irish dtt in norhtern ireland

dbcool

Hi Guys,

I have a friend in Kesh who can receive RTE in mpeg 4 lound and clear in Kesh - can anoyne else in Norhten Ireland receive the new DTT service yet ?

lawhec

I'm assuming he's getting it from the Carin Hill transmitter in Longford - I was just checking the frequencies for Truskmore and they are not active.

In terms of reception reports, there have been a few cases of reception east of the Bann from Clermont Carn (despite using a different set of aerials with the transmitted signal pointing away from the north) and some sproadic reception along the Co. Down seaboard from Three Rock in Dublin.

Remember that there are at least seven different transmission sites where people in N.Ireland receive RTÉ Television from, at least terrestrially.

BeerNut

My Dad is a few miles north of Armagh city and gets DTT, from Clermont I'm guessing. He wasn't too happy when his expensive new Sony IDTV went to sound-only on RTÉ :P

dbcool

do you think newry would get them ?

Scottish paddy

BeerNut wrote: »

My Dad is a few miles north of Armagh city and gets DTT, from Clermont I'm guessing. He wasn't too happy when his expensive new Sony IDTV went to sound-only on RTÉ :P

More likely to be from Cairn Hill I would have thought

Rick_

I'm in Armagh City and got the DTT trial perfectly on various equipment (and continue to receive analogue RTÉ crystal clear) from Clermont Carn.

Since the switch to MPEG 4 though I got sound only, but over the last 2 months I can't receive a thing now. I hope it isn't gone for good...

I have noticed that there are two different types of aerial used in Armagh for RTÉ reception, a vertical one for Clermont, the other is usually a beast of a thing horizontally pointed somewhere else!

dbcool

Paddy C wrote: »

I'm in Armagh City and got the DTT trial perfectly on various equipment (and continue to receive analogue RTÉ crystal clear) from Clermont Carn.

Since the switch to MPEG 4 though I got sound only, but over the last 2 months I can't receive a thing now. I hope it isn't gone for good...

I have noticed that there are two different types of aerial used in Armagh for RTÉ reception, a vertical one for Clermont, the other is usually a beast of a thing horizontally pointed somewhere else!

what receiver are you using paddy ?

STB

BeerNut wrote: »

My Dad is a few miles north of Armagh city and gets DTT, from Clermont I'm guessing. He wasn't too happy when his expensive new Sony IDTV went to sound-only on RTÉ :P

When did this happen ? Has he being watching DTT services previously this year ? Is it just RTE 1 and 2 ? Or is Tv3 and Tg4 okay ?

Rick_

dbcool wrote: »

what receiver are you using paddy ?

I have a Panasonic DRMEX75 DVD recorder and a Sony KDL32V4000 telly. Both picked up the channels before and after the trial, (but after all I got was sound), but now, I can pick up nothing.

Scottish paddy

Paddy C wrote: »

I have a Panasonic DRMEX75 DVD recorder and a Sony KDL32V4000 telly. Both picked up the channels before and after the trial, (but after all I got was sound), but now, I can pick up nothing.

Paddy, can you not pick up the DTT signal from Cairn Hill?........I thought it would have reached Armagh.........people are saying it is very strong. I have already asked if anyone North of Longford is receiving Cairn Hill DTT, just to see if it is reduced to the North.

BeerNut

STB wrote: »

When did this happen ?

As far as I can tell he was getting the MPEG2 trial and then at MPEG4 switchover last summer he lost picture, as one would expect.

Paddy C is really the man to talk to for the situation in recent months.

Rick_

Scottish paddy wrote: »

Paddy, can you not pick up the DTT signal from Cairn Hill?........I thought it would have reached Armagh.........people are saying it is very strong. I have already asked if anyone North of Longford is receiving Cairn Hill DTT, just to see if it is reduced to the North.

No way of checking really. I would need someone to come out and move my aerial or install a new one, and that's gonna cost. The aerial installer said that my location was receiving the strongest signal from Clermon he had seen in Armagh, he couldn't believe how good an analogue picture I was getting. I have a feeling the hills to the west of my location would be stopping me from getting Cairn Hill. Only the high up places in Armagh have aerials for Cairn Hill, and even at that, some high up places have aerials for Clermont instead....

lawhec

My experience in Armagh city is that RTÉ aerials are either aimed at Clermont Carn or the VHF Band III relay in Monaghan is used. The might explain the "big" aerials already mentioned. Carin Hill "might" be possible, but within Northern Ireland is generally received in the southern and eastern parts of Fermanagh and parts of Tyrone from Fivemiletown up to the northern outskirts of Omagh.

