Full Freeview on the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmitter
Brian Butterworth first published this on - UK Free TV
Google Streetview | Google map | Bing map | Google Earth | 51.237,-2.626 or 51°14'12"N 2°37'33"W | BA5 3LB |
The symbol shows the location of the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmitter which serves 720,000 homes. The bright green areas shown where the signal from this transmitter is strong, dark green areas are poorer signals. Those parts shown in yellow may have interference on the same frequency from other masts.
This transmitter has no current reported problems
The BBC and Digital UK report there are no faults or engineering work on the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmitter._______
Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.
64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which Freeview channels does the Mendip transmitter broadcast?
If you have any kind of Freeview fault, follow this Freeview reset procedure first.Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.
64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Mendip transmitter?
ITV West Country News (East) 0.9m homes 3.4%
from Bristol BS4 3HG, 23km north (11°)
to ITV West region - 61 masts.
All of lunch, weekend and 50% evening news is shared with West Country (West)
Are there any self-help relays?
Cheddar | Transposer | 15 km E Weston-super-Mare | 1674 homes |
Luccombe | Active deflector | 6 km w Minehead | 38 homes |
How will the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmission frequencies change over time?
1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2010 | 2010-13 | 2013-18 | 2013-17 | 27 Feb 2018 | |||
C/D E | E | E | C/D E | C/D E T | W T | W T | |||
C30 | _local | ||||||||
C32 | BBCA | ||||||||
C33 | com7 | com7 | |||||||
C34 | D3+4 | ||||||||
C35 | com8 | com8 | |||||||
C36 | ArqB | ||||||||
C37 | C5waves | C5waves | |||||||
C48 | SDN | SDN | SDN | SDN | |||||
C49tv_off | BBCA | BBCA | |||||||
C51tv_off | LBS | LBS | |||||||
C52tv_off | ArqB | ArqB | ArqB | ||||||
C54tv_off | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | D3+4 | D3+4 | D3+4 | |||
C55tv_off | com7tv_off | ||||||||
C56tv_off | ArqA | ArqA | ArqA | COM8tv_off | |||||
C58tv_off | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBCB | BBCB | BBCB | |||
C61 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | BBCA | |||||
C64 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves |
tv_off Being removed from Freeview (for 5G use) after November 2020 / June 2022 - more
Table shows multiplexes names see this article;
green background for transmission frequencies
Notes: + and - denote 166kHz offset; aerial group are shown as A B C/D E K W T
waves denotes analogue; digital switchover was 24 Mar 10 and 7 Apr 10.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
Analogue 1-4 | 500kW | |
Analogue 5 | (-6dB) 126kW | |
SDN, ARQA, ARQB, BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-7dB) 100kW | |
com7 | (-8.4dB) 72.4kW | |
com8 | (-8.6dB) 69.1kW | |
Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D*, LBS | (-17dB) 10kW |
Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Mendip transmitter area
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Tuesday, 6 March 2012
J
John2:58 PM
Taunton
My reception is from Mendip transmitter. Will it be necessary to retune from 28th March, or is it just a transmission power increase?
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John's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
A
Adam B3:20 PM
Dunstable
John:
A retune will be required on 28th March to ensure you still receive all channels.
Hope this helps,
Adam.
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Adam's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
M
Mike Dimmick4:01 PM
Nicholas Wilmott: The commercial multiplex operators have decided to change to a less-robust, but higher-capacity, mode. They are rolling this out across the country over several months. So that fringe viewers don't lose services when they do change mode, where they had time to prepare it, they are broadcasting at less than the permitted levels. SDN seem to generally be using a 1.5 dB reduction, while Arqiva - at other transmitters - used a 3 dB reduction. At Mendip, ArqA and ArqB are still on low power to reduce interference at Salisbury, and not due to the mode change. ArqB had its mode change last year (8 November) and coverage may have reduced for some people.
