All posts by Mark Fletcher
Below are all of Mark Fletcher's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
jb38.The box i am using to carry out my wee experiments on is the Goodmans GHD2521F2 Freeview+ non-HD set-box top which i purchased from a mail order catalogue in the summer of 2008.And no my set-top box does not have a regional scanning selection facility.I just perform a simple manual scan by inputting the frequency channel,example Number 30 for Belmont's SDN mux.However i did an experiment earlier and this was what happened.Automatic scan (a waste of time it was) Fr 21 Halifax relay of Emley Moor,D3+4 mux stored,Fr 22 Belmont BBCA mux stored,Fr 24 Halifax relay of Emley Moor,BBCA mux failed to store,Fr 25 Belmont D3+4 mux stored 800-809,Fr 30 Belmont SDN mux stored,Fr 44 Emley Moor D3+4 mux failed to store,Fr 47 Emley Moor BBCA mux stored 810-830,Fr 48 Emley Moor ArqB mux stored,Fr 51 Emley Moor SDN mux failed to store,Fr 52 Emley Moor ArqA mux stored.So now you know why the automatic scan where i am currently located is now useless,which i why i prefer the manual scan option instead.I will in my next posting give details of another experiment i performed soon afterwards.
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jb38.In response to your earlier text which i had given a reply,i did another experiment soon after.I manually scanned all 5 mux's from the Winter Hill transmitter,ArqB on fr 55,SDN on fr 58,D3+4 on fr 59,ArqA on fr 61,BBCA on fr 62.The catch was that this had to be performed with an amplifier on and holding the antenna in my hand (not recommended) as there will be no signal whatsoever without it with my indoor set-top aerial,and even with the signal booster on the pictures were pixellating and breaking up,but instead the most important issue was to come.Experiment being i kept the Winter Hill settings (all 5 mux's,except the BBCB HD mux,being a non-HD box) that i mentioned earlier,switched off the amplifier redirected my aerial towards Belmont (slightly left of Emley Moor) and manually scanned,one mux at a time then deleted it then rescanned a different mux,and so on.Firstly,the Emley Moor mux's,D3+4 was stored 800+ range,BBCA stored 800+ range,however ArqB failed to store,SDN failed to store,ArqA failed to store.Secondly for the present Belmont 3 mux's i can receive BBCA stored 800+ range,D3+4 stored 800+ range,but SDN failed to store.(ArqA & ArqB currently on 4kw out of reach obviously.)This experiment could prove that since DSO2 at Emley Moor,only PSB1-BBCA,PSB2-D3+4 mux's,(unsure about PSB3-BBCB (HD) mux )are accepting duplications in the 800+ range,but the COM4-SDN,COM5-ArqA,COM6-ArqB mux's are refusing duplications in the 800+ range.Prior to DSO2 at Emley Moor,from Wed 17 August 2011 (DSO2 at Belmont) until Wed 21 September 2011,both mux's SDN Belmont,and the then Mux A (now SDN) Emley Moor did duplicate themselves,whichever was stored first,the other was replicated in the 800+ range.It was during that DSO1 stage at Emley Moor from Wed 7 Sept 2011 until DSO2 on Wed 21 Sept 2011,when i had a maximum of 174 programme channels,for which i documented on this in one of my earlier texts on here.
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Following on from my previous posting in relation to manual scanning of the 5 mux's i am able to pick up from the Winter Hill transmitter (BBC 1 North West,ITV 1 Granada),with my set-top indoor aerial without the amplifier,reception was non-existent but with the amplifier on,on all 5 mux's i was able to get limited stable reception but the problems of pixellation and picture break up,plus the difficulty of maintaining stable reception by holding the aerial in my hand and getting armache in the process this option for now is off the radar.Prior to commencing this experiment i was concerned that the nearby Holmfield relay of Emley Moor where i live which broadcasted D3+4 mux on ch 55,BBCA mux on ch59,BBCB mux on ch 62,would possibly clash with Winter Hill's ArqB mux on ch 55,D3+4 mux on ch 59,BBCA mux on ch 62 with the potential of single frequency interference issues here,luckily this did not happen.Some Halifax households i observed,have horizontally polarised external aerials directed at Winter Hill (most of them look like cheap inferior contract type aerials),and i wonder if there is a possibility that if i was to have an external Group C/D horizontally polarised aerial pointing towards Winter Hill in my location,postcode HX2 9JY i may be able to receive a more stable reception without or possibly with an amplifier/signal booster.
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M
Skipton (North Yorkshire, England) Freeview Light transmitter Monday 26 September 2011 5:29PM
Halifax
Andrew McIntyre.I'm pleased that you now receive the full package from the Winter Hill transmitter,the only downside being the local news bulletins will be different on both BBC1 North West Today/Tonight,and ITV1 Granada Reports,but if you're happy with what you've got,go for it.Just before i go,Skipton which can receive Winter Hill transmissions,and most certainly at present the local relay and Emley Moor signals,could possibly come September 2012 receive Bilsdale transmissions digitally even better than at present,when come DSO there,three of their multiplexes BBCA,BBCB (HD),D3+4 will ultimately be broadcasting at maximum 100kw,and mux's SDN,ArqA,ArqB maximum 50kw.Bilsdale (BBC1 North-East & Cumbria,ITV1 Tyne-Tees) presently covers a large swathe of North Yorkshire,and after DSO is predicted to increase its coverage area,overlapping possibly parts of West Yorkshire,South Yorkshire,East Yorkshire.
