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Full Freeview on the Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) transmitter

first published this on - UK Free TV
sa_streetviewGoogle Streetviewsa_gmapsGoogle mapsa_bingBing mapsa_gearthGoogle Earthsa_gps51.818,-4.067 or 51°49'5"N 4°4'3"Wsa_postcodeSA14 7NA

 

The symbol shows the location of the Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) transmitter which serves 72,000 homes. The bright green areas shown where the signal from this transmitter is strong, dark green areas are poorer signals. Those parts shown in yellow may have interference on the same frequency from other masts.

Are there any planned engineering works or unexpected transmitter faults on the Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) mast?

Carmel transmitter - Carmel transmitter: Possible effect on TV reception week commencing 25/03/2024 Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels Digital tick


Choose from three options: ■ List by multiplex ■ List by channel number ■ List by channel name
_______

Which Freeview channels does the Carmel transmitter broadcast?

If you have any kind of Freeview fault, follow this Freeview reset procedure first.

Digital television services are broadcast on a multiplexes (or Mux) where many stations occupy a single broadcast frequency, as shown below.

MuxH/VFrequencyHeightModeWatts
PSB1
BBCA
 H max
C23- (489.8MHz)411mDTG-20,000W
Channel icons
1 BBC One (SD) Wales, 2 BBC Two Wales, 9 BBC Four, 23 BBC Three, 201 CBBC, 202 CBeebies, 231 BBC News, 232 BBC Parliament, plus 14 others

PSB2
D3+4
 H max
C26 (514.0MHz)411mDTG-20,000W
Channel icons
5 Channel 5, 6 ITV 2, 10 ITV3, 13 E4, 14 Film4, 15 Channel 4 +1 South ads, 18 More4, 26 ITV4, 28 ITVBe, 30 E4 +1, 35 ITV1 +1 (Wales),

PSB3
BBCB
 H max
C29 (538.0MHz)411mDTG-20,000W
Channel icons
46 5SELECT, 101 BBC One HD Wales, 102 BBC Two HD Wales, 104 Channel 4 HD South ads, 105 Channel 5 HD, 106 BBC Four HD, 110 Channel 4 HD (Wales), 204 CBBC HD, 205 CBeebies HD, plus 1 others

COM4
SDN
 H -3dB
C33 (570.0MHz)411mDTG-810,000W
Channel icons
 E4 (Wales), 20 Drama, 21 5USA, 29 ITV2 +1, 32 5STAR, 33 5Action, 38 Channel 5 +1, 41 Legend, 57 Dave ja vu, 58 ITVBe +1, 59 ITV3 +1, 64 Blaze, 67 TRUE CRIME, 68 TRUE CRIME XTRA, 78 TCC, 81 Blaze +1, 83 Together TV, 89 ITV4 +1, 91 WildEarth, 209 Ketchup TV, 210 Ketchup Too, 211 YAAAS!, 267 Al Jazeera English, plus 30 others

COM5
ArqA
 H -3dB
C36 (594.0MHz)411mDTG-810,000W
Channel icons
11 Sky Mix, 17 Really, 19 Dave, 31 E4 Extra, 36 Sky Arts, 40 Quest Red, 43 Food Network, 47 Film4 +1, 48 Challenge, 49 4seven, 60 Drama +1, 65 That's TV 2, 70 Quest +1, 74 Yesterday +1, 75 That's 90s, 233 Sky News, plus 11 others

COM6
ArqB
 H -3dB
C48 (690.0MHz)411mDTG-810,000W
Channel icons
12 Quest, 25 W, 27 Yesterday, 34 GREAT! movies, 39 DMAX, 44 HGTV, 52 GREAT! romance, 56 That's TV (UK), 61 GREAT! movies extra, 63 GREAT! romance mix, 71 That’s 60s, 73 HobbyMaker, 82 Talking Pictures TV, 84 PBS America, 235 Al Jazeera Eng, plus 18 others

DTG-8 64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)

The Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) mast is a public service broadcasting (PSB) transmitter, it does not provide these commercial (COM) channels: .

If you want to watch these channels, your aerial must point to one of the 80 Full service Freeview transmitters. For more information see the will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? page.

Which BBC and ITV regional news can I watch from the Carmel transmitter?

regional news image
BBC Wales Today 1.2m homes 4.7%
from Cardiff CF5 2YQ, 68km east-southeast (122°)
to BBC Wales region - 206 masts.
regional news image
ITV Cymru Wales 1.2m homes 4.7%
from Cardiff CF5 6XJ, 68km southeast (127°)
to ITV Wales region - 206 masts.

Are there any self-help relays?

AbergorlechActive deflectorDyfed5 homes
CwmereActive deflector11 km NE Aberystwyth10 homes

How will the Carmel (Carmarthenshire, Wales) transmission frequencies change over time?

