rhine-Main conurbation around Frankfurt and the neighboring regions in Rhineland-Palatinate , Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria have been supplied with digital television via terrestrial transmission via DVB-T since the end of 2004 .

History of DVB-T in the Rhine-Main area

planning phase

The switch from analogue TV to digital TV in Hesse was on 8 March 2004 by Hessian Radio , ZDF and Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting and New Media Hessen together with the Südwestrundfunk and the state broadcaster decided the states of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. For the technical preparations see

→ Main article : "Analog / digital television" in the article Transmitting systems on the Großer Feldberg

Starting shot and lead time

On October 4, 2004 at midnight, the go-ahead was given for the preliminary operation of two multiplexes, in which initially only public service programs were activated. Analog television could continue to be received during this transition phase.

channel	Frequency   (MHz)	Multiplex	Programs in multiplex	Single frequency network (SFN)
57	762	ARD national / regional (hr)	The first (hr) hr television Südwest Fernsehen Rhineland-Palatinate Phoenix	Großer Feldberg ( Taunus ), Europaturm ( Frankfurt ), telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel (Taunus near Wiesbaden )
22nd	482	ZDFmobil	ZDF ZDFinfokanal (5.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday until 5.30 p.m.) / 3sat (6:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., Saturday and Sunday from 5:30 p.m.) KI.KA (6 a.m. - 9 p.m.) / ZDFdokukanal (9 p.m. - 6 a.m.) MHP data service ZDF DigiText	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel

Regular operation

Two months later - on December 6, 2004 - three more multiplexes were switched on and analog television was switched off at the same time. On channels E08, E34 and E54, the three classic analogue programs Das Erste (hr), ZDF and “Das Third” - in Hesse the hr television - were broadcast from the tube mast of the hr on the Großer Feldberg. With the major change to regular operations on December 6th, private programs in particular were added. On channel E57, the allocation of the multiplex of the public service programs was partially changed. A total of various programs could be received from December 6, 2004. The program offered was as follows:

From December 6, 2004:

channel	Frequency   (MHz)	Multiplex	Programs in multiplex	Single frequency network (SFN)
8th	198.5	ARD national (hr)	The first (hr) arte Phoenix ARD- MHP data service	Großer Feldberg ( Taunus ), Europaturm ( Frankfurt ), telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel (Taunus near Wiesbaden )
57	762	ARD regional (hr) Rhein-Main	hr television Bavarian Television South (Swabia / Old Bavaria) Südwest Fernsehen Rhineland-Palatinate EinsFestival	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel
22nd	482	ZDFmobil	ZDF ZDFinfokanal / 3 sat KI.KA (6 a.m. - 9 p.m.) / ZDFdokukanal (9 p.m. - 6 a.m.) MHP data service ZDF DigiText	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel
34	578	RTL Group Hessen	RTL (Hesse) RTL II Super RTL VOX	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel
54	738	ProSiebenSat.1 Hessen	ProSieben Sat.1 (Hesse / Rhineland-Palatinate) cable one N24	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel
64	818	Mixed private Rhein-Main  (T-Systems)	Eurosport rheinmaintv terranova tv close	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel

Today: (since June 14, 2016)

The DVB-T -Ausstrahlungen of the sites Great Feldberg, Europa Tower and High root run in single-frequency operation (Single Frequency Network). The multiplex on channel E37 is also distributed from the Würzberg location in the Odenwald and channel E22 with the Rimberg in the Knüllgebirge . In the whole of Hesse, this transmitter network was the first of its kind when it gradually started on October 4 and December 6, 2004.

