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Switchover starts in Hampshire, West Sussex coast plus Brighton and Hove

If you live in the Rowridge (Southampton, Portsmouth, Poole, Worthing) and Whitehawk Hill (Brighton and Hove) transmitter areas your digital switchover starts this week

If you live in the Rowridge (Southampton, Portsmouth, Poole, Wo
published on UK Free TV

This week sees the first stage of the digital television switchover for 721,393 homes in Hampshire and West Sussex plus the 118,500 homes in the city of Brighton and Hove.

From 6am Wednesday 7th March 2012, you must perform a "first time installation" retune (sometimes "Factory Reset" or "Shipping Condition") on your Freeview box or television set if you use the Rowridge, Salisbury or Whitehawk Hill full service Freeview transmitter.

This is because the old low power "multiplex 1" BBC service will be replaced by the high power BBCA multiplex on the old analogue BBC TWO frequency:

  • Rowridge (starts midnight, ends by 6am) - BBC TWO analogue closes on C24, Mux 1 closes on C34, BBCA starts on C24.
  • Salisbury (starts midnight, ends by 6am) - BBC TWO analogue closes on C63, ITV 1 analogue moves to C60 from C53, Mux 1 closes on C55, BBCA starts on C57.
  • Whitehawk Hill (starts midnight, ends by 6am) - BBC TWO analogue C60 closes. ITV 1 analogue swaps to C63 from C60. Multiplex BBCA starts on C60. Multiplex 1 C66 closes. Mux A moves from C55 to C66.

On Wednesday 7th March 2012 if you use the Bevendean (noon), Bovington (noon), Brading (noon), Brighstone (noon), Brighton (Central) (noon), Canford Heath (2pm), Cheselbourne (noon), Coldean (3pm), Corfe Castle (9am), Donhead (6am), Findon (9am), Hangleton (noon), Horndean (9am), Luccombe (9am), Lulworth (noon), Luscombe Valley (9am), Millbrook (noon), Ovingdean (3pm), Patcham (9am), Piddletrenthide (3pm), Poole (6am), Portslade (9am), Poulner (11am), Saltdean (9am), Shrewton (9am), Singleton (6am), Sutton Row (9am), Till Valley (noon), Ventnor (9am), Westbourne (noon), Winterbourne Steepleton (9am), Winterbourne Stickland (9am) relay transmitters you will be able to receive the BBC Freeview services (with the exception of HD) for the first time, and you will no longer be able to view BBC TWO on analogue.





Remember, this is the last two weeks viewers in Brighton and Hove will be part of the BBC "South Today" region, as the transmitter will now move to the BBC "South East Today" region (as they are already on Sky and Freesat) - see Brighton transmitters will be in BBC South East from March 2012.



You MAY find that old equipment will no longer work - see TVs and boxes that do not support the 8k-mode

Another common problem at switchover is the increase in signal will overload amplifiers and over-the-top aerial installations. If this is the case you will have to remove the booster or amplifier from the system, or perhaps fit an attenuator if you have no amplification. - see Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you.

Brighton Pavilion picture by Brian Butterworth

On Wednesday 21th March 2012 will see the second stage of switchover, which provides the final Freeview configuration, including Freeview HD for all transmitters in this region.

On this date, you will need, once again, to do a "first time installation" as indicated above.

If you are over 75, you should already have been supplied new equipment by the Switchover Help Scheme.

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Comments
Thursday, 8 March 2012
T
trevorjharris
sentiment_satisfiedGold

11:01 AM

Just a thought may be your amplifier is overloaded with the stronger signal. Amplifiers should only be used to compensate for long aerial leads and not low signal strength.

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trevorjharris's 367 posts GB flag
A
Alf Martin
12:32 PM
Poole

I am in the Poole Dorset area and have always beeen told we are in a non-freeview area ! That being said, we found a weak signal, and with the help of a competant aerial engineer combined with loft aerial & mast head amplifier (we are not allowd roof aerials) we obtained a watchable signal. Am I correct in thinking that this will improve when the digital signal power level is increased (x 10 ?). I want to upgrade to HD.

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Alf Martin's 2 posts GB flag
Alf's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
A
Alf Martin
12:50 PM
Poole

I am in the Poole Dorset area and have always beeen told we are in a non-freeview area ! That being said, we found a weak signal (Rowbridge), and with the help of a competant aerial engineer combined with loft aerial & mast head amplifier (we are not allowd roof aerials) we obtained a watchable signal. Am I correct in thinking that this will improve when the digital signal power level is increased (x 10 ?). I want to upgrade to HD.

link to this comment
Alf Martin's 2 posts GB flag
Alf's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
A
Allan Isaacs
2:42 PM

An amplifier is always second best to a decent aerial Alf, But in a loft you may need both as the roof can reduce signal strength by up to 100 times.
I think you may just be about OK for HD with your current setup. Wait and see.

Without an amplifier we couldn't receive Freeview either, but once the switchover started and signal strength of digital increased the amplifier should not be needed.
The current problem is Channel 30. Previously, because of adjacent channel interference, from BBC1 analogue in Channel 31, Channel 30 digital transmission was moved downwards in frequency.
Unfortunately, Channel 30 is now on its correct centre frequency and is too close to the huge BBC1 analogue transmission on Channel 31 which is swamping our digital signals on Channel 30.
I could try removing my amplifier which will probably fix the problem by lowering the skirts of Channel 31, or twist the aerial towards vertical polarisation to reduce analogue signal which is horizontally polarised, and get digital which is transmitted on both horiz & vert in its vertical mode.
I imagine this will reduce the analogue signal by up to 30dB (up to a thousand times less) while maintaining a decent digital signal.
However I understand the signal on Channel 30 is going to move once again soon, and BBC1 analogue will be switched off in April anyway, so I may not bother getting out the ladder etc.

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Allan Isaacs's 15 posts GB flag
Friday, 9 March 2012
A
angela
9:15 AM

ilive in findon valley worthing & since the start of the switchover on wednesday 7th march i retuned my upstairs tv & can only get a lot of bbc channels.....no itv`s at all?

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angela's 1 post GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:30 AM

angela: Only BBC services are broadcast in digital at the moment. The others will follow on 21st March. Until then, you will have to view Meridian and Channel 4 on analogue.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
C
Carole
6:49 PM
Worthing

Dave: just wanted to say thank you for your assistance. We completed a Factory Reset on our tv and for the first time in 15 years had a fantastic, crystal clear picture in the kitchen :-). Tv aerial is pointing at the Findon transmitter, so waiting for stage 2 on 21st, but thrilled with current position. Thx

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Carole's 6 posts GB flag
Carole's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Thursday, 22 March 2012
S
sally
7:57 AM

After 7 March I retuned my TV and everything was fine. Since 21 March I have tried to retune both with and without an amplified ariel and the tv can't find any channels. Any idea what I can do?

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sally's 1 post GB flag
F
Frazer Palmer
8:22 PM
Worthing

Bbc one south is back on Freeview from the whitehawk transmitter. i hope this is permanent or else give us two slots for BBC one - south- and - south-east - so we have a choice!

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Frazer Palmer's 4 posts GB flag
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