Channel 5 Reception

Callum Bevan

I've been able to recieve BBC1 & 2, ITV & Channel 4 without much hassel, but Channel 5 has been a problem, the picture is just about unwatchable and the sound crackles, would this be something to do with my roof top aerial or the channel on reduced power ?

Ulsterman 1690

Are you recieving from Nothern Ireland (UTV) or mainland Britain (ITV) ?

Your problem is probably just down to the lower power used by Channel 5

In Belfast for example Channel 5 is transmitted on a fifth of the power used by the other four channels Its also uses a different site (Black mountain instead of Divis) and power is restricted even further in Some directions. Also its on the same frequency (Channel 37) as several nearby English and Scottish transmitters so high pressure weather = lots of interference

Dundalk Online

well i'm north of dundalk, i can't get it. my mate (south of dundalk) gets it perfectly!

Ulsterman 1690

Theres parts of Belfast that dont get it (terestrially anyway)

Mayo Exile

well i'm north of dundalk, i can't get it. my mate (south of dundalk) gets it perfectly!

Where, north of Dundalk, are you? I would guess you are too near the Cooley Mountains at your location and the Channel 5 signal from Black Mountain is being blocked. South of Dundalk you are further away from them. Better chance there of getting a signal.

watty

My mum in Co. Antrim never knew Five existed till she got Sky Digital. I don't think it is on her local relay.

Richard

Dundalk Online wrote:

well i'm north of dundalk, i can't get it. my mate (south of dundalk) gets it perfectly!

South of Dundalk you can get reasonable Orange mobile reception!

Callum Bevan

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

Are you recieving from Nothern Ireland (UTV) or mainland Britain (ITV) ?

Your problem is probably just down to the lower power used by Channel 5

In Belfast for example Channel 5 is transmitted on a fifth of the power used by the other four channels Its also uses a different site (Black mountain instead of Divis) and power is restricted even further in Some directions. Also its on the same frequency (Channel 37) as several nearby English and Scottish transmitters so high pressure weather = lots of interference

It's main land britain i think as it's Border tv i'm getting as the ITV region.

L1011

Callum Bevan wrote:

It's main land britain i think as it's Border tv i'm getting as the ITV region.

That would probably be the Isle of Man, actually...

Callum Bevan

I think it you get Border Tv as you're ITV region ?

watty

At one stage 1/2 IOM got one region and the other got a different region.

L1011

Callum Bevan wrote:

I think it you get Border Tv as you're ITV region ?

I don't quite understand that. The Isle of Man (currently) gets Border TV. Off air here, I got UTV, because thats where my aerials were pointing. If you're getting Border TV in Ireland you are probably getting signals from the Isle of Man.

Ulsterman 1690

At one stage 1/2 IOM got one region and the other got a different region.

That was in the 405 line days.

They have their own relay transmitter(s?) on the Island now all carrying Border although parts of the Island can still get UTV if they really want it

MYOB

MYOB wrote:

I don't quite understand that. The Isle of Man (currently) gets Border TV. Off air here, I got UTV, because thats where my aerials were pointing. If you're getting Border TV in Ireland you are probably getting signals from the Isle of Man.

Not necessarally.
I can get Border tv here and its not from a tx on the IOM.
As Watty said:
Border was nicknamed Boring Border and many people on the IOM tuned in HTV wales instead and some UTV.

watty

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

That was in the 405 line days.

They have their own relay transmitter(s?) on the Island now all carrying Border although parts of the Island can still get UTV if they really want it

Probabily on the Hells Kitchen of Masts and Transmitters called SnaFell

L1011

Earthman wrote:

Not necessarally.
I can get Border tv here and its not from a tx on the IOM.
As Watty said:
Border was nicknamed Boring Border and many people on the IOM tuned in HTV wales instead and some UTV.

Something tells me that uou have a slightly more impressive aerial setup than yer man, but yes, he could be getting it from England/Scotland and not the IOM, considering the IOM transmitters are very low power by the looks of it...

Still, its strange that someone in Lewkan would be getting anything but UTV.

Yeah 60ft mast and twin group B's

watty

Well I can hear the IOM 2m (145MHz) repeater mobile along the M50 from M1 end along to near Dundrum and then on Hill between Dundrum and coast. Can't be more than 20W.

There is a guy in Anglesy that operates regularly into the Limerick Repeater (actually in Tipperary Arra Mountains) when condtions good.

When conditions REALLY good I have worked Aberdeen and Dundee on 144MHz SSB and 145MHz FM about 5W.

Lots of folk on Antrim coast had to get Scotland TV for years. It depend where he is in Lucan and what size pole he got!

The Manx TX has to be not too much power or wreck everything else up on the mountain there.

L1011

watty wrote:

Lots of folk on Antrim coast had to get Scotland TV for years. It depend where he is in Lucan and what size pole he got!

Well, you should see some of the poles down in the valley in Lucan

watty

Earthman wrote:

Yeah 60ft mast and twin group B's

Can I have it here when you get borde with it. I only have 35ft for my dual band colinear and 20 ft for the Discone. The 4.5m long 144Mhz yagi is replacing the the 2m long one on the ft chimney pole / rotator when I have the elevator motor working.

(Moon tracking for moon bounce. Small B&W camera on elevator motor, E/W azimuth rotor is calibrated )

watty

MYOB wrote:

Well, you should see some of the poles down in the valley in Lucan

As you drive out N7 past Naas to Limerick, they get bigger and bigger and then vanish.

rogue-entity

It seems that those in dublin are luckier then those of us down in waterford. Without NTL, I can bearly get the irish stations, and even then I need can only get RTE2/TV3 or RTE1/TG4 at any one time. Once I move the antenna to get one set I lose the other. I know that my neighbours who are up on a high hill can get BBC1/2 Wales, ITV and (I think) Channel 4, but there reception is very fuzzy, it is "black" snow.

I live on the bottom of that hill, and I have no idea what I could pick up with an antenna. In the area, if you go out along one of the back roads you can see a large set of Masts, with microwave "domes" and antennas. I can assume that it is an RTE rig and I doubt it is the source for BBC as surly the signal would be a lot stronger. I dont think I can receive C5 as no one here is "deflecting" it.