Maidstone Area - Best Transmitter ?

[Channel Hopper]

More Specifically the Paddock Wood / Wateringbury villages to the South West of Maidstone.

Without travelling there to check, three clients have never had full digital broadcasts (the main BBC mux has eluded all of them, with other broadcasts in varying quality). Their analogue stuff was apparently OK before the April DSO.

From a distance perspective I would say that Crystal Palace should be receiveable, but then I know of the hills just north of Tonbridge may be in the way.

What other transmitters and which groups/polarity have people had success with, ?

Is there any other work due in Kent - Tunbridge Wells (or more specifically St Marks - Freeview Lite) or has the DSO upgrade been and gone ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[rolfw]

Bluebell Hill is an option, but not being local, I can't confirm that. Might be worth PMing Robbo.

 

[Captain Jack]

Bluebell Hill is worth a try but I had horrible issues with it in Chatham. In Tunbridge Wells - I think it has its own transmitter, not sure. And Paddock Wood isn't far from there.

 

[Channel Hopper]

• Thanks, yes Tunbridge Wells is a standalone transmitter and the closest, though why it's not providing them with signal I'll probably only find out when I get on site.

Oh well, load up the van with as much obselete kit as I can find in the shed and park - sorry - travel on the M25 (again)

 

[Channel Hopper]

Update

Horrible, absolutely horrible. I knew that as soon as I got on site and saw antennas pointing in at least three different directions, but since the client had a motorised system already there was little chance of fitting another dish.

The whole of Wateringbury on the terrestrial transmitter coverage maps is a white smudge, no green showing at all.

With an 18 element Triax antenna there was no signal from Tunbridge Wells and only the merest with a masthead amp (and odd as many other neighbours had their aerials on H polarity but the maps show vertical muxes). Swinging round to Crystal palace also showed nothing useful.

Nothing from the other transmitter on the south coast, or the one at the far end of Kent either.

Bluebell Hill was putting out a reasonable set from ITV as per the first post but this would fall away as I moved the aerial round to get the others, the BBC mux coming in once I had moved it nearly 20 degrees anti clockwise, but I couldn't get both.

So in the end the solution was add the second aerial (on a separate mast), second cable to the living room, and fit a loft box behind the TV, and insert the new signals using the CCTV port into the system.

Almost half a days work on a wet mossy tiled roof, with all manner of slugs climbing onto the cat-ladder to inspect my work.

 

[Captain Jack]

Ouch. I am very surprised at this. There must be some black spot there with Tunbridge Wells area being quite hilly. I lived on a hill there so I guess it helped with tranmissions.

 

[dxsat]

Tunbridge Wells has two local transmitters: St. Marks and Castle Hill ( which I think is confusingly now known as Tunbridge Wells, even though it is closer to Tonbridge ) Tunbridge Wells does not have a clear view to the north-east where you were working. It is on a north-facing hill overlooking Tonbridge but has clear line of sight in most of Tunbridge Wells central area.
The vast majority of people in the wider area receive Bluebell Hill. Bluebell Hill was notorious for problems in the past. Analogue C4 was widely separated from the other channels , engineers always complained digital TV never worked properly.
Some people receive Heathfield and even Dover around here. The higher parts of Tunbridge Wells in the St. John's area and Broadwater Down areas can receive Crystal Palace.
Wateringbury is so low-lying that there are always going to be problems.
St Marks is located in Tunbridge Wells town but is very low power and be received only in a small central zone. It is now "Freeview Light'.
I receive a good signal from Heathfield in Goudhurst. Crystal Palace can be received in the high part of the village.

 

[Channel Hopper]

If you put postcode ME18 5NZ into any of the Freeview reception sites you will see what I was up against.

 

[Captain Jack]

"Good news. You should be able to receive all the Freeview channels.

See which channels are available from the list below.

Freeview is the simplest way to get digital TV. It's a one-off payment with no monthly subscription.

As long as your rooftop aerial is in good condition you can get Freeview now."

 

[Channel Hopper]

Which site - and which drugs are they on ?

 

[Captain Jack]

-http://www.freeview.co.uk/availability

 

[rolfw]

I've had properties 50 metres apart which have had vastly different reception, hence why they ask for a house number, but even then, it can only be a general answer.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Forgetting Brighton and Hastings.