All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
darren: Your Meridian signal is probably coming from Blue Bell Hill and it is on channel 24.
Crystal Palace uses (in order of UHF channels) C22 for ITV1, C4 etc and C25 for BBC. The next one is Mux B on C28.
Try and run the automatic tuning scan with the aerial unplugged for C24. Try and get it in for C28. Then manually add C25 and C22.
If it's a percentage, plug it in at 10%.
Once the second stage of switchover has completed at Crystal Palace on 18th April, then you may well be OK.
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Peter Hilton-robinson: The commercial multiplexes (C41, 44, 47) will remain on low power until 18th April.
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Jez Kirk: It's difficult to give an exact answer, and particularly so for somewhere like Sheffield which is hilly and what can and can't be received can change house by house. Therefore what sort of aerial is needed can vary house by house.
If you're DIYing it, then have a look at Aerials & TV for lots of information and products: www.aerialsandtv.com
They are based at Hillsborough and could perhaps advise you, in particular as they install aerials in the area.
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Duncan MacPhail: No, not likely. See here:
Will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
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John Costello: The power of the COMs will be increased on 18th April (Digital UK Tradeview suggests that it might be 4th April).
It could be that the high power signals are desensitising your receiver, meaning that the nearby (in a frequency sense) lower power signals aren't "heard" as well.
If you have a signal booster, you could try removing it or reducing its level of amplification (if it allows). Or add an attenuator to bring down the level of all the signals in the hope that a balance can be struck where the low power ones are high enough but which the high power ones are reduced enough to increase the sensitivity.
An analogy would be your eyes. When more light is around, the pupils close and hence, when you're in a room at night with the light on, you can't see outside very well. Turn the light off, and your eyes become more sensitive to outside. Unfortunately you can't turn off the bright lights in this instance, only fit shades to reduce all (in the hope of striking a working balance).
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Ian Graham: No, it is down to commercial decisions by the commercial operators that they do not invest money in transmitting from Bossiney and many other similar relays. See here:
Will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
You *may* be able to receive the commercial multiplexes (including Sky Sports 1 & 2 used by the BT Vision service). You may need a larger than usual (hence more expensive) aerial installation *if* indeed you can receive these at all.
Sky Sports 1 & 2 are carried on COM6 "Arqiva B" multiplex.
I used the post code PL34 0BG as a test on the Digital UK Tradeview predictor. It suggests that reception of some multiplexes from Presely *might* be possible.
PSB1 and PSB2 are on the same channels as those of Bossiney (but reversed). However, PSB3 from Presely is shown as being "good". I conclude that PSB1 and 2 would therefore be also "good", if it weren't for the fact that Bossiney being co-channel.
The thing with Presely is that its COMs are at half power with respect to its PSBs. Thus, they are weaker. COM4 "SDN" is "good", COM5 "Arq A" is "poor" and COM6 is "variable". An exact answer of whether it's possible to receive these services at your location can only be given by an aerial installer.
Bear in mind that if you're in a bungalow, then your chances will probably be lower due to the reduced height of the aerial (over that of a house).
Due to the clash in channels, I believe that it is out of the question to combine (diplex) the signals from the two transmitters into one downlead.
However, if you abandoned your Bossiney aerial (retain it as a back-up) and had one on Preseli (assuming that it can be picked up), you could get then get the Freeview COMs. Switched your satellite service from Sky to Freesat and then you will receive the correct regional programming and all the extra channels it brings. Those that are available on Freeview (the full service) but not Freesat can be picked up by your BT Vision box (from Presili).
I make this suggestion as a possible solution. I'm not an aerial installer. The new coverage map for Presely on this site suggests that it can be picked up on the Cornwall coast.
You *may* find that you are able to receive from one of the main transmitters in Cornwall, which will avoid having a terrestrial aerial with different regional programming. It may mean that you might consider that you can do away with satellite television of any service. (PL34 0BG)
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Ian Graham: I should emphasise that if you decided to only use an aerial on Presely, then you would only have the commercial Freeview channels due to the others (the standard definition ones at least) being co-channel with Bossiney.
If your receiver tuned in the Bossiney PSB channels with the aerial on Presely, then they may be intermittent due to the aerial pointing in the wrong direction and being horizontal instead of vertical, which is need for Bossiney. Therefore, I wouldn't rely on them.
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Chris Greenstreet: At the moment, Blue Bell Hill hasn't switched over, and so is on pre-switchover low power, whereas, Sudbury (the Anglia service I presume you are picking up) has switched.
The three powerful multiplexes from Sudbury/Rouncefell (these operate on the same channels/frequencies) that you are trying to avoid picking up are on channels 44, 41 and 47. The other three multiplexes are on low power, so hopefully won't be an issue to you.
Blue Bell Hill uses (at the moment, before switchover) 59, 24, 27, 42, 39, 45.
What I suggest that you do is run the automatic tuning scan with the aerial unplugged between 20% and 70% (or after channel 27 and before 59 if it gives UHF channel numbers whilst scanning). Then manually add 39, 42 and 45.
Post switchover, you *could* have similar issues with the wrong transmitter. Due to the channels used, it will be much more difficult to use the automatic tuning if it does not pick up the correct transmitter.
If you do have an issue, then post on this site and someone should be able to help you.
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Gary: The power will increae one either 4th or 18th April. I had understood it as being the latter, but the Digital UK website suggests both!
Anyway, you are missing "Arqiva B" multiplex (which carries Film4 and others) which is channel 47, so go through the manual tuning and try adding 47.
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Thursday 23 February 2012 10:05AM
tony: Is the probalem that the wrong ITV region is being picked up? If ITV London is being picked up, then I assume that this is coming from Crystal Palace.
The most generic answer is to run the automatic tuning scan with the aerial unplugged for the first 25% so as to miss out the frequencies used by CP.