Full Freeview on the Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) transmitter
 | Google Streetview |  | Google map |  | Bing map |  | Google Earth |  | 51.818,-4.067 or 51°49'5"N 4°4'3"W |  | SA14 7NA |
The symbol shows the location of the Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) transmitter which serves 72,000 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 Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) mast?
Carmel transmitter - Carmel transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 04/12/2023 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)
The Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) mast is a public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these commercial (COM) channels: .
If you want to watch these channels, your aerial must point to one of the 80 Full service Freeview transmitters. For more information see the will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? page.
Which Freeview channels does the Carmel 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)
The Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) mast is a public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these commercial (COM) channels: .
If you want to watch these channels, your aerial must point to one of the 80 Full service Freeview transmitters. For more information see the will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? page.
Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Carmel transmitter?
BBC Wales Today 1.2m homes 4.7%
from Cardiff CF5 2YQ, 68km east-southeast (122°)
to BBC Wales region - 206 masts.
ITV Cymru Wales 1.2m homes 4.7%
from Cardiff CF5 6XJ, 68km southeast (127°)
to ITV Wales region - 206 masts.
Are there any self-help relays?
| Abergorlech | Active deflector | Dyfed | 5 homes |
| Cwmere | Active deflector | 11 km NE Aberystwyth | 10 homes |
How will the Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) transmission frequencies change over time?
| 1984-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-2009 | 2009-13 | 2013-18 | 2013-17 | 17 Jul 2019 | |||
| C/D E | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E | C/D E T | C/D E T | W T | |||
| C23 | BBCA | ||||||||
| C26 | D3+4 | ||||||||
| C29 | BBCB | ||||||||
| C33 | SDN | ||||||||
| C36 | ArqA | ||||||||
| C48 | ArqB | ||||||||
| C49tv_off | ArqB | ArqB | |||||||
| C53tv_off | C4waves | C4waves | C4waves | D3+4 | D3+4 | D3+4 | |||
| C54tv_off | SDN | SDN | SDN | ||||||
| C55tv_off | _local | _local | _local | _local | |||||
| C57tv_off | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBC1waves | BBCB | BBCB | BBCB | |||
| C58tv_off | ArqA | ArqA | ArqA | ||||||
| C60tv_off | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | ITVwaves | -BBCA | -BBCA | ||||
| C61 | ArqB | ||||||||
| C63 | BBC2waves | BBC2waves | BBC2waves |
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 26 Aug 09 and 23 Sep 09.
How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?
| Analogue 1-4 | 100kW | |
| BBCA, D3+4, BBCB | (-7dB) 20kW | |
| SDN, ARQA, ARQB | (-10dB) 10kW | |
| Mux A* | (-13dB) 5kW | |
| Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux B* | (-16dB) 2.5kW | |
| Mux C*, Mux D* | (-20dB) 1000W |
Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Carmel transmitter area
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Is the transmitter output the same in all directions?
Radiation patterns withheldSaturday, 20 July 2019
N
nobody5:03 PM
Roger mellie : 80 to 85% of what exactly; the manufacturer's totally meaningless arbitrary scale?
Isn't it nice to hear from a real, qualified, expert on here again!
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C
Chris.SE6:50 PM
Carmarthen
Roger mellie:
I'm afraid I agree with nobody & a human. BTW there's lots of Blue books, you don't seem willing to give much detail yet willing to criticise all and sundry and it comes as no surprise that you don't give a monkies about what any of us think.
Not that I agree with various bits of information that's on the Digitaluk Coverage checker BUT it's usually right when it says what the most likely transmitter is, but you seem to want to disagree with them for the SA31 3NL postcode where it clearly gives Carmel as the most likely transmitter and predicted reception is also better from Carmel especially the COM muxes, so how do you figure that Preseli is the "preferred" transmitter? I think you are just here causing trouble, so far your "comments" haven't really been constructive and what you claim to be constructive advise isn't really either.
Derek isn't the only one complaining about reception problems, now either Arqiva have changed the radiation pattern since the retune event - which doesn't seem to agree with their predicted reception, or there's some mysterious as yet to be identified fault. I think the latter, and I also agree that "advice" & "information" from Freeview that has been sought about this is as usless as a "chocolate teapot". They are dishing out standard "boiler-plate" responses about retuning advice, oh and I heard similar regarding Mendip when people contacted them about a new aerial where there are supposed to provide assistance.
Derek Brabrook: & Michael:
Is the situation still the same, you and neighbours not getting COM6?
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Chris.SE's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
C
Chris.SE7:00 PM
Pete:
At the moment several of us think that there's an issue at the transmitter probably with the antenna. If you are still having a problem, ring the Freeview advice line on 0808 100 0288 and complain that you have followed the retuning advice and still have a problem and also there seem to be a number of people complaining about reception problems from Carmel especially in a general Southerly & Westerly direction.
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Sunday, 21 July 2019
M
Michael11:07 AM
Sunday 21 July, midday : On the North Devon coast, Carmel channel 48 received. Weak signal, but without pixelation. Reception here is affected by the high tidal range in the Bristol Channel affecting the signal to varying degrees. So the Carmel transmitter is operating as scheduled. Both Arqiva-A and Arqiva-B are weaker transmitters, so can be the first to "wobble" in adverse propagation conditions. If others are not receving Carmel ch 48 overland (ie in South Wales) it just might be that the radiation pattern has been modified by Arqiva to address possible interference with the Ilfracombe relay.
