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Freeview Dublin

  • 25-07-2003 1:45pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3


    Just wondering has anyone successfully received freeview dtt in the dublin area ??

    If so what pitfalls did you come across along the way and what equipment would you recommend?


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,757 lawhec
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    I have heard of no successful Freeview reception in Dublin - the furthest south I have heard is in north Louth and in Cavan town.

    Also, even if partial success could be achieved, unless you were trying for a Welsh transmitter, RTÉ1 and Network 2 from Three Rock would also completely obilterate any chance of receiving Multiplexes A & B from Divis.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 248 Ozzie
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    a local installer was advertising it in the south east!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15 soggy


    have seen the add in the wexford papers for the last few week aswell dont know of any one that has set it up yet. I am waiting to get some gear myself to test and see what happens. Have been told that if u are geting a strong clear uhf signal that it will be ok.

    any1 any more to add


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,726 DMC
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    You'd be picking it up from Wales, not from NI.

    Man, a poster here from Co. Wicklow has Freeview.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 145 West Briton
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    Excellent sig, DMC!!:D :D


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,035 rlogue
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    Hi Damo,

    Feel free to raid my Test Card Larder for anything you want for the webcam!

    Latest addition is a rare Telefís Éireann test card E.

    Presumably the webcam isn't in your office...! :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,154 bkehoe
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    I can get it in Co Wexford too, around 15 miles from the coast. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15 soggy


    hi where are you in wexford . I am near Kilmore . What gear are you useing and and how good is the signal.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,154 bkehoe
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    I'm in the build phase for my permanent setup at the moment. I'm currently using 2 JBX21 Group B antennas from Blake combined with a fairly cheap lossy combiner. This gives me good freeview reception around 30% of the time. In less than a month I hope to have my finished setup - 4 JBX21s with a top quality combiner and some really good cable coming from the amp, all at 50ft. Based on my tests with a single antenna and the current twin, this should be able to pull in freeview most of the time. Here is an image showing approximatly how good my analogue has to be before I get a reliable freeview image: http://www.irishwan.org/1.jpg . Also, this is the kind of signal I get when the analogue is like that; http://wexford.irishwan.org/freeview/sig.JPG .

    I'm located a few miles from New-Ross, near to Ballinaboola. Do you currently get analogue from Wales? Man and I get our freeview from Presely. He can get it most of the time with a single antenna as he's located near the coast. My problem is that I've a hill in the way; thus the necessity for a big antenna setup...

    Blake - http://www.blake-aerials.co.uk/jbx.htm

    Brendan


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,726 DMC
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    Wahhh! The last time I saw that was when I got the lend of West Briton's Freeview box. My signal strength never got past 1 on any mux :(

    /me depressed again. :(


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,154 bkehoe
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    Pulling in a variable signal from Redruth in South-West England today. Sometimes getting all the muxes good, other times only 1 or 2 - caused by tropospheric ducting - forecasts available at http://www.iprimus.ca/~hepburnw/tropo_nwe.html . Unfortunatly this has the affect of interfering with my signal from Presely - all the analogue stations, especially CH5 are affected, but freeview is working fine. :)




  • *bump*

    Just reading this now...note to self...keep away from the politics forum...

    I strongly suspect, that the "freeview" being advertised around Wexford is what is driving Watty mad, ie another confusing use of the term in reference to the BBC free channels on Sky.
    I know, thats the story with one supplier in Gorey anyhow.

    Regarding, Brendans j.peg, my ondigital box has came out of mothballs and for the last while has been delivering good green bars, not here but up the road from me at a good presely site.
    but freeview is working fine.
    Brendan, that is of course because, the freeview muxes are on different uhf channels thankfully to the visiting far away signals.

    Any chance you could put up a screen shot, Brendan of the channel list, including the extra muxes( if you have them at the moment) coming in
    from Red Ruth? it would be good to see.
    Also, I remember, you had a link to a photo of the aerial set up, when you tried this first about two years ago, some of the anoraks here would like to see your current set up, ( and more especially the 50ft quad when it's built) :)
    mm


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,154 bkehoe
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    http://wexford.irishwan.org/freeview/epg/redruth - screenshots of the epg with channels from redruth. Sorry, but I did a store channels by accident and lost the stored ones from Presely. I actually had a signal up to 4 from Redruth the day before yesterday! :)

    I've noticed a strange thing with Caradon hill. I can get CH4 on channel 32 quite good from there...with the antennas pointing towards Presely! When I aim them towards the Caradon/Redruth area I get Redruth fine but the caradon signal dies off a lot. I'm wondering if its something to do with the fact I'm using group B antennas and caradon is out of that group? I'll do some testing with a wideband antenna when it arrives tomorrow and see whats up. It is definatly caradon as on teletext it says 'CH4 West Country'. My other 2 JBX21s should be coming tomorrow too, and then I'm just waiting on the combiner and the mast to be prepared - base section needs painting, and a hole for concrete needs to be dug (the current weather is deterring me from doing this ;)).

    Pic of twin; http://wexford.irishwan.org/freeview/twin.jpg

    Brendan


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,154 bkehoe
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    Little update; seeing as the Caradon analogue CH4 was quite good right now, I just did a signal test for freeview and got this; http://wexford.irishwan.org/freeview/caradondtt.JPG
    Doing an Add Channels doesnt find any new chans, possibly because the channel names would be the same as from Redruth, and I cant view anything from that mux. Dont want to do a store channels as I'd loose what I already have. Note that this is with the antenna pointed towards Presely!

