All posts by Nicholas Willmott
Below are all of Nicholas Willmott's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Couldn't they have put COM7 and COM8 on all 80 transmitters that broadcast DTT from the outset in autumn 1998? To get round the limited range of UHF channels, couldn't COM8 have been C37 (as SFN) from all sites, and COM7 whatever's free in the C31 to C35 range?
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COM7 and COM8 on Freeview are all very well, but why put them on so few transmitters? I've already pointed out on the Stockalnd HIll page that Stockland Hill be getting COM 7 and COM 8. That seems odd, because according to UK Free TV, Stockland Hill serves 120,000 homes, whereas Beacon Hill (which will get COM7 and COM8) serves 84,000 homes. If Stockland Hill serves more homes than Beacon Hill, it too should have COM7 and COM8.
Looking at the COM 7 and COM 8 coverage maps for transmitters other than Stockland Hill, it seems all of Exeter won't be able to get COM 7 or COM 8 from Wenvoe, Mendip, Beacon Hill or Caradon Hill. Exeter is a city with quite a larege population, so surely the two new HD muxes ought to be on Stockland Hill as well to better serve Exeter.
It looks like west Wales won't get the new MUXs neither Preseli (57,000 homes) nor Carmel (72,000 homes) will carry COM7 or COM8. Ridiculous! That's denying an awful lot of homes of the signal.
If they wanted these two extra MUXES, why not put them on all the 80 transmitters that got DTT at the outset - autumn 1998, To save UHF channels, one could have been put on C37 as a SFN from all 80 transmitters, could it not?
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As I've said somewhere else, it's all very well introducing COM7 and COM8 in the frequency range C31 to C37, but why put them on so few transmitters? For example, Stockland Hill won't be getting COM 7 and COM 8. That seems odd, because according to UK Free TV, Stockland Hill serves 120,000 homes, whereas Beacon Hill (which will get COM7 and COM8) serves 84,000 homes. If Stockland Hill serves more homes than Beacon Hill, it too should have COM7 and COM8.
Looking at the COM 7 and COM 8 coverage maps for transmitters other than Stockland Hill, it seems all of Exeter won't be able to get COM 7 or COM 8 from Wenvoe, Mendip, Beacon Hill or Caradon Hill. Exeter is a city with quite a larege population, so surely the two new HD muxes ought to be on Stockland Hill as well to better serve Exeter.
It looks like west Wales won't get the new MUXs neither Preseli (57,000 homes) nor Carmel (72,000 homes) will carry COM7 or COM8. Ridiculous! That's denying an awful lot of homes of the signal.
If they wanted these two extra MUXES, why not put them on all the 80 transmitters that got DTT at the outset - autumn 1998, To save UHF channels, one could have been put on C37 as a SFN from all 80 transmitters, could it not? Is there anyone who can explain? Who decided which few transmitters should get the new MUXes?
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Briantist: regarding your answer to my last question - I see from your article they were proposing COM7, COM8 and COM9, with COM9 as a SFN on C36 nationwide.
On those grounds, couldn't they have put COM8 as a C36 SFN and COM7 on whatever other vacant frequency C31 to C37 was available from the 80 sites that broadcast DTT from the outset? That would have included Stockland Hill, Preseli, Kilvey Hilll, Salisbury etc.
As for the cost of funding this - I thought they were just re-using transmitting equipment they originally used for the pre-switchover low power DTT. From 1998 to 2008 there were 80 sites, broadcasting 6 pre-DSO muxes each, i.e. 480 transmitting units located at 80 sites (Mendip, Stockland Hill, Rowridge, Salisbury etc), 6 per site. Is it true that, at DSO, all those sites had all 6 transmitting units replaced? If so, why? By reusing just TWO of those redundant units at the same 80 sites, that would have been just 160 units used, leaving 320 transmitting units still unused.
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Briantist: You say C36 has yet to be cleared. Is there any reason why they can't broadcast COM8 from the 80 sites that broadcast DTT from the outset autumn 1998 using C37 SFN? In an earlier post you mentioned French and Dutch TV. Does anywhere in France and/or Netherlands use C37?
By putting COM8 as C37 SFN, there'd be C31 to C35 left (5 channels) to broadcast COM7 from the same 80 sites. Isn't that more than enough UHF channels?
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Exactly when in January 2014 are COM7 and COM8 due to start broadcasting from Rowridge?
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Scotland shouldn't be allowed to break away from the UK, simple as that! There are too many countries on Planet Earth as it is. Look at the the silly little countries dotted around Europe, i.e. Vatican City, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Andorra and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. They're all so pathetically minute it's a farce and an insult to call those countries. Vatican City and Monaco are so ridiculously infinitesimal it's a comical joke to call them countries. See the comments I've posted in this thread here.
RCCGB FORUM :: European Microstates
I've said in various other places on the web that they should be merged into larger neighbouring countries. The UK as a whole (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) is already quite a small country, splitting Scotland off to become a country in its own right would create another ridiculously small country.
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Why has Rowridge so far got COM7, but not COM8? Will COM8 come to fruition or not? If they've abandoned COM8, why not use the equipment and frequencies originally intended for COM8 to increase COM7 to all the 80 "full Freeview" transmitters - i.e. ones that carry SDN, ArqA and ArqB?
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Instead of the BBC cutting back by moving BBC Three online or your suggested changes to BBC regional news, how about this brilliant idea to boost the BBC's income without raising the licence fee.
Today is National No Smoking Day. Why doesn't the Chancellor of the Exchequer simply slap an extra fiver on a packet of 20 cigarettes? That way, the Government will be up to its armpits in extra cash! £2.50 of that extra £5 per pack could go to the BBC, the other £2.50 to the NHS. Problem solved!
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Thursday 21 November 2013 3:19PM
Well oddly enough, according to this website, Stockland Hill serves 120,000 homes, whereas Beacon Hill (which will get COM7 and COM8) serves 84,000 homes. If Stockland Hill serves more homes than Beacon Hill, it too should have COM7 and COM8.