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My high gain aerial can't get all the Freeview channels I expected

My high gain aerial can't get all the Freeview channels I expected

My high gain aerial can't get all the Freeview channels I e
published on UK Free TV

You need a "wideband" aerial rather than a high gain one (see all about aerials). Also, if you use a signal booster in the setup, this can cause problems with digital signals.

Can I suggest that you try the following:

1. Check that all the connectors are OK, in particular that there are no stray wires and that both the outer shield and inner wire are connected;

2. If you are using any signal boosters, turn them off;

3. Check to see if you have anything like a VCR connected via a UHF fly lead - sometimes these can changed to use channels such as 68.

4. If you have a wideband aerial, if you can try raising it up an additional metre;

See also all about aerials.



All questions
BBC Three Linear channel re-opens1
Removing all barriers to communication between diverse cultures2
How do I get a test card with Freeview3
What can I do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fau4
Can I receive UK TV in Ghana?5
In this section
My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+1, has no sound o1
I have now lost all signal can you tell me what the problem might be?2
I have a Durabrand cg5660-m and I need the lock key code!3
What is the Inversion Effect and why does it effect my Freeview TV reception? 4
My ITV/C4 Freeview channels have disappeared - what can I do? Is it my SCART ca5
What are the aerial types about? Are they high-gain?6

Comments
Sunday, 3 April 2011
C
Chris Hughes
7:46 PM
Leicester

We're now getting small red dots or squares on most channels (near the right side of the screen, about half way down). Is this an indicator of poor signal strength? The cahnnel reception seem to be OK. And we're now not getting two channels that we were before, Fiver and Five USA. We got a new arial for digital TV about 9 years ago, pointing at the Waltham transmitter. Our postcode is LE2 1WG.

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Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

7:56 AM

Chris Hughes: It is most likely to indicate a problem with the set-top box you are using.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
Monday, 18 April 2011
M
Mike Rowe
9:30 AM
Wisbech

Just changed over to BT vision and checking the digital switchover site it said I should be able to receive sky sports 1 and 2 however I cannot get them. I have tried a rescan but still no good. Is this possible and if so is it my arial at fault do you think (IE not wideband) My postcode is pe14 9pq

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Mike Rowe's 1 post GB flag
Mike's: ...
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

2:17 PM

Mike Rowe: Yes, you will need a wideband aerial to receive Multiplex ArqB (also ArqA and SDN) from the Sandy Heath transmitter.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
Friday, 29 April 2011
F
Frinnie
9:25 PM
Aberdeen

We had lots and lots of channels including Film4 and ITV3 before digital switchover. We lost a lot of channels at switchover, and had a new aerial put up. He said we needed a high-gain aerial and it cost 140+VAT. The aerial is on the southern end of our roof. The old Freeview set at thetop of the house has all the channels fine. There is a new connecting box with an amplifier in the roof rafters and then the feed comes to our downstairs Plasma Freeview TV. As I mentioned, it used to have lots and lots of channels including Film4 and ITV3. Now we have 18 only, and despite automatic and manual retuning nothing changes.

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Frinnie's 2 posts GB flag
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F
Frinnie
9:25 PM
Aberdeen

Ao I wonder if you could very kindly help us - we would be so grateful. Thanks in advance, Frinnie

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F
Frinnie
9:26 PM
Aberdeen

Sorry, that's an incomplete email address - here is the full one.


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Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Saturday, 7 May 2011
S
sue evans
7:29 PM

Why do we only have a few freeview channels? We live in Stroud in Gloucestershire and having talked to various people this seems to be common.
Any suggestions would be most welcome.

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sue evans's 1 post GB flag
H
Harry
7:57 PM
Oldham

sue evans: This is because the transmitter you are receiving from is a freeview 'lite' transmitter and only carries a few channels. The only transmitters that offer a full freeview service are all of the main transmitters and also relays that serve a large coverage area. If you supply your postcode, there may be a full service freeview transmitter available.

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Harry's 16 posts GB flag
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Thursday, 19 May 2011
M
mike green
1:05 PM
Bournemouth

i have an "old" 25 year old aerial,currently feeding two sets via a splitter.the splitter and aerial are both located in the loft and untill recently ,about a week,worked well.now both are experiencing break up of non bbc channells.

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Friday, 20 May 2011
B
Bill Wallace
sentiment_satisfiedBronze

9:58 AM
Towcester

Mike Green's post regarding the use of a splitter prompts this cautionary note. Unless the splitter has both output ports terminated with the characteristic impedance of the aerial and its downlead/s (usually 75ohms) either at the splitter or the far end of the distribution cable - eg, the TV - AT ALL TIMES, any cables connected to it will act at "stubs" and will create standing waves, possibly resulting in the equivalent of a shortcircuit (or open circuit) at the aerial at some frequencies.