1984-971997-981998-20092009-132013-182013-1717 Jul 2019
C/D EC/D EC/D EC/D EC/D E TC/D E TW T
C23BBCA
C26D3+4
C29BBCB
C33SDN
C36ArqA
C48ArqB
C49tv_off ArqBArqB
C53tv_offC4wavesC4wavesC4wavesD3+4D3+4D3+4
C54tv_offSDNSDNSDN
C55tv_off_local_local_local_local
C57tv_offBBC1wavesBBC1wavesBBC1wavesBBCBBBCBBBCB
C58tv_offArqAArqAArqA
C60tv_offITVwavesITVwavesITVwaves -BBCA-BBCA
C61ArqB
C63BBC2wavesBBC2wavesBBC2waves

tv_off Being removed from Freeview (for 5G use) after November 2020 / June 2022 - more
Table shows multiplexes names see this article;
green background for transmission frequencies
Notes: + and - denote 166kHz offset; aerial group are shown as A B C/D E K W T
waves denotes analogue; digital switchover was 26 Aug 09 and 23 Sep 09.

How do the old analogue and currrent digital signal levels compare?

Analogue 1-4 100kW
BBCA, D3+4, BBCB(-7dB) 20kW
SDN, ARQA, ARQB(-10dB) 10kW
Mux A*(-13dB) 5kW
Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux B*(-16dB) 2.5kW
Mux C*, Mux D*(-20dB) 1000W

Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Carmel transmitter area

Jan 1958-Jul 1968Television Wales and the West
Jul 1968-Feb 2004Harlech Television
Feb 2004-Dec 2014ITV plc
Feb 1983-Dec 1992TV-am•
Jan 1993-Sep 2010GMTV•
Sep 2010-Dec 2014ITV Daybreak•
• Breakfast ◊ Weekends ♦ Friday night and weekends † Weekdays only. Carmel was not an original Channel 3 VHF 405-line mast: the historical information shown is the details of the company responsible for the transmitter when it began transmitting Channel 3.

Is the transmitter output the same in all directions?

Radiation patterns withheld

Comments
Saturday, 20 July 2019
N
nobody
sentiment_satisfiedBronze

5:03 PM

Roger mellie : 80 to 85% of what exactly; the manufacturer's totally meaningless arbitrary scale?

Isn't it nice to hear from a real, qualified, expert on here again!



link to this comment
nobody's 47 posts SE flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:50 PM
Carmarthen

Roger mellie:

I'm afraid I agree with nobody & a human. BTW there's lots of Blue books, you don't seem willing to give much detail yet willing to criticise all and sundry and it comes as no surprise that you don't give a monkies about what any of us think.

Not that I agree with various bits of information that's on the Digitaluk Coverage checker BUT it's usually right when it says what the most likely transmitter is, but you seem to want to disagree with them for the SA31 3NL postcode where it clearly gives Carmel as the most likely transmitter and predicted reception is also better from Carmel especially the COM muxes, so how do you figure that Preseli is the "preferred" transmitter? I think you are just here causing trouble, so far your "comments" haven't really been constructive and what you claim to be constructive advise isn't really either.

Derek isn't the only one complaining about reception problems, now either Arqiva have changed the radiation pattern since the retune event - which doesn't seem to agree with their predicted reception, or there's some mysterious as yet to be identified fault. I think the latter, and I also agree that "advice" & "information" from Freeview that has been sought about this is as usless as a "chocolate teapot". They are dishing out standard "boiler-plate" responses about retuning advice, oh and I heard similar regarding Mendip when people contacted them about a new aerial where there are supposed to provide assistance.

Derek Brabrook: & Michael:

Is the situation still the same, you and neighbours not getting COM6?

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Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
Chris.SE's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

7:00 PM

Pete:

At the moment several of us think that there's an issue at the transmitter probably with the antenna. If you are still having a problem, ring the Freeview advice line on 0808 100 0288 and complain that you have followed the retuning advice and still have a problem and also there seem to be a number of people complaining about reception problems from Carmel especially in a general Southerly & Westerly direction.

link to this comment
Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
Sunday, 21 July 2019
M
Michael
sentiment_satisfiedGold

11:07 AM

Sunday 21 July, midday : On the North Devon coast, Carmel channel 48 received. Weak signal, but without pixelation. Reception here is affected by the high tidal range in the Bristol Channel affecting the signal to varying degrees. So the Carmel transmitter is operating as scheduled. Both Arqiva-A and Arqiva-B are weaker transmitters, so can be the first to "wobble" in adverse propagation conditions. If others are not receving Carmel ch 48 overland (ie in South Wales) it just might be that the radiation pattern has been modified by Arqiva to address possible interference with the Ilfracombe relay.

