All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Gino:
It was listed last week for Planned Engineering but doesn't seem to be on this week's list, but unfortunately it's possible the list isn't 100% and there maybe work still going on.
Are you having trouble with your signal? If so what sort of Signal level and Quality figures are you getting?
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Brian Butterworth:
Cheers Brian. Also worth mentioning those latest OFCOM docs will have updated station changes etc.
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Adam Jackson:
Some great information there from Steve Donaldson (he's much better at that sort of thing than me!).
Those "after" signals look fine, but what is important is that your Quality figures are 100% when conditions are "normal".
Even though there a hills on a line of sight, it's always worth a punt because if signals are strong enough (at the aerial) they can be reasonably stable, though weather conditions can upset them more readily (that's without any tropo) !
Mountains on the line of sight are a different matter :o You may unfortunately find too much of Preseli top in the way unless you happen to find a gap from your location.
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Brian Butterworth:
Yeah, Start Point is no longer in the Channel, Mynydd Baedan is back in Bridgend! etc.
Well done Brian.
Even Droitwich now in Worcestershire rather than Gloucestershire. I note that all the old comments there have gone (no real loss) eg. see last post on p342 of my posts to proberts:
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Brian Butterworth:
I noted that even before this, some of the maps didn't show the coverage whilst others do.
Just as a specific example -
I see the corrected Dundry page is showing coverage but the East Dundry page that you've added doesn't. Is this easy to fix for all the maps that don't show coverage? (especially the FM).
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Surprising what recent comments elsewhere lead to.
It's beamed eastwards in a rough cardiod pattern. The exact polar diagram can be found in a document called "Comux-Technical-Plan.pdf" (Technical Plan Multiplex L) which should be found on OFCOM's site. I don't have a link handy at present.
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Glen:
With the changes on July 19th, all 3 Pop channels are now carried on the Local multiplex as mentioned by StevensOnln1.
The Local multiplex is beamed in an easterly direction from the Madingley transmitter (towards Cambridge). Unless you fall within that area you won't receive them unless you are quite close to the transmitter. Try a manual tune on UHF channel C35 for the Madingley Local mux as autotunes can sometimes miss weaker signals.
There is a Pop Player which moved with the changes to LCN212 and is carried on the SDN multiplex but it's a streamed service, so you need a Smart TV. Before it moved you could choose a selection of Pop shows, but LCN212 now seems to be "Pop Kids" (unless it changes at different times of day.
However, the Pop Player accessible via LCN100 on Freeview Play (Smart) TVs gives you a whole variety of choices but your "smart" device needs HbbTV functionality to access LCN100 (if your set has it make sure it's turned on in the TV settings).
Now you may also be able to access this Pop Player via you set's App menu - via "Explore Freeview Play" and it doesn't need HbbTV! or even load the App separately from your set's App store.
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Brian Butterworth:
Thanks Brian.
With regard to StevensOnln1's comment, I clicked on Madingley link and it took me to the DAB page. Whilst the page has a link to the Freeview page, the average poster here may not spot that (and often don't spot they're on a DAB page for other transmitters) and then raise a FReeview query.
As most queries are TV could you make these automated Transmitter name links go to the TV pages. (PS. Preseli still going to the Full service Freeview transmitters page).
Some TV pages have links to the DAB page, some don't - is that fixable?
Also DAB pages don't always have links to the Freeview pages.
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Ted Slater:
No problem Ted. What a shame that Humax haven't got a solution, or even know what the cause is!
Is it capable of transferring recordings to a USB stick?
If so, you could contemplate that and then try a full reset!
BUT if it is, check the USB recordings first. I've heard of some issues on some devices where HD recordings suffer judder on playback, no idea what the cause may be except maybe the USB stick can't cope with higher bit rates!
If I come across anything else I'll post it.
You could try an email to help@freeview.co.uk and ask them "What are the technical differences between transmission of Quest LCN12 on COM6/ArqB and Quest+1 LCN70 on COM5/ArqA and then explain that LCN12 is missing from your EPG despite retunes. Also ask "And/or are their technical errors in the EPG?" (I know there are some but don't know if they'd be the cause).
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Monday 31 July 2023 6:00PM
Brian Butterworth:
Hi Brian. I'm obviously not explaining myself very well.
Apart from the fact that the examples I mentioned were AM stations, my comments also apply to VHF.
Technical parameters for broadcast radio transmitters - Ofcom has all the csv files as I'm sure you know as well as an .xlsx file with everything in.
It doesn't matter which document you refer to, they appear to have the same data (as far as location) at least for the examples I mentioned. I'll mention each in turn as well as some extra examples.
For these, I do not have an issue with the data in the OFCOM documents.
The only thing I have noted is that most NGRs they give with 8 digits but some are 6 digits.
OFCOM - Clevedon - NGR ST40036976 & 51.423662, -2.863893
Clevedon (Somerset, England) analogue radio transmitter | free and easy for 21 years - Clevedon (Somerset, England) analogue radio transmitter 51.128,-2.859 or 517'42"N 251'32"W - eh, a bit of difference there!
My suspicion a while back was that the problem came from you taking the NGR and converting it to Lat/Long. It appears you may well have converted an 8 digit NGR treating it as a six digit.
So NGR ST400369 converts to 51.128221 , -2.8587970 or 510742N , 0025132W
This demonstrates where the error has occurred!
Similarly -
OFCOM - Start Point - NGR SX81413781 & 50.228369, -3.663965
Start Point (Devon, England) analogue radio transmitter | free and easy for 21 years 50.012,-3.657 or 500'42"N 339'24"W
NGR SX814137 converts to 50.011622 , -3.6566055 or 500042N , 0033924W
This again shows how the error has arisen (and that location puts it in the English Channel)!
Similarly -
OFCOM - Droitwich - NGR SO92916672 & 52.298558, -2.105388
Droitwich (Gloucestershire, England) analogue radio transmitter | free and easy for 21 years 51.848,-2.104 or 5150'52"N 26'16"W
NGR SO929166 converts to 51.847950 , -2.1044753 or 515053N , 0020616W
Highlighting the same error but this example also puts the location sufficiently out that it's in the wrong county! This isn't the only one like that, there was a post somewhere not too long ago where a poster complained though I don't recall which one at present.
Another example of that being so far south if you look at All UK analogue radio transmitters | free and easy for 21 years for Somerset you'll find Mynydd Baedan 1 the wrong side of the Bristol Channel - oops.
I'm going to give this FM example for two reasons - location but only just spotted radio info incomplete as there is more than one mast on Dundry Hill (see mb21)
OFCOM - Dundry
(96.3 Heart) NGR ST55116693, & 51.399606, -2.646667
Dundry (Somerset, England) analogue radio transmitter | free and easy for 21 years 50.947,-2.641 or 5056'50"N 238'26"W
NGR ST551166 converts to 50.947077 , -2.6405078 or 505649N , 0023826W
Shows the same error.
However there's also (not listed on ukfree.tv)
OFCOM - East Dundry
(BBC Radio Bristol 94.9) NGR ST57396651 & 51.396015, -2.613844
(Hits radio 106.5) NGR ST57396651 & 51.396015, -2.613844
An older version of the OFCOM documents gives a slightly different NGR for BBC Radio Bristol!
(Also There's a Dundry East for DAB). At this point I give up for now!