Had an unconfirmed reception report of receiving the RTÉ DTT test from Carin Hill in Greencastle, Co. Tyrone which would be roughly 51 miles line of sight.

Digifriendly

lawhec wrote: »

My experience in Armagh city is that RTÉ aerials are either aimed at Clermont Carn or the VHF Band III relay in Monaghan is used. The might explain the "big" aerials already mentioned. Carin Hill "might" be possible, but within Northern Ireland is generally received in the southern and eastern parts of Fermanagh and parts of Tyrone from Fivemiletown up to the northern outskirts of Omagh.

Had an unconfirmed reception report of receiving the RTÉ DTT test from Carin Hill in Greencastle, Co. Tyrone which would be roughly 51 miles line of sight.

Some of the aerials I have seen on way into Armagh on Portadown road on left hand side (think it's called Lindsay Heights) do seem to be UHF horizontally polarised aerials in direction of ROI and I presumed it was Cairn Hill rather than Monaghan relay but I may be wrong. BTW I used to live on the Markethill Road out of Armagh (at Killeen) and could not get any signal from Monaghan or Cairn Hill but got excellent Clermont Carn with aid of decent aerial and masthead amp. Now live in Moira, Co. Down and still get excellent CC reception. Pity that DTT is in different transmission method otherwise I would pick up ROI radio channels as well as 4 TV ones!

goodall

i live in lisbellaw, fermanagh
we cant get brougher DTT because there a bit of a hill the way
but for the crack of it i tried scanning for DTT on are tv last week, in a hope lisbellaw repeater may been upgraded

but i managed to get a signal from cairn hill for the 4 channels and 4 radio stations
the tv stations say they are HD and that "text is loading" when i try them
as for the radio its works and i have been listening to lyric abit
i get "100%" signal strength according to my tv even through on analogue my rte picture bit weak

when will be possible to receive the tv channels?

watty

When you buy an MPEG4, MHEG5 setbox. UK only uses MPEG2, The Tv erroneously reports them as HD.

Wait till the service has a public Launch though.

The proposed UK HD terrestrial uses a 3rd system (incompatible with existing UK TVs or boxes and the new ones elsewhere) DVB-T2

goodall

so my tv isnt mpeg4 compatible them? and it wont work with the HD signals of the uk system when they come into existence

seems annoying buying a supposedly hd ready tv that isnt really unless you plug a external device into it

seems all abit properly thought through that newer standards arent backward compatible, oh well no point complaining just have buy the equipment needed when all comes to be

lawhec

The "HD ready" logo you may find on a TV recently bought refers to the case that it can display a HD picture i.e. 720p or 1080i (though many especially budget makes display them with 768 lines) from its source wherever it is terrestrial, satellite, cable, broadband etc. The fact that it has an inbuilt DTT tuner is not relevant and poor advice on this front from retailers is in my mind to blame.

Lisbellaw has its own small relay station because as you point out, part of the area is shielded from Brougher Mountain. However it will not be upgraded for DTT until the switchover, which for Brougher Mountain is not due until approx. October 2012.

egal

I live in Omagh. I wonder what the chances would be of reception from Holywell Hill when it starts. And what about intererference from Brougher? Anyone got any information?

sesswhat

egal wrote: »

I live in Omagh. I wonder what the chances would be of reception from Holywell Hill when it starts. And what about intererference from Brougher? Anyone got any information?

Quite a few hills between you and Holywell Hill (beside Derry) so it's hard to say. If you are high enough, and if you can already get analogue signals from Holywell (RTE1 CH23, 2 CH26, TV3 CH29, TG4 CH33) then your chances are obviously much higher.

Three of the four proposed channels to be used by Holywell Hill for DTT (25, 30 and 32) are also currently used by Brougher Mountain so there could be a potential for interference, although you will probably not be in a position to receive strong signals from both anyhow.

As you probably read there are reports of Cairn Hill DTT being picked up in Kesh, although that would be straight up through the low lying lakelands from the transmitter. If you are high up to the South or East of Omagh you could always swing a suitable aerial southwards and check CH47.

lawhec

Frequencies assigned for Holywell Hill for DTT are E25, E30, E32 and E35.

Until 2013 all these frequencies are on reduced power (3.2kW) from a special aerial separate from the analogue transmitting aerial - one would assume to protect current analogue allocations in N.Ireland, in particular Brougher Mountain.

E25 and E32 are unlikely to be receivable in Omagh. If a weakish 500W DTT signal could wreck fringe analogue reception of Holywell Hill in Omagh, 100kW analogue image signals against a fringe DTT signal is only going to end up with one winner.

