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All posts by Chris.SE

Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.


David Levitt:

Any channel above C55 shouldn't give any problems as none are used for TV reception and they're well away from those that are. One thing to maybe watch out for is that the signal strength from your camera system isn't so strong that is "desensitises" your TV/Receiver tuners and the signal for the TV channels seems weaker.

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Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
Tuesday 4 August 2020 4:32PM

js:

What did I say? >> I bow to your superior knowledge of the network. (typo corrected ;) )
I certainly wouldn't agree, i think your knowledge of the network is probably far greater, just because each of us may miss things from time to time doesn't mean that either of us has greater knowledge in a particular area.

Those target regions in the NITs must be quite generalised? maybe based on regional news allocations to particular transmitters? but your overall knowledge of NITs must be far greater than mine which is virtually non-existent. Btw, you must be in a good spot to be able to pick up all these transmitters.

As for relays of relays, yes there appear to be some! (and some incorrectly listed as such in some places!!) but as for Brierley Hill I didn't realise it had a Local mux with Birmingham TV until this morning (not from your post co-incidentally but another one). Haslington BBCB is due to move from C29 to C30 on the 12th (along with Ladder Hill) (I've only been looking at some of DUK's pdfs by the way, nothing to do with knowledge!).

The apparent lack of logic (best way to describe it?) with these NITs might explain some of the oddities. I recall a few people mentioning some of the Yorkshire retunes when On-screen message popped up to retune when the specific transmitter they were receiving wasn't changing. I'd assumed it was just some sloppiness by Arqiva, but it could well have been NIT related.

Slight change of topic, I've not got, or been able to find a list of Tx TSIDs. Any idea where one might find one?

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Mr Walker :

The "most likely" transmitter for your postcode from the Freeview Detailed Coverage Checker is Brierley Hill which is actually only a few degrees N of due W (bearing 277 degrees) with rods vertical.
Closer to NW (bearing 304 degrees is the Wrekin, rods horizontal though).
Normally do you get a Local multiplex with Birmingham TV on LCN7 in your EPG?

Anyway. neither Freeview nor the BBC are listing any faults for those, so this is very odd. You might have got tuned to the wrong channels if you did a retune whilst reception was "disrupted" or your set did an automatic retune - some do - IF your set has an option in its tuning menu to auto-update, turn it OFF, it's more trouble than it's worth.

I suggest you do the following, briefly check in the tuning section which UHF channels it's tuned to (make a note in case), then unplug the aerial and do an automatic retune. This should clear any previously stored channels as none should be found. Switch the set off for at least 10 minutes.
Plug the aerial back in, switch on and don't let it autotune, go to the tuning section and do a manual tune as follows -
For Brierley Hill, the UHF channels are C32, C34, C35, C29, C31, C37 & C33, that's in the order PSBs1-3, COMs 4-6 and that Local multiplex if you can get it.
For which channels are on which multiplex, see Channel listings | Freeview

If you were inadvertently tuned to the Wrekin, its channels are C26, C23, C30, C41, C44, C47
or even the Haden Hill relay (which did have a fault) C21, C24, C27 (PSBs only).
It is possible for aerials to pick up signals from other transmitters that they aren't pointing at!


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Full technical details of Freeview
Tuesday 4 August 2020 11:42PM

Steve H.:

Your location is fine, you even have a choice of two Tyne Tees main transmitters!
I would expect your aerial to be pointing at the Bilsdale transmitter fractionally S of SE (bearing 144 degrees) and getting a Local multiplex on UHF C30 with the Middlesbrough local station at LCN7 in your EPG.

If however it's pointing fractionally N of NW (bearing 324 degrees) at the Pontop Pike transmitter, you'd get the Newcastle local station, multiplex on C33. Also Pontop Pike was on Planned Engineering last week with "Possible weak signal".

It's possible your set's memory needs clearing, I'd suggest you do a retune as follows -
Unplug the aerial and do an automatic retune which should clear all previously stored channels as nothing should be found. Switch the set off for at least 10 minutes.
Plug the aerial back in, switch on and don't let it do an auto-retune if you have a manual tune option.

