The problem of channels going missing is a real pain for those who live in the world of ”Free to air satellite”
This can be caused by
Channels going out of business (rare)
Channels going onto a pay per view basis (rarer still)
Channels whose frequency have changed (most likely)
Some good news first
This rarely effects the main channels e.g. BBC, ITV etc
It is simple to tune them back in
Over the past few days, several channels have gone missing from peoples free to air boxes and combo receivers. The list of missning channels includes…
POP, Tiny Pop ,Tiny Pop +1 ,Kix! ,PopGirl, PopGirl +1, The Vault, Chart Show TV, NME TV, Flava, Bliss, Scuzz, DanceNation TV, Lava, True Ent, True Movies, True Movies 2.
For our range of current boxes, we have created new channel list with missing channels re-tuned.
You can find them in the downloads tab on each individual receiver that was affected by the frequency changes. Simply download the channel list updates and .load onto your box.
Alternatively where a download is not available, you could just scan the new TP and pull them in that way.
1 Scan the Affected TP
For those people wanting to manually tune in the channels, the following TP settings will be needed….
scan either …
11307 / 27500 / v
or
11308 / 27496 / v
and the missing channels should be found on either of these TP settings
The 2 Steps to manually tuning a satellite channel back in
What a difference 2 weeks make in the world of Saorview. The system has gone from broadcasting just 4 channels:
RTE 1, RTE2, TG4 & RTE News
to now also offering:
TV3 & 3e
This is really is great news for those who want to get ahead of the curve in terms of getting ready for the great analogue switch off. Finally there is just a viable but a superior alternative to analogue – not just in terms of picture quality but also in terms of channel line up.
One nagging issue is the lack of saorview approved boxes. Currently there is only the walker box, but it is pretty limited – no pvr facility and not a very attractive box, plus the price is just too high. The fact that Irish specs are different to that of the rest of the EU (mpeg4 and mheg5 software), our small population and the high certification costs (almost 30k) means there is no queue of manufacturers waiting to break into the market.
The reality of which box to choose is that it must have the following:
Be MPEG4 (mpeg2 will mean sound but no picture)
Nice to have’s
Mheg5 software (support interactive features)
HD (all broadcasts right now (with exception on RTENL2 test broadcasts) are in SD and I can’t see anyone rolling out a full HD service for at least a few years. Though of coure I could be wrong on this
TV3 have joined Ireland’s Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) revolution and have joined Saorview lineup. The channels now on the system include
RTE1
RTE2
TV3
TG4
RTE News
RTENL2 (test transmissions only)
What does this mean ?
Finally for those living in Terrestrial TV land there is a full digital alternative to the existing analogue. Along with the 4 Irish you can also get the pretty excellent RTE News channels. So for those who like their TV free from bills and static interference this is by all accounts a good day. Those of us who have been following this story over the last year will know that TV3 had been DTT service last year and then went off so hopefully this time it is for real
How do I tune TV3 into my DTT receiver or MPEG4 TV ?
You don’t need to do anything it will come in automatically where the old RTENL1 signal was. If you rescan this signal is now called TV3
How Can I get the DTT service ?
To receive Digital Terrestrial TV you will need a UHF Aerial kit & some type of DTT receiver You have 3 basic choices in terms of receivers
Buy an MPEG4 TV – this way you don’t need a buy a receiver
Buy a DTT receiver – currently we only stock the TRIAX TR110 DTT Receiver which is SD but we hope to have a full HD DTT Receiver in stock by November 25.
Buy a combo Satellite & DTT receiver such as the Edision Argus 2in1 receiver - which gives the 5 Irish, BBCs, ITVs etc on a single box
Where can I find information on the DTT Transmitters in ireland ?
BBC has changed the transponder it uses for certain channels
Which channels have been affected ?
A range of BBC channels and their regional variations have been effected. From an Irish prespective the main channels are:
BBC 1 Northern Ireland
BBC 2 Northern Ireland
BBC 4 / CBeebies
*Note BBC 1, 2 London are unaffected – found around channel # 65, 66
How do I tune the Channels back in ?
