All posts by R Murchie
Below are all of R Murchie's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.A new wideband aerial has sorted the loss of stations from Rowridge, BBC Four HD etc all back on screen, so I hope the March 2018 frequency changes will go smoothly. However, I wish some simple advice from BBC, Freeview, or Ofcom along these lines had been available to save this unnecessary confusion.
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Mine didn't, so I replaced it with a wide-band group T aerial which brought C37 back. I hope it will also receive C55 and C56 which are due to be used for transmitting COM7 and COM8 from Rowridge on 2 May.
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Graham: BBC4 HD was moved on 21 March at Rowridge from C37 to C56 at reduced power which you won't receive with a group A aerial. There is more discussion on the Rowridge thread on this web site, but in short you need a wideband aerial, and yes, I think it is despicable behaviour on the part of Ofcom who are facilitating the sale of bandwidth to mobile phone companies.
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MikeP: You can call the Freeview advice line free on 0808 100 0288, but they will only install a new aerial if you have no access to cable or satellite TV. Like the majority of the UK population, I use Freeview and received all stations from Rowridge until 11 January when BBC4 HD was moved from COM7 at 24.4kW power to COM8 on C37 at 18.4kW. The more recent move to C56 has prevented anyone I know in south Hampshire from receiving it with a group A aerial. Given the amount of money changing hands during the sale of UHF frequencies (the 4G auction raised 2.3 billion for the Treasury, I believe), I think this is poor behaviour by Ofcom. I pay for the privilege of watching TV via the licence fee, I regard the RF spectrum as a public asset, yet I am expected to spend money on a new aerial to help the mobile phone companies expand their revenue-raising operations.
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Simon Cole: The reason for all this disruption is money, as usual, the government trying to screw as much as possible from the mobile phone companies for releasing bandwidth. As part of this exercise COM7 and 8 have been moved up to RF channels 55 and 56 which group A aerials will not receive, so like you I have lost these HD stations from Rowridge.
Ofcom authorised these changes in frequency and sent me unhelpful replies to my complaints on this subject - like other public utility regulators they seem to be on the side of the provider rather than the consumer. Freeview has a free helpline (0808 100 0288) but is not very informative although there is money available, in theory, for aerial work in certain circumstances. There will be further changes at Rowridge through 2019 and I know many people locally, some elderly, who are exasperated by this insensitive behaviour by Ofcom, BBC, UKDigital and Freeview.
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Percy H: Like you, I've had problems with C55 and C56 this year in Hampshire, although DigitalUK predicts 'Good reception' for my location. I've complained to BBC, Freeview and Ofcom but, as you say, their replies are evasive. They probably look at relative audience figures, so C21 (BBC One HD, ITV HD, etc) is broadcast at 200kW from Rowridge, while C55 and C56 are at 25kW and 20kW respectively, ignoring the fact that it is pointless producing high quality documentaries, wildlife programmes and dramas on BBC4 if they are not broadcast properly in HD. I know several people frustrated by this thoughtless behaviour, but others watch via satellite or streaming services, or are unconcerned. So I installed a log36 antenna and now get 50% signal strength from 55 and 56 on a Humax box, but zero on a two-year old Samsung TV which is puzzling.
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Rob James: According to the DigitalUK coverage checker your postcode receives a poor signal across the board, particularly the local multiplex (C37) which I believe carries Channel 60, although at very low power, and no improvements planned through to 2020. It also says that Rowridge does not transmit this multiplex at all on vertical polarisation so you could try horizontal, although this may compromise reception on other channels.
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Steve Seeds: There have been several posts about Samsung TVs having low sensitivity tuners. My own Samsung does not see BBC4 HD at all (broadcast on COM8 from Rowridge) while my Humax PVR receives a signal at 40% strength which is just about adequate. It does not help that COM8 is transmitted at a miserable 18.4kW, so if everyone with an interest contacted BBC, Ofcom, DigitalUK, this issue might be registered.
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Thursday 25 January 2018 9:39AM
Eastleigh
StevensOnln1: Where was it publicised? I didn't see any information or advice and presumably neither did the people on this thread. I have now seen that there is another change in channels due on 21 March at Rowridge - will this cause similar inconvenience or loss of stations?