Full Freeview on the Bluebell Hill (Medway, England) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 51.324,0.520 or 51°19'25"N 0°31'13"E |  | ME5 9RD |
The symbol shows the location of the Bluebell Hill (Medway, England) transmitter which serves 200,000 homes. The bright green areas shown where the signal from this transmitter is strong, dark green areas are poorer signals. Those parts shown in yellow may have interference on the same frequency from other masts.
Are there any planned engineering works or unexpected transmitter faults on the Bluebell Hill (Medway, England) mast?
Bluebell Hill transmitter - Bluebell Hill transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 22/04/2024 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels 
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Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.
64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which Freeview channels does the Bluebell Hill transmitter broadcast?
If you have any kind of Freeview fault, follow this Freeview reset procedure first.Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.
64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Bluebell Hill transmitter?
BBC South East Today 0.8m homes 3.2%
from Tunbridge Wells TN1 1QQ, 28km southwest (218°)
to BBC South East region - 45 masts.
ITV Meridian News 0.7m homes 2.7%
from Maidstone ME14 5NZ, 5km south-southeast (155°)
to ITV Meridian (East) region - 36 masts.
All of lunch, weekend and 50% evening news is shared with all of Meridian plus Oxford
How will the Bluebell Hill (Medway, England) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2012 | 2012-13 | 19 Jul 2018 | |||||
| E | E | E | W T | W T | |||||
| C21 | _local | ||||||||
| C28 | _local | ||||||||
| C32 | com7 | ||||||||
| C34 | com8 | ||||||||
| C39 | +ArqA | ||||||||
| C40 | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | +BBCB | SDN | ||||
| C43 | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | D3+4 | ArqA | ||||
| C45 | SDN | BBCB | |||||||
| C46 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBCA | ArqB | ||||
| C54tv_off | ArqB | ||||||||
| C55tv_off | com7tv_off | ||||||||
| C56tv_off | COM8tv_off | ||||||||
| C65 | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves |
tv_off Being removed from Freeview (for 5G use) after November 2020 / June 2022 - more
Table shows multiplexes names see this article;
green background for transmission frequencies
Notes: + and - denote 166kHz offset; aerial group are shown as A B C/D E K W T
waves denotes analogue; digital switchover was 13 Jun 12 and 27 Jun 12.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-4 | 30kW | |
| SDN, ARQA, ARQB, BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-1.8dB) 20kW | |
| com8 | (-7.8dB) 5kW | |
| com7 | (-8.1dB) 4.7kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D* | (-10dB) 3kW | |
| Mux 2*, Mux A* | (-11.8dB) 2kW |
Local transmitter maps
Bluebell Hill Freeview Bluebell Hill DAB Bluebell Hill TV region BBC South East Meridian (East micro region)Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Bluebell Hill transmitter area
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Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Neil: See:
Bluebell Hill Transmitter
Crystal Palace Transmitter
You don't have line-of-sight to Crystal Palace:
Terrain between ( m a.g.l.) and (antenna m a.g.l.) - Optimising UK DTT Freeview and Radio aerial location
Here is the plot to Bluebell Hill:
Terrain between ( m a.g.l.) and (antenna m a.g.l.) - Optimising UK DTT Freeview and Radio aerial location
You may have line-of-sight although the ground slopes upwards and there could be objects on the ground in the way. If the signal path is clear then a log would seem to be an excellent choice, but not in the loft if it's got to be pointed through another roof-space.
Log periodics have quite flat gain curves. Yagis slope downwards on lower channels so the wider the "band" the more of a compromise it is.
For that reason if you get a yagi for Bluebell Hill don't get a wideband. The point is that channels 60 to 68 have already been cleared for 4G. In the future it is likely that TV channels are only ever going to be moved downwards, not up, this being to clear space for future generation mobile services.
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Neil: If you look at "How will the Bluebell Hill (Medway, England) transmission frequencies change over time?" above, you can see that Bluebell Hill changes to Group E to wideband when the new local TV and Freeview HD services start next year.
If you look at a terrain plot - My Freeview | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice - you will see that the signal from Crystal Palace is blocked.
Loft mounted aerials are not recommended for reliable Freeview reception. You would have a reliable service with a rooftop mounted one.
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N
Neil5:11 PM
Rochester
Thanks all.
