Freeview: Sudbury Arqiva multiplex B changes 16 November - retune required | Digital switchover
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Sudbury Arqiva multiplex B changes 16 November - retune required

Viewers in Suffolk and Essex that use the Sudbury transmitter will need to retune their Freeview boxes on 16 November 2011.

Viewers in Suffolk and Essex that use the Sudbury transmitter w
Published on by on UK Free TV
After 6am 16th November 2011, viewers in Suffolk and Essex who receive the full Freeview service from the Sudbury transmitter will need to do a full retune of their Freeview boxes - you must perform a "first time installation" retune (sometimes "Factory Reset" or "Shipping Condition") to ensure you can watch the all the available Freeview channels on the correct channel numbers.

The ArqB multiplex is moving from C50 to C63 for seven months. There will be no changes to the power level or transmission mode parameters of the service. C50 is required for the ArqB at the Tacolneston transmitter digital switchover next wednesday.

Sudbury not see the commercial multiplexes operating at their final power levels until 27th June 2012. On this date SDN will move to C58, ArqA to C60 and ArqB to C56. Until this time some viewers on the edges of the service area for the transmitter will be unable to receive the commercial services.







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Ed Hogbin
Tuesday 6 December 2011 10:18PM
You really shouldn't need a mast head amp if you live in Sudbury. Anyway, with some different atmospheric conditions I am now picking up Channel 63 with Film4 and Yesterday + the others with my old roof top aerial.

It is true that tuners have automatic gain control, so you are more likely to pick up the weak signal if you do a manual tune on chanel 63.

I did email DigitalUK and they suggested the maual retune, but by then I had the channels back anyway.
Aaron
Wednesday 7 December 2011 5:57PM Sudbury
Ed Hogbin: I *know* I shouldn't need one being this close to the mast but the reality is, after this latest stupid idea to put a low-power mux on a high frequency, I've had to do it to get my channels back without having to wait until nearly July.

Manual tuning of 63 made no difference, as I said previously, signal strength in the 30% range and quality up to 10% if I was lucky. Now I have 80% strength and 100% quality.

With your atmospheric conditions it means it will probably be hit-and-miss for you actually receiving the channels on 63 until next year. I'd rather not take the chance, ensure I have the channels and disable the amp when they finish scr3wing around with things.
Paul Schonbeck
Saturday 10 December 2011 6:00AM Ipswich
Disappointed to have lost " Yesterday " and " Film 4" Channels since around mid November . My TV retailer said to wait until around 27th November for resumation of reception as work was being carried out on the SUDBURY Transmitter . Despite many 're-tunes' I am still without these favourite channels . Signal strength and reception is good on other Freeview channels . Suggestions and comments would be much appreciated . Thank you
drgeoff
Saturday 10 December 2011 11:40AM Felixstowe
Paul Schonbeck

There are plenty of comments and suggestions already in this thread. Don't hold your breath waiting for any new ones with different advice.

Basically, if you think your aerial is old/in bad condition/not a wideband one and/or the downlead is bad, and you cannot wait until next June then think about a new aerial installation. Otherwise, wait and hope all will be well again when the power is boosted 900% next June.
jb38
Saturday 10 December 2011 12:02PM
Paul Schonbeck: Being only 18 miles away from Sudbury, and although I generally never advise this form of action to be taken as its a hit and miss thing to do, but you could try using an amplifier of about 15/20dB in line with your aerial, as the mux channels containing these programmes are exceptionally low powered when compared to the main ones, and albeit that its only a temporary measure until next year, its still an odd ball situation that has created problems for numerous people when trying to pick them up.

The reason I say "hit and miss" is because it depends entirely on how good your equipments tuner is at selecting and picking up weak channels when they are in a group containing high powered ones, plus using an amplifier can take the already high powered multiplexes "over the top" in strength, and is something which can cause some tuners to stop receiving all together by the swamping their input circuitry, something which causes general instability to occur.

That said, if you do decide to try an amplifier, then you should blank out everything stored first by carrying out a factory re-set before performing an auto-tune, although sometimes in this type of situation its best to "manually" tune in the elusive muxes first, then use the "add channels" facility to recover the remainder.
Maria
Saturday 17 December 2011 5:22PM Bury St. Edmunds
Hi,

I've been trawling through this about Film4 very miserably and don't understand this so please bear with me....

Seems Film4 and Yesterday are up the Swanny for months... if I get Freesat or BT Vision will it then work?

Many thanks
Dave Lindsay
Saturday 17 December 2011 5:29PM
Maria: BT Vision gives access to Freeview channels and on-demand content provided by a BT Broadband connection. Thus, a BT Vision box effectively contains a Freeview box.