For the complete table, please select the respective location under SFN.

channel	Frequency   (MHz)	Multiplex	Programs in multiplex	Single frequency network (SFN)
37	602	ARD national (hr)	The first (hr) Phoenix arte tagesschau24	Großer Feldberg ( Taunus ), Europaturm ( Frankfurt ), telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel (Taunus near Wiesbaden ), Würzberg ( Odenwald )
39	618	ARD regional (hr) Rhein-Main	hr television Bavarian Television North (Franconia) SWR television Rhineland-Palatinate rbb television Berlin	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel
22nd	482	ZDFmobil	ZDF 3 sat ZDFinfo KiKA (6 a.m. - 9 p.m.) / ZDFneo (9 p.m. - 6 a.m.)	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel, Rimberg ( Knüll )
34	578	RTL Group Hessen	RTL (Hesse) RTL II Super RTL VOX	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel
52	722	Mixed private Rhein-Main  ( Media Broadcast , BetaDigital [Tele 5])	Tele 5 ProSieben MAXX RTL NITRO QVC HbbTV services multithek (Internet) Bloomberg (Internet) 1-2-3.tv interactive (Internet) Ampya (Internet) Sonnenklar TV (Internet) Hope Channel (Internet) RiC TV (Internet) BB-MV-LokalTV (Internet) DAF (Internet) QVC (Internet) QVC Beauty (Internet) QVC Plus (Internet) SPIEGEL TV (Internet) multithek radio (Internet) ItsInTV (Internet) NHK WORLD TV (Internet) TecTimeTV (Internet)	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel
54	738	ProSiebenSat.1 Hessen	ProSieben Sat.1 (Hesse / Rhineland-Palatinate) cable one N24 Sixx	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel
59	778	DVB-T2 HD media broadcast, freenet TV	ARD HD ZDF HD VOX HD (encrypted) RTL HD (encrypted) Sat.1 HD (encrypted) ProSieben HD (encrypted)	Großer Feldberg, Europaturm, telecommunications tower Hohe Wurzel

DVB-T throughout Hessen

On May 29, 2006, as part of the Hessentag in Hessisch Lichtenau , the remaining areas of the State of Hesse were ceremoniously switched to digital aerial television and analogue television was switched off, with only the public broadcasters participating. The starting shot was given by the press of a button at 3:05 p.m. by Prime Minister Roland Koch and the artistic directors Helmut Reitze (hr) and Markus Schächter (ZDF). With the conversion there were also extensive changes in the Rhine-Main area with regard to the canal occupancy and the program offer.

Withdrawal of the RTL group

The RTL group stopped broadcasting in the Munich area on August 1, 2013. The nationwide discontinuation of terrestrial broadcasting announced for December 31, 2014 has not yet been implemented.

Transmission area

According to media reports, the broadcasting area of ​​DVB-T Rhein-Main covers a catchment area of ​​around 6.5 million inhabitants and extends into Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Franconia in Bavaria. Based on the forecast reception, the transmission area is divided into three zones (see above forecast map hr).

In the core area, stable reception with an indoor antenna is forecast inside buildings. This area extends over large parts of the Wetterau and the western edge of the Main-Kinzig district over the urban area of Frankfurt and Offenbach along the Main to Wiesbaden and Mainz . Upstream of the Rhine , reception is guaranteed in the southeastern part of the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate and in the entire Groß-Gerau district in Hesse as far as Gernsheim in the south. Furthermore, the Vordertaunus is extremely well taken care of. In the Hintertaunus , the reception field strength varies greatly depending on the location.

At the edge of the core area there is an area with medium reception field strength, in which stable reception with an external antenna is predicted. There it may well be that an indoor antenna is sufficient for reception, but reception is only guaranteed outside of buildings. This area extends the core area by around 10 to 15 kilometers. It includes the districts of Offenbach , Darmstadt-Dieburg in Hesse and Alzey-Worms in Rhineland-Palatinate.

