Freeview area problem!

[saabmania2]

Now with the looming digital switchover (ok not till 2011/12) i've been looking into problems that i might come across.
i have vm at the moment so not really a problem but if i couldn't afford it for any reason then what would i do.
now to start with when i put my postcode into freeview it say's that i connot get freeview now nor will i get it in the future (i take it's because i live in a valley not in wales!!)
i can't have freesat as we are in protected area and not allowed to have a dish.
and bt have said they canot supply bt vision or bb to us as we are too far from the exchange (not sure if this correct as i don't know how it works)

so my question is how am i supposed to get digital tv once it is switched over ??

[Dai]

move house?

[saabmania2]

move house?

lol :rofl:
i have said that if i do move house again it would be to new zealand you never know i might have more luck getting some sort of freeview out there. i would probably pick up the uk's freeview with a coat hanger from there:D

[Halcyon]

Could you not have a dish and put it somewhere hidden or disguise the dish.

I'm also having the same issue with Freeview. I'm in an area where the street next door will get it but I'm just off the map and will only get a few channels.
I'ts the same with standard TV, I'm in the East midlands however I receive west Midlands news however much I wave my aerial about.

I wonder if when I get virginmedia TV installed I will be able to choose my regional channel as I don't want to get Birmoingham news, I want East Midlands news.

[demented]

I wouldn't use the freeview checker, it is not particularly accurate (it did after all used to say I could not get freeview for many years which was cobblers). Use a more sophisticated checker such as wolfbane http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe? and post the results.

[Kymmy]

If you can;t get freeview due to location and nothing to do with antenna restrictions then there's always freesat

[Turkey Machine]

Now with the looming digital switchover (ok not till 2011/12) i've been looking into problems that i might come across.
i have vm at the moment so not really a problem but if i couldn't afford it for any reason then what would i do.
now to start with when i put my postcode into freeview it say's that i connot get freeview now nor will i get it in the future (i take it's because i live in a valley not in wales!!)
i can't have freesat as we are in protected area and not allowed to have a dish.
and bt have said they canot supply bt vision or bb to us as we are too far from the exchange (not sure if this correct as i don't know how it works)

so my question is how am i supposed to get digital tv once it is switched over ??

In what way is it a protected area? A Sky minidish on the front of the house pointed to the right satellite should be easily sufficient to receive Freesat.

Your only way at the moment is to stick with Virgin Media. :(

[saabmania2]

Could you not have a dish and put it somewhere hidden or disguise the dish.
I'm also having the same issue with Freeview. I'm in an area where the street next door will get it but I'm just off the map and will only get a few channels.
I'ts the same with standard TV, I'm in the East midlands however I receive west Midlands news however much I wave my aerial about.

I wonder if when I get virginmedia TV installed I will be able to choose my regional channel as I don't want to get Birmoingham news, I want East Midlands news.

no cause the neighbours round hear are all fuddy duddys and will just complain they have nothing better to do than report you for everything they are not happy with.

If you can;t get freeview due to location and nothing to do with antenna restrictions then there's always freesat

hi kymmy,
as i said i can't have a dish as the area im in is protected plus it is a listed property and the council round here won't allow it.

In what way is it a protected area? A Sky minidish on the front of the house pointed to the right satellite should be easily sufficient to receive Freesat.

Your only way at the moment is to stick with Virgin Media. :(

hmmm and that's my point i was led to beleve from all the govenment hipe that freeview would be avalable to everyone by 2012. seems that might not be the case and if so i will be pushing for something else to happen like not paying my tv licence as i won't be in an area that can receive it. if i have to pay for digital on other means there should be some sort of compensation package.:D

[Kymmy]

Sat dishes do NOT have to be on the side of the wall, quite a few people have them at the bottom of the garden which is protected areas is acceptable if not visible

[demented]

Saabmania2, could you please try out wolfbane or some similar site. I've had plenty of people repeat local urban myths that they can't get freeview and the majority of them turn out to be untrue. I've only met 1 person who can genuinely not get freeview (they only get 1 multiplex as they are in a deep hollowed out valley). I'd be interested to know what it said .

---------- Post added at 14:50 ---------- Previous post was at 14:48 ----------

Sat dishes do NOT have to be on the side of the wall, quite a few people have them at the bottom of the garden which is protected areas is acceptable if not visible

Precisely. If you have a high up window facing directly in the right direction you could try putting the dish on the inside too (borrow a portable dish and try it).

[saabmania2]

Saabmania2, could you please try out wolfbane or some similar site. I've had plenty of people repeat local urban myths that they can't get freeview and the majority of them turn out to be untrue. I've only met 1 person who can genuinely not get freeview (they only get 1 multiplex as they are in a deep hollowed out valley). I'd be interested to know what it said .

---------- Post added at 14:50 ---------- Previous post was at 14:48 ----------

Precisely. If you have a high up window facing directly in the right direction you could try putting the dish on the inside too (borrow a portable dish and try it).

