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For the last six years, I have answered many thousands of personal emails that you have sent to UK Free TV.

Sadly, I am unable to offer this personal service at the moment.

Until I can restore this service, please can you leave any questions you have on an appropriate page, where they will be answered as soon as possible, or below, if you can't figure out where to ask.

I look forward to your questions!



Help with TV/radio stations?
BBC Three Linear channel re-opens1
Will car radios have to be replaced?2
Will UKTV History and FTN eventually be available on fSfS or Freesat? They are 3
Could u please explain why there are no subtitles on most of your films terresti4
Can I pay as you go for British Europsort on my digital tv without subscribing?5
In this section

Comments
Sunday, 2 June 2013
J
Jeannette Thonpson
11:45 AM
Stanley

Hello, I am looking for the best type ofindoor aerial for a 19" Bush flat screen tv. I am 4.1km away from the mast. There are several aerials at Asda but not sure which one to get. The tv is hd ready.

link to this comment
Jeannette Thonpson's 3 posts GB flag
Jeannette's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:18 PM

Jeannette Thonpson: Indoor aerials can be hit and miss, primarily because they rely on being in a location where they can get a good signal and indoors, with lots of obstructions (bricks and mortar and so on) in the way means that it won't be as good.

Due to your close proximity to the transmitter you may find that an indoor aerial works well. I would go for something like this:

PHILEX SLx Indoor TV Aerial: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Philex Indoor Digital TV Aerial Fully Flexible Caravan Motorhome Log Periodic

Mini Roof Aerial Style Labgear Set Top TV Aerial-Compact and Effective-GC

Set it with the elements flat (horizontal polarisation) and point it in the direction of Pontop Pike. Bear in mind that the best side of the house will probably be that facing the transmitter. If you're at the other side of the house then you're picking up the signal after it's passed through more walls etc. If this is for a first floor room then your chances may be greater than ground floor but that isn't to say that the latter won't work.

link to this comment
Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

3:47 PM

Jeannette Thonpson: As you can actually see the Pontop Pike mast from the left hand side of the nursery entrance on the main road then in theory the aerial shown in Dave Lindsays link should suffice, if as was advised by DL to try and place it near to the side of your house thats facing the transmitter, but remember should you experience any problems from the aerial reacting to movement within the house you could always place in the loft (or upstairs room) and use a coax extension lead, as it would then work just like a normal aerial so you wouldn't be losing any money.

link to this comment
jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
D
d lewis
7:59 PM

The itv channel went off by it self and itv 3 as well and the sky said it a techincal problems

link to this comment
d lewis's 1 post GB flag
K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

8:08 PM

d lewis: ITV broadcast an apology after Emmerdale for "picture problems" being experienced by satellite viewers.

link to this comment
KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
Thursday, 6 June 2013
M
Mrs C .Watta
10:07 AM
Plymouth

What has happened to freeview ?? No signal since yesterday. Only getting BBC1 and 2. How can you take so long to reinstate the signal??!! Disgraceful.

link to this comment
Mrs C .Watta's 1 post GB flag
Mrs's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:53 AM

Mrs C .Watta: ITV, Channel 4 etc services from Plymton have changed channel (frequency) and therefore a retune will be required. The channel is back on air and it is indeed a disgrace that you have chosen to come on this public forum moaning simply because you have failed to carry out a retune to the new frequency.

link to this comment
Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Friday, 7 June 2013
S
Sue Traverso
10:08 AM

I live in Swanton Abbott, Norwich and Talconeston is our transmitter. Four days ago we started getting a breakdown in pixellation, the television cuts off and then comes back on again. Up till that point no problems whatsoever. Locals say that it might be something to do with mobile phone transmitter. How do I resolve this?

link to this comment
Sue Traverso's 1 post GB flag
R
Rob Purle
1:22 PM

Sue Traverso: The poor reception is because of atmospheric interference (the good weather we're having is dragging in TV signals from far and wide, and they're interfering with Tacolneston).

Last night I was getting French TV because it was stronger than Tacolneston. I live near Dereham. It should settle down when the weather gets worse, but if you have a booster you might want to turn it off...

link to this comment
Rob Purle's 3 posts GB flag
Saturday, 8 June 2013
I
Ian from notts
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

7:41 AM
Nottingham

Sue Traverso- Does the TV fully turn off then back on again? as into stand by mode? as this may be a sign of parts inside the TV burning out

link to this comment
Ian from notts's 253 posts GB flag
Ian's: mapI's Freeview map terrainI's terrain plot wavesI's frequency data I's Freeview Detailed Coverage
C
CRJ343
2:05 PM

Has anybody experienced "ghosting" problems with Channel 4HD on Freesat.
I have a very strong signal 93%.
Spoke to Freesat and thgery claim no transmission issues.
BTW I using a Technomate 6800HD rather than a Freesat box

link to this comment
CRJ343's 6 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

2:17 PM

CRJ343: What does the ghost look like and when does it appear? Does he have a bright suit and tie on and does he appear during episodes of Countdown? You say yes... That'll be Richard Whiteley then.

link to this comment
Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

2:21 PM

CRJ343: "Ghosting" Is an analogue effect... It is not possible to get by digital reception. You would need to get some special software to even emulate it!

link to this comment
Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
C
CRJ343
3:34 PM

Briantist: Maybe I'm using the wrong term...it's a "blurring" particularly of any fast action.

link to this comment
CRJ343's 6 posts GB flag
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:46 PM

CRJ343
The effect you describe would often be termed 'pixelation' when the image breaks up into small pieces, especially on rapidly changing parts of the picture. When watching a fast moving object, such as a racing car travelling across the screen, it is not uncommon on a digital transmission to get a jerky effect. It is due to the amount of picture information on the digital signal not being sufficient to 'keep up' with the panning image. You never had this effect with analogue transmissions, it only affects digital TV, both terrestrial and satellite, as they try to get more programme channels fitted into a crowded spectrum and so reduce the 'bit rate' broadcast. To get as many programmes in as possible, especially the HD ones, the broadcasters use a technique of only sending the changed information but then update the whole image less frequently. So a still, or largely still, image would not suffer the effect (unless the signal quality drops to a very low level) but an image that moves rapidly across the screen will be 'at risk' of breaking up into individual pixels that can be very noticeable and possibly annoying to some.

