Deflector Fees

the_pits

Wanted to watch football tonight on TV3, have notice up saying fees are due for 2009,2010, & 2011, think they looking for £110 (please note £ not €) why should I pay this when I already pay my TV licence, and if I was foolish to pay it how would I get TV3 back, surely they can not just turn mine on and not my neighbours ...........More money grabbing

yop

the_pits wrote: »

Wanted to watch football tonight on TV3, have notice up saying fees are due for 2009,2010, & 2011, think they looking for £110 (please note £ not €) why should I pay this when I already pay my TV licence, and if I was foolish to pay it how would I get TV3 back, surely they can not just turn mine on and not my neighbours ...........More money grabbing

Possibly because the license money goes to RTE not TV3. The deflector is to give people the BBC's and TV3.

Its been turned off totally soon anyway.

Avns1s

Heard on MWR this morning that Mayo Community TV are switching off in May. I saw a similar request for payment on the Castlebar deflector but I didn't think TV3 was coming through it.

irishgeo

Avns1s wrote: »

Heard on MWR this morning that Mayo Community TV are switching off in May. I saw a similar request for payment on the Castlebar deflector but I didn't think TV3 was coming through it.

its not.

tucked

Yep it's due to be switched off on May 1st. Don't suppose anyone knows what alternatives are available for Mayo other than Sky? I know a Saorview box will be needed for Irish channels but what are the options for the basic UK channels for someone who doesn't have a sat dish?

Avns1s

irishgeo wrote: »

its not.

What's not? TV3 is not coming through the Castlebar deflector or Mayo Comm TV is not switching off in May?

Avns1s

tucked wrote: »

Yep it's due to be switched off on May 1st. Don't suppose anyone knows what alternatives are available for Mayo other than Sky? I know a Saorview box will be needed for Irish channels but what are the options for the basic UK channels for someone who doesn't have a sat dish?

There aren't any options other than a satellite dish and a freesat box or an old skybox will do fine.

Apart from the legislation requiring the analogue systems to shut down this year, the main reason for the closing of the defectors and why there will be no big outcry about it, is the huge uptake of satellite tv at this stage. There really isn't any demand worth talking about for the deflector system with its poor quality picture at this stage.

Having said all of that, they gave great service at a time when there was no viable alternative. I think those who provided them and operated them over many years and fought high court cases with the big guns of the Irish Media to try and continue the service in the 90's should be applauded.

irishgeo

tucked wrote: »

Yep it's due to be switched off on May 1st. Don't suppose anyone knows what alternatives are available for Mayo other than Sky? I know a Saorview box will be needed for Irish channels but what are the options for the basic UK channels for someone who doesn't have a sat dish?

get a dual freesat and soarview box and youll get both soarview and all the freesat channels

Avns1s wrote: »

What's not? TV3 is not coming through the Castlebar deflector or Mayo Comm TV is not switching off in May?

tv3 is not coming through the castlebar deflector, mayo community is shutting down as they are going to be selling the analogue signal space off next year.

Avns1s

irishgeo wrote: »

get a dual freesat and soarview box and youll get both soarview and all the freesat channels

You will need a dish, just for clarity for tucked's question.

Mickeroo

tucked wrote: »

Yep it's due to be switched off on May 1st. Don't suppose anyone knows what alternatives are available for Mayo other than Sky? I know a Saorview box will be needed for Irish channels but what are the options for the basic UK channels for someone who doesn't have a sat dish?

If you happen to have a sky box but not subscribed you will get the bbcs and a few others channels if you just take the card out. You get BBC 1 2 3 4, ITV 1 2 3 4, E4, More 4, Channel 4 and film four plus a few other random channels.

irishgeo

Avns1s wrote: »

You will need a dish, just for clarity for tucked's question.

meant to say that as well.

Avns1s

Mickeroo wrote: »

If you happen to have a sky box but not subscribed you will get the bbcs and a few others channels if you just take the card out. You get BBC 1 2 3 4, ITV 1 2 3 4, E4, More 4, Channel 4 and film four plus a few other random channels.

As an ex Sky (Sky World Pack) subscriber, moving to freesat was no big ordeal. What you don't realise is that a very high percentage of what you watch, even with a €70+ Sky sub, is actually available for free. I would estimate that well over 90% of what we watched was available for free.

tucked

Thanks for the guidance everyone. Are the combined saorview/freesat boxes freely available in stores or from qualified fitters or would I need to get one online somewhere?

Avns1s

Combo boxes as they are called are freely available. I spotted some in CT Electric the other day but any TV shop will also supply.

