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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.


Malcolm Brown: The note near the top of this page from Digital UK states that Redruth TV is "Liable to interruption". Gulval is a relay of Redruth and its feeds are the signals from its parent.

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Feedback | Feedback
Friday 7 February 2014 5:49PM

John law: If you've connected your roof-top aerial and get no signal then perhaps there is an amplifier (booster) which is connected and which does not have power going into it, as this is liable to mean no or poor signal coming out.

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John smithe: No date isshown by Digital UK yet. Someone else might have some insider knowledge.

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Diagnostics - old version
Sunday 9 February 2014 1:21PM

James White: Have you checked that it's tuned to the correct transmitter, and that it doesn't retune itself of its own volition to the wrong one? On the face of it with the information supplied that's what I'd check for.

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Thats Solent
Sunday 9 February 2014 7:43PM

Chris: I think it's quite likely, yes.

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Full technical details of Freeview
Monday 10 February 2014 12:58PM

J Wilkinson: First off, check that the TV is tuned to the Emley Moor transmitter and not the Belmont one, which is 40 degrees anti-clockwise of Emley.

Do this by viewing the signal strength screen on the following seven services (five if it doesn't receive HD). Then check the tuned UHF channel (frequency):

PSB1 - BBC One - C47 (682MHz)
PSB2 - ITV - C44 (658MHz)
PSB3 - BBC One HD - C41 (634MHz)
COM4 - ITV3 - C51 (714MHz)
COM5 - Pick - C52 (722MHz)
COM6 - 4Music - C48 (690MHz)

It could, potentially, have tuned to Belmont for one or more channels, perhaps because it uses lower UHF channels which are therefore picked up before Emley. Belmont's six channels (in order as above) are 22, 25, 28(HD), 30, 53, 60.

If this is found to be the issue, then having the aerial unplugged for the first 30% of the scan, or until it gets past UHF channel 30, will probably rectify it.

If it is found to be tuned correctly, then maybe the signal level is too high, this being in view of the fact that your mother is only 14 miles from the transmitter and may nearly have line-of-sight, what with the ground or objects on at Wibsey possibly just obstructing.

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Anthony Grime: Try manually scanning each UHF channel - it is worth looking at the different equipment you have to see which is most useful here. Some have no manual tuning at all and some do but give little information.

If you enter/select the channel but do not press the button to scan/add services and instead wait and see if it gives you an indication as to strength/quality, as in doing so receivers operate as basic signal meters, something which wouldn't be the case having scanned.

See the full list of Freeview services:


Digital UK Industry - Channel listings


There are six main multiplexes plus the new quasi-national COM7 HD mux that you are receiving (as you have Al Jazeera HD). Each is a single signal, so focus on one service from each. For example, for PSB1 look at BBC One, all other BBC standard definition services are also on PSB1 so there is no need to look at them:

PSB1 - BBC One - C50
PSB2 - ITV - C59
PSB3 - BBC One HD - C54
COM4 - (10)ITV3 - C58
COM5 - (11)Pick - C49
COM6 - (18)4Music - C55
COM7 - (107) BBC News HD - C31

Ensure that you aren't tuned to the Darwen relay (for PSB channels) on 45, 39 and 42 respectively. This information is usually given on the signal strength screen.

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Anthony Grime: I help out on here as a technical bod rather than an aerial installer.

The higher the gain of the aerial the narrower its acceptance angle. That is, gain in one direction is gained by increasing "loss" in others.

As you live at the bottom of a drop you don't have any "beam" from the transmitter to which direct your aerial. For that reason a high gain aerial is not recommended.

A lower gain aerial will offer a wider acceptance angle over which to receive. With digital quality is important, and more so than strength. Strength can be increased with an amplifier whereas quality is down to the aerial. That is, a poor quality signal can't be improved with an amplifier whereas a low strength one can be increased in strength. A low strength poor quality signal with an amplifier will give a higher strength poor quality signal which is therefore of no use:

Television Aerial Boosters / Amplifiers, Splitters, Diplexers & Triplexers

There are no guarantees in your situation, but a log periodic aerial, probably in conjunction with an amplifier, would seem to be the most suited. A DM Log from Aerials and TV Sheffield is one example:

Aerials, TV Aerial and Digital Aerial

This is in fact a Blake DML26WB. Blake do a DML26T which is wideband expect for the top channels, C61 to C69, which are now in the hands of the 4G operators. Either will work, by with the WB you could, potentially, have to fit a filter to block 4G if it proves to be an issue.

The other thing I'm wondering - as I say I'm not an installer - is whether, because you are at the bottom of a steep drop, tilting the aerial upwards slightly might not be a bad idea. The Blake DML26 has a clamp which allows it to be tilted.

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Paul: Suggestions have already been made. As mazbar says, read the replies made to you previously. If you have any further information or questions then post them in follow-up to the previous exchange on the same subject:

Feedback | Feedback | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice

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Phil: I don't know, but if I were you I'd be looking to SEO my website.

I put <<tv aerial devizes>> and <<tv aerial installation devizes>> and your website is nowhere to be seen. You have a listing on FreeIndex for which you have some reviews. Add the FreeIndex widget to your website to showcase those reviews.

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