All posts by Steve Donaldson
Below are all of Steve Donaldson's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Roger F C Alban: Further to my earlier comments on the previous page, if the TV aerial feeds via a set-top box (i.e. the aerial cable comes in and goes into the set-top box then out and into the TV) try feeding it directly into the TV.
If the aerial cable has one end plugged into the wall and the other into the TV or set-top box, swap with another lead if you have a spare. Swap things where you can to prove or disprove them to be at fault.
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Amy: If the cable runs into the house and to one TV then a few possibilities spring to mind:
1. The centre core of the coax has broken at some point, whether where it connects onto the aerial or at the connector at the TV end. Or it has broken somewhere along its length, in which case this may mean replacement of the coax.
2. A strand of the outer braid is touching the centre conductor at some juncture.
3. Some part of the aerial has broken, perhaps cracked.
Tuning information for Durris is:
PSB1 BBC A C28
PSB2 D3&4 C25
PSB3 BBC B C22
COM4 SDN C23
COM5 Arq A C26
COM6 Arq B C30
You should attempt manual scan of these channels. The "C" number is the UHF channel number (frequency) to tune to. The multiplexes are sometimes referred to as "PSB#" or "COM#" or using the name of the operator, and I have given both.
The list of Freeview programme channels is here. You can work out which multiplexes you are short of and try doing a manual scan for them:
Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview
Once you have all the channels stored, don't retune as all this does is wipe the memory. With the tuning in place then any failure to show a picture is a fault elsewhere and resetting and retuning results in two problems: an untuned TV and no signal.
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Robert H. Wood: It's now on logical channel number 38:
Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview
The change happened on 21 June:
Latest channel launches and changes on Freeview | Freeview
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Brian Butterworth: The Emley Moor TV transmitter is not loading. It is "no more".
https://ukfree.tv/transmi…Moor
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Sharon Simms: It sounds like you have it all in hand. Let us know how you get on, and when you get it resolved for everybody.
As for receiving the full complement of Freeview channels from Sutton Coldfield, then this will not be easy, it could potentially be variable, and how successful or variable it may be could vary across the village.
Even where an aerial has been installed with all channels received, it doesn't mean it will definitely remain like that at all times. Where reliability is more important, such as for the elderly, then it may be better to stick with the more limited choice from the Brailes relay because reception is more reliable.
As you probably know, Castle Hill is responsible for a shadow in the signal from Sutton Coldfield in Lower Brailes. Jeffs Close and the area around it is in the greatest part of the shadow. That is, if one draws a line from the transmitter to that location, the line intersects the highest part of the hill, including the castle. Thus, the people in this area may be expected to have greatest difficulty.
Freesat is the free-to-air satellite service and this may be worth considering to extend the range of channels without having to subscribe to Sky. With the elderly there are factors to consider, chiefly how they will handle a different piece of equipment which may work differently to the one they currently have.
It is possible to get TVs with Freesat in-built. This gets around the potential issue of having to have a separate Freesat box as this may complicate matters when it comes to using the TV and Freesat box together, as in having to have the TV set to the input from the Freesat box. That said, if the Freesat box has a remote that can work the TV then this may allow the volume to be turned up and down, and TV powered on and off.
At one time TVs had numbered buttons, volume up and down, and power on and off, these being the main ones that are required. The introduction of on-screen menus and teletext brought with them extra buttons that can complicate and confuse elderly users, particularly where they press one accidentally and then do not know what to do to resolve the situation, such as pressing the button to exit the menu if the menu has been entered.
Please do let us know how you get on, and when and how it is resolved.
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Sharon Simms: It should be added that TV reception, particularly in difficult areas, can vary from property to property. What the situation is like in practice at any property, and across the wider area, can only be determined by an engineer "on the ground" (or "on the roof", in this case).
That the Jeffs Close area is in the biggest part of the shadow of the hill is a fact, hence my "greatest difficulty" comment. This is from a broad assessment of the area, more a statistical probability of what the situation might be in general. In reality, each case requires its own specific assessment. With obstructions in the way (e.g. trees and buildings) varying from property to property this impacts chances of success and reliability, and therefore level of difficulty.
If someone in the worst spot, with the tallest obstruction in the way, can receive, don't take it that everyone else will be able to. It may be hit and miss, plus the fact that how variable it is may vary.
With the elderly in particular, it might be better to go with more reliable and less choice of channels.
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Graham, Guil : It's because the journalists are on strike:
BBC South: Journalists strike again over Radio Solent cuts | Daily Echo
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Adam Jackson: See here for the memorandum of understanding (MoU) co-ordination plans between Ireland and the UK on the post-700MHz Clearance channel allocations:
www.comreg.ie/publication/mou-co-ordinate-dtt-frequency-plans-ofcom-comreg
By my reckoning Mount Leinster is on a bearing of around 300, which is 120 from the transmitter. It uses C23 and C26, both of which are used by Carmel and Stockland Hill.
For Mount Leinster on both these channels, the MoU states -10dB from 102 to 128 (for Carmel), and -3dB from 129 to 135 (for Stockland Hill).
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Sunday 16 July 2023 8:50PM
Bob: Group K is the new "wideband" for C21 to C48. Group A is C21 to C27.
More information here:
Wideband / grouped TV aerials A.T.V. Poles, Brackets, Clamps & Aerials