The outer area with forecasted roof antenna reception extends the inner areas, especially in the north of the Rhine-Main area, to include parts of Central Hesse and in the south to include the Rheingau and Rheinhessen . It extends in the west to Bingen am Rhein , in the north to the Westerwald and Gießen and in the east to Gelnhausen and Aschaffenburg . Despite its proximity, the Odenwald is only supplied from the Rhine-Main area in locations with a direct view of the northwestern horizon. In the south, the Rhein-Main program multiplexes can be received along the Upper Rhine Plain as far as Mannheim , Ludwigshafen am Rhein , Heidelberg and Speyer in the Rhine-Neckar region . There, the broadcasting area of ​​DVB-T Rhein-Main overlaps with that of DVB-T Rhein-Neckar , in which, however, to date no private program providers have participated in broadcasts, only public broadcasters.

Other DVB-T locations that can be received with a directional roof antenna in the Rhine-Main area, depending on the location

Location	Coverage area	Coordinates	Responsible broadcaster	Complementary programs	annotation
Kreuzberg  (Rhoen)	Bavaria:  Northern Lower Franconia	50 ° 22 '12.4 "  N , 009 ° 58' 48.4"  E	BR	Channel 36 (594 MHz): One plus arte (24 h) Channel 46 (674 MHz): ARD-alpha mdr television Thuringia Bavarian Television North (Franconia) (in better quality)	Reception in the eastern core zone Rhein-Main is very good. Can be used partly via indoor or outdoor antenna. No reception from Darmstadt due to directional antenna pattern.
Heidelstein  (Rhoen)	Hessen:  East Hesse	50 ° 27 ′ 31.0 ″  N , 010 ° 00 ′ 24.0 ″  E	Mr	Channel 35 (586 MHz): mdr television Thuringia	Reception in the eastern core zone Rhein-Main is very good. Can be used partly via indoor or outdoor antenna.
Rimberg  (Knull)	Hessen:  East Hesse	50 ° 47 '54.0 "  N , 009 ° 27' 45.0"  E.	Mr	Channel 35 (586 MHz): mdr television Thuringia	Reception in the core zone Rhein-Main partly good. Can be used partly via indoor or outdoor antenna.
Würzberg  (Odenwald)	Hessen:  South Hesse / Odenwald	49 ° 39 '28.0 "  N , 009 ° 04' 08.0"  O	Mr	Channel 53 (730 MHz): SWR television Baden-Württemberg (in better quality) WDR television Cologne	Reception in the core zone Rhein-Main is very good. Can be used partly via indoor or outdoor antenna.
Angelburg  (Dillenburg)	Hessen:  Central Hesse	50 ° 47 '18.0 "  N , 008 ° 25' 44.0"  E.	Mr	Channel 24 (498 MHz): WDR television Cologne	Reception in the northern core zone Rhine-Main is sometimes very good. Can be used partly via indoor or outdoor antenna.
Pfaffenberg  (Spessart)	Bavaria:  Middle Lower Franconia	49 ° 55 '57.0 "  N , 009 ° 14'25.0"  E	BR	Channel 36 (594 MHz): One plus arte (24 h) Channel 46 (674 MHz): ARD-alpha mdr television Thuringia Bavarian Television North (Franconia) (in better quality)	Reception in the core zone Rhein-Main is very good. Can be used partly via indoor or outdoor antenna.
Donnersberg  (Palatinate Forest)	Rhineland-Palatinate:  Palatinate	49 ° 37 '29.0 "  N , 007 ° 55' 38.0"  E	SWR  (Rhineland-Palatinate)	Channel 57 (762 MHz): One plus arte (24 h) Channel 44 (658 MHz): WDR television Cologne SWR television Rhineland-Palatinate (in better quality)	Reception in the core zone Rhein-Main is very good. Can be used partly via indoor or outdoor antenna.
High Meissner  (Meissner)	Hessen:  Northern Hesse	51 ° 12 '28.0 "  N , 009 ° 50' 50.0"  E	Mr	Channel 55 (746 MHz): NDR television Lower Saxony mdr television Thuringia WDR television Cologne	Reception in the core zone Rhine-Main is very difficult. In the north of the Taunus and in the Vogelsberg, some can be received easily via roof aerial
Essigberg  (Habichtswald)	Hessen:  Northern Hesse	51 ° 18 ′ 50.0 "  N , 009 ° 20 ′ 45.0"  E	Mr	Channel 55 (746 MHz): NDR television Lower Saxony mdr television Thuringia WDR television Cologne	Reception in the core zone Rhine-Main is very difficult. In the north of the Taunus and in the Vogelsberg, some can be received easily via roof aerial
Koenigstuhl  (Heidelberg)	Baden-Württemberg:  Electoral Palatinate	49 ° 24 '13.6 "  N , 008 ° 43' 42.3"  E	SWR  (Baden-Württemberg)	Channel 60 (786 MHz): One plus arte (24 h) Channel 49 (698 MHz): WDR television Cologne SWR television Baden-Württemberg (in better quality)	Reception in the Rhine-Main core zone is very difficult because the transmitter is located behind the Odenwald. Good reception in parts south of the core zone and west of Darmstadt. Rüsselsheim (66 km away) is the reception limit in the west, and Bingen (85 km away) in the north-west.
Hunau  (Hochsauerland)	North Rhine-Westphalia:  Siegerland and Sauerland	51 ° 12 ′ 22.0 ″  N , 008 ° 22 ′ 38.0 ″  E	WDR	Channel 60 (786 MHz): EinsFestival (24 h) arte (24 h) Channel 27 (522 MHz): WDR television Südwestfalen (in better quality) mdr television Saxony-Anhalt NDR television Lower Saxony	Reception in the core zone Rhine-Main is very difficult. In the north of the Taunus and in the Vogelsberg, it can sometimes be received very well via the roof antenna.
Nordhelle  (Ebbegebirge)	North Rhine-Westphalia:  Siegerland and Sauerland	51 ° 08 ′ 48.6 ″  N , 007 ° 46 ′ 23.0 ″  E	WDR	Channel 60 (786 MHz): EinsFestival (24 h) arte (24 h) Channel 27 (522 MHz): WDR television Südwestfalen (in better quality) mdr television Saxony-Anhalt NDR television Lower Saxony	Reception in the core zone Rhine-Main is very difficult. In the north of the Taunus and in the Vogelsberg, it can sometimes be received very well via the roof antenna.
Großer Inselsberg  (Thuringian Forest)	Thuringia:  West Thuringia	50 ° 51 '04.0 "  N , 010 ° 27' 57.0"  E	MDR	Channel 53 (730 MHz): EinsFestival (24 h) arte (24 h) Channel 48 (690 MHz): mdr television Thuringia (in better quality) rbb television Brandenburg	Reception in the core zone Rhine-Main is very difficult. In the northeast it can be received partially via the roof antenna.

