Cadlbeck & Repeaters

I bought a new TV yesterday (delivery Monday) which has a Freeview
receiver built in. I plan to use it on Sky, and might upgrade to HD in
due course. However, this freeview idea pops up.

We are in the Caldbeck transmitter range, but presently get our
broadcast signal (BBC1,2,ITV,Ch4 only) from the Bassenthwaite repeater.

I know that after June next year this will all go digital (with the
Not-in-the-south-east-and-on-a-repeater-to-boot-reduced-channel-count,
but still paying a full license fee), but is there any mileage at all in
pointing the aerial at Caldbeck directly, despite it being behind a
small hill? Would a higher gain aerial help?

R.

TheOldFellow wrote:
I bought a new TV yesterday (delivery Monday) which has a Freeview
receiver built in. I plan to use it on Sky, and might upgrade to HD in
due course. However, this freeview idea pops up.

We are in the Caldbeck transmitter range, but presently get our
broadcast signal (BBC1,2,ITV,Ch4 only) from the Bassenthwaite repeater.

I know that after June next year this will all go digital (with the
Not-in-the-south-east-and-on-a-repeater-to-boot-reduced-channel-count,
but still paying a full license fee), but is there any mileage at all in
pointing the aerial at Caldbeck directly, despite it being behind a
small hill? Would a higher gain aerial help?

Can you get any reception at all of the analogue channels from Caldbeck ?
If there's nothing possible, it's doubtful DTT will be possible after DSO in
June.

--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:03:24 +0000
Mark Carver wrote:

TheOldFellow wrote:
I bought a new TV yesterday (delivery Monday) which has a Freeview
receiver built in. I plan to use it on Sky, and might upgrade to HD in
due course. However, this freeview idea pops up.

We are in the Caldbeck transmitter range, but presently get our
broadcast signal (BBC1,2,ITV,Ch4 only) from the Bassenthwaite repeater.

I know that after June next year this will all go digital (with the
Not-in-the-south-east-and-on-a-repeater-to-boot-reduced-channel-count,
but still paying a full license fee), but is there any mileage at all in
pointing the aerial at Caldbeck directly, despite it being behind a
small hill? Would a higher gain aerial help?

Can you get any reception at all of the analogue channels from Caldbeck ?
If there's nothing possible, it's doubtful DTT will be possible after DSO in
June.


Ah yes, the climb on the roof and try it method. I thought it would
mean that, and was trying to avoid it. I'm not good on ladders, and
it's not worth paying a fitter for an experiment.

I'll see if I can borrow something to try with.

Thanks anyway.

R.

"TheOldFellow" wrote in message
...
I bought a new TV yesterday (delivery Monday) which has a Freeview
receiver built in. I plan to use it on Sky, and might upgrade to HD in
due course. However, this freeview idea pops up.

We are in the Caldbeck transmitter range, but presently get our
broadcast signal (BBC1,2,ITV,Ch4 only) from the Bassenthwaite repeater.

I know that after June next year this will all go digital (with the
Not-in-the-south-east-and-on-a-repeater-to-boot-reduced-channel-count,
but still paying a full license fee), but is there any mileage at all in
pointing the aerial at Caldbeck directly, despite it being behind a
small hill? Would a higher gain aerial help?

If all the aerials in your vicinity are on Bassenthwaite the chances of
Caldbeck reception will be slight. Since '98 installers have tended to treat
relays as second best because of C5, so if there's even a sniff of Caldbeck
someone will be using it.

Personally I wouldn't bother.

Bill

Snip...
Since '98 installers have tended to treat
relays as second best because of C5, ...

Which is a bit ironic here in Northern Ireland since both C5
transmitters are located on relay transmitters...

Regards
Glenn...

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:14:48 -0000
"Bill Wright" wrote:


"TheOldFellow" wrote in message
...
I bought a new TV yesterday (delivery Monday) which has a Freeview
receiver built in. I plan to use it on Sky, and might upgrade to HD in
due course. However, this freeview idea pops up.

We are in the Caldbeck transmitter range, but presently get our
broadcast signal (BBC1,2,ITV,Ch4 only) from the Bassenthwaite repeater.

I know that after June next year this will all go digital (with the
Not-in-the-south-east-and-on-a-repeater-to-boot-reduced-channel-count,
but still paying a full license fee), but is there any mileage at all in
pointing the aerial at Caldbeck directly, despite it being behind a
small hill? Would a higher gain aerial help?

If all the aerials in your vicinity are on Bassenthwaite the chances of
Caldbeck reception will be slight. Since '98 installers have tended to treat
relays as second best because of C5, so if there's even a sniff of Caldbeck
someone will be using it.

Personally I wouldn't bother.

Bill


Thanks. I concur, having read the replies. Too much trouble.

Although my aged neighbours would have had their aerials installed
before 1975. When I installed the Sky dish, there was a lot of
(dialect) "what's that then?" And there are some who have subsequently
discovered that the mountain (Skiddaw) is between them and the
satellite. We are quite spread out here.

R.

"TheOldFellow" wrote in message
...
Although my aged neighbours would have had their aerials installed
before 1975. When I installed the Sky dish, there was a lot of
(dialect) "what's that then?" And there are some who have subsequently
discovered that the mountain (Skiddaw) is between them and the
satellite. We are quite spread out here.

Having Skiddaw for a neighbour is worth far more than having Sky. I wish I
could swap with you.

Bill

Glenn Millar wrote:
Snip...
Since '98 installers have tended to treat
relays as second best because of C5, ...

Which is a bit ironic here in Northern Ireland since both C5
transmitters are located on relay transmitters...

Luxury. One of them here in Hampshire is located on a power station chimney.

--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:36:52 +0000
TheOldFellow wrote:

Just to reactivate my old thread on this.

I was in the loft today, and had the opportunity to turn the aerial
towards Caldbeck. A 'chap in the pub' had said that they were getting
the Caldbeck signal, so I thought it was worth a try.

Interesting results. Much worse analogue signal than the Bassenthwaite
repeater, as expected, but surprisingly between 6 and 19 digital
channels with intermittent stability. 25, 26 and 45 seemed to be
the channels where I was getting hits.

Now, I set the old aerial up with a compass, Caldbeck bears XX degrees
from here according to www.wolfbane.com, not sure if that's magnetic,
but I assumed it was true and put in 2.4 deg west correction which is
what my latest OS map suggests. Is the is the way to line things up?

The aerial in pretty old and not properly mounted, and it's in the loft
under a wet slate roof. There is also an ancient Labgear masthead
amplifier and a '2-set splitter' by Prince Electonics - both in
beautiful Bakelite boxes. All far too near the mains wiring for my
liking. If it's right for Bassenthwaite, then it's Group B Vertical -
and Caldbeck is Group A Horizontal.

So, the upshot is that I can 'see' Caldbeck even with that mismatched
setup. I can resolve digital signals. Is it worth getting a proper
aerial rigged outside (I have no chimney, and the eves are deep), and
does anyone know a reputable firm in North Cumbria?

R.

"TheOldFellow" wrote in message
...
So, the upshot is that I can 'see' Caldbeck even with that mismatched
setup. I can resolve digital signals. Is it worth getting a proper
aerial rigged outside (I have no chimney, and the eves are deep), and
does anyone know a reputable firm in North Cumbria?
Three of the Caldbeck muxes are Gp though. But on the other hand, they are
low powered. Which muxes are you getting?

Bill