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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
Single frequency interference | Freeview Interference
Saturday 12 November 2011 1:24AM
Halifax

Louise,Todmorden.A few things i forgot to add.Is your digital TV HD ready for which you will not receive Freeview HD channels at all whatsoever without a suitable Freeview (+) HD set top box,or is it a full HD 1080p TV set with integrated Freeview HD.The BBC channels you mentioned is the BBC1 on channel 1 on your programme list receiving the local news from Look North in Leeds or the local news from North West Tonight in Manchester.The reason pardon my intrusion in asking is in 2009 i understand that BBC1 on all Todmorden relays have changed the regional news programming from North West Tonight to Look North (Emley Moor),while in 1982 Todmorden changed ITV regions from Granada TV to Yorkshire TV,thus the ITV regional news changed from Granada Reports (or Tonight back then ?) to Calendar (Emley Moor).I understand both these changes have proved very unpopular in Todmorden as such.

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M
Diagnostics - old version
Saturday 12 November 2011 3:37PM
Halifax

debbie.Full postcode please.Try plugging out yer set top box for about 10 seconds then replug it back in again.This should reboot it once again !

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M
Connecting it all up | Installing
Saturday 12 November 2011 3:43PM
Halifax

T Fowler.Connect via HDMI or Scart socket,from yer Freesat box into either HDMI or Scart socket on yer TV.

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M
C65 (826.0MHz) before switchover
Saturday 12 November 2011 4:30PM
Halifax

sam.Hard to say without a full postcode.Also you did not specify whether yer Freeview TV or set-top box requires resetting.Complete a full reset by firstly plugging out yer Freeview TV or set-top box from the mains,then unplug yer aerial from either the Freeview TV or set-top box you plan to reset,wait roughly 30 seconds,replug either Freeview TV or set-top box back in,then with yer aerial still unplugged (do not plug in at this stage or your reset will fail and you will have to reset again) perform a First time installation (automatic scan) ,it will completely fail to store any channels but simultaneously clears the previous memory by resetting yer Freeview TV or set-top box back to its default factory settings,then reinsert yer aerial back into either yer Freeview TV or set-top box and perform a complete scan (either automatic or manual ) once again which hopefully this time will store yer channels.Just out of interest is your aerial horizontally polarised facing Crystal Palace mounted outside and importantly if within a poor reception or marginal area within this transmitter itself is it a group A aerial you are using and not an inferior group W wideband aerial,as in rare cases a cheap inferior contract group W wideband aerial may not pick up the lowest frequencies (ch's 21-25 being worst offenders),and even possibly ommitting the highest frequencies too (ch's 65-68 (or 69) also worst offenders here too).What you described about not receiving Channel4,E4,etc, you are missing the multiplex 2 set from Crystal Palace transmitter which is broadcasting on frequency 22 on the digital platform.If your aerial is an inferior group W wideband in a poor reception or marginal area within Crystal Palace transmitting area itself,then replace it with a group A Yagi 18A external aerial using superior quality satellite grade black or brown coloured co-ax cable,and importantly using a brass co-ax aerial plug,not alloy or worse plastic plugs they're useless !

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M
Belmont (Lincolnshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Monday 14 November 2011 8:10AM
Halifax

Mark Fletcher.Living in HX2 9JY house number 3 and even here i lost the three available mux's i can receive at present from Belmont,BBCA fr 22,D3+4 fr 25,SDN fr 30,around 9pm-11pm on Sunday 13 November 2011.Luckily being in Emley Moor territory as well as being on the edge of Winter Hill territory myself,i temporarily retuned to these transmissions instead.To Will,Neil Watson and another Neil above who failed to leave their full postcodes,along with Alan in Bridlington and Richard in Sproatley,don't worry Belmont itself was not having any troubles,the trouble was caused by atmospheric conditions or an inversion effect that often causes the local transmissions to either pixellate or completely lose their signals altogether,as well as distant transmissions normally unreceivable becoming temporarily receivable only for short spells which fade and reappear ultimately fading away when the inversion affect clears which was the case with Belmont last night.I will fully update in my next posting some experiments i carried out during the time affected as such.