Equally, the current changes from analogue to digital may result in some channels being beyond the frequency range of the aerial (check the Group for the latter). If the required channels are very disparate (eg, some down at channel 24 and 27 and others at 67 as I have) the best results will come from a wide band aerial (eg. a log periodic array). But because these rarely have an overall gain of more than 10dBi (much less than so-called "hi-gain" aerials), a masthead or similar amplifier (possibly with a passive hybrid distribution system) will probably be required.

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Bill Wallace's 43 posts GB flag
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M
mike green
12:10 PM
Bournemouth

thaks for the replies ,but i had "perfect" repction untill recently ,on both sets.i have retuned both sets but still have poor recepion on non bbc channels,ie picture breaks into blocks.any firthe advice please

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mike green's 13 posts GB flag
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M
mike green
12:21 PM
Bournemouth

further research shows taht only some of the mutiplex are affected ,do i pop to b&q and buy a new aerial?

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Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

1:09 PM

mike green: I would suggest you also consider replacing the cable - use satellite-grade coaxial cable. The cable often deteriorates before the actual aerial does.

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M
mike green
1:22 PM
Bournemouth

thanks briantist difficult as the cabling for both sets runs thru the wall cavity

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Saturday, 21 May 2011
M
mike green
7:44 AM
Bournemouth

strange this happen ,tv two is now ok[newest but farthest from aerial ,sony flat screen)tv one (panasonic crt)i have replaced the coax (6ft)hand made with new with moulded plugs seems ok.many thanks

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Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

11:12 AM

mike green: I am pleased to hear that everything is OK.

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Sunday, 22 May 2011
M
mike green
8:58 AM
Bournemouth

celebrations a bit premature,lost itv 1,c4 etc last night ,still not good ,ie blocking ,this morning!

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Monday, 6 June 2011
M
mike green
10:52 AM
Bournemouth

help the signal for both sets is erratic,please advise ,i am loosing what hair i have left

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Thursday, 9 June 2011
R
Raymond Cowie
9:46 PM
Glasgow

My Postcode: G45 9LU
Hi,
I have 3 TV's and 2 different Models of Set top boxes one of which is a Sagem ITD68 and the other two are a cheap as chips make ONN (OSTB01) which I bought from Asda for £20 each.
I live in Glasgow and we have just been through the Digital Switchover and so I have had to Retune all of the aforementioned Set Top Boxes.
Basically the problem is that both the cheap ONN models pick up a total of approx 140 channels each including the Film4 channel which is the channel I want most, while the Sagem only picks up a total of approx 95 channels and doesn't pick up the Film4 channel which I really want.
Is there a reason why the Sagem ITD68 box doesn't pick up the Film4 channel and why it only picks up 95 channels(including 30 radio channels) compared to the 140 channels(including radio and the Film4 channel) that the other two cheap boxes pick up.Hope you can help.
Yours Sincerely,
Ray Cowie

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Monday, 13 June 2011
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

7:33 PM

Raymond Cowie: I would probably wait until switchover is complete a week on Wednesday before altering any of your equipment.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
M
mike green
10:18 AM
Bournemouth

followed your advice ,but am still at a loss as on sunday ,in the wind and rain lost itv ch4 and ch5.but now tuesday in the sun they are fine
regards michael

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J
John Keegan
8:47 PM

Join the club. We frequently lose the signal from the Melling transmitter which is 3.8 miles in direct line of site from our roof mounted arial, which needs a booster to recieve any signal at all. We have direct line of site with our house being at 158ft and the transmitter at 328ft and no high ground in between. We loose all channels except BBC regularly and whenever there is bad weather we loose all chanels.

Frankly Digital is a great disapointment.

Having checked with many others in the village this is not only my experience but everyone receiving digital on other than satelite are experiencing the same thing.

Its OK for the transmitter authorities to say that there have been no complaints but no one seems to know how to complain. If you don't have a computer, and few in this rural community do, then you don't stand a chance.

And we pay the same licence fee as everyone else!!

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J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:28 PM

John Keegan: Just out of curiosity, what is the signal / quality level showing at when checked in the tuning menu section? with the test also being carried out if the picture vanishes, as even although there isn't anything on the screen the signal / quality level will still be there, and its the difference from the previous indications I am interested in knowing.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
M
mike green
8:48 AM
Bournemouth

signal quality drops to 40% and below,i am beamed from rowridge ,IOW and can see the island from the end of my road.