E30 is also likely to suffer with the frequency currently being used from Brougher Mountain for DTT Mux1. An aerial with a very high Front-to-back ratio might pull it in.

E35 however is a clear frequency - if they want RTÉ/TV3/TG4 to have the best coverage under current restrictions ideally they should have the PSB multiplex on this frequency.

Depending whereabouts in Omagh you are, Truskmore, Carin Hill, Holywell Hill and Clermont Carn are receivable in different pockets. If it wasn't for Pigeon Top, Truskmore would have a clear path into Omagh, but because its there it weakens reception. Holywell Hill reception was most common in around Drumquin and western/northern parts of Omagh around CKS and Derry Road. Carin Hill is receivable on higher ground especially out around the Cookstown Road towards Killyclogher and Mountfield, also used in the centre of the town as well but requires a good high-gain Group B UHF aerial. Clermont Carn has only became useable in more recent years due to a new mast and power boost, is used sometimes for new RTÉ aerial installiations.

egal

Thanks for replies. I'm on the western edges of Omagh and I used to get reasonably good reception from Holywell Hill until digital signals from Brougher put paid to that. That's why I was asking about the chances for Holywell Hill now. Doesn't look too good then, does it? Truskmore on western side of Omagh?

brendasi

BeerNut wrote: »

My Dad is a few miles north of Armagh city and gets DTT, from Clermont I'm guessing. He wasn't too happy when his expensive new Sony IDTV went to sound-only on RTÉ :P

I have recently moved to Moira and cannot get any TV reception.

Anyone help please?

D
x

Digifriendly

brendasi wrote: »

I have recently moved to Moira and cannot get any TV reception.

Anyone help please?

D
x

I live on Station Road, Moira (just a few hundred yards from railway line), so am on lower ground than you are. I get near perfect analogue RTE - using a highgain aerial with masthead amplifier fed to 2 TVs. Also get ROI DTT (just sound no picture). Moira Presbyterian Church just beside where you live on Meeting Street/Clarehill Road also has crystal clear RTE fed to its Church Hall with a basic RTE aerial and I think a masthead amp as well as RTE DTT with sound. You should be getting decent RTE analogue with half decent setup (and even a whiff of ROI DTT tests) as I was able to pick up very good RTE via a set top aerial in Church hall before proper aerial sysyem was installed. Any help I can be just let me know. BTW there is even a DTT signal from Cambret Hill (Scotland) on TV's in Church Hall!

Souriau

dbcool wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I have a friend in Kesh who can receive RTE in mpeg 4 lound and clear in Kesh - can anoyne else in Norhten Ireland receive the new DTT service yet ?

Yes I am also receiving this for the past 6 months, and since the past 3 months the service beens stable, no break up or loss of signal, at times a test card come up in place of the picture, like TG4 or TV3.
I am outside Newry, I can't received Clermont but I do get from Cairn Hill, Longford. on group B, UHF ch.47

MACHEAD

Souriau wrote: »

Yes I am also receiving this for the past 6 months, and since the past 3 months the service beens stable, no break up or loss of signal, at times a test card come up in place of the picture, like TG4 or TV3.
I am outside Newry, I can't received Clermont but I do get from Cairn Hill, Longford. on group B, UHF ch.47

Well done Souriau, on pulling in the signal from Longford! What kind of kit are you using to get this? I'm about 20 K's NE of Newry and cant get any digital signal from Claremont. Using an 18 element yagi with an MHA fitted. (RTÉ analogue not bad, about grade 4 picture).

foxire

I live in Carrickmore Co. Tyrone and I receive RTE1, RTE2, TG4 and TV3 DTT from Cairn Hill since October with a Picnic Box. Omagh, Cookstown and Dungannon are almost equal distance from me.

The signal strength is about 50% and signal quality 98% same as the freeview channels from Brougher Mountain.

The DTT picture is much better than the analogue signal that I get from Cairn Hill.

brendasi

brendasi wrote: »

I have recently moved to Moira and cannot get any TV reception.

Anyone help please?

D
x

Many Thanks for your private emails on this.

I've just checked the spec on my new TV and aerial which I bought in Tesco's as follows: -

TV: Technika Advanced Model No 22-208, 1680-1050 Resolution, RF: 75 75 ohm Antenna/PAL/SECAM, HDMI: 1 (up to 1080)

AERIAL: TT-703 &TT 713 High Performance TV/FM Aerial

Any advice would be so much appreciated or advice on someone who can install without charging too much.

Regards

D