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M
Belmont (Lincolnshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Monday 14 November 2011 9:12AM
Halifax

Following on from my previous post in reply to those who failed to leave their full postcodes and the causes of why Belmont became unreceivable last night (Sun 13 Nov 2011).As i mentioned earlier i conducted some experiments.As my aerial is an indoor wideband set-top type,on this occasion i amplified the signals with a booster,and i was surprised at the following.Frequency 32 transmitter name Digitenne from Holland/Netherlands,from possibly Leeuwarden,this came on and off (now off again)yet when i polarised this signal vertically the transmissions when on were stable,surprising really that in the Netherlands/Holland nearly if not all transmissions are vertical in polarisation.That was the only foreign transmission i temporarily picked up.Other UK frequencies i briefly picked up were fr 31 SDN multiplex from the Sandy Heath mast,all except the (fr 58) BBCB (HD) mux's from Waltham tansmitter (my box is non-HD),SDN fr 29,D3+4 fr 54,ArqA fr 56,ArqB fr 57,BBCA fr 61.Although i had to delete,rescan and redelete for the experiments i conducted to work as some duplications namely SDN,ArqA,ArqB do not replicate,while BBCA,D3+4 duplicates do replicate however.The Waltham transmissions plus the Sandy Heath SDN mux were only receivable when my amplified signal booster was turned on,once i switched off and plugged back into non-amplified mode with antenna back into my set-top box those transmissions disappeared,yet signal booster back on they returned.So my conclusion was that the Belmont transmissions which some viewers had faults with last night was not directly mast related,but atmospheric related as such or to rephrase a temporary inversion effect condition existed during that time period concerned which caused Belmont transmissions either to pixellate or disappear into "No Signal" mode.Currently as i am typing this Belmont's BBCA fr 22,D3+4 fr 25,both 100% quality 71% strength,while Belmont's SDN fr 30 100% quality 69% strength without signal booster,that is.All for now is back to normal.

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KMJ,Derby.Just out of interest in relation to myself receiving briefly the Dutch Digitenne mux on fr 32,possibly situated in Leeuwarden last night (Sun 13 Nov 2011) due to atmospheric conditions/inversion effect which affected some viewers including myself receiving Belmont transmissions,the programme channels to the best of my memory were Nederland 1,Nederland 2,Nederland 3,Omrop Fryslan,Radio 1,Radio 2,3FM,Radio 4,Radio 5,Radio 6,Fun X.However the polarisation of these Dutch programmes was vertical not horizontal,and it appears that nearly if not all the Dutch digital transmitters broadcast on vertical polarisation.

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M
Belmont (Lincolnshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Tuesday 15 November 2011 3:25AM
Halifax

will in Bridlington.The inversion effect can still occur even after DSO in the areas that have gone fully digital,especially when group W wideband aerials are in place,as these antennas obviously covering the whole band (21-68 or 69) will most likely cause more in the way of distant transmitters becoming temporary available and also co-channel interference leading to pixellation and loss of signal on all the channels within the affected multiplex temporarily.

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M
Belmont (Lincolnshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Tuesday 15 November 2011 3:56AM
Driffield

Neil Watson.Driffield,YO25 4UX.Is your aerial on the roof a group W wideband,and if so is it a good quality antenna such as an X beam or a Double Yagi.Be very careful with contract aerials more so the cheap inferior types,most of these are useless.The reason i'm enquiring is that you mentioned you reside on the edge of Belmont transmitter area and as such your aerial must be a good quality X beam or Double Yagi type to receive signals from Belmont some 52+ miles from your destination especially if your antenna is a group W wideband type.Just out of interest come September 2012 when the Bilsdale transmitter goes fully digital and increases in strength by then you may if you wish consider diplexing a group W wideband aerial for Belmont with a group K aerial pointing towards Bilsdale as a extra transmitter or if you prefer the Belmont transmiiter itself you could consider diplexing your current roof top aerial (if it is a group W wideband) with a group A Yagi 18A aerial for extra gain on Belmont's lower frequencies bearing in mind BBCA fr 22,D3+4 fr 25,BBCB (HD) fr 28,SDN fr 30 are Belmont's lower band (group A) frequencies.

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M
Belmont (Lincolnshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Tuesday 15 November 2011 4:05AM
Halifax

Correction to my above post.My location is Halifax HX2 9JY,not Driffield which i typed in by mistake.I apologise sincerely to those concerned.

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