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: See:
Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
| link to this comment |
Tracey Jude: I think you might be hard pressed to pick up any local multiplexes in the Heathfield area. There doesn't appear to be one which officially covers that area. You will probably be able to receive the BBC national and commercial national multiplexes as they broadcast from the Heathfield transmitter.
The nearest transmitter that broadcasts Kent local multiplex is Tunbridge Wells, so you will probably need to be on the side of the house facing that direction to have any chance at all.
There is a "Sussex Coast" multiplex, but as the name implies, it serves the coast so it is also probably doubtful that you will be able to receive it.
| link to this comment |
Charles Stuart: See:
Compare TV Freeview/Freesat | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
ITV3 is on Freesat, contrary to the presence of its logo appearing on the list of those that aren't.
Dave, Yesterday and Quest are on Freeview but not Freesat. As you are able to receive them via Freeview, then you could just revert back to it for them. Retaining connection to your terrestrial aerial provides a backup for no cost.
| link to this comment |
Victor Hall: The are two possible reasons that spring to mind:
1. The NI Mux which carries RT One, RT Two and TG4 and is broadcast on UHF channel 39 (this is probably shown on the signal strength screen) comes from Black Mountain rather than Divis. From your location, Divis is on a bearing of 62 degrees and Black Mountain 76 degrees.
Therefore, try turning your aerial a little clockwise.
2. If you have a second aerial that you used to receive RT analogue on and this is connected to the same downlead as your Divis aerial, then this may be a factor.
If number 2 is the case, then, depending on the channel/frequency that the diplexer that combines the two feeds "splits" at, you could in fact be using your vertically polarised Clermont Carn, Co Louth aerial for reception of the NI Mux on C39.
The solution should number 2 be applicable may be that you can receive RT and other Irish Republic channels from Clermont Carn. These may already be tuned in on your receiver, probably in the 800s. If they are, bring up the signal strength on one and see if it is tuned to UHF channel 52 which is Clermont Carn.
| link to this comment |
Victor Hall: You do have two aerials connected to the same downlead (number 2), then I can give you a further explanation as to what might be happening.
| link to this comment |
J.Zarach: They have moved to C39. You may be able to manually tune or your may have to do a full retune depending on the design of your receiver.
Unplugging the aerial during part(s) of the scan can sometimes work to avoid unwanted transmitters, although it requires knowledge of where the wanted and unwanted are in the scan.
| link to this comment |
Michael: Unless EE is broadcasting illegally on the 800MHz spectrum, which hasn't yet been auctioned, then its new 4G service isn't likely to affect your TV reception any more than the current 2G/GSM services operating at 1800MHz. EE has been allowed to use some of its 1800MHz allocation for current 4G services. The prospective interference of 4G signals with TV reception is not because they are 4G, but because they will use 800MHz which is just above that of TV.
Digital TV reception requires a good quality signal, which is all the digits present and correct. The quality does not increase once the lower threshold of the signal level has been reached. There is also an upper threshold over which the receiver is fed with too much signal and hence where it becomes unstable. Its signal strength meter will become unreliable and quality is likely to suffer just as sound gets distorted when the volume is turned up too much on a hifi.
Signals levels vary a little over time due to factors such as the weather and objects that may reflect or otherwise affect the signal at/to the receiving aerial. For this reason it is good practice to have the signal level somewhere between the lower and upper thresholds such that a bit of variance isn't likely to cause it to fall below the former or push it over the latter.
As you have an amplifier, the likely course of action would be to either remove it completely or reduce its level. The 2dB insertion loss may be what has restored your reception rather than filtering out channels other than those in Group A.
Signal meters on receivers vary, but somewhere around 75% strength may produce a reliably good quality signal.
| link to this comment |
Symon: C43 is from Sutton Coldfield rather than Waltham.
If you are able to turn your aerial to face it, it will also be facing the Waltham relay which is inline and is located at the Fire Service HQ.
The relay used to broadcast BBC One and ITV analogue and is intended for those who cannot receive directly from Waltham but can do so from Sutton Coldfield. Since switchover it has relayed Waltham's three PSB channels. Using it in conjunction with Sutton Coldfield's COMs will provide the full complement of Freeview channels along with East Midlands programming.
It may be necessary to use manual tuning to get the correct regional programming.
| link to this comment |
Symon: The Derby relay at the Fire HQ broadcasts BBC on C48. This will give you East Midlands programming (assuming that its signal from Waltham isn't affected by the engineering works!).
| link to this comment |
Wednesday 5 December 2012 9:31AM
G McKeown: No, it will stay as it is. See here:
Londonderry transmitter | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice
Unless you can receive the Commercial (COM) channels from one of the main transmitter, then you won't ever receive them.
For additional channels, look at free-to-air satellite service Freesat.