All posts by Mike Dimmick
Below are all of Mike Dimmick's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.Peter Wharton: The problem here is that the TV is storing the first version of the channels it finds, rather than the strongest available version. The Moel-Y-Parc transmitter in North Wales uses lower frequencies than the Winter Hill transmitter near Bolton. Although the aerial is pointing to Winter Hill, it does pick up in a fairly wide angle and it will be getting sufficient signal from Moel-Y-Parc to decode the channel list.
It's quite likely that your TV is actually picking up all services from Moel-Y-Parc as they are all on lower frequencies, though the D3+4 mux is the most likely.
To stop this happening, you have to get it to reduce the level that's picked up from there. You could rotating the aerial so it points slightly east of the Winter Hill transmitter, which should reduce the amount picked up from Moel-Y-Parc. If you have a wideband aerial you could try swapping it for a Group C/D aerial, which should pick up less signal from Group B. You could also try using a Group C/D filter to filter out the lower frequencies.
If you have any amplifiers, you can try removing them (they shouldn't be necessary for good reception from Winter Hill). You can try adding an attenuator, either just when you retune, or permanently since your signal levels should be more than sufficient already. Or, you can try unplugging the aerial when you start a retune, and plug it in when it gets to about 2/3 of the way through.
Or you could get a Freeview HD-branded TV or box, which are supposed to store the strongest signals and, if they pick up more than one region, ask which one you want to keep.
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David: 5* and 5 USA are encrypted and require at least a 'Freesat from Sky' viewing card. If you have a Sky subscription and they don't appear in the EPG it may be that they're not available in Ireland.
You can try using Add Channels, but it probably won't work. Still, the details you need are: 12422 MHz, H polarization, 27500 baud FEC 2/3, and the stream IDs are 7710 (5 USA), 7711 (5 USA +1), 7715 (5*) and 7716 (5* +1).
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Jay Blanc: Assendon transmits at 8 watts, is vertically polarized, and its aerials point east. In no way can it possibly 'drown out' transmissions from Oxford.
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ChrisR: The Astra 2D satellite's antennas are aimed to, as far as possible, cover only the British Isles. Any spill into Germany is accidental.
However, Monchengladbach is quite far north-west in Germany, so it should be possible to pick it up - with a 90cm dish.
See the 'footprint' at:
ASTRA 2D - SES ASTRA (RG47SH)
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It's also the wrong side of the Chilterns.
It's much more likely that in 'lift' conditions, you're picking up the Channel 4 signal from Midhurst (57 miles away, so over the horizon, but 100kW horizontal) bouncing off the atmosphere.
There are no other co-channel problems between Oxford and Midhurst.
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Lawrie: Do you mean you don't get HD channels, or you don't get *any* channels?
For HD channels you need a Freesat HD box or TV. There are a few TVs that can handle satellite signals directly, but most need another box to interpret the signals from the dish. Both Freesat and Freesat HD boxes are available, but only the HD boxes will decode HD channels.
If you have a Freesat HD box, you can find a channel listing here: Channels | Join Freesat . Channels in bold are in HD.
That only applies to freesat-branded boxes. It's also possible to buy free-to-air boxes that will pick up all free-to-air transmissions, but which don't handle the Freesat EPG. For these, you will need to tune them yourself - for a list of free-to-air channels see http://en.kingofsat.net/pos-28.2E-fta_eng.php. (RG47SH)
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Sky are restricting the number of slots available on their (standard definition) EPG, so that old boxes with limited memory continue to work. There's a queue for new channels to launch into the EPG, but it's dependent on an existing channel dropping out - either closing entirely or just being removed from the EPG. To launch ITV1+1, they had to drop ITV4+1.
For now you have to go to Other Channels and specify 10832 MHz, H polarization, 22000 baud FEC 5/6, stream ID 10015.
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Matrix_Mike: I'm assuming you mean on terrestrial TV.
The BBC are hoping that the next generation of encoders will allow five HD channels in one multiplex. The target is somewhere around the end of next year. I believe Channel 5 have to be offered the option again, though (BBC One HD only exists because Five turned down their option last time).
I would expect that ITV and Channel 4 are uneasy bedfellows on a BBC multiplex, so they may well be looking for ways to get new multiplexes going. I don't think anything will get sorted out until after switchover completes and channels 31 to 38 are auctioned off.
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M
Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) Full Freeview transSaturday 26 March 2011 3:38PM
Reading
Craig: At DSO day 1, the BBC A multiplex launches at full power. I believe this is true at all sites, even where a temporary channel is used.
The BBC A multiplex takes over the frequency of BBC Two (analogue), so you must retune your Freeview box even if you already have perfect reception of Multiplex 1. The current low-power Multiplex 1 will stop transmitting. You should do a complete first-time installation to clear the existing BBC channel information.
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Thursday 24 March 2011 7:43PM
Reading
kieran r: Fine here, but I'm on the other side of the transmitter. Still, it's much more likely that you have a break in a cable, something hit your aerial, or an amplifier has stopped working.
Is it more snowy than usual, or have you only lost colour? If the latter, it's more likely to be a transmitter fault. If it's snowy as well, more likely it's at your end.
The BBC reckon you're more likely to be using the Sudbury transmitter.