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Tuesday, 28 June 2011
E
Elizabeth Forsyth
8:36 PM
Renfrew

Retuned tv dates as recommended. Had freeview previously. All channels ok. When retuned on 22nd now only have bbc. tv does not allow me to retune - as if the tv is not responding. Have same tv in room opposite - works fine. Tv aerial 2 years old - new digital. Sky downstairs no problem. Switched off tv and aerial from mains, reconnected but still the same - tv does not respond to remote control - tried other same remote control - same result - similar to computer as if frozen. Can you help? Many thanks Elizabeth.

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Wednesday, 29 June 2011
M
Mike Dimmick
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:42 PM

Elizabeth Forsyth: Find out where the infra-red receiver for the TV is. There might be a little 'IR' symbol next to it, or it might be a visible glossy plastic window. Check that there's nothing blocking the path for infra-red light to pass between the remote and the TV's IR sensor. Also check that the IR sensor is clean, it's common to get fingerprints over them.

If none of this helps, you will need to get the TV serviced.

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Mike Dimmick's 2,486 posts GB flag
Sunday, 10 July 2011
M
mike green
3:33 PM
Bournemouth

having played around and checked all the sockets and cables i now have a full range of freeview on one set only,the second set still does not receive the itv/4/5 multi

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Sunday, 24 July 2011
P
Patti
7:14 PM
Arundel

Aerial is on roof - fitted new in 2005. Had booster fitted (professionally) in 2009 when we bought additional flat screen TV for bedroom. We have lost many freeview channels, and have intermittent trouble with interference on ALL commercial stations (on both TVs) but BBC channels always seem to be OK. This seems to occur mostly early evening. Have checked cables etc. Had some high winds last month. We are immediately below the scarp (North) slope of the South Downs - could this have some effect?

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Patti's 2 posts GB flag
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Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Monday, 1 August 2011
L
lawrence.mclay
2:24 PM

i wont a freeview in my flat but cant have a aerial put up so how can i get round this

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lawrence.mclay's 1 post GB flag
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

7:09 AM

lawrence.mclay: A rooftop aerial is required for Freeview reception. You have a legal right to have access to the Freeview signal, so I would be more insistent.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
Monday, 8 August 2011
P
Pam
2:22 PM

I have no aerial at the moment and wish to install a brand new one for 2012. I would like to install this on the side of my semi-detached house on a long mast rather than on the chimney stack. Would this be o.k. Also how do I decide what type of Aerial to purchase and from whom - are the ones in B&Q, Argos, ScrewFix etc. good enough or do I need to buy one from a specialist shop? Do you have any recommendations. Of course I would like to get the best and would like it for 4 different rooms in my house - two upstairs and two downstairs. Your advise would be much appreciated. Currently I am just using indoor aerials on my two extremely old tv's.

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Pam's 1 post US flag
P
Paul B
3:03 PM
Edgware

What a fantastic resource.

For an aerial attached to side of house near the eaves, or fascia board - how high would the aerial have to be in an area with no tall trees, and the tops of neighbours hip & valley roofs reaching about 7-8ft above the guttering? The house is at a relatively high point in the area.

Could the height of aerial be supported on a crank mast or would it have to be supported by what people call 'T&K brackets'? I am intending on getting a pro to fit it.

Also, I would like a socket in the lounge and on the first floor back bedroom. How would that work - bring a single cable into the house and have a splitter inside and route the cable upstairs somehow, or split the cable outside and have it coming in at two separate points?

Is it true that having too 'loud' a signal can be a problem - above 65dB? Would a fancy high gain aerial not be a good move?

Many thanks!


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J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:49 PM

Pam: Its quite impossible for anyone to offer advice of this nature when you haven't given any clues as to your whereabouts, this in the interests of accuracy preferably in the form of a post code!

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M
Mazbar
sentiment_satisfiedGold

6:48 PM
Ormskirk

Paul t and k brackets are allways better than a small bracket with a crank mast this cost more but in a high wind you will be pleased you spent the extra money . As for running two points there are a number of ways of ouing this if you are in a very good reception area you could have 2 standard aerials or a slightly larger aerial with a external splitter or if you intend on running more points you can get splitters up to 8 outputs but this would need a very good high gain aerial. If you are in a medium to poor signal area 1 good aerial with a multi output masthead amp would work but allways get an amp with more outputs than you need now because you never know when you will want extra points.

