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All posts by Chris.SE

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

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Upgrading from Sky to Freesat | Freesat
Monday 22 August 2022 10:07PM

StevensOnln1:

Whilst it's a shame that so many posters don't come back to say how they got on, or provide extra info, perhaps you could still add some info about sky boxes and free-to-air viewing for my edification if for no-one else"!

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C
Upgrading from Sky to Freesat | Freesat
Monday 22 August 2022 10:38PM

StevensOnln1: Thanks for that.
Can you list the encrypted free to view channels for future reference?

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K Stewart:

Need some more information to make a more informed comment. Need a full postcode to check your predicted reception.
If you've been retuning at times when the signal has gone, this often just clears the correct tuning and you may have been tuned to the wrong transmitters if more than one was receivable at the time due to recent weather conditions.
Check you are correctly tuned, see the post before yours for UHF channels numbers etc.

If your reception is normally a bit marginal, there are two likely, maybe 3 possibilities.

Current weather conditions - Tropospheric Ducting - causing interference from more distant transmitters in Europe or the UK. This can be very variable and is usually short term at any instant but conditions have been persisting for several days, different parts of the UK are being affected at different time. Both Freeview and the BBC have issued warnings about short term interference to reception.

To compound matters, the Durris transmitter has been listed for Planned Engineering in recent weeks, if that work is continuing, there's the possibility of "Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels" which in weaker signal areas could mean no signal especially with adverse weather conditions.

IF the problem is occurring at EXACTLY the same time each day, it could be electrical interference coming from something recently being used or gone faulty - discharge lighting - fluorescents, street lights permanently on/flickering, electric motors in fridges, maybe central heating etc. LED lighting gone faulty. You need to check around what comes on at the time interference starts, it could even be at a very near neighbour.

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Steve:

The BBC have in fact reported a fault at Mormond Hill -
DAB: Off the air due to a fault from 22 Aug 11:26 until 22 Aug 15:48. .

There are also two other possibilities ongoing.

There's been some Freeview transmitter engineering at some of the nearby Relay transmitters and this could also be affecting DAB signals to some others.

Current weather conditions - This can affect DAB and Freeview.
Tropospheric Ducting - causing interference from more distant transmitters in Europe or the UK. This can be very variable and is usually short term at any instant but conditions have been persisting for several days, different parts of the UK are being affected at different time. Both Freeview and the BBC have issued warnings about short term interference to reception.

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C
Upgrading from Sky to Freesat | Freesat
Tuesday 23 August 2022 9:15PM

StevensOnln1: Thanks, all noted.

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Scott Baker:

It's not currently listed for Planned Engineering and I can't find any listing of a fault BUT as it's a Relay of Waltham and Waltham is listed, work there could be having an effect.

Also, it might be Current weather conditions -
Tropospheric Ducting - causing interference from more distant transmitters in Europe or the UK. This can be very variable and is usually short term at any instant but conditions have been persisting for several days, different parts of the UK are being affected at different time. Not all multiplexes will be affected at any instant. Both Freeview and the BBC have issued warnings about short term interference to reception.

IF you were correctly tuned, Do NOT retune, whatever the cause, as this usually just clears your correct tuning if you have no signals or badly pixellated pictures. You'll then have to retune again when signals are normal and as you won't know when that is you may have to try several times.

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C
ITV HD
Saturday 27 August 2022 4:57AM

Leadley:

There are two other things worth noting.

Apart from providing that full postcode, so we can look at predicted reception, Heathfield has been currently listed for Planned Engineering so it's possible this may have had an effect on your reception of the HD multiplex. IF you retuned when you had no signal / badly pixellated picture, it most likely will have cleared the correct tuning.

IF you have retuned check in your TV Tuning Section that your are correctly tuned to Heathfield's UHF channels.
In the order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6
The UHF channels are C41, C44, C47, C40, C43, & C46
See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which channels are carried on which multiplex.

The other issue that could have compounded matters is Current weather conditions -
Tropospheric Ducting - causing interference from more distant transmitters in Europe or the UK. This can be very variable and is usually short term at any instant but conditions have been persisting for several days, different parts of the UK are being affected at different time. Both Freeview and the BBC have issued warnings about short term interference to reception.

If you are only missing the HD multiplex, try a manual retune of UHF C47.

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R Russell:

Well as it so happens if this is a recent occurrence - you don't say how long this has been the case - it could well be Current weather conditions -
Tropospheric Ducting - causing interference from more distant transmitters in Europe or the UK. This can be very variable and is usually short term at any instant but conditions have been persisting for several days, different parts of the UK are being affected at different time. Not every multiplex will be affected, nor necessarily more than one at any time, it will depend on where the interference is coming from.
Both Freeview and the BBC have issued warnings about short term interference to reception.

Although there is some slight variability across your postcode, you are predicted to get good reception from Lark Stoke for all 6 multiplexes, COM6 is only fractionally less good in some spots, in others it could be COM5!
The aerial should be pointing at a bearing of 90 degrees (that's due E) with its rods (or squashed Xs) vertical, although reception can be affected by very local conditions such as trees, other buildings, (any scaffolding or metal chimneys etc) height of aerial and so on.
You don't say how old the aerial is. If it's an old Group A (pre-DSO), it will not have good reception of COM6 on UHF C48, and if it is that vintage, I would question the quality/current state of the coax which could also reduce the strength of the higher frequencies if there has been any water ingress at any time.

Check you are correctly tuned to Lark Stoke's UHF channels as per the post before yours.

Your postcode is predicted to get quite variable (PSBs) to poor (COMs) reception from Ridge Hill, bearing 257 degrees (12 degrees S of due W) with its rods horizontal. A Group A aerial would suffice.
On the other hand, its predicted to get very good reception from Sutton Coldfield, bearing 6 degrees that's just E of due N, with the rods horizontal. A Group B aerial would suffice.
Again reception can be affected by very local conditions.

In all cases a quality Group K aerial will cover all transmitters, although Group T and Widebands can be good enough, it will depend on the particular model of aerial and local signal strength.


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Keith Bacon:

Do you have a decent internet connection? You can get BBC News HD on iPlayer.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/rec…com7

You can obviously get a lot of other HD and some UHD stuff on iPlayer. ITV Hub is being "upgraded" at the end of September but I don't know what range of stuff is available in HD, and there is other Apps and on-line players. Not the same or as "usable" as changing channels on Freeview I know.

Your set may have a built-in Satellite tuner, in which case you could consider using Freesat - so you'd only need a Dish and LNB. There's a good choice of HD channels there apparently.

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C
Details of BBC_Radio_Leeds DAB radio station
Tuesday 30 August 2022 9:19PM

BARRY STEPHENSON:

As this is not the broadcaster's website (it's an independent help-site) we can't answer that directly.
However, see the five posts before yours for some further information.

You'll need to ask the station directly to get a clear answer. They have a twitter account @BBCLeeds but see BBC - About Radio Leeds for more information and how to contact them.




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