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All posts by Dave Lindsay

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

Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter
Wednesday 21 March 2012 12:17PM

Tim: I don't know the answer to your question, but you can't pick up Freeview HD services.

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Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter
Wednesday 21 March 2012 12:19PM

Kev: That is correct. The three Commercial multiplexes remain on low power and on their pre-switchover channels until 18th April on which date another retune will need to be carried out in order to continue to receive them.

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Andy: The Digital UK page for the times that switchover is completed for Whitehawk and its relays is here:

Digital UK - Relay transmitter switching times

Some relays are shown as due to be completed by sometime in the afternoon. If you are on Whitehawk, then it has completed switchover.

This is not uncommon. The main station will usually be done overnight, and only then can relays be changed. Some take longer due to the fact that engineers will have to commute.

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Feedback | Feedback
Wednesday 21 March 2012 3:02PM

Kath: The channels you have are those that are carried by the Littleborough transmitter. There is no plan to add extra services, the Commercial broadcasters have chosen not to spend money on 1000 or so small transmitter sites such as Littleborough. For an explanation, see here:

Will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice

Your only real option for extra free to air services is Freesat. There would appear to be a communal satellite dish on the front of the building, mounted on the same pole as the terrestrial aerial which faces Littleborough.

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Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter
Wednesday 21 March 2012 3:06PM

Kev: Either Luscombe Valley or Canford Heath on C45 as they both use the same three channels and aren't far from you.

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Rowridge (Isle Of Wight, England) transmitter
Wednesday 21 March 2012 3:11PM

steve: If your aerial is pointing at Ventor transmitter, then no, it is and will remain a Public Service transmitter only.

If you received Freeview before switchover, then (extremely likely) you were getting it from Rowridge, even if your aerial is pointed at Ventor. In which case, you need to get an aerial for Rowridge, assuming that the signal is reliable enough where you are.

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Paul: The reason you do not get the "full" Freeview service is because the channels you don't get are operated on a commercial basis. The Commercial operators decide where to put their transmitters, their business plan being that they sell advertising to advertisers.

They achieve 90% coverage of the population by broadcasting from 80 or so of the biggest (by population) sites. To transmit from the 1000 or so transmitters such as Cirencester would roughly double their costs of transmission, something which they have decided against.

For a fuller explanation, see here:

Will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice

This is capitalism for you. If it isn't likely to produce a return, then it won't get done.

The Licence Fee goes only to the BBC which is a service that broadcasts from Cirencester. If you are receiving BBC, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV2, More4, E4, HD and a few others, then you have all channels that are available from Cirencester. These are the Public Service Broadcaster multiplexes.

The best thing you can do is see if you may be in an area where you can receive directly from a transmitter that carries the Commercial channels. Oxford and Mendip may be the two main ones in the general area of Cirencester.

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Kristina: As it says above, Brighton area transmitters are now carrying BBC South East, these being Whitehawk Hill and its relays.

The signals from the Rowridge transmitter can be received in parts of Brighton and it is likely that your television upstairs has tuned to it.

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