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.
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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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Friday, 16 October 2020
J
Jackie3:03 PM
I just cannot get Sony channels on Freeview - in particular Sony Channel (48) and Sony Movies Christmas (50). I might get them on the odd day but most of the time they are either totally unavailable or are pixilated and impossible to watch.
I only get this problem with Sony. Is it the Satellite from the Mendips or are Sony playing a game so you pay more? I am fed up with it.
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Saturday, 17 October 2020
C
Chris.SE12:14 AM
Jackie:
These channels (and some other Sony channels) Sony moved to Freeview Local multiplexes over a year ago.
For which channels are on which multiplex, see Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview
(Note: Sony have renamed Sony Movies Classic as Sony Movies Christmas for the festive season, see Updates and alerts | Freeview they did a similar thing last year).
Unless you live in an area that can receive the Local multiplex (have a local station at LCN 7 or 8 in your EPG) then you won't get these channels. On the Mendip transmitter (which I think your meant - not "Satellite") it's on UHF C30 and with most Local multiplexes which are beamed at larger centres of urban population, it's beamed towards Bristol. The Local channel is Bristol TV at LCN7.
If you provide a full postcode we can look at your predicted reception and might be able to offer further advice.
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Monday, 19 October 2020
B
bruce tearle3:51 PM
Chris
Thanks for info & help.
The solution [in the end] was very simple. My Humax box was 'daisy-chained' through a couple of other pieces of equipment before connecting to the TV. Taking these out of circuit solved my problem. Now with the Humax box directly connected to the TV I have all channels available.
Thanks again for help.
Regards
Bruce
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Friday, 30 October 2020
P
Peter Artilison10:30 AM
Oct -- 2020 -- I think a lot of the problems are the upcoming 5G Mobile Phone and it is likely to get worse. OFCOM are CLEARING the 700MHz Band ready to auction off in January 2021. In short the 700MHz band has been now allocated to ---Europe wide-- 5G mobile phone and OFCOM has basically told TV channels to get out of this band and OFCOM has thereby reassigned them to "OTHER Frequencies". If I remember correctly OFCOM recently said something like .........15 to 20 people in the UK may need to install a New TV Antenna....... YEP ....... check out all the latest .... No not the TV channel or Mendip but 5G/OFCOM. The Only FIX many well be a NEW TV ANTENNA and a NEW TV Boost amplifier if you have one installed, since they may no longer cover the NEW Channel Frequency assigned. In ADDITION the PROBLEM is NEW TVs. In brief they self scan and see a NEW CHANNEL and/or an old one GONE and reslot it. You may see on your TV the channel you are usd to watching --BUT-- it's been MOVED and you TV automatically retracked it --BUT-- the NEW Channel frequency may well be out of ban of you existing TV antenna etc. and hence what you see is ..."crap TV.. signal......" THE FIX .... I think is go read some more at OFCOM and other sites and basically you may have to install a NEW Antenna .....
Ofcom confirms plans for spectrum auction early next year - Ofcom
....end...
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S
Susam Smith12:55 PM
yes, it looks like OFCOM have said that 15 to 20 millions current UK freeview viewers may be affected by OFCOM CLEARING the 700MHz band ready for 5G and the OFCOM spectrum auction in Jan.2020.
this might also be useful
What Does 5G Interference Mean For Freeview TV Reception?
This link also tells some of the story that -- frankly OFCOM are only as usual, out to make money and sell aiwaves. The fact that the average user is totally DISADVANTAGED in the process and the manner in which they unplanned, randomly roll out their ULTIMATUM is of absolutely no concern to them and the fact that this current roll out means the average user will likely need to get a TV antenna installer in for likely 100 to 200
---AND-- get this, --- this is NOT the end of it all -- likely MORE costs to the average user coming in future years.
Sue
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S
StevensOnln14:25 PM
Peter Artilison & Susam Smith: The 700MHz clearance was completed in the summer. It was fully planned in conjunction with the transmitter operator Arqiva and not done in some random way as Susam is suggesting. There was a scheme to provide free replacement aerials to those households who needed one and didn't have cable or satellite. Anyone who has been affected should have discovered months ago if they needed a new aerial, so very few people will be needing to pay 100-200 for a new aerial due to the frequency changes. Can you define what you mean when you say this is not the end of it, as all frequency allocation changes due to the 700MHz clearance have been completed?
