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As you’re probably aware, the UK is in the midst of a switchover from analogue to digital TV — the process started in 2008 and is due for completion in 2012.

If you already have a Freeview receiver of some sort in your van, there’s nothing you need to worry about — you just may need to retune after the switchover to pick up the full set of channels. If you haven’t upgraded to Freeview yet, you can buy a set-top box for under a tenner at Argos.

You may need to replace your van’s existing TV aerial to get the best Freeview reception, but if you want to know what the digital TV deal is at your most-frequented campsites, here’s how to do it.

Digital UK, the organisation in charge of the switchover, has a postcode checker on its website that lets you look up the status of each TV transmitter in the TV region of your choice. Better still, the ‘trade view’ option (intended for aerial installers) not only shows the distance to each transmitter in the TV region for a particular postcode, but also the bearing, which should help you position your aerial to get the best reception.

[Digital UK postcode checker]