menuMENU    UK Free TV logo Help!

 

 

Click to see updates

My ITV/C4 Freeview channels have disappeared - what can I do? Is it my SCART ca

My ITV/C4 Freeview channels have disappeared - what can I do? Is it my SCART cable?

My ITV/C4 Freeview channels have disappeared - what can I do?
published on UK Free TV

It is a feature of television signals that they can be effected by the weather. Aside from the obvious damaged that can be caused by wind or torrential rain, the onset of summer can cause a more intriguing problem called "inversion".

Basically, when the sun heats up the land, the hot air can get trapped below cold air at high level. This creates an "inversion layer" which acts like a polished mirror to TV signals. This causes two problems: you can receive both the original and a reflected signal from your own transmitter (on analogue TV this appears as "ghosting") or interference from TV transmitters that are normally too far distant.

The ITV/C4 multiplex of channels (ITV-1, ITV-2, ITV-3, ITV-4, CITV, C4, More4, E4, Quizcall) use a transmission "mode" called 64QAM, and it is sadly much more prone to these problems.

So, whilst a loft-mounted aerial will provide reception at some time, it will fail at others. The only real solution is to mount the aerial (or a new Class I aerial) outside on a pole, but some people report that changing the cable from the aerial to the set-top box to the high-grade satellite cable can also help.

The SCART connection, by the way, only carries a single TV picture, not the Freeview transmission multiplexes, so if this is disconnected it will result in degradation to every channel at once.



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 high gain aerial can't get all the Freeview channels I expected5
What are the aerial types about? Are they high-gain?6

Comments
Monday, 6 November 2023
S
Steve Donaldson
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

12:43 AM

Jen Franklin: Which transmitter does your aerial point to? Which way does your aerial point and are the elements horizontal (flat) or vertical (up/down)?

Looking at your road on Google Street View, aerials are pointing different ways, to different transmitters, a testament to the difficulty of reception in the area. At digital switchover a new transmitter started up in Bexhill, albeit carrying the PSB multiplexes, meaning many channels not available.

Many aerials are pointed to Heathfield, and if this is yours then it is down as having engineering works. As you are in a poor area for reception from Heathfield, if it is on reduced power then perhaps this would explain your issue.

The full list of Freeview channels is here:

Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview

Which ones are you missing? The "Mux" column identifies which multiplex they are carried on. If you are missing one programme channel on a particular multiplex you will be missing them all because it is the multiplex which you are not received.

The main multiplexes are:

PSB1 = BBC A
PSB2 = D3&4
PSB3 = BBC B
COM4 = SDN
COM5 = Arq A
COM6 = Arq B

link to this comment
Steve Donaldson's 188 posts GB flag
Monday, 8 January 2024
R
Richard
4:08 PM

I want to reset my password

link to this comment
Richard's 1 post GB flag
S
StevensOnln1
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:18 PM

Richard: What are you trying to reset your password for? There isn't any login required for UKFreeTV, you just put your details in the boxes below the comment form.

link to this comment
StevensOnln1's 3,604 posts GB flag
Thursday, 18 January 2024
C
Clive Borg
7:20 PM

Thursday January 18th 2024: The only tv channels we can receive today are the four BBC stations - all the others are missing. It seems impossible to contact the Waltham transmitter team and when Freeview were contacted yesterday, also proved both entirely ignorant of the issue and unwilling to investigate further. This has been going on all week: We even checked out our set-top box at another address some distance away and there's nothing wrong with it there. We live in Long Eaton, Derbyshire.

link to this comment
Clive Borg's 1 post GB flag
Friday, 19 January 2024
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:29 AM

Clive Borg:

Hello, I assume from your post the you are referring to the BBC SD channels on LCNs 1,2, 9 & 23.
Did you also check BBC News and Parliament on 231 & 232 and any Radio 700-710 which I assume you would get as well?

You haven't said if your box can get the HD channels on LCNs 101-107, do you get them? Those are transmitted on a different multiplex PSB3/BBCB HD from the BBC SD channels on PSB1/BBCA

Your general area shouldn't have problems getting good signals from Waltham, I can't find any specific faults listed for Waltham. However as noted on the Waltham transmitter page, it is currently listed for Planned Engineering this week, I hope you were told that, and there could be "Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels" which could mean occasional loss of signal as well if your specific location gets a weaker signal but as you haven't given a full postcode we can't advise on that!

I hope that you didn't retune at any point when you had any loss of signal or bad pixelation/sound breakup - you cannot tune to signals that aren't there or can't be decoded, the usual result is to clear your correct tuning.
Check in your Tuning section that you are correctly tuned to Waltham -
In the order PSBs1/BBCA, PSB2/D3&4, PSB3/BBCB HD, COM4/SDN, COM5/ArqA, COM6/ArqB, Local -
the UHF channels for Waltham are C32, C34, C35, C29, C37, C31, & C41.
You may/may not get reliable reception of the Local multiplex as that is lower power and beamed towards the main urban areas of Nottingham and Peterborough/Spalding.
If your Tuner doesn't get the HD channels you can ignore C35.,

Also do other obvious checks, that your aerial is still pointing correctly, it should be around compass bearing 108 degrees that's almost ESE for your locale, with its rods (or squashed Xs) horizontal.
Check your coax connections are clean and free of corrosion or water and connected correctly, problems like that won't always affect all multiplexes.

link to this comment
Chris.SE's 4,093 posts GB flag
Friday, 23 February 2024
R
Roy
12:13 PM

My Samsung TV guide shows channel re single numbers 1 onwards, but my free humax 5000t box has lost them, tried power on off redone channels new software, and humax free view guide will not show eg channel 10 itv3

link to this comment
Roy's 1 post GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:15 PM

Roy:

So you are getting all the channels without any problems on your Samsung?
How are the two devices connected to the aerial - via a splitter, or are they in tandem?
Which transmitter do you receive - need a full postcode if you aren't sure?

link to this comment
Chris.SE's 4,093 posts GB flag
Select more comments

Your comment please
Please post a question, answer or commentUK Free TV is here to help people. If you are rude or disrespectful all of your posts will be deleted and you will be banned.







Privacy policy: UK Free Privacy policy.