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All posts by Mark Fletcher

Below are all of Mark Fletcher's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.

M
Emley Moor (Kirklees, England) transmitter
Monday 10 October 2011 1:58AM
Halifax

dave.LS2 8AR.Your postcode denotes Crown Plaza in or out of Leeds city centre,and as you stated the aerial is vertical polarisation which Steve of Leeds points out that you're receiving the Beecroft Hill relay transmissions which is a light relay broadcasting three mux's BBCA,D3+4,BBCB and a future fourth mux local some time in the near future.Are Crown Plaza low/high-rise flats/apartments,and if so is the aerial fitted externally (communal type possibly) or do you have an aerial for yourself either an external one or an internal set-top type.If the external antenna is communal,then you will need your landlords consent to have it realigned,if yours then you can if you wish realign it yourself to receive either Emley Moor or possibly Belmont (polarisation will have to be changed to horizontal to receive the before mentioned main transmitters above).Just one note,if you decide to pick up Belmont as a last resort,first two of their mux's ArqA on ch 53 and ArqB on ch 60 both currently on 4kw (both increasing to 100kw after Wed 23 Nov 2011),is for now out of reach until Tacolneston switches over fully on Wed 23 November 2011 due to frequencies 53 & 60 there currently clashing with each other.Secondly Belmont broadcasts BBC1 East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire news bulletins,as well as ITV1 Calendar (East) with more East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire matters.If you did decide to opt for Belmont as a last resort,best bet is to wait until after Wed 23 Nov 2011,when Tacolneston becomes all digital and the two currently understrength Belmont mux's ArqA & ArqB increases in power up to 25 times from that date onwards.

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M
Tacolneston (Norfolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Tuesday 11 October 2011 12:04AM
Halifax

graham,Norwich.To summarise your earlier posts.Firstly there is no such thing as a high gain group W wideband aerial,as their performance on the lower frequencies in particular the group A aerial frequencies are less than satisfactory (lower gain,etc).However a group W wideband aerial for Tacolneston will do as most of the frequencies here are higher up the band.If you stated your antenna must be loft mounted,then a DY14WB (group W) type aerial should give satisfactory results as long as you use satellite grade black (preferred) or brown cable with a brass co-ax plug.Your best bet though is wait until Tacolneston becomes all digital on Wednesday 23 November 2011,then you may find out if you possibly end up with too much signal.

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Mary of London.Difficult to say without a full postcode.First of all,Crystal Palace transmitter all mux's both at present and after DSO2 in April 2012,are within the group A aerial range (chs 21-37).The group W wideband aerial which you stated perched outside on the roof,is no use for Crystal Palace's group A frequency transmissions hence if the antenna itself is a new inferior contract wideband aerial there is a possibility that the lowest frequency you mentioned mux2 on ch22 is not being received at all.Or another possibility is mux2 on ch22 is broadcast on lower power,or a distant (but not far away region wise) relay maybe broadcasting either analogue or digital signals on ch22 causing single frequency interference as such.My best advice is to get rid of the wideband group W aerial,and replace it with a suitable but much superior Yagi 18A group A antenna with satellite grade black (preferred) or brown cable with brass co-ax plug.

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M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Friday 14 October 2011 2:07AM
Halifax

Des Collier.In the case of Belmont,diplexing a group A and a group C/D aerial is very effective although fr's 38-47 are not covered.But if it means getting higher gain signals especially the group A fr's 21-37,which are somewhat ineffective with group W wideband aerials,then so much the better.Grouped aerials A,B,C/D have equally highest signal gains,while semi-widebands group K (lower-middle band) and group E (middle-upper band) although slightly lower in gain,have a much higher gain than the group W wideband aerials,which have the lowest gains yet they are only satisfactory for the middle and more so higher frequencies (similar to group E bands) but quite poor on the lower group A frequencies with a low gain.There is no such thing as a high gain group W wideband aerial,but as far as Belmont is concerned diplexing a group A aerial with either group C/D or group E aerial (group W widebands only as a last resort though not really recommended) using satellite grade black (preferred) or brown cable and a brass co-ax plug,are highly recommended options.

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The BBCA mux on fr 61 on the main Waltham transmitter will possibly around 2013 be relocated to another frequency due to fr's 61-68 being cleared for the 4G mobile phones network.The big question come that time is where will BBCA mux be relocated to,49 possibly as 50 is out of the question due to a clash with Tacolneston ArqB on fr 50 after DSO2,also fr's 53 ArqA & 60 ArqB at Belmont (after Wed 23 Nov 2011) are used !

