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: Possibly.
However the COM channels (those that don't broadcast from the Haslemere relay) are at half-power to the PSBs from Hannington. Also, so they can get more shopping channels in, they use a less robust mode. This is akin to being more fragile than the PSBs. So don't get too excited.
Unfortunately the Haslemere relay uses the same three channels as Crystal Palace uses for its COMs which "may" have otherwise have been available.
If you decide to have a shot at Hannington, then without doubt, you need a Group B aerial:
Hannington Transmitter
Reception could be intermittent because you're receiving over the brow of the hill.
Haslemere relays Midhurst which carries BBC South and ITV Meridian Southampton. Hannington carries BBC South and ITV Meridian North. "If" you can receive the COM channels from Hannington, you could combine that aerial with the current one to give you the ITV Meridian Southampton and the COMs.
It really is a long shot and I'm not an aerial installer so I wouldn't like to comment on your chances other than to say that you will be lucky if you do get them!
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Paul: Never. See here for an explanation:
Londonderry transmitter | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
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mark: Never. See here for an explanation:
Londonderry transmitter | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
In some tiny pockets of your part of the world the signals from Divis in Northern Ireland is available. I emphasise "some" and "tiny" and point out that the COM channels from Divis (those that don't broadcast from your local transmitter) are on lower power and use the same channels as Caldbeck, so you will also need to be in a location where it won't interfere.
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Kerry : The transmission power of the COM channels is greater than they were before switchover.
Try a set-top aerial (as a test) if you have one. Being on the side of the building which faces the transmitter is best. Perform a manual tune on the three COM channels and see what it gives.
Knowledge of your location may be useful, this being the form of postcode or postcode of a nearby location such as a shop. This will allow a check of the predicted levels of signal in your area.
What are the signal strengths on the PSBs? (28(BBC One), 22(UTV) and 25(HD))
Ensure that if there is a booster setting within the box/TV that it is set to off. Conversely, if it is off you could always try it on for the COMs and see if the signal reading is better or worse.
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Linda: Does it have built-in Freeview? If it doesn't then it will be more tricky scheduling recordings.
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raymond dunlop: Limavady does not broadcast RT. However, if you received it previously via analogue, then you should probably be able to receive it via the Republic's digital service Saorview. You will need an appropriate receiver, not all Freeview receivers will work with Saorview.
Whereabouts are you? A postcode will be useful or a postcode of a nearby location such as a shop.
Do you have a separate aerial for RT?
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Edward McClintock: RT won't be broadcast from Strabane. You will have to see if you can receive it from one of the transmitters in the Republic using a second aerial.
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Shatton Edge is a relay of Tideswell Moor and it is off too so I suspect that the reason for the outage is likely to lie there. A common reason for transmitters going off the air is a power outage.
I put Tideswell's postcode into the Electricity Northwest's website and it reports that there are no problems with supply in the area.
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Friday 26 October 2012 7:57PM
seamus o'doherty: If the ground was flat and a transmitter radiated the same level of signal in all directions (omnidirectional), then the coverage area would be a circle. However, the ground isn't flat and the terrain prevents reception.
Imagine if the signal were light, which isn't too dissimilar as they are both electromagnetic waves. An obstruction like a tree or a building creates a shadow and the same is true of the terrain.
The coverage map takes into account the terrain and shows green where the signal is expected to be available at rooftop height (above the ground).
Look at the map at imagine a line between Limavady and Strabane town. Along that line, the coverage stops roughly at the top of the "/" in the place name "Londonderry / Derry".
Referring to a map with contours it is easy to see why this is the case:
NIEA Map Viewer
Loughmore is very high ground and therefore blocks reception!
Theoretically, if you (in Strabane) were to go high enough to "see" over the obstruction, or at least high enough to where there is a bit of signal, then you would be able to receive from Limavady.
Thus, the signal is there, it's just way above you. The coverage map shows what you're interested in which is reception at roof-top level and not many tens or hundreds of metres above the ground.