Having said that, unless you can install and align a satellite dish, you'd be better off getting a proper installer.

tucked

Thank you Avns1s, good to know.

nuac

Congrats and thanks to Mayo community TV a voluntary organisation that provided TV choices in Mayo for many years

PogMoThoin

Avns1s wrote: »

Combo boxes as they are called are freely available. I spotted some in CT Electric the other day but any TV shop will also supply.

Having said that, unless you can install and align a satellite dish, you'd be better off getting a proper installer.

Just so you know, There are no approved Saorview combo boxes yet and when they appear they will be a lot more expensive than what's available at the moment (costs manufacturers €20k to certify which get added to the price). There are a small selection of un-approved boxes. The ones with MHEG5 will do the interactive services, epg and telexext. The ones that don't do MHEG5 won't even tell you what's on at the moment for Saorview like they do for satellite (now and next). Be aware before you buy.

The Westerner

irishgeo wrote: »

its not.

TV3 is (soon was) provided in the Westport area by the deflector on Farnaught Hill (Sandy Hill for the lower parts of the town?). TV3's signal never made it to Westport officially.

Those who dont have a Sky subscription or Saorview (Digital TV via a TV aerial) will lose TV3 after May 1st.

jp 1000

hi guys there is a saorview combo box on the market, its a Triax TSC114, its an upgrade from the non saorview triax combo 537. its available online from www.tvtrade.ie there is also videos on the site showing how to setup all the stuff they sell.

does anyone know when kiltimagh deflector is being switched off, and is it true balla is being switched off in may???

also wondering how far the balla deflector goes? its seems to be one of the strongest transmitters round here.

im based in knock area.

oscarBravo

jp 1000 wrote: »

also wondering how far the balla deflector goes? its seems to be one of the strongest transmitters round here.

Tuam, possibly Claregalway given high ground and a good antenna.

The Westerner

jp 1000 wrote: »

and is it true balla is being switched off in may???

Mayo Community TV have said services will end on May 1st. Articles from the Mayo News, Western People and the Connnaught Telegraph from a couple of weeks ago. Also a piece on Mid West Radio's website.

EDIT: is the Balla deflector part of MCTV's network? Is Kiltimagh Community TV still in existence? Info here on them. They have a mast at Treenagleragh near Kiltimagh according to this Comreg document. Document is over 10 years old though.

oscarBravo

The Westerner wrote: »

is the Balla deflector part of MCTV's network?

Yup.

Is Kiltimagh Community TV still in existence?

Dunno.

They have a mast at Treenagleragh near Kiltimagh according to this Comreg document. Document is over 10 years old though.

It was still there a year or so ago.

The bottom line is, analogue TV broadcasting is going away this year, and anyone transmitting analogue TV signals is going to have to stop. If you're getting TV from a deflector, you won't be come September.

The Westerner

Thanks OB.

Theres a possibility that other deflector operators may continue until 31 December if they want to. Licenses granted to operate deflectors under S.I. 445 of 2009 end on this date and will not be renewed after that. See section 6 (4).

The Westerner

According to info over in the Terrestrial TV forum the deflector serving Castlebar will close in September. Its not connected to MC TV. Run by a company called Dropvale Ltd. The mast is not too far from the RTENL transmitter on Croaghmoyle Hill.

oscarBravo

It's quite a lot lower though, really just above Snugborough. Croaghmoyle is an awesome site.

The Westerner

oscarBravo wrote: »

Croaghmoyle is an awesome site.

Never visited it myself. Can see it though, plus the RTE mast, from the parents house in Murrisk. House is on an elevated site. Luckily, even with an aerial in the attic, can get 100% quality Saorview signal from the transmitter.

jp 1000

the kiltimagh site is still in operation, but its not a deflector site its done through satellite and freeview boxes, its does not have a great signal range you can only get an ok picture outside kiltimagh not surprising really as the antenna on the mountain is a lot of uhf aerials pointing in different directions.

jp 1000

one question i have is anyone in mayo able to pick up the uk freeview through their aerials? if so what parts? most the uk sites are not running on full power until complete switch over, so may be a better chance of picking it then.

the reason i ask is most saorview tvs are also able to decode mpeg 2 signals and it would be great to get all the stations on one tv rather then having to use a set top box alongside,plus they also have a few channels free on there aerial freeview which are locked on satellite freeview.

Avns1s

I doubt anywhere in Mayo will be able to receive the UK freeview signal. Those channels will be available on satellite only come October.

Mr Cumulonimbus

According to Tommy Marron on his Mid West Radio radio show this morning, Mayo Community TV are now putting up on screen captions indicating closure of the service next Tuesday (May 1st).