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M
Emley Moor (Kirklees, England) transmitter
Saturday 15 October 2011 12:44PM
Halifax

Dave Lindsay,Doncaster.I take it your aerial is horizontally polarised,and if so is it pointed towards Emley Moor,or Belmont.The reason pardon my inquisition is that Doncaster where you reside can receive either Emley Moor or Belmont transmissions.Firstly you stated that your contract group W wideband aerial is inferior,i suggest you replace it in due course for a much superior aerial.ATV (Aerials & Television) of Sheffield,are a highly recommended aerial retailer who only sell superior quality aerials in all groups A,B,C/D,K,E,W (dependent on the mast concerned),don't bother buying a new aerial from Argos,B&Q,Wickes or any other DIY store,nor the likes of Labgear,Philex,Maxiview,etc,they're all cheap inferior contract group W wideband aerials.Also the 15 year old Argos bought cheap crappy co-ax you mentioned does need replacing with a much superior double screened copper/copper CAI approved cable (black coloured preferred,but brown will do,white not recommended) with a much superior brass co-ax plug, (not silver,alloy or worse plastic co-ax plugs the're useless).Again ATV of Sheffield stock the above mentioned.

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Briantist.Thanks for reassuring in relation to the issues surrounding the future relocation of certain mux's on fr's 61 & 62 from certain affected transmitters/relays after DSO UK wide is completed after October 2012,in preparation for the future 4G mobile phone networks.Looking through the link you provided via my previous text,barring any future musical chairs,i can safely assume in the case of Belmont,the ArqA mux on fr 53 and the ArqB mux on fr 60 will remain as they are,fingers crossed !

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GB flag
M
Time to swap Freeview channels? | Freeview news
Saturday 15 October 2011 8:07PM
Halifax

Dump the empty non-channels from Freeview for a start.92 Adult section,99 Adult section,189,Adult section,199 Adult section,306 Channel zero.Get rid of 25 Dave ja vu on 2 hours between 2am-4am,26 Home on 1 hour 10am-11am (Top up TV),32 Big deal,44 Pick TV+1 (No longer now on Freeview),47 Daystar,85 Russia today,89 Al Jazeera Eng,307 Top up anytime 1,309 Top up anytime 3,and all the adult channels 93,94,95,96,97,98,191,192,193,Babestation,etc.Unscramble 17 UK TV Gold,Extend the hours of worthwhile channels such as 49 Food network,87 Community channel,etc.

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M
Stockland Hill (Devon, England) transmitter
Wednesday 19 October 2011 3:30AM
Halifax

A possible reason for the present 10kw low powered commercial mux's on the Stockland Hill transmitter,ArqA on ch 22,SDN on ch 25 and ArqB on ch 28 is because it will clash with the neighbouring high powered 100kw Caradon Hill transmitter mux's on ch 22 (BBCB),ch 25 (D3+4) and ch 28 (BBCA).Once power to the understrength 10 kw mux's at Stockland Hill is increased,unless these affected mux's are relocated to other frequencies,what i mentioned earlier about the clashing of frequencies with Caradon Hill (ch's 22,25,28) could become reality.

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M
Stockland Hill (Devon, England) transmitter
Wednesday 19 October 2011 6:03PM
Halifax

Mike Dimmick.If as you state Caradon Hill does not use the frequencies which i mentioned in my earlier post,then the Caradon Hill page must be incorrect then.For the Caradon Hill page it states SDN ch21+,BBCB ch22+,ArqA ch24-,D3+4 ch25+,ArqB ch27-,BBCA ch28+ (local ch30,com7 ch31,com9 ch36,com8 ch37 at a future date !).If these are wrong it requires updating with the correct information.Although one thing which is correct,Caradon Hill is and will remain (barring future frequency changes) a group A aerialed horizontally polarised transmitter and as such only group A aerials (or group K alternative) should be fitted instead of group W wideband aerials on group A only masts.On the Stockland Hill page it states ArqA ch22-,D3+4 ch23+,SDN ch25-,BBCA ch26+,ArqB ch28-,BBCB ch29+ (com7 ch32,com9 ch 36,com8 ch37 at a future date !,no local mux ?).Also if this is wrong it too requires updating with the correct info.Stockland Hill like Caradon Hill is also a group A areialed horizontally polarised mast.If both these pages are correct then both Caradon Hill and Stockland Hill are both broadcasting on frequencies 22,25,28,so the above affected frequencies are clashing as such.If i am wrong then i apologise,but for once i am sure that i am right this time !

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