As Briantist and others state, 'ghosting' is not possible with digital transmissions, it being an effect caused by multi-path reception that shows up on analogue signals as a displacement of a weaker/fainter image to the right of the intended image - usually termed a ghost image. Such multi-path reception of digital signals shows up as a poorer signal quality measure and possibly reception problems that can be specific to one multiplex.

link to this comment
MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
Sunday, 9 June 2013
F
Floyd
7:46 PM
Luton

Ian from notts:





jb38 I have followed all of your suggestions which you made on June 1. First, I connected my old Goodman GDR11 and connected the aerial directly into my old BECO TV. The result was the same as with the Acoustic TV. No channels were found after repeated tries.
I also contacted most of the other tenants in the 2 buildings. Each building has a rooftop aerial but there is a visible cable connection running between the 2 buildings. I don't know if the connection is coming from the aerial or from the satellite dish underneath the aerial. I live in the building which faces Studley Road and does not have the satellite dish. The aerial on my building is right next to Malzeard Road and I live on the other end of the building.
I talked to most of the tenants in both buildings. 5 of them said they had Freeview and they said they had no problems. There are 2 entrances in my building. Only 1 of the people with Freeview live in my entrance. There was 1 other person living in the other entrance of my building, Both of them live on the top floor. I live on the ground floor and there is a large tree in front. But I think that should really not make any difference since the aerial is coming from the roof which is higher than the tree. But I am really quite far removed from the aerial since it is on the other end of the building.
Yesterday I tried another flylead and late in the evening I managed to install again most of the channels on the Acoustic. They had previously been erased together with all the programs. I got very good reception.
This morning around 10 am I tried the TV again and all the channels and the programs were still there. But guess what, I was out in the afternoon and when I got back the channels were still there, but all of the programs had disappeared. There was no signal level or signal quality on any of the channels. I left the TV on and left it on multiplex 24 because that was my best channel before. As of now, after several hours, the signal level turns on and off and the quality signal changes between none and poor. I still cannot get any programs at all. I am at a complete loss to understand what is going on here. It is driving me crazy and I don' know where to go from here. The freesat really is not a good option for me because I always watched channel 19-yesterday which is my favorite channel because of all the documentaries. Freesat does not have channel 19. The big question is since 5 other people seem to have no problem with Freeview, why do I have it and who can help me?




















link to this comment
Floyd's 18 posts GB flag
Floyd's: mapF's Freeview map terrainF's terrain plot wavesF's frequency data F's Freeview Detailed Coverage
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:25 PM

Floyd: All said in your comprehensive reply duly noted, although everything you have said is symptomatic of the signal received being at a level that's hovering around the minimum threshold required for reception, and when you select a programme from the EPG listings and it results in a blank screen its simply because that the signal has dived under level required to resolve a picture.

But though, when making any enquiries with neighbours the key thing to have asked them was "can you receive ITV3", because the residents that replied that they did not have any problems "might" be receiving Freeview from the local Luton transmitter at just under 1 mile away, and if they were then they would not be receiving ITV3 because Luton does not transmit commercial channels such as ITV3 / Pick TV / or Yesterday, these three programmes mentioned being representative of the three mux transmitters used by any main station.

Another aspect of what you had said that could be playing a role is the fact of you being located at the other end of the building from the aerial, as long cable runs are much more vulnerable to suffering from some form of mishap along the way in its travel from the distribution amplifier, and especially so if goes through one or two junction boxes before it reaches you, because to be perfectly frank I feel that your problem is being caused by something external to your apartment thereby effectively being out with your control.

Maybe you could try a test though "if" your receiver allows manual tuning, and being to go into the tuning menu / manual tune and enter mux Ch50 (Lutons BBC) into the box but do NOT press search or scan, because if you do not then in most devices the signal strength of the channel you have entered is usually displayed on the indicator bar.


link to this comment
jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Monday, 10 June 2013
I
Ian from notts
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

7:30 AM
Nottingham

CRJ343,Briantist,MikeP- If the Technomate is connected to the tv through a scart lead and a scart block with another device, There's a chance of ghosting if both devices are on at the same time.
Tho it does look like MikeP's reply is more accurate, even if it does defy the logic of HD if the first place

link to this comment
Ian from notts's 253 posts GB flag
Ian's: mapI's Freeview map terrainI's terrain plot wavesI's frequency data I's Freeview Detailed Coverage
G
Gary Parr
3:16 PM

Sky box works in house but when tried in motorhome on drive, oyster dish locks on but tv says no signal received.

link to this comment
Gary Parr's 1 post FR flag
R
Robin Walker
6:08 PM

My Humax box used to receive Film4 from the Wenvoe transmitter but now when I click on it I get the message 'This channel is scrambled or unavailable' as if I have Freeview Light, not full Freeview. Is there anything I can do about this?

link to this comment
Robin Walker's 1 post GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:37 PM

Robin Walker: You should go into the Humax's installation menu, entering the default password of 0000, then in the tuning menu select "manual tune" and enter Ch39 into the box, but "before" pressing search make a note of the strength / quality being indicated then press it, mux Ch39 being COM6 that carries (15)Film 4 / (24)ITV4 / (19)Yesterday.

link to this comment
jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
S
Steve P
sentiment_satisfiedGold

11:50 PM

Brian are you still alive and visiting?>

If so, is it time to chanhe the 4 year ols post at the top of this page?

link to this comment
Steve P's 1,173 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
S
shawna
3:42 PM

i got a luxor television from england, i live in jamaica, it has one of the built-in dvd player, the dvd part of it works ok,but when i hook it up with my cable i have to scan to get the pictures, and its using mhz, the problem is i dont get any sound from it, the dvd shows very pretty and the sound is clear,the cable also shows pretty but i get no sound from it what could the problem be, also can i pick up satellite channels with it here in jamaica or do i need a special code to do that? and what about those other england channel like bbc one and the others i see can i pick them up? thanks in advance.

link to this comment
shawna's 1 post US flag
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

4:16 PM

shawna: Jamaica uses NTSC M, which a TV from the UK can't operate with. During 2013-15 the system will switch to a digital one, which your TV still will not be compatible with.

link to this comment
Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:12 PM
Peterborough

Briantist: Shawna's case highlights the problem with buying a TV from a different country.

