DVB-T getting UK channels

BionicRasher

So late last week we got some kind of powered box installed on to our TV aerial that the previous house owner had obviously taken away with them. Up to now we were using rabbit’s ears to get Saorview and it was perfect.
Now we get Saorview via roof aerial and quality is still perfect but one evening last week all tuning and picture went so I did a re-scan and when I scanned on CH 21 I got both RTE and all the UK channels which I am thinking are the UK Freeview channels
As you can see from the photos I am getting 7 day EPG and all seem to work fine. I have a sat feed also so I am getting the Freesat stuff on that but this is great as it gives me all the stuff on one EPG on the TV

I am getting about 40 TV channels and 20+ Radio also all on a Panasonic TV with built in DVB-T

https://www.box.com/s/a77b9e26c07bb43f3d1c
Is this unusual?

SalteeDog

Where are you located? There are areas in Ireland (border/East coast) which can pick up UK terrestrial broadcasts with the right set-up.

BionicRasher

Located in Cobh Co. Cork

I think I get saorview now from Mullaghanish where as with the rabbits ears I was getting it from Crosshaven

zg3409

It was just the high pressure. The signal may be coming from South West England or even further away.

I will stop once the bad weather returns. Do a rescan in a few days and the channels should go. It will probably happen every time the weather is amazing, which is a week or two a year!

BionicRasher

Still there at the moment but I seem to remember this happening way back 25-30 years ago when with a bit off good weather we could get BBC and all the UK stuff during the summer just when you didn't need it as you were out and about playing in the sunshine!
Hopefully it will stay :pac:

Ah well at least I can get it via Sat feed so not too worried if I lose it (even though I only get now and next EPG with Sat)

JazzyJ

Going by those channels and frequencies I'd hazard a guess at Caradon Hill: http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=SX273707

Some distance for that to carry, but you won't get that on a regular basis.

Dummy

Tui0hcg,

This is great news. We are further up the coast in West Waterford, with nothing blocking us from the ocean (our back garden is the ocean). If you were getting a consistent reception, I would consider putting an antenna up pointing towards Caradon.

Could you update this thread telling us if your reception continues please? I would be delighted if this continues for you. Then I'd know that it was worth taking the chance.

Rgds.

tui0hcg wrote: »

So late last week we got some kind of powered box installed on to our TV aerial that the previous house owner had obviously taken away with them. Up to now we were using rabbit’s ears to get Saorview and it was perfect.
Now we get Saorview via roof aerial and quality is still perfect but one evening last week all tuning and picture went so I did a re-scan and when I scanned on CH 21 I got both RTE and all the UK channels which I am thinking are the UK Freeview channels
As you can see from the photos I am getting 7 day EPG and all seem to work fine. I have a sat feed also so I am getting the Freesat stuff on that but this is great as it gives me all the stuff on one EPG on the TV

I am getting about 40 TV channels and 20+ Radio also all on a Panasonic TV with built in DVB-T

https://www.box.com/s/a77b9e26c07bb43f3d1c
Is this unusual?

The Cush

tui0hcg wrote: »

I am getting about 40 TV channels and 20+ Radio also all on a Panasonic TV with built in DVB-T

https://www.box.com/s/a77b9e26c07bb43f3d1c
Is this unusual?

Saorview Tech & Trade
May 24.

This great weather we are having is causing some reception problems for a few viewers in various parts of the country. The high pressure that gives us this nice sunny weather is also causing a tropospheric lift. This means that interference signals from other countries, or other Irish transmitters, are travelling further than usual. If a viewer has a good aerial installation, this will not be a problem for them. Viewers experiencing reception difficulties during this high pressure weather, in all likelihood, have a poor aerial installation.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saorview-Tech-Trade/329691340422770

http://www.ukfree.tv/fullstory.php?storyid=1107051977
http://www.ukfree.tv/helpme.php?faqid=1107051114

zg3409

Dummy wrote: »

We are further up the coast in West Waterford..... I would consider putting an antenna up pointing towards Caradon

For reliable Free... reception you would be best advised to get FreeSAT, more channels, more reliable. Even in Wexford signals from the UK are not reliable during the summer months. For a hobby you could try it, but in these days of the same channels for free from Satellite this is the recommended way unless you are in a border county.

batistuta9

would the TV still not have need to be DVB-T2 though instead of just DVB-T?

