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Switchover starts in North East England on Wednesday 12 September 2012

If you live in the Bilsdale, Chatton, Pontop Pike or Fenham transmitter areas your digital switchover starts 12th September. If you already use Freeview you will need to retune - if you have never had Freeview, you will get the standard definition BBC services - switchover will complete in two weeks later.

If you live in the Bilsdale, Chatton, Pontop Pike or Fenham tra
published on UK Free TV

This 12th September the first stage of the digital television switchover 1,420,000 homes in the North East of England.

From 6am Wednesday 12th September 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 Bilsdale, Chatton, Pontop Pike or Fenham 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:

  • Bilsdale (6am) - BBC TWO analogue closes on C26, Mux 1 closes on C34+, BBCA starts on C26. (MuxC from 12 to 26 September 2012, services will be provided on C34 at 6,000 Watt)
  • Chatton (6am) - BBC TWO analogue closes on C45, Mux 1 closes on C40+, BBCA starts on C45.
  • Fenham (6am) - BBC TWO analogue closes on C27, Mux 1 closes on C30-, BBCA starts on C27.
  • Pontop Pike (6am) - BBC TWO analogue closes on C64, BBC One analogue moves to C64 from C58, Mux 1 closes on C48, BBCA starts on C58.

On Wednesday 12th September 2012 if you use Aislaby (3pm), Allenheads (noon), Alston (9am), Bainbridge (9am), Bellingham (9am), Berwick (6am),Blaydon Burn (6am), Byrness (noon), Castleton (9am), Catton Beacon (6am), Durham (3pm), Esh (6am),Eston Nab (3pm), Falstone (noon), Felling (noon), Grinton Lodge (9am), Guisborough (9am), Haydon Bridge (3pm), Hedleyhope (noon), Humshaugh (6am), Ireshopeburn (6am), Kielder (3pm), Limber Hill(noon), Morpeth (6am), Newton (9am), Peterlee (noon), Ravenscar (noon), Romaldkirk (6am), Rookhope(3pm), Rosedale Abbey (3pm), Rothbury (9am), Seaham (9am), Shotleyfield (6am), Skinningrove (noon),Staithes (3pm), Sunderland (9am), Wall (noon), Weardale (9am), West Burton (noon), Whitaside (noon),Whitby (9am), Wooler (6am) 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 26th September 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.

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Comments
Friday, 14 September 2012
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

2:38 PM

Chris Knight: Some receivers won't work with the mode used after switchover.

What's the make and model of the affected box?

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Saturday, 15 September 2012
O
Ogee
9:19 AM

Your chart shows MUX C remaining on channel 27 after Sep 12, but a low power signal adjacent to the 100kW at channel 26 wouldn't work. They have actually moved it to channel 34, the old MUX 1 frequency.

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Ogee's 1 post GB flag
Sunday, 16 September 2012
D
David Parker
2:57 PM

Mark Fletcher
Hi I have done a autoscan on my tv it only picked up emley moor.So I say to myself try a manual scan on channel 26 to my amacement it got all the chanels as good as emley moor,so i now have a choice of bbc1 Leeds or Newcastle.
How did you get on
All the best
Dave p

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David Parker's 2 posts GB flag
M
Mark Fletcher
sentiment_satisfiedGold

8:00 PM
Halifax

David Parker
Hi there,in reply to your earlier text today at 2.57pm,my situation is mixed,i can receive BBCA from Bilsdale on frequency 26 but the results are not too promising,i can only get it with an enlarged borrowed group W wideband aerial in my bedroom with the amplifier (signal booster) on with occasional pixellations,sometimes breaking up into No Signal mode,without the signal booster regular pixellation and no signal mode,but nothing at all using my smaller set-top aerial (group W type) with and without signal amplifier.
Yet from Belmont further away using my set-top aerial without signal booster BBCA (fr 22),D3+4 (fr 25) multiplexes are largely perfect with occasional pixellations now and again,even their 50kw SDN (fr 30) is most of the time ok,but sometimes problematic.
So i will have to wait and see come DSO2 on Wednesday 26 September 2012 whether the rest of Bilsdale's mux's notably D3+4 on frequency 29 is attainable in my locality.
Still there's always Winter Hill i could consider as that is possible where i live,more so with the signal booster on and Emley Moor which is already my local main transmitter,although i dont normally bother with its regional news content as Halifax only gets occasional coverage now and again.
But then again better equipment (aerial wise) could see a big difference altogether.
All the best to you too !

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Mark Fletcher's 673 posts GB flag
Mark's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
A
ANN
8:55 PM

Hi,Since the 12th Sep;I Have been able to receive all the channels on my DIGIHOME 250GB DIGITAL TV RECORDER as before, but for some reason I cannot record rewind or pause.
The recorder was operating perfect before changeover.
I would be grateful for any help or suggestions you could give,
Thank you best regards ANN.

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ANN's 4 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
J
J Sellers
6:48 PM
Whitby

Have switched to digital today ok BUT ITV HD the local news shouls be Tyne TEES however we get Granada what is happening can get tyne tees on normal digital thbis is through Freeview

link to this comment
J Sellers's 1 post GB flag
J's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:02 PM

J Sellers: There are less HD regions. The BBC has just one for BBC One HD and a message appears telling viewers to switch to BBC One when regional programming is being broadcast.

ITV1 has, I think, around four or five nationally and you get the nearest one.

This is done due to cost reasons. There is additional cost in providing different regional feeds, and when they are all the same most of the time, it has been decided that this doesn't justify it.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
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