A small Scottish community will lose access to Freeview this month when a local relay is closed down after becoming unable to provide viewers with a reliable signal.
- Wind farm interference signals end of terrestrial TV for South Lanarkshire community
- Satellite only TV from now on.
Inhabitants of the South Lanarkshire village of Glespin will finally lose their Freeview signal on Monday 16 June. TV services will only be available via satellite in the area after this date.
This follows a lengthy investigation into disruption that has affected viewers using the local relay transmitter.
TV only came to the area, a short distance from the M74, in 1985 when a relay able to receive a signal from the Black Hill transmitter was installed to the east of Glespin. Signals from the relay are then transmitted south-westwards into the valley that Glespin sits in. At launch, around 300 people gained access to four analogue TV channels.
In recent years, the area has been surrounded by wind farms. Unfortunately for viewers, one of them lies directly in the path of the incoming Freeview signal. It’s been identified as the source of the interference, which means the Glespie relay can no longer access a clean feed. Signals from other main transmitters in the area can’t reach the site due to the terrain.
Switch to satellite
Consequently, broadcast engineers have concluded the only way forward is to switch all viewers to satellite television.
In April, the nearby wind farm operator launched a help scheme to assist households with the switch to Freesat. It wrote to all homes in the affected area telling them how to benefit from the scheme. The plan to turn off Freeview in the area was approved by Ofcom.
However, Google Street View confirms most homes in the village and surrounding areas had already installed satellite dishes by 2009, two years before digital switchover. Freesat launched in 2008 offering a way to access the main channels without needing Sky.
Since digital switchover in 2011, the Glespie relay has solely provided access to a limited range of Freeview channels.
Internet’s not an option
Our checks for addresses in the area showed BT quoting top download speeds of just 2-5 Mbps, with a minimum speed guarantee of 1Mbp in some locations. This means some homes in the area will struggle to benefit from streaming services. It’s below the minimum speed the BBC-backed Freely service expects of users.
All major mobile networks offer 4G mobile broadband in the wider area, but the signal can be patchy in places. The Glespie relay site is currently used by O2 and Vodafone for their 4G service. However, the bandwidth assigned to 4G services in this rural area is limited. This will limit speeds if lots of people tried to stream content at the same time. 5G services aren’t available here yet.
The solution to switch to satellite, despite uncertainty over that platform, highlights the difficulties created by proposals to migrate viewers completely to streaming-only TV services.
By: Marc Thornham | Image: Google Street View