I occasionally get asked by customers about buying a TV/blu-ray to take to relatives overseas (usually Pakistan). I always advise against it. TV's have different voltages, systems (NTSC in this case), and tuners, depending on the country they are produced for.

Your often wasting your money if you try to use a TV set meant for another country elsewhere - at best its going to be a pain, and often simply will not function at all.

Frankly, I'm surpised the DVD player works - I suspect that most DVD's available locally would be Region 1 (US) rather than Region 2.

link to this comment
MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
MikeB's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
S
Steve P
sentiment_satisfiedGold

7:49 PM

I brought a TV back from Singapore 30 years ago. All it needed was a change in sound carrier separation.

Conveniently the one place where Toshiba could do that in UK was withing 3 miles of my house.

link to this comment
Steve P's 1,173 posts GB flag
Thursday, 13 June 2013
L
L. Welch
5:51 PM

If I cancel Sky sports from our package can I still recieve eurosport

link to this comment
L. Welch's 1 post GB flag
Friday, 14 June 2013
F
Floyd
2:28 PM
Luton

jb38 Thanks a lot for all of your help.
I have checked with the tenants who say they have Freeview. In the building next to mine which has the antenna you saw earlier all 3 people said they can get ITV3, Pick and Yesterday. In my building, a person close to the antenna said she could not get the 3 channels. In my entrance the person on the top floor said she could get ITV3, but not Pick tv and yesterday.
Last night I was able to get all the channels including Pick and Yesterday. This morning I still could get all of them but after a little while it all started to fade and I could not get any channels at all any more!
As you said there may be bad connections in the cable on the roof, but I strongly feel that we do not have the right antenna in the first place to receive Freeview. Do you think a wideband antenna would solve the problem? If so, what type would you recommend so I can talk to the management about it? The present installation was done by "4 Seasons". I am not sure how good they are. Do you know of any other installers in this area who might be good? I am convinced now that the problem as you also said is completely outside of my flat and the management has to do something about it. Thanks again for your help.

link to this comment
Floyd's 18 posts GB flag
Floyd's: mapF's Freeview map terrainF's terrain plot wavesF's frequency data F's Freeview Detailed Coverage
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:07 PM

L Welch
Yes! I have never had Sky Sports (not a football fan) but do enjoy British Eurosport on my Sky+ box.

link to this comment
MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:55 PM

Floyd: With reference to your latest up date, but also referring back to your posting on the 9th @ 7.46pm where you had mentioned that both buildings have a rooftop aerial, the masts of having been observed as being mounted on the gable ends of each block which are positioned at right angles to each other, this then suggesting that both blocks have their own identical communal aerial arrangements.

This being the case, then rather than your problem being caused by an incorrect type of aerial having been fitted its far more likely to be caused by a defective connection somewhere on the aerial system starting from the aerial itself downwards.

However, I do suspect that the fault is likely to be located on only the section from the aerial to the distribution amp or indeed even the distribution amp itself being defective, the reason for saying this being that each of the three apartments in your block are likely to have their own feeds from the dist / amplifier, but by your investigations having revealed that no-one in your block gets good reception then the problem has to be prior to the dist / amplifier output feeds, as it would be a bit too coincidental for all three feeds to be faulty.

As far as the wire that's seen linking across the roof of the blocks is concerned, if your block is not fitted with a dish and yet the apartments have a satellite connection? then the wire referred to could be for the purpose of carrying the four feeds from the dish mounted on the other block across to your own blocks multi-switch unit, a device that's always used to supply satellite feeds in apartment blocks.

Hope this helps to clarify the
situation a little.

link to this comment
jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Saturday, 15 June 2013
C
CRJ343
10:28 AM

MikeP
Thank you for your excellent explanation !
What surprised me was that my Technomate was indicating a signal quality of 93%

link to this comment
CRJ343's 6 posts GB flag
C
CRJ343
10:34 AM

Ian from notts

Thanks Ian but the connection Technomate -> TV was HDMI and no other device turned on. Weather was clear and I have a large dish (1.25m). With 93% signal quality I was a bit surprised. No other HD channel had this problem

link to this comment
CRJ343's 6 posts GB flag
Thursday, 20 June 2013
N
Nick Anderson
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

4:13 PM

Would it not be an idea for all the existing or forthcoming Channel 8 local freeview TV stations to post their contact details, i.e. their e-mail address and phone number both for advertisers and viewers alike on their respective sights?

link to this comment
Nick Anderson's 165 posts GB flag
Friday, 21 June 2013
K
Ken Morrison
12:46 PM

I have a Sky hd subscription and they left the old Skybox when they put in the new HD system. Can I use this old box at my caravan to get freesat? I dont have a card for the old box. I do have a satellite dish that I can connect up.

link to this comment
Ken Morrison's 1 post GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:50 PM

Ken Morrison: You can receive free-to-air channels with your old Sky box. You should be able to try it now, with your dish at home.

