All posts by Mark Fletcher
Below are all of Mark Fletcher's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Correction to my location in my above post,Halifax not Wisbech ! ITV 4Tuesday 17 July 2012 7:07PM
Halifax Mark.A good quality Freeview+ HD box such as a Humax HDR-Fox T2/1TB is one to be recommended as such !
Avoid all Technika and inferior supermarket branded boxes as such ! Keith.One indicator is the text immediately above yours from Transmitter Engineering on Monday 16 July 2012,11.10am. Rob,Chesham.Crystal Palace is an all group A transmitter,using any form of a group W wideband aerial (coloured black at the tips) on an all group A mast in a poor reception/marginal reception area such as from your abode to Crystal Palace mast itself is the perfect recipe for bad/poor/no reception as such.
Because group W wideband aerials no matter what myth that it is a high gain aerial is really not a high gain aerial as such,they (group W widebands,tipped black) perform badly on group A frequencies,more so on all group A transmitters/relays,etc,in a poor/marginal signal area.
You are using the wrong type of aerial a group W wideband on all group A Crystal Palace transmitter in a poor/marginal area,so the correct aerial you should be using is a red tipped group A X-Beam XB16A aerial aimed at Crystal Palace,utilising copper-copper satellite grade black coloured co-ax cable,and importantly using brass co-ax aerial plug for longevity,not alloy or worse plastic plugs as they're useless. Margaret Chadwick.Unless you leave a full postcode or a nearby location as such,we cannot be of valuable help to you. Jill Symonds.Unless you leave a full postcode preferably,or a nearby location as such,we cannot be of any valuable assistance to you. D Ferguson,Bracknell.Is it nice sunny hot with clear blue skies and little or no cloud just recently in your locality ?
The most likely cause appears to be atmospherics or the inversion effect,and as such i would look up Inversion Effect underlined somewhere within my text !
D Brooks.Yes is the answer to the question you raised ! Anne.Unless you leave a full postcode or a nearby location as such,we cannot be of much help to you ! Jenniie.Unless you leave a full postcode or nearby location as such,we cannot be of assistance to you ! Terry Carter.Colchester,CO5 8BL.
Having checked with the BBC Reception Test via your postcode given,there are no problems with any of the possible transmissions in your locality.
I would look up inversion effect as a likely cause ! Kevi Fagan.If ya leave yer full postcode,then we will be able to equip you with valuable help and advice as such. Kevi Fagan.Dundee,DD2 1BS.
Sorry for my delayed response upon you providing your postcode as such.
Is your aerial polarised vertically facing Tay Bridge relay,and as such is it a group B antenna coloured yellow at its tips.As you are located (1-2 miles west of Dundee City Centre) only 3 miles from the (100w) Tay Bridge relay one likelyhood here is you may have too much signal and most commonly the BBCB (HD) multiplex being more sensitive than SD multiplexes are occasionally more prone to pixellating as such in certain circumstances.You may have to perform a total reset procedure to erase the previous memory or possibly fit an attenuator if the signal is a wee bit successive.
There is a possibility that you could receive the main Angus,Craigkelly or Black Hill transmitters in your locality as alternatives and receive the full freeview package as such.
Finally i think it is highly unlikely that it is a mast issue in what you implied in your earlier text as such in relation to the wee difficulty in the HD transmissions from the Tay Bridge relay,but if the problem still persists then do not hesitate to recontact this valuable forum and the proper pros on here (im not a pro myself just a wee amateur) will distribute further advice and help to you ! Kevin Fagan.The flat low gain type aerial you specified will most certainly be a group W wideband black coloured tipped Log type aerial designed for strong signal areas between 0-15 miles from abode to mast.
To perform a full reset,unplug the appliance concerned (set-top box or TV) for over 1 minute,disconnect the aerial plug from the appliance affected at the same time,now replug the appliance affected back into the mains socket but keep aerial plug disconnected for now and perform a full automatic scan of either yer set-top box or TV that is affected from start to finish,ya will find it will store zero channels yet at the same time clears your appliance's previous memory,now once this stage is reached replug the aerial back into your appliance which is affected as such then if it allows perform preferably a manual scan of the frequencies if you know them (if yer receiving from Tay Bridge relay BBCA is on frequency 41,D3+4 on frequency 47 and the BBCB (HD) multiplex on frequency 44.If yer appliance only performs automatic scan then take care that it does not pick up other frequencies than those of Tay Bridge relay which is 41,44 and 47 in ascending order.Hopefully this should do the trick.
