Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
22 January 2011
16:3089914#1
Any readers with Freeview might like to be made aware that the Dover transmitter signals are being changed over the early hours of Thursday morning. Anyone using Freeview will have to retune on Thursday. The reason for this is that some signals suffer from interference from French transmissions, by moving the channel frequencies reception should be improved.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
22 January 2011
17:1589917#2
Thats certainly good news for me Phil as I get poor reception. Bit of warm or unusual weather and my signal goes to pot with breakups all across the channels. oddly the only channels that seem to weather the warm weather are the shopping channels. Just goes to show, if you have a powerful commercial reason to keep on air you can somehow manage it.
So I will retune on thursday. Thanks for letting us know Phil.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
22 January 2011
19:3189925#3
i sometimes had minor problems with freeview when i used a digibox, since i got a television with freeview built in everything is perfect.
surprising when it is borne in mind all the hills and the french transmitter close by.
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
23 January 2011
03:5489947#4
The island went fully digital last November so analogue TV is no longer available. However the number of freeview channels is limited and they all won't be online until next year.
My problem is the car radio that flicks to French stations depending which side of the island youre on!!
That blasted Sacha Distel and the piano accordion........
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
23 January 2011
09:1389951#5
Howard - I always watch tv through my PVR (a digibox with an inbuilt hard drive to record on, with two tuners). I suspect that the problem was not so much watching it though a digibox but the tuner in that particular digibox not being as good as the tuner in the newer tv.
I have Freeview, no Sky or cable, and I find it OK, no real problems at all but my earlier boxes did not have tunes as good as my Humax PVR thats about a year old.
Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
23 January 2011
12:2489968#6
Here is the official word from the Freeview people themselves (whoever they are):
"Viewers tuned to the Dover transmitter will need to retune their TV or box on 26 January.
An important change to local signals will take place on Wednesday 26 January 2011 that will affect viewers served by the main transmitter at Dover (covering south and east Kent).
The change is scheduled to be completed by 6am, after which viewers should retune their Freeview box or TV in order to regain access to a number of channels such as ITV3, Film 4 and Dave.
The Freeview channels are moving frequency in order to protect them from interference when switchover happens in neighbouring areas of France and the UK. After retuning, most viewers will not notice any change in their reception but some, on the fringes of current Freeview reception, may experience occasional interference to certain channels. At switchover in 2012, Freeview coverage will be boosted so that all homes served by the Dover transmitter will be able to receive the full line up of Freeview channels."
Guest 703- Registered: 30 Jul 2010
- Posts: 2,096
23 January 2011
12:4889969#7
We've got a Toshiba hard disc recorder, a Sony tv, a LG tv, and a Matsui digibox, reception quality goes best to worst in that order running off the same signal splitter, so quality of the receiver does make a big difference.
The picture from the digibox often breaks up as cars go past which doesn't happen with any of the others, but it is the oldest and cheapest of the set.
Guest 703- Registered: 30 Jul 2010
- Posts: 2,096
26 January 2011
01:1890289#8
I was just watching Baz Lurman's Romeo and Juliet on Film4 and at 00.06 on Wednesday it disappeared, along with a few other channels.
Did the changes come early, or is it atmospherics?
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
26 January 2011
02:4090290#9
The changes were made this morning, as per Phil's later post #6 above.
Re some of the comments about poor reception. The digital terrestrial signals are necessarily very low power until switchover so you need a good aerial with plenty of elements and a decent coax run preferably using satellite quality coax. It should go direct to your TV or digital terrestrial receiver, putting a splitter in immediately halves the signal. An aerial amplifier should also be avoided if at all possible as it amplifies any noise as well as the signal. There is nothing, but nothing, better than a high gain aerial delivering a thumping signal via a high quality coax with minimum attenuation direct to your TV/receiver.
Obviously, if you have cable or satellite then you will have perfect reception of the same channels available on terrestrial Freeview. It is only those who are limited to terrestrial TV who have a temporary problem until next year when the analogue transmissions cease and the digital tranmissions can be increased to full power. Equally obviously, you need to be receiving your signals from the main area transmitter at Hougham (aerial elements horizontal) as there are no digital transmissions from the relay transmitter in Dover (aerial elements vertical).
Guest 703- Registered: 30 Jul 2010
- Posts: 2,096
26 January 2011
10:0390312#10
Sorted now, I only read as far as post #1 saying Thursday!
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
26 January 2011
10:2690314#11
Rather strange really - the TV upstairs has a freview box attached and the only aerial in the small wire circle on the top of the tele and we get a perfect picture with that !
Been nice knowing you :)