Month’s delay on TV mast revamp (From Oxford Mail)

Month’s delay on TV mast revamp

8:00am Saturday 20th March 2010 in

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TV VIEWERS in Oxfordshire will continue to face problems until May because of delays fixing the Oxford transmitter.

Thousands of people have been experiencing problems getting ITV, Channel 4 and Five since February because of work to prepare the transmitter for the digital switchover next year.

Digital UK, the company in charge of engineering work at the Beckley mast, near Oxford, said ‘cabling issues’ had delayed work by four weeks.

Regional manager Peter Monteith said: “The original timetable was that the work was due to be finished around the beginning of April with no unforeseen technical problems or weather problems.

“But we have had some technical issues with the cabling with the antenna work so the main transmitter will not be back up and working until early May.”

Work to upgrade the transmitter, which serves more than 400,000 homes, started on February 1.

A reserve antenna is being used to transmit the television and radio signals.

Mr Monteith added: “We absolutely want to apologise again for the further delay.”

Luke McNeill, 37, of Headington, Oxford, and his wife Catherine have been among those who have been unable to receive some channels.

He said: “It’s not great that a national company can’t fix things in less than three months.”

The Oxford switchover, which means the old analogue signal will be switched off, is scheduled to begin in 2011.