Television reception on Club Sites
I wondered if anyone knows how the television booster service provided at many CC main sites works? As an engineer in my earlier working life, I assume that the site must have a high quality piece of equipment somewhere which receives the freeview signal, and then amplfies it and distributes it to the sockets on the power hookup pillars at each pitch. Perhaps I am wrong about this? Anyway, I would be interested to know.
Whilst at Seacroft a few days ago, I arrived on Saturday and suffered frequent and annoying pixellation of the signal all weekend, but for the rest of the stay, weekdays, the signal was absolutely fine- I had not made any adjustments to my television or wiring that could explain this difference. Is it due to the weather (?!) - changes in atmospheric pressure etc - or does the nearest tv mast increase the power of its broadcasting during the week??? I have noticed variations in the quality of signal at different times of day on other sites, too.
On another point, not to do with the CC's provision, Seacroft is on the north side of the Cromer-Holt ridge and so tv signals in the area are provided by an auxiliary mast, as the ridge prevents adequate reception of the signal from the Tacolneston mast south of Norwich. Main masts now transmit over 100 channels, but the auxiliary masts such as the one serving the Cromer area provided 21 channels - and of course other than channels 1 to 5 and BBC News there appears to be a puzzling selection of channels- hardly any of the main Freeview channels are included. I pointed this out to the BBC, and got a typically buck-passing answer.
Comments
-
Yes you are correct on the TV signal being amplified and distributed around a site. The advantage is that the receiving aerial can be best sited for optimum reception but nevertheless, rubbish in rubbish out still applies and weather, especially rain and fog can still effect the quality of the signal received at the bollard if there isn't enough fade margin available at the input of the amplifier and therefore at the TV receive hooked up to the bollard. The amplifier is simply there to make up the losses in the distribution network. Some amplifiers (repeaters) can recondition the signal but I have no idea if any of the Club sites employ such devices.
peedee
0 -
What we find odd is that when we arrive we always try to use the Status aerial. Often this works fine and it's what we use for the holiday.
Other times it works for about half an hour, then starts to pixalate. Then we end up using the white cable to the bollard.
0 -
Even this may not solve the problem if the choice of equipment for the location doesn't produce enough fade margin to cope with changes in signal strength. Recently, in the foggy conditions even my satellite system at home hasn't been able to give a good solid picture on the channels of lower signal strength.
peedee
0 -
Inali your first sentence is exactly how the CC runs it Booster systems on site. Most masts are situated on the end of reception/garage buildings and then amplified out to distribution boxes where it is routed out to each bollard and on most sites this works well. The amount of people on site shouldn't make any difference the problem usually is atmospheric or the amplifier frozen but things in the way of the mast or birds sitting on it can also hinder the signal. A reboot usually sorts most problems so if you are having problems with the booster mention it to the Warden he may not know there is a problem.
0 -
There are a number of club sites where either because of the layout of the site or very high trees even with a satellite system it is difficult or impossible to get any reception. If you are on the lower terrace at Haycraft or on many pitches at Clumber park or Bolton Abbey satellite reception is difficult. Even in a city centre like York it can be difficult to align the dish onto the satellite on many pitches. Same at Cirencester. The booster system at Bolton Abbey is also poor getting only 5 channels on analogue and at Haycraft it did not work on our pitch this year. I do not know how analogue can work in 2015 but it did.
Because we use a satellite system as much as possible with either freesat or sky we have got to know which is the best location to get a signal on the sites we use regularly but sometimes we have to manage without.
We were at Cheshire Oaks in November when a large motor home two pitches away could not get satellite reception even though they had a brand new roof mounted motorised dish with automated satellite finder because of tall trees. They had to move pitches to get reception.
0 -
Interesting and informative article here
http://www.aerialsandtv.com/touringaerials.html#ProblemsOfTouringAerials
0 -
If I know that tv reception is going to be suspect I take my satellite dish with me. White House Beach at Kessingland is another site where tv reception via the so called booster is hit or miss.
I've never used the booster at Seacroft as I have always had a good signal via the roof mounted Status aerial.
0 -
Some of us can enjoy our caravanning holidays without the need for a TV.
We bought a TV when we bought our motorhome some years ago. We used it twice then have never used it since. We download plenty of E-Books before heading off and if the weather is bad we enjoy a good read. Otherwise we are out and about enjoying ourselves, relaxing on the loungers or socializing. Lack of TV signal has never been a problem.
However, there will be people, who for health reasons, cannot get out and about and a TV in the van will be a great advantage. So for them a good TV signal is a necessity. .
Cheers..................K
0 -
Most of north Norfolk is a communications desert.
The television signals west of Sheringham are beamed from Yorkshire, 50 miles away, as the ridge south of the coast hides the local signal.
Mobile telephone signals are very patchy almost everywhere north of Norwich. Much of the coastal bit is "emergency calls only"
Keith
0 -
That old chestnut comes to mind in the form of 'what makes that prime pitch'! For many of us with Satelite systems the main prerequisite of a prime pitch may be a clear and unobstructed satelite view! The choice, and compromise, is ours!
0 -
Most of North Norfolk is served by Belmont Lincolnshire if memory serves me right although a secondary mast is found at West Runton. You can tell if you are tuned on to Belmont if you receive BBC Look North after the main 6:00 pm news!
0
