All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Jeremy Yeats-Edwards: The digital switchover affects television only.
Unless there are planned changes with BBC FM services which are independent of the TV switchover, then the answer is no.
From what I can see (I don't know the area), you're in a valley and Newhaven is downstream. This probably explains the issues you have with reception.
The FM coverage map for Newhaven transmitter shows that Lewes is as far north as the signal is expected to serve:
mb21 - Transmitter Information - Newhaven
The only thing that will happen once digital switchover is completed is that BBC national radio stations will be broadcast on Freeview in all areas. So, depending on how you listen, you might be able to listen to the radio using a Freeview set-top box. They often have phono sockets out for sound, so you can listen without the need for the TV being on.
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John Proctor: Happy New Year.
If I were you, I would certainly get a variable attentuator to try.
I am 25 miles from Emley Moor with clear line of sight at rooftop level. With my loft aerial pointing in the right direction the PSBs come in stronger than the COMs. Moving it 15 or 20 degrees off, the PSBs are still very strong but the COMs' strength falls off.
If what you describe is that when the aerial is pointing in the correct direction you loose the BBC channels, then I am thinking, as jb38 describes, that you are giving it too much signal.
The multiplexes from Emley Moor are:
PSB1=BBCA (BBC1 etc) Ch47
PSB2=D3&4 (ITV1 etc) Ch44
PSB3=BBCB (HD services) Ch41
COM4=SDN (ITV3 etc) Ch51
COM5=ArqA (Pick TV etc) Ch52
COM6=ArqB (Yesterday etc) Ch48
For a complete list of post-switchover services, see here:
http://www.dtg.org.uk/ind…post (Ch47 PS)
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Mark: You can have as many aerials as you like!
The thing with all this is that the only way to find out for definite whether it will work or not is to try it. All you can do beforehand is consider what might improve your chances and what might reduce your chances.
Generally speaking, the higher up the aerial, the better the reception is likely to be. It's going to be in the loft, so that potentially improves your chances, as compared with on the first floor.
Possibly not in your favour are the large trees that are in the way. A look on Google Streetview shows some largish aerials, although we don't know whether these have been put up in order to receive the weaker pre-switchover digital
The strength of the signals from Reigate will be increased in April when switchover occurs. So if you can't receive them now (using an aerial in the loft), you might be able to receive them then.
You could see what sort of reception you get on analogue channels in the loft from Reigate at this time. If they are good, then maybe the post-switchover digital ones will be as well.
The question you are really posing is: Is a set-top aerial in the loft sufficient? An absolute answer can only be arrived at by trying it.
Taking into account the topography only, you have clear line of sight:
Terrain between ( m a.g.l.) and (antenna m a.g.l.) - Optimising UK DTT Freeview and Radio aerial location
Obviously, there might be other obstructions such as buildings and/or trees.
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Bob Loader: BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD and similar services do not come via Freesat or Freeview. They come to you over the internet, either using a wired ethernet cable to your router or wirelessly (wifi) to your router.
Some Freesat and Freeview devices (TVs/boxes) have the capability to show iPlayer type services.
What are the make and model numbers of the TV and the HDD recorder so we might check up on their capabilities and advise as to how you might get it to work?
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ross walker: I'm not familiar with Sky boxes or these Eyes, but as far as RF out is concerned, you need to use a channel that isn't used for broadcasts in your area (or neighbouring transmitters).
A look at the Digital UK Tradeview that predicts what transmitters you might be able to pick up shows that Angus uses Ch60 for BBC. Looking at what is used, I would say that you should try anything from 32 to 37, although you may have to change it in the coming years if more services start up on those channels.
You will need to go to the Sky box and change its RF out channel. Instructions on how to do this are here:
How do I change the RF output channel on a Sky Digibox? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
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kath: The Hitachi L26DP04 receives Freeview (digital terrestrial television) for which you need to connect an aerial. Have you done this and if so, what is your location (preferrably post code) so that the likely chance of reception might be checked upon.
If you have it connected to the Freesat box using a Scart lead, then no tuning on the TV is necessary in order to watch the output of the Freesat box. Simply turn on the Freesat box (as you did with the other TV) and it should come on the screen. Should this not happen, then press the "Source" button on the remote (near to the top).
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ross walker: Yes. Remember that you need to tune to Ch37 using the analogue part of your TV and not the digital (Freeview) bit.
As analogue has been switched off in your area, you might as well put it under programme number 1. That said, you shouldn't need to actually press the 1 button to get it as it will be the only analogue channel that you will watch. So having switched to analogue, the Sky channel should come up straight away.
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Andy: Have a look at where the aerials are pointing on neighbours' houses. I had a look on Google Streetview and I spotted some on Emley and, I'm surprised (because it's Tyne Tees), some on Bilsdale.
The idea of the predictor is to give an idea of what the likelihood of picking up different transmitters at a particular location is. Because it reckons that Bilsdale is the best of the lot, it therefore considers your area to be a Tyne Tees one. However, because the area isn't flat, what can and can't be picked up could well change from house to house.
As a fellow Yorkshireman, I would assume that you'd probably want to watch Yorkshire TV instead, so Emley (or one of its dependants) is probably going to be your preference, if you can receive from one of them.
There is presumably some reason (the topography) that stops people (or reduces their chances of) receiving from Emley. This plot shows where the ground obstructs your view of Emley Moor transmitter, with the aerial height set at 10 metres:
Terrain between ( m a.g.l.) and (antenna m a.g.l.) - Optimising UK DTT Freeview and Radio aerial location
As you can see, between about half a mile away from you for just over half a mile, the ground is higher than the line of sight between the transmitting aerial and your aerial (if it were at 10m above ground). That could explain why some in the area watch Tyne Tees.
You also do not have line of site with Keighley. However, you do with Idle, but it's only 50W at 4.6miles away. The other thing with Idle is that some of its services are co-channel with Bilsdale's pre-switchover digital services and this is reflected in the prediction until its switchover. That is, you could be liable to poor reception from Idle because some of Bilsdale's digital services use the same frequencies (up until 26th September).
Clearly your chances (particularly of getting Emley) might be reduced if you're in one of those bungalows, due to the aerial being lower down.
Number 37 has two aerials, one is Bilsdale (the lower horizontal one) and the other is vertical in (about) the same direction which I guess is Idle (although Wharfdale's only 9 degrees away so it could be that). The reason for the Bilsdale one could be so as to get analogue Channel 5 (as Idle didn't carry it).
You might need to be prepared to pay a bit more and get a taller mast (for example), such as is fitted on 37 so as to give you a shot, particularly if you're in a bungalow. As I say, what you might need to receive the same signal might vary property by property.
I'm not an aerial installer and these are my thoughts and observations as a technically-minded individual. These are the sorts of things that I would be looking at if I were researching likely possibilities.
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Andy: Which Freeview channels are you picking up?
You say that you are getting about three of them. Looking at what UHF channels that have been picked up will inform you as to which transmitter that they are coming from.
This page lists what services are broadcast on each multiplex, before switchover and after:
http://www.dtg.org.uk/ind…html
So if you look for BBC One, ITV1, ITV3, Pick TV and Yesterday and check which UHF channel they are on, in so doing, you will have surveyed every multiplex. You will also be able to see which ones you are missing.
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Sunday 1 January 2012 7:30PM
JOHN MOTTRAM: If your auntie is receiving from Sandy Heath, then there is no analogue to tune in and, as such, the analogue part of the TV is redundant.
The likely answer is that the TV is picking up an analogue signal from another transmitter that has yet to switchover to digital only. This would also explain the poor picture on those analogue channels.