"Freesat" is the brand name given to a free-to-air satellite service not associated with BSkyB.

link to this comment
Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:54 PM

Ken Morrison: Also see:

TV Aerials for Boats and Caravans

link to this comment
Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Sunday, 23 June 2013
S
sheila
8:16 PM

Hello.
Help would be very much appreciated as I am a complete novice when it comes to setting up TVs etc.
I currently have a Samsung UE40C600RK television connected to a Pace (white) sky+HD box and satellite dish, with a blueray in the living room.
We barely get a reception with free view but I am thinking of cancelling our sky subscription. Would this mean losing all the programmes we have saved on our sky box?
We also run 3 other TVs (kitchen, daughters bedroom and daughters sitting room) with the intermittent freeview signal - BBC channels are never watchable but we sometimes can watch stv and almost always can get radio and channel 4 and e4. We live in the north of Scotland .
WiFi is not great either, but I think that is due more to the fact that it is a traditional house with thick stone walls, than anything.
What would be the best way to still be able to utilise our TV, satellite dish and be able to record, pause and series link? We listen to music and watch TV and films and but not really sports.
I am prepared to spend a couple of hundred pounds as a one-off if need be and have been drawn to as humax free sat box just by reading reviews. Although friends use free view and an HDMI connected hard drive.
I had also been toying with the idea of a cheaper subscription such as love film? But would prefer a one-off payment.
I feel we are not really utilising our main TV to its full potential and certainly don't use all our appliances in conjunction with each other.
Thanks for any advice.

link to this comment
sheila's 1 post GB flag
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:56 PM

sheila: lets start with the basics - your freeview signal seems rubbish, but if you include your postcode there might be a way to work out why. If its not really fixable, then Freesat/Sky would be a perfectly useable way of getting TV, but obviously Freeview is slightly easier, since all TV's and most recorders have Freeview tuners. I'm assuming for the moment that Freeview is unuseable.

Ok - Swapping out a sky HD box for a Humax Freesat PVR is perfectly fine (whether you can keep your programmes is something only someone who knows about Sky can answer!)and there are instructions on this website. If you want to stay with Sky, thats up to you, and you can do the Sky multi-room thing.

My brother has the Humax Freetime PVR (the latest), which he says is well made, but the software is 'buggy'. My parents have the Freeview equivalant (YouView), and have no problems, so hopefully Humax will learn and sort it out....

There is (in theory) no problem about making your other TV's receive Freesat as well. Although Freesat equiped TV's are relatively uncommon and are not cheap (as I pointed out here Freesat reception - all about dishes | Free satellite - general | ukfree.tv - 10 years of independent, free digital TV advice a Freesat box is much cheaper, and even an excellent Humax receiver can be had from Humax itself for £69 - HUMAX UK Direct Sales Website .

You will of course have to wire them all up. This is the theory, since I've had to do it personally, but I'm sure there are loads of people who have who can guide you.

You have twin LNB's on the end of your Sky dish already (which you use for your main TV), and its possible you may have an extra two unused connectors as well (check underneath the bit where the wires come out - for more details look at Satcure's information http://www.satcure.co.uk/…tm).

Assuming you just have two connectors (which is fine for a Freesat recorder, but no more), the easiest thing to do is to put up another dish with a quad LNB, which means you could connect up to 4 Freesat receivers (from your other TV's). You could buy all the stuff from Satcure, etc, and do it yourself, or get someone in to do it, but I'd read Satcure's info and perhaps ATV's as well - both very useful sites. In fact if you ring Satcure they might give you advice on a particular point.

Dont go to your local DIY shed - you'll get better and possibly cheaper by going to Satcure, etc.

If your going down the Freesat route, its £249 for a Humax Freesat PVR retail (a graded one from Humax is a bit cheaper), plus around £70 for a Freesat receiver (various brands) (Humax graded around the same price). You'll need one for each TV (connect via scart/HDMI - try 7dayshop for the latter - very cheap on multibuy).

The dish is £36 from Satcure (includes a quad LNB), with the fittings for fixing it to the wall not being especially expensive.

To connect it to the various rooms, you'll need satellite quality cable ,grommits, plus inside wall plates to connect the cable up to the boxes, and F connectors. Most of the bits are not particularly pricey, and WF/WT100 coax cable can be bought in 50m reels for about £21. If you have anything left over you can make very nice cables to connect up your boxes.

You sound like you have thick stone walls, so drilling the holes for the cable might be the hardest part of the job...

If your Wifi is rubbish (thick stone walls...) then the Powerline type things might be fine, and you can use your hub to give you wifi in areas which make the most sense. You dont say how fast your broadband is, but if your in a rural area (if your Freeview isn't good...) its probably isn't going to be very fast. If its OK, and your blu-ray is a year or two old, then it might be smart, which means you could get Iplayer and possible Netflix/Lovefilm. If your broadband is very slow, don't bother.

Your TV is about 4 years old (BTW - where did you get it - I don't recognise it at all, I assume its European rather than UK), but its unlikely to be able to record to a HDD via USB. Plus the fact that is a vaguely rubbish and inflexible method anyway.

A Samsung TV that age should have 3/4 HDMI's plus a scart (but not smart), and so your fine for a PVR, Blu-ray, sound system/soundbar and possible Apple Tv and the like.

Connect your Blu-ray up to the net and see if you get anything. A cheap modern blu-ray (preferably with wifi) will have the same smart functions as a modern TV - a relatively cheap way to make your TV smart and wified at the same time, plus you get bluray!

Go and ask a local installer what they think (they will know the Freeview reception in the area and tell you if its worth it). They can also quote for any installation. Satcure/ATV will be helpful (and you may want to do any job yourself), and if your near Aberdeen, the TV dept of a certain large store will give you unbiased advice.

Plan thinhs on a big bit of paper, and see what works for you. Good luck
(PE12QN)

link to this comment
MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Monday, 24 June 2013
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:16 PM

sheila : Although obviously the provision of a post code or one from nearby (e.g: a shop / post office) would greatly assist in determining the signal levels expected in your area, plus whether or not you are covered by a main "full service" transmitter or that the reception you do get is from a PSB only relay, i.e: no commercial channels other than ITV1 / Ch4 / Ch5 etc.

But though on the subject of cancelling your Sky subscription, be aware that should you do this then the entire recording / playback side of your Sky box will be deactivated by Sky at or around the same time as you lose your ability to view Sky's dedicated package channels "unless" that is you take out another subscription at the same time costing £10.25 per month purely for the purpose of retaining these facilities, this being one of the snags of using a Sky+ box and why many prefer to go down the Freesat route and purchase a twin tuner PVR.

