freeview

digiman

Because I get my analogue pictures from Northern Ireland I was wondering does that mean I will be able to get freeview. The picture quality is excellent. Also is there anyway of being able to get Five from this mast. I live near killybegs and get the signal from near enniskellin I think.

Richard

Originally posted by digiman
Because I get my analogue pictures from Northern Ireland I was wondering does that mean I will be able to get freeview. The picture quality is excellent. Also is there anyway of being able to get Five from this mast. I live near killybegs and get the signal from near enniskellin I think.

Sounds like you use Brougher Mountain. I think the Freeview channels are in the same aerial group as Brougher uses normally.

You could talk to a local aerial contractor to see if it would work, but I suppose the only sure way to know is to try a box. Even if you don't get a signal, you could improve your chances with a bigger/newer aerial with a never downlead.

Northern Correspondent should be able to hep you here.

West Briton

Five isn't carried on analogue from Brougher, the only way you can get it is through Freeview.

As DMC and I found out, a good analogue signal is no guarantee that you can get Freeview, though my local TV dealer in Moville was surprised that I was able to get seapath reception of Limavady Freeview at Quigley's Point with an amplified indoor aerial.

Perhaps the only way you can find out for sure is to drop the necessary £ for an adaptor.

byte

What levels of (analogue) signal are required to pick up DTT? In Killybegs, most houses have wideband grid aerials (some may use bigger Yagi aerials) and need a masthead amplifier. Brougher Mtn had its transmissions turned off some mornings about a month ago due to transmitter upgrading (digital apparently). If you do get your hands on a digitv adaptor, digiman, let us know how you get on.

Sounds like you use Brougher Mountain. I think the Freeview channels are in the same aerial group as Brougher uses normally.

The analogue channels are on Group A. It would be convenient if digi channels were Group A too though i dunno if they are or not.

byte

Well, to update, Brougher transmitts DTT on Group A so no need to change aerial (unless digi signal is too weak)

Here's a list of Multiplexes (muxes) and the channel they use...

CH - Mux
30 BBC
34 ITV & C4
23 SDN
26 Mux B
29 Mux C
33 Mux D

All muxes transmit at 0.5kW ERP which is a fair bit lower than the analogue transmissions.

HTH

lawhec

The DTT multiplexes from Brougher Mountain are all in the same aerial group (A) as the analogue channels as Irishbyte points out. I've only seen DTT demonstrated in front of me and used it myself only a few times and not since the start of Freeview although I'm tempted to by a box myself after the New Year. From my own observations and from what others have said here and on Digital Spy...

1. - Multiplexes - they are underpowered at the moment from Brougher at just 500W each, they should (ideally) be at least 1Kw each ERP. All multiplexes except the ITV/CH4 and the SDN multiplexes are using the 16QAM transmission standard which is more robust than the 64QAM standard still used by ITV/CH4 and SDN. Also for some odd reason the SDN multiplex from Brougher Mountain seems to be weaker than the remaining five multiplexes - this was a while ago however. It might have changed, it might not.

2. - Five (analogue) - It isn't transmitted from Brougher Mountain I'm afraid and is highly unlikey to in the future. It is available on the SDN DTT Multiplex though.

3. - What DTT Box to use? Avoid the old ITV/On Digital boxes as these are slow and won't receive software updates in the future. For signal sensitivity go for the latest Grundig model which is supposed to be the best for fringe areas, and it also has two scart sockets and UHF loopthrough (but no UHF modulator). The new boxes which have setpal technology however claim to be the most sensitive but trials by those on Digital Spy haven't been conclusive. The new Daewoo model uses the Setpal technology. The Pace DTVA is supposedly very fast but lacks any UHF loopthrough or extra scart socket without buying a special extra for it. The Panasonic is thought to be the least sensitive of the new models but has a UHF modulator if there is a possibility for it being used on several TV's in the house, but only has one scart socket though has stereo amplifier outputs. The Goodmans and Daewoo models don't have a big enough circulations for people to know how good they are yet.

4. - Receiving aerial. If you are using a wideband grid aerial these are a bit of a pain as their gain is at it's lowest in the low part of the UHF band. It's highest gain is on channel 60 or thereabouts. the grouped yagi aerials will probably deliver more gain to the part of the band that you want it. What if you buy a box and there is no picture on some or all of the channels, or "blocking" and freezing occours becuase of a weak signal? Some people on Digital Spy have found that an indoor amplifier like those found in Argos or Index for around £15 can amazingly work even though in theory it shouldn't. It can be hit or miss though, some work, some don't. A bigger outdoor antenna however probably help matters.
In laymans terms the analouge signal to your aerial receiving Brougher Mountain should be around 70dbuv for the digital signals to be received from the same site.

