DTT power increase

Galway

Power seems up at the four sites I can receive solidly where I am - Cairn Hill, Maghera, Castlebar and Tonabrucky. These last 3 I suspect are now on full power. Id imagine CH wont be until ASO in UK and IRL.

The Cush

Lost the Mux from Mullaghanish this evening, had to retune the TV. It occured to me at the time it might have been something to do with power up at Mullaghanish as I have a masthead amp.

glimmerman123

I'm picking up Saorview on ch 52 the last couple of days. I'm getting DTT from Maghera on channel 48 which is my main transmitter for DTT. Can you please tell me what transmitter channel 52 is coming from and if it's the weather or a power increase that's pulling it in. The signal quality is around three and the signal strength is around six. Picking up 8 tv and 10 radio on channel 52.

desaparecidos

Good news.

I was meaning to tweak / improve the aerial for weeks as Tonabrucky was constantly breaking up.

Now I don't need too

glimmerman123

glimmerman123 wrote: »

I'm picking up Saorview on ch 52 the last couple of days. I'm getting DTT from Maghera on channel 48 which is my main transmitter for DTT. Can you please tell me what transmitter channel 52 is coming from and if it's the weather or a power increase that's pulling it in. The signal quality is around three and the signal strength is around six. Picking up 8 tv and 10 radio on channel 52.

Probably kilduff.
The map with the transmitter sites is here

marclt

Any confirmation on a power increase at Mt. Leinster? Are they using CH. 39 now?

Nothing on ch 45 here anyhow or on ch 39.

D Day is may 11th which is wenesday.I don't recall that being a date for the turn on of the 2nd mux anywhere but thats only a flick of a switch which if it's anything like the UK launch could be done at midnight on the 10th or 8am on the 11th.

If they power up ch 39 at 94kw erp,you'll get it perfectly over at preseli pembrokeshire assuming it's not nulled that way and it wasn't when at 25kw erp.

Machinehead

No noticeable increase in power from Maghera here just outside Tralee & Mulla is still well below that from Maghera (damn mountains:()

Galway

desaparecidos wrote: »

Good news.

I was meaning to tweak / improve the aerial for weeks as Tonabrucky was constantly breaking up.

Now I don't need too

I am at least 22 miles north of Tonabrucky and its roaring in on an Antiference XG9 (no amp. either).

Machinehead

Really big increase in power from Mulla today on both mux 21 & 24. Still no change in power or startup of 2nd mux from Maghera.

pegasuspub

are you sure mullaghanish has increased power,mux 1 and 2 seem to be about the same levels here in west cork,i did notice tv3,tg4 analogue were off for some of the afternoon.

Machinehead

pegasuspub wrote: »

are you sure mullaghanish has increased power,mux 1 and 2 seem to be about the same levels here in west cork,i did notice tv3,tg4 analogue were off for some of the afternoon.

My usual site would be Maghera, toward which my aerial is directed. At the time of my earlier post, signal quality from Mulla was almost 30-40% better than my usual Maghera results. Signal strength was as usual 100% from both sites. Atm Mulla is back to it's usual levels ~ 10% quality & 90% strength on channel 21 & channel 24 is gone again.

SandieBeach

is three rock due to get a power increase?

lucernarian

I've been looking at Cairn Hill every so often today and I've seen no power increase that I could measure empirically. I have been called about a reception issue from Clermont Carn today however.

Three Rock has NI restrictions and possibly GB restrictions too and I think that tomorrow's "launch" will only improve ERPs for sites not coordinated under international agreements. Maghera and Mullaghanish being the two biggest examples. Kilduff and Dungarvan being another two of the larger sites far enough away from the UK.

I think Cairn hill is already on max power.
They said it was at the trade event as they were testing equipment in NI on it.
The power increase is supposed to be for the southern away from the border tx's untill ni dso,they also said

lucernarian

I think Cairn Hill is already on full power as reception is somewhat better here in Louth than it was a year ago. Unfortunately it's not quite good enough to be used throughout the house and the folks have a kitchen TV which works okay on analogue but a STB can't quite get a lock on the DTT multiplex.