Freesat, and especially a Freesat twin tuner PVR as mentioned by MikeB is a perfect non-subscription alternative to a Sky+ box, although on the other hand by your TV (0 missed from model number?) according to its manual being capable of receiving HD channels then this would enable a more flexible less costly system all round as the devices used in the other rooms would not require to be updated, but though it all depends on whether or not you are genuinely in a bad area for reception or that your aerial system is possibly defective, the quickest way by far to determine which of the two applies is by making one or two local enquiries with neighbours etc, if that is you happen to be on a sociable footing with them!

link to this comment
jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:08 PM

Peter: Try having the aerial lead out for the first 50% of the scan.

link to this comment
Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
M
Mike
3:30 AM
Aylesbury

I have a Panasonic TV and Recorder. Doing an Auto Tune on each they tune into Ch 53, 60,50,59 and 55, these being the Oxford Transmitter. During the day while watching the News on BBC1 I have noticed that the TV shows BBC South Regional News whereas the Recorder shows Look East. Over the last weekend both showed BBC South.
Looking at the EPG for the coming weekend it would appear that Look East is not transmitted over the weekend.
I would appreciate any explanation for this anomaly

link to this comment
Mike's 1 post GB flag
Mike's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

7:53 AM

Mike: If you are referring to this being observed when simply toggling between the two devices then the recorder's BBC has to be tuned to the mux Ch27 from the Sandy transmitter rather than Oxford's mux Ch53.

Carry out a signal strength test on the recorder and check the mux channel being indicated along with the strength / quality, if indeed Ch27 is being indicated then either try carrying out another auto-tune which "might" correct the problem, or alternatively carry out another auto-tune on the recorder whilst the aerial is removed to blank out anything already stored, once completed reinsert the aerial and "manually" tune Oxfords Ch53 storing the results, then use the add channels facility on the recorder (should it have this) to add the remaining mux channels.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Thursday, 27 June 2013
S
simon
12:27 AM

C25 506hz not being received now no signal only have standard and hd BBC etc poor as paying same fees as everyone else receiving way more channels

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simon's 2 posts GB flag
S
simon
12:37 AM

Glossop town center.

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simon's 2 posts GB flag
K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

1:09 AM

Mike: Did you look in the 800s of the channel list to see if Look East was listed there? If your recorder has an overnight channel scan facility, or a "new channels found" which has been accepted this could account for a re-arrangement of the stored frequencies. Maybe the service with the strongest signal is being placed first in the channel list, rather than automatically choosing the one found first in the scan, as is common on many receivers, or the strength of the Sandy Heath signal was lower for the most recent scan resulting in it being overlooked.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
Saturday, 29 June 2013
R
ray geasley
1:01 AM

why is the red light flashing on my sky box. the remote control will not work while this is happening??????????

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D
dennis
10:57 AM

Congratulations to KMJ,Derby.He hit the nail
right on the head.Absolute joy to read such
a well formulated response.

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dennis's 18 posts GB flag
Saturday, 6 July 2013
Steve
10:39 AM

In the Margate area where I live we dread the approach of high pressure and humid conditions because that leads to tiling and loss of signal over most of the Freeview channels. On the 5th July in the evening virtually every channel was blank and it looks as id these conditions are to continue for at least the next week; so frustrating as there are series timers on my recorder. This has been going on for years and the promised improvement at switchover didn't happen. Will this issue ever be resolved? Should I re-orient my aerial from Dover to Essex? The Margate transmitter doesn't carry the channels I want and it's in a place where I can't point my aerial.

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Steve's 3 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:18 PM

Steve: That looks like your only other possibility as far as picking up all the channels goes.

However, the prediction (which should always be taken with a pinch of salt) isn't sparkling for Sudbury... but it's your only other real option to get all the channels.

That said, you'll be receiving over a wide expanse of water and in the winter when the mist sets in it might inhibit your reception. Refer to the Sudbury thread and Nick's woes trying to pick up all the channels in Hollesley. Dover reception for him varies, presumably as the mist sets in.

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Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:39 PM

Steve: There's nothing that can be done about the issue - the effect is an occupational hazard of using the airwaves.

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S
sam
10:19 PM

Hi for the last week everytime i record something on my sky+ box my sky box loses signal and the recording fails and the only way we get the box to work is by switching the box of at the mains can you tell me what the problem could be.

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J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:29 PM

sam: This can happen on a box with a defective power supply and whose tuner is already struggling to hold a signal, the extra load imposed on the boxes power unit by the action of the of the hard drive running pulling the voltage down to the tuner thereby causing it to cut out.

However, you should carry out a signal strength / quality check by pressing "services - 4 - 6" (on white Sky+ box) the levels seen indicated being a minimum of around 50% for both strength and quality, if the quality is under the strength then the dish is slightly out of alignment making the power unit problem worse.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Sunday, 7 July 2013
S
Steve P
sentiment_satisfiedGold

6:14 PM

David L - surely the hazard arises from the METHOD of using the airwaves forced upon us?

It is not innate. - eg with analogue.

Or different frequencies or modulation methods


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Steve P's 1,173 posts GB flag
Monday, 8 July 2013
T
Terry
3:26 PM

I live in Ramsgate and recently seem to have lost a batch of channels ch18 to ch27 no longer there also itv3 and Film4. We seem to have many more French and Belgian channels that seem to be broadcasting very strong signals, could they be the problem.

