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My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+1, has no sound o

My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+1, has no sound or the channel line up is wrong

My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+
published on UK Free TV

To deal with the problem you must clear the channel list completely and then rescan - if your box has it in the menus, please the 'installation menu' to do an initial scan or a reset to factory settings or First Time Installation. You MUST delete the entire existing list of channels. On most boxes this technique can be also be used:

Try this:

1) unplug your Freeview box (or idTV) from the mains;



2) unplug the aerial from the Freeview box by disconnecting the cable from the 'RF in' socket;



3) wait 30 seconds;

4) plug Freeview box (or idTV) mains back in;



5) do a complete scan for channels - it will fail without the aerial. (This may be in the installation or initialization menu, and is distinct from any 'add channels option'). Once this is done your channel line up should be empty;



6) reinsert aerial by reconnecting to the 'RF in' connection;



7) do a complete scan for channels again.



The Freeview channel line-up provided by six "multiplexes" - each of which carry five or more TV channels, radio channels, text services and EPG data. In this diagram each ROW represents a multiplex. If you are still missing a whole multiplex (ie everything on the row) you may need to replace your aerial with a wideband type, purchase a larger aerial or you may have interference from a VCR, games console, Sky Digibox or similar.



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
I have now lost all signal can you tell me what the problem might be?1
I have a Durabrand cg5660-m and I need the lock key code!2
What is the Inversion Effect and why does it effect my Freeview TV reception? 3
My ITV/C4 Freeview channels have disappeared - what can I do? Is it my SCART ca4
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, 18 April 2016
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:21 PM

Ron Charlton.: Put it this way - you are just 7 miles from a transmitter. We dont have a postcode, so we have no idea is that is a clear line of sight, but all things being equal, you should get a very good signal!

75-80% signal strength is fine, but of course your strength will bounce around a bit, depending on all sorts of small factors. Sometimes it will be a bit higher than that, and when tuners are hit with a strength which is too high for it, they can act in much the same way as when its too low. I suspect thats whats happening - check the signal strength on a prone mux and its will float a little, and is perhaps just pushing things too far.

Search for 'too much of a good thing' on this site, and there is a lot of info about it. I've had that problem on HD channels, and an attentuator (variable of series of fixed) will bring it down enough so you dont have the problem. Even a cheap fly lead might be enough!

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Sunday, 24 April 2016
J
Jim Haire
3:10 PM

Yesterday The Bbc channels went very scratchy and stuttery I an in Tavistick un Devon.Retuned but no better.Any help would be appreciated

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Jim Haire's 1 post GB flag
Monday, 25 April 2016
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:09 AM
Trowbridge

Jim Haire:

You should not retune in those circumstances, you may lose more than you might gain.

To help you we need a full post code, or that of a very closeby shop or post office. Then we can determine the relationship between you and the transmitter and whether there are any possible obstructions that can cause reception difficulties.


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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
MikeP's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Friday, 29 April 2016
S
Scott
2:45 PM

Just a line to say thanks for the feedback (MikeB in particular!).
The Humax box was dodgy!
They have sent me a replacement - all working normally now!

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Scott's 2 posts GB flag
Friday, 6 May 2016
D
David Graham
6:24 PM

We are tuned to Stockland hill transmitter but for 3 or 4 hours each day we loose BBC1 and 2 all other stations fine what is happening. DG

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David Graham's 1 post GB flag
Saturday, 7 May 2016
V
Vic Quaglieni
4:28 PM

I live in Grange over Sands, South Cumbria.

I have recently been experiencing a weak HD signal each evening at around 19.00 hours onwards. The picture becomes distorted or fails completely with a "weak signal" message. During the daytime the reception is normal.

I have changed the aerial leads and checked the outside Freeview aerial without improvement.

Can you throw any light on what may be causing this problem?

Thank you.

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Vic Quaglieni's 1 post GB flag
Sunday, 8 May 2016
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:37 PM

Vic Quaglieni: We need a postcode to help, plus signal strength and what mux your watching. If its happening at the same time each day, that sounds like single source interference - any switches, etc that come on around that time?

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Monday, 16 May 2016
D
Debbie
8:22 PM

Tonight I only have BBC channels, I scanned for channels without the aerial and then again with it asnsuggested but still no ITV or channel 4 or 5. It worked yesterday. Any ideas please?