Bearing in mind this is the transmitter i am on at the moment with a new arial put up about 6 months ago and it is an amplified high gain and we can bearly pick up BBC1 OR BBC2 with it.
Transmitter 1: BBC 2: Digital 3 & 4 A: SDN B: BBC C: NG Wireless D: NG Wireless Gp Pol OS grid ref. OD
m Field
dBµV/m Distance
miles Bearing
degrees Antenna
(suggestion)
UHF ERP
W AOD
m UHF ERP
W AOD
m UHF ERP
W AOD
m UHF ERP
W AOD
m UHF ERP
W AOD
m UHF ERP
W AOD
m
Brighton Whitehawk Hill 66 200 172 50 400 169 55 200 172 48 1k 172 58 400 172 61 400 172 CD V TQ330045 121 29 5 109 Amplified extra hi-gain

as for the sat dish in the window we live in a bungalow and the last thing i want to sit and look at is a disgusting dish (there bad enough on the outside let alone in your living room)

anyway i might look into putting a dish up down the garden, as our garden is hidden from everyone that might just be a way of getting round it.

[Kymmy]

How about this THREAD (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/64/33617145-play-tv.html)

[demented]

Analogue bearing does not have complete correlation to digital services at all. In all of the places I've ever lived there has been a poor, snowy analogue picture on some channels. Why not borrow a friend's digibox and see if it works? Is your aerial pointing at the primary transmitter or the local one?

[Chris]

I believe the Freeview predictors which say there are no future plans are referring only to the period ahead of digital switchover.

If you are in a valley, then your analogue terrestrial reception will be coming from a relatively low-powered repeater, or fill-in transmitter. Most of these transmitters don't have the capacity to carry both Freeview and analogue signals, so they will have no Freeview until digital switchover actually occurs in your area, at which point they will lose analogue and gain Freeview at the same time.

So you don't need to worry, you will be able to get digital TV at your home, you may just have to wait a while.

[demented]

I believe the Freeview predictors which say there are no future plans are referring only to the period ahead of digital switchover.

If you are in a valley, then your analogue terrestrial reception will be coming from a relatively low-powered repeater, or fill-in transmitter. Most of these transmitters don't have the capacity to carry both Freeview and analogue signals, so they will have no Freeview until digital switchover actually occurs in your area, at which point they will lose analogue and gain Freeview at the same time.

So you don't need to worry, you will be able to get digital TV at your home, you may just have to wait a while.

Yes I would echo what chris has said. On wolfbane they haven't enabled the post switch over coverage predictor yet. Currently the official figure is something like 73% of the country can get freeview. After 2012 it will be in the 90%s. The wolfbane stuff you posted is currently a field strength of 29. That is certainly low but people have had digital working fine on that field strength level. You are 5 miles from the transmitter. If you actually look at your transmitters data you will see what the power levels of the muxes are 3 are on 400Watts, two are on 200Watts and the other 1000 Watts. When things get sorted out the new average will be 4000 Watts. It seems fairly likely to me looking at those figures that freeview will work now with a quality aerial but even if it didn't it should most certainly after switch over.

[Turkey Machine]

If your signal is that weak, I'd suggest getting one of these aerials: http://www.screwfix.com/prods/60215/Electrical/TV-Range/Aerials-Fixings/Labgear-TV-Aerial-High-Gain-Digital

I'll be getting one to put on the roof at home, as we're on the edge of the Tacolneston transmitter, and cannot get 5 on analogue, and the Freeview is not the best it could be. I know this'll improve when analogue gets switched off, but 3 years is a long time.

[saabmania2]

Analogue bearing does not have complete correlation to digital services at all. In all of the places I've ever lived there has been a poor, snowy analogue picture on some channels. Why not borrow a friend's digibox and see if it works? Is your aerial pointing at the primary transmitter or the local one?

i don't have to borrow a box i have one here that i bought when i had the new ariel installed obviously it has never got used yet but, when the installer was here he said it was on the whitehawk transmitter so i take it it is on that one (the arial is pointing in that direction) so yes it is on the local transmitter

---------- Post added at 16:18 ---------- Previous post was at 15:28 ----------

Yes I would echo what chris has said. On wolfbane they haven't enabled the post switch over coverage predictor yet. Currently the official figure is something like 73% of the country can get freeview. After 2012 it will be in the 90%s. The wolfbane stuff you posted is currently a field strength of 29. That is certainly low but people have had digital working fine on that field strength level. You are 5 miles from the transmitter. If you actually look at your transmitters data you will see what the power levels of the muxes are 3 are on 400Watts, two are on 200Watts and the other 1000 Watts. When things get sorted out the new average will be 4000 Watts. It seems fairly likely to me looking at those figures that freeview will work now with a quality aerial but even if it didn't it should most certainly after switch over.

ok thanks for the advise i think i will have to wait until nearer the time then as i can't get a thing at the mo, i went to alltrade to get my arial and just asked for the best one they had for digital high gain with amplifer it cost just under £100 with all the bits and bobs to go with it, it's a Televes DAT 45 TV Aerial + MRD so it should be good.
in the meantime i will look into getting a sat dish installed in the garden, i think that might be in the realms of a possiblity, so i will try that route would prefer freesat if poss as i think there will be more to offer on there in the future.
anyway thanks everyone for your advise i'll see how i get on