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Mazbar's 384 posts GB flag
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Saturday, 13 August 2011
K
k.forrest
11:39 AM

Have lost STV , channel 4, 5 pretty much all we now get is BBC and music channel.
we do not have sky and our Aerial is in the loft.
Prior to digital switch over we had perfect reception and now virtually nothing .
Its infuriating , i have retuned several times a day but still stv and channel 4 are missing , either displays a no signal message or the picture is extreamly distorted with no sound .

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k.forrest's 1 post GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_satisfiedBronze

8:32 PM

k.forrest: To enable anyone to provide an answer to what is obviously a reception problem they have to be aware of a persons location, (post code preferable) this for purposes of checking the reception possibilities for that particular area, and with this especially applying when STV is mentioned as it covers such a vast area in Scotland involving more than one transmitting station.

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jb38's 22 posts GB flag
Thursday, 18 August 2011
K
Ken Fitzsimmons
7:47 PM
Great Yarmouth

I did recieve all freeview channels from the Taccleston transmitter. On the 17th August we had to do a retune which I did, but all the stations that moved to Channel 68 from channel 61 I can no longer recieve(PICK TV, Dave, Really, E4+1, Big Deal, Create and Craft, Price Drop TV, Gems TV 1, PICK TV +1, Daystar TV, Food Network and Sky News) Would appreciatte some advice

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Friday, 19 August 2011
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
R
RJPearce
5:21 PM
Swadlincote

RJP 23rd august,could you please inform me,(as i come off the sutton transmitter) is my area de12 7er a low/medium/or good reception area,and would i need a wide band & or high gain aerial for all & freeview channels for good reception,& would it be advisable on roof or loft?,thanking you in advance for your help,Ray.







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RJPearce's: ...
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

8:50 AM

RJPearce: You are in a high quality reception area for the Sutton Coldfield transmitter.

If you want all services from the transmitter you will need a wideband aerial, at least until 21st September 2011 when a class B aerial will be best.

You must put your aerial on the roof.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
Friday, 9 September 2011
B
Bob McAteer
2:13 PM
Lanark

My aerial is mounted on the roof pointing towards Darvel (20.8 miles from here ,unlike every other aerial in the street who are pointed towards Blackhill-13.2 miles from here)this was done about 5years ago by a "t.v. engineer"???? to reduce a problem at the time of ghosting on two channels.With the vast array of aerials on the market I am not sure that t.v. engineer wil fit the most advantageous one for me.

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Bob McAteer's 2 posts GB flag
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Saturday, 10 September 2011
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

11:03 PM

Bob McAteer: To use the Black Hill transmitter from your location you need the most standard of aerials, as long as it is on the roof.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
S
Steve
10:07 PM
Basildon

I am in SS13 1HG and have just put up a new Blake DMX10WB 52 element aerial to get Freeview from the Sudbury transmitter as advised it would be the best reception for my location.
Did not know what way to point as seems every aerial around here is pointing in a different direction.
I did a scan on my tv and got 5 terrible quality channels, i tried to fine scan but made no difference, next i slowly turned the aerial through 360 degrees but no improvement.
The aerial is on the side of the house in the apex on the top of a 10 foot pole as we do not have a chimney....could it be that it is too high?
Help greatly appreciated

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Steve's 2 posts GB flag
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Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

10:11 PM

Steve: You should get three multiplexes from Sudbury at the moment, but it no longer transmits analogue, so don't worry about that.

It will provide all services to you from 27th June 2012. It is 51km away at 19 degrees, which is just a little off north.

It is not likely the aerial is too hgih.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
Monday, 26 September 2011
J
john barker
1:27 PM

Hi, and many thanks for all your previous answers. My question is; i live in Stoke area (staffs moorlands) i have installed a freeview box for tv upstairs, i get really great pics, but only 20 tv and 11 radio channels, i cant get itv3/4 and shopping channels ect, i have also helped out a old couple with a new freeview tv and tv set top box, they live about 1 mile from me but they get the same channels, an old man living over the road i helped got over 100 channels, why can i get on 31 channels

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J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

3:18 PM

john barker: Unfortunately the question is not easy to answer without having a post code for reference, as the reception possibilities associated with your exact location cannot be checked on.

In general terms though, when one person gets more channels than someone else, its either because channels have been picked up from a different station, or that the area concerned is a difficult one for reception where one side of a street can receive a different level of signal from the other, this not being uncommon!

Of course the sensitivity of the tuners fitted in equipment can vary between different brands of TV's / boxes, and that can also make a difference to whats picked up.

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J
john barker
4:21 PM
Leek

st13 7ej is post code, we only get 20 tv channels and 11 radio.

