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Freeview reception at BT12 7AU



List is for aerial group type: wideband group A group B group C/D group E group K

ch name signal strength direction transmitter
C21+multiplex D3+4 England UTV
west 270°DivisH
C23multiplex SDN England (COM4)
H
C24Freeview HD multiplex BBCB (PSB3) National
H
C26multiplex Arqiva-A (COM5)
H
C27multiplex BBCA National Northern Ireland
H
C30Comux Local TV multiplex LBT
H
C34Freeview HD multiplex Arqiva-D (com8)
H
C48NIMM
H
C55Freeview HD multiplex Arqiva-C (com7)
H

H Horizontal V Vertical HD High Definition


List is for aerial group type: wideband group A group B group C/D group E group K

Distance to transmitters:

 

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Show good and blocked paths from BT12 7AU for aerial height of ...

10m20m (Angel of the North)25m30m40m56m (Hyde Park Flats, Sheffield)62m (Monument)90m (Royal Liver Building, Liverpool)107m (Meridian Quay Tower, Swansea)115m (Bridgewater Place, Leeds)127m (Glasgow Tower)143m (Guy's Hospital)158m (Blackpool Tower)170m (Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth)180m (The Gherkin/BT Tower) 193m (Tower 42)235m (Canary Wharf)310m (The Shard)(default view)

Comments
Friday, 7 June 2013
A
Alex
4:29 PM
Saltcoats

John Taylor: i asked a couple of weeks back about interference from customers using Darvel and possible faults could have been the Divis transmitter changing over this was from my KA"! postcode and now i have people calling with exact same issue in Troon area Ka10 i think , how are we to resolve this as it affect the 23.26.29 multiplexes ????? please advise

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Alex's 6 posts GB flag
Alex's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:53 PM

Alex: This is the third time you've posted and the third page on which you've posted. It would perhaps be helpful if your comments were all on the same page; that way it keeps them together and we at least know that you have read earlier replies.

Your previous posting is here:

Darvel (East Ayrshire, Scotland) Full Freeview transmitter | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice

As I said, I'm not an installer, so can't advise too much on what may improve matters.

However, what I can say is that there is now a two-tier system in the UK. As you are no doubt aware the relays only carry PSB channels. However, the transmitters that do broadcast the COMs often do so with inferior coverage to their PSBs.

The objective when it was all planned was to make the PSB coverage the same as the former four-channel analogue. The COM channels fit in around, where spare channels permit. They are much more limited by interference than the PSBs, as you have found out.

The graph on this page illustrates my point:

The commercial multiplex after switchover: ArqA, ArqB and SDN | Digital switchover | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice

It shows the full-service transmitters with predictions of the number of viewers that are likely to be able to receive the full service (PSBs+COMs) and those who will only receive the PSBs reliably.

As a percentage of all viewers of Darvel, it would appear that around 40% are not expected to pick up the COMs reliably. Of all the full-service transmitters, Darvel has the highest expected proportion of PSB-only viewers.

The likely answer must surely be interference from Divis. There is a combined effect of this and that the base aerial may not have line-of-sight with Darvel, owing to the ground dropping downwards to the water (it seems fair to assume).

Of course, this is only a prediction but it does nonetheless give some that there will be a proportion of people using full-service transmitters who will only get the PSBs.

What you are finding seems to bear out what was to be expected.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
H
Hary Coventry
5:46 PM
High Wycombe

What is "Freeview Light"?
My local transmitter is Naphill, Bucks, and I seem to be receiving a very limited list of channels. What should I be receiving?

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Hary Coventry's 2 posts GB flag
Hary's: mapH's Freeview map terrainH's terrain plot wavesH's frequency data H's Freeview Detailed Coverage
H
Harry Coventry
5:49 PM
High Wycombe

Naphill, Bucks TX.
What channels should I be receiving?

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Harry Coventry's 2 posts GB flag
Harry's: mapH's Freeview map terrainH's terrain plot wavesH's frequency data H's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:05 PM

Hary Coventry: "Freeview Light" is only the Public Service (PSB) channels.

The UK has a two-tier terrestrial television transmitter network. All transmitters carry the PSB channels; the Commercial (COM) broadcasters only use the ones with the large numbers of viewers as their primary objective is to turn a profit (they have no obligation to provide a public service).

