Analogue TV South Island now closed!!

[ZL3MF]

Have a question guys, as most of you know analogue TV closes for the rest of the South Island on the 28th of April...now does this mean the transmitters get turned off midnight of the 27th or midnight on the 28th? The reason I ask is want to record the noise floor and see how much it drops off particularly 50mhz with the crud coming from TV1 on CH3 Sugarloaf....all you ZL3’s will know what I mean!!

Cheers Mike ZL3MF

[ZL1RS]

Switch off time is supposed to be 2am.
The following screen grab is from a "Freeview" brochure:

[ZL3MF]

Switch off time is supposed to be 2am.
The following screen grab is from a "Freeview" brochure:

freeview.GIF

No long to go now, Have a question, on talkback radio yesterday they where talking to a chap at FreeView and he did comment the analog system was shutting down from 2am but also said it may take some days for all the transmitters to be turned off as the technicians have to physically go to the sites and manually turn them off?? I thought most of them could be switched off remotely? Of coarse when you switch off the main transmitter any translator feeding off that would automatically stop transmitting anyway.
Thought anyone

Cheers Mike ZL3MF

[ZL3RC]

You sad bugger listening to "talkback" radio where you believe everything that is said.

I would ask someone that knows but my guess would be that most of the "big" transmitters would be remotes but Im not going on to "Talkback" radio to say that

GD Mike, I suggest you keep up the pills and ointment it may help.

Roger ZL3THQ

[ZL3MF]

You sad bugger listening to "talkback" radio where you believe everything that is said.

I would ask someone that knows but my guess would be that most of the "big" transmitters would be remotes but Im not going on to "Talkback" radio to say that

GD Mike, I suggest you keep up the pills and ointment it may help.

Roger ZL3THQ

HaHa just to elaborate it was one of the senior techo guys from FreeView that was on talkback not Jo punter. He basically said there are well over 300 transmitters that need to be turned off I agree with you Roger I would have thought all the main transmitters will be remote controlled but once they are turned off most of the feed translators will shut down too.

[VK4TIM]

So is anyone building some new 6m beacons in ZL ATM?
We'll all loose our ZL TV indicators soon.
It would be great if someone would build a high powered beacon, like Mark's beacon, (maybe use ex VHF low band TV PAs) and install a decent beacon say at Invercargill, with an antenna beaming southwards, so we can look out for Au propagation?

I want the AKL guys to reinstall the AKL 50.0433 ZL1VHF beacon at the end of the year.

Mike, it will be interesting to hear the difference in the noise floor when Sugarloaf channel 3 is turned off. That TX is a 20kW NEC unit, 2 x 1.8m high rack cabinets, side by side, it was installed in 1993, and I've seen it with my own two eyes. That unit replaced the original Marconi valve TX, which ended up, piece by piece in a large bin.

[ZL3MF]

So is anyone building some new 6m beacons in ZL ATM?
We'll all loose our ZL TV indicators soon.
It would be great if someone would build a high powered beacon, like Mark's beacon, (maybe use ex VHF low band TV PAs) and install a decent beacon say at Invercargill, with an antenna beaming southwards, so we can look out for Au propagation?

I want the AKL guys to reinstall the AKL 50.0433 ZL1VHF beacon at the end of the year.

Mike, it will be interesting to hear the difference in the noise floor when Sugarloaf channel 3 is turned off. That TX is a 20kW NEC unit, 2 x 1.8m high rack cabinets, side by side, it was installed in 1993, and I've seen it with my own two eyes. That unit replaced the original Marconi valve TX, which ended up, piece by piece in a large bin.

Hi Tim yes the original Marconi Transmitter was WAY quieter too those drifting spurries that the NEC transmitter on channel 3 puts out is unbelievable (isn’t that correct fellow Christchurch 6m operators!!! ) BCL know all about it as well but have been unable to fix the issue . I will video record at 2am Sunday morning and upload to YouTube.
We will truly not miss it but in saying that you are correct it will put a big hole in the ZL indicators.
Cheers Mike

[ZL3ADT]

Hi all
Remember the 2 old Marconi s that ocupied a whole room.

I hope the HF frequencys will be quiter as well, there seems to be many local noises.

NZART sez the current licence holders have the rights until 2015 but all should be allowed on 50 MHz next year.

Mike you can record DSO for us, me be working european DX while asleep.

Ross

[ZL3MF]

Hi all
Remember the 2 old Marconi s that ocupied a whole room.

I hope the HF frequencys will be quiter as well, there seems to be many local noises.

NZART sez the current licence holders have the rights until 2015 but all should be allowed on 50 MHz next year.

Mike you can record DSO for us, me be working european DX while asleep.

Ross

Yes sure do Ross there where 2 rooms one had the old original Marconi CH3 transmitter and the other room had a slightly smaller transmitter for TV2 on CH8 (originally called South Pacific Television) I also remember when TV3 started (CH6) their transmitter was very modern and was down stairs and was even in NICAM STEREO!!!!!
It will be interesting what happens to the noise floor even on 2m....
I think it will feel very strange listening to a reasonably quiet 50mhz once all those spurries disappear...we all have been putting up with that for so many years!!

[ZL3MF]

Does anyone know what will be happening to ATV CH39 over the weekend??

[ZL3MF]

Only a few hours to go!!!!

[ZL1RS]

... and there is even a count down timer

http://www.freeviewnz.tv/

Still a way to go before the North Island is off though ...
... September for the lower half, December for the upper half.

[ZL3MF]

... and there is even a count down timer

http://www.freeviewnz.tv/

Still a way to go before the North Island is off though ...
... September for the lower half, December for the upper half.

See that...but what is happening to ATV Christchurch....do they shut down 2am?????

[ZL3RC]

Correct Mike CH39 ATV Christchurch will go off the air and at this stage it hasn't got a new allocation but its being worked on.

There is a new digital TX waiting so as soon as a feq is allocated it will be back on air

Roger ZL3THQ

[ZL3MF]

Correct Mike CH39 ATV Christchurch will go off the air and at this stage it hasn't got a new allocation but its being worked on.

There is a new digital TX waiting so as soon as a feq is allocated it will be back on air

Roger ZL3THQ

Cheers Roger

Mike

[ZL3MF]

Wow what a difference!!!!! TV shut down at 201am sounded like someone unplugged my antenna......videoed it and will try and upload later today

[ZL3RC]

Ding dong the witch is gone.... finding a spot for EME is going to be easy ....shes gooooone shes gone shes goone.

Nice..

Roger ZL3THQ

[ZL3MF]

Ding dong the witch is gone.... finding a spot for EME is going to be easy ....shes gooooone shes gone shes goone.

Nice..

Roger ZL3THQ

Nice one Roger....can't believe how much quieter it is I am also convinced the upper end of HF is quieter too Now 6m is sooooo much quieter may attend to some local spuries
All I can say is that NEC CH3 transmitter was a heap of crap!!!