Let us know of the outcome in due course ! Kevin Fagan: One possibility is to check yer neighbours whether they are having the same problem as you are on the HD BBCB multiplex from Tay Bridge.If they do,then it could be an issue relating to that relay mast,if they (neighbours) dont then the fault will most likely come from yer end.
Also look up single frequency interference as a possible cause ?
Geoff,Witham.Yes from what you described you certainly do need to change your yellow tipped group B aerial,co-ax aerial cable and aerial co-ax plug for a brown tipped semi-wideband group E aerial,plus new copper-copper black coloured co-ax aerial cable and importantly new brass co-ax aerial plug.
If you reside in a poor reception area a new Yagi 18E aerial will suffice,or an X-Beam XB16E aerial for extra gain without the need for a signal booster will also be sufficient,more so if you reside in a very poor/marginal signal area within Sudbury. Keith.We cannot be of any valuable assistance to you if you did not leave a full postcode preferably,or failing that a nearby location as such.The full postcode is to ascertain the reception probabilities at your end. Jmp.The latter content of your text in most circumstances is the most likely scenario. Susan Ash.Before you switch off your TV for good have you pondered Freesat or Virgin Media (Cable TV) if you are in an affluent position to consider it ?
If you love radio there are plenty of DAB receivers out there,most of them quite inexpensive too ! Trish,Doncaster.You will need to be more specific in your text,are you receiving from Emley Moor or Belmont transmitters (or both ?).Which channels you claimed to have disappeared as such ?
If you know the multiplexes which ones ? Trish,Doncaster.One indicator is the different Look North evening news bulletins.From Emley Moor it will be Christa Ackroyd/Harry Gration covering much of Yorkshire and the North Midlands,while from Belmont it will be Peter Levy covering East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire plus North Norfolk and Goole area of southern North Yorkshire.
As far as Emley Moor is concerned there are no problems,plus as far as i am aware there are too no problems reported at Belmont,although where i am located the 50 kw SDN multiplex on frequency 30 from Belmont normally 100% signal quality and 69% signal strength is currently pixellating between 72-94% signal quality and 61-63% signal strength.
Try resetting your affected digital freeview TV by unplugging the aerial/or aerial lead then perform a full auto scan without the aerial to blank out the previous memory then reconnect the aerial/or aerial lead back into the affected appliance as such then rescan,this time manually if this allows.
The Emley Moor multiplexes are BBCA on frequency 47,D3+4 on frequency 44,BBCB (HD) on frequency 41,SDN on frequency 51,ArqA on frequency 52 and ArqB on frequency 48.
The Belmont multiplexes are BBCA on frequency 22,D3+4 on frequency 25,BBCB (HD) on frequency 28,SDN on frequency 30,ArqA on frequency 53 and ArqB on frequency 60.
However if you receive from both Emley Moor and Belmont from your same aerial bear in mind the public service broadcast (PSB) multiplexes,BBCA,D3+4 and BBCB (HD) will duplicate in the 800's channels list,but the commercial (COM) multiplexes,SDN,ArqA and ArqB on the other hand will not duplicate in the 800's channels list as both Emley Moor and Belmont are both now fully digitally switched (TV only).
Keep updating with the outcome i suggested on this useful forum,one of the regulars on here Dave Lindsay who resides in Doncaster himself im sure will provide his own very valuable input as such ! QuestTuesday 7 August 2012 11:40PM
Halifax Perhaps Briantist the site owner will possibly ban users who abuse this valuable site with derogatory expletives deletives ! John Collis.No getting a new group W wideband aerial on an all group A transmitter such as Rowridge in a poor/marginal reception area gives poor aerial performance generally as group W wideband aerials are less sensitive to the group A frequencies and more so especially on all group A masts (ie-all 6 or more multiplexes on group A frequencies between 21-37).If your current aerial is a group A (red tipped one) type and it performs well there is absolutely no need to change it to a group W wideband,only switch the polarity from horizontal to vertical to achieve better results.
The only time that group W wideband aerials can be used on any all group A masts whether it be a main transmitter or relay station is if you reside in a strong to medium signal area from abode to mast at a distance of up to 15 miles (up to 10 miles in built up areas) with clear line of sight,anything above 15 miles or more (above 10 miles in urban areas) then either a group K aerial (up to 30 miles) or a group A antenna (beyond 30 miles),never a group W wideband aerial beyond 15 miles (or beyond 10 miles in urban localities) on an all group A mast. It should actually imply even less sensitive especially on all group A masts on the fourth and fifth line of my above text i just typed. Trish,Doncaster.No problem whatsoever,glad to be of assistance to you !
Adrian Whittemore.Stevenage,SG2 9BE.
