All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Bob:
I can't see any faults reported by the BBC or Freeview and Winter Hill isn't listed for Planned Engineering.
Apart from retuning, have you changed anything at all in your instillation, even just moving leads?
Can you provide your full postcode so that we can look at your predicted reception?
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Peter Scott:
According to the Freeview Detailed Coverage Checker and the BBC, you can also get signals from the Windermere relay transmitter. Are you sure you are tuned to Hawkshead? The Windermere transmitter is listed for Planned Engineering with "Possible service interruptions", and the BBC were showing it as off-air this morning for essential engineering.
You'll need to enter your TV's tuning section and see which UHF channels it's tuned to, and if your set is one that automatically retunes when it has no signal, or detects changes, I would turn that feature off as it's generally more trouble than it's worth. The need to retune when you only receive the PSB multiplexes as you would from either transmitter is rare. Retuning when there is no signal only clears the correct tuning, so you have to repeat a retune when signals return.
Both transmitters are in a similar direction from you, Windermere is 173 degrees, that's a fraction E of due S.
Hawkshead is 201 degrees that's almost SSW. Aerial rods vertical for both. Both transmitters are likely to be within the beam-width of an aerial pointing at either, or in-between the two
Windermere is closer, 6km and is higher power then Hawkshead 9km. The Detailed Coverage checker suggests you'd get a more reliable signal from Windermere.
In the multiplex order PSB1/BBCA, PSB2/D3&4, PSB3/BBCB HD - (C means UHF channel) -
Windermere's UHF channels for each multiplex are C44, C47, C41.
Hawkshead's UHF channels for each multiplex are C26, C23, C29.
I'd recommend you unplug the aerial and do an automatic tune which clears all previous tuning as no channels are found, then plug the aerial back in a do a manual tune for Windermere's channels which should give you better signals.
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Bob:
The orange indicates it's what's called "marginal" reception. It's only the COM8 multiplex closing (UHF channel 56) and most of the Channels have moved to COM7, some have closed, see 22 Jun 2020 - Important channel broadcast changes | Freeview
Reception can be affected by the weather as I'm sure you appreciate, there has been some Tropospheric Ducting around (see Effect of tropospheric ducting on Freeview | RTIS ) but that should have largely gone for now. You may have to repeat retune a few times to get COM7 back when signals are better. The figures suggest that you could have no signal some of the time, but not all the time. There's been no transmitter changes that should affect the COM7 signal. Do check that your aerials haven't moved in the recent wind, they should be pointing at bearing 123 degrees a few degrees E of SE.
I'd suggest try retuning as follows, unplug the aerial and carry out an automatic tune which should clear memory of previous tuning as no channels will be found (not sure if that works on the Humax), plug the aerial back in and repeat the retune which will hopefully restore all multiplexes. You may need to reset any scheduled recordings.
Are you getting the Local Preston multiplex on UHF C40?
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RichardS:
Correct.
See Rebuilding Freeview High Definition from 2019 onwards | free and easy
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Les:
As per several posts on these transmitter pages and elsewhere on the site, the site owner has not had the time to keep up with all the changes due to the 700MHz clearance, though some updates for final clearance have been applied too early.
The current channel usage of specific UHF channels for Winter Hill for each of the multiplexes in the order listed as follows -
PSB1/BBCA, PSB2/D3&4, PSB3/BBCB HD, COMs 4-6, COM7, Local G-MAN, Local L-MAN, Local L-LIV
UHF channels C32, C59, C54, C58, C49, C37, C55, C57, C24, C21
You will also undoubtedly have PSB1/BBCA simulcasting on UHF C50 with the programmes at LCN751 et seq. in your EPG, this is so that those with older Group C/D aerials that can't get the BBC SD channels in their normal LCNs from UHF C32 have time to get free In Home support for a new aerial from Freeview - but that had been suspended at present because of the Covid-19 situation as have the the remaining 700MHZ clearance retune events.
For anyone in that situation, I don't know if they are putting affected people on a waiting list, you can try ringing them on 0808-100-0288
The final channels after the final retune date tba, are -
For PSBs1-3 & COMs 4-7, UHF Channels 32, 34, 35, 29, 31, 37, 55
& for Local muxes G-MAN, L-LIV, L-MAN, L-PTN, UHF Channels 27, 21, 24, 40.
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Darren:
Well, yes and no! Unfortunately the site owner has not been able to keep up with all the 700MHz Clearance changes, so all the UHF channel numbers are not necessarily up-to-date.
In the order PSBs1-3, COMs4-7, Loc1, Loc2 -
UHF channels are C43, C46, C40+, C42, C45, C39+, C55, C36, C48
No doubt you found those frequencies at the top of the page ;) , however the offsets are actually 166kHz, so the 0.2 is a rounded figure. The offset is the same whether it's + or - .
One thing about this site, when you see a channel number with the C before it in a post, if you hover over it it'll give you the centre frequency, unfortunately it doesn't do the + or -
If you click on it, you go to a page full of information, but unfortunately it may not be up-to-date!
Whether you need the offset will probably depend on the tuner card, I doubt it'll object putting it in. The Humax may be rounding the displayed figure to the nearest MHz!
There's nothing on C51, that moved on 700MHz clearance. There's two channels used for the Local mux, beamed in different directions IIRC, whether you get them and COM7 will depend on your location.
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Robert M:
I'm afraid you haven't got your information quite right there Robert.
Forces TV and NOW 80s haven't gone, nor BBC4 HD, they are on COM7. If you don't receive BBC News HD on 107, then you aren't getting COM7.
For info on the latest shuffle, see 22 Jun 2020 - Important channel broadcast changes | Freeview
For a list of which channels are on which mux, see Channel listings | Freeview
I believe the BBC are having some sort of review about BBC4, haven't been to check for myself yet, but that is down to the BBC, no-one else (not Freeview/Arqiva/OFCOM just to name some).
Whilst most of us are irritated about what seems like very frequent channel shuffling, again this isn't Freeview. It's the individual Broadcasters deciding to get rid of a +1 or a whole service, or move it to a different multiplex. That's all down to commercial arrangements between them and the multiplex operator. Most of these decisions affect only the COM muxes, although there is a bit of commercial space for two SD channels on PSB3 and that's recently been filled.
For a bit more reliable information on the background of the recent change, see this post Rebuilding Freeview High Definition from 2019 onwards | free and easy
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Andy Kelly :
It would have needed a footie fan to have spotted your post before the game started at 1945! However, where BBC Radio Leeds covers future Leeds United matches, you may be able to listen on-line at Radio Leeds - Listen Live - BBC Sounds
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Monday 29 June 2020 2:23PM
Neil:
All UHF TV aerials are "designed" for Freeview and HD. It doesn't matter if it's analogue or digital, the signals are all Radio Frequency (RF). Those sort of terms "designed for Freeview and HD" etc are nothing more than advertising gimmicks usually used by people that don't properly understand what they are selling and want your to buy a particular aerial.
We need to discover what is going on before you rush off to spend money as it doesn't sound right that this "16 bar" is giving a worse signal unless it's a different type of aerial, so stick with it a bit. It could be faulty for some reason.
Does this bigger aerial look identical to the smaller one just longer? Do either of them have a "reflector" on the back - a larger metal plate/grid?
Your description of the smaller aerial makes it sound like a log periodic.
Do the aerials look something like these -
Log Periodic Tv Aerial for sale | eBay
That's not a hint or suggestion to buy any of them!