DVB-T2 HD

The successor DVB-T2 HD to DVB-T was put into operation on three transmission systems at the start of the first stage on May 31, 2016. This means that Das Erste, Pro Sieben, Sat 1, RTL, Vox and ZDF can be received via antenna in HD.

Transmitter location	state	channel	Transmission power
Great Feldberg	Hesse	59	50 kW
Frankfurt am Main (European Tower)	Hesse	59	50 kW
Wiesbaden (High Root)	Hesse	59	100 kW

Regular operation began on March 29, 2017 in the Rhine-Main area, in southern Hesse and at the Rimberg transmitter and the Würzberg transmitter . The city broadcaster in Darmstadt , which enables indoor reception, has since been a new member of the digital terrestrial TV broadcasting ensemble.

See also

• DVB-T Rhine-Neckar

Individual evidence

1. ↑ DVB-T: RTL withdraws from terrestrial broadcasting to heise online from August 1, 2013
2. ↑ DVB-T start in the Rhine-Main area , October 3, 2004, heise online
3. ↑ Reception areas of DVB-T2 HD - first stage from May 31, 2016 as a PDF file
4. ↑ The new digital antenna television is here! on hr-online.de from November 14, 2016

Web links

• rhein-main.ueberallfernsehen.de - Information page of the Hessian Broadcasting Corporation regarding DVB-T Rhein-Main.