# Film Four



## silentbob2 (Jul 23, 2006)

I've just bought a sagem freeview box, and I can't recieve film four. I have a signal booster box connected to the freeview box. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to recive film four


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## OzSat (Feb 15, 2001)

Do you get Channel 4?


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

FilmFour is on Multiplex D, along with:

18 - The Hits
19 - UKTV BrightIdeas
20 - Ftn
21 - TMF
22 - Ideal World
35 - ITV Play

and a load of radio channels.

If you can't get all of these, then you're missing that Multiplex.

(Channel 4 is on multiplex 2, so reception or non-reception of that wouldn't be an indicator)


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## OzSat (Feb 15, 2001)

Just testing


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## silentbob2 (Jul 23, 2006)

i can't get any of those channels on multiplex D. Is there any way of being able to get them?


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## OzSat (Feb 15, 2001)

If you can not see them with and without the booster - then it is likely you never will.

some stb's however may locate them - but still except some picture break-up.

Some makes are better than others with weak signals.


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

Don't give up hope just yet...

Let me know the first half of your postcode, and I can find out:
Whether this multiplex should be available in your area
Which transmitter you should be using
Which direction you should be pointing your aerial. 

(It may be that you are served by two transmitters and are pointing at the weaker of the two...)


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## silentbob2 (Jul 23, 2006)

The first half of my postcode is RH8


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

Right, there are two transmitters that you could point at from your location:

Reigate (270 deg, approximately 9 miles west of you)
Crystal Palace (343 deg, approximately 12 miles north-north-west of you)

I suspect you are currently receiving from Reigate, as that broadcasts multiplexes C and D at half the power of the rest (only 100W). Also, mux D is transmitted at the other end of the spectrum to the rest, so your aerial may not be up to receiving it. I'd suggest pointing your aerial north-north-west, towards Crystal Palace, and see if you have more luck.

Hope some of that helps.


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## worm (Feb 10, 2005)

Now *that* is what I call assistance.

Kudos to Mike B.


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

Glad to be of assistance. Hopefully it'll solve _silentbob's_ problem...


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## TTL32 (Aug 11, 2006)

Wow, where do you get information like that Mike B? 

I am about to move into a new house and would love to know if I can get rid of Sky and go for the full Freeview offering (maybe even with TopupTV). Is this information available online (I mean the detail about the transmitters, not just the usual Freeview postcode search) or is it "insider info"


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## TTL32 (Aug 11, 2006)

ozsat said:


> If you can not see them with and without the booster - then it is likely you never will.
> 
> some stb's however may locate them - but still except some picture break-up.
> 
> Some makes are better than others with weak signals.


Is here a list of the STB's that are better reguarded anywhere - a quick search of the forum did not seem to find anysuch?


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

Yep, its all available online. You just need to know where to look, and how to interpret the information. 

Also, it just gives raw info about the transmitters, so its all down to experimentation as to whether you'll be able to receive all the muxes if you are a long way from a main tx. 

Let me have the first half of your postcode, and I'll have a go at giving you some answers...


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## TTL32 (Aug 11, 2006)

I'm going to be at PE9


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

Your nearest transmitter will be Waltham, which is a main tx, and you'll be about 17 miles from it. However, at Waltham, not all of the muxes are transmitted at the same power. You shouldn't have a problem getting mux 1 (transmitted at 10kW), and probably will be ok with muxes 2, A and B (all 8kW). However, muxes C and D are only transmitted at 5kW, so you may have a little more difficulty with them.

It'll probably be a case of try it and see - you may find you get everything without a problem, or you may find you get little or no signal on muxes C and D. 

If its any help, I know someone almost 25 miles away from Waltham getting a decent signal on all muxes with a wideband loft-mounted aerial, so you may be in luck.

Also, I'm 37 miles from Crystal Palace and can get an almost perfect signal using a decent rooftop wideband aerial and an cheap aerial booster.


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## Nebulous (Nov 28, 2005)

Just out of curiosity, why are different muxes transmitted at different wattages of the same transmitter?


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## iankb (Oct 9, 2000)

The Postcode Checker is at DTG.org.uk.


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## iankb (Oct 9, 2000)

Nebulous said:


> Just out of curiosity, why are different muxes transmitted at different wattages of the same transmitter?


I think that it is because of the danger of interferring with a different use of the same frequency in a nearby area. Channels are not allocated in consistent groups, and each transmiitter will have to find a non-conflicting frequency for each MUX, and a signal strength that will minimise potential interference.


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## TTL32 (Aug 11, 2006)

Many thanks for the info Mike and Ian.



> *Mike B*
> Also, I'm 37 miles from Crystal Palace and can get an almost perfect signal using a decent rooftop wideband aerial and an cheap aerial booster.


Do you need a special type of aerial booster for digital or is the generic sort available from Dixons/Currys OK?

Also, is there a cheap signal meter available or are the wideband aerials not as directional as satellite dishes (i.e. a compass will do to get you pointing +- 5 degrees)?

Finally, which muxes does Topup TV transmit on (their web site is wondefully uninformative)?


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

TTL32 said:


> Do you need a special type of aerial booster for digital or is the generic sort available from Dixons/Currys OK?


The one I've got is quite a few years old (pre-dates DTT/Freeview) but is just a simple Labgear 2-set booster, so I suspect a generic one should be ok.



TTL32 said:


> Also, is there a cheap signal meter available or are the wideband aerials not as directional as satellite dishes (i.e. a compass will do to get you pointing +- 5 degrees)?


Unlikely on the signal meter front - I have heard that simple ones are hard to come by, and still very expensive. I'd think a compass should do the job.



TTL32 said:


> Finally, which muxes does Topup TV transmit on (their web site is wondefully uninformative)?


TopUp-TV mainily uses mux A. For reference, the current mux/channel listing can be found here


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## TTL32 (Aug 11, 2006)

Mike B said:


> TopUp-TV mainily uses mux A. For reference, the current mux/channel listing can be found here


Fantastic, thanks


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## AMc (Mar 22, 2002)

TTL32 said:


> Also, is there a cheap signal meter available or are the wideband aerials not as directional as satellite dishes (i.e. a compass will do to get you pointing +- 5 degrees)?


My old OnDigital Philips box has a signal strength meter in the set up menus.
When I was fitting my aerial I got my partner to read it off the TV while I fine tuned the aerial talking over our cordless phones. I don't have line of sight to my local transmitter so the exact compass reading wasn't the best strength.

If you are going to go and fiddle with the aerial consider adding a masthead amplifier and plugin power supply inside the house which will be better than a simple amplifier as it amplifies the signal before it travels down the wire from the roof. Also if the coax wire looks a bit ropey double screen satellite quality coax is pretty cheap from B&Q etc. and will help to reduce interference and increase signal quality.
http://www.maxview.ltd.uk/ used to have a great PDF guide - you can still pick up the printed version in some bigger B&Q stores.


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

I'd forgotten about the old OnDigital boxes. In fact, a lot of STBs now have a basic signal strength indicator on them, so if you can get someone else in front of the set while you position the aerial then you can fine-tune it that way.

I'd also agree that a masthead amplifier is the way to go - if you go power in your loft then simply mount the booster in there so the signal is amplified before the downlead to the wall socket.

EDIT: Here's the direct link to the guide on the MaxView site:
http://www.maxview.ltd.uk/guide_freedigital.htm


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## TTL32 (Aug 11, 2006)

Fantastic, many thanks everyone for your help.


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