Kippure's coverage is frankly disappointing since I *think* when the SFN started up so Cairn Hill now offers the best prospect here. But it's suffering the largest drop in ERP compared to analogue of all the main sites except possibly Kippure, going from 800kW to 160kW I think. That 7dB reduction in power for DTT seems to be standard practise in the UK where they've got literally hundreds of small relays to fill in any coverage gaps but Cairn Hill has a large service area with no relays to help with coverage, unless Kilduff counts? I would have thought they would have taken advantage of DTT to improve coverage like they have with the other main sites.

Does anyone have an idea of what the final ERP for Kippure will be?

MBSnr

It's already been mentioned but I've also noticed an increase in signal quality from Maghera. Was at around 84% now 96% on my box.

The Cush

Referring back to a post in another thread regarding Mullaghanish Ch 24 killing my Woodcock Hill Ch 47 reception - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=72137048#post72137048

Today I'm receiving Mux 1 & 2 from Mullaghanish together with Mux 1 from Woodcock Hill with good to high signal level (with Mullaghanish Gp A aerial).

To_be_confirmed

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

I think Cairn Hill is already on full power as reception is somewhat better here in Louth than it was a year ago. Unfortunately it's not quite good enough to be used throughout the house and the folks have a kitchen TV which works okay on analogue but a STB can't quite get a lock on the DTT multiplex.

Kippure's coverage is frankly disappointing since I *think* when the SFN started up so Cairn Hill now offers the best prospect here. But it's suffering the largest drop in ERP compared to analogue of all the main sites except possibly Kippure, going from 800kW to 160kW I think. That 7dB reduction in power for DTT seems to be standard practise in the UK where they've got literally hundreds of small relays to fill in any coverage gaps but Cairn Hill has a large service area with no relays to help with coverage, unless Kilduff counts? I would have thought they would have taken advantage of DTT to improve coverage like they have with the other main sites.

Does anyone have an idea of what the final ERP for Kippure will be?

I think dtt power on 8k mode at 1 fifth of analogue is supposed to mirror the same analogue coverage,I think it's actually better.

lucernarian

It's only better when you can actually pick up a DTT signal in your kitchen:D

Has there been any increase in the Mt. Leinster signal?

Haven't noticed any increase in Mt Leinster in the sense that I cannot receive it,preseli is still blocking it.
However,theres a noticeable increase in strength and quality on kippure ch 54 down here.
I'm guessing , with the exception of cairn hill,anything firing north or East is nulled.

SRB

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

Kippure's coverage is frankly disappointing since I *think* when the SFN started up.....

Does anyone have an idea of what the final ERP for Kippure will be?

Kippure is restricted towards the North East and East. It's coverage was fantastic when it first came on, I could pick it up with a small set top RX in my attic here in Portaferry. Reception from Kippure has been non-existant here for the past 6 months or so. Three Rock does come and go, much the same as the analogue from that site. There was a day of "testing" back in November when Kippure ch 58 was running a blank mux at the same strength as it originally started, the signal from 54 was hardly registering at all. The really odd thing is - a neighbour of mine had been e-mailing RTE NL and they were quite happy to discuss the work going on, then they just suddenly stopped answering his e-mails. He's mystified as to why.

lucernarian

How can you tell whether the signal is coming from Three Rock or Kippure at any given time seeing as they are on the same channel and broadcast the same multiplex?

Speaking of ch 58,I got saorview on that at lunchtime and only briefly.
I literally tuned it in and when I went to check signal it was gone.
So that was kippure mux 2 then?

I also don't know how you would distinguish 3rock from kippure north of Dublin.

Macy0161

Not that it was an issue, but Kippure booming in here too, certainly up on what it was any road.

