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Full Freeview on the Limavady (Northern Ireland) transmitter

first published this on - UK Free TV
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The symbol shows the location of the Limavady (Northern Ireland) transmitter which serves 45,000 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.

Are there any planned engineering works or unexpected transmitter faults on the Limavady (Northern Ireland) mast?

Limavady transmitter - Limavady transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 25/03/2024 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels Digital tick


Choose from three options: ■ List by multiplex ■ List by channel number ■ List by channel name
_______

Which Freeview channels does the Limavady 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.

MuxH/VFrequencyHeightModeWatts
PSB1
BBCA
 H max
C41 (634.0MHz)382mDTG-20,000W
Channel icons
1 BBC One (SD) Northern Ireland, 2 BBC Two Northern Ireland, 9 BBC Four, 23 BBC Three, 201 CBBC, 202 CBeebies, 231 BBC News, 232 BBC Parliament, plus 14 others

PSB2
D3+4
 H max
C44 (658.0MHz)382mDTG-20,000W
Channel icons
3 UTV (SD) (UTV), 4 Channel 4 (SD) NI ads, 5 Channel 5, 6 ITV 2, 10 ITV3, 13 E4, 14 Film4, 15 Channel 4 +1 NI ads, 18 More4, 26 ITV4, 28 ITVBe, 30 E4 +1, 35 UTV +1 (UTV),

PSB3
BBCB
 H max
C47 (682.0MHz)382mDTG-20,000W
Channel icons
46 5SELECT, 101 BBC One HD Northern Ireland, 102 BBC Two HD Northern Ireland, 103 UTV HD (UTV), 104 Channel 4 HD NI ads, 105 Channel 5 HD, 106 BBC Four HD, 107 BBC Three HD, 204 CBBC HD, 205 CBeebies HD, plus 1 others

COM4
SDN
 H -3dB
C40 (626.0MHz)379mDTG-810,000W
Channel icons
20 Drama, 21 5USA, 29 ITV2 +1, 32 5STAR, 33 5Action, 38 Channel 5 +1, 41 Legend, 42 GREAT! action, 57 Dave ja vu, 58 ITVBe +1, 59 ITV3 +1, 64 Blaze, 67 TRUE CRIME, 68 TRUE CRIME XTRA, 78 TCC, 81 Blaze +1, 83 Together TV, 89 ITV4 +1, 91 WildEarth, 209 Ketchup TV, 210 Ketchup Too, 211 YAAAS!, 267 Al Jazeera English, plus 30 others

COM5
ArqA
 H -3dB
C43 (650.0MHz)379mDTG-810,000W
Channel icons
11 Sky Mix, 17 Really, 19 Dave, 31 E4 Extra, 36 Sky Arts, 40 Quest Red, 43 Food Network, 47 Film4 +1, 48 Challenge, 49 4seven, 60 Drama +1, 65 That's TV 2, 70 Quest +1, 74 Yesterday +1, 75 That's 90s, 233 Sky News, plus 11 others

COM6
ArqB
 H -3dB
C46 (674.0MHz)379mDTG-810,000W
Channel icons
12 Quest, 25 W, 27 Yesterday, 34 GREAT! movies, 39 DMAX, 44 HGTV, 52 GREAT! romance, 56 That's TV (UK), 61 GREAT! movies extra, 63 GREAT! romance mix, 71 That’s 60s, 73 HobbyMaker, 82 Talking Pictures TV, 84 PBS America, 235 Al Jazeera Eng, plus 18 others

DTG-8 64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)

The Limavady (Northern Ireland) mast is a public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these commercial (COM) channels: .

If you want to watch these channels, your aerial must point to one of the 80 Full service Freeview transmitters. For more information see the will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? page.

Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Limavady transmitter?

regional news image
BBC Newsline 0.6m homes 2.5%
from Belfast BT2 8HQ, 1,051km northeast (51°)
to BBC Northern Ireland region - 46 masts.
regional news image
UTV Live 0.6m homes 2.5%
from Belfast BT7 1EB, 1,051km northeast (51°)
to UTV region - 46 masts.

Are there any self-help relays?

Elliotts HillTransposer13 km SE Ballymena, Co. Antrim90 homes (according to B9 Energy)

How will the Limavady (Northern Ireland) transmission frequencies change over time?

1984-971997-981998-20122012-134 Sep 2019
C/D EC/D EC/D EC/D E TB E K T
C40SDN
C41BBCA
C43ArqA
C44D3+4
C46ArqB
C47BBCB
C48_local_local
C49tv_offArqB
C50tv_offBBCA
C54tv_offSDN
C55tv_offBBC1wavesBBC1wavesBBC1wavesBBCB
C58tv_offArqA
C59tv_offITVwavesITVwavesITVwavesD3+4
C62BBC2wavesBBC2wavesBBC2waves
C65C4wavesC4wavesC4waves

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 10 Oct 12 and 24 Oct 12.

