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RTÉ DTT Tests: Mullaghanish

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 9,235 ✭✭✭lucernarian


    Jaysus, French DTT?! I did not notice that. I do know that Tropo reception is not as terrain affected because of its nature, signal is almost being picked up from on high. But the terrain the whole way from there to Wales or Devon is challenging to say the least. And crucially, anything would be coming from the same direction as Mulla is to this poster, and they would have to have nulcear reactor ERPs to overwhelm a 20kW ERP transmitter only about 40 km away. Indeed, Mulla is directly between Caradon Hill and Tralee.

    Machinehead: I think there's no harm in checking out the aerial type and if the cable's up to much or even trying out a variable attenuator, they're cheap as chips on ebay. But do check what the signal's like when the weather has changed somewhat. As BB said, the tropospheric ducting thing can't be discounted.




  • Jaysus, French DTT?! I did not notice that. I do know that Tropo reception is not as terrain affected because of its nature, signal is almost being picked up from on high. But the terrain the whole way from there to Wales or Devon is challenging to say the least. And crucially, anything would be coming from the same direction as Mulla is to this poster, and they would have to have nulcear reactor ERPs to overwhelm a 20kW ERP transmitter only about 40 km away. Indeed, Mulla is directly between Caradon Hill and Tralee.
    Remember the Mullaghanish signal will be behaving wierdly aswell so it can easily dip and fall in tropo locally and if that coincides with a visiting signal.
    Double hubble toil and trouble.

    It's a constant more frequent threat to Mt Leinster in wexford from sea path presely and vice versa over in pembrokeshire as we're actually in a default presely service area.
    Giving both the same dtt frequencies suggests the allocators hadn't a clue as to the potential problems with adjacent tx's on this new technology.
    But as they say,hindsight is a great thing.
    I hope in Mt Leinsters case,RTENL just return to the free ch 39..it's only going to get french dtt interfering with it then the odd time :pac:


  • Registered Users Posts: 732 ✭✭✭Machinehead


    G'day gents. My knowledge in all things DTT is zip & trying to find someone who has some is difficult to say the least. My aerial is a C/D wideband hi gain type with masthead amp, intended for Maghera. This mast gave inferior reception compared to the result when angled toward Mullaghanish. If my loss of signal from Mulla is due to co channel, should I just go back & re-align to Maghera - which is better since yesterday. At the moment I am alaigned to a point between both masts, with Mulla offering best reception until yesterday. Pointing directly at Mulla gave no result, damn mountains. Doing my best to make some sense!




  • Half your problem in co channel is that you are having to point away from mullaghanish to get it and the other half is the fact you are using a wideband aerial and probably a wideband amp.

    Pointing a wideband away from the intended target is a no no as you have reduced the signal straight away on both counts.
    You need to stick with maghera and get the proper grouped aerial for that and the proper grouped masthead amp.

    I'll sound like a broken record now but You also need a meter to make sure your aerial is at the exact centre of maghera's beam at your location.
    Copying the direction of other peoples aerials means everybody copies someone elses mistake.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,299 ✭✭✭Antenna


    C/D wideband hi gain type

    thats a contradiction as "C/D" is not a wide band aerial. C/D is for upper UHF. It probably has a green colourcode on the end. A wideband (21-69) UHF aerial may be referred to as Group W.

    C/D is the correct 'group' for Maghera but way wrong for Mullaghanish (low UHF)
    Mullaghanish UHF is Group A, (Red colourcode)

    best reception with 'wrong' group aerial may occur with aerial way off beam.

    Also its horizontal polarised - ensure aerial elements are horizontal , not vertical for either Mullaghanish or Maghera. (wrong polarisation is a common mistake with DIYers)


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  • Registered Users Posts: 9,235 ✭✭✭lucernarian


    Antenna wrote: »
    thats a contradiction as "C/D" is not a wide band aerial. C/D is for upper UHF. It probably has a green colourcode on the end. A wideband (21-69) UHF aerial may be referred to as Group W.