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Debbie's 1 post GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:46 PM

Debbie: Assistance can only be offered with problems of this nature if your location is known, this preferably being in the form of a post code or one from somewhere nearby, e.g: a shop / post office, this info then enabling access to details of the transmitter covering your area as well as the operational status of same.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 25 May 2016
P
Phil
10:47 PM

Hi, I did have the HD channels 101 to 106 but they've now disappeared. Understand they're all on the same mux. Presume it's because I'm on the outer edge of reception from the Wonersh transmitter. Any chance I could switch to a better signal? If so, how?
I have a new Sony TV with built in Youview.

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Phil's 1 post GB flag
Thursday, 26 May 2016
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

2:20 PM

Phil:

To offer any useful advice we need a full post code so we can check the reception possibilites from other transmitters.



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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
Thursday, 2 June 2016
J
Jason
10:03 PM
Poole

I have also lost a lot of channels including itv3 and drama and dave
My post code is bh12 4df

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Jason's 1 post GB flag
Jason's: ...
Sunday, 5 June 2016
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

9:02 PM
Norwich

Jason: Wondered if you were still having any lost channels problems? It would be useful to know whether you are using the Rowridge transmitter, situated on the Isle of Wight. You can tell by looking at which way your aerial is pointing. If it is pointing roughly Eastwards then you probably are getting your signals from there. There are alternative transmitters, however, but for us to help you, we need to work out which you are using. If you want to come back to us and simply say which way your aerial is pointing, and whether the little rods are horizontal or vertical, that would help greatly. Richard, Norwich.

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K
Kevin
10:48 PM
Gateshead

Last night I lost some channels while watching Yesterday and today BBC went, along with all others. My signal strength was pulsing from 0 to ~50% but now it is completely gone. I have tested with an internal aerial and another digibox and that too pulsed but now is zero and found no channels. I did all the clearing channels and rescanning but nothing makes any difference.

I cannot get at the aerial on the roof but it has usually worked fine, with occasional glitches but also occasional times of loss of signal for certain channels. It seemed a 4G issue but the filter made no difference. I am at a total loss for what is going on here and any help would be greatly appreciated.

My location is NE10 9DX and my transmitter is in Fenham.

Thanks

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Kevin's 1 post GB flag
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Monday, 6 June 2016
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

2:57 PM

Kevin:

It is likely that your are one of the great many having reception difficulties due to the current weather conditions. The high temperatures often cause temperature inversions which means some signals travel further that usual and interfere with your reception. This is an entirely natural and well known phenomenon but there is no solution apart from patience. Do *not* retune your TV.



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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
R
Ralph Watson
6:08 PM

I've had severe problems since the evening of 5th June and they still persist. I've been patient to the extent of being without almost all TV channels last evening. Is there nothing that can be done? I'm a BT Broadband use and access Freeview both from the TV and the BT box.

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Ralph Watson's 1 post GB flag
Tuesday, 7 June 2016
J
John
11:00 AM

Normally I get very good reception from Rowridge transmitter Freeview service. I live in postcode area BH25. For a few days I have been unable to receive, what appears to be, the COM7 group of channels. I did a re-scan on the TV but only succeeded in reducing the number of channels listed in the TV's own guide. Just wondered if anybody else getting the same problem or whether I should be looking for a solution in my home!

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John's 1 post GB flag
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:35 PM

John and Ralph:

The symptoms you describe are exactly what others across the south and east of the UK have been experiencing. It is due to the natural phenomenon of the atmosphere ducting distant signals to interfere with our Freeview signals, resulting in temporary reception problems. Sometimes this is total loss of signals and sometime intermittent loss. As it is a known natural effect there is nothing anyone can do apart from recommend patience. Do *not* retune your equipment.

Please also note that when seeking assistance, it is imperative that your give a full post code so that your local reception conditions can be assessed.



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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
Friday, 10 June 2016
P
phill gethins
9:03 AM

morning, i am from brown and fincher in droitwich .since the reshuffle last week we have been out to many tv's etc that retune fine but we have a percentage that will not retune the bbc's frequency 26 off the bromsgrove transmiottor any ideas ? thanks

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phill gethins's 1 post GB flag
T
Trevor Carpenter
10:48 AM

I have all of a sudden lost the receiving of 10 HD Channels - I have re-scanned until I am blue in the face- turned off the mains and extracted aerial and re-scanned giving nil channels as expected, then reinserted the mains and aerials, and I am still missing HD channels - yes I have an HD TV before you ask.

