All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
m obrien: As all models are different, it would be useful to know the make and model. If the user manual is available online, then this will provide the most specific explanation.
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mark: With queries such as this, your location is required, preferably in the form of postcode or nearby postcode (such as a shop) so as predictions of the signals in your area can be checked upon. It would also be useful to know which transmitter your aerial faces. If you do know, then your location and direction of your aerial will allow it to be deduced.
The first thing to try is a manual tune, if the receiver allows. Knowledge of the transmitter will allow provision of the channel number to tune to.
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mark: Not sure how you can be confused about where you are and not quite sure how Weardale can be confused with Malton!
The Commercial (COM) channels from Bilsdale are out of the former analogue group.
If your aerial hasn't been replaced, then it may be a Group A one which means that it is most sensitive at frequencies within the bottom third of the band. Prior to switchover all analogue channels were in Group A and all except Mux D which carried Film4 and Yesterday were within Group A.
The six channels are:
PSB1 | BBC One | C26
PSB2 | ITV1 | C29
PSB3 | BBC One HD | C23
COM4 | ITV3 | C43
COM5 | Pick TV | C46
COM6 | Dave | C40
Note that the COMs are now in the 40s which is above Group A. Mux D was formerly on C42 at much lower power.
A Group K aerial will be best for Bilsdale now:
Bilsdale TV Transmitter
Group K covers Group A and Group B; Group B being the middle third of the band, where the COMs are.
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DS: In a marginal area like Whitby, get a Group K aerial for Bilsdale if you're lucky enough to have any chance of receiving from it:
Bilsdale TV Transmitter
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J Sellers: There are less HD regions. The BBC has just one for BBC One HD and a message appears telling viewers to switch to BBC One when regional programming is being broadcast.
ITV1 has, I think, around four or five nationally and you get the nearest one.
This is done due to cost reasons. There is additional cost in providing different regional feeds, and when they are all the same most of the time, it has been decided that this doesn't justify it.
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Darren Brown: Have you had your Group A aerial replaced with a wideband or Group K one?
The Commercial (COM) channels from Bilsdale are out of the former analogue group.
If your aerial hasn't been replaced, then it may be a Group A one which means that it is most sensitive at frequencies within the bottom third of the band. Prior to switchover all analogue channels were in Group A and all except Mux D which carried Film4 and Yesterday were within Group A.
The six channels are:
PSB1 | BBC One | C26
PSB2 | ITV1 | C29
PSB3 | BBC One HD | C23
COM4 | ITV3 | C43
COM5 | Pick TV | C46
COM6 | Dave | C40
Note that the COMs are now in the 40s which is above Group A. Mux D was formerly on C42 at much lower power.
A Group K aerial will be best for Bilsdale now:
Bilsdale TV Transmitter
Group K covers Group A and Group B; Group B being the middle third of the band, where the COMs are.
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Gerry: I don't think that you have anything to worry about at all.
The Dil Debate referred to on the Highland Radio website can be read here:
Dil ireann - 26/Sep/2012 Banks Recapitalisation (Continued)
With television reception high power transmitters cover wide areas. Despite this, there are always pockets that they cannot reach and these are often communities in valleys.
In these cases small relay "filler-in" transmitters are installed to serve these communities. As covered in the debate, some of these small transmitters, which carry only analogue at present, will be decommissioned at switchover. So they won't broadcast Saorview after 2th October. Saorview claims that the Moville transmitter will serve these communities, but they aren't so sure.
This is immaterial to your situation as you receive Saorview from Fanad which is quite a high powered relay. The transmission power of Fanad is 1.5kW and this will be the power it will operate on after switchover.
However, if you know anyone who receives from Moville or Holywell Hill, then you can tell them that the current transmission power of the digital signals from those transmitters are restricted until 24th October.
This information is published by RTNL which operates the network of transmitters:
http://www.rtenl.ie/wp-co….pdf
Basically, as far as Saorview coverage is concerned, it won't go backwards. That is, all the places that can get it now will have it at switchover.
If you get analogue channels from Limavady now, then you will be expected to receive its digital service when it goes on to full power on 24th October. Its transmission power will increase 25-fold at switchover.
No broadcaster can ever give any guarantee as to signal coverage. That said, if the coverage is the same as the current analogue, and I don't see why it should not be, then I would expect that you should be able to receive digital signals from Limavady after switchover.
With respect, if it turned out that Limavady doesn't reach you after switchover, then I don't think that the authorities will do anything. So all you can do is sit tight and wait until 10th October when BBC goes on to full power.
On 10th October, after you've tuned your TV to the BBC channels, come on here and let us know that you have success!
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ken breslin: It depends which transmitter you receive your TV from. When you say "poor TV signal area", which signal are you referring to?
If you are referring to digital (Freeview), then you must be receiving it from another transmitter, probably Limavady, as Sheriff Mountain doesn't broadcast Freeview yet. In which case, if it's a bit intermittent now, then the increase in power at switchover should see that it's more reliable.
See my posting of 18 April 2012 @ 11:09AM to Dermy, immediately above yours. Sheriff Mountain will only carry the Public Service Broadcaster channels, so you will probably want to stick with Limavady if you can.
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Wednesday 26 September 2012 1:09PM
Chris: From an engineering point of view he is correct; the aerial will receive all services broadcast by the Whitby transmitter.
Clearly, with the prior knowledge that one's transmitter is Lite, then some would probably opt to spend a bit more (with the Help Scheme) and go for Freesat instead.