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john barker's 4 posts GB flag
john's: ...
I
Iain
6:06 PM
Leek

I must live near you John

I only get a few freeview channels and no itv3/4

Someone told me to ensure my Aerial lead goes directly into the TV, NOT via the VCR (which I still use!)

I'm going to try that next

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Iain's 9 posts GB flag
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Tuesday, 27 September 2011
J
john barker
7:27 AM

Iian, yes Chedd, i have 2 tv `s in back bedrooms, i tried there too, no joy just the same 31 channels, and direct from the aerial

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john barker's 4 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
J
john barker
5:26 PM

I take it you have no answers with our postcodes

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K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

6:39 PM

john barker: You don't say what aerial you are using. If it is pointing at the Leek relay (set for vertical polarisation, at 26 degrees/ NNE) you will only receive the PSB muxes as this is a Freeview Lite transmitter.On the other hand the Digital UK postcode checker predicts that with an aerial on Winter Hill you should have reasonably good reception on all six muxes. Aerial set for horizontal polarisation and pointing NNW at 333 degrees for Winter Hill. Sutton Coldfield is shown as currently giving poor reception on SDN and ArqA, but good reception on ArqB and the PSB muxes. Aerial set for horizontal polarisation and pointing SSE at 165 degrees for Sutton Coldfield. Predicted reception is of course dependent on there being no local obstructions such as trees or tall buildings in the signal path.

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

6:50 PM

Iain: You are predicted to have good reception on all six muxes from Sutton Coldfield at present, but this deteriorates to variable for the COM muxes in late 2012. Winter Hill currently gives good reception on the HD mux and ArqB, this improves in late 2012 to give (reasonably) good reception on all six muxes.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
Sunday, 2 October 2011
M
mary
12:35 PM
London

I installed new tv with built in freeview this morning. retuned several times, still no itv 1. Aerial is new one on roof

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mary's 1 post GB flag
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H
Heidi
1:54 PM
Halesowen

Hi,currently using Virgin cable TV so didn't worry about the freeview until I purchased a new LG TV yesterday with built-in Freeview. Plugged aerial into new TV, did the auto tuning but no channels can be found. Have unplugged the Virgin box from the downstairs TV and tried to re-tune freeview on that but same problem exists - no channels found. When going into the system information log on my old tv, "no signal" is coming up but I can't see anything wrong with the aerial which is located on the roof of our house. Can anyone help? Postcode is B63 4PB . Many thanks H .

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Heidi's 1 post GB flag
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Wednesday, 5 October 2011
M
michael green
9:54 AM

i find itv 3 breaks up on late night recording any ideas?

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J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:10 AM

michael green: Its impossible to assist when you havent mentioned your location (pref: post code) as its not known what transmitter you are receiving from, ITV3 on some temporarily being on low power.

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

10:22 AM

Heidi: You are forecast as being able to receive from either Halesowen (@ 1mile) or Sutton Coldfield (@ 14miles)

If its Sutton Coldfield then your signal could be too strong which could be blocking your tuner, so for a test if you have access to a set top aerial connect into your TV and carry out a retune, if you get any results (no matter of what sort) then you will require to purchase a simple attenuator to place in line with your TV's aerial socket.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Thursday, 6 October 2011
J
Jason
11:03 AM
Cardiff

Hi, have been unable to pick up sky news on Freeview for past week, have retuned numerous times on all 3 tv's we have which have separate boxes, Any advice?

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Jason's 1 post GB flag
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S
Scott Sanford
10:29 PM

mary: I have freeview on my new tv. I have the recommended ariel for my area and all i can receive is bbc channels! Can you please help? Thanks

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Scott Sanford's 1 post GB flag
Sunday, 9 October 2011
R
Rodders
1:11 PM
Chippenham

Retuned my tv and have now lost film 4 and quest and a few musuc channels
I have tried unplugging the booster box, but makes no difference
I live in Chippenham, Wiltshire
Can anyone help

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Rodders's 1 post GB flag
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Monday, 10 October 2011
S
sue
11:50 AM

i have a new lcd tv inthe bedroom which has built in freeview but i can only get a few channels on it all the ithers say 'no signal' so i bought a new ariel which is a one for all an covers all the tvs in the house (even tho i have sky downstairs) and it still doesnt work , so i plugged my freeview box back in to see if that worked with the new ariel and i can only get terrestial chanels. the ariel is on top of my wardrobe near the window and i have tried adjusting it several times. my postcode is cf236us

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sue's 1 post GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:00 PM

sue: Your nearest station is Wenvoe (@ 7mls / 233 degrees) although you are also forecast as being able to receive Mendip (@ 30mls / 131 degrees) at the same level, although I do have my doubts about that indication, that said, there is also a Freeview "Light" (limited channels) transmitter called Mynydd Machen (@ 6 mls / 16 degrees) although its indicated as being variable for reception, but because it uses low channel numbers it may be shoving the ones you want up into the EPG 800 ranges, so check up there to see if this applies.

