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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.


David Brown: Weardale transmitter will be only carry the Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) multiplexes after switchover.

This means that it will carry BBC, ITV1, ITV1+1, ITV2, Channel 4, Channel 4+1, E4, More 4, Channel 5 and the four HD services.

For a full list of post-switchover Freeview services, see:

http://www.dmol.co.uk/mux….php

The COMs are not broadcast from Weardale.

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Channel 4 HD
Thursday 12 July 2012 11:06PM

Martin: It does not cost the Licence anything because the Licence goes to the BBC.

If you are in an area where you can receive from one of the English transmitters, such as across the Severn Estuary, then you may be able to pick up Channel 4 HD.

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Teresa: The channels you identify are carried on the Commercial (COM) multiplexes. The ones you have are those carried by the Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) multiplexes. The COMs don't have as wide a coverage as the PSBs and this is mainly because they don't broadcast from the small "filler-in" relay transmitters (which the PSBs do).

The likely cause depends on which transmitter your aerial is facing (and therefore which one you are tuned to):

- If your aerial is directed to the Newton Abbot transmitter then you won't receive the COMs because they don't broadcast from it. This transmitter is at 12 degrees from your location and your aerial will be vertical (elements up/down).

- If your aerial is directed to the Beacon Hill transmitter, then this does carry PSBs and COMs, but a replacement aerial may be needed for the COMs.


The only way you are ever going to receive the COMs is probably going to be from Beacon Hill, "if" you are in a suitable location. As you are on a slope, then what can and can't be picked up might vary house by house.

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Adam Whitehouse: The Commercial multiplexes do not have as wide a coverage as the Public Service ones. They decide where to site their transmitters and have done so at 81 of the largest (by viewer population). This gives them a coverage of 90% of the population. For them to broadcast from the 1,000 or so small relays including Deiniolen, would double their cost of transmission whilst only adding 8.5% of the population to their potential viewer base.

They make money by showing advertising to as many viewers as possible which they aquire at lowest possible cost. They have no "Public Service" obligation". It is not surprising that they don't consider the relays worthwhile.

The Licence fee goes to the BBC which is a Public Service Broadcaster. I do not agree with any suggestion that it should receive less from viewers which the Commercial broadcasters don't wish to serve. In such cases, with less to choose from, there may be more reliance on the BBC.

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S Brown: No, Assendon isn't likely to carry the Commercial multiplexes, which carry ITV4 and Film 4 among others.

The reason is because the Commercial broadcasters do not have a "Public Service" obligation. They operate purely on a profit-driven basis and cover 90% of the population from 81 of the largest (by viewer population) sites. To include the 1,000 or so small relays including Assendon would roughly double their cost of transmission whilst only adding 8.5% of the population to their potential viewer bases.

Unless you can receive the Commercial multiplexes from another transmitter such as Crystal Palace or Hannington then you won't ever get them.

Freesat may be worth a look for you.

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carl: This is a sure annoyance of the design of some receivers that retune as they see fit. See if there is an option to disable this "function". If not, then maybe you can attenuate all signals (which will bring down all their levels) in the hope that Storeton Granada will continue to be the highest and therefore chosen.

If you are receiving Yorkshire, then you must surely be getting it from Emley Moor which is horizontally polarised. Storeton Granada is vertically polarised, so it must be a strong signal if it keeps defaulting to it when it has opposite polarisation.

If the above doesn't resolve the issue, then Storeton Granada uses only Group A channels, so you could fit a Group A band pass filter which will only allow Group A channels.

Emley Moor is all Group B.

See Aerials, TV Aerial and Digital Aerial

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Nick: In response to your question of 5th July, I referred to the COMs only with respect to Dover because I assumed that you may have wished to pick up the PSBs from one of the Anglia transmitters. If not, then perhaps you may find that Dover's PSBs are also intermittent, probably caused by the mist.

Some devices can't receive channels with negative offsets that are in 8k mode (which is the mode used after switchover). C60 is the only one with a negative offset that Sudbury uses.

Do you have reception on C60 now? Referring to your posting of 11th July @ 7:47PM, could it be that your home-made aerial needs turning a little?

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Nick A: Not sure what else to suggest, short of calling in an installer.

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