St Davids Cathedral

Working with the wireless broadband provider, TFL Group, I am in the privileged position to be working at St Davids Cathedral installing the 'End User' equipment for various locations around the grounds.

From 'relatively normal' installations on three large properties to the Refectory Cafe and two feeds within the Cathedral itself.

The work will take place over the next couple of weeks and I'll be making sure I take some interesting photos of the project. Including working inside the main tower where the St Davids TV Relay transmitter is located.

TV for Wickes canteen...

Staff at Wickes in Haverfordwest can now relax with a bit of news and entertainment after today's visit...

I simple enough instalation as there was already a sturdy non penetrating mount on the roof, similar to the one I used at Roch Castle. Using Wickes own stock, I picked a CAI approved antenna and cable off the shelf which saved them a bit of money.

Happy staff now :o)

Discrete Installation

A recent renovation project near Solva required a discrete instalation of a dish for freesat and WiFi broadband antenna and as so much time and effort has gone into the look of the building, it would have been a shame to spoil it with antennas...
















Here are some pics of how the kit blended in to the surroundings.

This cream fiberglass weather proof dish was the choice for long lasting use in the Pembrokeshire salt air.

But not in that colour...

Out came the deep matt camouflage paint!

If you look closely at the picture of the cottage, you can just make out the dish in the woods to the left of the picture.

These three white devices are also needed here to deal with the wireless broadband from Wales Broadband

Again, they were made as discrete as possible to keep the building tidy. Can you see them below?

If you have a need for something similar, get in touch and let's see what can be done.

Dilapidated Dish?

I've been to  couple of dishes recently that have suffered from the all too common Salt Air Syndrome!
This is really common with standard mini dishes used for many sky installations as they are constructed of mild steel that is powder coated but not galvanized. This always leads to rapid corrosion of these dishes in coastal locations.

There are alternatives however, ranging from galvanized and power-coated dishes that last much longer, to top quality dishes constructed on alloy and fiberglass. I've been installing these fiberglass dishes for over fifteen years and as yet have not had to replace or repair a single one.

Take a look at the image below of a couple of cases of rusty dishes that have been renewed with long lasting replacements.

Misty moors at Mynachlogddu

It's been a busy week installing equipment for residents of Mynachlogddu Community WiFi Project.

Made somewhat challenging by the constant thick mist, the usual 'naked eye' approach for assessing Line Of Sight had to make way for blind signal testing.
It was very quiet and eery testing up on the moors.

At least the local wildlife kept us amused...

If you would like more information about community WiFi in your area, please feel free to get in touch.

Live Formula 1 in the UK

Is there a way to watch Formula 1 live in the UK without subscribing to sky's new F1 channel?

With a couple of limitations, yes...
European broadcaster RTL have the rights to live F1 on RTL Germany which can be viewed in the UK with the right equipment.

The audio and commentary will be in German so a little imagination is required to get the UK experience.
BBC Radio 5 live will be carrying the British commentary. This is available on freeview DAB Digital Radio and online
You will need a satellite dish and a 'Free To Air' satellite Set Top Box (STB) N.B. a sky or freesat STB will not be suitable for this.
If you already have a satellite dish for sky or freesat use, this may be suitable for the modification. Smaller sky minidishes are likely to give less reliable reception of RTL in heavy rain conditions.

So how does this work?
A single dish has signals from many sources hitting it from many angles and bouncing back off again.
A Low Noise Block-downconverter (LNB) is held in a central position where the required beam is most focused. This is know as the prime focal point.
There are however, more focal points around the dish where additional LNBs can be installed to catch a signal reflected off the same dish at a different angle. Seen below is an example of this type of set-up.

sky planner changes that effect itv+1 recordings

On 27th February, ITV1 +1 is making some service changes which will affect ITV1+1 recordings set on your Sky+ or Sky+ HD Box.

sky viewers will still be able to enjoy their programmes.  However, as a result of the changes, any ITV1+1 programmes which have been set on a box to record (including series link) will need to be reset on 27th February, otherwise they won’t record.  Please note that ITV1, ITV1 HD and all other ITV channels won’t be affected.

Here’s what you need to do:

1.      On the afternoon of 27th February, go into the Sky+ or Sky + HD planner

2.      Delete all ITV+1 programmes set to record that week

3.      Reselect them to record

Its as simple as that. 

You will be able to watch any programmes you have already recorded, as they won’t be affected by the change.

If there are any further questions go to sky.com/itvrecordings or call 08442410018.