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Trevor Carpenter's 2 posts GB flag
T
Trevor Carpenter
10:50 AM

Regarding the post above, I receive transmissions from the Heathfield transmitter.

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Trevor Carpenter's 2 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

11:06 AM
Norwich

Trevor Carpenter: Good morning, Trevor. The Heathfield transmitter does not have any issues or engineering work on it today. The following advice, however, is given on the Digital UK website today: "Latest News: Viewers in some parts of the UK may experience temporary disruption to their TV signal today due to high atmospheric pressure. We advise that you do not retune - reception will return to normal once this weather system passes." Hope this helps. Obviously, if you have done a retune already, your equipment will have lost the channels stored in it before you did so,and therefore, another retune will be required. It is important, however, not to carry out another retune until the high pressure system has dissipated, otherwise, if your receiver picks up and stores signals, it will probably pick them up from somewhere else, other than Heathfield, and you do not want this to happen, so please wait patiently until you know the atmospheric pressure has lowered before you retune again. Richard Cooper, Norwich, Friday 10th. June, 11:00 a.m.

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K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

12:58 PM

phill gethins: the PSB1 multiplex at The Wrekin, Bromsgrove and Larkstoke transmitters has been reconfigured to facilitate the transmission of BBC Radio Shropshire on Freeview. Whilst many tuners will automatically update to accommodate the changes some need to have a retune performed to achieve this. It might be necessary with some models to perform a factory reset (or return to shipping conditions) to remove all trace of the old PSB1 data before carrying out a retune to avoid the new data being overlooked. If PSB1 is still missing afterwards I can only suggest performing a manual tune on C26 to restore it in the tuner's memory.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
Monday, 13 June 2016
J
John H
1:25 PM
Southampton

I live in SO45 5QU and have little or no reception of BBC News HD, BBC FOUR HD, several other HD channels, 5USA+1 and TalkingPicturesTV. It is possible that these are on the same multiplex.

A couple of months ago I cleared the channel list and rescanned. All of the missing channels were then present. Gradually, over the past couple of weeks, all have become too weak to view.

I use an internal aerial and this has proved to be more than capable of very good reception right across Freeview.
Is there an explanation as to why I can't view these channels?

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John H's 14 posts GB flag
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M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:04 PM

John H: If nothing has changed (and it shouldn't have done at the transmitter end), but the signal is getting weaker, check your system. Dodgy fly lead would be a good guess. I'm surprised your getting a good signal with an indoor aerial, but check what the signal level actually is on all muxes - the muxes in question tend to be the weakest, so they are the canary in the coalmine. If they are all low, follow the signal path from the back of the TV upwards, to isolate the problem.

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 15 June 2016
J
John H
9:44 AM

Hi Mike,
To be honest I would expect to receive a fine reception using an indoor aerial. This is what was promised when we all went 'didgy' back in 2012. As to the bits you refer to - apologies, but I don't know what you're taking about. I don't know which lead is the 'fly lead' and I've no idea what a 'mux' is. My guess is that this is industry-speak for 'multiplex'. Would I be able to find a list of the actual multiplexes in the Rowridge transmitter?

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John H's 14 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

10:32 AM
Norwich

John H: Hi, John. An Aerial Flylead is used to connect from a TV aerial socket on the wall to an aerial input socket on a TV or set-top box. They are also used to connect set-top boxes and recorders to TV sets. These will have a male aerial plug at each end. A 'mux' is indeed an abbreviation of 'multiplex'. You can find lots and lots of information about the multiplexes available from Rowridge on this very website: I will copy and paste the link to that right here for you:

Which Freeview channels does the Rowridge transmitter broadcast?

Simply copy and paste this link into the URL or address bar of your internet browser and then scroll down below the coverage map to find the information about the multiplexes. Any more questions, do not hesitate to post them! Richard, Norwich, Weds. 15th. June, 10:30 a.m.

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Richard Cooper's 471 posts GB flag
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Friday, 17 June 2016
J
John H
9:22 AM

Thanks Richard,

The link you gave me has pin-pointed the 'mux' in question - "com7". All stations on that multiplex have become too weak to be seen. Would you know why that is? Would there be a way for this to be improved for me?

Cheers - John H

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John H's 14 posts GB flag
J
John H
9:26 AM

Hi again Richard,

One other mux is weak as well - "LSO". It looks like the strength of the signal is related to the wattage. The standard looks like 200,000W. The two I have issues with are 24,400W and 10,000W respectively.

