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.
10:56 PM
I've something similar to above. Channel's 4 and 5 don't record properly, with one programme switching to Challenge mid-way. All recordings halved when finished. Audio out of sync. Not sure if connection but everything looks fine presently.
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10:10 AM
My ch4 ch5 more4 etc not getting a signal should I retune??
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1:20 PM
Eileen: no. In the event that the tuner indicates no signal, carrying out a retune often causes the required channels to be deleted completely from the channel list or replaced with an option from an alternative transmitter, which is likely to result in unreliable reception of the affected channels. If the tuner has a manual tuning option do a signal check by selecting the frequency of the psb 2 mux and without pressing "store" noting the signal strength and quality. Repeat this process for a mux with working channels, say psb 1 to compare signals. Further advice can be given depending on the result. If you state your postcode, or that of a nearby shop a check can be made of which services are available at your location together with the frequencies that are in use.
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10:01 AM
I could no longer get a couple of radio stations so I retuned my box. It lost about 60 TV channels, and I only have 20 now. The TV upstairs is receiving all of them fine.
I tried a retune the next day after the box was off overnight. Still the same.
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5:23 PM
Hi my channels have disappeared only BBC is available help please
Lesley
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10:37 AM
Trowbridge
Leslie Ann Bennett:
To offer any advice we need to know where you are in relation to the over 1000 transmitters in the UK. Help us to help you by giving a full post code (or that of a very nearby shop or post office). That will then give information about which is your local transmitter, whether there are any engineering works currently, whether there are any obstructions between yourl location and the transmitter, etc.
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MikeP's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
7:00 PM
Just purchased a toshiba 32" tv and I am unable to get Itv 1 and Itv 2 all on free view with a shared Aries, any ideas
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2:47 PM
Trowbridge
Johnson:
I presume by 'aries' you really mean an aerial? Is it a shared aerial as suggested by your posting? Do you mean it is a communal aerial shared by many dwellings in a block? Did you have a previous Freeview TV connected to the same aerial system? Di that get the channels mentioned?
Have you asked whether your immediate neighbours have the same problem? If they have then it may be that the communal aerial has a fault and that should be reported to the owners/managing agents of the property.
From time to time, essential engineering work has to be done and that sometines means recpetion of some or all signals is affected. To find out if that is the case, then we need a full post code of your location or that of a very nearby shop or post office.
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MikeP's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
4:59 PM
I have few channels and very bad reception
I have tried to phone Freeview but had to
give up because call queue is so long.
My postcode is BR15QF. Can you help me?
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6:33 PM
Anne Battersby : Your just 5km from Crystal Palace...so your recpetion should be excellent. Almost certainly you have a severe problem with your aerial system, because that is very very close. In fact you may need no more than an indoor aerial.
The Freeview helpline would have suggested exactly the same thing.
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