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Full Freeview on the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmitter

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The symbol shows the location of the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmitter which serves 720,000 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 Mendip (Somerset, England) mast?

Mendip transmitter - Mendip 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
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Which Freeview channels does the Mendip 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
C32 (562.0MHz)591mDTG-100,000W
Channel icons
1 BBC One (SD) West, 2 BBC Two England, 9 BBC Four, 23 BBC Three, 201 CBBC, 202 CBeebies, 231 BBC News, 232 BBC Parliament, plus 17 others

PSB2
D3+4
 H max
C34 (578.0MHz)591mDTG-100,000W
Channel icons
3 ITV 1 (SD) (West), 4 Channel 4 (SD) South ads, 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 (West),

PSB3
BBCB
 H max
C35 (586.0MHz)591mDTG-100,000W
Channel icons
46 5SELECT, 101 BBC One HD West, 102 BBC Two HD England, 103 ITV 1 HD (ITV Meridian Southampton), 104 Channel 4 HD South ads, 105 Channel 5 HD, 106 BBC Four HD, 107 BBC Three HD, 204 CBBC HD, 205 CBeebies HD, plus 1 others

COM4
SDN
 H max
C48 (690.0MHz)591mDTG-8100,000W
Channel icons
20 Drama, 21 5USA, 29 ITV2 +1, 32 5STAR, 33 5Action, 38 Channel 5 +1, 41 Legend, 42 GREAT! action, 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 max
C33 (570.0MHz)591mDTG-8100,000W
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 max
C36 (594.0MHz)591mDTG-8100,000W
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

LBS
 H -10dB
C30 (546.0MHz)591mDTG-1210,000W
Channel icons
from 22nd September 2014: 7 Made in Bristol,

DTG-8 64QAM 8K 3/4 27.1Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
DTG-12 QSPK 8K 3/4 8.0Mb/s DVB-T MPEG2
H/V: aerial position (horizontal or vertical)

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

regional news image
BBC Points West 0.9m homes 3.4%
from Bristol BS8 2LR, 25km north (3°)
to BBC West region - 60 masts.
regional news image
ITV West Country News (East) 0.9m homes 3.4%
from Bristol BS4 3HG, 23km north (11°)
to ITV West region - 61 masts.
All of lunch, weekend and 50% evening news is shared with West Country (West)

Are there any self-help relays?

CheddarTransposer15 km E Weston-super-Mare1674 homes
LuccombeActive deflector6 km w Minehead38 homes

How will the Mendip (Somerset, England) transmission frequencies change over time?

1984-971997-981998-20102010-132013-182013-1727 Feb 2018
C/D EEEC/D EC/D E TW TW T
C30_local
C32BBCA
C33com7com7
C34D3+4
C35com8com8
C36ArqB
C37C5wavesC5waves
C48SDNSDNSDNSDN
C49tv_off BBCABBCA
C51tv_offLBSLBS
C52tv_offArqBArqBArqB
C54tv_offC4wavesC4wavesC4wavesD3+4D3+4D3+4
C55tv_offcom7tv_off
C56tv_offArqAArqAArqACOM8tv_off
C58tv_offBBC1wavesBBC1wavesBBC1wavesBBCBBBCBBBCB
C61ITVwavesITVwavesITVwavesBBCA
C64BBC2wavesBBC2wavesBBC2waves

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 24 Mar 10 and 7 Apr 10.

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

Analogue 1-4 500kW
Analogue 5(-6dB) 126kW
SDN, ARQA, ARQB, BBCA, D3+4, BBCB(-7dB) 100kW
com7(-8.4dB) 72.4kW
com8(-8.6dB) 69.1kW
Mux 1*, Mux 2*, Mux A*, Mux B*, Mux C*, Mux D*, LBS(-17dB) 10kW

Which companies have run the Channel 3 services in the Mendip 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. Mendip 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.

