All posts by Mike Dimmick
Below are all of Mike Dimmick's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Frank Beckwith, KMJ: Digital UK's ALmanac document for Bromsgrove-Lark Stoke-The Wrekin shows that Arqiva A and B will increase to 2kW on 20 April.
http://www.digitaluk.co.u….pdf
This is really only enough of an increase to offset the higher signal-to-noise ratio required by the mode change (64QAM 2/3 requires 3-4 dB more than 16QAM 3/4 - 3dB is a doubling in power). The coverage area won't increase, but it won't shrink either. (RG47SH)
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Tom Smith: 'beta' refers to the state of the software, not the expected performance of your reception.
Digital UK's predictor reckons it should be possible for you to get reliable digital reception from Darvel already. Did you actually try it before using the communal system?
It may be that the communal system is not set up to handle Freeview at the moment. Someone will need to ensure that it is reconfigured properly at switchover in May, as the public service channels - all BBC channels, the main STV and C4 and C5 channels plus some of their associated channels, and the HD services - will be using current *digital* frequencies. The current *analogue* frequencies will be used for the commercial multiplexes. It may need to be upgraded to handle six frequencies rather than four, or replaced if the amplifier adds too much distortion.
If you connect to this communal aerial via a cable, see Property Managers - Home . If the aerial at the church rebroadcasts the signal (either on the same channels or on other channels) and you pick it up with your own aerial, you will need to ensure that the relay is still licenced and will still be licenced after switchover: see Ofcom | Self-help TV Relays and Digital Switchover
(RG47SH)
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Liam Bradley: The predictions here are a bit unreliable - Digital UK's predictor shows you should get better results from the Angus transmitter than from Durris, the only alternative, particularly on the commercial channels (until they go to final channels and power in June, you would get no service).
As Angus and Durris have already switched over, yes, you should be able to get HD services, if you have a 'Freeview HD'-logo TV. If your TV says 'HD Ready' you will need an additional Freeview HD box.
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Ryan: your best bet will be to stick with the Sutton Coldfield transmitter. You're not expected to get any service from Nottingham, because there's a big hill in the way.
If you really want East Midlands news, you could use the Ambergate relay once that switches over in August, but you'd lose the commercial multiplexes, unless you got two aerials and a diplexer to combine signals from both aerials onto one cable.
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norm: the transmissions are the same whether you're using Sky, 'Freesat from Sky' or BBC/ITV Freesat.
Channels are broadcast either unscrambled - 'free-to-air' - or scrambled using Sky's Videocrypt system. To descramble, you need a viewing card. Channels may have a unique descrambling key, or may use a 'free-to-view' key, which doesn't change very often, and which still works even after you cancel your subscription.
If the free-to-view key changes, Sky charge £25 for a new card.
BBC/ITV Freesat only offers free-to-air channels.
Sky Sports on satellite requires a basic entertainment pack subscription (£19.50 per month) plus the sports pack (£20.25 per month extra). Or, you can buy only Sky Sports 1 or Sky Sports 2 rather than the sports pack at £12.25 per channel per month.
You can get Sky Sports 1 & 2 (not HD) through an aerial if you get either Top Up TV or BT Vision. Your region has already switched over and you have a choice of transmitters providing the full service - either Winter Hill or Pendle Forest. Top Up TV don't require a subscription to their main service, but you do need one of their boxes rather than just a regular Freeview box.
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Dave: If you had Freeview before switchover, it may be that the signals are now too loud, causing interference between neighbouring channels. If you have an amplifier or booster, try removing it. If not, or that doesn't help, try adding a variable attenuator and slowly increasing the attenuation.
COM6/Arqiva B will increase to its final power level on 21 September 2011.
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Christopher Innes: Bristol Montpelier does not carry the commercial multiplexes at all, so you have to get these from Mendip anyway if you want them.
Despite Montpelier being closer to you (0.5km rather than 25.4km), and on lower frequencies, Mendip should provide a higher signal strength on the public-service multiplexes as it is 10,000 times as powerful.
Montpelier's broadcasting aerial is aimed slightly to the north of you - the radiation pattern (from BBC FoI data) shows a 1 dB attenuation in your direction.
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george mackay: I assume you're using a communal aerial. The weather will have some effect, but the most likely reason is that some cable or connection is letting water in, stopping the highest frequencies from getting through properly.
It's also possible that the aerial wasn't swapped for a wideband or semi-wideband (Group E) type for Freeview reception - multiplex C might have been OK as it's only just out of the old analogue group, but multiplex D is way outside. That said, I'd expect it not to work at all, rather than just working occasionally.
All post-switchover multiplexes are within the old analogue group, Group B, so there's really no point in changing the aerial with three months to go.
If other people in the block are getting reliable results on Mux D when you aren't, ask if you can temporarily swap your box for theirs. If your box works in their flat but theirs doesn't work in yours, it's probably something in the cabling to your flat. Get the property manager to sort it out.
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sue brown: Your TV aerial may not cover the frequency used by the early HD transmissions, which actually come from Lichfield at the moment, because it's a lower frequency than the group used by other transmissions from Sutton Coldfield. At switchover, in September, they will move to Sutton Coldfield, on BBC Two's current analogue channel (C40).
Another good indicator is whether you get C5 analogue reliably, because this also is on a lower frequency (C37) and comes from Lichfield.
If the aerial did cover C34, Digital UK expect that HD should be about as reliable as ITV1, C4 and C5.
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Sunday 13 March 2011 1:28AM
Neil: see above for channel numbers.
Do check that it's not on the list of 2K-only equipment at TVs and boxes that do not support the 8k-mode | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice . It will work now, but stop working in September when all multiplexes switch into 8K mode. (RG47SH)