All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Ade Langford:
See Seagry Court (Swindon, England) Freeview Light transmitter | free and easy for 21 years and subsequent, esp. Seagry Court (Swindon, England) Freeview Light transmitter | free and easy for 21 years
Yes the page does need fully updating, I expect Brian is aware, but "catch-up" is a slow process.
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Mark:
Just to be clear, the at800 filter is the 800MHz band which was cleared for mobile use many years ago now, clearly you didn't have any problems at the time.
The filters for the 700MHz band are different (but would also block 800MHz). As I mentioned, go to https://restoretv.uk and check your full postcode there.
(A partial SR4 code isn't of any help, it's a wide area).
Normal signal strengths around 80% should be fine especially if you consistently have 100% Quality.
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Philip J Richards:
As per the Stockland Hill transmitter page, it's listed for Planned Engineering -
Stockland Hill transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 11/09/2023 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels [DUK]
Without a full postcode we can't offer any constructive information about your reception of the ArqB/COM6 and ArqA/COM5 multiplexes which each carry each of the two channels you mention.
See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which TV channels are carried on which multiplex
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Ian Gregorig
The BBC have updated the report. -
Freeview was off air due to a fault From 12:17pm to 7:40pm
FM was off-air due top a fault From 12:16pm to 7:41pm
However, they also say From 7:41pm on 16th Sep 2023 BBC Radio 1 Off the air due to a fault
There are still no reports of a recent power cut affecting the transmitter postcode, so this sounds like the fault was/is at the transmitter itself.
I've noted your location is predicted to get good signals from Mendip, but of course very local conditions may hamper that, eg. nearby trees, another building, very local terrain, etc.
This might make such reception unreliable.
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Steve Donaldson:
That comes as no real surprise knowing some of the terrain round there.
However I do wonder sometimes about the predictions considering that measurements were supposedly taken in 100m blocks IIRC some while back. There could of course be some gaps between the ridges for some to see a signal, but may not be for most/anyone!
My thoughts often are, well point an aerial that way and see what you might get :)
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Paul Robinson:
Hi Paul. It's probably worth remembering that it's now a good 10 years since DSO and quite a few transmitters have been having extended periods of Planned Engineering. It's highly probably that not only is quite a lot of maintenance needed, but some equipment may need to be updated/upgraded, not something that can be done in an instant especially as a thorough inspection would be needed first to know the extent of what might be needed.
Has the filter helped give an overall improvement and better stability in strength and quality? Also, reception won't have been helped by the recent disruption to reception for some when the high pressure/hot weather brought some strong Tropospheric Ducting!
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patricia lake:
Swansea Sound became part of the Planet Radio Group some while ago and is now called "Greatest Hits Radio"
I'm afraid it is only available on DAB, On-line or with a "Smart Speaker"
See All the ways to listen to Greatest Hits Radio
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Monday 11 September 2023 2:36PM
Mark:
It sounds as though your aerial system may well have been degrading for some time, especially if it was at least ten years old and you had water in a pre-amp, the chances are the coax cable was compromised as well. You mentioned it was a wideband aerial, if it was (and not an old Group C/D - the original group for Pontop Pike) *I assume it was replace at DSO some 10+ years ago.
You've certainly done the right think by installing a Group K aerial to cover the UHF channels used by Pontop Pike and it will likely have a better response at the lower channels than a wideband. Additionally Group K is designed to minimise response above UHF C48 where those frequencies may now be used for new/updated mobile signals which could present an interference problem.
If you have any such masts near you, you may still suffer a problem but can get a Free Filter from https://restoretv.uk/ but as you haven't given a full postcode I can't advise whether you should have received a postcard from them, but you can check on their website. (There have been a few cases where thpostcards should have been sent but weren't/were not received!).
I hope you used double screened coax such as CT100 or similar to minimise the risk of future interference.
I'm afraid Arqiva never giver details of what the work entails or how long it will last as some of it may be weather dependant. Clearly such work is better done at this time of year when weather is not so inclement. It's a good ten years since DSO and one would image that most transmitters will need a lot of maintenance checks etc. This isn't the only transmitter where works have been running on and off for several weeks. In addition to which they may well be carrying out additional checks since the fire at Bilsdale to try and ensure such things don't happen elsewhere!
Pontop Pike has been listed for Planned Engineering since the 28th August so hopefully any work/maintenance may be nearing completion, however you shouldn't find a continuous reduction in your signal strength and signal quality on all multiplexes unless they are having to continuously use the reserve antenna for some reason.
Check your signal strength and quality figures in your tuning section, you should have 100% quality on all multiplexes if there is no problem (except in adverse conditions) and a high signal strength.
The lists of Planned Engineering do change each week and you'll find a "rotation" of transmitters affected.