All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Miss McGhie:
Hi again. The best way to deal with this situation in these conditions is to do MANUAL tuning of the UHF Channels for the Milburn Muir transmitter.
In your TV Tuning section you should find an option to MANUAL tune and select a UHF channel to tune.
For Millburn Muir (as shown at the very top section of this page) it's 29 for the BBC SD channels, 31 for the D3&4 multiplex (ITV, 4, 5 etc) and 37 for the HD multiplex if your set has HD capability.
Bear in mind with the current weather conditions you may not be successful for each of them on every try, you just have to persist until you've got them back, then DON'T retune again.
Unfortunately where you are only predicted to be able to get the one transmitter as is the case for your postcode there's nothing else you can do.
Also bear in mind these weather conditions cause signals from more distant transmitters to travel further, so automatic tuning MIGHT get signals from elsewhere, they will become unstable as weather conditions change, and you'll have to go through Tuning again.
Hope that helps, if you have any other queries, post back and I'll try and help. You may not get an immediate response mind.
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Keith pedder:
Ah, interesting question, but initial response is no. Findon is only a Freeview Light transmitter and doesn't carry the commercial multiplexes SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5 and ArqB/COM6.
For which TV channels are carried on which multiplex, see -
https://www.freeview.co.uk/corporate/platform-management/channel-listings-industry-professionals
You haven't said how long you've had the problem! There are a number of possibilities.
1) Is it a problem you have periodically and has started again recently - since last Friday perhaps?
2) Is it a problem that is happening continuously, more or less all day and all night or
3) Is it a problem that comes and goes on (nearly) most days?
If 1) it's current weather conditions, you MIGHT get more reliable reception from an alternative transmitter (more detail in a moment and it might mean a change of aerial)
If 2) Something that could be due to new/upgraded phone masts (you've got at least 11 near you!
If 3) Then an alternative transmitter may again be a solution.
Let's deal with 2) first as it's a short simple matter which you may suffer from and should be able to deal with. Have you had a postcard from Restore TV? - you should have but we know lots of cases where people haven't been sent one!
See https://restoretv.uk/postcards-not-sure/
If your current aerial is a wideband then you are more vulnerable to this issue, if it's a newer Group K then that will help reduce the potential issue, or if it's even an older Group A aerial which was all that was needed for Rowridge it might help reduce the problem BUT ....
If you haven't already got a 700MHz Filter (often called a 5G filter), get in touch with Restore TV and request the Free filter. If you have any Amp/splitter to feed several TVs/boxes etc , the filter should be fitted BEFORE the Amp. If you have an external Masthead Amp, tell Restore TV - they should send an engineer Free of Charge to fit a waterproof one on your mast.
If the latter is the case then they could well deal with 1) and 3) as their job is to ensure you have as reliable reception as possible.
Ok. 1) & 3). You have possible reception in your postcode from 3 transmitters, Rowridge, Findon and Whitehawk Hill and luckily you should have line-of-sight to all 3 assuming no direct local obstructions from tall buildings, trees etc.
There is a "however" - Findon, already mentioned BUT it should give the most reliable reception of those 3 PSB multiplexes.
Let's mention Rowridge next - is your aerial horizontal or vertical polarisation? (ie the rods or squashed Xs horizontal or vertical). This transmitter (one of very few) has both polarisations.
If Horizontal, then the reception of the PSBs is failry good, but the COMs are VERY variable to none for ArqA and the COMs are also lower power for horizontal. Ther's also a Local mutliplex but you aren't predicted to get it.
If Vertical, then the PSBs are better, and so are the COMs as they are transmitted at the same power as the PSBs but still can be variable reception. (No Local mux on vertical).
Now Whitehawk Hill. The COMs are very much better and all but the PSB3/HD multiplex are better than Rowridge but still may give you reliable reception.
Note, all comments about reception are based on "predicted reception", so not an absolute guarantee!
Finally aerial direction (also Group and polarisation). Vertical polarisation is needed for the alternatives to Rowridge and is best for Rowridge (although no Local mux)
Whitehawk Hill also has a Local mux which you are predicted to get.
If you have an old Group A aerial for Rowridge, then it will be best replaced with a Group K (and maybe old enough it may have deteriorated connections and coax anyway).
A Wideband will be OK for all transmitters (apart from the vulnerability of interference from Mobile masts) BUT a Group K is best and should be used in an aerial replacement situation and should be high gain apart from maybe Findon which "might" be ok with medium gain.
For your postcode, direction for Rowridge is compass bearing is 255 degrees (15 degrees S of due W).
Direction for Whitehawk Hill is 87 degrees, pretty well due E.
