DTT Tests @ Clermont Carn

Rick_

A place for us to discuss the tests from Clermont... and basically because the other transmitters are getting their own seperate threads, so why not Clermont?

Anyones signal get better over the last day or two? Mine went from very low and poppy/clicky to quite stable since yesterday... Atmospherics or a power increase?

smadger

Not getting any signal right now. Not sure what time it went at, but was ok this morning. Anyone else getting anything?

dxhound2005

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055512889

I noticed the drop in strength a couple of weeks back and it stayed under 70% since but when I checked 31 March it was back to around 95. Noticed the test card on TG4 31 March and now the lot is gone, great timing for the match!

Mayo Exile

Still off at 11.30 pm.

Mayo Exile

Back on again this afternoon. All TV stations available. No test cards etc.

Mike 1972

Is the "North shielding" on Claremont supposed to be temporary (Im guessing from the Boxer coverage maps the answer is yes). If so which transmitters/relays is it supposed to be protecting and why is it also being applied to the DAB services ?

Rick_

Judging by maps provided in some official documents on receiption strangth I remember seeing from a link on here a while ago, reception in NI will be quite possible in many places but it still said that the signal will be restricted northwards. I guess they just can't help overspill really as the signal cannot be 'killed' as soon as it hits the border and there are people on the northern side of the transmitter who will have to be able to receive the service too, so I'd say it's just on low power rather than completely nulled altogether.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Any idea when this testing will stop, as nobody in our area can get any TV reception at all at the moment? We're still in the dark ages I'm afriad with neither cable of satelite TV.

What TV stations are back up and running ?

Rick_

So is Clermont up and running again yet or is it still off?

Mayo Exile

Yes, it's on. No apparent interruptions since the 2nd. However I have only been checking in the evenings. Not sure about daytime.

Mayo Exile

Originally posted by Paddy C: Judging by maps provided in some official documents on receiption strangth I remember seeing from a link on here a while ago, reception in NI will be quite possible in many places but it still said that the signal will be restricted northwards. I guess they just can't help overspill really as the signal cannot be 'killed' as soon as it hits the border and there are people on the northern side of the transmitter who will have to be able to receive the service too, so I'd say it's just on low power rather than completely nulled altogether.

According to this document, up to the end of Q4, 2012, DTT transmissions from CC are set at 50 Kw due to NI restrictions. However from Q1, 2013, ERP rises to 160 Kw, with no NI restrictions indicated. Could this also indicate an end to nulling of CC DTT transmissions to the North?

Rick_

That's something similar to what I saw but the PDF I looked at had coverage maps on it where some of NI was included but by 2012/2013 practically all of it was covered by the various ROI transmitters. So it would seem that after DSO there won't be any restrictions at all and many NI viewers can receive the ROI DTT service too and vice versa given the power increases...

MACHEAD

Here's hoping that will be the case. Maybe then we'll be able to ditch the uber expensive Sky option to view RTÉ in proper digital 16:9. I'm assuming that the current restrictions are due to possible interference on analogue services north of the border from Irish DTT. After all analogue services are shut down up here, there should no further need to restrict output. Unless of course there's a risk of interference to northern DTT services as well! If that's the case, it'll be keep on paying I suppose.

Rick_

Well, the DTT signals will be on 53, 57 and 60 at least, with the DTT signals from the northern transmitters mainly the same as their analogue counterparts, which seem to be in the 40's and 50's, and as there doesn't appear to me any / much interference at the moment, I wouldn't imagine there would be any problems. Then again we won't know until then!

Scottish paddy

Remember all frequencies are agreed internationally to avoid interference. After ASO there should be no problems between transmitters in Ireland N&S.

skycatcher

Just tried tuning in the dtt from clermont on my new panasonic freesat/freeview tele and it gets a fairly weak but with very few break ups signal here in the country side between hillsborough and dromore co down .

I have a mast head pre amp on my c/d aerial.

The channels come up as encrypted (?) but clear OK but there there is no epg showing.

Regards,

Sky

Rick_

One of my TV's was quite stubborn and wouldn't even acknowledge a signal on CH53 whilst others would, but I noticed today that it gave a good signal and tuned the 8 channels in fine. I was thinking it might have been a power increase (but it's probably just atmospherics) but I have a DVD recorder with built in DTT and it now refuses to even slow down the search when it comes to CH53 (unfortunatly, you cannot manually tune in one MUX and a full scan must be done every time).

skycatcher

I also noticed the signal was much improved today but as noted elsewhere on this forum my panny now wont acknowledge the TV stations only the radio

Johnny_the_fox

I am picking up on a viera tv - RnaG on channel 8 - Radio Service - CH53 730Mhz on freeview (based in South Derry).

Its a poor signal - says encrypted and there is an epg showing.

I am not picking this up on my other freeview goodmans box.

Rick_

Are you sure you're getting it from Clermont? South Derry seems a bit far for reception... but then again, stranger things have happened!

STB

Johnny_the_fox wrote: »

I am picking up on a viera tv - RnaG on channel 8 - Radio Service - CH53 730Mhz on freeview (based in South Derry).

Its a poor signal - says encrypted and there is an epg showing.

I am not picking this up on my other freeview goodmans box.

Yip. Thats Irish DTT alright. although its flagged as encrypted, its not.

You would be picking up the TV channels as well, except there is an issue with the panasonics at present. You say a Viera - a PZ81 or LZD81 ?

Johnny_the_fox

sorry for the delay in getting back to you - its a Veira 32 LMD70.

the signal is still showing bad signal, but i am getting sound (Britney is on at the minute tbh) - probably because of the good weather.

did another scan - no other channels have appeared.

