Blaen-Plwyf switchover schedule and Freeview HD from March 10 2010

mrdtv2010

Those still getting UK analogue Tv from Wales are receiving Blaen-Plwyf. This is going digital on February 10 2010.

February 10: PSB1 : BBC services, Channel 27, 40kW, MPEG2 T1

March 10: PSB2, 40kw, Channel 24, 40kW, MPEG2 T1
COM1, Ch 25, 10kW. COM2, Ch 22, 10kW, COM3, Ch 28, 10kW also MPEG2 T1


Freeview HD: Channel 21, 40kW, DVB-T2 MPEG4, 256QAM, FEC 3/5, carrying BBCHD, ITV1HD, S4CHD, and later FiveHD.

Note that Blaen-Plwyf will be the first Welsh transmitter to carry Freeview HD> Arfon, Llanddona and Preseli will follow later in the year.

Sam Russell

I am going to try and receive the BP signals in Bray Town centre. What aerial and amplifier should I use, and how high will I have to go? I will be on a roof top with a sea view.

coylemj

From Bray, point a Group A (ideally) or Wideband UHF aerial with horizontal polarity at bearing 124 (true), 128 (magnetic).

marclt

A definitely best, wide bands tend to do better for signals broadcast further up the band.

The first PSB mux will start from tonight. There won't be any HD from here until Wenvoe switches at the end of March.

mrdtv2010

marclt wrote: »

A definitely best, wide bands tend to do better for signals broadcast further up the band.

The first PSB mux will start from tonight. There won't be any HD from here until Wenvoe switches at the end of March.

According to the digitaluk web site and its postcode predictor BP HD via T2 starts on March 10 2010, one month from tomorrow. BBC HD and ITV1 HD are already transmitting in the London & NW areas.

Sam Russell

coylemj wrote: »

From Bray, point a Group A (ideally) or Wideband UHF aerial with horizontal polarity at bearing 124 (true), 128 (magnetic).

Do I need a masthead amp, or would the aerial on its own be enough?

marclt

Sam Russell wrote: »

Do I need a masthead amp, or would the aerial on its own be enough?

Depends on your actual location, but if there is no risk of co-channel and your position is good, then possibly not.

Given there is a bit more sea over which the signal needs to travel, the power is higher than any other TX on the west Wales coast.

Not long to wait now though...

coylemj

marclt wrote: »

Given there is a bit more sea over which the signal needs to travel, the power is higher than any other TX on the west Wales coast.

But surely the BP power isn't greater than Arfon or Preseli just because BP is further from Wicklow than the others?

mrdtv2010

coylemj wrote: »

But surely the BP power isn't greater than Arfon or Preseli just because BP is further from Wicklow than the others?

I would recommend a masthead with variable gain control the modern type. Looking back through the threads the ERP restriction is 9dB in an arc from 275 degrees to 285 degrees which translates to 5kW radiated in that arc. You can work out exactly where that is on google maps. In lay terms BP is twice as powerful as Preseli PSB muxes and 14 times more powerful than Arfon outside the restricted arc where it is nearly twice as powerful. In the other thread where this is being discussed I showed today that the main beam is indeed firing to the North West and the South West of BP. Note that 40kW DVB-T ERP is effectively equivalent to a 250kW analogue PAL station because of the multicarrier nature of DVB-T.

marclt

mrdtv2010 wrote: »

I would recommend a masthead with variable gain control the modern type. Looking back through the threads the ERP restriction is 9dB in an arc from 275 degrees to 285 degrees which translates to 5kW radiated in that arc. You can work out exactly where that is on google maps. In lay terms BP is twice as powerful as Preseli PSB muxes and 14 times more powerful than Arfon outside the restricted arc where it is nearly twice as powerful. In the other thread where this is being discussed I showed today that the main beam is indeed firing to the North West and the South West of BP. Note that 40kW DVB-T ERP is effectively equivalent to a 250kW analogue PAL station because of the multicarrier nature of DVB-T.

So eloquently put!

gtg60

While we're eagerly waiting for this to be switched on tomorrow what would people's opinions be on the premium group A aerial?

