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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.

C
https://ukfree.tv/radio/prediction/
Sunday 24 September 2023 2:45PM

Graham Cox:

Having eventually found where this reference is, not helped by a couple of links in the Radio section having got mangled it seems - AM/FM listings go to DAB and visa versa, I see from elsewhere that this looks like a very recent change -12th September 2023
The site owner is still playing catch-up with some of the changes from the 700MHz Clearance (over 1100 transmitters without counting the other AM/FM/DAB ones and recent changes there).
Unfortunately, I expect it'll take a while for such things to get updated.

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nick :

Interesting, but I'm not sure I'd jump to the conclusion that it's Holland at present.
Two things of particular interest about the Quality figures.
1) the brief jump to 90% - does this occur at regular/particular times of day or is it totally random?
2) You mention it improves after dark, by how much, what figures? (This may be related to a bit of temperature inversion of course).

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Ruth Wilkinson:

Ah, I can see why you've posted on a Geddington page but there's no Freeview transmitter there it's just DAB & FM. This is the DAB page, not to worry.

Now according to the predictors for your postcode you might be normally receiving signals from one of two main transmitters. Either Sandy Heath (Anglia news region) or Waltham (Central news region).
Which do you normally get?

Which way (compass bearing) is you aerial pointing?
For Sandy Heath it should be ~SE (bearing 136 degrees).
For Waltham it should be slightly N of NNW (bearing 348 degrees).
In both cases the rods (or squashed Xs) would be horizontal.

Both those main transmitters have been/are listed for Planned Engineering so there may be interruptions to signals (normally short term and not all TV channels) or reduced power - so if you have a weak signal it could look like No signal - have you seen such a message pop-up on screen?
If you did, or had badly pixellated pictures, I hope you didn't try a retune then as that will usually just clear the correct tuning.

If you check your aerial is still pointing correctly, check your coax downlead isn't flapping in the wind & your coax plugs are plugged in correctly with no corrosion and no water in the connectors.
Tell us which way your aerial is pointing and the region your normally get, we can advise on checking your tuning and retuning.

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michael :

AFAWK it's routine maintenance michael. Remember it's a good 10years since DSO and I expect loads of things need checking, some replacing. Lots of main transmitters and some relays have had extended periods of maintenance. The Bilsdale fire may well have made them do thorough checks to ensure similar is not likely anywhere else!

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Darren Brown:

Whilst trees in leaf can cause problems, it is not probable that they do something pecialiar at dusk!
This is/was some sort of interference.
Maybe one or other neighbours also had a problem and some faulty equipment has been tracked down and fixed.
OR, are any of your near neighbours away and been away since your signal on C29 has been ok?
If so, wait and see what happens when they return.

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C
Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter
Tuesday 26 September 2023 12:34AM

R Murchie:

As the report says "pixellation or flickering on some or all channels", so that is highly probable.
If the "flickering" is a brief drop in signal, then getting a no signal message wouldn't be unexpected.

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Ian Jackson:

I'm wondering if you've read any of the replies to your other posts recently about "losing channels" and being advised NOT to retune.

If you were correctly tuned to start with, you should never retune (automatically or manually) if you have no signal or badly pixellated pictures or "a channel disappears", whatever the cause, be it weather, engineering, you aerial system etc.
It invariably will just clear some/all of your correct tuning, or in extreme weather conditions tune you to an incorrect transmitter whose signals disappear as the weather changes.

This particularly can apply when you can receive more than one transmitter in your locale, which it appears you can in your postcode - 3 main transmitters!

I've lost count of the number of times we post this information on these boards.

IF your set has an automatic retune feature, go into Settings and turn it OFF, it is far more trouble than it's worth.
The only time a retune may be required is if you get a pop-up message on one of the commercial multiplexes because a broadcaster has made some changes to their TV channel.

Have you checked your aerial system? Make sure that the aerial looks undamaged and is still pointing correctly - for your postcode it should be pointing NE (compass bearing 45 degrees) with its rods (or squashed Xs) horizontal. Make sure that the coax downlead isn't flapping in the wind and is undamaged, and that your coax plugs are in properly with no corrosion or water ingress.

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C
Horror Channel +1
Tuesday 26 September 2023 3:33PM

Terry Donelly:

The broadcaster decided to swap the multiplexes of two of its channels which were HorrorXtra and RealityXtra, the former being on the SDN/COM4 multiplex now on the Local multiplex and so will have reduced coverage if you can't receive a Local multiplex (no local news channel at LCN7 or 8).
Conversely, RealityXtra now has increased coverage on the SDN multiplex.
Unfortunately Freeview didn't mention this particular change with the others minor ones that occurred on the 20th September.

As you haven't given a full postcode, we don't know which Anglia transmitter you may be receiving and which, if any, UHF channel it may be on. Not all areas can get a Local multiplex. Where one is transmitted from a particular transmitter it is generally beamed in the direction of the larger urban conurbations it's intended for.

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Elizabeth Simpson:

Sandy Heath still has Planned Engineering this week. Lots of main transmitters in particular have had several periods, some extended, of Planned Engineering. It's a good 10 years since DSO and no doubt lots of maintenance and some equipment replacement is needed. Some work is not easily done in winter.

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Elizabeth Simpson:

Sandy Heath still has Planned Engineering this week. Lots of main transmitters in particular have had several periods, some extended, of Planned Engineering. It's a good 10 years since DSO and no doubt lots of maintenance and some equipment replacement is needed. Some work is not easily done in winter.

Forgot to mention above, if you were correctly tuned, do NOT retune when the signal disappears, it'll probably clear your correct tuning.

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