UK Digital switchover ends - Northern Ireland completes on 24th October 2012
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV 
Starting just after midnight on Wednesday 24th October, the next switchover of 2012 will see the number of homes with digital-only terrestrial reception in the UK go up by 647,500 from 97.54% to completed.
Viewers in Northern Ireland who use the Brougher Mountain, Divis, or Limavady "full Freeview" transmitters (and about 43 smaller relay transmitters) will have no analogue television from Wednesday 24th October 2012. Unless you use cable or satellite to watch television, if you don't use a Freeview box or set, your screen will be blank.
Do not expect ANY FREEVIEW television service from midnight until 6am - or a late as mid-afternoon on some relay transmitters (see below for timetable). This means you will not be able to record Freeview programmes overnight. --- but you can watch online here - Watch live UK TV channels and listen to live radio now.
Most people need only perform a "full retune" (or "factory reset" or "shipping condition") on their Freeview box or TV, but it would be impossible with five million homes covered by the transmitters, for no-one to have a problem.
RTE One, RTE Two and TG4
Viewers with Freeview HD (DVB-T2) equipment who receive a signal from the Brougher Mountain, Black Mountain and Carnmoney Hill will also receive the "Northern Ireland Mini-Multiplex" and will receive RTE One and RTE Two and TG4. See Northern Ireland RTE1, RTE2, TG4 special mini-multiplex from 24 October. Most other viewers will be able to watch services directly from transmitters in the republic. You will need the correct equipment:
Coverage Maps
From Wednesday 24th October 2012 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.
You will be served by the Freeview HD service from Wednesday, but please see this six-point checklist to ensure you really are watching in high definition: Are you really watching free TV in high definition?
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 "national retune day", September 30th 2009, see Freeview Retune - list of manuals.
If you can't recall the procedure or find the manual, please see generic clear and rescan procedure.
If you scanned during the first phase of switchover on Wednesday 10th October 2012 - you will have to do it again on Wednesday 24th October 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.For full details, see: Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you.
Homes with no Freeview at all will now have Freeview Light
If you had no Freeview service before, you will have the BBC channels digitally from Wednesday 10th October 2012. 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 Wednesday 10th October 2012 then you may need a new aerial.
If you are served by a public service (relay) transmitter, which are:
Armagh (9am), Ballintoy (3pm), Ballycastle (9am), Banbridge (noon), Bangor (noon), Belcoo (noon), Bellair (9am), Benagh (3pm), Black Mountain (6am), Buckna (noon), Bushmills (noon), Camlough (9am), Carnmoney Hill (9am), Castlederg (9am), Claudy (3pm), Conlig (6am), Cushendall (noon), Cushendun (9am), Derrygonnelly (3pm), Draperstown (9am), Dromore (3pm), Ederny (noon), Glenariff (3pm), Glenelly Valley (2pm), Glynn (2pm), Gortnageeragh (6am), Gortnalee (3pm), Kilkeel (noon), Killowen Mountain (9am), Larne (7:30am), Leitrim (3pm), Lisbellaw (9am), Londonderry (6am), Moneymore (3pm), Muldonagh (noon), Newcastle (noon), Newry North (noon), Newry South (3pm), Newtownards (9am), Plumbridge (11am), Rostrevor (9am), Strabane (7:30am), Whitehead (11am)
...you now need, from around from 9am (unless shown otherwise) on 24th October 2012 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.
You may wish to install Freesat for more channels, see Compare Freeview Light and Freesat TV.
Overlap with other regions
Because of the location of the transmitters, some viewers will find that they can pick up the signal from other BBC and ITV 1 regional studios.Those viewers with "Freeview HD" (or other so called D-Book 7) receivers will find they are presented with a menu to allow them to pick which BBC One region is shown on "button 1", and which ITV 1 regions appears as channel 3.
Viewers with older equipment may have to resort to doing a manual to get the correct signal for the desired transmitter.
All Freeview boxes automatically scan the available broadcast frequencies looking for channels, and they do this from C21 to C69. 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 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".