Would it still be the Triax Unix 100A?

mrdtv2010

gtg60 wrote: »

While we're eagerly waiting for this to be switched on tomorrow what would people's opinions be on the premium group A aerial?

Would it still be the Triax Unix 100A?

There are many similar antennas, it all depends on the gain, front-to-back ratio, sidelobe protection. BTW I think it was mentioned earlier that people in Leopardstown were getting Divis, presumably analogue. ( It might be Kilkeel however if the aerials are vertical.) They will not be getting BP which is cochannel with Divis in the PSB channels after DSO at BP and if BP is present it will cause increased noise on the analogue Divis signal, but directionality may save the day. The HAAT(height above terrain figures) for Arfon, BP and Preseli transmitter aerials in the new DSO configurations are 607.4m, 322.5m, and 560m respectively so BP is only about 1000 ft above sea level. However the PSB ERPs are respectively 2kw, 40kw, and 20kW. On another interesting thread about BP reception on another board I saw that at Ciccieth on the NW Wales peninsula it is expected that there will be a massive improvement in BP DTT reception: on the link to the DUK postcode predictor the leap was from an unusable signal to a (100, 100 ) configuration from today to tomorrow.

Those getting BBC2 analogue from BP in Ireland will definitely get DTT. I recall using a log periodic in Courtown many years ago without amp and getting very good BBC2 with very little noise (CCIR Grade 4.0) . At midnight tonight or thereabouts BBC2 analogue will fade to noise. By 0600 and probably a lot sooner BBC Mux A will be on air: then we will see the true extent of the HRP restrictions. NB you must run a rescan as BBC Mux A is changing frequencies.

picking it up here perfect at 62% strength with aerial pointed to presely

mrdtv2010

Deleted User wrote: »

picking it up here perfect at 62% strength with aerial pointed to presely

Wow! Of course that is with a Group B aerial pointed thirty degrees further south than Blaen-Plwyf. What is the signal quality? More reports needed later today...

Hovering around 40% signal quality mrdtv.
I've no doubt that if I had a group A pointing to it,I'd have 100 and 100!
Direct sea view here straight line to Aberystwth,it would be a lot closer than arfon or presely.

mrdtv2010

Deleted User wrote: »

Hovering around 40% signal quality mrdtv.
I've no doubt that if I had a group A pointing to it,I'd have 100 and 100!
Direct sea view here straight line to Aberystwth,it would be a lot closer than arfon or presely.

Very interesting indeed. The Group B will incur significant losses (will find out what this is and post) and the fact that you are thirty degrees out will also lead to big losses. The local installers should run up a Group A directly pointed at BP. This could be the star performer in the South East, and of course you are probably inside the restricted power arc of 275-285 towards Arklow where its only 5kW. What's the weather like? I presume the picture quality is very stable.

I'm quite possibly south of that arc mrdtv just!
Though it's hard to say.
I live 3 miles southwest of Arklow.
Weather is cloudy with air pressure of 1020mb which wouldn't be enough for lift conditions.
pictures are grand,theres a little jump or drop to them that I've noticed.

I'd guess I'd have nothing if RTENL put a tx up in Arklow.

mrdtv2010

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm quite possibly south of that arc mrdtv just!
Though it's hard to say.
I live 3 miles southwest of Arklow.
Weather is cloudy with air pressure of 1020mb which wouldn't be enough for lift conditions.
pictures are grand,theres a little jump or drop to them that I've noticed.

I'd guess I'd have nothing if RTENL put a tx up in Arklow.

