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Sudbury transmitter group switchover "ends".

Essex and parts of Suffolk complete digital switchover, 20th July 2011.

Essex and parts of Suffolk complete digital switchover, 20th Ju
published on UK Free TV

Viewers in Essex and parts of Suffolk will have no analogue television from Wednesday 20th July 2011. Unless you use cable or satellite to watch television, if you don't use a Freeview box or set, your screen will be blank.

Most people need only perform a "full retune" on their Freeview box or TV, but it would be impossible with 460,700 homes covered by the transmitters, for no-one to have a problem.



From Wednesday 20th July 2011 you MUST have a digital television device to watch TV. If you do not have a digital receiver, from Wednesday will have a blank screen.

Do not expect a terrestrial television service from midnight until 6am - or a late as lunchtime on relay transmitters.

Switchover help scheme

If you are over 75, get (or could get) Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance or mobility supplement; or have lived in a care home for six months or more; or are registered blind or partially sighted and need assistance, please see The Switchover Help Scheme.



Cable and satellite

Cable (Virgin Media) and satellite (Sky, Freesat, fSfS) viewers are not affected by the changes. Remember, however, that you may be using analogue TV to watch on a second or third set and it might need a Freeview box.

Existing "full" Freeview users

If you already use Freeview, and can receive all the channels now, check your TV or box is not listed here - TVs and boxes that do not support the 8k-mode. If it is, you will need a new Freeview box.

If you are not on the list, you should scan your box from around 6am.

When you now rescan, you MUST do a "first time installation" or "factory reset" scan (sometimes called "shipping state"), not a simple "add channels". Do the procedure you did on September 30th 2009.

If you can't recall what this was, please see generic clear and rescan procedure.

If you scanned during the first phase of switchover on Wednesday 6th July 2011 - you will have to do it again on Wednesday 20th July 2011.

Restrictions on SDN, Arqiva A and Arqiva B multiplexes

The SDN multiplex will temporarily operate on channel 49 (at 14kW ERP) from the first stage of Sudbury's switchover until mid-2012. Arqiva A will remain on its pre-switchover channel (C54) from switchover until mid-2012. Arqiva B will remain on its pre-switchover channel (C50+) until late 2011, and then temporarily move to channel 63 (at 2.2kW ERP), before adopting its final allocation of channel 56 during mid-2012.

Using Freeview with Windows Vista

Please see Switch over and PC-based systems because you need some updates for your system to work.

Boosters and amplifiers

If you live close to the transmitter, you may have to disconnect any "boosters" from your aerial system. The new, more powerful digital signals may overload any amplifiers and result in no reception! When looking for them include a check for distribution amplifiers, loft boxes, set back amplifiers, bypass Amplifiers, hidden masthead amps in a loft space and any dodgy active splitters.

Homes without Freeview now have Freeview Light

If you had no Freeview service before, you will have the BBC channels digitally from Wednesday 6th July 2011. This is a single multiplex of the BBC channels (radio, television and text) for most people.

However, if you were on the fringes of reception from one of the main Freeview transmitters, you will now get all the Freeview channels.

If you didn't get this limited Freeview service on 1st June 2011 then you may need a new aerial.

If you are served by a public service (relay) transmitter - Felixstowe, Ipswich Stoke, Somersham, Wivenhoe Park or Woodbridge relay - you now need, from lunchtime on 15th June 2011 to rescan, and you will get a second Multiplex with ITV 1, ITV 2, ITV 1 +1, Channel 4, Channel 5, Channel 4+1, E4 and More4. And that's your lot if you have a standard Freeview receiver, see Freeview retune - poor public service transmitters.

In addition there are three new Freeview Light transmitters at Burnham on Crouch, Clacton, Rouncefall.

You may wish to install Freesat for more channels, see Compare Freeview Light and Freesat TV.

Everyone who has digital-only terrestrial TV now has the ability to receive Freeview HD, see below.

Digital regional overlap

The old analogue TV signals provided lots of nations and regions for the public service channels, and these have large areas of overlap.

The old low power digital TV signals were at very low levels and reception of signals from more than one transmitter was a rare event.

All Freeview boxes automatically scan the available broadcast frequencies looking for channels, and they do this from C21 to C69. Most older Freeview boxes will, if a duplicate version of a channel is found whilst scanning, such as another BBC One region, placed it in the 800-899 channel range.

Some of the latest Freeview boxes will pick the strongest signals for the "primary" number positions, and some will detect the different regions providing a choice when you perform a "scan for channels".

The 800-899 is easy to access by pressing CH- from 1, and in most programme guides is just a single scroll up.

