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All posts by Chris S

Below are all of Chris S's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.


Paul . I put your post code (omitting the "blank") into the coverage checker .Looks like you should get a strong signal from Tacolneston . So that a medium gain wideband aerial should work well for now and for the likely future .

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Dave . apart from com7 and 8 which moved to UHFchannels 55 and 56 the listed multiplex frequencies here are correct .Its just the particular multiplex programme allocations that are incorrect . eg BBCA is on UHF40 not 39.
I believe the info here was the original plan and dates but was modified later . Since this is only one page of a large website covering all transmitters and much other information . It will take time to update . And that assumes the original webmaster is available or has the time to do it.

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Julian . if your postcode is LU6 2AY as previously posted then reception should now be very good from Oxford according to the coverage checker. This should be possible without an amplifier on a medium gain wideband aerial . Sandy Heath might need an amplified group K aerial. Though an amplified wideband MIGHT be ok for sandy heath. Proper amplifiers go next to the Ariel. Indoor amplifiers are not very effective .
In your case I would definitely try turning the aerial towards Oxford and retuning.
If you still have difficulty I would suspect that there is a very local problem . Such as hills , trees or a source of interference such as a nearby phone mast.
ps I would guess that you already have a decent wideband aerial .

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Looking at google maps of your area . Few houses seem to have outdoor aerials which are probably essential for reliable reception. Or at least a good loft aerial with amplifier in the loft. Obviously Oxford is the opposite direction to Sandy heath and it can take some experiment to find the best loft position,

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James: you are only about 15 miles from Tacolneston . The coverage checker indicates a strong signal which should be fine with an outdoor aerial without an amplifier. If the signal is bad at a mid frequency I would guess that there is a poor connection in your aerial system . Or if the aerial is in the loft it may need moving to find the best reception spot .

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Mike . surely an 18 element group B should work well for TAcolneston and Com7 and 8 ( at least until any lower frequencies come into use ) as it has a peak around UHF 55 and is as good as a log at UHF 32.
very old areials in this area will likely be group CD which also will be good on com7 ,8 but not the main channels . Having said that I agree with your usual recommendation that in a good signal area a wideband is the best future proof solution .

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Godfrey .Could be you have a groupE aerial . Might be not quite good enough for the BBCB (HD channels) multiplex. A group K or wideband is now needed. If you have no cable or satellite Freeview may be able to provide a new aerial.

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well . if I had a groupB I would stick with it (for Tacolneston) for the time being because I bet there will be new aerials in the future that just cover the reduced tv band after 2020.

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Peter . putting your address in the coverage checker suggests that you should get a strong enough signal from Tacolneston . Even for a loft aerial (outdoor aerial always recommended).
Since you only have trouble on only one multiplex (group of channels) makes me think that there might be a bad connection somewhere in your aerial connections .
Note an amplifier can be a bad thing if you have one in such a strong signal area.
i'm guessing you have a relatively modern wideband aerial as presumably you can get BBC4HD and News HD which are transmitted on lower than average power.

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