SRB

Three Rock really only puts in a useable signal here during lift condiditions, it always has been that way with analogue and it was exactly the same during the mpeg 2 "trial" with Three Rock's DTT.
However, any lift at all and it romps in.
When Kippure was on 61 and Three Rock on 54, this was also the case, any "lift" at all and Three Rock's DTT blasted in. Kippure on the other hand was rock solid at much the same strength for over 7 months.
The Kippure TV3 analogue is perfectly watchable here and the DTT was too, until towards the end of last year. Ch 58, Kippure, was active for a day or two in November 2010, while 54 was had dropped to a blip on the meter.
(Haven't picked anything up on 58 since then.)
The only DTT I have received since last year has been when the Three Rock Analogue signal has been present, both analogue and DTT, when present are highly erractic, as you would expect with that kind of reception.
Kippure analogue on the other hand remains quite constant, as did it's DTT.
When 61 and 54 were active, it was possible to tell the two tx's apart by moving the mast a few degrees, it did make a difference with the signal peaks and error rates.

SRB

Turned on the TV last night and the "new services found - rescan yes/no" message popped up - hit rescan, TV locked on 54 and up came the RTE services. Didn't think much of it at the time other than "wonder what they've tweaked now, must be a bit of a lift tonight". Couldn't see anything new listed so thought no more about it.
Turned on TV in kitchen this morning and same thing happened again - ch54. This time I checked the signal strength on the TV, 54 was showing 75% quality, 60% strength.
Checked analogue from Three Rock and the tv wasn't even locking on it. Analogue from Kippure, much the same as usual.
As I mentioned in my pervious post, normally when Three Rock appears, the DTT, while watchable, is quite erractic with the signal level jumping up and down - as you'd expect given the type of reception it is.
This morning the signal was steady. This is the first time I've had a steady DTT signal from RTE NL since the blank mux test on 58 I mentioned last November. It's still reading the same over two hours later.
I wonder has Kippure or Three Rock gone up in power or the restrictions on Kippure modified ?

STB

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

How can you tell whether the signal is coming from Three Rock or Kippure at any given time seeing as they are on the same channel and broadcast the same multiplex?

You think that Kippure would get into coastal parts of Co Down before Three Rock on a SFN ?

Just as a matter of interest which do you think it is.

We will not see FULL power at the majority of main TXs until ASO I would imagine.

SRB

Kippure came in loud and clear when it first come on 2 years ago, was stronger than Divis in parts of Portaferry. Three Rock as I say, tends to come and go and has always been that way since it launched. When they were running on 54 and 61 it was very easy to tell them apart. This morning was the first time I've seen a steady DTT signal on 54 (since the SFN began running properly and 61 was switched off) without Three Rock Analogue being present. Made me wonder had Three Rock being turned up or Kippure's nulling been stepped down.

lucernarian

STB wrote: »

You think that Kippure would get into coastal parts of Co Down before Three Rock on a SFN ?

Just as a matter of interest which do you think it is.

We will not see FULL power at the majority of main TXs until ASO I would imagine.

The only thing I'm thinking is how one can tell when the signal is coming from Kippure as opposed to Three Rock Mountain. I don't know which it could be as I can't see how one can be distinguished from the other when the bearing between the two is not even 5 degrees, where Portaferry is.

SRB

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

The only thing I'm thinking is how one can tell when the signal is coming from Kippure as opposed to Three Rock Mountain. I don't know which it could be as I can't see how one can be distinguished from the other when the bearing between the two is not even 5 degrees, where Portaferry is.

Kippure's present DTT came on before Three Rock and ran on it's own channel for a number of months. Three Rock when it came on, was much the same as the MPEG2 trail in terms of signal consistancy and coverage here in the town. The two sites swapped channels, tested on 58 for a while and then the SFN launched full time. Kippure DTT puts, or rather put, a steady signal into Portaferry (TV3 analogue is still fine) and then was nulled in this direction. Three Rock depends on the weather. The DTT signal I have received over the last few months is much the same as the signal I received when Three Rock was running on it's own.

As I've mentioned here before, from my roof-top there indeed a difference of only a few degrees between signal peaking for the two tx's.