Comments
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
J
Jonathan
1:35 PM
Radstock

I'm trying to manually tune my Panasonic recorder (EX768) into channel 67 in order to regain the Arquiva B stations that used to be on 59. When I scan for them, all channels come up with 10 for both signal quality and strength, but after I press EXIT (as directed in the handbook) none of the stations are saved.

(This manual tuning process worked fine after the analogue switch-off - when it was necessary because the auto-tune saves only Stockland Hill channels, not Mendip, with loads of interference.)

I've tried disconnecting everything except the Scart lead for the (analogue) TV. I'm reluctant to do a complete re-tune again, in case I'm unable to save even PSB channels after I've cleared them. I have no other digital receivers to compare.

Any other suggestions, please?

Curiously, my DVR is Panasonic, bought 2010, and I live in Midsomer Norton - all similar to Andre Fournier above.



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Jonathan's 6 posts GB flag
Jonathan's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
J
Jim F
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

7:55 PM

Panasonic equipment tend to be a bit keen to come up with a "new signal found" message and ask for a retune (unless you turn the message off).
I've seen Panasonic kit also baulk at a signal that it regard as "too strong" and then decide to choose the signals from a distant relay Tx.
I'd suggest a signal attenuator for your aerial lead - just for retuning purposed (so the box or TV can't see the weak signal and the strong signal isn't too "bright" for it. Probably need as much as 18dB, maybe more.

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Jim F's 141 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
J
Jonathan
10:10 AM

Jim F: Thanks for your attenuator suggestion. Your theory sounds very plausible, as we have two signal boosters - one on the (very high) roof aerial itself and another in the loft - that were necessary before Mendip's switchover. (We live behind a hill.)

It may be that the signal would now benefit from permanent attentuation, as we are still getting traffic interference (also boosted I presume) on some PSB channels, notably C4, but I'll try it first just for retuning. I presume that a variable attentuator would be best, esp. if it may be needed permanently. Most seem to be 20db max - would it be worth spending more on a 25db max?

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Jonathan's 6 posts GB flag
J
Jim F
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

7:36 PM

Jonathan: I'd hesitate before recommending permanent attenuation. I have a box of attenuators so I can choose the value that I need (but I also have a meter which means I'm not having guess the signal power). I know a chap that lives almost directly underneath the Clennon Valley relay Tx - his aerial points to Beacon Hill (main Tx) and his Panasonic kit (TV & DVD recorder) needs 42dB of attenuation for tuning, but works fine when that's removed and it gets the full whack. Without the attenuator, both will tune themselves to the Occombe Valley relay (next nearest), which gives pixellation 'cos the power is low & quality poor.
I'd suggest trying the aerial without any boosters - it may have helped for analogue, but digital may not need them.
24dB is the highest attenuator I use - doesn't cost any more than the 3, 6, 9 (or 10), 12 or 18dB attenuators (have a look at CPC), or you could get one of those little variable ones (don't think they go up beyond 20dB though).
Traffic interference - is your coax in good condition (i.e. hasn't got a break in the jacket & screen)?

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Jim F's 141 posts GB flag
Thursday, 17 March 2011
J
Jonathan
2:21 PM

Jim F: Thanks for the further advice. Our boosters were actually for the digital signal (analogue was fine!) before Mendip itself boosted the power - on PSBs - at switchover. Of course, the problem is that they've always boosted the traffic inteference too, which used to be far worse before switchover, so I doubt the coax has deteroriated. The entire system was checked or modified three times by different professional engineers, and there was no real improvement until Mendip's switchover, and then only on PSBs. For almost 10 years, digital TV here was only watchable during the middle of the night.

After switchover, we did try taking out the loft booster but then the signal disappeared completely on all channels. The booster on the aerial itself is almost inaccessible; the roof is so high and dangerous that even experienced engineers are reluctant to go on it!