You have a varied choice here.For the Hemel Hempstead 2kw vertically polarised major relay which carries all six multiplexes a semi-wideband group E aerial (coloured brown at its tips) preferably a Yagi 18E will suffice.However for the Crystal Palace 200kw horizontally polarised main transmitter also carrying all six multiplexes a group A aerial (red coloured tips) preferably a Yagi 18A or X-Beam 16A for wee extra gain,should only be used or a semi-wideband group K aerial (grey coloured tips) can be used as an alternative.Dont use group W wideband aerials (tipped black) on all group A Crystal Palace transmitter at your location which is officially a poor signal area.One other alternative is to consider two diplexed aerials,a group A (or group K) horizontally polarised aerial facing Crystal Palace and a group E vertically polarised aerial facing Hemel Hempstead using a channel 38 diplexer.Look up the ATV (Aerials and Television) of Sheffield website,they are IMHO the No1 aerial retailers in the UK.They are the best,forget the rest. Correction to my above post.My location is in Halifax not Stevenage.Apologises for my wee error ! Gail Gwesyn-Pryce.I would look up inversion effect as a likely cause of your predicament as such.
You mentioned it being sunny,well areas of high pressure (most of the time) can lead to reception playing up and occasionally picking up alien transmissions (not the ET type) so check now and again between 21-68/9 frequencies of any anomolies. Then again check the Transmitter Engineering text on Thursday 9 August 2012,2.01pm immediately below your text,Gail too ! Susan Ash.In reply to your text dated from Wednesday 8 August 2012,4.09pm,the question you raised in the second and last paragraph is a tricky one for me to answer to,but i will assume that the most likely event to your question would be a 50-50 situation in that the powers that be most of the time will listen to everyone's concerns but again most of the time they will not. Mike,Chatham.You can purchase attenuators from most TV & Aerial retailers as well as DIY stores,the likes of B&Q,Wickes,etc.I would look up the ATV Aerials and Television of Sheffield website as they stock good quality attenuators and i personally only recommend them as such.
As for your mother's Samsung HDD/DVD recorder i would consider resetting that appliance as such as the current memory could be contributing to the pixellations and freezing up during recording.
As for manual tuning if the appliance allows it,is recommended as such,automatic scanning from lowest to highest frequencies often picks up and stores unrequired multiplexes such as weak pixellated ones lower down the frequency band while a stronger one higher up often fails to pick up and store.So yes manual scanning/tuning is the best bet. Irena Abbott.As JB38 righfully states if you provide a full postcode preferably or a nearby location as such to ascertain reception possibilities at your abode then we can equip you with further valuable advice and assistance.
As for what you described i would look up inversion effect as the most likely culprit as high pressure being currently above most of the UK still can play havoc with digital TV reception as well as what is left of analogue TV in the North East of England and Northern Ireland/Ulster (also Republic of Ireland/Eire) for the remaining 1 month or 2 until Wednesday 24 October 2012. Just noticed a slight anomaly concerning the Durris main transmitter page.It is an all group A transmitter but states that to receive all programmes from Durris a group W wideband aerial positioned horizontally is required to receive Freeview.
Should that read a group A aerial instead,as group W wideband aerials have a poor response on all group A masts in poor/marginal areas. Peterc.Waterlooville.What is the colour bung at the tips of your aerial (check during daylight hours) if i may ask ?
Is it a red tipped group A aerial or a black tipped group W wideband aerial ?
If it is a group W wideband aerial then from your abode to Rowridge (all group A mast) at more than 20-25 miles officially a poor reception area,you are using the wrong group aerial for this transmitter as group W wideband aerials are less sensitive to group A frequencies and on an all group A mast even less sensitive further still,performing poorly as a result which is why group W wideband aerials should never be used on an all group A transmitter in a poor reception/marginal reception area within its transmitting range.
Only group A aerials preferably should be used on an all group A mast,although group K aerials (grey coloured tips) can be used as a alternative except in marginal areas. Sandi Kitchin.Yes as an anti-cyclone (or high pressure) is over much of the UK as present atmospherics is the likely culprit.
Look up inversion effect for full details ! Mazbar.If this helps,Steven in Liverpool as the postcode L15 4LF which is Picton Road,Wavertree area of the city.
Steven,i would look up inversion effect as a likely culprit due to high pressure ! Irena Abbott.The only solution to reception difficulties due to the inversion effect in mainly anti-cyclonic conditions is to leave well alone and let nature take its course.
Sometimes if you were to rescan in atmospherics you could end up losing all your current channels set up and instead gain short term distant alien (not the ET type) transmissions which often dissipate soon after often within a few minutes.
