All posts by MikeP
Below are all of MikeP's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Sandeep:
Presuming you are talking about oss of Freeview services, a post code is needed to determine which transmitter is likely to be the more likely for you to receive Freeview programmes.
It is possible that by doing the retune you have now removed all the channels you were getting so if the problem was a temporary fault you would need to retune again when the fault has cleared. Did you check with neighbours who use Freeview whether they had lost programmes?
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M
BBC Freedom Of Information - transmitter radiation patterns | BSaturday 25 April 2015 8:06PM
Trowbridge
Ken:
With regard to the appearance of a transmitting aerial seeming to be a single vertical pole, what you are seeing is merely a non-conductive protective 'sleeve' covering the active elements of the actual aerial system. Often, the active elements are formed by a series of trapezoid slot aerials which are spaced around a cylinder, the signal forming a resonance pattern that is either vertical or horizontal - but you can't physically see that unless the protective cover is removed. The polarity of the radiated signal is determoned by that resonance pattern and by making the trapezoidal slots have either a vertical or a horizontal pattern affects how you need to fit your receiving aerial.
Main transmitters generally radiate omnidirectionally, that is to say all around them. The more local 'lite' transmitters often use aerial systems designed to only radiate in specific directions. Some of these use aerial systems that are on one ot two side of the mast so producing a directional readiation pattern. Often done to control potential interference with other transmissions.
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M
BBC Freedom Of Information - transmitter radiation patterns | BSunday 26 April 2015 8:22PM
Trowbridge
Ken:
No matter what colour it appears to be, it started out as white, usually a matt finish, and probably has become covered in atmospheric 'grime'. The covers are always as electrically non-conducting as is possible, so rather more like an insulator, so the signal can be radiated from the actual active aerial elements within. The 'reflectance' is as near zero as possible to allow the RF signals to radiate out of the covering, hence the careful choice of materials. They do not need to be optically transparent at all as light as we see it has a wavelength between 450nm and 850nm roughly whereas TV signals in the Bands 4 and 5 used for terrestrial television and 4G mobile signals is in the range from around 0.75m at 400 MHz down to about 0.375m at 800 MHz (300MHz = 1m wavelength, SEE Frequency - Wavelength Chart for more values). The prime purpose of the covering is weather protection.
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M
Crystal Palace (Greater London, England) Full Freeview transmitSunday 26 April 2015 8:37PM
Trowbridge
Rob:
There may be no cessation of SD transmissions and the timing of the introduction of transmissions that can only be received by DVB-T2 equipment is entirely in the hands of Ofcom. A DVB-T2 tuner is capable of receiving SD (whether contained in a DVB-T1 or DVB-T2 multiplex) and HD signals in a DVB-T2 multiplex only (at present), so for manufacturers it makes more sense to sell DVB-T2 equipped TVs that can be used with currently planned transmissions for at least the foreseeable future. Some sources suggest that by around 2019/2020 all, or at least most, multiplexes will be DVB-T2 format, in the meantime the number using only DVB-T2 is likely to increase. Not all programmes will be broadcast in HD though, many are not yet produced in HD and recordings will be in SD so will have to be transmitted as SD even though they are in an HD-capable multiplex.
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M
Can I use my digital freeview box abroad and receive English chWednesday 29 April 2015 10:20AM
Trowbridge
Bontcho:
There is no way you could receive Freeview channels 'off air' as being in Bulgaria you are far too far away from the ground-based transmitters in the UK - the signals hardly get to France, Belgium or Holland so will not reach Bulgaria.
The Sky box 'may' be able to receive some signals providing you have a large enough dish installed aimed at the satellites at orbital position 28.2 and 28.5 degrees East above the Equator - but you should check whether any of the radiation patterns for the Astra series of satellites actually cover your particular location. Look at
Satellite Footprints - SES.com
or at https://ukfree.tv/extr…nts. The latter seems to suggest that you may be able to get some channels from the Eutelsat 28A Super beam rather than the Astra (used by Sky) satellites, there is a list of channels given. You will need a fairly large dish to get these signals as strengths are quite low.
You may be able to get some signals from other satellites in different orbital positions but may well need a different dish aimed at the alternative orbital location. The Sky box may not be able to receive those signals so some 'universal' satellite receiver may be needed instead.
I suggest asking a local satellite equipment supplier local to your home about what is possible and what is needed to view the programmes that may be receiveable.
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M
Can I use my digital freeview box abroad and receive English chThursday 30 April 2015 9:28PM
Trowbridge
Bontcho:
Freesat uses the Astra satellites for the programme content and none of those satellites covers Bulgaria. The Eutelsat 28A satellite is only used to provide the EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) information but not the programmes. A website at Satellite for caravans. (Satellite TV at home and abroad) states " freesat does indeed use the Eutelsat 28A satellite but only to carry the EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) and the operational software. All the TV channels will continue to come from whichever satellite they currently use, one of the 2 new satellites the Astra 2E and 2F".
So there is no way to get FreeSat in Bulgaria I'm afraid.
The only possibility to get UK programmes would seem to be via the Internet - but you need a good connection that is fairly fast (at least 5Mbps but faster would be better with less 'buffering') and I don't know what sort of internet coverage you have in Bulgaria.
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Pam:
It appears that a retune is needed on the TV that is not getting5USA on Channel 21. Other TV sets you may have that do get it probably have automatically retuned themselves - some TV sert do that without warning.
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Grant:
For any contributor to this site to offer any meaningful assistance we would need to know your location. You can best do that by providing a Post Code (or that of a nearby shop or Post Office). Then it would be possible to work out exactly where you are in relation to the transmitter you mention and any surrounding hills or tall/solid buildings - even houses can block TV signals!
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robertsamaniego:
Sky programmes are not available outside of the UK service area. The Astra satellites used by Sky only serve parts of Europe, mainly the UK, and do not cover anywhere else.
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Friday 17 April 2015 10:32PM
Trowbridge
Sami:
The Freesat signals do not cover Ethiopia at all so there is no way to receive the services that way.