You are probably just inside that arc. That's excellent reception on a non optimised configuration. I suspect the Arklow repeater would be wrecked by BP in the same way that Mount Leinster 42, 45 and 49 are wrecked by Preseli COM muxes on Preseli aerials. Perhaps RTENL are learning the hard way?. Yes those are essentially flat conditions. More reports needed! Many thanks.

mrdtv2010

Deleted User wrote: »

picking it up here perfect at 62% strength with aerial pointed to presely

Note that a Group A aerial would probably give you something like 6-8dBd gain over a Group B or log (without amplification) which shows you how powerful that BP signal is. See:

http://www.aerialsandtv.com/atvstockaerialtests.html#Bgroup

gtg60

mrdtv2010 wrote: »

Note that a Group A aerial would probably give you something like 6-8dBd gain over a Group B or log (without amplification) which shows you how powrful that BP signal is. See:

http://www.aerialsandtv.com/atvstockaerialtests.html#Bgroup

Nice link there, bit for me to digest over the next hour or so

Don't forget that Black Briar has a twin aerial set-up too, can't remember but doesn't a twin set-up boost signal strength by 25%??

marclt

gtg60 wrote: »

Nice link there, bit for me to digest over the next hour or so

Don't forget that Black Briar has a twin aerial set-up too, can't remember but doesn't a twin set-up boost signal strength by 25%??

Black Briar is very proud of his twins.... !

FREETV

Is anyone receivingy Blaenplwyf in north county Dublin and possibly in the Swords area? I am waiting for equipment from ebay to arrive and then a man I know is going to put together a mast for me etc. I am unable to test the Freeview Welsh reception with a wideband aerial and masthead amp at the moment. I went for the FTE Maximal high gain wideband masthead amp and bought a roll of 100 metres of Webro WF100, the double shielded copper film and braid type. I tested the FTE Maximal amp upstairs with a medium gain Yagi aerial and found the reception and signal strenght of the Irish DTT was a great deal better on all channels through the Sagem Picnic Box as a result of the amp. I have been speaking to an retired ex aerial and satellite dish installer who told me that I should be able to receive Freeview from Wales. Am I correct in assuming that the further one is away from the Blaenplwyf Transmitter that a Group A aerial such as a Triax 100 or similar aerial would be too low across the spectrum to bring in the channels at all because of the distance?

mrdtv2010

gtg60 wrote: »

Nice link there, bit for me to digest over the next hour or so

Don't forget that Black Briar has a twin aerial set-up too, can't remember but doesn't a twin set-up boost signal strength by 25%??

The high performance modern single antennas will be just as good eg the Unix, Televes, Fracarro Sigma etc. Don't forget he's thirty degrees off-beam, using a Group B (yes, that's a very good link) and probably in the restricted arc as well. If you had one of these Group A antennas or a twin boresighted on BP I wager you would get C/N > 25dB, BER < 1 exp -7, quality: 100%, signal strength: 100%. That is bomb proof reception and shows the firepower of the new BP ( I have to say I'm not surprised as from yesterday's postcode DUK predictors you could see the massive difference in DTT reception in its NW & SW Wales beams,). Until Wenvoe goes on line in March it is now the most powerful Welsh DTT station facing Ireland, twice as powerful as Preseli, twenty times that of Arfon, and the first DVB-T2 HD station transmitting with receivability in Ireland from March 10.

If I was an installer down in S Dublin/ Wicklow/Wexford I would be rigging up a variety of Group A antennas, use a Horizon TDM meter, and monitor the performance of BP PSB and COM muxes over the next few weeks. The lucky installer will be able to get hold of the Humax DVB-T2 Fox T2 box next week and test whether it also does Irish DTT from Kippure/Mount Leinster/Three Rock. It appears from Black Briars results and the propagation characteristics of DVB-T that BP will once more be a famous visitor in Ireland replicating its Band I legacy but with crystal clear reception: it helps of course that it is a Group A station like Divis, Brougher, Three Rock and Mullaghanish which always go the extra mile!

mrdtv2010

FREETV wrote: »

Is anyone receivingy Blaenplwyf in north county Dublin and possibly in the Swords area? I am waiting for equipment from ebay to arrive and then a man I know is going to put together a mast for me etc. I am unable to test the Freeview Welsh reception with a wideband aerial and masthead amp at the moment. I went for the FTE Maximal high gain wideband masthead amp and bought a roll of 100 metres of Webro WF100, the double shielded copper film and braid type. I tested the FTE Maximal amp upstairs with a medium gain Yagi aerial and found the reception and signal strenght of the Irish DTT was a great deal better on all channels through the Sagem Picnic Box as a result of the amp. I have been speaking to an retired ex aerial and satellite dish installer who told me that I should be able to receive Freeview from Wales. Am I correct in assuming that the further one is away from the Blaenplwyf Transmitter that a Group A aerial such as a Triax 100 or similar aerial would be too low across the spectrum to bring in the channels at all because of the distance?