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Interesting to note here,but after DSO2 when Tacolneston goes on full power up to maximum 100kw on all multiplexes (BBCA mux after DSO1),parts of South East Lincolnshire which is already an overlapped area covered by both Belmont and Waltham main transmitters may find that Tacolneston could possibly become the third main transmitter in the above area that i mentioned,giving Freeview viewers either an extra transmiter,or a major headache that comes with it.Towns such as Spalding,Boston and maybe Skegness,etc,may possibly pick up Tacolneston transmissions as well.Watch this space !
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Another potential regional overlap issue which may crop up in September 2012,is the Bilsdale main transmitter becoming all digital 1 year from now today,Wednesday 26 September 2012 to be precise.The Bilsdale mast covers much of North Yorkshire and also parts of West,South and East Yorkshire too,and where i reside at present in Halifax,HX2 9JY postcode,there is an outside possibility that come DSO three of Bilsdale's mux's BBCA,BBCB (HD),D3+4 on 100kw maximum power could be received in my locality,maybe yes/no in relation to their 50kw maximum powered SDN,ArqA,ArqB mux's.The reason i am bringing this issue up is because a few miles away over the hill in Bradford,some households in particular the south and west of that city,have horizontally polarised external aerials pointing towards Bilsdale,thus receiving BBC1 North East & Cumbria,as well as ITV1 Tyne-Tees regional programming/adverts.
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dave.Friday 7 October 2011.8.45pm.Difficult so say without a postcode,but is your aerial vertical or horizontal polarisation,and what group is your aerial,also is your broadcasting area Emley Moor or Belmont !
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dave maden.Oswaldtwistle,Accrington.Sorry im far too late in reply but if you had previously installed a group W wideband external aerial,vertically polarized for the Pendle Forest (major) relay and it works wonders then i'm very pleased for you.The reason i am enquiring is that Pendle Forest relay with mux's presently on ch's 21,22,24,25,27,28 plus future mux's on this relay on ch's 30 (local),33,35,36 (com7,8,9) all fall within the traditional group A aerial frequencies (between ch's 21-37),and as such a group A aerial would actually have a higher gain for all the Pendle Forest relay transmissions,than the group W wideband aerial which according to ATV (Aerials and Television) of Sheffield,are somewhat useless on the lower especially group A frequencies (lower gain for example).If your current group W wideband is giving good results,then there is no need to change it.If not then you can change it to a group A aerial,or diplex your current group W wideband aerial with a group A aerial both vertically polarized and both erected externally of course,but not too close to each other using black satellite grade cable.ATV of Sheffield do sell TV to TV diplexers,a channel 38 diplexer will do.
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Slight correction to my location to my above post dated Sunday 9 October 2011,at 4.17pm.I now reside in Halifax but between April 2003 and August 2004 i resided in Burnley BB11 4EA postcode,so my location above is now incorrect.Apologises all round.
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Friday 23 September 2011 3:27PM
Halifax
Sorry i,ve been a little dormant over the last day or two,having conducted many wee (little/small) experiments during the DSO2 stage at Emley Moor,i can safely say that at present both SDN multiplexes at both Emley Moor (fr ch 51) and Belmont (fr ch 30) will not duplicate themselves together on my set-top box,just one or the other seperately will be stored,that being the first stored as such.Experiment 1,having deleted all programme channels,i manually scanned Emley Moor's SDN mux first on fr 51,it was stored.Then i manually scanned Belmont's SDN mux secondly on fr 30,it did not store.So i deleted all channels again and commenced with Experiment 2,this time performing a manual scan first for Belmont's SDN mux on fr 30,guess what it was stored.Then secondly i manually scanned Emley Moor's SDN mux on fr 51,guess what it did not store,so after this experiment was concluded i deleted all channels once again,and decided on a change.I manually scanned and stored Belmont's mux's BBCA (fr 22),D3+4 (fr 25),SDN (fr 30),as well as manually scanning and storing Emley Moor's mux's ArqB (fr 48),ArqA (fr 52).(My set-top box is non-HD so no BBCB on either fr 28 Belmont,or on fr 41 Emley Moor.)So at present my programme channels on my set-top box comprises of both Belmont and Emley Moor allocations,as my set-top indoor aerial (without amplifier/signal booster) is directed more or less in the line of Belmont only slighly more to the left than the direct line towards Emley Moor.I do not watch very much of local news bulletins from Emley Moor myself as i prefer the local news bulletins at present from Belmont,more of an East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire slant on things,yes Peter Levy from BBC Hull studio,and also the slight variation on ITV 1 Calendar,more East Yorks/Lincs matters and come commercial breaks occasionally more in the way of East Yorks/Lincs business and attractions advertising.Finally come Wednesday 23 November 2011 when Tacolneston goes all digital will be the moment of truth when Belmont's currently 2 under strength mux's,ArqA (fr 53),ArqB (fr 60) will have its power increased considerably soon after,for there is the possibility that i may end up picking up one or even both these frequencies as such.Watch this space.