How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?

Analogue 1-4 100kW
BBCA, D3+4, BBCB(-7dB) 20kW
SDN, ARQA, ARQB(-10dB) 10kW
Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D*(-21dB) 800W

Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Limavady transmitter area

Oct 1959-May 2006Ulster Television
May 2006-Dec 2014UTV plc
Feb 1983-Dec 1992TV-am•
Jan 1993-Sep 2010GMTV•
Sep 2010-Dec 2014ITV Daybreak•
• Breakfast ◊ Weekends ♦ Friday night and weekends † Weekdays only. Limavady was not an original Channel 3 VHF 405-line mast: the historical information shown is the details of the company responsible for the transmitter when it began transmitting Channel 3.

Comments
Friday, 21 September 2012
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:40 PM

Gerry: Further to the above, can you not receive RT from one of the Saorview transmitters?

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
G
Gerry
sentiment_satisfiedBronze

6:24 PM

Yes Dave Lindsay Gerry Here Email address for DigitalUK Northern Ireland is northernireland@digitaluk.co.uk I am getting good terrestial TV signal getting Saorview from Moville Transmitter but Highland radion mast is blocking us in Burnfoot Donegal.still not picking up no digital signal who owns tv mast at Limvady any contact details for them? Saorview shoulf be going throw Limvady on Freeview.siginal is very weak indeed i got brand new tv with Freeview built in only 2 months ago in argos.Please Help any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Gerry's 21 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:24 PM

Gerry: My understanding is that the pre-switchover digital TV networks in the UK and in Ireland are different.

In the UK, digital coverage is patchy before switchover. At switchover, the coverage of the Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) channels increases to match that of the current four-channel analogue (which is about 98.5% of the population). After switchover, 90% of the population can receive the Commercial (COM) multiplexes as well. Limavady will be a full service transmitter, so you should hopefully be able to receive PSBs and COMs.

Before switchover, main transmitters and some larger relays carry Freeview at lower transmission powers than after switchover. Thus, the coverage foot-print isn't as big as the analogue channels from each of these transmitting stations.

In contrast, I understand that the situation in Ireland is that many of the digital (Saorview) transmitters are already broadcasting on full power and therefore it already covers a greater proportion of the population.


The reason for the difference is because in the UK there are more networks and hence every transmitting station requires more UHF channels (frequencies). The pre-switchover UK signals have been shoe-horned in. There are four full analogue networks and six digital ones, meaning that the pre-switchover transmitting stations require 10 UHF channels, yet there are only 48 available in total.

Consequently, whilst there are those who can/could receive Freeview before switchover, there are quite a few who receive it for the first time at switchover. Some may have intermittent reception until switchover.


Switchovers in the UK happen in two stages and these are two weeks apart. At Limavady, on 10th October BBC Two analogue will cease for good. The post-switchover BBC digital multiplex will start on its full final power. The other multiplexes will remain on their pre-switchover (low) power until 24th October and the analogue signals for BBC One, UTV and Channel 4 will continue until that date. Thus, you will need to carry out a retune on 10th and 24th October.


If you have two aerials (one on Moville and one on Limavady), the feeds for which are combined into one downlead, you "may" not be able to receive some multiplexes from Limavady after switchover. I emphasise that this "may" affect you only if the feeds are combined.

The reason for this is because after switchover Limavady will use the following six channels: 50, 59, 55, 54, 58, 49

Currently its four analogue channels are 55, 62, 59, 63 and its digital ones are 67, 58, 53, 60, 63, 57.

Moville's analogue channels are 40, 43, 50 and its digital is 45, with a future serve planned for 42.

If the aerial feeds are combined, the feed from each will be "split" at one channel. This means that one aerial "supplies" the channels below the channel at which the "split" occurs and the other feeds those above.

If the "split" is at C51, your Moville aerial therefore can receive C21 to C50 and the Limavady one C52 to C68. At the present time the channels used by each of those transmitters are within those ranges. However, after switchover Limavady's will go lower, it using 49 and 50 as well, the former carrying BBC standard definition services and the latter carrying Dave, Yesterday and others.


It appears that you are closer to Holywell Hill than Moville, so I wonder if there is something preventing you from receiving from there. If you could receive from Holywell Hill, then this uses lower channels and therefore combining an aerial on it with one on Limavady would be possible.



According to this document, the Highland Radio transmitter at Moville isn't intended to serve a wide area and is simply a filler-in:

http://www.frequencyfinde….pdf

It complements the highest power transmitter which is at Burnfoot.

