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All posts by Nick

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

N
Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Tuesday 26 April 2011 10:38AM
Woodbridge

Dear Brian,
I am still trying to work out what best to do when Sudbury goes digital in July in a coastal area which might suffer interference from Holland. I have a 'free' Sky box.
If I go for a freeview tv and suffer interference, I can watch on Sky, but for recording, in order to avoid interference, is there any reason I should not be able to record on a freesat box and watch the recordings on a freeview tv which has no freesat tuner? I do not want to have yet another box, ie freesat.
Can the freesat recorder use my Sky dish as well as Sky using it, or is connection difficult? Many thanks, Nick.

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N
Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Wednesday 27 April 2011 8:34AM
Woodbridge

Many thanks yet again Brian. I did not realise we were not even predicted to get decent freeview here. Clearly the Sudbury digital service will not cover fully the area currently served by its analogue service. Those in charge should not be permitted to switch off analogue till they find a way to replace it properly.
I have made enquiries about a freesat recorder, seems like I would need a multiple lnb and 2 more holes in the wall and cables.
I am getting fed up with digital even before it starts!

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N
Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Wednesday 27 April 2011 8:56AM
Woodbridge

Dear Brian,
You are remarkably helpful, thank you.
Please would you explain what you mean by Aldeburgh will move to 'marginal' after a good start. Here at IP12, Aldebugh analogue indeed provides a signal equal to Sudbury but I am reluctant to use it as the digital channels will be few, cannot even be sure ITV3 will be included. Nevertheless, when push comes to shove, will its digital be ok here?
Freesat, have the Sky dish already, seems to require more cables and lnb changes. Why we cannot hook up all these gadgets to one coax from the dish is beyond me.

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N
Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Wednesday 27 April 2011 9:17AM
Woodbridge

Sorry Brian, a bit more.
The Bush freesat box--does it get HD?
Is it prone to a short life like the freeview boxes recently discussed?
Around Christmas there were some good make tvs with freesat tuner, and a 5 year guarantee. Now there appear to be none with either of these in my desired 32/37 inch preference. Panasonic was the one I looked at earlier as it seems flat tellies by and large have attrocious sound. Any good freesat tvs you know of, really don't want a mountain of boxes!

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N
Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Wednesday 27 April 2011 10:45AM
Woodbridge

Dear Brian,
I hope I give you time to answer other people's questions !
I think you have covered all, and it seems digital is not going to be easy without a mountain of wires and boxes. I wonder if the elderly here will get all this for their £40.
I am asking these questions on behalf of IP12 and IP15. I still do not appreciate the reason we have to get off to a good start with Aldeburgh and then get interference. Where will this interference come from?
Can I assume that at least in Aldeburgh itself, IP15, the signal will be good all the time, before and after we have to put up with interference at IP12? The digital people really should not be allowed to mess us about like this and expect us to buy piles of boxes and have numerous holes in the wall and coaxes.

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N
Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Wednesday 27 April 2011 11:00AM
Woodbridge

Oh, just one other, these freesat boxes, do they last longer than the freeview ones you said last only 2-3 years?

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N
Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Thursday 28 April 2011 9:48AM
Woodbridge

Many thanks again Brian.
If you could just confirm that in general terms reception of the Aldeburgh transmitter should be ok in Aldeburgh itself,even when the interference you referrred to some time after switchover is inflicted on us, I would be grateful. Some indication of why reception will later receive this interference would also assist, ie, where is it coming from?
Are the sat boxes you suggested more reliable than the freeview boxes you said last only 2-3 years?
Kind regards,
Nick.

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N
Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Thursday 28 April 2011 11:06PM
Woodbridge

Dear Brian,
You have been extremely good in answering so many questions and I had better let you alone to answer other people's queries. I still do not understand why the Aldeburgh xmitter is to start off well and then later be the subject of interference. Doubtless there will be a lot of complaints when people start off well and then for some reason which we do not understand have to be downgraded to receive interference, by which time it will be too late to demand our analogue back until they fix the problem with the digital. Whether the interference is to be caused by neighbouring transmitters or some reduction in the transmitter power, we will just have to wait and see.
Incidentally, you said herringbone on analogue is caused by other analogue transmitters. Sudbury is currently provideing some herringbone on analogue BBC 1. With Dutch xmitters now digital wonder where it is coming from. Best wishes.

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N
Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Friday 29 April 2011 11:13PM
Woodbridge

Thanks again Brian, very concise.
The point I have yet to grasp re Aldeburgh is why you said the digital will start well but LATER get worse. Do you mean the foreign xmitters will change frequencies some months after Aldeburgh goes digital and then start to cause us problems? Thanks.

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N
Sudbury (Suffolk, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Wednesday 4 May 2011 3:53PM
Woodbridge

Thank you Brian. I can foresee many angry viewers. Don't see why we let them get away with it. As a generalisation, will a viewer in Aldeburgh itself, relatively high ground, continue to get a good signal after this degeneration? If not, I fail to see why Aldeburgh should stay on air.
I would also appreciate general info re getting a few freesat channels on Sky. Yesterday and a history channel are not free on Sky, but I can tune my box manually to get them, I believe, if I knew the various data to put in. How do I find out this data?
In the past I have manually tuned to foreign sats with extra dish, but after a few days the box 'forgets' and I have to re-enter. Why?
Thanks.

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