The problems encountered by those in Suffolk and surrounding areas will be alieviated in June. Therefore, any change that is made to receive the missing channels (*if* such a change can be made), is only of benefit for the next six months.

My advice would be NOT to retune as it is not a tuning problem. Retuning simply causes you more trouble because then you have a TV that isn't tuned to the relevant frequency and therefore you won't know when the reception of the signal has improved.
Maria
Saturday 17 December 2011 5:42PM Bury St. Edmunds
Ah thanks - you found my other post after I had started trawling more :)

So Bt Vision won't help :(

Once it has been located, don't retune as it won't make any difference and I won't know if is working or not at that moment in time. This makes sense - thanks.

All will be rosy in the garden in 6 months...

but....

Does freesat pick up from the same transmitter and so would not work, or is it completely different? Am I being dim? Does it pick up from a satellite? Oh my word - I am feeling really clueless on this :(

I hardly watch TV apart from Film4!


Dave Lindsay
Saturday 17 December 2011 5:49PM
Maria: As I say, that any changes you make to receive these services will only be of benefit for the next 6 months because you will be (as sure as you can ever be) sure that it will work in 6 months time.

Freesat is a satellite service and therefore the signal comes from a satellite which serves the whole of the country.

If you have received these services previously, then perhaps it was the case that you were "only just" getting them (i.e. the signal was *just* strong enough). A slight change (maybe a tiny tiny change to the signal) means that you can't pick them up.

You say that you have three TVs and that they are all having issues picking up these channels. Are they all connected to the same aerial? If so, how is this connected?
Maria
Saturday 17 December 2011 6:03PM Bury St. Edmunds
I now feel completely daft! It would pick up from a satellite wouldn't it - doh!

You may notice that I know nothing about satellite TV in any form or the benefits of having it.

I have two TVs that did pick up Film4 perfectly until suddenly it went wrong a few weeks ago.

There is a cable that has a 'doubler' thingy plugged into the back of the main one and then a cable snakes in a rather inelegant fashion out the window and in the upstairs window to serve the second one.

Third TV is on a little old-fashioned internal aerial and is hit and miss anyway so I don't expect much of that one as it requires wiggling regularly anyway.
Maria
Saturday 17 December 2011 6:05PM Bury St. Edmunds
p.s. It did used to be a bit shaky reception when it was stormy before
Dave Lindsay
Saturday 17 December 2011 6:10PM
Maria: This definately is a try it and see thing. It is a case of making suggestions that might increase your chances, therefore there are no guarantees.

Remove the doubler from the downstairs TV so that the lead that feeds the upstairs TV is disconnected (and therefore so that the upstairs TV has no signal).

Now see if that improves things.

Downstairs (I guess in the lounge), what equipment do you have? For example, do you have a recorder with built-in Freeview (e.g. DVD recorder, hard drive recorder). What about the TV, does it have Freeview built in?
Maria
Saturday 17 December 2011 6:20PM Bury St. Edmunds
That makes sense - I'll try that in a mo. Thank you.

Have no recorder though I have been contemplating getting one - do they make a difference? The freeview is built in to the telly. I have a DVD player and a video recorder(!) plugged in to the telly too.
Dave Lindsay
Saturday 17 December 2011 6:34PM
Maria: Firstly, the doubler you have splits the signal in two. Therefore, each output is not a strong a signal as at the input. In many many circumstances this is perfectly fine and will not affect reception because the incoming signal (from the aerial) is strong enough anyway. Clearly the other channels are fine and quite happy being split like that.

The reason I asked you about what else you have is because had you got a TV that does not have Freeview built in (i.e. it is an analogue only TV), then there is no point in feeding the aerial into it (as it doesn't "read" the signal) and therefore you might as well do away with the splitter and feed the upstairs TV directly from what was put into the TV. As you have a Freeview TV, that might not be an option.

If the video recorder does not have Freeview built in (i.e. it is analogue only) then again, there is no benefit in having it connected to the aerial. So remove the video from your aerial by removing the aerial into it and putting it into whatever the output feeds into. Same goes for the DVD player if it has only an analogue tuner in it but no digital (Freeview) one.
Maria
Saturday 17 December 2011 6:44PM Bury St. Edmunds
Hooray! I have Film4 by doing what you have suggested.

Having double-checked the aerial cable actually goes into the video which I doubt very much has Freeview built in!

So, presumabley I am likely to have more success with the splitter if it goes direct into the TV?

And.. I might be able to get both TVs to pick it up if it has a booster rather than a thing that splits the signal?

