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Digital Region Overlap

If you can get a Freeview signal to your box or TV from more than one transmitter, you will get extra channels.

If you can get a Freeview signal to your box or TV from more th
published on UK Free TV

The old analogue TV signals provided lots of nations and regions for the public service channels, and these have large areas of overlap. Places like Yeovil, Basingstoke, Colwyn Bay, King's Lynn, York and Berwick could choose the BBC and ITV services they watched.

The old low power digital TV signals were at very low levels and reception of signals from more than one transmitter was a rare event.

All Freeview boxes automatically scan the available broadcast frequencies looking for channels, and they do this from C21 to C69. Whilst scanning, if a duplicate version of a channel is found, such as another BBC One region, they are placed in the 800-899 channel range.

The 800-899 is easy to access by pressing CH- from 1, and in most programme guides is just a single scroll up.

The transmitters in Wales also put Channel 4 on "logical channel number" 8, because the fourth position is reserved for S4/C.

Quite a few people that use the Winter Hill or Mendip transmitters (or one of the relay transmitter) will probably find that they will now have:

  • 1 BBC One Wales
  • 2 BBC Two Wales
  • 3 ITV1 Wales
  • 4 S4/C
  • 8 Channel 4
  • 16 QVC
  • 72 CITV
  • 86 S4/2
  • 801 BBC One West/North West
  • 802 BBC Two England
  • 803 ITV1 West/Northwest
- or -
  • 1 BBC One West/North West
  • 2 BBC Two England
  • 3 ITV1 West/Northwest
  • 4 Channel 4
  • 16 QVC
  • 72 CITV
  • 86 S4/2
  • 801 BBC One Wales
  • 802 BBC Two Wales
  • 803 ITV1 Wales
  • 804 S4/C


What can I do about this?


There are basically three options.

OPTION 1: Live with it. If the signals are strong enough you get a few extra channels (S4/C has English subtitles). There are techniques for sorting out the channel numbers below, but any future automatic scan will restore the channels to the order you now find them in.

OPTION 2: You can clear the all of the channels from the box and manually scan for the multiplex from only one transmitter. For the details, see the transmitter pages

OPTION 3: If the Freeview box has no "manual add" option, the only technique left is to pull out the aerial, start the automatic scan and insert the aerial just before the lowest channel number appears. For example, Winter Hill this is C54.

Some Freeview boxes will show a "percentage complete" as they scan, under this scheme C21 is "0%", C22 is "2%", C42 is "42%", C54 is about "66%".

Even if you manual scan, many boxes will scan during the night for new channels and may still add channels in the 800-899 range.

Help with Freeview, aerials?
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Comments
Saturday, 26 November 2011
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:58 PM

Brian Thwaites: The programme you refer to is still there but is transmitting from Sudbury on a very low powered multiplex until mid next year, and is something that is a cause of great annoyance for many people as there isn't really any technical tricks that can be used to get around the problem without grossly overloading your receiver from the stations main high power multiplexes, these radiating at 100Kw compared to the 1.1Kw Mux that Yesterday / Ideal World / Film 4 / ITV4 etc, is on.

By the way, the BBC1 etc channels you refer to up in the 800 ranges are just duplicates picked up from other transmitters, and its assumed that you are just mentioning this in the passing and not that they are better than the BBC1 in the EPG1 position , as if this is the case then carry out a factory re-set followed by an auto-tune. (wont help Yesterday etc though!)

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
G
geoff
9:38 AM
Cromer

some of the freeview channels like yesterday and film4 do not seem to be available in our area of north norfolk is this correct.my postcode is nr270ea.

link to this comment
geoff's 1 post GB flag
geoff's: mapG's Freeview map terrainG's terrain plot wavesG's frequency data G's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:28 PM

geoff: It depends on which transmitter you have your aerial directed to.

If it is West Runton (272degrees, aerial mounted vertically) then it is correct, you will not get the commercial channels.

If your aerial is horizontal, then you will probably be on either Tacolneston or Belmont which do broadcast these channels, although the latter transmitter's power of them is lower than the Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) channels (BBC/ITV/C4/C5) which will lessen your chances.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Sunday, 22 April 2012
P
paul sheen
8:59 AM

prior to a re tune ,i could get bbc s/east anglia & meridian,after auto re tune i can
get bbc london and not my local news i have re tuned manualy but no local news,i have a luxor dtv hd,any help please.

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paul sheen's 1 post GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

3:32 PM

paul sheen: What happens when you manually tune depends on the design of the device. What you hoped it would do is replace the incorrect main channels with those of your desired transmitter.

However, if the multiplexes from the desired transmitter have already been stored in the receiver's memory (usually put in the 800s), manual tuning may just do nothing because as far as the receiver is concerned, the channels are already tuned.

I assume that the London broadcasts that you are picking up are from Crystal Palace which switched over to digital on Wednesday. These are all on frequencies within the first 30% of the scan. If the Anglia transmitter you are intending to use is Sudbury, then its channels are higher up, so if you run the scan with the aerial unplugged for the first 30%, your receiver won't get the opportunity to "see" the signals from Crystal Palace.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Monday, 2 March 2015
R
Rob
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

6:51 PM

whenever i have to re tune to get Hannington... I have to unplug the aerial from the free-view box and let it scan up to 30 or 40% then plug aerial back in... get the stations i want. I have noticed the newer boxes have regional preface, which makes life allot easier. I just wish set makers thought of this in the 1st place.... would make things simpler for non technical people who haven't got a clue how to tune a box or TV set.

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Rob's 171 posts GB flag
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

7:17 PM

Rob: Its because some of the Humax boxes auto tune, but dont have a manual tuning option. Its a pain (my cheap Goodmans box does the same thing), but for most people, its fine. They will just get the optimum transmitter, etc. However, if your signal could come from more than one transmitter, then things get a little more difficult.

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Thursday, 5 March 2015
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:53 PM

Rob: A Group B bandpass filter will allow all channels of Hannington barring COM7, although DVB-T2 (Freeview HD) receivers have the regional selection on, I believe, as a requirement of the "D-Book". The site owner, Briantist, and others know more about the D-Book I only know of its existence.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Sunday, 19 April 2015
R
Rob
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

1:56 PM
Reading

There is no point in having two different regional aerials any more as not worth wasting money and time on 2 regions as they WILL overlap... will cause more headaches and stress....stick to you own nearest region and forget the other. or go totally freesat.

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Rob's 171 posts GB flag
Rob's: mapR's Freeview map terrainR's terrain plot wavesR's frequency data R's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Tuesday, 21 April 2015
R
Rob
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

9:33 AM
Reading

I do agree with everything you guys telling me i fully understand this... but Joe Bloggs who got no idea how TV aerial and systems work... Thats why i say they Should used either Grouped aerial or Log aerial and just have One aerial for that max reception. Most people I know in Reading still have 2 or 3 aerials still linked up together.. But these sort of people who complain and moan...are the ones who is so tight in spending any money... I say well the option you have is disconnect the 2nd aerial and stick to either LONDON or Hannington.... cant have everything Unless your willing to Upgrade the combiners and mast heads... 99% of the time the aerial is fine just re wire it with PT or TX 100 cable with pure copper wires. that is the best option for some.... but open up your wallets to do it well and proper... I am on the aerial men's side it cost money.... live with it or with out... but don't moan at the guy if it does not work in your way.... sorry Rant over as i been moaned at and accused of being a con man and cow boy.. when i am not.....

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Rob's 171 posts GB flag
Rob's: mapR's Freeview map terrainR's terrain plot wavesR's frequency data R's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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