For more details, see: Digital Region Overlap
Originally published on 11th October 2012 at 00:00 by Brian Butterworth
Help with Freeview, aerials?
In this section
Saturday, 15 September 2012
J
jb3812:05 AM
Bernadette: If you have kept the OK button pressed until you seen the menu screen coming on and it wasn't "first time installation" then you must then have a variation on the chassis mentioned, as since my posting I dug out a similar model followed by me purposely entering the incorrect password, then I subsequently following this up by using the procedure suggested and it worked.
I unfortunately now have to say that unless someone else might have experienced a similar problem and has found some other method of rectifying it, then I cant see much hope of sorting it out except by using the long winded (very) method of coupling the devices RS232 socket into a PC then downloading the latest software, which of course by now isn't really the latest as the device is a few years old.
By the way this model is exactly the same as a multitude of others such as Hitachi HDR161 / Digihome / Sharp TUR160 / Durabrand / Technika etc, etc.
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B
Bernadette12:18 AM
Okay i'll have a search around, Thank you so much for your help!
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Friday, 21 September 2012
F
frankie5:57 PM
i bought a tv with freeview in england will i get the rte stations
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Saturday, 22 September 2012
J
Jim Cassidy10:42 AM
Ballymoney
The list of transmitters under the heading "RTE One and RTE Two and TG4" above doesn't include Limavady.
Can anyone tell me whether viewers who receive Freeview from the Limavady transmitter will also receive the "Northern Ireland Mini-Multiplex" and will receive RTE One and RTE Two and TG4?
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Jim's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Jim Cassidy: My understanding is that RT/TG4 will be available across "much" of the North. The three Freeview transmitters will supplement the main areas where the Saorview transmitters can't be received.
Evidently, it is considered that across the Limivady service area that the Saorview transmitters are generally available.
Even if the NIMM did broadcast from Limavady, it would use DVB-T2 specification which is that of HD broadcasts which means that only HD receivers will be able to pick it up.
I get the impression that if any Saorview transmitter is possible at your location, then Moville "may" be. Whilst Holywell Hill is on roughly the same bearing as Limavady, it would appear that you are well outside of its coverage area. I have judhed this based on the coverage maps on this site and that of Saorview:
Step 1: Check Coverage | SAORVIEW
This is very rough and therefore what you might call an initial assessment. You are best consulting a professional installer after 24th October.
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Jim Cassidy: See if you can pick up the analogue services from Moville.
What we don't know is whether the digital signal from Moville is being radiated as it will be after 24th October. We don't know whether there are restrictions in particular direction(s) that will be lifted after that date. We also don't know whether the analogue signals have restrictions and whether these will continue or be lifted or varied post-24th's digital.
To cut to the chase, the analogue channels from Moville are:
- RT One - C40
- RT Two - C43
- TG4 - C50
Some TVs scan which isn't too helpful. If you have one that allows you to enter UHF channel numbers, then try tuning to these three. Bear in mind that your picture may be poor due to the aerial not facing the correct way.
The digital service from Moville is on C45. A manual tune of C45 (if available) on your digital receiver may indicate whether there is a signal there, even if it isn't strong enough to produce a picture.
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H
Henry2:19 PM
Forget about the TV (there's nothing on it anyway) lol, more to the point, will ALL the radio stations i.e. Magic etc be back on DAB when the switch over starts?
I was told they had been switched off because they interfered with RTE in the south!
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Jim Cassidy: See:
http://consumers.ofcom.or….pdf
Also see the DUK Installer Newsletter for Northern Ireland:
http://www.digitaluk.co.u….pdf
See page 5 and also page 7 under the heading "Freeview and Saorview products use different standards".
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Monday, 24 September 2012
P
Peter Henderson12:13 AM
Henry: Magic switched places with Kiss on the commercial D.A.B. multiplex a couple of years ago, so it's unlikely it'sll be back on D.A.B.
No D.A.B station have been switched off becuse they've interfered with RTE.
However, Northern Ireland cannot receive Digital One because of the VHF band III frequencies that are used for analogue TV in the ROI. Hopefully, this will change at some stage after the 24th October.
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