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All posts by Steve Donaldson

Below are all of Steve Donaldson's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.


Richard Holloway: There are ongoing engineering works at the Wrekin transmitter, according to Freeview. It is possible that this could be the reason for the issue arising.

In terms of what you can do then try a manual scan of UHF channel 47. This is the broadcast channel used by the Wrekin for the programme channels you have cited.

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Charles Hussey: SSEN reported a power outage at the transmitter site, reference NY0093. This was shown on SSEN's map ten minutes or so ago, although now I have refreshed it is no long visible, so I assume power is back on again. The power cut was reported at 09:29 today and there is/was an aim to restore power by 16:00 today.

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SDL National multiplexes
Friday 14 June 2024 8:24PM

Marton Hayes: It is no longer available on the Wolverhampton & Shropshire DAB multiplex. See Ofcom's Radio Broadcast Update for April 2024:

Radio broadcast update April 2024 - Ofcom

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Bert: While not related to your query, noting that in a 2018 posting you gave your postcode as in Sittingbourne, if you are not already aware, a new TV transmitter at the Stockers Hill reservoir came on the air in November 2019.

It is horizontally polarised and carries all six multiplexes. It is a single frequency network with Bluebell Hill, meaning it transmits in time with and on the same UHF channels as Bluebell Hill. If you have reception issues with Bluebell Hill it might be worth realigning your aerial to Stockers Hill at 1.7 miles out.

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Denise Joyce: Freeview publishes a list of transmitters with ongoing engineering works here:

Planned engineering works | Freeview

The transmitter in question is known as 'Hastings' and it does not appear on the list.

The two UHF channels you are having difficulty with are the two highest, with the worst affected being the highest, 30. The next one below 28 is 26, which is COM5 / Arq A multiplex.

Freeview has published a list of programme channels including which multiplex ('mux') they are on:

Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview

Multiplex channels from the Hastings transmitter are:

PSB1 - BBC A - C25
PSB2 - D3&4 - C28
PSB3 - BBC B - C22
COM4 - SDN - C23
COM5 - Arq A - C26
COM6 - Arq B - C30

The 'C' numbers are UHF channel numbers, the broadcast channel shown by your TV.

One possible cause could be interference from a nearby mobile phone base station that has just started operating in the frequency band which was previously used for TV. Restore TV is the organisation responsible for alleviating such interference. They will send a filter out which will filter out the mobile signal, stopping it from getting to your TV. Enter your postcode into their site to see if they have sent you a postcard, meaning they think there is a possibility the base station could be an issue for reception:

https://restoretv.uk/post…ure/

Most people have a TV aerial that connects directly to the TV, without any amplifier or booster. If that is you, then a filter that goes behind the TV is suitable.

If you have an amplifier such as on the roof or in the loft then any filter will need to be fitted before the amplifier. In such circumstances, you should tell Restore TV you have an amplifier and if it is in an inaccessible place, such as on the roof, they should send an engineer out to fit a filter.

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Paul Maidens: Virgin Anthems is carried on the Sound Digital national commercial multiplex which does not have a transmitter in Cirencester, and this is why the signal will not be as good, particularly as you get lower down, including and in particular in the town centre.

Sound Digital (SDL or Sound Digital Limited) is the newer of the two national commercial multiplexes and it was launched in 2016. Its coverage isn't as great as the other, as it uses fewer transmitters. The other multiplex, Digital One (D1), broadcasts from the Cirencester transmitter, to the north of the town. Blunsdon is your closest SDL transmitter, and it transmits D1 as well.

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G Crawford : Do you have Sky Mix on 11 and Really on 17?

If not then it looks to be a reception issue. I say this because these channels are carried on the same multiplex (same signal) as Sky Arts on 36. They are all on COM5 / Arq A multiplex.

A full list of Freeview programme channels, including multiplex ('mux'), is here:

Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview

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Emley Moor (Kirklees, England) transmitter
Saturday 13 July 2024 5:03PM

Jason: As per Chris.SE's comment, a potential possibility other than engineering works is a nearby phone mast. Noting that there are communal residences within your postcode and your reference to 'my residence' which makes me think you might be in a property served by a communal aerial system, then remediation for any mobile interference would rest with the party responsible for the system.

At your location the Belmont transmitter might be available. If it is a communal aerial system then it might be filtered so as to allow through from the aerial only the channels used by the designated transmitter. However, if it is not then it might provide useful reception of Belmont, as a workaround while Emley Moor is inadequate.

Try a manual scan on UHF channels 22 and 25, which are Belmont PSB1 / BBC A (BBC standard definition TV) and PSB2 / D3&4 (ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5 and other sister channels) respectively. The HD multiplex from Belmont is on C28, so try a scan of that too if your TV has a HD tuner.

Also, look in the logical channel numbers 800 upwards to see if there is BBC One Yk&Li. If it is present, this will be BBC One from Belmont. See what reception is like from Belmont; it might offer a temporary fix.

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Martin: Restore UK is the organisation charged with alleviating interference to TV reception from mobile phone masts that have begun operating on frequencies previously used for TV (on what was previously the top end of the TV band of frequencies). They notify properties they think could have an issue by sending a postcard. I checked by entering your postcode and it says they haven't sent you a postcard, so it would seem that we can rule that out: https://restoretv.uk/post…ure/

At 28 miles out from the transmitter, you have line-of-sight providing there are no local obstructions such as trees or buildings. There are quite a few trees, particularly some bigger ones to the north of Haywards Lane. Many properties on your road could have one or more trees in the way. Some of these are bungalows which are not able to get their aerial up as high as houses. I wonder whether the issue might be a tree. The leaves begin in spring and, being summer now, their foliage is at its densest. Might this account for your degradation in reception?

Another question is whether you have a signal amplifier (booster) connected in your aerial system. If you do and it is to feed multiple rooms, then if it is accessible I would be inclined to try disconnecting it, connecting the incoming aerial feed directly to one of the rooms and see if it resolves the issue.

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Martin: Other types of cable running near to an aerial lead can sometimes impact the signal. This could include HDMI, Ethernet and USB cables, among others. Try removing such cables or at least moving them away from the aerial lead and see if it makes a difference. It may be useful to have the signal information/signal strength screen showing on C35 (by selecting one of the HD channels) when you do it as this might give a better indicator than just having one of the HD programme channels on.

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