Therefore it isn't surprising that you can't receive Highland Radio from Moville (which is on 104.7MHz). Its transmission power is 100W whereas your local transmitter which is in Burnfoot is at 5kW and its frequency is 103.3MHz.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
G
Gerry
sentiment_satisfiedBronze

6:30 PM

Seen Web link on Highland Radio News Motion you put forward today in Dail-
Highland Radio – Latest Donegal News and Sport » Inishowen Saorview signal problems aired in the Dil

Same issue applies here in Speenogue At moment with Digital Signal Coming from Limavady Transmitter cannot get Signal at all.

I have been in contact with all Media Organisations UTV.BBC,RTE about this same issue as this is the broadcasters area and have a vested interested that we get a good picture after digital switchover from both sides of the border under the Good Friday Agreement.

Would you be able to find out who runs and operates TV mast at Limvady Co. Derry and weathers assurances can be got that residents who live in Border Areas I.E. Burt Co.Donegal who have always got a picture from this tranmitter in Limavady will still remain get picture from Limvady after Digital switchover.

We cannot get Sheffits Mountain Transmitter or Holywell Hill as Grianan Fort blocks us getting a TV signal and cannot get Moville Saorview Signal As Highland Radio Mast at Scalp mountain In Burnfoot in Donegal blocks us getting a TV Signal.We currenly get (Saorview)from Fanad in Donegal.

A solution has to be found here and not for it to be sweep under the carpet this has to be looked at now not next year by whoever is tasked to do it......Gerry Your help would be greatly appreciated.


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Gerry's 21 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:11 PM

Gerry: I don't think that you have anything to worry about at all.

The Dil Debate referred to on the Highland Radio website can be read here:

Dil ireann - 26/Sep/2012 Banks Recapitalisation (Continued)

With television reception high power transmitters cover wide areas. Despite this, there are always pockets that they cannot reach and these are often communities in valleys.

In these cases small relay "filler-in" transmitters are installed to serve these communities. As covered in the debate, some of these small transmitters, which carry only analogue at present, will be decommissioned at switchover. So they won't broadcast Saorview after 2th October. Saorview claims that the Moville transmitter will serve these communities, but they aren't so sure.

This is immaterial to your situation as you receive Saorview from Fanad which is quite a high powered relay. The transmission power of Fanad is 1.5kW and this will be the power it will operate on after switchover.

However, if you know anyone who receives from Moville or Holywell Hill, then you can tell them that the current transmission power of the digital signals from those transmitters are restricted until 24th October.

This information is published by RTNL which operates the network of transmitters:

http://www.rtenl.ie/wp-co….pdf

Basically, as far as Saorview coverage is concerned, it won't go backwards. That is, all the places that can get it now will have it at switchover.


If you get analogue channels from Limavady now, then you will be expected to receive its digital service when it goes on to full power on 24th October. Its transmission power will increase 25-fold at switchover.

No broadcaster can ever give any guarantee as to signal coverage. That said, if the coverage is the same as the current analogue, and I don't see why it should not be, then I would expect that you should be able to receive digital signals from Limavady after switchover.

With respect, if it turned out that Limavady doesn't reach you after switchover, then I don't think that the authorities will do anything. So all you can do is sit tight and wait until 10th October when BBC goes on to full power.


On 10th October, after you've tuned your TV to the BBC channels, come on here and let us know that you have success!

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Saturday, 29 September 2012
H
Helen
11:28 PM

The Digital TV Signal From Limavady is very weak is this being investigated who runs transmitter at Limavady? can this be looked into or how do i report?

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Helen's 9 posts IE flag
H
Helen
11:31 PM

I live in ROI (Inishowen Burt), near the border. I can receive the UK channels such as BBC and UTV with my aerial via analogue. Will I still get them after analogue switches off on 24/10/2012?

The analogue signal is being switched off on 24 October in both ROI and NI.
If you currently receive the analogue UK services through an aerial because of signal overspill, you will most likely continue to receive those channels even after the switch to digital. Is there any guarantees this will be the case?

will I be able to receive some of the Irish channels on the Northern Ireland multiplex (NI Mux) carried on the UK Freeview HD service. Will The NI Mux carry RT One, RT Two, TG4 from October 24th onwards. I know To receive the NI Mux will you need a Freeview HD box or TV set. To find out if you are in an area covered by the NI Mux,I have checked with Digital UK www.digitaluk.co.uk who could not help or answer my questions they told dont ave any involvement is upgrading site at Limavady and are only an advice telephone line.

Do they care?

BBC News - RTE channels will go on Freeview in Northern Ireland will rte be on limavady transmitter.??? if not campaign needs to be started on here

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Helen's 9 posts IE flag
H
Helen
11:49 PM

Very weak signals at present in the letterkenny area is limavady powered down????
We need a Freeview Signal test of the Limavady Freeview signal not been able to pick up signal
dont want 'Transmitter engineering' for a brush off comment, but that a proper investigtion will be started here to get proper power.
Enginerring at Limavady wat is going on there at mast?Has to be reported what is contact details digital uk useless

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Helen's 9 posts IE flag
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