If you can try and get the loan of a box to see if it can work. If not ask someone who knows a bit about it. TV aerial installers in S.Donegal might not have much knowledge of DTT so if you're willing to do so try asking someone who installs aerials for DTT as close to yourself as possible, perhaps in Belleek or Kesh.

When I get around to getting a box for myself I should be able to help on this better...

deepspeed

Any idea what the Hauppage DEC1000-T / DEC2000-T are like for receiving???

http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/freeview

Im in roscommon and i get fairly decent bbc1/2/itv/c4 on analog from brougher.

Northern Correspondent
In laymans terms the analouge signal to your aerial receiving Brougher Mountain should be around 70dbuv for the digital signals to be received from the same site.

How can you measure that signal??

Most good installers would have a meter.
70 db or higher is an analog picture almost like a mirror.
Here in the south east some of the presely dtt signals can come in if analog is lower than that ., but thats due to a beneficial sea path.
DTT signals can get destroyed over land, due to what would otherwise seem like innocent topography, ie tall trees even.
mm

byte

Yeah, as Man said, 70dB is the perfect signal! I can't say I've seen too many in Killybegs with 70dB, usually around 60 -65dB (with amp) though it totally depends on where you live. I have yet to see someone in Donegal with a DTT box. I'd imagine it would be possible to receive it well enough in Mountcharles due to its height. Possibly even the top of Dunkineely.

lawhec

The dbuv is a log term relative to one microvolt on a certain frequency. Don't pull your hair out over it though

The UK DTT Network is designed with the mind initally that at 64QAM a Digital transmitter will be able to achieve the same coverage as that predicted for its analogue equivalent at 20db lower ERP. Therefore a 1000kW Transmitter should transmit at 10kW, or 1/100 of the power. Broughers' DTT TX's transmit at 23db lower than the analogue channels, hence they are "underpowered". Of course certain situations arose and that is why transmitter powers especially in core areas have increased and the move also to 16QAM standard of multiplexing.

Depending on the receiver, the DTT boxes are supposedly able of successfully decoding a signal if the s/n level (the signal received at it's input from the aerial) is approx 40dbuv. The new 16QAM signals are more resiliant than its 64QAM counterparts at some 6db, so that takes it down then to around 34dbuv. The boxes which will have the SetPal equiptment (www.setpal.com) are claiming that their boxes will work with even lower signal levels.

Funny enough I had my first Freeview demonstration shopping in Belfast yesterday. Impressed again, clean sharp pictures which didn't break up from sources that claim to leave the signal vunerable (light switches, mobile phones etc.) in the Dixons display!

Richard

Originally posted by deepspeed

Im in roscommon and i get fairly decent bbc1/2/itv/c4 on analog from brougher.

For the record, I tried an OnDigital box in Lanesborough, Roscommon last year and it received nothing. The analogue reception is okay, though not perfect.

SPAWKER

Just wondering is it possible to get freeview in north Co. Dublin as we get an excellent picture on bbc,utv etc.We get our signal from in around the Kilkeel area,brodcast on the B group,BBC1 39, BBC2 49,UTV42,CH4 45.

West Briton

Absolutely no chance what so ever as Kilkeel is actually a transposer rather than a main station.

You might have a chance if and when Kilkeel carries a digital signal.

The only NI transmitters carrying DTTV are Divis, Limavady and Brougher Mountain. I believe the effective ranges are about 40 miles from each transmitter.

SPAWKER

Cheers West Britton,will just have to stick with my FTV card for the time being.

Originally posted by Richard
For the record, I tried an OnDigital box in Lanesborough, Roscommon last year and it received nothing. The analogue reception is okay, though not perfect.

ah... lanesborough....was there a couple of years ago,most of the town is in longford, it's when you cross that bridge you go into Roscommon...beyond that bridge , there is / was a pub with a butchers shop attached to it...we walked in ...no one there waited ages for the nice woman to appear to serve a pint.
The tv was on and reception on utv was only fair, nowhere near what you'd want on analog, to be sure digital was there.

Same kind of reception in the next pub down in the longford end of town, where people kept asking us where we were from...

mm
p.s i may have removed the mad from my nick but I'm still mad :P