All posts by Mike Dimmick
Below are all of Mike Dimmick's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Reading's population on its present borough boundaries was 143,096 in 2001. It should be on this list.
As the largest borough in Hannington's coverage area, it would be the obvious first choice for a local TV service from this transmitter.
The borough boundaries, last revised in 1974, exclude a large suburban area to the south and south-east. If the surrounding areas were included, the population would be over 230,000. (Figures from List of largest United Kingdom settlements by population - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) (RG47SH)
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Andy: my understanding is that the work over the last few weeks was moving *analogue* transmissions from the reserve aerial back to the new main aerial. There might have been occasional periods of reduced digital power if men were working on the mast.
Hannington has never transmitted digital signals to the east: the whole sector from south-east to north-east is omitted because they would interfere with the analogue signals from the Guildford transmitter. Protecting analogue transmissions was the priority when the low-power digital signals were added.
The new main aerial is omnidirectional (to the best of our knowledge - it has to provide much the same coverage area for analogue as the old one did) and will provide high-power digital service starting in February 2012.
If you've had a reduction in performance over the last few weeks, the most likely culprit is that signals from distant interferers have been travelling further due to the weather conditions. As far as the broadcasters are concerned, though, you're out of coverage (at least from Hannington). Signals should be less susceptible to these weather conditions after switchover.
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Gino: boosters rarely help unless you have (just) sufficient signal at the aerial, but it drops too much in the cable.
Is this a change to the expected signal level, or has it always been this way? You're reasonably close to the Sandy Heath transmitter, so although your aerial is sited in the loft, you may still get enough signal to be usable. See http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/articles/whatsat-201007.pdf for some thoughts on siting and positioning loft aerials. You will normally get better results from a roof aerial.
If this is your first Freeview box, your aerial may be a Group A type, which doesn't pick up very much at the higher frequencies used by the current low-power digital services. You'll probably have to get a wideband type to receive all the multiplexes.
The Sandy Heath transmitter switches over in about three weeks, so it may be best to just wait and see what you get before changing anything. The Public Service Broadcasting multiplexes (PSB1-3) will use the low frequencies currently used by three analogue channels: Channel 4, ITV1 and BBC Two. The commercial multiplexes will be on higher frequencies, so you'll still need a wideband aerial. (RG47SH)
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M
The Wrekin B (Telford and Wrekin, England) There are no longer Tuesday 8 March 2011 12:42PM
Reading
Jim Corbett: see The Wrekin transmitter page for frequencies. Where two sets of frequencies are used, with the transmitting aerials pointing in different directions, this site shows one set as a 'B' transmitter.
After switchover is fully complete, the main aerial will transmit digital signals to (roughly) the analogue coverage area, and different aerials in different directions are no longer required.
The BBC A multiplex will start up on BBC One's current analogue channel, so BBC One will be moving to C33, BBC Two's current analogue channel, on 6 April.
On the 20th of April, D3+4 and the HD multiplex launch at full power and final mode. Mux A moves to C49 from the 'B' aerials (currently Mux 2), while Mux C and D swap over. This appears to allow Mux D to launch in its final mode as ArqB, giving capacity for Sky Sports. (Mux C will also be in the final mode as ArqA.)
The commercial multiplexes will reach their final frequencies, modes and powers on 28 September, when you will have to retune again.
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Rob Parkes: you should get better results from Brierley Hill or Sutton Coldfield than from The Wrekin, but there's not a lot in it. The predictions You should have sufficient signal strength and quality to use Brierley Hill right now, and possibly more than enough after switchover.
Switchover starts at The Wrekin in about a month (6 April). I'd leave it for now and see how well it works. If it works well enough on the PSB multiplexes, leave it until the end of September, when the commercial muxes at The Wrekin change to their final frequencies, modes, and powers. If after that it's not working reliably, then consider changing the aerial.
The Wrekin will require a wideband aerial for the commercial multiplexes. If channels on multiplex C and D (e.g. Dave, see above for the list) are working at the moment, you're probably OK.
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andy: The Hannington transmitter has very restricted digital transmissions to the east, in the whole sector from north-east to south-east. This is to protect the analogue transmissions from the Guildford transmitter, which use the same frequencies. If it were possible to completely avoid transmitting anything in that direction, they would have.
Before switchover, use the Crystal Palace transmitter. The Hannington transmitter switches over in February 2012.
There is a relay of Hannington at The Bournes, but this does not transmit digital signals at all yet, and will not give you good coverage after switchover.
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Hmm - maybe that's why Reading/Hannington wasn't on your original list! The coverage area manages to miss Reading, Basingstoke, Wokingham, Bracknell - basically all the large towns. They haven't plotted Newbury's borders, but I think it would fall short of covering the whole town.
It's pretty good for Andover, but that's not very big.
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Alan Haley: We really need a postcode to be able to answer your question sensibly.
From what you've said, it's most likely that you're using the Tiverton relay transmitter, which does not transmit the commercial multiplexes that those two channels (Dave and Create & Craft?) are carried on. The commercial multiplex operators were offered, and refused, the opportunity to extend their services to the relay transmitters. They don't consider it cost-effective - it would probably double their transmission costs.
People in other parts of Tiverton might be able to use the main Stockland Hill transmitter, which does transmit the commercial multiplexes as it carried them before switchover. Even a matter of a few feet can have significant effects on reception, which is why we need the full postcode. Ideally, the house number as well. Digital UK do predictions for the 100m square that your house, or the centre of your postcode, is in.
It may be that you can't yet get the commercial multiplexes from Stockland Hill, but - depending on where you are - you might be able to after switchover is complete. The power of the commercial multiplexes will be increased some time (after March) in 2012.
Dave is not on Freesat. Currently you have to have a Sky subscription. The transmissions are scrambled to prevent reception outside the UK, and the channel gets kickbacks from Sky subscription income. Dave is in the Variety Pack.
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Robert Lee, Briantist: Ofcom's DSO Transmitter Details document for Wales, version 4.0, shows the Storeton Wales services as *horizontally* polarized. Of course Ofcom have been wrong before, but the pictures at MB21:
mb21 - The Transmission Gallery
do seem to indicate that the new aerials for the Welsh service are horizontally polarized. It's a little hard to tell from this perspective.
I'm not sure how the commercial multiplexes work here, whether they are also transmitted on the 'Welsh' aerials and therefore receivable with a horizontally-polarized aerial from the Welsh side.
If you're close enough, 30° off-beam can still be picked up with sufficient strength (relative to noise levels) to confuse your box. (RG47SH)
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Friday 4 March 2011 3:46PM
Stuart O.: I believe it's up to the local Channel 3 licensee to get "Channel 3 +1" and "Channel 3 HD" going - the two larger independent Channel 3 licensees, STV and Ulster TV, insisted on having their own regional services (which is why it took so long to get going). For Ulster, the HD service is currently academic as no terrestrial transmitters have switched over and no advance service is available. Channel TV is by far the smallest licensee, so small that it doesn't do its own presentation (unlike STV and Ulster TV), and is often mistaken for being part of ITV plc. It remains independent, despite the on-screen branding.
Channel TV provided a list of channels that were available at switchover, and it does *not* include an 'ITV' HD service. channelonline.tv
plc's launch announcement for ITV1 +1 says "ITV1+1 will not be launched in the Channel TV region."
ITV1+1 - ITV Channels
(RG47SH)