All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Mr.B.W.Foxen: Yes, or you may be able to avoid the Welsh transmissions by unplugging the aerial during the part of the scan that the Moel-y-Parc transmitting station broadcasts.
Have your aerial out until 50%. Then view the signal strength screen on each of these to see which you are tuned to:
BBC One | WH=C50 | MyP=C45
ITV | WH=C59 | MyP=C39
BBC One HD | WH=C54 | MyP=C42
ITV3 | WH=C58 | MyP=C51
Pick TV | WH=C49 | MyP=C52
Film4 | WH=C55 | MyP=C48
WH=Winter Hill and MyP=Moel-y-Parc
There is a little bit of overlap in the highest Moel-y-Parc channel and the lowest Winter Hill one, although the Commercial channels (51, 52 and 48) from Moel-y-Parc are at half transmission power to the Public Service (45, 39, 42) ones.
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gordon pithie: Contact your landlord, or whatever party is responsible for the aerial system.
The communal aerial system requires a power supply. One possibility is that the circuit breaker has tripped out, as they sometimes do when power is lost.
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Tony: Not via terrestrial television (Freeview). This is because the Commercial licensees don't have an obligation to provide a Public Service and so stick to the transmitters which give them most viewers for least cost.
See here for an explanation:
Londonderry (Northern Ireland) digital TV transmitter | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
I suggest that you look to installing free-to-air satellite service Freesat.
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Tommy Robinson: You may find that an unpowered splitter will be sufficient, but it depends on the strength of the signal in the area. One example of such a splitter is here:
Konig Quality 3 Way Splitter TV Cable Freeview Virgin | eBay
For this you will need four threaded f-connectors.
Twisting coax aerial feeds is most certainly not the way, irrespective of signal strength!
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Jeff Sutcliffe: There is no such thing as a "digital" aerial. An aerial isn't bothered about whether a signal is analogue or digital, but only dependent on frequency of the signal.
The purpose of the automatic tuning scan is to look through all frequencies to 'see' what signals are available. Once completed the receiver must 'decide' which to use as its main ones (the rest being put in the 800s). In this case it has chosen to use the signals from the Moel-y-Parc transmitter in Wales. This in no way indicates that the aerial is not picking up Winter Hill. The poor reception comes about because the signal being received is from a direction other than which the aerial faces.
I downloaded the user manual for your TV here:
LG 32LG5700 Support: Find Manuals & Warranty Info | LG UK
Page 45 of the booklet (page 47 of the PDF) says that you have manual tuning at your disposal.
Run the automatic tuning through without the aerial plugged in. Then manually scan UHF channels 50, 59, 58, 49 and 55, these being the five standard definition channels of Winter Hill.
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Jeff Sutcliffe: Signals spread out according to the terrain; they aren't delivered by a postal service!
You probably have clear line-of-sight to Moel-y-Parc, or are not far off, but you certainly don't to Winter Hill. See this terrain plot to Winter Hill:
Terrain between ( m a.g.l.) and (antenna m a.g.l.) - Optimising UK DTT Freeview and Radio aerial location
The higher ground on which Halton and the surrounding area sits is in the way. You are very low down and the motorway and trees appear to be in the signal path.
The signal strength screens should allow you to identify which transmitter you are receiving from:
Moel-y-Parc 45, 39, 51, 52, 48.
These numbers relate to BBC One, ITV, ITV3, Pick TV, Film4, respectively (as do those given in my previous posting for Winter Hill).
Thus, if the BBC One you are watching is tuned to C45 then it is being received from Moel-y-Parc. Any poor reception is likely because the aerial is pointing the wrong way for the signal being received.
For those sets without manual tuning you may be able to avoid picking up Moel-y-Parc by having the aerial lead unplugged during its part of the scan; say the first 50%.
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Jeff Sutcliffe: If you have a Sky box or another device which puts out an analogue signal onto the aerial system then ensure that it isn't on or near the new Winter Hill channels 49 and 50.
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Lori Williams: No, Yesterday is only available via Sky's subscription platform on satellite.
The BBC, STV/ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are Public Service broadcasters. They broadcast from all transmitters. The Commercial licensees (which carry Yesterday on Freeview) do not have a "public service" obligation, and exist solely to turn a profit. For that reason they only broadcast from the largest transmitting stations. See here for an explanation:
Londonderry (Northern Ireland) digital TV transmitter | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
Yesterday shows commercials to generate revenue. Evidently, it is worth its while to pay to be carried on one of the Commercial Freeview multiplexes.
It stands to reason that it will also have to pay to be on Freesat but it considers it not worth it. It draws revenue from BSkyB which could perhaps be cut should it go on Freesat.
On the face of it, it isn't surprising that Yesterday doesn't go on Freesat because it is available to most people (subscription free) on Freeview. It would rather pay to be on Freeview (albeit on a quasi-national basis) than be on Freesat due to the potential number of viewers.
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Thursday 16 May 2013 10:14PM
Liz: If your aerial is pointing to the Rowridge transmitter on the Isle of Wight then have your aerial changed so that it is mounted vertically.
Rowridge broadcasts horizontally and vertically and has been doing so since April last year. The horizontal signals are there to work with existing aerials, but some may find vertical polarisation better.
The Commercial (COM) channels which carry the likes of ITV4 and Film4 are strongly vertically. This is because they are effectively restricted horizontally due to other transmitters using the same frequencies. To the west is Stockland Hill which broadcasts only horizontally, so you could be being affected by its signal. Switching your aerial for vertical polarisation will help 'rejection' of the unwanted Stockland signal (if it is present) as well as taking advantage of the strong signals from Rowridge.