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Saturday, 31 October 2020
C
Chris.SE3:29 AM
Peter Artilison:
You clearly haven't got a clue what you are talking about and you don't even remember clearly.
Firstly the 700MHz clearance programme was completed back in August. (Mainly the Granada area and parts of N.Wales & the Borders being the final areas to finish the changes).
Mendip (and a few of it's relays) changes were complete over a year ago in June 2019. The relatively small number of people that needed to have a change of aerial from an old Group C/D to a Group T/Wideband were able to get FREE in-home support from Freeview so the aerial change cost them nothing.
Susam Smith:
As for your blatant and ill-informed advertising of an aerial company, the changes are now history, were carefully planned and advertised in the local press and on-screen pop-ups, as stated above it's complete and was complete in this area over a year ago. No further changes are planned, so you are also posting inaccurate and incorrect information.
And just to put it into context a bit better, this isn't just "OFCOM making money" as you assert, the 700MHz clearance was a Europe wide programme subject to European Broadcasting and International agreements.
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T
Tracey9:12 AM
Glossop
Hi, sorry if this is one of those impossible to answer questions, but here goes. We've recently moved into a different house, in Glossop, SK13 8ED, and are having very occasional reception problems. In decent weather everything is good but with really heavy rain we get blocking and, more rarely, break-up. I remember the previous owners mentioning that the aerial and all cabling were replaced not long before it went up for sale, so it's less than a year old. The aerial would seem to be pointing to Winter Hill (it's definitely not pointing to the local repeater) and from ground level looks solidly mounted. We've tried your re-tuning suggestions and checked the cable joins to the best of our abilities. No difference. A more technical friend suggested that the cable used for the install isn't the best and we could change the internal run for a higher quality one. Within the house the cable that we could swap out is around a 15m run and is marked up as ''RG6/U 19.5dB/100m @860 Mhz''. Do you think there would be any value in changing this section? We could do without the expense of getting someone out to check/swap bits at the moment especially as the problem only rarely occurs. Thanks for any help. Tracey.
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Tracey's: mapT's Freeview map terrainT's terrain plot wavesT's frequency data T's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Sunday, 1 November 2020
C
Chris.SE4:02 PM
Tracey:
Hi, don't worry about the double posting, it can't be deleted anyway. I replied to your other post at Get to see your Freeview predictions map | free and easy
If for some reason you can't get to it post back here and I'll copy it here.
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Wednesday, 4 November 2020
A
Alan_C9:15 PM
A couple of unrelated comments. First the 5G clearance - changed the type of aerial needed to wideband. I could not find out anything about how to get assistance with aerial replacement, eligibility etc. - just a phone number. But as I work there was no way I would be able to hang on the phone for hours, go through the retune exercise multiple times etc. even though I'd already done that, so I bought one myself. Not happy that selling off the bandwidth has been at my expense.
Second, the channels on the mux which moved to the edge of the band have started to be pixellated and unwatchable in the last couple of weeks. Checked all my connections, etc. and found that some channels are better if I reduce the signal strength (removed aerial amp); even better when I added a splitter to introduce some attenuation. My PVR box strength and quality readouts were strength 85, quality 10 with amp in; with amp out 25,100. The mucking around involved switching the PVR off and on again several times and in the end it failed (Humax T1010 PSU fault) so now unable to check strength with splitter added. Does this make some sort of sense, does it suggest a distant transmitter interference? I suppose the amp could have been starting to fail and developed higher noise?
Third: Freeview swapped some channels on 4 Nov, forcing a retune. After the retune, all the channels on that mux have dropped off the EPG list. Presumably because they don't meet the threshold signal strength for the tuner and the previous information has been wiped?
So the main question: what's my best move to recover the missing channels? Should I try replacing the amp and retuning to get them back in the EPG list, then remove the amp again? Or try realigning the aerial (it is in the loft so has not been affected by storms, etc.). Or...?
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