I look forward to further reception updates from South Wales!
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M
Michael11:33 AM
Postcript: to receive the new wider range of frequencies from Carmel on channels 23-48 (490-690 MHz) a wide-band aerial (eg a "log-periodic) will be necessary unless a strong signal is received.
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C
Chris.SE12:31 PM
Carmarthen
Michael:
Thanks for the update, yes I'm looking forward to reception updates from SouthWales.
Whilst you correctly point out that a Wideband, group T (or group K) aerial is now required, the first issue was with C48 which should be no real problem for a C/D (even ancient un-enhanced) group aerial. Pete's issue with C36 would be similar, but neither have complained about the other lower UHF channels.
IF the radiation pattern has been modified (quite possible as you suggest) the predicted reception for SA31 3NL (and direction) doesn't fit with that, and SA18 is pretty close & to the SE and I'd be extremely surprised if it'd been reduced in that direction. But then nothing would surprise me, I've come across some strange cock-ups with predicted reception over the years.
This current situation has been very strange.
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Chris.SE's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
C
Chris.SE12:40 PM
Pete:
Just had a thought, you haven't got any other "boxes/recorders etc" that have an RF output that might be set to a channel at or close to 36? If so, reset them to a channel above 48 or even above 56.
Derek Brabrook:
I expect you might have thought of that one, but I don't know if your system scans would show a non-digi RF signal. Might be worth checking if your neighbour isn't in that boat!
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ohhhhhh touchy touchy Mellie....
Actually most of the entire estate use Carmel ..... it is by a long shot the strongest signal and the most popular, preseli drops out in bad weather and when the trees start sprouting leaves
also half of the estate is behind a very large hill which is directly in front of the preseli transmitter which rules out using it if you're behind it, but you can't have missed it if you allegedly drove past ? did you manage to pick up channel 48 btw with your whizz bang kit, you didn't mention that?
Just for a giggle on friday I went onto the schools roof and swung the antenna to point at preseli the media server picked up all the Mux's from Preseli albeit with some drop out (which is why it was originally changed to Carmel)
I swung it back after the test as the signal really isn't good enough....too many drop outs and pixelation
Carmel's signal is strong enough to not even require an outside antenna but from preseli it needs a good antenna and some amplification, so you're wrong on that point for a start.
My antenna is wideband it's also only 18 months old, and no they are not overloading the frontends of my 8 tuners, the profiler equalises the signal coming in, levels it off BEFORE feeding it to the distribution amplifier
The media server is tapped off the profiler (not the distribution amp) on the test connector which gets the automatically balanced signal, it's also attenuated by 30db so it's not coming off the distribution amplifier at all.
Oh and I've also since taken the raw feed bypassed the profiler and put that into a tuner and that is dead on channel 48, I've also taken the raw feed and put it through a domestic 20db amplifier and still no channel 48, so wideband antenna straight through which allows all the other mux's but strangely 48 isn't even detected....weird no ?
it has worked previously and faultlessly for years like that, the signal improved with the new wideband antenna.
but that STILL doesn't answer why my neighbours cannot get channel 48 either.... does it ?
and it still doesn't fly with no problems before the switchover but now I and others have problems
occam's razor again....
Now if you can't be civil don't bother trying to help because all you're doing is trying to wind me up and I'm
immune to that ( I really am) and you're coming across as arrogant.....
So if you've got nothing constructive to say then best keep it to yourself, and if you look back you started being rude
way before me, spouting off about multi million pound transmitters...and how it was my equipment at fault not the transmitter, but as we know it can't be my equipment as my neighbours are not able to get channel 48 either, mass equipment failure on channel 48 in SA31 ????? (shock horror!!!!) calculate that on an MTBF of 30,000 hours times 7 dissimilar TV's and an 8 tuner media server.... I'll wait .....
if anyone has been arrogant it's been you, I was just letting you know you weren't talking to an idiot as you seem to have assumed I was from the get go :)
so yes I've got all the gear and more than an idea <smile>
Anyway channel 48 is still down (here)
and I do know what a NIT is and more importantly what it does, I'm also happy dealing with OFDM and QAM16/64 as it's extensively used in computing/crypotography as well, and I was using OFDM in the early 1980's in BID crypto systems all over west germany and America.
so yeah I think I know enough....
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M
Michael10:36 PM
North Devon coast at 23h34 : YESTERDAY on Channel 48 from Carmel received with some pixellation on an inside short log-periodic aerial. When I find time, I will put up a better and higher outside aerial.
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C
Chris.SE11:14 PM
Derek Brabrook:
Arqiva are telling me "There is no known technical issue following the clearance event on 17 July." They had the cheek to suggest using the Freeview advice line which I've told them is pointless with retune advice, do you have a wideband aerial, checked connection etc. I've got back to them with your postcode (again), I did have the cheek to ask if someone forgot to plug in a panel! I've asked them will they please investigate, so I'll get back to you if I hear more!
This is certainly a very strange situation.
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