Receiving UK TV channels in Northern France

PatriciaC
PatriciaC Forum Participant Posts: 2

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to receive UK TV channels/programmes in Pas de Calais region in northern France withour using a sattelite dish only a quality aerial? 

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  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,830 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #2

    Yes.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,872 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #3

    I found this this may make it less possible? I suspect it would really depend on where you were and how far inland. Many years ago whilst in Norfolk I managed to receive Dutch television, picture but no sound. 

    David

    THE DOVER TRANSMITTER is the UHF main station for the far south-east of England, principally serving the Kent area including the majority of the county's coastline, as well as some parts of East Sussex.  It is sited between the villages of West Hougham and Church Hougham, approximately three miles south-west of Dover town centre.

    Due to the station positioning near the English Channel, the mast has always carried aerial systems (for both VHF and UHF television) with highly directional properties in order to limit the signal strength towards France for the purpose of avoiding co-channel interference to European stations.

    and

    The characteristics of the post-switchover UHF aerial system at Dover are however more unique as, like all previous television aerial systems provided for this station, they reflect the need to avoid unwanted coverage towards mainland Europe.

  • KeithandMargaret
    KeithandMargaret Forum Participant Posts: 660
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    edited September 2016 #4

    I have a very cheap TV aerial bought for about £10 in a sale.

    It's one of those  aerials where you have to stick the pointy end in the ground, extend the sections upward and point the top bit in the general direction of a signal after you've connected the cable to the TV.

    And it worked very well in Brittany and Normandy earlier this year with us getting both French and English channels when we required them.

    Admittedly it wasn't that often but when we did want to watch programmes it worked for us.

    Anyone with a decent aerial should have no worries at all.

  • PatriciaC
    PatriciaC Forum Participant Posts: 2
    edited September 2016 #5

    Thank you so much to all who replied.  We now feel more confident carting our TV all the way over to FranceSmile.

  • paul56
    paul56 Forum Participant Posts: 937
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    edited September 2016 #6

    Quality answers as usual on CT but have you also thought about just taking a selection of DVDs for those times when you need a bit of English TV. You can often pick them up for next to nothing in sales and charity shops etc.

  • Doug n San
    Doug n San Forum Participant Posts: 92
    edited September 2016 #7

    We stopped using the TV when on the continent yeats ago when we discoverd a free view recorder.

    When we are at home for the summer months we fill the recorder up with all the the TV we like the take the recorder away with us when we are away, out present recorder holds about 400 hours of viewing.

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited September 2016 #8

    We are in northern France now. Not a sniff of UK television via our Status aeriel.

    I also have various apps on my phone that are supposed to get UK television, but either the broadband signal is too weak or they don't work here (and I read that the FilmOn app definitely works here, so I think it must be the poor broadband).

  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #9

    We are in northern France now. Not a sniff of UK television via our Status aeriel.

    I also have various apps on my phone that are supposed to get UK television, but either the broadband signal is too weak or they don't work here (and I read that the FilmOn app definitely works here, so I think it must be the poor broadband).

    yes, Ian....I was a bit surprised by the above posts suggesting normal digital UK tv could be picked up in northern france...

    im happy to live and learn, but your experience seems to mirror what ive previously read.....not much chance, unless (possibly) sitting in Calais, tuned to a transmitter near Dover....

    other than that, as you travel south/west, this will disappear extremely rapidly....this isnt like a large satellite signal, this is a (fairly) short range signal....

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited September 2016 #10

    I also was surprised to hear digital UK transmissions were available in France. 

    However I didn't comment as I have no first hand experience. 

    We don't take a telly to Europe. 

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,872 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #11

    As I mentioned further up the thread the Dover Transmitter limits the signal that it directs towards France in order not to interfere with French TV signals. If you were on a site like Les Erables which is high up and directly overlooks the Channel then you might get lucky. Normany and Brittany might be different if you are within range of the Channel Islands transmitter. If it was important that you got a UK signal I am not sure that it can be relied upon and perhaps an alternative like a satellite dish should be considered?

    David 

  • DJG
    DJG Forum Participant Posts: 277
    edited September 2016 #12

    I have a very cheap TV aerial bought for about £10 in a sale.

    It's one of those  aerials where you have to stick the pointy end in the ground, extend the sections upward and point the top bit in the general direction of a signal after you've connected the cable to the TV.

    And it worked very well in Brittany and Normandy earlier this year with us getting both French and English channels when we required them.

    Admittedly it wasn't that often but when we did want to watch programmes it worked for us.

    Anyone with a decent aerial should have no worries at all.

    That is good news. Could you confirm that all the Freeview channels came through, or just BBC 1&2, ITV, Ch 4&5. If so we only need to have a digital arial instead fo Sat dish while in Northern France. How far inland did you get Freeview?

  • KeithandMargaret
    KeithandMargaret Forum Participant Posts: 660
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    edited September 2016 #13

    We were mainly in Brittany and Normandy.

    I can't recall what Channels we watched, it was mainly for News and weather forecasts, but some were in French and some English.

    As I said earlier we only watched occasionally because daylight was still available up to 11pm and sitting indoors watching TV was the last thing on our minds.