Freeview in donegal?

kevinmcc

Anyone know if freeview is available in Inishowen in Donegal? Someone told me they put a shield on the mast in Limavady so as to weaken the signal to Inishowen areas. I don't know if this is true.

lawhec

Whereabouts in Inishowen are you?

Reports seem to indicate that if you can get a good analogue signal from the Limavady TX (and not a deflector) in and around the Inishowen area then your chances or being able to receive Freeview are good. - the area that straddles Lough Foyle being the best

The rest of Donegal suffers problems because some of the frequencies Limavady uses for DTT (Freeview) are the same as that TV3 and TG4 use for analogue TV from the Truskmore transmitter.

A reputibale TV dealer in Derry City might allow you to purchase a Freeview receiver with a condition on being able to return it within a few days if reception is not possible - Argos is often suggested but their Freeview boxes are excluded from their 16 day no quibble money back guarentee.

kevinmcc

Im from the Culdaff area. I get my reception from the limavady transmitter, can be a bit patchy, and my RTE reception comes from Moville/Greencastle transmitter. My relatives who live just up the road have a very good reception from limavady though cause their a bit higher up.
I think if I bought the box then from Currys or Homebase in Crescent link or Littlewoods-Index that they would give me my money back. If it doesn't work on mines at least it might work on my relatives. Also do you just stick your existing aerial into the digital receiver or is there much involved in getting it setup?

lawhec

Im from the Culdaff area. I get my reception from the limavady transmitter, can be a bit patchy, and my RTE reception comes from Moville/Greencastle transmitter. My relatives who live just up the road have a very good reception from limavady though cause their a bit higher up.

A usual sign of reliability for Freeview signals is the amount of snow on the analogue signals from the same mast - none or very little (say not or hardly noticeable on a 21" from about five metres away) with Ceefax & Teletext with few or no dropouts will mean that your chances would be good. If there's visible snow and your teletext reception is at the point where it is unrecognisable then your chances lessen - although if your reception is poor because of ghosting rather than signal strength then that's a different story as the multipath interference that causes ghosting on analogue reception does not affect digital signals, except in really bad situations.

I think if I bought the box then from Currys or Homebase in Crescent link or Littlewoods-Index that they would give me my money back.

Didn't realise Homebase now sold Freeview set top boxes! The high street shops in general won't take back a Freeview box unless it is faulty. Index might do but check with them first before you buy. As I've said already, an independent dealer is more likely to let you buy a box with a condition of return if it doesn't work.

Also do you just stick your existing aerial into the digital receiver or is there much involved in getting it setup?

Not much really. The existing aerial lead is plugged into a socket on the set top box and (with the exception of the early versions or the now obsolete Pace DTVA) there will be another socket to connect to the TV or Video or satellite receiver for the analogue channels to be viewed as normal via a fly lead (the same way as connecting a video to a TV via a UHF lead). This is known as a loop through. Some boxes also have a modulator, and if you plan to distribute the watched Freeview channel around several TVs in the house it is worth it. If it is just for one TV, it isn't necessary unless it has no Scart or AV socket. All boxes will have this, along with one or two scart sockets (most have two) and most will have stereo audio outputs to connect to a hi-fi; useful for listening to the radio channels on Freeview without keeping the TV on or for listening to programmes in Stereo on a TV without Stereo sound. A few will also have a digital audio output, either via fibre cable or coaxial.

By the sounds of your reception, a set top box with a sensitive tuner sounds like a good idea - the Setpal boxes (Daewoo, Triax & Labgear) are popular in these cases, a while ago Echostar released a receiver which had a slightly better sensitivity level than the setpal boxes (though the receiver is had to get on the high street) but recent reports suggest that the new Sagem DTT/Freeview receiver has now the best sensitivity of all boxes.

rlogue

Just to confirm - my parents live in Quigley's Point and can get Freeview from Limavady using an amplified flat plate indoor antenna. Positioning of the antenna is absolutely critical and it's worth noting that the SDN multiplex is the hardest to pick up.