BionicRasher

Dummy wrote: »

Tui0hcg,

This is great news. We are further up the coast in West Waterford, with nothing blocking us from the ocean (our back garden is the ocean). If you were getting a consistent reception, I would consider putting an antenna up pointing towards Caradon.

Could you update this thread telling us if your reception continues please? I would be delighted if this continues for you. Then I'd know that it was worth taking the chance.

Rgds.

Checked last night and they are there..... but just about - some are strong but others just show a 'Bad Signal' warning and are very patchy
I dont want to do a rescan as I will probably lose them all

zg3409

batistuta9 wrote: »

would the TV still not have need to be DVB-T2 though instead of just DVB-T?

Freeview SD is DVB-T MPEG2,
Freeview HD is DVB-T2 MPEG4,
Saorview HD&SD is DVB-T MPEG4.

So every Saorview approved box will pickup Freeview SD signals. Freeview SD boxes will not pick up Saorview.

The only quirk is the minimux for Northern Ireland will carry some RTE's but in SD and on DVB-T2. Thus a HD box is needed around Belfast etc to pickup RTE in SD.

Ideally we should be using DVB-T2 boxes with MPEG 4 for Saorview, but none sold are Saorview approved. For those in border counties yes a DVB-T2 uk Freeview HD TV is recommended. There are a few Saorview approved TV's that are also Freeview HD approved. These would be best for Saorview & Freeview HD.

batistuta9

zg3409 wrote: »

Freeview SD is DVB-T MPEG2,
Freeview HD is DVB-T2 MPEG4,
Saorview HD&SD is DVB-T MPEG4.

So every Saorview approved box will pickup Freeview SD signals. Freeview SD boxes will not pick up Saorview.

The only quirk is the minimux for Northern Ireland will carry some RTE's but in SD and on DVB-T2. Thus a HD box is needed around Belfast etc to pickup RTE in SD.

Ideally we should be using DVB-T2 boxes with MPEG 4 for Saorview, but none sold are Saorview approved. For those in border counties yes a DVB-T2 uk Freeview HD TV is recommended. There are a few Saorview approved TV's that are also Freeview HD approved. These would be best for Saorview & Freeview HD.

is MPEG4 backwards compatible (don't know if that's the correct term hear) with MPEG2 then?

so if you live near the border a saorview approved TV will pickup freeview SD then?

zg3409

batistuta9 wrote: »

is MPEG4 backwards compatible (don't know if that's the correct term hear) with MPEG2 then? .

Yes. MPEG 2 came out first. All MPEG4 (also called H.264) boxes will decode MPEG2

so if you live near the border a saorview approved TV will pickup freeview SD then?

Yes, however it may not work perfectly with things like red button etc. It will show the TV pictures.

dowtchaboy

OP - any chance of more details about your setup?
I take it that you have a TV with built-in Saorview (as you said you could get it previously on rabbits ears from Crosshaven) - so what's the "some kind of powered box installed on to our TV aerial"? An amplifier?

Also - the antenna on the roof - any clues as to group and direction - I know you said probably Mullaghanish, but thatt means the stray signals from UK are coming in from exactly the "wrong" angle - it's quite amazing that you are getting this.

I'm in Crosshaven looking across at Cobh so I may be sheltered from whatever beam you are receiving - are you high up? I'd be a really happy bunny if I could get Freeview, Dave and all......

STB

tui0hcg wrote: »

Located in Cobh Co. Cork

I think I get saorview now from Mullaghanish where as with the rabbits ears I was getting it from Crosshaven

Cobh! That is one hell of a DX report for the Freeview anoraks in the UK.

