All posts by MikeP
Below are all of MikeP's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
kamran akram:
HD stands for High Definition, meaning the pictures are made up using the equivalent of 1080 lines rather than 720 line equivalwent for Standard Definition (SD). To view in HD you need an HD equipped TV/STB, many TVs that claim to be 'HD ready' do not have the equipment internally to receive the HD signals but they can display them if you use a Set Top Box (STB) that *is* HD equipped. It appears that it will be more important in the forthcoming few years to have equipment that can receive HD signals as Ofcom, the regulator, seems to be planning for more and more HD type signals that cannot be received by non-HD equipped TVs or STBs.
As for the programming, may I suggest you contact the broadcasters themselves as this site is entirely independent of them and cannot influence what programmes or content they show.
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eddie greenwood:
This website is not connected with any TV service provider. I suggest you direct your question to the company operating the service you are enquiring about.
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Tania:
Which TV channel are you wanting to watch? If the service you want is available via the Internet, you may be able to watch it that way, if it's allowed in your country of residence. If you are outside of the UK, you may well not be able to receive any Freeview signals at all and there may only be limited Freesat reception. Sky do not normally allow reception outside of the UK.
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M
What size dish is required to recieve broadcasts from the AstraThursday 7 May 2015 11:17PM
Trowbridge
Ole Olsen
If you look at the coverage map above your post you will see that the Astra UK beam does not cover Jutland at all. As it is a highly directional beam, there is no realistic chance of getting usable signals, not even with a 1.2m dish!
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Michael John Wheble
If you wish to suggest to the operators of the Thats Oxford channel, I suggest you contact them directly, see their own website at That's TV
Your question and comments are not relevant on this website which is primarily intended to assist viewers having technical difficulties with several broadcast sevices from Freeview, Freesat, Sky, etc.
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Rob
Whether you use a solid or perforated dish makes not the slightest difference to the way it reflects the microwave signals onto the input horn of the LNB. A perforated dish has the advantage of allowing airflow through, so reducing the wind loading that can cause mis-alignment plus they tend to be a little lighter so reducing the load on the mountings. The holes/perforations are too small to affect the ability to reflect the signals onto the LNB. Having a clean surface that repels water is a good idea though. The key factors on how efficient dishes are is largely determined by the effective diameter of the said dish, a larger surface area 'collecting' more signal to be reflected, and how well the surface curvature is formed to focus accurately into the LNB horn. All the advice on dish size is based on using a conventional perforated dish and would be identical if you used a non-perforated dish. You can work it out if you understand spherical geometry at microwave wavelengths.
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M
Crystal Palace (Greater London, England) Full Freeview transmitMonday 11 May 2015 8:11PM
Trowbridge
Tony
You can have Sky in any single room in the house. It can be your bedroom if that is where you want it and it will have no effect on your Mum's TV reception. You will have a dish fitted and the cable(s if you order Sky+) can normally be fed into the bedroom. If/when you contact Sky to order, tell them it is for a single room installation that happens to be a bedroom.
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Rob
I wrote the original installation and service manuals for both the dishes and set top boxes needed for Astra reception in 1988 and 1989 and subsequently those for BSB Squarials and receivers. As a senior technical trainer and manager, I too know what I'm talking about, especially as part of my thesis was on satellite receiving and transmission systems. (But I chose not to use my full title on these pages.)
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Saturday 2 May 2015 8:15PM
Trowbridge
Rob:
In the near future, Ofcom are likely to authorise more changes to the frequencies used for DTV. Those will make most 'grouped' aerials redundant if the are unable to receive a satisfactory signal in Band 4. A Group A could work for most multiplexes but may not be good for some of the HD ones coming soon. Group B and C/D will be of little use after the expected changes. A good Log-Periodic, such as a log36 type, is more likely to be capable of giving reliable reception now and after the changes. An alternative is a Group K aerial which is likely to cover the needed frequencies.
Buying a grouped aerial is not a good idea in view of the expected alterations to enable more of the UHF spectrum to be sold to mobile operators.
Much of what Anthony stated is quite valid. Just because grouped aerials are available does not mean they will serve for as many years as people expect.