If there are people receiving Divis I think its unlikely as its analogue channels are cochannel with the new high power Blaen-Plwyf being rolled out over the next month.

BP DSO is 21, 24, 27, 22, 25, 28

Divis analogue is 21, 24, 27, 31, 37 (via Black Mountain).

However because of differences in direction its possible that you could get BP. Better bets in North Dublin would be: Llanddona, Arfon or even Winter Hill (being received easily in South Down. WH is the most powerful new DTT station.) On the coast with a wideband log with masthead and rotor you could be amazed at what is sailing in... But Divis analogue is 500kW.

FREETV

mrdtv2010 wrote: »

The high performance modern single antennas will be just as good eg the Unix, Televes, Fracarro Sigma etc. Don't forget he's thirty degrees off-beam, using a Group B (yes, that's a very good link) and probably in the restricted arc as well. If you had one of these Group A antennas or a twin boresighted on BP I wager you would get C/N > 25dB, BER < 1 exp -7, quality: 100%, signal strength: 100%. That is bomb proof reception and shows the firepower of the new BP ( I have to say I'm not surprised as from yesterday's postcode DUK predictors you could see the massive difference in DTT reception in its NW & SW Wales beams,). Until Wenvoe goes on line in March it is now the most powerful Welsh DTT station facing Ireland, twice as powerful as Preseli, twenty times that of Arfon, and the first DVB-T2 HD station transmitting with receivability in Ireland from March 10.

If I was an installer down in S Dublin/ Wicklow/Wexford I would be rigging up a variety of Group A antennas, use a Horizon TDM meter, and monitor the performance of BP PSB and COM muxes over the next few weeks. The lucky installer will be able to get hold of the Humax DVB-T2 Fox T2 box next week and test whether it also does Irish DTT from Kippure/Mount Leinster/Three Rock. It appears from Black Briars results and the propagation characteristics of DVB-T that BP will once more be a famous visitor in Ireland replicating its Band I legacy but with crystal clear reception: it helps of course that it is a Group A station like Divis, Brougher, Three Rock and Mount Leinster which always go the extra mile!

Would a Group A pull in a signal from the Welsh transmitter in Swords or are we too far away? I'm sure that the new Humax will be quite expensive for the first six months to a year and a that a lot of people will wait a while before buying it or an IDTV T2 tv set. What are the true and magnetic compass bearings for that Welsh transmitter from Swords I wonder?

mrdtv2010

FREETV wrote: »

Would a Group A pull in a signal from the Welsh transmitter in Swords or are we too far away? I'm sure that the new Humax will be quite expensive for the first six months to a year and a that a lot of people will wait a while before buying it or an IDTV T2 tv set. What are the true and magnetic compass bearing for that Welsh transmitter from Swords I wonder?

From Swords you are better placed for Llanddona, Arfon and even Winter Hill and the high power IOM repeaters: clear sea paths and much closer. The brave will buy a high spec log, rotor and mast head to take the plunge. There will be cheaper HD boxes than that Humax before the summer and WH is already HD with the others coming in the summer. Certainly terrestrial overspill patterns in Ireland are changing bigtime for the first time in decades...

mrdtv2010

Mind you they were quick off the mark...
http://www.arqiva.com/corporate/press/archive/2010/02-10%20(Blaenplwyf%20DSO1).pdf

gtg60

No other reception reports from today?

Very few know about it or are reading this but that doesn't make the signal go away.

Speaking to an installer today,who confirmed,that new arfon and presely aerials are going up and working well.
Word has got out and is common knowledge now.

When,you see installers putting up new presely dtt aerials in wexford,it tells me what I know already and that is one vision would be wasting their time in co wexford and the populated East of wicklow.

It's only a matter of time befor Blaenplwyf is being used aswell.

mrdtv2010

Deleted User wrote: »

Very few know about it or are reading this but that doesn't make the signal go away.