See here for an explanation:

Londonderry (Northern Ireland) Freeview Light transmitter | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice

The PSB channels carry BBC, ITV, ITV2, ITV+1, ITVHD, Channel 4, Channel 4+1, Channel 4HD, E4, More4 and Channel 5.

The full list of Freeview services is here:

DTG :: DTT Services by Multiplex

Due to the fact that the ground rises up in the direction of Crystal Palace it is unlikely that you will be able to receive the full service directly from it.

That said, these things are impossible to predict, particularly in locations such as your where you're receiving over the brow of a hill and therefore relying on a lot of refraction as you aren't anywhere near direct line-of-sight. Plus the trees on the top of the slope may cause added difficulty.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:18 PM

Hary Coventry: I had a look at your close on Streetview. I see there's a few VHF aerials still on the rooftops!

What I have seen is a high-gain UHF aerial pointing to Crystal Palace and it is on one of the houses at the end. There is a wheely bin on its back with a "10" on. It might be worth enquiring with them whether they can receive all channels and whether it is reliable or breaks up at times.

The photographs were taken in October 2008, so prior to switchover. The aerial may or may not bring in all the channels (as I say, you will have to ask).

The COM signals (those you can't get from Naphill but which broadcast from Crystal Palace) are less robust than the PSBs which means that some fringe viewers may find they can only get the PSBs reliably. I say this just so you don't assume that because reception from Crystal Palace is possible that this will give you more channels than you have now.

If you are looking to put up an aerial for Crystal Palace don't get a wideband one as they aren't as effective on the low channels which it uses exclusively; use a Group A one:

Rowridge Transmitter

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:26 PM

Hary Coventry: It was number 10 Cherry Tree Close I was looking at.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:48 PM

Alex: With regards to trying to find a way around the problem of Darvels COM's suffering from possible co-channel interference from the Divis transmitter, without wishing to appear as a prophet of doom but speaking from a long term RF / equipment engineers point of view I can say with a level of confidence that any attempts made to try and get over this difficulty are almost guaranteed to prove as having been futile.

The problem is that the signal from Divis is somewhat enhanced by it skipping across the sea and with this resulting in it being received on many occasions at a higher level than the reception predictor would suggest, which of course does not (and cannot) really take this factor into account as the higher level of signal referred to is vulnerable to fluctuations in level caused by tidal changes as well as reasons connected to atmospheric conditions, and so any predictions given would require to be updated about every month or so.

The other point to note being, that even if the more sophisticated type of aerial arrangement was set up, namely a phased array, this being a type of aerial that's "very" occasionally used to help alleviate co-channel problems, but its most unlikely to perform as intended when used under circumstances such as these as this type aerial is extremely critical (and time consuming) to set up and is generally only used in circumstances where both sets of signals are of a reasonably constant level, and not where one or both can be fluctuating as is liable be the case from both Darvel and Divis.

A trough aerial, albeit this not really being used in domestic circumstances, is also unlikely to make that much of a difference, as the offending signal from Divis could well be arriving on the Darvel facing aerial via being reflected from higher ground between the transmitter and receiver, this being another time consuming exercise in determining if this situation was applying or not.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Saturday, 8 June 2013
I
Ian
8:51 AM
Wallingford

South Oxfordshire - Hannington. Slight blockiness on one mux last night - suspected atmospheric interference - no big deal. Almost total loss of service this morning - one or two channels only and even they are essentially noise.

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Ian's 3 posts GB flag
Ian's: mapI's Freeview map terrainI's terrain plot wavesI's frequency data I's Freeview Detailed Coverage
W
Wendy Leak
4:40 PM

I'm sorry to keep asking for help but I need advice yet again ... Ive had to retune (Waltham transmitter) and have to carry out a manual retune on my Humax HDR-FOX T2 because an automatic retune gives me channels that break up and are North instead of East Midlands. However, I'm still receiving an onscreen message re the retune asking if I want to carry out a retune 'Now' or 'Later'.

The message appears every time I switch on, change channels or when I stop a recording. I have to be vigilant because if I don't catch the message and highlight 'Later' and press OK it automatically starts doing an automatic search.

Humax suggested I carry out an automatic retune by clicking on Now, save and then carry out a manual retune but unfortunately this didnt work.

Any advice would be gratefully received thanks.

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Wendy Leak's 10 posts GB flag
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