If by the way it does, then you should blank the channels stored out by scanning without the aerial connected, (or reset box) then before reconnecting the aerial start another auto-tune whilst watching the channels rise in the progress bar, and as soon as they pass about Ch35 reconnect the aerial and that will allow Wenvoe (or Mendip) to load. This said taking it that channels can be seen in the scanning progress bar, as in some boxes they cannot!

Freeview is terrestrial, and you should in theory be able to receive Wenvoe on that aerial, but this being totally dependant on whether or not you are in a screened location.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
P
Pam Whittle
7:47 AM
Bolton

The T.V.in the Living room does not receive all the channels that the T.V. in the Kitchen
doe's. Have tried rescaning etc, cananyone offer any advice?. We live in Bolton,so I
guess Winter Hill will be our for us.

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Pam Whittle's 1 post GB flag
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Thursday, 20 October 2011
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

7:26 AM

Pam Whittle: I would look at the Freeview reception has changed? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice page for suggestions.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
B
Bill
8:35 AM

My postcode is CA17 and we don't get DAVE or YESTERDAY among our allocated freeview channels. Is there any way around this? - e.g. using high gain aerial + booster and / or pointing aerial at a transmitter which does all freeview channels?

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Bill's 3 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:11 AM

Bill: Maybe so! but Caldbeck which I assume you are referring to, is only transmitting on high power on its main PSB services, the commercial multiplexes reportedly on low power until 2012.

Main PSB on 100Kw, COM's on 15Kw, which at your approximate distance of 36 miles away could well be difficult to receive, if not indeed impossible in areas such as yours.

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Mike Dimmick
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:46 PM

jb38: Caldbeck COM muxes are on low power until 24 October 2012, to reduce interference to the low-power digital services at Divis (Mux 1, A and B). Divis completes switchover on 24/10/2012.

Bill: You might be using a Freeview Light transmitter such as Kirkby Stephen - in which case replacing the aerial with a good quality Group A design, horizontally polarized and pointed at Caldbeck, may still produce good results. We need a full postcode to give a better answer.

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Mike Dimmick's 2,486 posts GB flag
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jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:51 PM

Mike Dimmick: Thanks for that info, I knew it was sometime 2012 but the exact date, and yes! on reading Bill's posting again it would appear that he is actually stating that his area is not allocated these COM channels, this really confirming what you mentioned regarding his aerial possibly pointing to Kirkby Stephen.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
B
Bill
9:02 AM
Kirkby Stephen

Mike / jb38 - Thanks for that. Full postcode is CA17 4NQ. As far as I know current signal is received from (relay?)xmitter on top of ash fell which is within 1/4 mile and I can actually see it (if I go on the roof!)but I believe it's v low power. In any case it doesn't xmit DAVE or YESTERDAY on freeview!

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Bill's 3 posts GB flag
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Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

9:08 AM

Bill: Your local relay is Ravenstonedale.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
B
Bill
1:19 PM

Briantist,
Don,t take this the wrong way, but the relay I refered to on ash fell is no doubt listed as "Ravenstonedale" (which is the village where we live.

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Bill's 3 posts GB flag
T
tony
2:30 PM
Great Yarmouth

Hi there ,

retuned my digi box today , and have have all channels but not the bbc's ie , BBC 1,2,3, and new24 , my postcode is nr30 2jd , great yarmouth area, as the screen said update i did ,my box worked fine untill with all channnels untill this update !!! if this is how change over is goiner work, what a pain, any1 know whats up

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tony's 2 posts GB flag
tony's: ...
M
Mike Dimmick
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

2:58 PM

tony: First, make sure you do a full retune - also called first-time installation, full reset, factory reset, virgin mode, default setting. It may be under the Software Update menu rather than under Installation or Tuning. Some boxes won't store channels that they think they already know about, you have to clear the existing channel list. You'll need to do this again on the 23rd.

Check whether your box is on the list of equipment that is known not to work with 8K mode - http://www.digitaluk.co.u…ment . If you haven't retuned for a long time it could also have a problem with a larger Network Information Table - see http://www.digitaluk.co.u…tnit .