Speaking to an installer today,who confirmed,that new arfon and presely aerials are going up and working well.
Word has got out and is common knowledge now.

When,you see installers putting up new presely dtt aerials in wexford,it tells me what I know already and that is one vision would be wasting their time in co wexford and the populated East of wicklow.

It's only a matter of time befor Blaenplwyf is being used aswell.

Agreed: this is largely an enthusiasts board. There is a general lack of authoritative independent information in Ireland and, of course, a lack of endorsed STBs and IDTVs in the market or an Irish DTT marketing plan. In terms of UK overspill those using Arfon aerials won't see BP because it is crosspolar so 15dB reduction in signal strength and is also Group B as well... and many using Preseli won't see Blaen-plwyf either because they are Group B or their box doesn't autoretune. As I said yesterday what's needed is a little professional signal survey along the coast: Black Briar's results are a very good proxy but you need a Group A aerial, masthead and a professional DVB-T meter to work it out.

BP is the most interesting because it is Group A (best propagation), highest power, few CCI issues apart from a future Arklow relay, will give five DTT muxes with existing Irish and UK receivers, and a HD mux with new more expensive boxes. There is a learning curve for the general public to understand DTT: it took ten years in the UK for it to become a commodity and well understood. Nevertheless enterprising installers should be able to develop good business. Finally those with indoor antennas or loft antennas don't have a prayer of receiving BP because of the distances and the indoor losses which are 20dB. This is a rooftop antenna game.

gtg60

And unfortunately I don't have an existing outdoor aerial or as it turns out a clear line of site to the sea in that direction (after my laymans site survey) or I'd have been up on that roof yesterday swinging out of the aerial!

mrdtv2010

gtg60 wrote: »

And unfortunately I don't have an existing outdoor aerial or as it turns out a clear line of site to the sea in that direction (after my laymans site survey) or I'd have been up on that roof yesterday swinging out of the aerial!

Yes, unfortunately you must have an outdoor antenna. Clear line of sight isn't needed. It depends on what the neighbours are using: Arfon or Preseli? As I said long ago Arfon is although excellent a bit of a swiz as its Freeviewlite. Anybody still getting analogue Welsh TV is getting it from BP and they are going to be in a for a very pleasant surprise even if they have a noisy picture.

gtg60

mrdtv2010 wrote: »

Yes, unfortunately you must have an outdoor antenna. Clear line of sight isn't needed. It depends on what the neighbours are using: Arfon or Preseli? As I said long ago Arfon is although excellent a bit of a swiz as its Freeviewlite. Anybody still getting analogue Welsh TV is getting it from BP and they are going to be in a for a very pleasant surprise even if they have a noisy picture.

Anybody around me who have aerials have them pointed at Arfon, I've never seen one in Wicklow town pointed at Preseli. A good while back I contemplated putting up an aerial for Arfon but, as you have said, it is only Freeview lite so a waste of time. It just looks like that extra 30 degrees I need to swing to the South will put some houses and a bit of a hill in the way

There are and always have been plenty of aerials around Rathdrum with good presely reception and no line of sight.
The same in Tinahely-so I would like you to have a L.o.s but it's not a deal breaker.
DTT behaves funny in that respect,it weaves around corners like a stream unlike analogue,as long as you aren't immediately behind a hill.

Theres only about 4 or 5 inches south in the aerial between Blaen and arfon.

Are you telling me,that you have an line of sight out to sea for arfon in your area and 4 or 5 inches over from that you are pointing into a hill ?

marclt

Deleted User wrote: »

Are you telling me,that you have an line of sight out to sea for arfon in your area and 4 or 5 inches over from that you are pointing into a hill ?

The 'hill' might not be such a problem... I have to point towards the western end of the Preseli's to get Mt. Leinster. I guess it just depends how close to the hill you actually are.

I have managed to pick up Huntshaw Cross on 48, 59 and 62 after a little fiddling. No masthead or anything. You just gotta find the 'sweet-spot' - which might not necessarily be where you aerial currently is located.

marclt

marclt wrote: »

The 'hill' might not be such a problem... I have to point towards the western end of the Preseli's to get Mt. Leinster. I guess it just depends how close to the hill you actually are.

