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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.


Stuart Swaine:

I'm not sure if you are assuming that you have been getting your signals from Wharfedale looking at some of your previous posts, as I see you've moved. The Freeview Detailed Coverage Checker shows that Wharfedale is not the best transmitter at your current location.

Whilst you are predicted to get reception from two local relays Wharfedale & Keighley, you are also predicted to get some reception from 3 main transmitters, Bilsdale, Belmont and Emley Moor.
Wharfedale is a "Light" transmitter with only the 3 main PSB multiplexes, Keighley transmits the 6 main ones, whilst the main transmitters transmit all 8. You'e not predicted to get every multiplex from any of the transmitters but Emley Moor is predicted to give excellent reception of the main 6 - PSBs1-3, COMs4-6.

Now, the strange thing is that Bilsdale is in an almost similar direction to Wharfedale but it's Horizontally polarised whilst Wharfedale is vertical! I think the best thing is to check which way your aerial is actually pointing. I'll also give the details for Emley Moor.
I'll put all these in the next post.

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Stuart Swaine:

Wharfedale - Aerial rods vertical, pointing ~NNE bearing 20 degrees, UHF channels C25, C22, C28.
Bilsdale - Aerial rods Horizontal, pointing ~NNE bearing 32 degrees, UHF C21, C24, C27, C43, C46, C40, C55, C56
Keighley - Aerial rods vertical, pointing ~NNW bearing 334 degrees, UHF C40, C43, C46, C29, C31, C37
Emley Moor ~ Aerial rods Horizontal, pointing ~SSE bearing 153 degrees, UHF C37, C44, C41, C33, C36, C48, C55, & C56

You'll not that Bilsdale & Keighley share some channels so there's predicted co-channel interference, the reason you're unlikely to get al multiplexes from w#either transmitter.

Your best bet is to get the aerial realigned for Emley Moor, make sure it's a Group T / Wideband. You may even get COMs 7&8 as the predictions may have changed due to some recent transmitter changes on the 12th Feb.

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You are quite right woz, - the list of course coming from Clearance events in 2020 | Freeview
As MikeP has said, the site owner has not had time to update with all the 700MHz clearance changes.

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William Gould:

No problem, glad you've got it sorted :)

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All free TV channels in the UK
Wednesday 19 February 2020 2:23AM

Nicholas Anderson:

Hmm. That section of North Somerset coastline is a difficult area. As explained to you in response to your November query here Get to see your Freeview predictions map | free and easy signals from Wenvoe, Kilvey Hill and Carmel readily travel across the Bristol Channel as Michael will also explain to you if he spots your post.

There are 5 local West region "Light - 3 PSBs" relay transmitters in the general area and the main West Mendip mast, however the power level, terrain & co-channel interference from other transmitters makes it very unlikely that you will get any reception from the relays (you are well out of the normal coverage area for them all) and likewise it will be difficult from Mendip. One coverage checker says you'll get some variable/poor reception from Mendip, but the coverage map doesn't show reception at that location.

You are going to need a high gain very directional aerial to stand any chance of getting any reception from any of the relays (something like an amplified high gain log-periodic), but most will be ruled out for reasons already mentioned. I'll give Channels for PSBs1-3, polarisation, power and can only give rough directions as no coverage is predicted.
Furthest away Woodcombe C30, C31, C37, Vertical, 10W, a few degrees N of W.
Carhampton C24, C27, C21, vertical, 28W, a few degrees S of W
Washford C30, C31, C37, Vertical, 12.4W, roughly SW.
Monksilver C40, C43, C46, Vertical, 15W, a few degrees W of S.
Kilve C30, C31, C37, Horizontal, 6W, roughly E.
As you can see 3 relays are co-channel, also C30 is co-channel with Mendip, C37 with Wenvoe.
Carhampton is co-channel with Kilvey Hill (also vertical).
Monksilver is co-channel with Preseli which may give enough interfering signal.

The main transmitters Carmel, Wenvoe & Mendip are horizontally polarised. Kilvey Hill is vertical.
Multiplexes are PSBs1-3, COMs4-6, COMs7&8 at Wenvoe, Mendip; Local at Kilvey Hill, Wenvoe, Mendip.
Carmel C23, C26, C29, 20kW; C33, C36, C48, 10kW ~NW bearing 323 degrees.
Kilvey Hill C21, C24, C27, C25, C22, C28, 2kW; C34, 200W; ~NW bearing 319 degrees.
Wenvoe C41, C44, C47, 100kW; C42, C45, C39, 50kW; C55, C56, 63kW; C37, 10kW ~N bearing 359 degrees.
Mendip C32, C34, C35, C48, C33, C36 100kW; C55, C56, 61+72kW; C30, 5kW ~ a few degrees N of E bearing 82 degrees.

Well, there you are, you asked the question. Personally I don't think you stand any chance of getting those West relays, you may get Mendip PSBs but poor reliability, COMs4-6 will likely be subject to co-channel interference, so probably no reception. COMs 7&8 might be OK.
I would go for Wenvoe as you will get all the multiplexes albiet Welsh news & variations on BBC1/2 & ITV. You still get Ch.4 at LCN8. You might get the Local multiplex which has some of those Sony channels, but remember BBC News on 231 (& 107 if you have HD) will have London News.

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Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
Wednesday 19 February 2020 7:56PM

js:

Hi js, > The Code Rate for com8 was reduced to 1/2 a while ago.

It's believed this happened on the 12th Feb. when Sandy Heath and a few other transmitters had a retune, it was spotted on the Freeveiw Detailed Coverage checker for Sandy Heath reception and supposedly upcoming changes on WH on the 20th, and later dates for other TXs, but it seems they all must have changed on the 12th as one might expect because it's an SFN. Checking here on off-air it hadn't changed on the Monday (10th) but had later in the week!

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Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
Wednesday 19 February 2020 8:01PM

js:

Oh, forgot to add a lot of the Freeview(DUK) database has NOT been correctly updated. Many TXs still showing 2/3 for COM8 in the Detailed Coverage Checker.

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Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
Wednesday 19 February 2020 11:30PM

js:

Hi technically you are right of course, I could have worded what I said better - instead of "because it's an SFN" it might have been been better to say "because they all will be/or are part of an SFN it's sensible/necessary for them all to change simultaneously"

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Ian Porter:

You can also find a full list of which programmes/channels are on which multiplex at Channel listings | Freeview

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Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
Thursday 20 February 2020 3:58AM

All:

For anyone visiting here that has lost channels and doesn't realise what has happened, there has been a retune event.
The PSB1/BBCA multiplex has moved to UHF C32 and the COM8 multiplex to C56. You need to retune to restore your channels.
If you are having trouble getting the BBC channels in their normal place at LCNs 1,2,9, .......etc in the EPG, this could be because you have an old C/D group aerial that is not receiving C32 very well or at all. Some of these aerials will work ok if you are in a good reception area. Otherwise you now need a Group T/Wideband aerial to receive all multiplexes from Winter Hill reliably.

For those having problems with the BBC multiplex on C32, you can still find the old programmes/channels at LCN751, 752..... in your EPG until the 22nd April to give you time to get your aerial problem resolved without loss of service. See Problems with Freeview reception? | Help receiving TV and radio and click on Engineering work affecting television services in the North West of England on the 19th and 20th February for more detail about these changes.

If you don't have Cable or Satellite, and use your own aerial (not a Communal or Landlord's one) then you can get free help - phone Freeview on 0808-100-0288.
See What is 700MHz clearance? | Freeview for technical information about these changes.
For further information about these Winter Hill retunes and channels used, see my posts on 12th/13th Jan et seq. on p189 here.

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