Switchover starts in North and East Kent on Wednesday 13th June 2012

If you live in the Dover and Bluebell Hill transmitter areas your digital switchover starts this week. If you already use Freeview you will need to retune - if you have never had Freeview, you will get the standard definition BBC services this week. Switchover will complete in two weeks time.

^{Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV 12th June 2012 at 19:14}

This week sees the first stage of the digital television switchover 446,200 homes in North and West Kent.

From 6am Wednesday 13th June 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 Bluebell Hill or Dover full service Freeview transmitters.

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:

• Bluebell Hill (6am) - BBC TWO analogue closes on C46, Mux 1 closes on C59, BBCA starts on C46.
• Dover (6am) - BBC TWO analogue closes on C56, BBC One analogue moves to C56 from C50, Mux 1 closes on C68, BBCA starts on C50.

On Wednesday 13th June 2012 if you use the Chartham (6am), Chatham Town (9am), Dover Town (9am), Elham (noon), Farleigh (noon), Faversham(9am), Folkestone (11am), Horn Street (2pm), Hythe Marina (noon), Lydden (9am), Lyminge (6am),Margate (1pm), Newnham (6am), Ramsgate (noon), Turnpike Hill (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.

Coverage Maps

On these maps, the full-service six-multiplex transmitters are shown with the "red star" Freeview logo. The public service three-multiplex masts are shown with a brown indicator. The green areas on the maps, are the areas where the strongest signal is from the shown transmitter region, with the light blue showing overlap areas where signals from other regions are stronger.



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.



On Wednesday 27th June 2012 will see the second stage of switchover, which provides the final Freeview configuration, including Freeview HD for all transmitters in this region - see UK Free TV soon for full details.

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.