I look forward to further reception updates from South Wales!

link to this comment
Michael's 869 posts GB flag
M
Michael
sentiment_satisfiedGold

11:33 AM

Postcript: to receive the new wider range of frequencies from Carmel on channels 23-48 (490-690 MHz) a wide-band aerial (eg a "log-periodic) will be necessary unless a strong signal is received.

link to this comment
Michael's 869 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:31 PM
Carmarthen

Michael:

Thanks for the update, yes I'm looking forward to reception updates from SouthWales.
Whilst you correctly point out that a Wideband, group T (or group K) aerial is now required, the first issue was with C48 which should be no real problem for a C/D (even ancient un-enhanced) group aerial. Pete's issue with C36 would be similar, but neither have complained about the other lower UHF channels.

IF the radiation pattern has been modified (quite possible as you suggest) the predicted reception for SA31 3NL (and direction) doesn't fit with that, and SA18 is pretty close & to the SE and I'd be extremely surprised if it'd been reduced in that direction. But then nothing would surprise me, I've come across some strange cock-ups with predicted reception over the years.

This current situation has been very strange.

link to this comment
Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
Chris.SE's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:40 PM

Pete:

Just had a thought, you haven't got any other "boxes/recorders etc" that have an RF output that might be set to a channel at or close to 36? If so, reset them to a channel above 48 or even above 56.

Derek Brabrook:

I expect you might have thought of that one, but I don't know if your system scans would show a non-digi RF signal. Might be worth checking if your neighbour isn't in that boat!

link to this comment
Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
D
Derek Brabrook
10:05 PM

ohhhhhh touchy touchy Mellie....

Actually most of the entire estate use Carmel ..... it is by a long shot the strongest signal and the most popular, preseli drops out in bad weather and when the trees start sprouting leaves

also half of the estate is behind a very large hill which is directly in front of the preseli transmitter which rules out using it if you're behind it, but you can't have missed it if you allegedly drove past ? did you manage to pick up channel 48 btw with your whizz bang kit, you didn't mention that?

Just for a giggle on friday I went onto the schools roof and swung the antenna to point at preseli the media server picked up all the Mux's from Preseli albeit with some drop out (which is why it was originally changed to Carmel)

I swung it back after the test as the signal really isn't good enough....too many drop outs and pixelation

Carmel's signal is strong enough to not even require an outside antenna but from preseli it needs a good antenna and some amplification, so you're wrong on that point for a start.

My antenna is wideband it's also only 18 months old, and no they are not overloading the frontends of my 8 tuners, the profiler equalises the signal coming in, levels it off BEFORE feeding it to the distribution amplifier

The media server is tapped off the profiler (not the distribution amp) on the test connector which gets the automatically balanced signal, it's also attenuated by 30db so it's not coming off the distribution amplifier at all.

Oh and I've also since taken the raw feed bypassed the profiler and put that into a tuner and that is dead on channel 48, I've also taken the raw feed and put it through a domestic 20db amplifier and still no channel 48, so wideband antenna straight through which allows all the other mux's but strangely 48 isn't even detected....weird no ?

it has worked previously and faultlessly for years like that, the signal improved with the new wideband antenna.


but that STILL doesn't answer why my neighbours cannot get channel 48 either.... does it ?

and it still doesn't fly with no problems before the switchover but now I and others have problems

occam's razor again....

Now if you can't be civil don't bother trying to help because all you're doing is trying to wind me up and I'm
immune to that ( I really am) and you're coming across as arrogant.....

So if you've got nothing constructive to say then best keep it to yourself, and if you look back you started being rude
way before me, spouting off about multi million pound transmitters...and how it was my equipment at fault not the transmitter, but as we know it can't be my equipment as my neighbours are not able to get channel 48 either, mass equipment failure on channel 48 in SA31 ????? (shock horror!!!!) calculate that on an MTBF of 30,000 hours times 7 dissimilar TV's and an 8 tuner media server.... I'll wait .....

if anyone has been arrogant it's been you, I was just letting you know you weren't talking to an idiot as you seem to have assumed I was from the get go :)

so yes I've got all the gear and more than an idea <smile>

Anyway channel 48 is still down (here)

and I do know what a NIT is and more importantly what it does, I'm also happy dealing with OFDM and QAM16/64 as it's extensively used in computing/crypotography as well, and I was using OFDM in the early 1980's in BID crypto systems all over west germany and America.

so yeah I think I know enough....







link to this comment
Derek Brabrook's 8 posts GB flag
M
Michael
sentiment_satisfiedGold

10:36 PM

North Devon coast at 23h34 : YESTERDAY on Channel 48 from Carmel received with some pixellation on an inside short log-periodic aerial. When I find time, I will put up a better and higher outside aerial.

link to this comment
Michael's 869 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:14 PM

Derek Brabrook:

Arqiva are telling me "There is no known technical issue following the clearance event on 17 July." They had the cheek to suggest using the Freeview advice line which I've told them is pointless with retune advice, do you have a wideband aerial, checked connection etc. I've got back to them with your postcode (again), I did have the cheek to ask if someone forgot to plug in a panel! I've asked them will they please investigate, so I'll get back to you if I hear more!
This is certainly a very strange situation.

link to this comment
Chris.SE's 4,101 posts GB flag
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