Digital television disappointment for Kintyre

[jamiemcivor]

Thanks to everyone who came along to the Digital UK roadshow last week. Hope you found it useful.

A little more info here for anyone with a technical interest on exactly what's happening on May 11. http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/transmittern ... ups/darvel

But for the layman a couple of points to note.

*After the process starts just after midnight on Tuesday evening, all analogue channels will be off the air for a few hours - not just BBC2 which is being turned off permanently. BBC1, STV, C4 and the BBC Digital services will only come on the air MID MORNING on Wednesday so there'll be no Bill and Sian for you that day if you don't have satellite. (Or Daybreak and Jeremy Kyle for the common people!!! ) You can start to install Freeview boxes or scan integrated digital tvs mid-morning.

*During the two week intermediary period before analogue is totally switched off, STV will actually be on Channel 2 rather than Channel 3 around Ctown. Technically, it's the STV frequency which is being turned over to the BBC digital services. (Don't ask - I'm not a techy person!!)

[Bonnie Lass]

I see it mentions all the arreas on the East coast of Kintyre, what about the West coast of Kintyre

[jamiemcivor]

The west of Kintyre is covered by the transmitters which are linked to Blackhill so change in June or, in a few cases, on the fringe area of transmitters in Northern Ireland which change next year. This webpage is only about the transmitters linked to Darvel which change on May 11.

Please believe me when I say that anyone who gets what would normally be considered an acceptable analogue picture will get Freeview come switchover!! The rule of thumb is whether the signal is good enough for teletext to work reliably on analogue.

[jamiemcivor]

Info on Gigha, Clachan and Tarbert transmitters here.
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/transmittern ... /blackhill

[neilly]

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[numberplease]

I may be thick, but am not sure about whether we`ll be able to get a TV picture when we come to Muasdale in June. We have a digital TV and aerial, so if the changeover hasn`t happened on the West coast by then, does that mean we won`t be able to receive any TV programmes, or won`t it make a difference? Forgive me if it`s a daft question, but like I said, I`m a technical thickie!

[neilly]

You'll be able to receive "Al Jazeera", "Tehran Today", and "Pakistan Political" channels, so shouldn't be a problem.

[Bonnie Lass]

I may be thick, but am not sure about whether we`ll be able to get a TV picture when we come to Muasdale in June. We have a digital TV and aerial, so if the changeover hasn`t happened on the West coast by then, does that mean we won`t be able to receive any TV programmes, or won`t it make a difference? Forgive me if it`s a daft question, but like I said, I`m a technical thickie!

Looking at the Jamie's link, 11th June is the switch over for West Coast at 6am - (Stage 1) so a signal should be available then, Stage 2 is on 22nd June and switches over Mid Morning - your Digital TV should be OK.

Not sure what channels you get at Stage 1 or Stage 2 though.

[numberplease]

Thanks for the info Bonnie Lass.

[jamiemcivor]

Hi Numberplease.

If you currently receive programmes from a Scottish transmitter - ie BBC1 Scotland, BBC2 Scotland and STV - and your signal is good enough for teletext to work then you will be able to get Freeview in June on your integrated digital tv. You'll just need to rescan the set which is an easy process. If your signal is not good enough for teletext to work, that probably means it's pretty substandard anyway and I'd recommend going for Sky or Freesat so you can see things as they should be.

If, however, you're getting programmes from across the water - ie BBC1 Northern Ireland, BBC2 Northern Ireland and Ulster TV - switchover doesn't happen until next year. That said, there are people on the west coast of Kintyre with a suitable aerial who have been watching digital from Northern Ireland for some time.

I'm not a techy person but the point of switchover is that the digital signal will be broadcast on the same frequencies and at the same power as the analogue signal at the moment. That means coverage should, to all intents and purposes, be identical.

[numberplease]

We live in Lincolnshire, so have already gone digital around here, we changed to a digital TV and aerial for the caravan in 2009, as we were going to Cornwall and they were going digital whilst we were there. We are just hoping to be able to receive programmes in June in Muasdale without having to change TV or aerial again. Like I said before, I`m a technical idiot, and hubby`s not much more enlightened over such matters.

[jamiemcivor]

Ah, in which case I should introduce myself so you'll understand why I've been giving info. I'm a news correspondent with BBC Reporting Scotland (the programme which goes out here at the same time as you'd see Look North at home) and, amongst my current tasks, I've been responsible for news coverage of stories associated with switchover. I'm from Campbeltown originally and still spend regular weekend and holidays in the area though I've spent most of my adult life in London and Glasgow.

Please let me assure you that if you have a digital television, it should work if you visit any spot in Kintyre this summer where analogue tv from Scotland was previously available using the aerial you would have had anyway. You'll just need to rescan, just as you would whenever you move around the country.

[numberplease]

Thank you Jamie, you`ve been very helpful.

[jamiemcivor]

A shameless plug for the Helping Hand initiative... though I'm saying nothing about the picture.

This is all about encouraging people to keep an eye out for elderly or disabled people they know and ensuring they take advantage of the help scheme if they need it. Luckily in Kintyre most people know their neighbours though, of course, in some parts of the country that isn't the case.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13069205

[jamiemcivor]

Just a wee reminder to people who get their signal from the Campbeltown, Carradale and Southend transmitters that there's no need to panic on Wednesday morning when you wake up and find that ALL the analogue channels are off rather than just BBC2 - it does not mean that switchover's failed! It will be mid-morning before the BBC digital services start transmitting from Campbeltown and BBC1, STV and Channel 4 analogue temporarily return.

The general rule of thumb is to remember that an analogue signal which is good enough for teletext means you should be able to get a Freeview signal after Wednesday. If you have any questions or practical difficulties on Wednesday you may get the answer on the Digital Uk website - digitaluk.co.uk - or from the helpline number on the site.If you find that your Freeview signal is unreliable, then that's the time to consider a new aerial - not beforehand.