Exeter St Thomas (Devon, England) DAB transmitter
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Are there any planned engineering works or unexpected transmitter faults on the Exeter St Thomas (Devon, England) mast?
EXETER ST THOMAS transmitter - DAB: Off the air due to essential engineering from 20 Dec 11:43 until 20 Dec 12:56. . FM: Slightly reduced power due to essential engineering from 20 Dec 11:23 until 20 Dec 12:56. Off the air due to essential engineering from 19 Dec 14:47 until 19 Dec 
UK Free TV shows the coverage area for a radio transmitter as a coloured overlay (orange for FM, other colours for DAB) on the grey map. We have computed the coverage by combining the terrain with the official radiation pattern. A single click will select the transmitter to view the coverage for a single site, and a double click goes to a page showing full details. Click on the buttons in the right-hand corner of the map to choose from different frequencies (or multiplexes for DAB).
Local transmitter maps
Exeter (St Thomas) Freeview Exeter (St Thomas) DAB Exeter (St Thomas) AM/FM Stockland Hill TV region BBC South West West CountryThursday, 2 May 2024
C
Chris.SE3:36 PM
Cliff Tubb:
According to various checkers, Exeter St. Thomas could be somewhat tricky, but you should be able to get at least fair, if not good reception from Holcombe Down (to the south of you) or Budleigh Salterton (to the east of you) or Stockland Hill (to the northeast of you).
Only the main BBC National multiplex Block 12B: 225.648 MHz and
the Local Devon multiplex Block 11C: 220.352 MHz are likely to be available.
Have you tried repositioning your internal aerial so it has the clearest line of sight in those directions? i.e. no thick walls, large metal objects such as fridges/freezers etc., partition walls with foil linings, and so on.
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Saturday, 4 May 2024
S
Steve Donaldson1:34 PM
Cliff Tubb: I have looked at the Ofcom data giving technical parameters of broadcast transmitters and concur with Chris.SE that St Thomas is unlikely to be of help to you.
Rather than positioning your aerial generally facing St Thomas and Holcombe Down (roughly westwards), your best bet may be in the direction of Holcombe Down, Budleigh Salterton and Stockland Hill (roughly from about north east to south south west).
Ofcom data gives includes detail on how much signal each transmitter puts out in each direction at 10-degree intervals. I have taken the location of All Saints Church as the sample for my analysis.
The St Thomas DAB transmitter (6.7 miles away, 325 degrees) is not in any way omnidirectional. You are on the side on which it puts out very very little. Looking at photos of the transmitter, this would appear to be explained by the fact that the DAB antennas look to be on just one side with the tower acting to block the signal behind them. You are on the side where the tower shadows the signal coming from the antenna. Plus, there is high ground in the way.
Holcombe Down (5.2 miles away at 195 degrees) is not omnidirectional either, but in your direction you are getting nearly the full radiated power of 500W on all three multiplexes it broadcasts.
For Budleigh Salterton (5.3 miles away, at 94 degrees), you aren't on the side where the signal is the strongest, but there is line-of-sight, meaning no higher ground in the way which is the case with Holcombe Down. The transmitter's effective radiated power is 600W for both multiplexes (BBC National and Devon), but in your direction it is in the region of 44W and 48W.
Stockland Hill is further away but more powerful.
There are different multiplexes and not all transmitters carry all of them. Holcombe Down, Budleigh Salterton and Stockland Hill carry the BBC National (12B) and Devon local (11C) multiplexes.
The other two multiplexes are the two national commercial ones, D1 National (11D) and SDL National (11A). SDL National is the newer of the two and has fewer transmitters across the country providing less coverage. In your area, SDL is only available from St Thomas, so you aren't likely to be able to pick it up. Even Stockland Hill, as a main TV transmitter, doesn't have it.
This leaves just D1 National, which is broadcast by Holcombe Down and Stockland Hill. Thus, if you find you can pick it up the most likely transmitters it is coming from is/are Holcombe Down and/or Stockland Hill -- Budleigh Salterton is no help for this one.
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