    C/D is the correct 'group' for Maghera but way wrong for Mullaghanish (low UHF)
    Mullaghanish UHF is Group A, (Red colourcode)

    best reception with 'wrong' group aerial may occur with aerial way off beam.

    Also its horizontal polarised - ensure aerial elements are horizontal , not vertical for either Mullaghanish or Maghera. (wrong polarisation is a common mistake with DIYers)
    One note on your first point: Some aerials are marketed as "C/D Wideband" as in, they use wideband aerials in place of C/D aerials as they perform nearly the same.

    Machinehead: I assume the aerial is outdoors? The aerial is not ideal for the job at hand, especially if Mullaghanish is consistently better. If the aerial can be raised or lowered, it could work much better too. It may need some fiddling around to get it optimised.


  • Registered Users Posts: 732 ✭✭✭Machinehead


    My aerial is chimney mounted. To-day Maghera is superior to Mulla (total reversal to situation 2 days ago). I'm going to wait for weather conditions to change before I mess with my aerial. If there are no changes I will point the antenna directly at Maghera (not side on to Maghera & Mulla as is now-but did give better quality initially). Then I'll give up till full launch & RTENL quit messin around with the signals. I wonder if things have improved for anyone else having probs with Mulla?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,299 ✭✭✭Antenna


    One note on your first point: Some aerials are marketed as "C/D Wideband" as in, they use wideband aerials in place of C/D aerials as they perform nearly the same.

    Machinehead: I assume the aerial is outdoors? The aerial is not ideal for the job at hand, especially if Mullaghanish is consistently better.

    Mullaghanish PSB MUX is on Ch 21, the lowest UHF TV channel
    the gain is going to be poor (for the aerial's size) on that channel for that type of aerial
    At the moment I am alaigned to a point between both masts, with Mulla offering best reception until yesterday. Pointing directly at Mulla gave no result, damn mountains. Doing my best to make some sense!

    Its possible you were getting a signal reflection, might there be a large warehouse/factory etc visible in the direction the aerial was pointing?


  • Registered Users Posts: 732 ✭✭✭Machinehead


    Morning Antenna. I live in a rural area 4km SW of Tralee. No chance of reflections. Maghera still comming thru' with very low signal quality (15%, still with the aerial at 90 degrees to mast) no picture break up & cloudy skies, can't get Mulla. It must have been atmospherics that allowed me to get Mulla with good signal quality or else they have pulled back the power a little for a while. Pity RTENL don't post up to test status reports.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 8,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭mossym


    my mullaghanish was gone yesterday evening, had been rock solid for the two weeks before, nothing at all last night


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  • Registered Users Posts: 910 ✭✭✭downwiththatsor


    mossym wrote: »
    my mullaghanish was gone yesterday evening, had been rock solid for the two weeks before, nothing at all last night
    Any update on DTT transmissions from Mullaghanish at the moment? Thinking of getting a tuner for my linux box if transmissions are on air?
    Cheers


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 8,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭mossym


    Any update on DTT transmissions from Mullaghanish at the moment? Thinking of getting a tuner for my linux box if transmissions are on air?
    Cheers

    working fine. i wouldn't use me as a barometer, i am way north of mullaghanish and down in the valley of the shannon, it should be maghera or woodcock i can get but mulla is all i can pick up. Me losing signal shouldn't be a sign of any problems, i reckon i'm right at the range of reception

    Watched the united /FAI game on it last night.


  • Registered Users Posts: 75 ✭✭Voyager II


    mulla working fine for quite a while now. you can tell by the fact there have been no posts in this thread for over a month. get your tuner it will be well worth it. Which box is that by the way?


  • Registered Users Posts: 910 ✭✭✭downwiththatsor


    Voyager II wrote: »
    mulla working fine for quite a while now. you can tell by the fact there have been no posts in this thread for over a month. get your tuner it will be well worth it. Which box is that by the way?

    cheers guys,
    its an azbox elite, if tv3 analogue reception is average would i be likely to expect ok dtt? A hill in the line of sight affects reception where i am.


