Arqiva press release on Oxfordshire switchover
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV From Arqiva press office:
NEWS ALERT
Date: 28 September 2011
DSO completed for Oxford transmitter group
The Digital Switch Over process for the Oxford transmitter group, serving Oxfordshire and parts of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, has been successfully implemented by Arqiva.
The public-service multiplexes are now being transmitted at full power from the main station at Oxford and, for the first time, from its five dependent relays at Ascott under Wychwood, Charlbury, Guiting Power, Icomb Hill and Over Norton.
The 'commercial' multiplexes (Oxford only) do not reach their final DSO powers until April 2012, as planned.
Following the analogue switch-off for BBC Two on 14 September, the remaining analogue signals for BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 ceased by 00:01 on Wednesday 28 September. The new digital signals entered official service at Oxford at 06:00, with the last of the relays completed by 12:33.
Help with Freeview, aerials?
In this section
Monday, 3 October 2011
T
Tim11:10 PM
Didcot
Stranger and stranger. I've just run the aerial into the TV (Toshiba Regza 32XV505D)and the offending channels have come through perfectly.
Which suggests that the Humax is the problem. But with a top of the range modern unit, why would that be?
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Tim's: mapT's Freeview map terrainT's terrain plot wavesT's frequency data T's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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Suzanne11:21 PM
Bicester
Tim, just seen your posting. What is HUMAX?
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Suzanne's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
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Suzanne1:11 AM
Bicester
Oh thanks Tim..I thought it was something I needed for my BUSH Digital TV..and didn't have!
Enough problems as it is!!
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Suzanne's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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Chris.SE10:25 AM
Hi all, sorry not to have been able to get back sooner. Well done jb, you've picked up a couple of points I was thinking about on Saturday.
I did consider this "direction" thing but with it being N & NNE and 8 miles apart, I have totally discounted any sort of null in the signal. If there was one, a lot more people would be complaining!
One rather obvious things that we haven't checked with Simon And Tim is neither of you are in flats are you?
And the other thing for all of you is, have you check you haven't got any LCN's (Logical Channel Numbers - ie freeview channel numbers as opposed to UHF channel numbers the muxes are on) up in the 800's ?
Other than that, some boxes/sets/tuners can be VERY temperamental when is comes to tuning where there are offsets and other factors such as modes, FEC differences etc. Older Humax PVR's have been a problem in the past (there is a current download for some) and owners have to do a manual tune. It's possible this latest T2 is also buggy!
So this is all I can suggest at the moment, especially in the absence of whether the neigbours have any similar problems -
Suzanne, Simon & Tim -
First, do a full factory reset/new install with the aerial unplugged - sorry this is boring I know, then double check you have absolutely no LCN's at all - ie the set/box is completely clear.
THEN you're going to need to do a manual tune - if you don't know how to, get your User Guide/Manuals out!
Do UHF channel 59 FIRST and no others and see what results you get - make a note of indicated signal strength, quality etc and any other information the box/set is giving you.
Then try the others UHF channels in this order C60, C53, C55, C62 and for HD only C57.
Make notes as you go.
Good luck, report back, we may have other ideas depending on the outcome.
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KMJ,Derby11:45 AM
Tim: Check if moving the HDMI cable affects reception of C59.
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jb3812:29 PM
Tim: The simple way to check what transmitter you are receiving from is by carrying out a signal check whilst you are on a particular channel, and as well as the strength / quality being shown for that channel a multiplex number will also be seen, all you then do is to cross check this number with the Mux numbers used by the station you require, if it doesn't match then it will do on some other station that's shown as a possibility for reception. (obtained via DUK's Post Code reception checker / clicking trade)
Anyone who experiences one or two channels with radically different stability levels compared to the others after a re-tune should always carry out this check, this just to make sure that a Mux from another station hasn't taken up a low EPG position and shoved the one wanted up in the 800 range.
Regarding Mux Ch59, even although I mentioned the other person reporting it as being OK at OX10, I don't however know just exactly how much by, as if a Mux is received at a low signal strength "but stable", it will give exactly the same quality viewing as one that's 100% quality, but I think its obvious that Mux Ch59 on its present temporary low power level is causing great problems for quite a few dependant on the prevailing local conditions.
Regarding your test made with the Toshiba, "if" the aerial you fed into it was exactly the same one as used into the Humax then I am a bit surprised, as Humax boxes have excellent tuners as far as sensitivity is concerned.
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Suzanne12:54 PM
Bicester
Chris: I have tried your recent suggestion - unplug aerial etc, manual re-tune, did everything as you stated, but still no Ch59!
I guess I will have to knock on someones door and ask, but as I've said before I don't really know my neighbours. Not sure if this is important, but as you mentioned flats, I thought it might be worth mentioning I'm in a bungalow. Next door to me as Sky ( they have a dish on the side of their bungalow) but wouldn't think this would affect me. Especially as everything was working until last wednesday. Does anyone know yet if the signal being transmitted is at full strength.
From JB: " due to Simon reporting that he couldn't get a signal from Mux Ch59 on another set either, this getting back to the angle that both Simon and yourself are located at from the transmitter, and whether or not the signal radiated is temporarily restricted in a N/NE direction as well as its power being kept low, as its something that rings a bell about having read this somewhere a while back on another technical site, albeit this not seemingly published. " I feel I may as well give up, but after buying a new TV and an outdoor aerial..I'm left with little more than the old Analogue channels.
:(
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Suzanne's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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Mike Dimmick1:31 PM
jb38: C59 is the only one of the lower-power multiplexes adjacent to another mux. Even at its current lower-than-final output it is more than twice the power of pre-switchover Multiplex C, and should have similar noise characteristics: though the relays at Lambourn, Chisbury, Hemdean and High Wycombe are closer than the nearest relays that previously used C51, Chisbury and High Wycombe will continue to use C59 after DSO, so I have to assume they aren't a major problem. ArqA does need a bit more than double power compared to Mux C, due to the mode change, but it should be roughly equivalent in coverage.
Given all that, I suspect people having problems with C59 are quite likely to have too much signal - see Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice for more information.
Otherwise I'd be looking for a device with an RF output on C50, C54, C58 or C59 which could be generating local interference. I would expect other multiplexes to suffer as well, though, at least with some of those frequencies. See Single Frequency Interference for the sort of thing to look for, and don't rule out your Freeview box itself, it may have an RF output particularly if it's an older model.
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Mike Dimmick1:34 PM
Tim, Suzanne, Simon, Ron Valentine: Having looked at the Digital UK predictor's results, which show 99-100% probabilities across the board, the problem is very likely indeed to be too much signal.
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