MA
It was available from Plympton (in analogue) from the outset, (March 30th 1997) but way out of band
for Plympton's regular aerial receiving group, which meant you needed a Wideband to get it properly.
It was never available in analogue from Caradon Hill, (only from Redruth and Huntshaw Cross, both at relative flea power compared with Ch1-4, but also from day one)
C5 analogue only really had three phases of analogue transmitter roll outs. The initial network
from the start, then about half a dozen extra main stations four to five months later (all using UHF Ch 35, a newly released frequency for TV use), then an addition in 2001 of a few relay stations in Surrey, Kent, and Sussex. The latter being rather odd, coming three years after the launch of DTT !
I was up in Stockton-on-Tees for a wedding on the day of the launch, but managed to nip back to the hotel bedroom to see it. I wasn't particularly impressed.
Once back home in Plymouth, I could only get it via my newly installed Sky analogue kit. I think it was quite a few years before it was available on analogue terrestrial here, unless you fiddled with your aerial and went for Caradon Hill rather than the Plympton transmitter.
Once back home in Plymouth, I could only get it via my newly installed Sky analogue kit. I think it was quite a few years before it was available on analogue terrestrial here, unless you fiddled with your aerial and went for Caradon Hill rather than the Plympton transmitter.
It was available from Plympton (in analogue) from the outset, (March 30th 1997) but way out of band
for Plympton's regular aerial receiving group, which meant you needed a Wideband to get it properly.
It was never available in analogue from Caradon Hill, (only from Redruth and Huntshaw Cross, both at relative flea power compared with Ch1-4, but also from day one)
C5 analogue only really had three phases of analogue transmitter roll outs. The initial network
from the start, then about half a dozen extra main stations four to five months later (all using UHF Ch 35, a newly released frequency for TV use), then an addition in 2001 of a few relay stations in Surrey, Kent, and Sussex. The latter being rather odd, coming three years after the launch of DTT !
Last edited by Markymark on 2 April 2017 6:23pm
MA
In the case of Sutton Coldfield, NTL did actually need to use the site, rather than Lichfield, because of concerns
about the taboo relationship of BBC 1 on Ch 46, and C5 being at n-9 on 37. In that situation, it's better not to have a situation where one of other service had a significant difference in signal level for any viewers. However there was not sufficient mast space at SC to accommodate the C5 antennas, and it ended up at Lichfield anyway. The same n-9 clash was also present at Black Hill, but there C5 could be accommodated (and BH was an NTL site anyway)
Further reading on n+/-9 taboo clashes for the brave
http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/topics/channel-planning.shtml
It was more to do with being cheap. Back then the ex-BBC and ex-IBA transmitters were owned by different companies. It was cheaper for ntl to use Croydon (which they owned) than Crystal Palace (which they didn't). Pontop and Sutton are both ex-BBC sites.
In London it wasn't too big an issue, the two sites are a mile apart so an aerial pointing at one gets a usable signal from the other unless you're very close - and if you are close a bit of wet string will probably work as an aerial anyway. So much so that Croydon had (and may still have) backup transmitters that can be put on air if Crystal Palace goes down for any reason.
In London it wasn't too big an issue, the two sites are a mile apart so an aerial pointing at one gets a usable signal from the other unless you're very close - and if you are close a bit of wet string will probably work as an aerial anyway. So much so that Croydon had (and may still have) backup transmitters that can be put on air if Crystal Palace goes down for any reason.
In the case of Sutton Coldfield, NTL did actually need to use the site, rather than Lichfield, because of concerns
about the taboo relationship of BBC 1 on Ch 46, and C5 being at n-9 on 37. In that situation, it's better not to have a situation where one of other service had a significant difference in signal level for any viewers. However there was not sufficient mast space at SC to accommodate the C5 antennas, and it ended up at Lichfield anyway. The same n-9 clash was also present at Black Hill, but there C5 could be accommodated (and BH was an NTL site anyway)
Further reading on n+/-9 taboo clashes for the brave
http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/topics/channel-planning.shtml
SW
In Wrexham we got leaflets through the door when C5 arrived on the Wrekin in the summer of 1997, announcing "Channel 5 is coming!", but we'd already been able to see it from day one, albeit with a very fuzzy picture, from day one from Winter Hill, and the picture from the Wrekin was probably worse. Although Wrexham is a bit of a special case as it's on the overlap of three regions. We got a filter from the retuners, which in the end we never used at home, but I did actually use it in Birmingham when I went to university (where I was the only person in our halls with a video).
