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All posts by Richard Cooper

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


Pete Barnby: Hi Pete Barnby. This is Richard, just south-west of Norwich city centre, writing at 10:02 on Thursday 2nd June 2016. I am achieving 99% signal level and 99% quality on mux PSB1 (BBCA). My barometer tells me that the atmospheric pressure is currently 1020 millibars, which is high, and this could be causing you issues if you are in Barnby. I must say that I tend to experience issues on mux PSB2 (D3+4), which contains ITVAnglia and Channel 5, as well as mux LNR(LOCM) which contains Mustard TV, although this does transmit at 1/10 of the power of most of the other muxes. When atmospheric pressure is high, the only thing you can do is to wait until it lowers, assuming you have checked all of the obvious things like aerial lead connections, condition, fixings and alignment of your aerial, etc. Incidentally, it would be interesting to hear the specs of the aerial you are using, as well as the length and type of aerial (coax) cable. Perhaps you will make another posting to ukfreetv, Pete Barnby. all the Best, Richard, Norwich.

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Goodbye BBC Red Button!
Thursday 2 June 2016 10:33AM
Norwich

Nick Anderson: Brian's website already makes clear which channels are HD only, but the following summary might help you: LCN 45: Film4+1, LCN 57 (VIVA), a music channel, LCN 63 (Community Channel), LCN 67 (CBSReality +1), LCN71 (CBS Drama), LCN 77 (Rishtey Europe), 78 (5USA+1), 81 (TalkingpicturesTV), 101 to 113 (main HD channels), 123 (CBBC HD), 124 (CBeebies HD), 134 (Al Jazeera Arabic) and 733 (Trans World Radio). This list was produced on Fri 20th May and so was accurate on that date. There may, of course, have been changes since, of which I am unaware! Hope the above info helps you: I gleaned all of this info. from Brian's ukfree.tv website, of course! Richard, Norwich, Thurs 2nd. June 2016.

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Mendip (Somerset, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Thursday 2 June 2016 10:53AM
Norwich

GEM: As I mentioned in my post replying to Nick Anderson, high atmospheric pressure can indeed affect digital terrestrial television (DTT OR 'Freeview') television reception and if everything such as your aerial (type & condition), aerial alignment, aerial cable (type and length) and connectors have all been checked, and you have also carried out a 'first time installation' retune recently, then you have done all you can, and you simply have to wait until the weather changes and you have low atmospheric pressure again. If you are using the Mendip transmitter, make sure you are using a group E or a wideband aerial, horizontally polarised.Also check whether there are many 4G phone masts close to your location. If there are you may need a 4G filter. You can get them free via the at800 website. Hope the info I've provided here will help you. Richard, Norwich, 2nd June 2016.

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Mendip (Somerset, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Thursday 2 June 2016 11:06AM
Norwich

Martin B: Hi Martin B. There are no faults or engineering work taking place at the Mendip transmitter at the moment and CITV is currently transmitting, "The Dawn of Morphos (Part 2), which looks very exciting! You could watch it live on the itv hub instead of getting it from Freeview. Your Freeview reception may be marred due to high atmospheric pressure, which is dominant across southern UK at present! Hope this helps, Richard, Norwich, 11:05 on Thursday 2nd June 2016.

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Alex : Hi Alex in Iver. Are you sure your Freeview receiver or box can decode HD (high definition) signals? I ask because COM7 is an HD multiplex rather than a standard definition (SD) multiplex. Standard definition (SD) receivers will not list HD multiplexes or channels on them when you carry out a service search or retune even if you do a manual tune, because they can't decode HD. You can purchase an HD set-top box for 43 online. I checked myself just the other day when my Freeview HD receiver failed: it simply connects via the HDMI connection to your tv set! Hope this helps, Richard, 11:18, Thursday 2nd June 2016, Norwich.

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sarah fitzgerald: You have 'no carrier found' would suggest that you have 'no signal'. Have you checked Brian's transmitter engineering listings for the Huntshaw Cross, Devon transmitter? Now, on 2nd June, no transmitter or engineering work is taking place, although work had taken place towards the end of May! Suggest, if you are still having issues, you check all aerial connections and then carry out a full retune. Make sure you choose 'first time installation' from the tuning menu, NOT simply 'add channels'!!! hope this helps, Richard, Norwich, 11:28, Thursday 2nd June 2016.

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Map of all DAB transmitters
Sunday 5 June 2016 5:51PM
Norwich

Peter: I have been researching DAB and the Isles of Scilly for you over the past couple of days, Peter. Having consulted several sources, including Government DCMS, Ofcom, Frequency Finder, mb21, a516 digital and Digital Spy, I can find no current plans for DAB on the Isles, carefully checking both the Freeview Lite/ FM transmitter as well as the Maritime & Coastguard transmitter, which carries Radio Scilly 107.9. My friends who are interested in radio are surprised, especially bearing in mind that the Isles have Freeview provision. There was mention of Orkney, Shetland and Scilly Isles DAB in an Ofcom document in 2012, but apparently no further mentions since. I see that Guernsey are going to get a BBC National DAB transmitter, like Jersey has. Your nearest DAB transmitters are Helston, St Just and Redruth, St Just being a relay of Redruth anyway. If you consult the Frequency Finder website, you can investigate transmitter powers for these transmitters. Hope this helps, Richard in Norwich, Norfolk.

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pick
Sunday 5 June 2016 8:07PM
Norwich

Idris new: Hi Idris, I had difficulties receiving 'Pick' towards the end of May too, but I was lucky that it did keep itself in the channel list. Pick is carried on the COM5 multiplex, which, on my transmitter is not transmitted from the full height of the mast. It might have been that, or it could have been high atmospheric pressure conditions. I would suggest you carry out a full re-tune after checking all your aerial leads and connections first. Make sure you do a 'first time installation', rather than the 'add channels' choice. I hope this information is of some help to you, Richard, Norwich, Norfolk. Pick is working well again at the time of writing this, Sunday, 5th. June at 8:00 p.m.

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All of the free TV channels in the UK
Sunday 5 June 2016 8:17PM
Norwich

byron felson: Hi Byron. If showbiz- tv has been removed from the GI Manchester mux, it could still appear in your channel list on channel 80. To find out if they have removed it, you need to carry out a full retune. If it is not listed AFTER you have done the retune, then you know for certain that they have pulled it! Remember that a full retune is the same as a first- time installation, not just the 'add channels' retune option! Hope this helps you, Richard, Norwich, Norfolk.

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More BBC Local Radio stations will be available on Freeview in some areas from tomorrow, Monday, 6th June. The additional stations will be in the channel range 719 to 734. In addition to the local radio station that was on there before, the Beeb are adding other nearby BBC local radio stations that might interest you. Not all regions will get the additional stations tomorrow, but your local station will tell you when it is available on Freeview tv, if you continue listening to it in whichever way you normally do, such as on FM, AM, DAB or online!

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