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Terry's 1 post GB flag
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:56 PM

Steve P - and Terry:
In the analogue TV days we had co-channel interference due to troposheric lift and/or inversion layer effects quite often, especially in the summer months with high pressure systems dominating, as is happening currently. The modulation method has no bearing on the known atmospheric effects that give rise to the unwanted transmissions travelling further than normal and affecting normal reception. It has been known for someone living on the North Downs, in Surrey and Kent, to watch French TV programmes that normally are not receivable - except for the inversion effects. (As a TV service engineer in that area in the '60s and '70s we had to gently advise customers about it!) The effect has been well known in RF transmission spheres for many, many years and as it's a natural phenomenon there is nothing anyone can do about it (learn to live with nature and not work against it). It affects many RF transmissions, depending on frequency and the tropospheric conditions. Most large terrestrial TV transmitters are expected to cover not much more than 80 miles radius, but some more powerful sites cover more. But it is well known, in the 'right' conditions, for signals from a transmitter over 300 miles away to be received well enough to watch! The interference will seriously affect digital signals as well as analogue ones, resulting in either poor pictures and sound with pixelation or result in the signal not being decodable, so no picture/sound.

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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
Thursday, 11 July 2013
F
Floyd
2:19 PM
Luton

jb38, I am totally exasperated and don't know where to go from here. I followed your advice and talked to several people here in the building who had also reception problems. I then contacted the management and they sent out 4 Seasons TV installation service who had originally installed the system. They looked at my TV and then proceeded to fix what was wrong. They something about the amplifier system but I don't know what they did. In any case my TV worked fine after that for about 2 weeks. I got all the channels back and I had almost no pixilation. Two days ago all the channels started to pixelate again to the point where I could not watch TV at all any more. I contacted the management again and this morning they sent out the same guy again. He looked at my TV and tried to reinstall all the channels by using a full channel scan. No channels were found. He then said immediately without rechecking his previous work, that my TV was faulty and I needed to buy a new TV. I told him I did not believe he was right, because it worked fine after he did the recent repair. I also believe he was wrong because when I later tried to reinstall the channels manually they all showed a high signal level, but in every case also a poor quality level. Would that not mean that there is still again something wrong with the antenna installation? From what I can see the mux Channels involved are numbers 24,27,48,50,51,52 and 59. all showing poor quality indication. Some of the channels reinstalled manually but the picture would only pixelate and no program could be seen. Do you have advice what I should do now?

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Floyd's 18 posts GB flag
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J
John
4:20 PM

Can I receive German tv

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J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:38 PM

Floyd: Much as I really hate to say this, but I feel that the 4 Seasons installation service has rectified the fault on their equipment just in time for your reception to start suffering from the same problem that many others across the Midlands have been experiencing over the last couple of days, insomuch that their reception is being severely affected (or even wiped out) by the current wave of atmospheric conditions allowing distant transmitters (sometimes not even in UK) to be picked up and clashing with the channels used by local transmitters.

I do realise that during your original problem that on more than one occasion you had to check with others in your block for the purpose of determining if the fault was purely confined to yourself or not, and at least the installation team person who visited you did seem to grudgingly admit that it was their amplifier system at fault, as indeed I thought all along! but on this occasion even although nothing can be ruled out as far as their equipment having failed again is concerned, but though I strongly suspect that if you make a quick check with others in your block when your signal goes down that you could possibly discover that they might also be experiencing intermittent problems, the severity of dependant on their receiving equipment as some devices perform better than others under adverse conditions.

By the way all of these channels you listed are from the Sandy transmitter with the exception of two, as channels 50 & 59 are from your local Luton transmitter.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

6:41 PM

Floyd: With the current weather conditions the poor quality reception being experienced could be the result of interference due to signals being present from out of area transmitters. Have a look periodically over the next few days to see if the quality improves as conditions change. It would be quite normal for good reception to come and go ramdomly on the available frequencies until the conditions return to normal.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

7:02 PM

John: For regular reception in the UK of German TV channels you need a generic satellite receiver with the dish set on Astra 19.2E. If your query refered to reception on Freeview equipment via a normal TV aerial, the answer is normally NO, however over the past few days German TV and FM radio signals have been received in a number of locations due to the inversion effect.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
A
Aman
8:27 PM
London

Hi, I am a resident of the St.Johns Wood Area and have a communal aerial in my building.All other households(As checked with the House Manager)have a good aerial reception,but my TV with a BT Youview box is receiving only 24 Freeview channels and that too with bad reception(20 - 45%).Have tried changing the coaxial twice but to no avail.Will a Booster Help?? Please advise.If yes which one?
Many Thanks..

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Aman's 2 posts GB flag
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J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:05 PM

Aman: As you are using a communal aerial system then your hands are somewhat tied as far as to what you can actually do is concerned, as these BT YouView boxes are in reality Humax DTR1000's and as such top of the range devices.

If you are on friendly terms with any of the other residents in the block is it not possible for you to try your box out on their aerial connection? and carrying out a retune whilst connected, as you do not require the phone line to be connected into the box as it should work perfectly OK without it, as other than that I cant see much that you can do except to try another Freeview TV out on your aerial connection, this for the purpose of eliminating the possibility that your box might be faulty plus at the same time verifying (or not!) that the signal being received is sub standard.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
A
Aman
10:00 PM
London

jb38: Thanks! Will try this out...

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Saturday, 13 July 2013
S
Steve P
sentiment_satisfiedGold

12:45 AM

Mike P

The modulation does not affect the propagation conditions, but different methods of modulation will cope differently with the conditions.

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Steve P's 1,173 posts GB flag
G
gerald
2:24 PM

I get channel 49 on my newer tv, but with my 15 yr old
magnavox it won't come in. Antenna works OK on both.

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gerald's 1 post US flag
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:44 PM

Steve P
It's not the different modulation but the different compression and encryption methods together with error correction algorithms that makes the difference. With 'old' analogue TV, vision had AM and sound was FM with no attempt at compression, etc. That, as we all should know, suffered from co-channel as well as adjacent channel problems together with the effects of tropospheric lift giving unexpectedly long transmission distances.
With digital signals, there are several modulation methods but the more recent systems use 64QAM or even 128QAM. The digitised signals are also compressed and have error correction codes inserted. And they still suffer from the effects of co-channel and adjacent channel, but usually to a lesser extent for adjacent, 3rd and 5th channel separations. It is because of these different formats, though they are still a form of 'FM', that digital signals tend to fare better when interference is around - but correction can suddenly fail to sort out the incoming wanted and unwanted signals and all the affected ones become undecodable, as has been reported by many on these pages.

