Radio reception in Charlbury

Thu 14 Dec 2017, 10:06

FM ok - just. Don't use AM. We usually listen to radio and watch TV online. No problems there.

Tue 12 Dec 2017, 19:52

I'm in the upper part of Charlbury, with a tall radio aerial on the roof. Most of the time FM is fine, but I have noticed interference with reception in the last few months.

At the moment, there are no problems; but something definitely changed quite recently, meaning that I sometimes need to re-tune the station or switch to one of my digital receivers. In my experience, these vary a lot. My best one is a quite old Panasonic that switches between FM and DAB at the press of a button.

Tue 12 Dec 2017, 18:25

Jon, that's odd. We're 150' max along same row of houses on same brow of hill behind - just east - of The Slade and can get FM reception on an ordinary portable radio (and have tried more than one) on the window ledge of only a couple of rooms downstairs. Seriously impeded signal reception in back garden, for example. Just how small can geographical micro-topology go with regard to radio waves??

Tue 12 Dec 2017, 17:31

I think there is a DAB transmitter at Over Norton too. In The Green we get FM and DAB on portables as well as in the car. Our little stereo gets FM unfailingly, and tablets and laptops play through it, as does the TV which gets loads of radio stations on Freesat/Freeview.

By the way, Pearl, snow and ice on a satellite dish can cause a signal to drop out, as I once discovered for myself! I resorted to throwing buckets of water at it. Throwing water, that is, not buckets...

Tue 12 Dec 2017, 10:55

You can also listen to the radio on a tablet or smartphone. When we lost power on Sunday, I was able to use a tiny Chinese handheld radio to listen to Radio Oxford.

Tue 12 Dec 2017, 09:23 (last edited on Tue 12 Dec 2017, 12:45)

Useful information Nick. Using the Walcot Freeview TV signal and selecting radio in my experience is not at all reliable - there are frequent drop outs in the audio output. I think others have reported this problem before. Maybe we should get a partial refund in the licence fee until it is sorted out?

Mon 11 Dec 2017, 19:00

Many thanks, all. I think I have since ascertained that Digital and FM Radio signals are provided by the Oxford transmitter and AM/Medium Wave from Droitwich. I think Walcot provides TV signals only; these are fine for radio listening if you are able to listen to the radio through the TV, i.e. in the same room as a TV. Otherwise, in lower Charlbury the Oxford digital and FM radio reception is not great.
I am speculating that Walcot used to transmit FM radio, but that with the advance of Freeview (and the BBC's enthusiasm for digital) that has been switched off.
I will contact trusty old "Feedback" on Radio 4, and see where that gets us! In the meantime, we have to try to get the best radio reception we can from the Oxford transmitter, or install a TV in every room we want to listen to the radio!

Fri 8 Dec 2017, 18:31

We're up at near the crest of the slope up from the Enstone Rd - last, bottom row of houses on The Green backing onto the footpath between The Slade and Enstone Rd opposite the allotments. Our radio reception the whole of the last 12 yrs we've been here with ordinary radio aerials is almost non-existent even outside in the back garden. If R4 etc. is transmitting from Walcot we've never picked it up, and I've assumed we're in radio shadow by the slope frm Forest Hill mast. Have to rely on a roof mounted aerial from atop a 16' mast and coax cables, or internet radio. Portables basically don't work. I've twiddled dials and never picked up any other signal than the weak one - how do we find a Walcot repeater - it is transmitting radio is it?

Fri 8 Dec 2017, 17:42

I've also noticed this as a new thing - in low areas...

Wed 6 Dec 2017, 16:15

My t.v went off twice Sat. Night when 'Strictly' was on , most annoying, I thought it was weather problem but didnt appear be the case....

Wed 6 Dec 2017, 12:53

One can check local reception at www.bbc.co.uk/receptionsearch. That is not indicating any problems at the moment.

Wed 6 Dec 2017, 11:53

We are having poor reception too and last night our television went off twice

Wed 6 Dec 2017, 10:38

Has anybody else noticed a drop in the quality of FM and AM radio reception in the part of Charlbury that receives TV signals from the Walcot relay transmitter in recent weeks?
I am wondering if the FM and AM radio signals from Walcot have been switched off and we are now relying on the Oxford transmitter (which is not so good in the lower part of Charlbury)?
Does anybody know?
Thanks!