If you're getting Bilsdale, the UHF channels are C27, C24, C21, C43, C46, C40, C55, C30
If it's Pontop Pike, the UHF channels are C39, C42, C45, C32, C34, C35, C55, C33
both in the order PSBs 1-3, COMs 4-7, Local.

For which programmes/channels are on which multiplex, see Channel listings | Freeview

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Gorey Freeview Light transmitter
Tuesday 4 August 2020 11:52PM

I'm afraid it isn't the only error on the site, whether the site owner will get round to fixing it, along with all the 700MHz updates remains to be seen.

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Jimmy:

Millburn Muir is listed for "Planned Engineering" with "Possible service interruptions", so that's probably what happened, and may again!

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John:

Well whoever said the XB10A would give too strong a signal for COM7 (on UHF C55) was talking out of their rear end.
The XB10A is a Group A aerial (the A on the end) and Group A aerials are designed to work over channels 21-37 although this one should give adequate performance upto about C42 (according to https://www.aerialsandtv.….png ), gain drops off very quickly around there.
It might give too strong a signal for C21-C37 if it weren't in a loft, but loft aerials lose signal through the roof, and reception can become a bit of a black art, but as you've had loft aerials giving good reception on the others, I doubt you'll have much of an issue.

To get C55, technically you need a Group T or Wideband but I doubt you'd get an XB10T or XB10WB these days, I don't think anyone makes them anymore. However, some Group K aerial have adequate gain at C55. That close to Darvel, a Yagi18K from ATV according to them would have adequate gain as would the XB10K see https://www.aerialsandtv.….png

It depends how much room you have in your loft, the Yagi 18K is 5ft 9" long,17" high, 13" wide, whereas the XB10K is 5ft long, 27" high, 23" wide. The Yagi is a few quid cheaper, your choice.

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Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
Wednesday 5 August 2020 6:47PM

js:

Thanks, got them, will study later, Oh and I meant Haslingden not the typo ending in "ton" !

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All free TV channels in the UK
Thursday 6 August 2020 3:51PM

A Smith:

If you meant HD versions of Ch4+1, Film 4 & 4seven they don't exist any more as broadcast channels (Ch4's choice).

If you are still at the same postcode, then getting the COM7 HD multiplex from Winter Hill could be iffy, things have changed as part of the 700MHz Clearance and COM7 is a Single Frequency Network (SFN) on C55. Predicted reception from Winter Hill for COM7 at your location is "poor" (unreliable rather than not possible), and Winter Hill is the Granada region, so different news (not Central).
COM7 is much better from Moel-y-Parc but then you have the Welsh news and other variations which you may not want with the other multiplexes.

You'll certainly need a wideband aerial and a high gain one at that for Winter Hill, it's 102km away from you. Your existing aerial is unlikely to be any good because if it were a high enough gain, you'd probably have all sorts of reception problems from the Wrekin due to signal overload!

Unless you are doing things with aerials yourself, as COM7 is a temporary multiplex - licenced until June 2022 - but it may have to close before then if it's frequency is needed for Mobile SDL when the 700MHz band is auctioned, I wouldn't be spending any significant sums of money, especially taking other factors into account.

If you are having a go yourself and want some further help, post back.
Oh, just to add, if you were talking about problems receiving SD versions of Ch4+1, Film 4 & 4seven - Ch4+1 is on the D3&4 mux and the other two on ArqA which you should have no trouble with.
See Channel listings | Freeview

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Barry Broderick:

It's never a good idea to post your phone number or email address on a public forum, it's likely to attract spammers, con artists, identity thieves and the like.
On the assumption that you mother is receiving from the Brougher Mountain transmitter (a full postcode would be needed to check), neither Freeview nor the BBC are currently reporting any faults.

I would check that her aerial seems intact and pointing in the correct direction and that the downlead looks undamaged (especially if it is old). Also check all the coax plugs, connections, flyleads etc, unplug connectors check for corrosion or other problems and reconnect them. Flyleads are a common problem, try swapping/changing them. See what signal strengths and quality if any, there is for any of the multiplexes (groups of channels) shown in the TV's tuning section.
Problematic connections, water ingress etc. can seem to affect reception of just an individual or several multiplexes.

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