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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
S
Steve P
sentiment_satisfiedGold

6:22 PM

The very idea of chopping up each cycle into chunks is clearly a form of witchcraft anyway!

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Steve P's 1,173 posts GB flag
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:13 PM
Peterborough

gerald: What kind of box is attached to the old TV? Cheap digiboxs (like my Goodmans :-)) scan from low channels numbers upwards - so it might not pick up a higher channel. Dave Lindsay normally advises people to pull out the aerial lead for the first part of the scan. BTW - its nivce to know there is an international audience here!

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
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Sunday, 14 July 2013
S
Steve R
3:31 PM

Hi, I have two sky hd boxs which give the no signal message and number 25 on all the sky channels (all the others work fine) whenever the weather is very hot. The strange thing is that it happens at the same time 12 noon until 4pm every day. If the weather is our usual mix of sunshine and showers there is no problem with the signal. Can anyone suggest anything?

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Steve R's 2 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

3:39 PM

Steve R: You should carry out a signal check on one of your boxes as what you have reported is inclined to suggest that your dish is slightly out of alignment, as the strength / quality being indicated on the test should be around 50% minimum level but preferably with the quality being slightly higher than the strength.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

3:57 PM

Steve R: By the way, I should also have added that its best to try this test when all is OK and making a note of the indications seen, then try the same test again when the problems arise and compare the result with the one previously taken.

Error 25 (or 29) is just really the code for no signal, albeit that it hasn't really disappeared but has dropped under the level necessary for decoding of the signal.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
S
Steve R
4:06 PM

Thanks JB. I will follow your suggestions and then find the stepladder. Thanks again for your amazingly quick response.

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Steve R's 2 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:24 PM

Steve R: No problem, but when you get around to checking your dish, should of course this prove to be necessary, then if the quality is seen to be lagging the strength the problem is usually in the right / left hand horizontal plane rather than in the vertical, this proven if the signal quality is seen to improve by lightly pressing on either the left or right hand side of the dish whilst someone is viewing the signal check screen.

Another method some people use when adjusting a dish in difficult circumstances is with the aid of a length of coax temporarily connect an old analogue TV into a Sky boxes RF1 output socket and tune (scan) the analogue TV to pick up the boxes modulator output channel, then use this to relay the signal strength / quality being indicated on the boxes check screen.

A bit more long winded, but a far more accurate way of doing things by taking away the element of hit and miss.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
K
keith
8:49 PM
Poulton-le-fylde

hi can freeview do 3d channel,i was think of buy a 3d tv nex year

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keith's 1 post GB flag
keith's: mapK's Freeview map terrainK's terrain plot wavesK's frequency data K's Freeview Detailed Coverage
F
Floyd
9:08 PM
Luton

jb38. Thanks again for your help. But I am baffled about what is happening now. Today I disconnected the flylead, turned off the TV at the socket and retuned all the channels. After that I reconnected the flylead and retuned again. I got all the channels and when I checked the signal strength, it showed about 80% signal level and also on all the channels it showed medium quality strength. In the past whenever it showed medium I always got a good picture without any pixilation. The only time I got no picture in the past when it showed poor quality. But now, even showing medium quality I get only pixilation and no picture at all on any of the channels. What is going on here? Shouldn't I get a picture when it shows MEDIUM quality signal strength as before???

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Floyd's 18 posts GB flag
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M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:35 PM

keith: The BBC is now stopping the very limited amount of 3D programming it did show, so unless you have a full Sky package, 3D programmes are not a reason to buy a TV.

However, as I keep telling my customers, 3D TV's are a very good buy, but its nothing to do with 3D.

A decent 40/42 inch main room TV can be had from one one of the four big manufacturers for £499 - Buy LG 42LN575V LED HD 1080p Smart TV, 42" with Freeview HD online at John Lewis - this will have 100hz screen (OK - how thats calculated is open to discussion, but its still a good spec), it will be smart, it will have wifi built in, and 3 HDMI's (the Sony has 2). The Samsung 5500 is the same price (although not best in class any longer, I think the LG is slightly better, but its just my opinion), while the very good Panasonic E6 is £579, as is the Sony W635. Its interesting to note that LG makes the panels for Panasonic and Sony as well. I'm happy recommending any of them.

The 100hz is important - the higher that number, the better the picture (its called the refresh rate, and a screen will always be at least 50hz). Have a look in a TV showroom - an 800hz screen will look fantastic - but will be around £1400 in a 40/42in.

The basic difference in the price is largely made up by the quality of the panel. If you look at 100hz screen when there is a lot of movement, or when the credits come at the end of a film, it will 'smear' slightly - the screen can't render the picture quite fast enough - you might not notice it, but I do!

A 200hz screen will cope much better, a 400hz much much better still, and 800hz will be perfect (plasma is calculated in a different way). Get the best you can for your money - I assume you'll be having the TV for a while, so the extra cost of the better panel is money well spent - its pretty much the only thing you can't improve on a modern TV once you've bought it.

The thing is that an LG 42in TV with a 200hz screen (the 620) is only £100 more than the 2D TV - so excellent value - its also 3D. The 200hz is the important bit, 3D is just there for free. Since they don't make 100hz screens with 3D, 3D signifies a better picture. Thats the reason to buy a 3D TV.

The sermon now endeth... (PE12QN)

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Monday, 15 July 2013
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:16 AM

Floyd: With regards to you latter question, in theory yes! but though you have to appreciate the indications being seen on your Acoustic Solutions TV are not by any means accurate when compared to that indicated if measured using a proper signal strength meter, and so the only way of pinning your problem is by having a on-site investigation carried out by an experienced engineer armed with suitable measuring equipment, this in my opinion NOT being the person who was previously involved.