Somewhere I must still have the C5 launch magazine, as later featured on Have I Got News For You's missing words round. I remember "CHANNEL 5 WILL ADD ______ TO VIEWERS' LIVES", where the answer was "something".
You're right, although we had the VCR retune people come round well in advance of it launching, Lichfield was particularly difficult to pick up in Wolverhampton. We had to wait for it to arrive on Wrekin some months later.
In Wrexham we got leaflets through the door when C5 arrived on the Wrekin in the summer of 1997, announcing "Channel 5 is coming!", but we'd already been able to see it from day one, albeit with a very fuzzy picture, from day one from Winter Hill, and the picture from the Wrekin was probably worse. Although Wrexham is a bit of a special case as it's on the overlap of three regions. We got a filter from the retuners, which in the end we never used at home, but I did actually use it in Birmingham when I went to university (where I was the only person in our halls with a video).
Somewhere I must still have the C5 launch magazine, as later featured on Have I Got News For You's missing words round. I remember "CHANNEL 5 WILL ADD ______ TO VIEWERS' LIVES", where the answer was "something".
RW
It was even later than that, it was September 2003 that it arrived on my local transmitter, Reigate, and the others were around the same time. Here's my post from the time: http://tvforum.uk/tvhome/channel-5-analogue-test-south-east-6334/
Robert Williams
Founding member
C5 analogue only really had three phases of analogue transmitter roll outs. The initial network from the start, then about half a dozen extra main stations four to five months later (all using UHF Ch 35, a newly released frequency for TV use), then an addition in 2001 of a few relay stations in Surrey, Kent, and Sussex. The latter being rather odd, coming three years after the launch of DTT !
It was even later than that, it was September 2003 that it arrived on my local transmitter, Reigate, and the others were around the same time. Here's my post from the time: http://tvforum.uk/tvhome/channel-5-analogue-test-south-east-6334/
JA
We had them through the door when it launched on Belmont too, even though we got our TV from Emley Moor, where we'd had it crystal clear from day one. And I don't think the Belmont C5 signal was well recieved even from people who did use Belmont because of the much lower power and being out of band.
In Wrexham we got leaflets through the door when C5 arrived on the Wrekin in the summer of 1997, announcing "Channel 5 is coming!", but we'd already been able to see it from day one, albeit with a very fuzzy picture, from day one from Winter Hill, and the picture from the Wrekin was probably worse.
We had them through the door when it launched on Belmont too, even though we got our TV from Emley Moor, where we'd had it crystal clear from day one. And I don't think the Belmont C5 signal was well recieved even from people who did use Belmont because of the much lower power and being out of band.
MA
It was even later than that, it was September 2003 that it arrived on my local transmitter, Reigate, and the others were around the same time. Here's my post from the time: http://tvforum.uk/tvhome/channel-5-analogue-test-south-east-6334/
Blimey, so it was ! I think they also wanted to add Guildford, using UHF Ch 36, but it was a non starter from a regulatory angle. To this day Ch 36 has never been used for TV broadcasting in the UK, but that's about to change with 700 MHz clearance
C5 analogue only really had three phases of analogue transmitter roll outs. The initial network from the start, then about half a dozen extra main stations four to five months later (all using UHF Ch 35, a newly released frequency for TV use), then an addition in 2001 of a few relay stations in Surrey, Kent, and Sussex. The latter being rather odd, coming three years after the launch of DTT !
It was even later than that, it was September 2003 that it arrived on my local transmitter, Reigate, and the others were around the same time. Here's my post from the time: http://tvforum.uk/tvhome/channel-5-analogue-test-south-east-6334/
Blimey, so it was ! I think they also wanted to add Guildford, using UHF Ch 36, but it was a non starter from a regulatory angle. To this day Ch 36 has never been used for TV broadcasting in the UK, but that's about to change with 700 MHz clearance