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All posts by Kevin Barrett

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


Retuned and BBC channels are now from Chiseldon repeater. Picture slightly better but still intermittently freezing. To me this proves that the repeater is receiving and rebroadcasting a poor signal as the Mendip signal is still fluctuating all over the place but, despite freezing, Chiseldon is solid at 72% strength and 100% quality.
This seems to be a repeat of yesterday; OK(ish) through the day but deteriorating in the evening.

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Dave Lindsay / JB38: I don't think it is aerial or corrosion or even local interference especially as my wife and kids remind me that we had very similar problems through certain times in the winter of last year and I had forgotten that. Also why be perfect for 6 hrs today and then give problems from about 17:00?
I guess it could be water ingress but, with exception of connection at roof aerial, I have checked all cables and there isn't any corrosion or water ingress.
Also when connection to the loft aerial facing Chiseldon that is new cable top to bottom.
I have, as above, tried turning on and off all electrical appliances including heating appliances, mobile phones, dimmer switches etc.
Thank you for the current advice but I am now banking on checking with the neighbours unless there are more thoughts.
If I do concede poor aerial connection as a possibility and get an installer in to look at the aerial connection (I am not going onto the actual roof myself - told old for that now) I will upgrade the aerial and get all new double insulated foam down cable.

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Mendip (Somerset, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Wednesday 26 December 2012 10:16PM

Question: if I do consider upgrading the aerial what should I buy? The upgrade path for Mendip as the 800MHZ band is cleared isn't obvious.
Will the powers that be really force those of us in fringe areas through an upgrade path possibly involving multiple aerials, filters and diplexing or will a new aerial be designed that focuses on channels 21 - 59 and not tuned for the 800MHZ range?

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Mendip (Somerset, England) Full Freeview transmitter
Wednesday 26 December 2012 11:41PM

If, as I expect, my neighbours are experiencing the same problems (Mendip and Chiseldon relay freezing on BBC) who do I report it to?

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Further thoughts on interference.
If it is local RF interference (however caused) it only affects the following channels (frequencies):-
Chiseldon = 27 (522MHZ)
Mendip = 61 (794MHZ)
With all other Channels (frequencies) on both transmitters being rock solid it must surely be a problem between Mendip and Chiseldon transmitter.
Wouldn't local interference be too much of a coincidence to affect only two frequencies and both those to be the ones transmitting or relaying BBCA and some 270MHZ apart without affecting anything in between.
If it is local interference then I think it is time to call the experts as looking at it like this I am certain my neighbours will confirm they have the same problems.

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jb38: Thank you for the advice. We do suffer very windy conditions here as it is high and very exposed will this rear fix aerial safely mount - I guess I rely on my installer for advice.
Will the very directional nature prevent use of the XB22WB and why is it so hard to get it perfectly aligned?
While Mendip is obscured if my aerial was 15m above ground level then it would have line of sight so that obscuring is only slight. (Checked on megalithia.com)
Some aerials here do point at Oxford and that is far more obscured than Mendip.

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