However, as this action would obviously involve a charge plus other hassle's (finding an "engineer") this whole issue could really be sorted out by yourself dependant on whether or not you are on friendly terms with your neighbours, this to the extent that any of them "who have previously reported good reception on your problem channels" would be good enough to allow you to retune your Acoustic Solutions TV on their aerial connection, although if you managed to arrange this then in the interests of accuracy it should only really be carried out whilst your reception is down, but if your TV proved as being OK on your neighbours aerial system but NOT when reinstalled back on your own apartment then its rather obvious where the problem is, i.e: the input feed from the communal aerial system.

That said, on checking back as early as June 2012 I noticed that you were having reception problems of a similar nature involving a brand new Goodman's GDR11, and so this coupled to the fact that parts of your area are known to experience poor reception from Sandy, hence why the local relay was provided, then I still have thoughts along the lines that this fact is the real reason for your problem.


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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
C
Chris Roberts
4:52 PM

My brother has recently bought a new freeview tv, and he had all the channels.
He has a communual aerial and from last week he can only receive 25 channels.
The building has at the moment got scaffolding, do you think that this could be blocking the signal?
I have checked his indoor aerial connections and they are ok.
Please can you help?

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Chris Roberts's 1 post GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:55 PM

Chris Roberts: Potentially. Does the scaffolding appear to be blocking the line of sight of the aerial? Or is the aerial protruding high on the roof where the scaffolding isn't likely to affect?

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
C
Chris Midgley
6:46 PM

Hello, I really enjoy your site, so thanks for all the work that goes into it. Just a note about the additional DAB transmitter at Emley Moor, not sure if you have reported it. Reception of the LEEDS MLPX is much improved at my location, Leeds from Morley was terrible, but I am behind the Morley beam. Kind regards Chris. Link to article below.

Barry Sheerman MP - Latest News

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Chris Midgley's 1 post GB flag
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

7:07 PM

Chris Midgley: The data is taken from the Ofcom DAB database directly, once the information is their update, it will show up on UK Free TV.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
Friday, 19 July 2013
T
Tim
9:07 AM

When will 4HD, on Freeview, be available in Wales please?

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Tim's 8 posts AU flag
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

9:44 AM

Tim: Today. Since S4C closed last year...

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
B
Bill Phillips
10:05 PM

I have a Sony DVD Recorder RDR-HXD970. Today the Freeview Digital EPG is missing.
I have tried a factory reset and the scan has found the correct channels but they are not being stored so I am unable to set a timer record. Do you know if the EPG has been changed in any way to cause this. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

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Bill Phillips's 3 posts GB flag
J
john
10:08 PM

Bill Phillips: hi bill myself and another have sony pvr seems they have an issue, i am no tech but have cleared all channels and retuned, still the same my father in law in wales has the same issue rdrhxd890

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john's 2 posts GB flag
B
Bill Phillips
10:12 PM

john: My Son and Granddaughter have telephoned both of their Sony machines have failed in the same manner. Factory reset has not worked on this occasion. I hope some kind techie can help us.

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Bill Phillips's 3 posts GB flag
J
Janet
10:19 PM
Yelverton

Bill Phillips: Yes it's the same for me. Sony hardrive. Epg disappeared today and cannot retune. Sony TV epg ok though.

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Janet's 1 post GB flag
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R
Russ Coxon
10:27 PM

Bill Phillips: Our Sony RDR-HX890 stopped working this evening at 9:30pm. No channels or EPG yet the scan seems to find channels happily. The RF tuning indicator gives 80+% for a few seconds then crashes. I am guessing there has been a software update which hasn't worked but there is no indication of Sony carrying out an update at the moment.

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Russ Coxon's 2 posts GB flag
V
Victoria
10:30 PM
Truro

Russ Coxon: I have the same problem in Truro, Cornwall

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Victoria's 10 posts GB flag
Victoria's: mapV's Freeview map terrainV's terrain plot wavesV's frequency data V's Freeview Detailed Coverage
S
Steve
10:48 PM

Bill Phillips: Hi Bill i have the same problem in Chester from today 19th July, hope someone can help!

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Steve's 2 posts GB flag
L
Lindsay
10:57 PM

Steve: same here too in Derby

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Lindsay's 1 post GB flag
S
Steve Roberts
11:01 PM

Russ Coxon: Same here in West London, I know of four 870's here and one in Eastbourne that have lost Freeview tonight.

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Steve Roberts's 2 posts GB flag
B
Bill Phillips
11:14 PM

Steve Roberts: I live in Kent and the responses here suggest that this problem is possibly more widespread. These recorders have proven to be very capable and durable and it will be a shame if we have to scrap them because of an update.

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Bill Phillips's 3 posts GB flag
S
Steve Roberts
11:36 PM

Everybody go here and report it - it's a bit of a faff to fill in, but hopefully should get some action: Radio & Television Investigation Service

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Steve Roberts's 2 posts GB flag
M
M wilkinson
11:58 PM

Steve Roberts: me too in Cambridge

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M wilkinson's 3 posts GB flag
Saturday, 20 July 2013
C
Clive Baldwin
12:16 AM

Clive in Milton Keynes

Glad I found this - have spent some time rebooting etc since 10 pm. Exactly the same as Russ Coxon - finds channels after I have reset but no signal. I have Sony 870 also.

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Clive Baldwin's 2 posts GB flag
A
Alan C
1:06 AM

I have two of these Sony boxes and both have the same problem (South Devon, Torbay) Missed being able to record a few progs (from abt 7.30pm) so I'm furious!!!! Do we just sit and wait while Sony does something to correct it's mistake? Suppose we'll have to!

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Alan C's 5 posts GB flag
C
Clive Baldwin
9:46 AM

Sony problem. This morning my machine has gone into 'update' but has been stuck there for over an hour. Anyone have anything similar? There is no-one on the phone at Sony today but you can contact them via email at the Sony UK site, which I have done. Perhaps others want to do the same.

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Clive Baldwin's 2 posts GB flag
J
john
10:01 AM

Clive Baldwin: This sony issues is widespread and appears to be due to the auto update feature, software disagreeing with hardware. Best to contact sony.

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