Freeview HD

Freeview HD will start on Wednesday 20th July 2011 from Sudbury and all the relay transmitters. You will need a Freeview HD - DVB-T2 receiver to watch the channels. An HD TV set with Freeview is not enough.

Help with Freeview, aerials?
How do I get a test card with Freeview1
I would like to know if it is possible to receive UK terrestrial Freeview servic2
I have been told I would receive too much singal from my Freeview tansmitter as 3
Can my Freeview box receive more than one BBC and ITV region?4
Is it true that my 87 year old mother is entitled to a FREE upgrade when the ana5
In this section
Should the UK close down the TV networks to allow for more mobile broadband? 1
UK Digital switchover ends - Northern Ireland completes on 24th October 20122
The last day of analogue television in the UK - goodbye PAL3
2 days left of analogue television - goodbye teletext4
3 days of analogue to go - goodbye to NICAM 7285
Changes to Saorview frequencies and power levels, 24th October 20126

Comments
Monday, 22 August 2011
S
Stevief
11:42 PM

Hi, since the sudbury switchover my BT Vision box seems to be having problems, sound interference and lost blocks, seems to happen on various channels but particularly annoying on BBC2 and Channel 5. Aerial and cablishing is 5 years old in new house. The thing that seems odd to me is that the same freeview channels (bbc2 and Channel 5) are clear and good on my Samsung tv (aerial fed through the bt vision box!) this means if i watch live on the tv no problems but if i record on my bt vision box (or try to watch live on bt vision box) I get interference. Can anyone advise?

link to this comment
Stevief's 10 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

8:08 AM

Stevief: Are you using an amplifier or booster as part of your system? If you have one, remove it now.

Otherwise, can you see Freeview intermittent interference | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .

link to this comment
Briantist's 38,914 posts GB flag
Thursday, 25 August 2011
S
Stephen F
3:06 PM
Colchester

Briantist: No I do not have an amplifier or booster and I have tried the advice in the freeview intermitent intereference article with no success.

link to this comment
Stephen F's 10 posts GB flag
Stephen's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
S
Stephen F
8:41 PM
Colchester

Briantist: Correction I have just discovered a Labgear MSA262/S Distribution Amplifier in the loft. I tried turning off the power to this unit but then I get no signal at all! So I am guessing, as only the BT Vision box has a problem, can I use a 2-Way UHF Splitter (like maplins JM13P) take the coax from the aerial as the input and run one output to the amplifier and connect the other output to the coax which goes to the BT Vision box? Or is there a better way?


link to this comment
Stephen F's 10 posts GB flag
Stephen's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

9:32 PM

Stephen F: I did say "remove" a booster, and not power it off. If you disconnect the power from an amplifier, it will block the signal.

The best thing to do is to bypass the distribution amplifier (connect one output to the input) and see if that fixes the problem. If it does, then yes, use a Y-connector.

link to this comment
Briantist's 38,914 posts GB flag
S
Stephen F
9:55 PM
Colchester

Briantist: Yeah I know you said remove, it was just me thinking it was worth a try to power it off. I will get a connector tomorrow so I can bypass the amp and keep my fingers crossed. Thanks for your help.

link to this comment
Stephen F's 10 posts GB flag
Stephen's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Monday, 29 August 2011
G
Graeme Potter
5:02 PM
Burnham-on-crouch

Brian.
I live in Burnham on Crouch and we now have the New Burnham Relay Transmitter(from Sudbury)It would seem that the HD Mux Ch51 is not transmitting? Mux1 Ch48,&Mux2 Ch52 are fine with v.good signal. Do you know why this might be,or when it will start to be transmitted. I received the HD Mux from Sudbury on Ch47 in july ok when it went live.
Graeme

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Graeme Potter's 2 posts GB flag
Graeme's: mapG's Freeview map terrainG's terrain plot wavesG's frequency data G's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
A
andyboy
12:49 PM
Benfleet

hi is sudbury booster power up day or not what it said look east this moring can whay time thanks andyboy

link to this comment
andyboy's 16 posts GB flag
andyboy's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

6:31 PM

andyboy: As above "The SDN multiplex will temporarily operate on channel 49 (at 14kW ERP) from the first stage of Sudbury's switchover until mid-2012. Arqiva A will remain on its pre-switchover channel (C54) from switchover until mid-2012. Arqiva B will remain on its pre-switchover channel (C50+) until late 2011, and then temporarily move to channel 63 (at 2.2kW ERP), before adopting its final allocation of channel 56 during mid-2012. "

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Briantist's 38,914 posts GB flag
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