the fourth place

[Or "HOWTO tune your Matsui set top box to get all the Freeview channels"]

In order to get the best from a poor digital TV signal I find I need to type the UHF channel numbers for each set of multiplexed channels (each MUX) into the set top box and have it detect TV channels (in the conventinal business sense) within each specific Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band containing the MUX.

A quick restatement.

1. Some UHF channel numbers contain a multiplex (MUX)
2. Each multiplex contains many individual TV signals.
3. Each signal is a channel that you'd recognise from the TV guide.

Enough jargon.

Essentially I looked up the numbers assigned to each of the UHF channels transmitted from Croydon and the channels transmitted from Crystal Palace in London. These are:

UHF 23 (487.25 MHz) - ITV1 (backup to Crystal Palace)
UHF 30 (543.25 MHz) - Channel 4 (backup to Crystal Palace)
UHF 37 (599.25 MHz) - Five

And:

UHF 22 (482 MHz) - Multiplex 2 Digital 3 and 4
UHF 25 (506 MHz) - Multiplex 1 BBC
UHF 27 (522 MHz) - ITV, Channel 4 and Five HD Trial Multiplex
UHF 28 (530 MHz) - Multiplex B BBC
UHF 29 (538 MHz) - Multiplex D National Grid Wireless
UHF 31 (554 MHz) - BBC HD Trial Multiplex
UHF 32 (562 MHz) - Multiplex A SDN
UHF 34 (578 MHz) - Multiplex C National Grid Wireless

Typing in each channel number showed the signal strength for the MUX and I was then able to twiddle the ariel to pick it up better and get the box to try and pull out all the channels from the multiplex. Once the box knew where to go for that channel, I can put the ariel back down and move onto the next one. I won't get the same high signal next time, but that's another matter.

I hope this little explanation helps, I was extremely annoyed by the apparent reluctance of anyone but Wikipedia to list this data. It's not hard to work out what it all means and its frankly essential data to operate the Matsui box I bought from Dixons.

This post is offered under a GNU Free Documentation Licence. The tables are based on the linked Wikipedia sources as at the date of this post. The links will take you to up-to-date information.