There are also some boxes which have a bug meaning they can't pick up transmissions in 8K mode when there is a negative frequency offset. The box will say 'T810' on its sticker somewhere. See Unofficial Vestel PVR Information (UK) - T810 Freeview Recorder and Unofficial Vestel PVR Information (UK) - Digital Switchover for more information on those.

Assuming you didn't have any trouble with BBC Two analogue before switchover, it's unlikely to be single-frequency interference. It could be that the total signal level received is now too large, though, now that the new Great Yarmouth transmitter has started up.

If the BBC channels are stored - after doing the full reset - but are too weak to actually use, your box may have tuned into Great Yarmouth rather than Tacolneston. There may be a working set up at 800 or so in the channel list. In that case, see Digital Region Overlap for thoughts on how to sort this out.

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Mike Dimmick's 2,486 posts GB flag
M
Mike Dimmick
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

3:08 PM

Bill: Yes, the Ravenstonedale transmitter is 'Freeview Light', it only carries the three public service multiplexes, so you wouldn't expect to get Dave or Yesterday.

The predictor shows a poor chance of getting reliable reception of the commercial muxes from Caldbeck. The PSB muxes offer a good chance of reliable reception. You could try it, but you might need to have a particularly large aerial installation.

If you do this, Digital UK show that your reception of the commercial multiplexes from Caldbeck will get worse after the Bilsdale transmitter switches over next September, for about a month before Divis (Northern Ireland) switches over. Once that's done, Caldbeck's commercial muxes can go up to their full output power, restoring roughly the same (still poor) prediction.

It may be easier to go with satellite, although Dave and Yesterday are both Sky-exclusive subscription channels at present.

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Mike Dimmick's 2,486 posts GB flag
T
tony
3:20 PM

Ahhh well looks like the my settop box is out of date now , done whole retune , first time and all , still no bbc stations , another rip off i guess like the license fee !!! just to make me spend more ohh well

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tony's 2 posts GB flag
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

3:36 PM

Bill: I just posted the correct name as it turns into a link...

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Briantist's 38,929 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
A
Angela
10:01 AM
South Shields

Hi, bought a new tv with built in freeview and since installing its lost a few channels, can anyone help. the stand alone freeview box picked up all channels. NE33 4JY

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Angela's 1 post GB flag
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Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:47 PM

Angela: One possibility is that your TV decided to tune to the signals from the wrong transmitter. See this page for more info:

Digital Region Overlap | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice

The simplest and most generic guidance I can give you to make sure it is tuned correctly is to re-scan with the aerial unplugged and then plug it when it gets to 25%. The objective here is to have the aerial unplugged when it's scanning the frequencies used by the transmitter you don't want. (DN31NJ)

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:52 PM

Angela: One other thing; if you have a signal booster/amplifier, try removing it. See this page:

Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice (DN31NJ)

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Thursday, 24 November 2011
P
paul
10:36 AM
Keighley

i live in west yorkshire i re-tuned both my digital TV and my freeview+ box and itv4 breaks up badly it was fine before i re tuned i have lost some of the radio channels also BD21 3DB emley moor transmitter has anyone got any idea's

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paul's 1 post GB flag
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Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:49 AM

paul: I guess that if you're receiving directly from Emley Moor in Keighley that you must be in the flats which means that the aerial is high up?

I think that the problem might be that your receiver has tuned to the signal from the Keighley or Keighley Town transmitters.

Is your aerial definately on Emley and not one of the Keighley transmitters?

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:59 AM

paul: You will probably have to resort to manual tuning.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
I
Iain
9:18 PM
Leek

ST13 7FE

Good reception but limited freebies channels (about 10)

Thanks KMJ. So does anyone know how much a tv aerial chap will charge to move my aerial from Sutton Coldfield to Winter Hill?!

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Iain's 9 posts US flag
Iain's: mapI's Freeview map terrainI's terrain plot wavesI's frequency data I's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Thursday, 1 December 2011
K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

10:40 AM

Iain: Digital UK have revised their predictions. They have included data to take account of frequency changes at various sites to clear C61/C62 and also appear to have changed predicted reception data for 2012 to 2014. For your postcode Sutton Coldfield now shows no deterioration from the present time which is for 99% chance of having reliable reception for 99% of the time on the PSB muxes and 90% chance of reliable reception for the COM muxes. Winter Hill is not so good with only Mux BBCB and ArqB currently having a better than 70% chance of reliable reception, in 2013 Mux BBCA changes frequency to C50 and becomes 79% and ArqA changes to C49 with a 74% chance of reliable reception. The other muxes remain arround 60% chance of reliable reception. This is of course always subject to there being no local obstructions in the signal path. If your aerial is set for vertical polarisation and pointing to the Leek relay you will only receive the PSB muxes, however if it is pointing to Sutton Coldfield (rods horizontal) but does not currently receive the COM muxes it might need repositioning to null out possible interference from Moel-Y-Parc.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
I
Iain
2:50 PM

