All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
john hunt: I use the words "expected" and "generally speaking" because there's no absolute guarantee. Even the experts say that TV reception can be a black art!
All the best for getting your issue sorted.
| link to this comment |
john hunt: Can you shed any light what the two boxes with printed circuit boards in are for? What do they look like? Maybe you were given an invoice which describes them.
| link to this comment |
john B: If you post the model number then we can check on the specifications.
Some TVs, often branded with the "HD Ready" logo, can show HD pictures, but do not have the ability to receive Freeview HD signals. They only have a tuner capable of receiving DVB-T signals, which is the format of standard definition broadcasts. They therefore require a separate box if they are to show broadcast HD pictures.
Freeview HD signals are broadcast using the DVB-T2 format, and hence TVs with tuners that can receive DVB-T2 (as well as DVB-T) can pick-up the Freeview HD signals without the need for a separate box.
| link to this comment |
steve gribble: Stockland Hill is now on its full final power.
The PSBs are at 50kW and the COMs are at 25kW.
| link to this comment |
Richard Knight: If your aerial is a Group A (red tip) which it may be (for Crystal Palace), then this won't really be suited to Hannington, which uses all Group B channels. If it is a wideband aerial, then you may be able to realign it on Hannington.
See:
Aerials, TV Aerial and Digital Aerial
If you have line-of-sight to Hannington at 22 miles then it would be expected to be OK.
A DM Log or Log 40 should do. See:
ATV`s Choice Of Aerials for digital TV
| link to this comment |
simon osman: I don't know; I've never found a list of transmitter/network identifications.
A check of Digital UK and Wolfbane suggests that you will only be able to receive from Caldbeck (certainly easily anyway).
Caldbeck broadcasts Scottish variants of the three PSB channels. I wonder whether they will identify the transmitter differently to the English ones.
The way to find out is to check the UHF channel numbers that it is tuned to. Bring up the signal strength screen on one service from each multiplex.
The COM channels (ITV3, Pick TV, Yesterday etc) are on low power until 24th October so as to protect against interference with Northern Ireland, until it completes switchover. I'm not sure that this will cause you difficulty at your location.
According to Digital UK, the COM channels are carried on "Caldbeck" (the English variant), and not "Caldbeck Scotland". If the Enlish and Scottish variants have differing identifications, then maybe you will end up with PSBs and COMs with differing identifications (assuming that you wish to tune to the Scottish regional PSB variants).
| link to this comment |
J Sharp: Dover Town transmitter does not broadcast Mux A (aka COM4 or SDN), Mux C (aka COM5 or ArqA) and Mux D (COM6 or ArqB). Therefore, if you were picking them up before you must have been receiving them off-beam and probably opposite polarisation for your aerial.
These three multiplexes are the Commercial ("COM") ones and don't have as extensive a coverage as the Public Service ones. The small transmitters like Dover Town don't carry them because the broadcasters don't see fit to pay for them. The cost does not justify the benefit for them.
| link to this comment |
Nick: Possibly.
Be aware that Caldbeck's COM channels (those that Whitehaven doesn't broadcast) are on low power of 15kW until 24th October so as to protect against interference in Northern Ireland until it switches over to digital. On that date they will go up to their full final power of 50kW.
The Digital UK predictor "thinks" that all Calbeck COM channels will be variable after that date, presumably due to Divis (the transmitter in Northern Ireland) being co-channel. I say this because one of the COMs is predicted as being good now, when they other two are regarded as variable.
The predictor should be taken with a pinch of salt as such systems can never be entirely accurate. Therefore, I wouldn't be too concerned that reception "will" be variable the objective for the installer is to get it in the best spot.
Different aerials work differently, and so the result could be perfect uninterrupted viewing.
What I can say for certain is that the final situation (both of Caldbeck and the possible interfering Divis) will not be arrived at until 24th October.
| link to this comment |
Saturday 25 August 2012 10:11AM
john hunt: As Stephen P says, turning it vertical should be expected to improve reception.
Generally speaking, there is no need for aerials on Rowridge (which yours is) to be replaced after switchover. The only thing that viewers might benefit from is changing from horizontal to vertical polarisation.