Am I right or am I interpreting wrongly?

You are being a complete star!

Many thanks
Dave Lindsay
Saturday 17 December 2011 9:44PM
Maria: From what you describe, I gather that you have two devices with Freeview in and these being the two TVs. You do not have any other box that requires an aerial (at the moment).

Try connecting the splitter to the aerial where it comes in and connecting one output to the lead that goes upstairs and the other to the TV.

I would avoid having a splitter plugged directly into a wall socket or the back of a TV/box because it could end up damaging the socket. For example, if the splitter were to be put directly into the aerial socket of the TV, and the TV were to get pushed back against the wall, it's likely to damage the TV's aerial socket. I would connect it using one of the aerial leads (you will have at least one spare now you've disconnected the video).

A powered booster is a possibility, although as I said, it will only be of benefit until June. At that time you will be able to remove it and go back to your unpowered splitter. Remember that the booster would only be needed for those channels carried on the Arqiva B multiplex (Film4, Yesterday etc) which you are having trouble with.

The reason you might need a booster is to make the signal bigger because splitting it makes it smaller. So it's to counteract the effect of splitting it in two.

You have proved that there is sufficient signal coming from your aerial to watch Arqiva B channels (when you connected only one TV). Hence if you do get a booster with a variable control on it, it won't need to be set to high (too high could also be bad).

Your other possibility is that when you want to watch one of the affected channels, you will have to remove the splitter and only have one TV connected. It probably depends how often you are likely to watch and maybe how often you use the upstairs TV.
Joel
Wednesday 28 December 2011 11:20PM Watford
Hello

Im in Watford, and my ITV and Ch4 keep on jumping (glitching)...This has only started recently. Ant reasons for this?
Philip
Tuesday 3 January 2012 2:35PM Chelmsford
It seems to me that the Freeview service is run by geeks for Geeks. They seem to have no regard for the end user and continuously keep changing things for their advantage to the annoyance of the customer.

IMHO digital is a disaster - I am on the edge of the Sudbury transmitter at Chelmsford but want to use Sudbury as I am in East Anglia and want the East Anglia news etc.

Recently I lost Film4 and Yesterday channels presumably for the conveniece of the Geeks.

I guess i shall have to get in touch with my MP to express my disgust.

My official transmitter is Croydon which is all London stuff.

The geeks are rampant and stuff the customer seems to be the motto of Freview
colin
Tuesday 3 January 2012 7:45PM
digital uk have finally come clean about the sudbury problems & say they are sorry but some of us will have to wait until june 20 2012 why is it when every thing was ok they ruin it & make a lot of us wait to have it put right after paying to upgrade aerials ect.whoever was responsable should be sacked
George
Thursday 5 January 2012 6:11PM
Any details Colin of what digitalUK actually admitted do? As usual their (cr*p) website says almost nothing.....
George
Thursday 5 January 2012 6:12PM
.... admitted TO even! LOL
Mike Dimmick
Friday 6 January 2012 2:33PM
colin: I suspect you've only just discovered information that has been known all along; that the commercial multiplexes have to run on lower power until 27 June 2012, because of a clash with Dover. Basically, increasing the power at Sudbury any earlier would cut off services for many viewers of the low-power digital services, and even cause problems for some analogue services. Once Dover has switched over - on 27 June - the restrictions at Sudbury can be lifted, and final channels and power levels can be used. You will need to retune on this date.

Compared to pre-switchover reception, the current coverage might be worse as although the power levels were increased somewhat, the transmission mode was changed, trading off increased capacity for reduced coverage, and the increased power level doesn't quite make up for the mode change. The mode was changed again on 22 November, again to increase capacity, which may have reduced coverage a bit, as there was no power increase to compensate this time.

The mode changes were purely commercial decisions by Arqiva, who had pre-sold the additional capacity on ArqB before Sudbury switched over. The extra capacity was sold to BT to carry Sky Sports 1 and 2. The BBC had agreed to match this extra capacity with their own unused space on Mux B before switchover, so if the ArqB mode had not changed, all viewers paying BT or Top-Up TV for Sky Sports would have lost the channel. (This happened at Mendip, for example.)

