Outdated channel numbers on some sites

[joe384]

I'm trying to solve some reception issues recently, but noticed that the wolfbane site is giving out incorrect channel numbers:

eg. for BBC A:

On the Bluebell Hill Transmitter it says CH 46 but the detailed view on freeview.co.uk says CH 32

Even more confusing if you scroll down to the transmitter changes here:

https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Bluebell_Hill

It says ch 32 is com7 since 19 Jul 2018.

For the record wikipedia also says it's ch 46

I'm assuming the authoritative source on channels numbers should be freeview.co.uk so will try again at lunchtime!

 

[ETAF]

Are you sure you are picking up Bluebell hill
I know my brother lives near maidstone and can pickup Crystal Palace and other transmitters
As he did have london news for a while, then after a new aerial and amplifier we picked up bluebell for local South Meridian TV

 

[joe384]

Well we can pickup both Bluebell hill and Crystal Palace very good normally (south essex) but I think the main aerial is pointed towards Bluebell hill.

Our new TV doesn't show what mux/frequencies it is using for each channel but I have found a way to add the muxes individually so I can try that at lunchtime now I have the correct channel numbers

I also noticed some damage to the aerial (some of the elements on the reflector end have been bent) so that may have been a recent thing as well

 

[ETAF]

Our new TV doesn't show what mux/frequencies it is using for each channel

thats a shame , I used that info a lot , and could retune just one mux on the PVR rather than lose all the settings for them all and schedule for all other MUX , at one time they changed every week at Crystal Palace , some just to change the name of the channel.

 

[joe384]

Well it looks like it could be the cable from the freeview recorder to the TV - Both the TV and the recorder get a good signal when directly connected to the aerial.

 

[ETAF]

are these some of the premade supplied cables, I have found a lot of those very poor , and tend to make up my own now.
I purchased 100m of coaxial cable when i added an amp , and i tend to use that for fly leads between PVR , TV etc as i found the supplied cables or cheap ones online pretty useless.

also remake the connections as well

Or the PVR through connection is poor I did have that on a box once - old cheap box to use a small portable analogue TV with Digital

 

[Lucid]

Wolfbane site is giving out incorrect channel numbers:

(so does) https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Bluebell_Hill

(as does) wikipedia also says it's ch 46

That's always the challenge with smaller 'enthusiast' sites. They take a lot of work to keep up-to-date, and unless the site is generating some revenue that it's a labour of love rather than paying its own way.

I also noticed some damage to the aerial (some of the elements on the reflector end have been bent) so that may have been a recent thing as well

That's quite common where loft aerials have been sold for outdoor use. These aerials are made to a lower standard than pukka outdoor jobs with a proper frame support and thicker elements. Fat pigeons and other larger birds perch on them and the rest is history.

Well it looks like it could be the cable from the freeview recorder to the TV - Both the TV and the recorder get a good signal when directly connected to the aerial.

Again this is quite common with those moulded fly leads as sold by supermarkets. They're poorly shielded to start with, but the other issue is the fragile solder joints between the pin and the centre core connector. There's an acidic reaction from the solder that slowly eats at the joint. You can't see this since the whole thing is entombed in plastic.

Poorly made flyleads made from RG6-sized coax and plugs can also exhibit problems. Cheaper coax cables have looser outer sheathing than decent cable. Over time the sheathing stretches with the result that the inner core gets pulled backwards out of the coax plug. Going belt and braces with a soldered-on set of coax plugs solves this but for DIYers that's often impractical. A simpler solution is to spend a few pennies more per foot on decent coax that doesn't have the crappy type of sheath material. Webro WF100, Triax TX100, Labgear PF100 are all decent without breaking the bank.

 

[joe384]

Thanks guys, yes I suspect the flylead is pretty poor, I will get some decent coax

 

[Lucid]

If you find yourself struggling to source decent coax (not the crappy CCS/Alu RG6 that all the lowballers peddle) in a short fly-lead length, or you just want to buy the finished article with straight or 90 degree plugs already fitted then drop me a line via a PM. I'm in the trade so carry white and black Webro WF100. I have made leads up for other FM's in the past. They work out cheaper than B&Q's crappy moulded cables!

I dare say there are a couple of other members here who could do the same so you won't be short of support here

 

[ericmark]

Fat pigeons and other larger birds perch on them and the rest is history.

Oh I remember it well. Two Johnny Rooks (Striated Caracara)

fighting on a 2 meter aerial, clearly causing damage to it, local tried to shoot them, all he did was shoot off more bits of the aerial. Clearly aerial made for UK where we don't have such large birds.

Thank god Swans don't perch on aerials.