All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Alan: As Einstein said, insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
The local Norwich TV channel Mustard launched on 24 March, according to a BBC News report. The signal, which broadcasts from Tacolneston and in the direction of Norwich, probably came on air a few weeks before the station did. Maybe this is the factor which is causing your issue.
We get reports of receivers which forget some of their channels when powered down, and this is often due to the device running out of memory. It happens where the desired UHF channels (frequencies) are high in the band and unwanted ones are lower down, the latters effectively taking the memory that the formers need. The answer, therefore, is to prevent it from storing the unwanted channels.
Try having the aerial out for the first 30% of the scan or up until it gets to UHF channel 30. If this doesn't work or there is another issue then post back and I will make further suggestion.
The other option is to wiped what's stored by running the scan through with the aerial out and then manually tune.
For Tacolneston:
PSB1 - BBC One - C55
PSB2 - ITV - C59
PSB3 - BBC One HD - C50
COM4 - ITV3 - C42
COM5 - Pick - C45
COM6 - 4Music - C39
COM7 - BBC Four HD - C31
COM8 - C37
L-NOR - Mustard - C57
Note:
- "C" numbers are UHF channels.
- PSB3, COM7 and COM8 are applicable only for HD receivers. With manual tuning if there is an option for DVB-T or DVB-T2, for these it needs to be set to the latter.
- COM8 is probably not on air yet.
- As L-NOR is directional you may find reception either non-existent or intermittent, this being suggested might be so by the Digital UK Coverage Checker.
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Keith Hill: Manual tuning or pulling the aerial out for the part of the scan where the Welsh channels are, although this might be tricky due to Moel-y-Parc (the transmitter in Wales which you are likely picking up) and Winter Hill.
The other possibility is to install an attenuator, assuming that the wanted signal from Winter Hill is higher than that of the unwanted of Moel-y-Parc. This will reduce the signal levels with the hope that the unwanted ones are disregarded by your receiver, or at least not given primary positions.
Some receivers, usually the HD ones, have a setting for region or network preference which would achieve the same objective.
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Ken: No, because the powers that be won't release it. This is with the exception of the local "Brighton" multiplex whose pattern can be seen by clicking "Is the transmitter output the same in all directions?" above.
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Derek Watts: It is listed. It is down as "LW" and appears after COM6. The power is 20kW as against 200kW for the six main channels. The radiation pattern for LW is shown above when the heading "Is the transmitter output the same in all directions?" is clicked.
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mark stewart: They won't be, unfortunately.
The new HD services, carried on the COM7 and COM8 quasi-national multiplexes have an expected lifespan of five years, which runs until 2018. At that time frequencies are likely to be replanned and changed, so these HD services will probably become more widely available.
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peter holliday: 5USA is now on logical channel number 21, and VIVA has moved to number 74.
Digital UK publishes full channel listings here:
Digital UK Industry - Channel listings
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anon: The values working in from the outside are attenuation levels in dBs. So where the trace runs on the outer edge the attenuation is 0dB and therefore the full power is radiated in that direction. As the trace veers more to the centre, the attenuation is greater.
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anon: The red graphic indicates the magnitude of radiation in each direction. If it had been omnidirectional (the same in all 360 degrees) then it would have been circular, for example.
At 290 to 295 degrees, the signal is at its full effective power (400W). Between 280 and 285, and 300 and 305 it is -2dB, so the power is 2dB down from (less than) 400W. Decibels (dBs) are logarithmic and not linear. For every -3dB the power halves. For example, between 310 and 315 degrees the power is 6dB down which equates to 100W.
"LBN" is what this website uses to mean "Local Brighton" multiplex. Digital UK refers to it as "L-BTN".
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Pauline Evans: So you either received it via satellite (such as on Freesat or Sky) or you received it from a transmitter in England.
I specifically said that it isn't available from any transmitter in Wales I did not say that it isn't available anywhere in Wales.
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Monday 20 April 2015 11:04AM
Duncan Killin: Yes, but on lower power than the other channels and out-of-group as far as C/D aerials go.
Powers are PSBs @ 20kW; COM4-6 @ 10kW; COM7 @ 3.3kW.
Previously all channels from Angus were in Group C/D (top third of the band of frequencies) and consequently Group C/D aerials will have often been fitted. A C/D aerial is most sensitive on C/D channels and less so lower down the band which is where COM7 (BBC Four HD, BBC News HD etc) is.
Try using the manual tuning function. Go to it and select/enter UHF channel 31 (554MHz) but don't press the button to scan/add services immediately. Rather, wait and see what readings of strength and quality you get and whether they are stable or variable, maybe having viewed it for a minute or two. By not pressing the button to scan/add services you have a signal meter whereas by pressing it it will simply determine whether it's good enough or not.