The variable attentuators on eBay seem to go up to 25db, but these cost quite a bit more than the 0-20db ones.

link to this comment
Jonathan's 6 posts GB flag
Saturday, 19 March 2011
J
Jim F
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

8:59 PM

Jonathan: Interesting reading about your setup and performance. I think you're saying you have a masthead amp and a further amp (distribution?) in the loft.
You're 10.7km from Mendip, with the edge of a hill (Folly Hill / Clapton) slightly in the way of the signal.
Pre-switchover, I'd expect the adjacent analogue channels would've made things tricky except for MUX C and D (UHF 56 and 67) which weren't adjacent.
Post-switchover, those PSBs are up at 100kW whilst two COMs are at 10kW and your elusive Arq B is at 26kW (on UHF 67).
When you removed the loft amp, did you put in something to provide power up to the masthead amp? Without any power it wouldn't give you any signal. I'm hoping that your loft amp "is" providing power up to the masthead (and isn't full of mains ripple on top of the 12VDC).
Looking at the map, I'm still concerned that you're needing any amplification - there should be loads of signal, and no interference from traffic at all.
When you get the traffic causing trouble, does this show on the Panasonic power / quality indicators?

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Jim F's 141 posts GB flag
Sunday, 20 March 2011
M
Mr. M. Brooks
9:10 AM

with regard to channels 12 Yesterday and 15 Film 4. The signal we receve from Mendip Transmitter is low however, sometimes we get good reception and other times nothing at all or picture breakup.Our aerial is on the roof in the correct position. Since the digital change we had several months with no trouble at all but recently we get this problem. Can you suggest a reasonfor this.

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Mr. M. Brooks's 4 posts GB flag
J
Jonathan
11:32 AM

Jim F: Yes, there's a masthead booster and a loft booster (just for the one receiver). I can't recall exactly what happened when we tried to remove the loft booster - I didn't do it personally, but I think we tried different ways of re-connecting it, then just let it remain.

Since switchover, I've been almost happy with the stronger PSB channels, but sometimes during afternoons - and particularly when rainy - the traffic interference will occur maybe 3-4 times an hour on Channel 4 (and the weaker multiplexes). We live on an increasingly busy crossroads and the interference can usually be linked to mopeds, passing or waiting at the junction. I haven't tried monitoring the signal strength when it happens (I rarely watch live TV).

I tried the variable attenuator (at different settings) yesterday while trying to save the Arq B channels, but the Panasonic - while finding them easily - still refuses to install them, whether on the normal full signal strength or anything lower. Maybe I'll have to try a full re-tune but I worry I'll lose the other muxes too. I think I'll ask on AV Forums to see if anyone else has trouble re Mendip and Panasonic equipment on UHF 67.


link to this comment
Jonathan's 6 posts GB flag
J
Jim F
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

11:23 PM

Jonathan: I'm thinking that the retune event for Mendip on 11th January has changed both the Arq B MUX frequency and the programme content.
Prior to 11th Jan, the MUX was operating in 2k mode on UHF59 with the "pre-switchover" channel lineup (i.e. no HD programmes, and with things like BBC Four and the BBC radio programmes).
After 11th Jan, the MUX is now operating in 8k mode on UHF67, and may also have the "post-switchover" channel lineup (i.e. HD programmes only, no radio at all).
Manually tuning your Panasonic to UHF67 should show a full (green) power bar, but nothing for the quality bar (unless your recorder has an HD tuner?). There will still be a number 10 at the end, but there wouldn't be any (green) bar at all.

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Jim F's 141 posts GB flag
J
Jim F
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

11:34 PM

Oops - that's cobblers what I've just typed Jonathan.
I've sent a mixed MUX message - sorry; please ignore above!
The change to the MUX (2k to 8k) is right, but the programmes (Film4 etc.) are similar to what they were before.
The full retune for the Panasonic may well be the next thing to try - it could well be holding on to the old tuning information for these channels. You'd have to make sure the box had completely "forgotten" any of the old tuning info and then start from scratch.

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Jim F's 141 posts GB flag
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