What I wondered this morning was, had one or the other been turned up as suddenly the signal was back without any atmospheric condiditions normally associated with Three Rock being received here.

Have come home this evening to find the signal away again, so maybe it was just freak atmospherics after all.

Dubluc

SRB for what it's worth I live in west Dublin I can see Kippure transmitter from where I live and I have my aerial in the attic. I only set up the aerial a few weeks ago and got a new Walker telly. The signal strength indicator on the telly indicates that the signal is stronger now than it was a few weeks ago, when i first tuned in DTT, cos occasionally it was so low (probably cos of being in the attic) that it pixelated occasionally. Now I'm getting a full bar most of the time. I know it's Kippure I'm getting and not Three Rock cos of the analogue channels frequencies, getting hardly anything from Three Rock (again cos of being in attic and wrong direction of aerial).

In short in my opinion someone turned up the volume on Kippure alright in the past fortnight or so.

shinobi

Dubluc wrote: »

SRB for what it's worth I live in west Dublin I can see Kippure transmitter from where I live and I have my aerial in the attic. I only set up the aerial a few weeks ago and got a new Walker telly. The signal strength indicator on the telly indicates that the signal is stronger now than it was a few weeks ago, when i first tuned in DTT, cos occasionally it was so low (probably cos of being in the attic) that it pixelated occasionally. Now I'm getting a full bar most of the time. I know it's Kippure I'm getting and not Three Rock cos of the analogue channels frequencies, getting hardly anything from Three Rock (again cos of being in attic and wrong direction of aerial).

In short in my opinion someone turned up the volume on Kippure alright in the past fortnight or so.

I'm located in North Kildare with wideband aerial mounted in the attic and signal from Kippure has been consistantly strong for the past 2 years, with the exception of a couple of weeks last year when the channel frequency changed and signal power dropped as mentioned by SRB. Occasionally I experiment with rabbits ears and USB DTT dongle along with a small DOS executable which I came across on the web a couple of years ago for monitoring signal strength and quality which may be of some use to anyone interested in checking it out.

Mr. Rabbit

Do you get anything at all from Clermont Cairn SRB ?

Notice some aerials pointing in that direction in Portavogie.

SRB

Mr Rabbit, Yes, but it's quite a weak signal, Kippure VHF is the norm in this neck of the woods. Since they put up the new mast a few years back CC has covered part of the town, but it made little difference to where I am.
Thanks, that's very interesting Dubluc, will keep an eye on 54 over the next few days.

SRB

Just watching RTÉ 1 for the last hour, another thing I noticed when Three Rock and Kippure ran on 54 & 61, the ferry boat caused a dip in signal on Kippure, but not Three Rock. (It always causes strong "shadows" on VHF too). The signal broke up when the boat was mid lough this evening too, coming across and back again, so I strongly suspect it is Kippure I'm watching. RTÉ NL, if you're reading, another small notch up please, lol.

Remember too that kippure is a much higher TX than 3rock.
Both are there probably,just like in tallaght when the two are in front of you.

However out at the distance of co down kippure should. swamp 3rock.

marclt

If Mt. L has had a power increase then it must be reduced to the south east as there have been no reports of people losing channels on this side of the sea since last week. Although until the weekly paper comes out, who would know!

Interesting to see if they do fire up Ch.39 just how far the signal travels.

The frequency planners have done sterling work in ensuring that the same channels are reused as much as possible so as to prevent overspill from Ireland to the UK.

FRIENDO

marclt wrote: »

If Mt. L has had a power increase then it must be reduced to the south east as there have been no reports of people losing channels on this side of the sea since last week. Although until the weekly paper comes out, who would know!

Interesting to see if they do fire up Ch.39 just how far the signal travels.

The frequency planners have done sterling work in ensuring that the same channels are reused as much as possible so as to prevent overspill from Ireland to the UK.

I think the frequency planners have also done a good job in stopping people on the east coast recieving Dave, Sky news and Pick tv etc.

Can anybody in Wales pick up Forth Mountain on 52V ?