Direction for Findon is 8 degrees, that's 8 east of due N.
Hope that helps, if you have further queries, post back.
If you need an aerial installer, make sure they are recommended and knows your area (preferably CAI approved) and not a back street cowboy.
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D Colman:
If you are talking about Freeview, you have posted on the Analogue Radio page, the see
https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Millburn_Muir
Please read the posts on p13 and p14 and how to deal with the problem.
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jimmy:
That above information is of course from https://www.freeview.co.uk/help/updates-alerts/high-pressure-10-october-2025
Regarding your previous link, it's still there, only the site owner can remove such things but I didn't say it was "dodgy", I said it was not a reliable site for tech info.
There can frequently be misleading posts on there from people who don't understand the technical stuff or are completely wrong and misleading and none of it is ever corrected by the site "editor".
Most of the information that appears there is frequently "cut and pasted" from elsewhere - not always accurate sources, and sometimes it's "out of context" which can leave the incorrect impression.
This is the latest from the BBC -
"High pressure may affect TV & Radio services across parts of the UK from 10 October 2025
High-pressure weather conditions are currently affecting most areas of the UK, causing problems to television and radio services. This is predicted to continue until the end of this week, then it should start to clear. Worst affected is the North of Scotland and the North of England.
14 October 2025 | Weather warning "
This page from the BBC gives some explanation and a useful video -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/work-warning/weather-warning/waw-high-pressure
But that page usually ONLY appears when there are problems, at other times it often isn't there.
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jimmy:
I'm sorry to have to say that your last post is more typical of the type of post made on that other website you mentioned, where what is going on is not fully understood and reasons given are often misleading at best and sometimes incorrect.
Now when you sated that you were picking up Blackhill, I did just take your word for it without checking that, assuming that it was possible because of the current weather conditions, the details of which have ben posted and updated here. Your last post has made me go away and check in more detail.
Now, whilst I know that some TVs/boxes ask for a postcode, it's often to make sure you get the correct region where transmitters from more than one region can sometimes be received AND also where the TV/box is "Smart" to ensure you get the correct region on iPlayer/ITVX and so on.
I don't have Humax so I don't know, so I'm going to be explicit ask ask you to be crystal clear, does it ask for a postcode? What make/model of TV set, does it ask for a postcode?
Also 1st) FYI Black Hill is exactly the same region as Millburn Muir, so postcode would have zero affect on that choice. 2nd) Your aerial has to be pointing the correct way to get stable and reliable reception (from any transmitter) and has to have adequate gain and directivity.
Weather conditions can sometimes give unusual reception, even from aerials not pointing the correct way.
So now, down to the nuts and bolts. How do you know you are actually picking up Black Hill? Was it an assumption because of the extra COM muxes you are getting or have you looked in the Tuning section and checked which UHF channels it's tuned to?
IF not the latter, please do so and post back with the UHF Channel numbers that you are tuned to on the device that you think is tuned to Black Hill and also the one you think is Millburn Muir. Then we can start to look at the real FACTS.
I'm not going to add any further comment at this point whilst waiting for that information.
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jimmy:
Just to add to the above, first, apologies, you did say that the Humax asked for the postcode BUT that's for the reasons I've already explained, nothing to do with Black Hill or Millburn Muir. You should have 6 UHF channels for what you think is Black Hill (maybe 7 if you get a Local mux) and 3 UHF channels for what you think is Millburn Muir.
(Oh, and your sister is predicted to be better sited for some reception than you are!).
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Monday 13 October 2025 7:51PM
jimmy:
I thought that this had all been explained to you before.
These weather conditions cause signals from more distant transmitters to travel further.
In this case you have found that you can get the signals from Black Hill BUT this may not remain a stable signal as weather conditions change.
IF you are still getting all the other multiplexes with stable viewing, you could try going to your TV Tuning settings and do a MANUAL tune of UHF channel 40 which is the Black Hill channel for the HD multiplex. Just because the others may be coming through doesn't mean you'll get those HD ones.
On quite a few TVs/Boxes/etc you are sometimes given the choice of a transmitter or region to tune IF it's picking up more than one when you tune BUT you can't "switch" in the manner you are hoping.
IF you can't get the HD ones from Black Hill, then MANUAL tune UHF channel 37 for the HD multiplex from Millburn Muir.but bear in mind the weather conditions may disrupt things.
MANUAL tuning is the way to select what you want, if as in this case your aerial seems to be able to pick up Black Hill, but it may not last of course. In which case try tuning the PSB multiplexes from Millburn Muir (UHF Channels 29,31,37) and the COMs from Black Hill (UHF Channels 41,44,47).
Good luck with that!