Thanks I will check that KMJ

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Iain's 9 posts US flag
J
Jonathan Ashenden
8:10 PM
Southampton

Hi, (rowridge)
I have 2 aerials in my loft.
the first one is a knackered old thing with about 10 straight bars going across and leads downstairs. this gives perfect picture in the living room. The 2nd is a new fancy hi gain thing with many x-wing style bars going across and a couple of large reflector things on the back and goes to my bedroom and this gives me about 4 channels - bbc1, 2, 3 and cbbc. I also use a booster but without it i even lose the 4 channels.
How do I solve this bizarre problem? I've looked around a few websites but not solved anything. My best guess is something about a wideband aerial. Is a wideband aerial similar to my knackered old thing. do I need one of those? or do i have to wait til march next year and everything will instantly work out?
its not the tv (tunes perfectly downstairs) or cable i use (tried 3 cables) and cant run another lead off the original knackered old thing.

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Jonathan Ashenden's 3 posts GB flag
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Friday, 2 December 2011
M
Mark Fletcher
sentiment_satisfiedGold

1:11 AM
Halifax

Jonathan Ashenden,Southampton.Yer first loft aerial you described as a "knackered old thing" giving perfect reception in yer living room,is it coloured red at the tip,if so its a group A aerial and as Rowridge mast is currently and remaining a group A transmitter as such only group A aerials,never a group W wideband aerial should ever be fitted on a group A transmitter in poor reception or marginal areas within Rowridge itself.Which nicely comes to the point you mentioned about yer second loft aerial,which appears what you stated to be a newish X-Beam type aerial is it coloured black at the tip,then that will be a group W wideband aerial as such,and the wrong aerial come to that for a group A mast like Rowridge in a poor/marginal area.You do not need a group W wideband aerial as such on Rowridge,but only group A aerials.Look up the ATV (Aerials and Television) of Sheffield website,you will find that a group A Yagi 18A aerial,X-Beam XB16A for outdoor mounts or an X-Beam XB10A for loft mounts are recommended options in your locality.

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Mark Fletcher's 673 posts GB flag
Mark's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:05 PM

Jonathan Ashenden: I second Mark's suggestion to look at the ATV website for loads of information on aerials.

It is worth bearing in mind that when switchover has happened, the transmission power will be increased. This means that any improvements/changes you make to your aerial setup are only of benefit pre-switchover as you current one *might* work after switchover.

After switchover, Rowridge will broadcast horizontally and vertically (it only does the former now). You will be best advised to re-orientate your aerials to vertical after switchover so as to have the greatest chance of getting the commercial multiplexes as they will be on lower power horizontally than vertically.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
J
Jonathan Ashenden
3:19 PM
Southampton

Bought the XB10A. Fingers crossed!
I'll give update when it arrives.
Anyone want to buy a fancy wideband aerial?

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Jonathan Ashenden's 3 posts EU flag
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Friday, 16 December 2011
B
brian
6:27 PM

I have strange issue. I have roof top ariel pointed at winter hill (WN60PZ). Between ariel and transmitter is a row of trees so I boost the signal with an amp that also splits the feed to three rooms. One in the bedroom, one in the kitchen, one in the front room).

The bedroom and kitchen recieve all channels full strength. The TV in the front room only receives small number of channels. I've swapped all cables, TVs, and booster ports and results are always the same. The channels I do receive in the living room TV (BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, ITV3, Pick, yest, Film4) all have 100 signal strenth and quality. Can anyone help??

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brian's 1 post GB flag
M
Mazbar
sentiment_satisfiedGold

7:01 PM

Brian in standish you should have great signal even with the trees have you moved your main tv to another point to check the tv is ok if the tv is fine on the other points it is your aerial point dont forget to retune when you move the tv. If it works on the other point your cable could be faulty on your main tv hope this helps c and a aerials ormskirk

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Mazbar's 384 posts GB flag
J
jonathan ashenden
8:49 PM

XB10A works perfectly. Thanks to Mark Fletcher and Dave Lindsay for your help.

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jonathan ashenden's 1 post GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:00 PM

jonathan ashenden: Good to hear that you got it sorted.

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
Dave Lindsay
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:01 PM

jonathan ashenden: Out of interest, have you mounted your XB10A on the roof or in the loft?

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Dave Lindsay's 5,724 posts GB flag
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