All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Dave: No because, just as with the media we don't have a crystal ball and can't see into the future.
There are a whole number of variables, not least where the operators site their base stations. How do you think we might find that one out?
The "areas" that will be affected are likely to be close to base stations.
Honestly, why do people bother putting their efforts into worrying about something they can do nothing about and which may never happen?
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John Worthington: Waltham's channels are: 29, 49, 54, 56, 57
Or have your aerial unplugged for Sutton Coldfield's channels which is the transmitter you are probably getting instead. Its channels run 39 to 46.
If your receiver only gives a percentage during its automatic tuning scan then unplug at 30% and plug in at 55%. If, having done this you are missing BBC services then manually scan UHF channel 49.
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John: Thanks for sharing your anger with us. This is an independent technical advice site which is aimed at helping viewers to resolve issues.
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A Briggs: Whilst it is true that on 5th June there were changes to broadcast channels used by some transmitters in the West Country region, this did not affect the Weymouth one. Therefore no retune was necessary.
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Alex: This is the third time you've posted and the third page on which you've posted. It would perhaps be helpful if your comments were all on the same page; that way it keeps them together and we at least know that you have read earlier replies.
Your previous posting is here:
Darvel (East Ayrshire, Scotland) Full Freeview transmitter | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
As I said, I'm not an installer, so can't advise too much on what may improve matters.
However, what I can say is that there is now a two-tier system in the UK. As you are no doubt aware the relays only carry PSB channels. However, the transmitters that do broadcast the COMs often do so with inferior coverage to their PSBs.
The objective when it was all planned was to make the PSB coverage the same as the former four-channel analogue. The COM channels fit in around, where spare channels permit. They are much more limited by interference than the PSBs, as you have found out.
The graph on this page illustrates my point:
The commercial multiplex after switchover: ArqA, ArqB and SDN | Digital switchover | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
It shows the full-service transmitters with predictions of the number of viewers that are likely to be able to receive the full service (PSBs+COMs) and those who will only receive the PSBs reliably.
As a percentage of all viewers of Darvel, it would appear that around 40% are not expected to pick up the COMs reliably. Of all the full-service transmitters, Darvel has the highest expected proportion of PSB-only viewers.
The likely answer must surely be interference from Divis. There is a combined effect of this and that the base aerial may not have line-of-sight with Darvel, owing to the ground dropping downwards to the water (it seems fair to assume).
Of course, this is only a prediction but it does nonetheless give some that there will be a proportion of people using full-service transmitters who will only get the PSBs.
What you are finding seems to bear out what was to be expected.
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Mike Batchelor: Something is not right.
BBC One HD, BBC Two HD, ITV HD and Channel 4 HD are all carried on the same multiplex (same signal) so either whatever is causing your issue happens to come into play when you watch ITV HD, or, for some reason, ITV HD is tuned to another transmitter.
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paul stone: I suspect you may have answered your own query.
E Yorks/Lincs is Belmont and your issue with the programme information (EPG) not showing could be because you have channels tuned from more than one transmitter.
If there is manual tuning then you may use it.
Waltham's channels are:
PSB1 | BBC One = C49
PSB2 | ITV = C54
COM4 | ITV3 = C29
COM5 | Pick TV = C56
COM6 | Film4 = C57
Belmont's are 22, 25, 30, 53, 60.
You may find that running the automatic tuning scan through with the aerial unplugged for the first 50% will do the trick.
Belmont's COM channels (30, 53, 60) are on lower power than its PSBs, and therefore you may find that even though the aerial is plugged in for them, your PVR doesn't go with them.
Once you've completed it, bring up the signal strength screen on each of the five services I've listed above and check that it is tuned to Waltham (for each one).
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Paul Stone: If the receiver doesn't have manual tuning then it is more tricky.
One way might be to run the automatic tuning scan through with the aerial unplugged up to 50%. This will miss out COM4 on C29. However, Belmont's COM4 is on C30 so you will also have missed that one out so it won't be able to be put in its place.
The hope is is that 53 and 60 from Belmont won't be picked up.
Then, if there is a function to scan for new services (which effectively does an automatic tuning scan but without wiping what's stored) use it and hopefully it will pick up C29 from Waltham. Obviously it will probably find 22 and 25 from Belmont, but as PSB1 and PSB2 are already stored from Waltham it won't, hopefully, displace them.
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Hary Coventry: "Freeview Light" is only the Public Service (PSB) channels.
The UK has a two-tier terrestrial television transmitter network. All transmitters carry the PSB channels; the Commercial (COM) broadcasters only use the ones with the large numbers of viewers as their primary objective is to turn a profit (they have no obligation to provide a public service).
See here for an explanation:
Londonderry (Northern Ireland) Freeview Light transmitter | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
The PSB channels carry BBC, ITV, ITV2, ITV+1, ITVHD, Channel 4, Channel 4+1, Channel 4HD, E4, More4 and Channel 5.
The full list of Freeview services is here:
DTG :: DTT Services by Multiplex
Due to the fact that the ground rises up in the direction of Crystal Palace it is unlikely that you will be able to receive the full service directly from it.
That said, these things are impossible to predict, particularly in locations such as your where you're receiving over the brow of a hill and therefore relying on a lot of refraction as you aren't anywhere near direct line-of-sight. Plus the trees on the top of the slope may cause added difficulty.
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Thursday 6 June 2013 11:47AM
Ian Sutcliffe: Is there a Sky box in your set-up which feeds its output to the three TVs via an analogue signal and is it set on or near to UHF channel 49 which is the new channel for BBC services from Waltham?
Have you confirmed that your TVs are tuned to UHF channel 49 for BBC One? Do this by viewing the signal strength screen.