You can always take a gamble with risks involved ! Julie Wilson.Bingley,BD16 1RB.First of all is your aerial polarised horizontally meaning it receives most likely the main Emley Moor transmissions,or is your aerial vertically polarised receiving either Idle or Keighley transmissions both being major relays.
Look up the transmitter engineering texts on the Emley Moor,Idle and Keighley pages just recently as well as the BBC Reception text by clicking that link on your first text back in November 2011.There is an issue currently at the main Emley Moor transmitter which also effects all its dependent relay masts as such simultaneously. Nick,Woodbridge.I would strongly look up again single frequency interference concerning your long standing problem with the ArqA multiplex on frequency 60 from Sudbury.My suggestions for you to ponder would be Freesat,Virgin Media (Cable TV),Sky,diplexing your freeview aerial to receive an alternate ArqA from another main transmitter receivable at your location or just make do without an ArqA multiplex from Sudbury whatsoever.
As you rightfully say "Given Up" is precisely what i will do if i was in your shoes,and in my similar situation myself earlier concerning the elusively difficult ArqA and ArqB multiplexes on frequencies 53 and 60 respectively from Belmont in my location that is exacly what i have done,"Given Up" myself ! Michael.You may have a good point there concerning Local TV in your earlier text today at 8.32pm.You never know if Local TV ever does take off it will ultimately go down the road as ITV have done,almost national with only the local news bulletins and local commercial advertising left.
History will repeat itself here ! Kev,Chippenham.That could be a possibility if as you implied your new neighbours using some equipment could suddenly introduce interference.
It is unlikely though that more channels crammed into each mux will weaken the signal quality as such.
One other likely candidate that you mentioned only affectimg the BBCA multiplex on frequency 61 from Mendip the highest frequency used on this transmitter as such is possible aerial erosion.Check your main aerial lead and its main aerial plug as well as the aerial socket(s) of that main aerial itself for any signs of water ingress and rust stains as the highest frequencies suffer more in this situation than the lower frequencies.
If aerial erosion is the culprit then you may need to replace either the main aerial if it is eroding or the eroding main aerial lead and main aerial plug.
Or if it is an internal connection such as an aerial co-ax lead or plug that is at fault,that requires replacing as such ! Chris Jones.Preston,Lancashire.
Saturday 25 June 2011,12.51pm.
Im sure there are a lot of Welsh viewers in Wales/Cymru who dont want "foreign" programming from England,relating to England alone and concerning England alone to the decent Welsh population of Wales/Cymru as a whole.
Live and let live ! Maureen.New Milton,BH25 5SZ.Having checked with the BBC Reception Test link provided with your text there are no problems reported as such.
I would strongly look up single frequency interference as a likely culprit ! Paul.Hythe,SO45 6JG.First of all is it the radio or TV signals that is causing you the difficulties as judging by your two previous comments both were posted on the Basingstoke DAB radio transmitter page and this one on Hannington main TV transmitter page.
If it is TV related is your aerial polarised horizontally facing Hannington,or polarised vertically facing Salisbury major relay.Also what is the colour tip or your aerial if you can identify this as such,as if you decide to realign the aerial to Rowridge you will need to either change your aerial as Rowridge main transmitter is an all group A mast (red tipped group A aerials preferably will need to be used here),or consider diplexing your aerial (using a second antenna) with your current one facing either Hannington or Salisbury with a second antenna pointing to Rowridge. Ken Clay,Warrington.One possible reason for your fluctuating signals on the BBCB (HD) multiplex from Winter Hill on frequency 54 is the siting of your aerial,in the loft under a slate roof.And it is common for BBCB (HD) multiplexes anywhere in the UK to suffer picture pixellations more so than the normal SD multiplexes which are often unaffected as such in normal conditions.
You may have to consider either moving your aerial within the loft to alleviate the difficulties you stated or to relocate the aerial externally onto the roof.
As for manual tuning or scanning this is highly recommended as auto tuning or scanning often picks up weaker transmissions on the lower frequencies while more often occasionally failing to pick up stronger transmissions on the higher frequencies,and believe me Winter Hill currently uses the higher frequencies and these transmissions can be omitted when the weaker Moel-Y-Parc transmisions lower down the frequency bands (middle bands) are often picked up first during automatic tuning/scanning around Warrington,Liverpool and South Manchester conurbations,etc. Lorry.One indicator is the transmitter engineering text immediately above your text.Crystal Palace main transmitter TV digital liable to interruption.
Yes sometimes the transmitter engineering texts should be more transparent as such in advance of any ongoing works or interruptions so we are well prepared as such. 
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