As Bilsdale Transmitter Station remains mainly off-line, there is no longer reception for ITV Tyne Tees with many left without any digital Freeview TV services.
Harrogate has the benefit that in many areas reception is also possible from Emley Moor Transmitter. That’s a transmitter South of Leeds and provides more Leeds-based news, rather than the predominantly Newcastle-based news from Bilsdale.
Harrogate is on the southern reaches of Bilsdale, with areas like Jennyfields tuning into that transmitter. Other areas, such as the south side of the town, have the option of pointing to either transmitter.
Jody Lovett of Direct Aerials has said that he is receiving huge demand for new aerials, and people that want to rotate their aerial to now point at Emley Moor transmitter. In a single day he has received 170 enquiries.
Jody said:
I have been running Direct Aerials 21-years now, since 1999. We do aerials, satellites and internet connections.
The South-side of Harrogate is largely fine, but the North-side of Harrogate mainly gets its signal from Bilsdale, where the problem currently is.
Some streets have aerials that point at both Emley and Bilsdale, and that stems from the digital switchover. Tyne Tees was the first to go digital, and got the strongest signal, so many people had an aerial that was directed there, as they weren’t really bothered about local news.
As long as an aerial is reasonably new, maybe less than 15-years old, it can be the case of just swivelling it around.
Because it is a straightforward job, we are just charging the basic £30 call out to swivel an aerial around.
Jody said:
Yesterday I had over 170 calls, and I am having trouble keeping up with the demand.
I am trying prioritise people that maybe don’t have other digitial services and that the digital TV is their only source of TV – That can often be the older generation.
Jody is a great guy. Always there to lend a hand and provide a first class service. He has helped me enormously when I moved into the village I live in now – he is just round the corner. I contacted him the first time and he answered my call promptly and was with me within the hour! An honest guy charging me no more than a reasonable price for the work he did.He deserves all the business he gets. Good workmen are hard to find.
Jody is a brilliant guy- he is polite,courteous and keeps you informed of what’s happening. I’ve used him many times and contact him before and above Sky. Last time Sky couldn’t come for 2 weeks. I am disabled and dependent on tv to help me through the day – Jody came same day and put everything right!!