Freeview broadcast frequencies are changing in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty

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rhysm

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#621875 8-May-2012 20:10

Do I need a EPG Collector patch &/or new xml file to make it look at the new frequencies? I'm hanging off Te Aroha. The Bravia seems to have sorted itself out, as has Win 7MC. But the guide collection is failing horribly.

KevinL

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#622133 9-May-2012 11:40

rhysm: Do I need a EPG Collector patch &/or new xml file to make it look at the new frequencies? I'm hanging off Te Aroha. The Bravia seems to have sorted itself out, as has Win 7MC. But the guide collection is failing horribly.

Yes, new XML files: http://sourceforge.net/projects/epgcollector/files/V3.2/New%20Zealand%20Terrestrial%20Changes/

Damager

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#622152 9-May-2012 12:12

Retuned when I got home last night after seeing "no signal". All good now :-)

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rhysm

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#622414 9-May-2012 18:25

KevinL:
rhysm: Do I need a EPG Collector patch &/or new xml file to make it look at the new frequencies? I'm hanging off Te Aroha. The Bravia seems to have sorted itself out, as has Win 7MC. But the guide collection is failing horribly.

Yes, new XML files: http://sourceforge.net/projects/epgcollector/files/V3.2/New%20Zealand%20Terrestrial%20Changes/

Thanks for this. I manually doctored the Te-Aroha file with the frequencies mentioned earlier in this thread and all was good.

SAKiwi1000

17 posts

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#622495 9-May-2012 20:26

Behodar: 562, 578 and 594 MHz if you're on Te Aroha, otherwise 570, 586 and 602.

thanks!

Beaze

3 posts

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#624530 13-May-2012 21:27

Hey does anyone else in Whakatane have trouble receiving channel 10 and above since the May 8 change? My signal was never 100% I think it was about 72% before May 2012.

Now most channels are 22% or below. Prime and channels above are un-watchable. Ie. Fluctuates from 7% to zero!!! . Would a retune change anything?

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knoydart

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#624584 13-May-2012 23:39

That sounds like your missing (or struggling to get) the Kordia Mux at your installation. Your a significant distance away from Te Aroha which I suspect puts on the very edge of coverage (if you should get it at all). Behodar (on page 1 of this thread) is your way and reception has improved at their location.

The lowering of the frequencies should not degrade coverage generally - as lower frequencies in the spectrum have better propagation. However at the far reaches of coverage, reflections can cause issues and coverage can be marginal to say the least.
If you have any neighbours close by who are on terrestrial too, it might be worth checking with them to see what their experience is. First of all I´d rule out a local RF modulator (eg sky box, vcr) in your set up and if a retune fails, I´d be looking at your aerial alignment.

Behodar

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#624598 14-May-2012 07:34

Beaze: Hey does anyone else in Whakatane have trouble receiving channel 10 and above since the May 8 change? My signal was never 100% I think it was about 72% before May 2012.

Prime was working at my parents' place on the 8th when I retuned it, and I haven't heard any complaints since then. I might go around there at some point this week so I'll try to test it if I remember.

Prime is unwatchable at my place, but I'm up Hillcrest and have a bit of hill in the way so my signal's never been perfect, so that's really not a good baseline. It was OK on the 8th when I tuned it though!

Behodar

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#627638 19-May-2012 09:45

Update: I've been back to my parents' place and Prime (as well as the other channels on the Kordia mux) is working correctly.

Beaze

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#627807 19-May-2012 22:03

Thanks for the replies

I did a retune to no affect.

I went up on the roof and moved the aerial ever so slightly, with my daughter calling out the strength numbers as I was moving it. We got to about 22% on the 1st 3 channels and only 6ish to 8% on Prime. I guess we will always know when bad weather hanging around Te Aroha. It seem to be OK tonight

Behodar

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#627849 20-May-2012 08:55

I'm getting significantly higher numbers than you are at my place (with some hill in the way) so I wonder whether something is wrong with your wiring. What sort of aerial do you have?

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Beaze

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#628092 20-May-2012 22:03

AN old UHF from pre sky dish days, + a VHF looking at Edgecumbe on the same line.

Behodar

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#628095 20-May-2012 22:15

I'm only using UHF at my place, but my parents still have VHF pointing at Edgecumbe so that shouldn't be conflicting. Do you mind letting me know which street you're on?

smartcat

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#628125 20-May-2012 23:43

Something worth thinking about - the line from Edgecumbe / Whakatane to Te Aroha or Kopu ( Tauranga ) is almost the same and I would think inside the beamwidth for an antenna ( maybe a little off the side ? )

Hence an antenna will see both Kopu and Te Aroha and the receiver dependent on the condition / polarity of the antenna may tune either of the transmitters.......

Te Aroha is 'H' and Kopu 'V' ( Te Aroha provides the RF input for Kopu )

See....

http://www.freeviewnz.tv/userfiles/pdfs/Kopukairua_Standalone_Freeview.pdf

http://www.freeviewnz.tv/userfiles/pdfs/Te_Aroha_Standalone_Freeview.pdf

Hence changing the polarity of the antenna and a re-tune may be worth trying

cheers

Behodar

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#628151 21-May-2012 07:34

I've been unable to get anything from Kopu even when on vertical (it's the first transmitter that I tried back when Freeview launched, as it was closer). I actually got a very, very weak signal from Te Aroha and nothing at all from Kopu with it vertical. Obviously changing to horizontal fixed that :)

I suspect that the hills near Matata are blocking out the Kopu signal; if you draw a line on Google Earth then you can see it passing over/through the hills, whereas Te Aroha is a little further north and goes across the sea.

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