Inishowen

I also have a perfect signal in the hills above Quigley's Point using a simple Group C/D ariel in my loft. I am told it is not available in Moville, but can be picked up from Redcastle on up along the Foyle.

ednwireland

anyone know if you can get freeview off the enniskillen transmitter (i get a weakish single direct donegal town )
know someone in letterkenny who gets perfect freeview reception

byte

Originally posted by ednwireland
anyone know if you can get freeview off the enniskillen transmitter (i get a weakish single direct donegal town )
know someone in letterkenny who gets perfect freeview reception

Enniskillen/Brougher Mountain Transmitter does transmit Freeview signals, but you won't have a hope in Donegal Town. You'd need a near perfect signal to get Freeview to work. It works in most of Mountcharles considering its height, and some of Dunkineely, Killybegs, etc too though in Donegal Town, you won't have much hope, Im sorry to say.

mick_g

Why does the Derry Freeview Signal come from Limavady ?
Why are we bothering to pay our Licence Fees if The BBC won't give Freeview to The Second Largest City in the North ?

If they are worried about overspill into Donegal, Why ?

Richard

mick_g wrote:

Why does the Derry Freeview Signal come from Limavady ?

Because that's where the main transmitter for the North West is. It's geographically sensible to have it there so that it covers as wide an area as possible. There are relays for the analogue service, in particular one called "Londonderry" but it shouldn't be taken as a shun to Derry city that its main transmitter is elsewhere in the county.

Why are we bothering to pay our Licence Fees if The BBC won't give Freeview to The Second Largest City in the North ?

But they do! Limavady is receivable in Derry city. Isn't it?

If they are worried about overspill into Donegal, Why ?

I can't imagine they are particularly worried, but they want to maximise NI reception and don't overtly seek coverage across the border (unlike RTE).

lawhec

mick_g wrote:

Why does the Derry Freeview Signal come from Limavady ?

All the 50 main UK Transmitters were assigned frequencies to start with (though Fremont Point in Jersy still isn't broadcasting) with some of the more populated relays then given assignments if there was frequencies available. The Limavady transmitter gets into Derry city quite well in most places, it's just that the plug and play option won't be available to most as they have aerials pointing to Sherrifs Mountain instead. The spectrum around that area is quite crowded, especially around the Group B frequencies which Strabane and Moville also use.

Why are we bothering to pay our Licence Fees if The BBC won't give Freeview to The Second Largest City in the North ?

Nobody in Derry City has any bigger right to receive BBC transmissions than a village in the Antrim Glens.

If they are worried about overspill into Donegal, Why ?

I don't think they would be too worried about overspill if the southern authorities didn't mind.

Ulsterman 1690

One reason why Limavady might be screened towards parts of Donegal is to prevent interference to any co-channel analouge transmissions within the Republic in the same way that there are directional and power restrictions on transmitters in the South and South East of England along with the aforementioned Channel Islands

Under international agreements (such as the Stockholm 1961 plan) the existing analouge transmitters would have primicy over DTT allocations which (obviously) werent part of the original plan

Once analouge transmitters are switched off there should be massive power increaces (and additional relays) for freeview

Why are we bothering to pay our Licence Fees if The BBC won't give Freeview to The Second Largest City

As Northern Correspondent pointed out you already have DTT from Limavady.(not to mention Astra 2D) but even if you didnt to take your argument to its logical conclusion why should viewers ANYWHERE in the Republic pay a licence fee when they have NO DTT service ?
Or looking at it another way maybe viewers in Londonderry should pay TWO licence fees since you get all the RTE stuff too

mick_g

Hold on Derry has a bigger right for freeview than any other little town in the northwest. Due to population and amount being paid into the BBC's pocket from Derry. And not everybody can recive freeview because I can't !

It seems that most of Derry's Cityside can't get freeview.

They have recently added a DAB transmitter for Derry.

So don't complain about overcrowding because its quite simple switch to digital from analogue.

lawhec

Hold on Derry has a bigger right for freeview than any other little town in the northwest.

Nope.

