First three channels Removed from Crystal Palace

[rolfw]

What are your analogue channels like at the moment Tivu, after switchover the main multiplexes will be going from 10KW to 100KW and at 8K, you may be pleasantly surprised. _http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=NZ148526

 

[Lazarus]

Yes, but we are a long, long way away - It's the only Transmitter with line of sight, but sadly the field strength here is way below what is required for consistent reception (albeit we do get a single MuX in certain propagation conditions).

The irony is that if I walk ten for ten minutes oop t'hill by the village, I can actually eyeball the mast at Bilsdale - a mere six or seven miles as the fly crows.

 

[2cvbloke]

The irony is that if I walk ten for ten minutes oop t'hill by the village, I can actually eyeball the mast at Bilsdale - a mere six or seven miles as the fly crows.

Just put in an aerial cable up to the point where you see Bilsdale and stick an aerial in up there... O-Ha

 

[rolfw]

Yes, but we are a long, long way away - It's the only Transmitter with line of sight, but sadly the field strength here is way below what is required for consistent reception (albeit we do get a single MuX in certain propagation conditions).

Yes, but with a 10 fold increase in signal, and a slightly enhanced aerial, you may get at least the main multiplexes, there have been some exception DX results with the new 8K signal, plus it works at much lower signal strengths on receivers.

 

[Lazarus]

Yes, but with a 10 fold increase in signal, and a slightly enhanced aerial, you may get at least the main multiplexes, there have been some exception DX results with the new 8K signal, plus it works at much lower signal strengths on receivers.

Oh, yes it may work - but we are informed it probably won't. The topography and distances are just wrong.

Anyway, I have removed the old Yagi, so if others in the village report success I might start from scratch with a new Antenna and any Masthead Amplification that might help.

But it seems a lot of effort just to get "Dave" !!!

 

[Lazarus]

Just put in an aerial cable up to the point where you see Bilsdale and stick an aerial in up there... O-Ha

When we first moved here eight years ago, the yokels said there had been talk of a Community Sponsored Relay ........ but along came Satellite and that solution never came to fruition.

I have taken my 2" Portable (TV, lest you wondered) up with me and of course the signal strength is massive - just can't see the screen too well!

 

[Lazarus]

What are your analogue channels like at the moment Tivu, after switchover the main multiplexes will be going from 10KW to 100KW and at 8K, you may be pleasantly surprised. _http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=NZ148526

Non-existent except when there's a lift of some sort.

I work in dB, and then those changes don't look so hot ............... !

As you say, the 8k may be a useful parameter though.


Edit: Sorry for answering all these Posts in the wrong order - we just tried to get my car up what is normally a passable metalled track up to the top of the moor and got thwarted by deep snow drifts (still) and nowhere to turn around. Had to reverse downhill for nearly a mile and am a bit discombobulated.

 

[Lazarus]

PS @ Rolf, I've had the site you linked to hand for a while and it is not exactly reliable: For our location it says we should be using Emley Moor, but nobody told them there is a firkin great hill in the way and we can't get a whiff.

Empirical is the only way. Suck it and see when the time comes.

 

[rolfw]

PS @ Rolf, I've had the site you linked to hand for a while and it is not exactly reliable: For our location it says we should be using Emley Moor, but nobody told them there is a firkin great hill in the way and we can't get a whiff.

Empirical is the only way. Suck it and see when the time comes.

I only use it for frequencies, maintenance reports and transmission power information, just going from a couple of instances down here, where previously reception was practically impossible, but after switch, received signal was massively improved, enabling across the board reception.

But it'll certainly be interesting to hear any reports of what your neighbours can receive after switchover.

 

[Lazarus]

All the more so as I will be the first port of call for most of the locals!

Kick one, and they all limp .................. :-df

 

[Channel Hopper]

Yes, but with a 10 fold increase in signal, and a slightly enhanced aerial, you may get at least the main multiplexes, there have been some exception DX results with the new 8K signal, plus it works at much lower signal strengths on receivers.