Mayo Exile

TG4 seems to take a while to appear. Sound is there immediately. But the picture can take 5 to 10 seconds to appear. Been happening the last week or so. Other 3 TV stations are ok.

Rick_

Signal seems to be gone again from Clermont, or at least it's not receivable in Armagh. Loverly weather usually gives me a little boost in reception but all day I can't receive anything on CH53. Is this the same for everyone else or might it be a case of RTÉ testing their restriction patterns for northerners again?

SRB

Kippure has dropped power over the last week, you could be right Paddy C.

Rick_

So it could be low power again then?

When operating at the power levels they have been over the past few weeks I can receive the service fine, so if it returns to that or anything higher I should be OK then for any future reception when it fully launches, providing they don't modify their northern restrictions any more!

Johnny_the_fox

2FM appeared on CH 801 i think - last week .

no signal here now.

Rick_

If you're in the Derry/Donegal area you wouldn't be receiving from Clermont though. I can't get anything on Clermont at the moment...

Johnny_the_fox

Paddy C wrote: »

If you're in the Derry/Donegal area you wouldn't be receiving from Clermont though. I can't get anything on Clermont at the moment...

at the minute - im based in south derry.

Johnny_the_fox

Johnny_the_fox wrote: »

at the minute - im based in south derry.

Truskmore maybe?

Johnny_the_fox

would have been getting a signal from the louth direction.

dxhound2005

If you are somewhere around Moneymore it would certainly be nearer to Clermont Cairn than Truskmore.

Mayo Exile

EPG seems to be back this evening. Test card on TV3. But no sound or vision on TG4.

smadger

All 4 TV stations now showing test cards :-(

stanley1

same from 3 rock

Rippy

Also Mullaganish.
Looks like the end for now. All transmittters showing test cards.
I reckon they don't want us watching and people trading 'unofficial ' boxes.anymore.
Will probably be out now until official launch

Frisian

Just to confirm: Truskmore also on testcards.

christo82

Rippy wrote: »

Also Mullaganish.
Looks like the end for now. All transmittters showing test cards.
I reckon they don't want us watching and people trading 'unofficial ' boxes.anymore.
Will probably be out now until official launch

A little pessimistic, no? They could be all on test cards before the launch of their HD versions along with a Film channel, and a Sports channel to show Padhraig Harrington winning his third Open in a row(along with the EPL of course).

Does that make me an Optimist?

Rippy

christo82 wrote: »

A little pessimistic, no? They could be all on test cards before the launch of their HD versions along with a Film channel, and a Sports channel to show Padhraig Harrington winning his third Open in a row(along with the EPL of course).

Does that make me an Optimist?

No , it makes you certifiable.

Maybe the DTT tests got the snip?

Apogee

Rippy wrote: »

Also Mullaganish.
Looks like the end for now. All transmittters showing test cards.
I reckon they don't want us watching and people trading 'unofficial ' boxes.anymore.
Will probably be out now until official launch

The radio channels are still on though, and they burn through almost as much electricity transmitting the testcards as they would transmitting the channels. So there's hope yet! If the carriers go blank, then it's time to get worried.

Mayo Exile

Got Sky in about 3 weeks so getting Widescreen RTE etc via this platform, but its still very disappointing to see this happen. .

Watching the Dublin v Kildare match last Sunday on TV3 and flicking between TV3 via Sky and TV3 via DTT, the DTT platform was the nicer, more natural looking picture.

Still test cards for RTE 1, RTE 2 and TV3, but no vision for TG4 via a Sony W4000 series telly. Been like this for a couple of days now.

slegs

EPG back and Radio still running. There could be some major test going on. I wouldnt lose hope. Be very surprised if there is any kind of long term switch off.

SRB

Nothing would surprise me from a company who are happy running test bars with a default "ident mode" setting.

MACHEAD

Karsini wrote: »

Maybe the DTT tests got the snip?

Ah jeez lads will you cool it with all this snip stuff, yous are gonna put strange ideas in herself's head now!

Mayo Exile

Mayo Exile wrote: »

Still test cards for RTE 1, RTE 2 and TV3, but no vision for TG4 via a Sony W4000 series telly. Been like this for a couple of days now.

Same here from kippure.

Getting over 76 other digital channels[some scrambled but most clear] on the sony w4000 though from presely wales which kind of makes up for it
Signal strength on them is a green bar saying good

christo82

Deleted User wrote: »

Same here from kippure.

Getting over 76 other digital channels[some scrambled but most clear] on the sony w4000 though from presely wales which kind of makes up for it
Signal strength on them is a green bar saying good

What kind of aerial are you using? Is it the size of a small house?

christo82

christo82 wrote: »

What kind of aerial are you using? Is it the size of a small house?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055605025

Not uncommon for an aerial around here.
Though in lots of places in wicklow and wexford the presely stuff just needs an ordinary roof aerial plus mast head amp

Rick_

Can't receive the tests here due to not having an MPEG4 TV but the sound does come through on occasion these days and the radio channels work intermittently. Full EPG info being received here though. Wonder if the signal strength will ever improve here to make buying something MPEG4-ish in the future worthwhile. It fluctuates so much in Armagh I wonder if solid reception will ever be a possibility. Relatives who live outside the town a bit [10 odd minute drive from me] have the same rock solid analogue RTÉ picture as I have as well as rock solid analogue Divis, (including crystal clear Channel 5 from Black Mountain, I wonder what their DTT reception is like....

Mayo Exile

Just blank test card now on the channels (including RTE NL channel), no ID on them. Still no vision on TG4 for me. EPG working.