Antenna

dowtchaboy wrote: »

- so what's the "some kind of powered box installed on to our TV aerial"? An amplifier?

Also - the antenna on the roof - any clues as to group and direction - .

I assume its an aerial (+ masthead amplifier) that was on the roof for the now defunct SCTV UHF 'deflector' service which is picking this up.

zg3409

dowtchaboy wrote: »

I'm in Crosshaven looking across at Cobh so I may be sheltered from whatever beam you are receiving - are you high up? I'd be a really happy bunny if I could get Freeview, Dave and all......

You won't get Freeview reliably in Crosshaven. A few hours/days per year at most, and even then it may not be reliable enough to watch any shows.

Dave is pay via Satellite, but it's mostly BBC repeats (I think every show is a repeat). If you setup a Freesat + HD box you should be able to record the shows when they are shown on the normal BBCs.

Also Dave is FULL of Ads, even if you have it recorded and can fast foward it is annoying.

http://digiguide.tv/list/Dave

BionicRasher

dowtchaboy wrote: »

OP - any chance of more details about your setup?
I take it that you have a TV with built-in Saorview (as you said you could get it previously on rabbits ears from Crosshaven) - so what's the "some kind of powered box installed on to our TV aerial"? An amplifier?

Also - the antenna on the roof - any clues as to group and direction - I know you said probably Mullaghanish, but thatt means the stray signals from UK are coming in from exactly the "wrong" angle - it's quite amazing that you are getting this.

I'm in Crosshaven looking across at Cobh so I may be sheltered from whatever beam you are receiving - are you high up? I'd be a really happy bunny if I could get Freeview, Dave and all......

TV has a DVB-T reciever built in but is not Saorview approved (its a Panasonic!)
the powered box is behind the TV and I am not sure what group means but I will take pics of both the antenna and the box behind the TV and post here.
I am very high up (next to water towers so that's one of the highest points around)

Just a side note -
weather has obviously changed and channels are gone again after a scan
Seems to be connected to high pressure

Ronnie Raygun

tui0hcg wrote: »

weather has obviously changed and channels are gone again after a scan
Seems to be connected to high pressure

Have a read of this article.

There are maps here which will show when another instance of enhanced propagation is likely (there's a "how to use" & further explanation of tropo at the bottom of the page).

BionicRasher

zg3409 wrote: »

You won't get Freeview reliably in Crosshaven. A few hours/days per year at most, and even then it may not be reliable enough to watch any shows.

Dave is pay via Satellite, but it's mostly BBC repeats (I think every show is a repeat). If you setup a Freesat + HD box you should be able to record the shows when they are shown on the normal BBCs.

Also Dave is FULL of Ads, even if you have it recorded and can fast foward it is annoying.

http://digiguide.tv/list/Dave

Dave also seems on Freeview (that's how I saw it when I was able to pick up the stations)
TBH its not a bad channel IMHO as it shows some good comedy stuff even though it is repeated to death over and over

Peter Rhea

tui0hcg wrote: »

. . . the powered box is behind the TV and I am not sure what group means

The 'box' is almost certainly the power supply for a masthead amplifier. The amplifier will be at some remote location, possibly (as its name implies) on the aerial mast.

'Group' is a reference to the aerial channel group. It's simply a subdivision of the UHF tv band used by a particular transmitter & the aerials for receiving its signals are also optimised for these particular channels, to the detriment of others within the UHF tv band (you would use a wideband aerial if you want to receive a larger spread of frequencies)

dowtchaboy

tui0hcg wrote: »

Dave also seems on Freeview (that's how I saw it when I was able to pick up the stations)
TBH its not a bad channel IMHO as it shows some good comedy stuff even though it is repeated to death over and over

I agree it's repeats - but many times late in the evening I'd just like something light and funny like Qi or Mock the Week or whatever - and there's almost always something like that on Dave.

Gerry Wicklow

DAVE are also coming up with several original shows and currently plugging "more to come"