If the transmitter started transmitting at final power levels before the mode change decision was made, then the power levels were not reduced.
Therefore, while SDN will increase power to 100 kW on 27 March (according to Digital UK's postcode checker - trade view, shown as 'COM mux FEC change'), this will not increase coverage due to the mode change; for some people the mode change may actually reduce coverage.
The ArqA and ArqB channel changes and power increases are still scheduled for 28 March. ArqA's mode change is expected to occur at the same time.
So far, SDN are only using the increased capacity in Wales, to carry CITV and The Zone. These previously weren't available in Wales, because E4 was carried instead, due to S4C bumping it from the D3&4 multiplex. New services on ArqA and ArqB are likely (in my view) to launch once London has switched over in April. ArqA will be in its final mode at all switched-over transmitters by 1 May, and SDN by 27 June: ArqB fully switched to the new mode on 23 November last year.
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J
John5:46 PM
Taunton
Thanks for the reply, Adam.
Cheers
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John's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Friday, 9 March 2012
D
David10:18 AM
Frome
I posted in Jan about receiving the Frown West signal rather than Mendip which my high roof mounted aerial is pointed at-Dave suggested a workaround to plug the aerial in only after 50%of the auto retune, however this did not work despite many attempts, retuning with aerial unplugged first to empty the channels then trying autoretune(only possibility with my equipment) and plugging the aerial in at 25%/50%/75% all still leaving me with a poor quality signal from Frome... any further ideas how I can get back what used to be a good Mendip signal?
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David's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
David: You're only 200 or 300 metres from the Frome transmitter, so maybe it is being picked up by the aerial socket (without the aerial plugged in).
Does this sound a possibility? Does it show that some services have been picked up whilst the aerial is unplugged?
If so, then you need to get it such that it doesn't pick up these channels.
I'm not an aerial installer; the pros may have a better suggestion but either:
* take the TV to another room that is further away from the transmitter (i.e. where there are as many walls between the TV and the transmitter (which is on the roof of the telephone exchange), or;
* you need a radio transmitter to hold near the aerial socket whilst it's scanning the channels used by Frome. I'm not sure how effective this might be. A broadcasting cordless phone or mobile phone held close might be sufficient to stop the TV from receiving the Frome signals. You will need to have them transmitting at the time, i.e. making a call.
Once the scan has passed 25% it has passed the channels used by Frome, remove the source of interference. Plug in the aerial at 50%.
If each on their own doesn't work, then you could try both.
As I say, I'm not giving any guarantees as to what will work; I'm just suggesting what I'd try if I were you.
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David: When the aerial lead is unplugged during the scan, I wonder if it could it be being held too close to it; i.e. enough for the Frome signal being picked up by the aerial and down the cable to be "heard" by the receiver.
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D
David11:29 AM
Frome
Thank you Dave for your helpful comments-I will give this a go later-it doesn't show services when unplugged however the tv is close to the aerial socket which is on the same side of the house as the Frome transmitter so will try to get is far from socket as poss...
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David's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
J
jb3811:39 AM
Dave Lindsay: Yes, as the close proximity to any transmitter (even in this case of only 2 watts) will always make the local transmitter appear to the receiver as being far stronger than anything distant no matter how high powered the distant one might be, and likewise as you have suggested could well be being sensed by the receiver at a very low level even without the aerial being plugged in.
That said though, when the aerial is plugged in after passing the lower channels used by Frome it could also be the case that the signal level received from the relay is so high that its completely desensitised the receiver from picking up Mendip.
David: Regarding not being able to use manual tuning on your Panasonic, what model of Panasonic is it you have? as most that I have experience of the more recent types all have manual tuning facilities, or is it the DVD etc you are referring to?
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David11:48 AM
Frome
jb38: there is no manual tune that I can find on the Panasonic TH-42PX60U, that I have nor on the DMR-EZ45V DVD/VHS player both bought around 5 years ago..
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David's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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