    Brendan




  • Excelent stuff Brendan,
    Regarding Caradon, it's quite possible that there is an obstacle, between you and the more direct path to caradon, and that the signal you are getting is bouncing out from the sides of that obstacle.
    I know you will have mapped out the direction well, but it's still possible.
    Another less likely thing that may have happened is a dip in caradons received signal strenght at your location co-inciding with the move, but , you would have noticed that when you moved back to Presely, but it could have happened for a short time, given the weather conditions ( variations in the ducting ).
    Signals from Southwest England are blasting in tonight, and have been a lot lately :)
    As I have a UK sky sub,i don't mind that the Arfon co channel is well blinding as a result of Red Ruth's visits.
    Tiz amazing all this stuff is travelling several hundred miles and delivering green bars on , ondigital signal monitors.
    mm


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,154 bkehoe
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    Well I've been noticing it all week - decent CH4 from caradon while pointed at presely, and bad ch4 from caradon when pointed towards it. Signal for Caradon would be passing close to carrickbyrne hill, but unlike Presely, not over it.




  • Signal for Caradon would be passing close to carrickbyrne hill, but unlike Presely, not over it.
    There is something in the way then, Brendan that you aren't immediately aware of.
    That could be anywhere including across the water in England.
    Possibly also in sw wales if your path goes through there.
    The beam from caradon would be very wide and like presely would get out at either side of any object and still give a good signal especially in current weather conditions.
    mm


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,417 watty
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    From Man:
    I strongly suspect, that the "freeview" being advertised around Wexford is what is driving Watty mad, ie another confusing use of the term in reference to the BBC free channels on Sky.
    I know, thats the story with one supplier in Gorey anyhow.
    If it's the DTT fine. Esp, seeing as with big poles you can get it there!

    But calling *ANYTHING* using Satellite Freeview is palin silly.


    Tropo conditions really good, so any tests for Freeview reception should wait a few weeks till it calms down (i.e. it could be temporary freak BAD or GOOD reception).

    On the 145MHz VHF I have had San Sabastion (Spain), Cornwall, Devon, Wolverhampton and Normandy all fairly good (near perfect) via the Mullaganish repeater (Cork). Also direct contact only 10 W each way with Lisburn Co. Antrim to here near Limerick City.

    Also normally non-receivable repeaters in Dundalk, West tyrone, Ballina/Mayo, Sligo and Galway perfect at times here near Limerick city.

    Someone in Cork Nr. Bandon had UHF contact (Nr Freeview band) with England direct last week.


    So take any Freeview tests at the moment with a large dose of "try again later" patience, if good OR bad.


    DX tips
    1) Good Site. Hilltops and/or no trees or buildings near are good.

    2) As big a pole or mast as you can manage. An extra ten feet of height can be more difference than single Aerial versus Quad.

    3) Decent aerial but not too big. Anything much more than 4ft long at UHF is a diminishing return. Ones with a built in "balun" for the coax cable are MUCH better than the ones that simply connect the coax inner and outer to direct to the folded dipole receiving element.

    4) Very good coax. CT100 minimum.

    5) Multiple aerials need very accurate spacing from each other and mounting. Also high quality hybrid combiners with "F" connection or a 2 or 4 aerial array can be worse than a single "good" aerial

    6) Waterproof every connection. Even varnish the aerial is a good idea to stop it corroding. Any steel/Aluminium in contact accelerates corrosion.

    7) Make sure it does not vibrate, else the rods may crack at boom. A bigger problem for VHF / DAB aerials.

    8) Low noise mast head amp at least 6ft away from aerial. Too much gain degrades the signal and may even cause distortion caused by the aerial picking up the output of the amplifier.

    Low noise (smaller is better) is MUCH more important than More Gain.


    9) Don't kink or squeeze the cable

    10) Use hybrid splitter (two sets) or distribution Amplifier (3 or more) for mulitple TVs. Never "split" the signal by direct joining of coax cables together.

    11) Fit attenuator (try 6, 12, 18db) at bottom of downlead or input of distribution amp or RF modulator outs or in if a strong picture gets patterns when you connect different stuff up.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,154 bkehoe
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    I am aware that conditions are good, and are thus the reason for my good signals from Cornwall and poor reception from Presely. I have had the twin up for a while before the recent conditions which is when I could get Presely most of the time. I also tried this 2 years ago and had a single jbx21 at 50ft for a year, but I later found out that my freeview box was broken and was thus the reason i never got dtt during that period, only good analogue most of the time.

    Anyway, the wideband antenna just arrived, so I'm off out to put it up and see what else is out there. ;)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,154 bkehoe
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    Tests with the wideband; Pointed towards Caradon - almost perfect C4, and the other 3 chans almost as good. Pointed towards Presely - still getting the signal from Caradon, but much worse. So, it seems that its something to do with the twin rather than an obstruction?


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  • Looks that way.
    Funny things sometimes happen.
    For instance here,with a single group B pointed to Arfon and vertically polarised, I can get almost perfect ch 5 from presely, even though I've got the wrong polarity and I'm pointing away from the presely Beam.
    However when I add the second to make a twin , the channel 5 signal goes down a lot.
    Considering five, is on the very edge of the B group, it could be a similar thing.
    mm


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