Not on a Bush TV/OnDigital receiver they won't.

Apparently there is going to be more misery on the 18th round here with more systems unable to get the new frequencies without a full factory reset, and then you have those in blocks of flats where the original installers thoughtfully fitted those fixed channelised filters/equalisers at £200 a pop.

 

[rolfw]

Well no of course you won't with some boxes, but they won't work wherever you are and no matter how strong the signal is if they won't accept the 8K signal. Lots of sets and boxes will require factory resets, early Phillips integrated DTVs in particular and some Sonys, but it isn't difficult. Also as of this afternoon, one of my customers had to factory reset his new Philips Freeview PVR to achieve a successful retune.

Regarding the channelised equalisers, they will in many cases, simply need removing from the system and even if they aren't removed or reprogrammed (if they are of the programmable type), the clusters are so close, the system will probably still work after a fashion and certainly on the three main multiplexes, as they are ex analogue frequencies. It's only where they have channelised amps where they'll need updating and most of those will have probably already been updated, or are scheduled to be so.

 

[2cvbloke]

Our Sony IDTV doesn't like current Freeview standards, the moment it hits the right frequencies, the retune thing just sits there indefinately, the solution is a firmware upgrade, but sony wants money for something that they should have done along time ago, but that said, the thing's dying, so there's no point in upgrading it's software, especially as it's being fed with a Humax F2 Fox-T box, though that box has some software issues (stops loading EPG data, then a while after that locks up completely) unlike my other one which is in my bedroom, which just works perfectly... O-Ha

I gave up with OnDigital boxes ages ago, I used my Nokia 9850T for parts to repair a similar Nokia receiver of cable descent (not mentioning details of that), and that was the end of that, I may still have the mother's post-ITV flop refurbished 9850T somewhere (cleaned up and sprayed silver, softare was still OnDigital though), but not 100% sure on that...

Digital TV, was meant to be universally available to all, but they keep chaniging it so you have to upgrade every few years....O-Ha

 

[rolfw]

On an early Samsung flat screen Freeview TV, I had to factory reset, then do an auto scan, having set the country, then after it failed to scan all of the channels, manually scan each multiplex at least twice for the channels to appear, but did work eventually. Signal was excellent, so just a quirk with the software.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Well no of course you won't with some boxes, but they won't work wherever you are and no matter how strong the signal is if they won't accept the 8K signal
.

The acceptance of the narrower carrier spacing is purely down to the software of the stbs, the circuitry within the units isn't the limitation, though many manufacturers would have you believe the root cause of their box being added to landfill is to do with the DSO.

 

[rolfw]

The acceptance of the narrower carrier spacing is purely down to the software of the stbs, the circuitry within the units isn't the limitation, though many manufacturers would have you believe the root cause of their box being added to landfill is to do with the DSO.

Yes, I appreciate it's a software problem, but if the manufacturers aren't providing over the air updates, then it might as well be a hardware problem, as in either case they won't work.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Yes, I appreciate it's a software problem, but if the manufacturers aren't providing over the air updates, then it might as well be a hardware problem, as in either case they won't work.

Some can't of course, as they are no longer in business (On/ITV Digital for example, though the actual manufacturers may still have staff with the know-how to provide a solution). Others are simply unwilling to provide their customers with an update.

Here is the latest list of equipment that is rated as 2k only, revised March 2011

_http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/21057/for_website_2K_only_models_ex_volumes_revised-Mar11.pdf

 

[Channel Hopper]

There is also a rumour circulating that some of the SetPal decoder boxes may start working again, owing to the NIT table shrinking after the DSO is completed.

 

[PaulR]

There is also a rumour circulating that some of the SetPal decoder boxes may start working again, owing to the NIT table shrinking after the DSO is completed.

I KNEW there was reason I didn't throw those two boxes away!

 

[Channel Hopper]

So, who is looking forward to wednesday's fallout ?