Due to population...

A 100% commercial organisation would certainly take that into consideration (like Channel 5), however the BBC, a major player in the Freeview consortium and a public service broadcaster is designed to look after the interests of all of the population regardless of location in the country as technically feasible as they can be on cost, technology and environmental grounds.

...and amount being paid into the BBC's pocket from Derry.

IF you mean from people paying the licence fee, I'll, erm, leave it at that!

And not everybody can recive freeview because I can't !

Nobody said otherwise! I among others who are regulars here would say that DTT coverage in Northern Ireland is patchy. Why else are there 41 relays for analogue television?

It seems that most of Derry's Cityside can't get freeview.

One wonders if this is through the prediction database from the DTG? They are quite conservative. I've helped install DTT systems for people who are not calssed as being in a coverage area yet receive the service no problem. It's just that sometimes extra effort has to be made, not ignoring the fact that most people in Derry city would have two aerials diplexed towards Holywell Hill and Sherrifs Mountain and not towards Limavady.

They have recently added a DAB transmitter for Derry.

The BBC? They certainly have plans to switch it on in the next few weeks if not already, Limavady and Brougher Mountain had their turned on at the end of March.

So don't complain about overcrowding because its quite simple switch to digital from analogue.

Do you actually understand your own arguement? In the case of DAB, a completely new part of the radio spectrum was given for its broadcasts away from frequencies that FM and MW radio use. It is easy for transmitters there to be added because of this and also because of the way DAB can be broadcast, one multiplex across the entire UK. Nothing on FM or MW at the moment at least is affected or being taken away.

DTT or Freeview on the other hand shares frequency space with current analogue UHF television broadcasts and uses frequencies squeezed in to a few vacant spaces available at low power for the time being. Now for the analogue broadcasts from Sherrifs Mountain (excluding Five), the frequencies for BBC 1, 2, UTV and Channel 4 are 41, 44, 47 and 51 (not respectively). To receive these it is best to have an outdoor aerial that is called a Group B UHF aerial which covers frequencies from UHF channels 35 to 53. Ideally if DTT were to be broadcast from Sherrifs Mountain it would do so in spare slots available within those Group B frequencies.

However locally there are two more analogue transmitter sites that use Group B frequencies - the big Strabane mast and also the RTÉ site in Moville in Donegal. Strabane uses 39, 42, 45 and 49 while Moville has 40, 43, 46 and 50. 46 from Moville isn't being broadcast yet but it is assigned for TV3 who can take it up at any time.

Striking these frequencies out you are then left with the following frequencies available for Group B aerials - 35, 36, 37, 38, 48, 52 and 53. 36 and 38 are out straight away as they are used for none TV broadcasting purpouses. 37 is also out as clearence has been given to the Irish authorities to use this from Holywell Hill for analogue broadcasting (if they'll ever use it I don't know) while 53 is also out as Limavady uses this for one of its multiplexes and RTÉ have this frequency available to broadcast in analogue at high power from Truskmore in Sligo which covers a lot of Donegal and could well be taken up in the near future.

That then leaves 35, 48 and 52. 35 would also be unlikely to be available as this was a non-broadcast channel before Channel 5 started and no DTT multiplex in the UK uses this frequency or 37 for that matter. Therefore you're left with 48 and 52 only which would probably be available. As the full DTT service needs six frequencies other frequencies in the UHF band would need to be found and used if available. Two is not enough. Therefore if a DTT service was to start from Sherrifs Mountain, a change of aerials would be needed for most people to receive a full service.

That is an explaination of overcrowding!

Of course you could simply switch off an analogue transmitter and straight away replace it with a DTT transmitter but that is quite a drastic switchover and would probably end up with riots! :eek:

Steve_TcK

I live in Tullyarb / Carndonagh and dont seem to get any good tv pictures -
I have just bought a massive gold high gain beam antenna - i wonder what direction i need to be pointing ?

If and when i get this antenna up & working - my Digibox asks what channel you want to tune on ? any clue what channel on the digi box is best to use ?


Steve