I have managed to pick up Huntshaw Cross on 48, 59 and 62 after a little fiddling. No masthead or anything. You just gotta find the 'sweet-spot' - which might not necessarily be where you aerial currently is located.

I'd agree with that.
The presely "beam" for instance is quite wide.You have a couple of inches with the same gain if you are unobstructed.
I'm actually just on the edge of the beam.
I'd imagine Blaen is similar.

Funny as I posted that last post,I was wondering,you being in the presely hills ,what you were pointing to for mt leinster and if there was anything in the way.
Now a mountain range over 1500ft would be a problem or any hill that you were less than a few miles away from.

fat-tony

As it was nice and dry and still and all that, I thought I might venture up on the roof and try for BP. I had the aerial set vertical for Arfon when it went in service some months back, but I'd had no luck with it, so was waiting for BP to come on-line. Set it horizontal today and slowly worked the angles but no luck at all with BP. I reckon my location is just too low in Greystones (have no sea view). I'm using a contract wideband aerial with a 26db variable amp. If I'd got any signal at all I would have tried with a group A aerial, but I think I'll abandon my experiments at this stage:( Location, location, location!

mrdtv2010

fat-tony wrote: »

As it was nice and dry and still and all that, I thought I might venture up on the roof and try for BP. I had the aerial set vertical for Arfon when it went in service some months back, but I'd had no luck with it, so was waiting for BP to come on-line. Set it horizontal today and slowly worked the angles but no luck at all with BP. I reckon my location is just too low in Greystones (have no sea view). I'm using a contract wideband aerial with a 26db variable amp. If I'd got any signal at all I would have tried with a group A aerial, but I think I'll abandon my experiments at this stage:( Location, location, location!

Freesat for you! You are obviously in a deep dip alas. It will be a cheaper single set-solution. Thank you for posting your endeavours...

yeah it won't work in a local dip.
Whether the higher ground is 500ft or 50ft,the result is the same if you are right beside it.

There are people west of here that get no mt leinster analogue or digital and no kippure either.
They are also not going to be served by a low power arklow or gorey relay as they are too far away.
The have rocking perfect presely though on all channels-sky news ,Dave the whole lot!
Thats just 4 miles from my location lol.

The key point here though is that the populated coastal areas and anyone in fact that used get an analogue welsh signal , which is the vast majority of spill over land can get a uk freeview service of some sort now if their equipment is up to shape.

By the way,you mentioned that your neighbours had 15ft masts to get arfon.
You do realise that if 15ft gets you a sea view towards cardigan bay,you'll get a full Blaenplwyf service most likely.

Cost of a pole and stays not sure.
But a decent group A is about 60 euro's.

I'd imagine an installer will do it for circa €200 euro's.

You'd need to experiment at the neighbours first I suppose,

gtg60

Deleted User wrote: »

Are you telling me,that you have an line of sight out to sea for arfon in your area and 4 or 5 inches over from that you are pointing into a hill ?

Yep, that's what I'm saying.

Deleted User wrote: »

DTT behaves funny in that respect,it weaves around corners like a stream unlike analogue,as long as you aren't immediately behind a hill.

That's encouraging though...

Deleted User wrote: »

There are and always have been plenty of aerials around Rathdrum with good presely reception and no line of sight.

That's where I'm originally from (and where my folks still live), I may buy the equipment and try it out and if it doesn't work, donate it to them.

Macy0161

I was getting poor, unwatchable, analogue reception from Preseli on Channel 42 pre ASO, on an aerial that was actually pointed at Kippure(with a probably unnecessary masthead amp*)

I never got around to trying to get a better reception, as we have/ had FTA satellite. However, I've now got a combo for the DTT trials, so now I am going to have a go at getting Freeview reception.

On purely distance ground, Blaen-Plwyf looks a better bet, but is obviously a different group to Preseli. Is there much lost with a wideband aerial rather than a grouped A, if I wanted to hedge my bets?

