My ITV/C4 Freeview channels have disappeared - what can I do? Is it my SCART ca
Brian Butterworth 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
In this section
Thursday, 18 April 2013
J
jb3811:38 AM
Griffojack: The strength / quality being indicated on Ch55 should have been high enough to resolve a picture, although its entirely dependant on the equipment you are using as some devices require a higher quality level.
What you should try is to wipe out anything already stored on your TV / box by carrying out a "factory reset", this on some devices being referred to as "default setting" - "first time installation" or "reinstall all services" and once completed try manually tuning in Ch55 and storing any results, then go back into the EPG programme guide and check if RT or anything is seen listed, if so press on a programme just to ensure that it does actually resolve a picture and not just the case that its being indicated.
If though a picture is seen, then if your equipment has an "update channels" or "add channels" facility then you should select that to fill in the missing muxes, otherwise you will have to manually tune them in one at a time.
Winter Hills mux channels being: 50 (BBC) - 59 (ITV1) - 54 (HD) - 58 (SDN - ITV3 etc) - 49 (ArqA - Pick TV etc) - 55 (Film 4 etc) + of course RT with Max Keiser (and Stacy) a programme I also view when I can.
I will say though that on the subject of quality, about the only thing that anyone can do that stands a chance of increasing the quality level is by moving the aerial to a slightly different mounting position, as sometimes even a movement of only about 12" or so to the right or left of its present position can result in a considerable increase being seen, however I fully appreciate that this isn't an easy thing to arrange except by those who use loft aerials.
By the way, if RT etc is capable of being viewed but is suffering from glitches etc, then it would be worth trying to borrow a booster (min 6db but preferably more) from someone and trying a test with that fitting in line, because even although boosters do not generally help in cases of a low quality signal, they can however still give an improvement by lifting the signal strength and which in turn can (in some instances) reflect on the level the quality is sitting at, albeit the quality will still suffer from fluctuation if this was previously evident.
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Griffojack1:47 PM
Hi JB
I've tried everything you suggested except change my ariel position. The missing channels from channel 55, do not even show in EPG, its as if these are not being transmitted, or my freeview box is not picking them up, it is asda's cheapest (polaroid), but what frustrates me is that it was working perfectly well before the 10 April. I'll enquire about a better model of freeview box.
I would also like to thank you for your prompt assistance
Kind Regards
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Griffojack9:39 PM
JB - Success...
I borrowed a more sophisticated freeview box and went through all the aforementioned and still RT, Film4, Yesterday etc were missing.. so that took the box out of the equation.
I then followed the ariel cable through the house, and disconnected and reconnected all joints and lo and behold Max Keiser was giving me his crocodile smile!
Just a bit weird that this coincided at the same time as a switchover, has the signal changed? dont care anyway back online...
Many many thanks for your timely suggestions....
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Friday, 19 April 2013
J
jb3812:04 AM
Griffojack: Excellent news!! and indeed very timely as I only returned from work a short time ago and was in the process of typing out a reply to what you had reported, your latest update having saved me the trouble!
It just goes to show that in some cases a piece of "on site" detective work can pay off.
Thanks again for the update.
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sandie sohatee1:27 PM
Derby
Since the 2/4/13 I have had problems with poor reception, sometimes no programes,sometimes all and most of the time only BBC channels, I have manually retuned but it will only manually retune BBC, I have never had a problem until 2/4/13 the areial is on the roof.
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sandie's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
C
Catherine6:42 PM
Bristol
Since the transmitter changes a vouple of weeks ago I've not been able to get ITV2+1 or film 4. I've retuned and ITV2+1 reappeared but a really week signal and then a week later it had just disappeared agai. And there's no sign of film 4. I deleted the existing list using the method of unplugging the aerial and tuning and then retuning with the aerial in again. ITV2+1 reappeared but very low (28%) and totally unwatchable. I've treid manual tuning but it then loseal tune channel 15 (it's just not an ioption ual tune channel 15 (it's just not an option for that channel num ber). My postcode is BS6 5TJ and I live in a ground floor flat so it's a shared aerial on the roof with 9 other flats. They're not having the same troublwithouover, but got them restored by retuning. The management company say the aeriel is fine otherwise I wouldnt be able to get other chanels and as other flats don't have a probem. Please help! Thank you
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Catherine's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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Rose7:08 PM
Since approximately 17/04/2013 I've lost virtually all mainstream channels except the BBC channels. I've retuned twice including a 'restore factory settings' try. I have an integrated 2 year old Freeview LED TV which has worked perfectly until now, and signal in my building has never been an issue - it's a new build, approx 2.5 year old development with wired in aerial points with an aerial on the roof. Postcode E8 2FG. Any clues?! Thanks in advance!
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Rose: Perhaps it is interference from the 800MHz 4G tests:
Freeview and 4G at 800 MHz coexistence test in south east London | at800
I suggest that you give at800 a ring on 0333 31 31 800 and explain that this is with a communal aerial. If this is an issue with interference from 4G then a filter will probably need to be fitted into the system, which is obviously the responsibility of your landlord or whatever party maintains it.
The at800 team may wish to visit you to ascertain whether it is an issue with interference from their 4G test.
The other possibility is to ring the party responsible for the aerial system. However we don't know how much longer the test will run for and if they were to call out their own engineer the test may have finished before he/she arrives.
At the end of the day at800 cannot install a filter without access to the aerial system. However, they may wish to visit your flat to see whether the interference is the cause and take it from there. As I say, tell them it's a communal aerial system from the outset.
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J
jb389:17 PM
Catherine: The Mendip transmitter is indicated on the engineering notice board as being liable to interruption for the week commencing April 22nd, although this situation has also applied to previous weeks and so this fact should always be kept in mind. Just out of curiosity, when you say that none of your neighbours on the same communal aerial system as yourself are experiencing any problems, is this being said based on you having checked with them on the same EPG programme number and within the same time scale as you were experiencing the problem? If though the answer is "yes" to the aforementioned, then try completely resetting your TV / box by carrying out a "factory reset", this also being called "default setting" - "reinstall all services" or "first time installation", but though if the latter is used do NOT carry out the auto-tune invite that usually follows, as the idea is to "manually" tune in each of Mendips mux channels one at a time and storing the result of each scan. Mendips channels being / (BBC) 49 / (ITV1) 54 / (HD if used) 58 / (ITV3 etc) 48 / (Pick TV etc) 56 / (Film 4 etc) 52.
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Thursday, 25 April 2013
K
KMJ,Derby12:05 AM
Catherine: further to jb38's advice, when you do a manual tune it is the frequency of the nultiplex that carries the required services, not the position in the channel list that is entered into the tuning menu. A lot of confusion has arisen recently over the differing uses of the word "channel" Incidentally I suspect that the weak signal on ITV2+1 was due to the frequency for the local relay at Ilchester Crescent having been stored by the receiver instead of the correct one from Mendip.
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