  • Registered Users Posts: 75 ✭✭Voyager II


    average should be fine for dtt. just make sure you have the correct ariel for ch 21 and it is mounted horizontally. dtt is as good if not better than the rte transmissions from artra 28e on sky.


  • Registered Users Posts: 69 ✭✭cillo2000


    At the moment DTT isn't broadcasting TV3, it has been like this for months now. They've replaced it with test cards... but DTT has been in the news a lot over the last few days, so I'd imagine that it should move from a beta phase to live. So I guess TV3 should be re-appearing soon. I mailed the guys in the RTE network and they give fairly good feed back on what's happening.

    Oh and to answer your question I'm getting a 50-60% signal in south Kerry from Mullaghanish and this is all you need for a perfect picture.


  • Registered Users Posts: 303 ✭✭deanh


    What is the likely range of DTT broadcasts from Mullaghanish? My family have a holiday home in Rosscarbery which does get a signal from there but most of the area relies on a infill signal from a tower at Downeen. These sites are not likely to be upgraded, so would the signal from Mullaghanish be strong enough for DTT?


  • Registered Users Posts: 718 ✭✭✭12 element


    What's the analog signal like? Is it watchable?


  • Registered Users Posts: 303 ✭✭deanh


    If you are asking about the analogue signal in Rosscarbery 12 element, then I would say it is quite good for RTE 1 and 2 and for TG4 as well as good sound but snowy picture for TV3( which makes me suspect that the signal is from Mullaghanish as I don't think its on the relay transmitter from Downeen).


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,299 ✭✭✭Antenna


    regarding the new mast at Mullaghanish

    I am led to believe that strobe lighting is now operational on the Mullaghanish replacement mast and would be visible farther than the old lighting. Anyone with LOS (Line-Of-Sight) - have a look during darkness!


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1 Longie555


    I saw the strobe last night, seriously bright. I'am about fifteen miles as the crow flies. I'd say the sky must light up in the area around the mast :p


  • Registered Users Posts: 221 ✭✭dunleas


    Antenna wrote: »
    regarding the new mast at Mullaghanish

    I am led to believe that strobe lighting is now operational on the Mullaghanish replacement mast and would be visible farther than the old lighting. Anyone with LOS (Line-Of-Sight) - have a look during darkness!

    When do you think it will become live?


  • Registered Users Posts: 869 ✭✭✭More Music


    It is live, although DTT is still on reduced power for the moment.

    All services are now live on the new mast. The old one is being stripped down and dismantled.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 8,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭mossym


    More Music wrote: »
    It is live, although DTT is still on reduced power for the moment.

    All services are now live on the new mast. The old one is being stripped down and dismantled.

    the reduced power, that's the same level it's been at for a while though right? i was having serious signal level issues up until the weekend when i moved my aerial and now have a rock solid signal, any increase in power will only help, but just wondering is the power level now as low as it will go


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2 kenny555


    We have been plagued by the strobe lights [from Mullaghanish] the last few nights.
    Our bedroom is lit up at a 1Hz rate, via our velux window
    --- and we are >20 miles away!!

    Do they need some sort of planning to do this?
    or an Environment Impact Survey, including the damage caused buy Zombie Insomniacs?

    Anyone know how long this will go on for??


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    Always. Methinks you need a light tight blind.


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,452 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    watty wrote: »
    Always. Methinks you need a light tight blind.

    Velux blackout blinds are available, my brother has them.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,099 ✭✭✭John mac


    kenny555 wrote: »

    Do they need some sort of planning to do this?

    It is probably part of the planning requirements to have them.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 8,766 Mod ✭✭✭✭mossym


    The Cush wrote: »
    Velux blackout blinds are available, my brother has them.

    had them in a house we rented once, they'll stop any light.unbelievable darkness due to them, we had a SE facing window and even on a rare sunny day they would keep the room in total darkness all day


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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 19,267 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sam Russell


    Are these lights the navigation ones intended for aircraft?


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