*I'm in Roundwood but was misinformed that I'd be trying to get Mt Leinster by someone who was spoofed by a short cutting installer.

gtg60

You could probably expect a 3~5dB gain by fitting a group A aerial instead of your wideband one.

Swing it 'round and try it out, it'll either work or it won't! I would say you have a great chance of it working at your height (assuming you have a fairly unobstructed view out towards B-P). If it works, then great! If you can get it but there's breakup or breakup during bad weather then it would be worth switching out to a group A aerial.

You won't know til you give it a go!!

Macy0161

Macy0161 wrote: »

I was getting poor, unwatchable, analogue reception from Preseli on Channel 42 pre ASO, on an aerial that was actually pointed at Kippure(with a probably unnecessary masthead amp*)

I never got around to trying to get a better reception, as we have/ had FTA satellite. However, I've now got a combo for the DTT trials, so now I am going to have a go at getting Freeview reception.

On purely distance ground, Blaen-Plwyf looks a better bet, but is obviously a different group to Preseli. Is there much lost with a wideband aerial rather than a grouped A, if I wanted to hedge my bets?

*I'm in Roundwood but was misinformed that I'd be trying to get Mt Leinster by someone who was spoofed by a short cutting installer.

I have heard of one place in Roundwood that was getting useable analogue from Blaenplwyf so definitely worth a try.

Macy0161

Cheers, I'll try and get hold of a reasonable wideband to have a play with before committing.

razor_ryan

@mrdtv2010

What would be the chances of getting BP in East Waterford Im living in Dunmore East from looking at Google Map there seems to be no obstructions might worth a try

FREETV

Hi all, I thought that the group aerials were for people only a certain distance, i.e. in fairly close proximity to a transmitter and to more finely tune in to the frequency of channels that are being broadcast from it? Would the fact that I am living in the Swords area still mean that I need one of the Group A and Group B for the relevant group type needed for the different Welsh transmitters in order to obtain the optimum reception?

John mac

razor_ryan wrote: »

@mrdtv2010

What would be the chances of getting BP in East Waterford Im living in Dunmore East from looking at Google Map there seems to be no obstructions might worth a try

there might be (depends how high you are) see attached

FREETV

FREETV wrote: »

Hi all, I thought that the group aerials were for people only a certain distance, i.e. in fairly close proximity to a transmitter and to more finely tune in to the frequency of channels that are being broadcast from it? Would the fact that I am living in the Swords area still mean that I need one of the Group A and Group B for the relevant group type needed for the different Welsh transmitters in order to obtain the optimum reception?

Swords is doable as is possibly East waterford but you'd need a quad array of high gain aerials and a mast to get over any obstacles such as tree's.
Minimum spend would be €500 probably.

TheDriver

I have used wideband colour kings and find them giving grand reception, sometimes as good if not better than banded aerials. ALl depends really

gtg60

TheDriver wrote: »

I have used wideband colour kings and find them giving grand reception, sometimes as good if not better than banded aerials. ALl depends really

Just from looking at graphs of aerials over the past few days it looks to me like wideband aerials are the most inefficient in the lower frequencies i.e. group A.

Willby

mrdtv2010 wrote: »

If there are people receiving Divis I think its unlikely as its analogue channels are cochannel with the new high power Blaen-Plwyf being rolled out over the next month.

BP DSO is 21, 24, 27, 22, 25, 28

Divis analogue is 21, 24, 27, 31, 37 (via Black Mountain).

However because of differences in direction its possible that you could get BP. Better bets in North Dublin would be: Llanddona, Arfon or even Winter Hill (being received easily in South Down. WH is the most powerful new DTT station.) On the coast with a wideband log with masthead and rotor you could be amazed at what is sailing in... But Divis analogue is 500kW.

Hi,
I live on high ground in Wicklow town but unfortunately in a part unable to access the south Wales transmiters due to adjacent hill. The area in which I reside is just under Kilpoole Hill where all the masts are located for East Coast Radio, MMDS, etc etc. I have a clear view of the sea due east and noth to Ireland's Eye etc. Do you think I might possibly receive signals from any Noth Wales tx with good quality aerial etc?
Rgds
Willby