In the Example below I list how to tune the back in these channels on Triax SR110. But the procedure is basically the same for all Free to air satellite receivers.
Note: covered in the video but not in the instructions here is steps to delete any channels that have gone missing for the list.
Press ‘Menu’ button
Scroll down and select ‘Installation’ option
Enter Password ‘0000′
Select ‘TP Scan’
Type in Frequency, Polarity, Symbol and Specify ‘Free’ Channels only
Channel
Frequency
Polarity
Symbol rate
BBC 1 Northern Ireland
10,817
Vertical
22000
BBC 2 Northern Ireland
10,817
Vertical
22000
BBC 4 / BCeebies
10,803
Horizontal
22000
BBC 1 Wales
10,788
Vertical
22000
BBC 2 Wales
10,788
Vertical
22000
Select ‘Search’
Additional channels are added to the end of the channel list.
Exit out of installation menu and check new list and sort as desired (covered in the video).
Fixes for Boxes with USB Ports
Note for all boxes sold by TVTrade.ie that we come with a USB port we have uploaded an updated channel s/w file e.g.
Just go the links above and click on the ‘Attachments’ tab and download the new channel list file.
Will this happen again & How do I prevent it ?
This is quite an usual problem. The BBC have not changed their frequencies in about 6 or 7 years, but it is a very big problem as there is probably about 5-10 million generic Free to air satellite receivers in the UK and Ireland which have been effected.
One way to prevent this would be to use an offical freesat receiver which will come with automatic channel updating.
There is increasing interest in recent months on the move to the new DAB radio service. So the first question is really why get DAB in terms of what channels are broadcasting on it and then what do I need to get it. So in that order
What Channels:
2FM
Radio 1
RNaG
Lyric FM
Pulse
Radio 1 Extra
RTE Choice
2XM
Chill / RTE Junior
RTE Gold
As you can see from the list the commerical has not yet joined into the DAB revolution but RTE have certainly put in the effort adding in an impressive array of new channels and I would feel is enough for customers to consider switching over. In the UK DAB is now dominant and the days of FM are surely numbered long term.
WHAT AERIAL DO I NEED
A simple Omni Directional DAB Aerial should be sufficient. It can be mouted either in the attic or outside on a wall. The basic rule of thumb is that if you mount it in the attic you loose about 50% of the signal. This however should not be a big issue as the Digital signal is very strong and secondly an aerial gives a huge boost to signal as opposed to a non aerial setup so it should work fine.
See the video below for an overview of how to assemble this aerial. Videos are also available from the links above (click on the video Tab within the product).
Mounting A satellite Dish or TV Aerial on a Caravan
A common problem faced by users of mobile homes and caravans in how to securely mount a satellite dish or TV aerial. The problem arise 2 fold
the lack of a solid surfaces such as a block wall to mount the dish onto
the need to constantly realign the dish or aerial when you move to the new location.
Blakes UK have come up with 2 innovative products to overcome the problem of the lack of a secure surface to mount the satellite dish on. The basic concept of both
producin the same:
securely clamp a bracket onto the frame of the caravan and use to this mount a pole to hold either a satellite dish or TV aerial
This blog is aimed customers thinking of getting rid of sky and considering their options of Free TV. It is also appliacable to customers who are starting from scratch, and want a complete all in one solution that will give them both the Free Irish & UK channels such as BBC, ITV, Channel 4, RTEs, TV3 & TG4
Your sky boxes
Intending to changeover to Freesat from sky – what to do with my sky or sky+ box ?
You can re-use both of these boxes as Free to air satellite receivers
The sky+ facilities will not work (no recording, pausing or accessing programmes you have previously recorded)
The channel line up will not be sequential
If you go this route you will need to buy no equipment but may need to get an TV aerial to be able to Irish channels e.g. RTE1, 2 etc
FREESAT OPTIONS
Want a Freesat HD option !
If you go for true Freesat, and by that I mean Branded ‘Freesat’ Products you have 2 basic HD options. Note neither of these options will give you the Irish channels
Note: If you already have an Aerial or a satellite dish, you can simply select from the Associated Products on the Right hand side of the product, the component parts of the kit that you really need
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