There are restrictive covenants on the property so an external aerial is not an option, I could maybe get away with something that does not look traditional like one of those dome aerials but I have been working on the assumption that they are not very good. It really has to be loft or nothing.
Maybe I should cut my losses and go the freesat route?
Thanks again.
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Neil's: mapN's Freeview map terrainN's terrain plot wavesN's frequency data N's Freeview Detailed Coverage
MikeP
5:56 PM
5:56 PM
Neil:
How long ago was the restrictive covenant applied and is it still enforceable by the imposer of that covenant? (They usually have a time limit and have to be enforceable if they are meaningful. They're often applied by developers but usually cease after either 5 or 10 years.)
A satellite dish definitely has to be mounted externally and not above the ridge line - they cannot fitted inside the loft satisfactorily, so wouldn't that come under the restrictive covenant as well?
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J
jb386:28 PM
Neil: When you say that the aerial you are presently using is not that great then if you are meaning that the signal received is very variable then carry out a signal strength / quality check and give an update on results when viewed over a minute or so.
On the subject of aerials, I take it that you do realise that Log aerials are not cumbersome devices by not having large reflectors on one end such as seen on yagi type aerials, and a Log could possibly be neatly mounted just under the gutter on the rear of your house thereby being nearly invisible, the other aspect of these aerials being that they are capable of giving excellent results far in excess of what their appearance would suggest, and indeed in many cases give better results over the larger traditional aerials.
By the way a DM Log is only 3'6" long and 14" wide
Aerials of this type used (if required) in conjunction with a variable gain booster such as Argos 534/4235 can be used for virtually any application, and so I would not hesitate in recommending this type of aerial for use in your own situation.
Have a look at the link below and in particular the DM Log.
Online FM DAB TV Aerial sales
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J
jb386:32 PM
Neil: Just to clarify on the length of the aerial as I failed to leave sufficient spacing, the length is 3' 6".
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Neil6:50 PM
Rochester
By the looks of that site, the aerial I have is like this. It was purchased only a few years ago but I have used it for about a year. It was last used probably early 2011 1 mile up the road from my current house. It was in the loft and worked ok but was not perfect. I probably did not align it as best as I could though in truth.
There is an ease of putting it in the loft too as the loft is pre-wired so it would be easier. The neighbor is quite fussy and strangely there are no clause for dishes, just aerials and there are no aerials on the development at all.
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Neil's: mapN's Freeview map terrainN's terrain plot wavesN's frequency data N's Freeview Detailed Coverage
M
MikeB10:15 PM
Neil: I know almost nothing about aerials or reception compared with the other people who have posted,but looking objectively, why not give it a try with what you've got.
The house already wired, and you've got an aerial already. As you say, its a lot easier putting it in the loft than externally, even if you can. Have a look at ATV's guide to loft aerials Loft and indoor aerial installations for TV, FM and DAB and give it a go.
You know which direction the various transmitters are on, and I'd get a fair length of decent coax from ATV and connectors, so at least you can move the aerial around in the roof while having it hooked up to your TV to find the best spot. Their fly lead looks like a bargain at £3.
If the aerial isn't suitable now or later, you can always swap it out, get a booster, etc, but this way you at least have minimum outlay at a time when your going to be spending a lot of money anyway just in the move. If nothing works, there is always Freesat, but Freeview is an easier first option.
(PE12QN)
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Wednesday, 24 July 2013
J
jb3812:12 AM
Neil: If the aerial already installed in the loft is of similar appearance to that seen in the link then it doesnt really require replacing but possibly re-positioning plus the addition of a booster depending on results.
The repositioning operation carried out with as was suggested by MikeB the aid of a temporarily installed TV, this having been left sitting on its signal check screen on one of the following programmes as these represent the six multiplex transmitters used by Bluebell Hill, or indeed any other main station.
BBC / ITV1 / BBC HD (if used) /(10) ITV3 / (11) Pick TV / (15) Film 4.
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Neil8:37 AM
Thanks all. The aerial has never been installed at this house although the house is pre-wired.
This is the aerial that I have from argos. Buy High Performance Outdoor TV Aerial with Integrated Booster at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Limited stock Technology, Televisions and accessories, TV aerials.
I guess the best thing is to give it a try first and see how it goes. Wondering if replacing the built in booster with a better one could help a little?
(ME24LA)
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