This information has all been in Digital UK installer documents (except the detailed information about interim power levels). The brochures sent out have perhaps been too simplified, over-emphasising the idea of two stages and everything's done, when at many sites - and particularly the Anglia region - more stages are required. The Anglia booklet does include additional retune dates in 2011; I think the exact date of Dover's switchover wasn't announced when it was published, so 2012 dates weren't included. Some indication should have been made of further retunes being required in 2012.
George
Friday 6 January 2012 4:40PM
Forgive me if I'm being a bit thick (not too unusual! LOL), but hasn't a lot of the hassle been with Digital UK effectively saying that after the second retune in 2011 (not the Nov one) everything will be fine. They then without (appearing) to tell anyone went and changed the channel allocations for ArqB making it unavailable for lots of people who thought it was all working and over with..... And, again without making it well known, have no intention of changing the channel for ArqB back to near where it was until June 2012
colin
Friday 6 January 2012 8:54PM

channel 4 told me that they are aware of problems with film4 but cannot do anything as digital uk have control

colin
Friday 6 January 2012 8:57PM
I spoke to a person from digital uk on the phone & they know of the problem but sorry the say you have got to wait
Norm De Plume
Friday 13 January 2012 1:43AM Stowmarket
Philip - as a single-post-spleen-venter, you probably won't ever come back, but if you do there is a splendid irony in you complaining on a technical website about geeks being rampant. Anyway, if you had asked more nicely and actually given some useful information, some of the geeks on here would probably have given you some helpful, free, voluntary support to make the best of your existing system.

By the way, your losing access to Film4 was as a result of the marketers and the finance departments: the geeks were just told to make it happen or they'd be sacked. You probably didn't find out about it in time because of middle management failures which were then covered up by the PR and advertising departments. If there was another financially-approved way for you to have Film4 and for Dover to not be affected, the geeks would have made it happen.

So, in summary, "Stuff the consumer" may be the motto of Freeview, but that's despite the efforts of the technical teams.
Dave Lindsay
Friday 13 January 2012 10:28AM
Norm De Plume: Indeed. Have you seen the 8% of Freeview marketing that promotes the fact that 8% of the population will only get the "Freeview Light" service? I bet not.
George
Sunday 15 January 2012 8:18PM
Norm De Plume: Very much agree.

If the "suits" had just been honest about what needed to, for valid technical reasons, be done we may not have been overly happy but we would have accepted it and been understanding. Instead by, for what ever reason, trying to make things look easier and simpler than reality they have made the people who have to make it happen look like fools.

The real shame is that given more control (or should that be less interference from the "suits"), the technical teams could have it working wonders....
Paul
Tuesday 17 January 2012 12:35AM Ipswich
Jus' like that !

Notified on-screen that new channels were available this evening , I did the necessary and was delighted to see the return of FILM 4 and YESTERDAY to my viewing options.
Thanks to all who have commented and offered advise since I moaned about my loss in the middle of November 2011 .
George
Tuesday 17 January 2012 7:49PM
No change in Chelmsford alas....
Briantist
Wednesday 18 January 2012 7:23AM
Dave Lindsay: To be fair, look at any Freeview promotional material and it clearly says "All channels are subject to coverage and may be changed from time to time. Aerial upgrade may be required."
George
Thursday 19 January 2012 9:06PM
The first flicker of life from channels 12, 15, and 24 this evening in Chelmsford! Must still be on very low power as lots of freezing and blocking - but at least they're back.....for the moment!
drgeoff
Friday 20 January 2012 2:48PM Felixstowe
Paul, George

I wouldn't get too excited. When your normal reception of a missing mux is just below the critical level it only needs a slight change from atmospheric conditions to make it appear. Your gain is likely only temporary.
George
Saturday 21 January 2012 11:27AM
drgeoff : Very true, hence "for the moment" LOL

It does seem a tad strange though that through a wide variety of atmospheric conditions since 16th November ("a day that will live in infamy" hehehehe), there's been not a flicker of the mux. Then all of a sudden on Thursday 19th evening, it appears.
Paul
Saturday 21 January 2012 11:59AM Ipswich
drgeoff:

You are quite right . My elation was premature , and the " NO SIGNAL " message came back on my screen 2 days later when tuning into 'Film 4' and 'Yesterday'
George
Thursday 1 March 2012 6:58PM
Looks like trhey've finally got their act together as all the missing channels seem to be back in Chelmsford
George
Tuesday 13 March 2012 5:14PM
Spoke too soon - looks like they're b****ring about with it again. Quest (CH38) has been up and down like a "lady of the night's" draws today.....
Peter
Wednesday 27 June 2012 6:57PM
Anybody else got problems with 5* breaking and freezing after the Sudbury retune yesterday? My aerial is Triax black 11 element only 6 years old, situated in the valley at Chappel. Great to see the return of film 4.
Dave Lindsay
Wednesday 27 June 2012 7:30PM
Peter: Ensure that 5* is tuned to C58 which is the signal from Sudbury. This information is usually given on the signal strength screen.

If it's not, post what it is and I will see if I can suggest a workaround.
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