Cheers - John H

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R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

10:06 AM
Norwich

John H: Hi, again, John. Both COM 7 and your local tv station multiplex which includes That's Solent' in your case are indeed transmitted at lower power than the other muxes and indeed, this is usually the case for the full Freeview transmitters around the country. You are, of course, perfectly correct when you say signal is related to the transmitter output power. I had the same issue as you using the full Freeview transmitter called 'Tacolneston' which is only 8 miles from here as the crow flies. What I did was to install a signal amplifier (often called a 'booster'). This worked for me, but I should tell you that there are many correspondents out there that will also tell you that "boosters are no good for Freeview'. The only warning I feel that I can give you is that it is possible to supply your equipment with "too much signal", which can cause the receiver electronics to 'crash' like a computer can crash, and if this happens, the picture will freeze and the sound will mute. You will then find that to re-boot your equipment, you would have to remove any booster altogether, then switch the receiver off AT THE MAINS SOCKET (putting it on standby won't work once it has 'crashed'), wait 5 minutes and then switch your receiver on again. Whether you try a signal amplifier is entirely your choice. I believe I've given you all the necessary warnings. By the way, you didn't say if you're using a set top box or a Freeview HD television receiver: I am assuming you are using the latter, but what I've said above applies regardless of which you're using! Richard, Norwich. PS Let me know how you get on. Suggest you Google 'Maxview' for a booster!

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A
Andy Parrett
3:27 PM

My TV reception has deteriorated recently. (2 x TVs in house + DVD recorder) Aerial points to Tacolneston and has a booster. I have retuned after having unplugged everything and there's no improvement. I can get BBC-1 and 2, but no ITV, Ch4, Ch5 or HD. There's a smattering of other stations but most are unwatchable due to serious pixellation. Some come up with numbers in the 800s - but on trying to access there's no picture and "bad signal" message. There's nothing wrong at the transmitter according to the message on this site so do I assume that something's gone wrong with the aerial (or the booster - model by Antiference, has been in situ for many years)? nb I have looked at the aerial and can't see anything different.
Thanks
Kind regards
Andy Parrett

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Andy Parrett's 6 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

4:36 PM
Norwich

Andy Parrett: Hi, Andy. Let me see if I can help you. I too, use Tacolneston and I also use a booster. My booster is indoors, but my father has what's called a 'mast-head' booster outside near the aerial pole. In his case, there was water ingress over the years and so it had to be replaced. It rather depends whether your booster is indoors like mine or outdoors like my father's. It would be interesting to know the age of the aerial and its cable. Antiference is an excellent brand, however even its aerials don't last forever! Perhaps, if you aerial has been up for many years and hasn't been changed since digital switchover, that you could consider treating yourself to an upgrade! You don't want to keep channels numbered in the 800s because they are secondary to the channels that your receiver prefers and which should have the correct 'logical channel numbers (LCNS). Unwanted channels can usually be deleted easily. If you cannot get ITV, Channel Four or Five in standard definition (SD), then you have something seriously amiss! HD is a little different simply because many correspondents have had HD issues today, which could be down to broadcasters! Have you checked all aerial lead connections are tight (but NOT OVERTIGHTENED)? Come back with some more info and we'll see if we can give you further advice. what's your exact and full postcode by the way? All seven alphanumeric characters please if you are outside of Norwich city boundary! Regards, Richard.

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Monday, 20 June 2016
L
LAURA MOSS
6:29 PM
Borehamwood

Since my computer guy installed BT TV on my TV my itv2 and channel 5 stations keep becoming really hard to watch. it either comes up with a message this channel is scrambled or not available or keeps sticking so you cant hear the talking properly. it is so frustrating. ive tried buying a New and better aerial cable and ive tried resetting like you said and ive even disconnected the BT box completely and this still doesnt work. can you check what is going on please ASAP. thanks very much

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A
Andy Parrett
6:34 PM

Richard Cooper: Thank you for your reply, Richard. My postcode is: IP295NR. My booster is in the loft and the aerial is fixed outside to the chimney. I'm afraid I don't know how long it's been up - must be in excess of 10 years. The only other thing I can add is that when I retuned (I've tried it several times) the stations that I have are showing 'signal' at about 7 out of 10 and 'quality' at about 3 out of 10. Since we used to be able to get pretty well all stations (except ITV-4 when I wanted to watch the cycling Tour of Britain last year!) it seems to me that something's gone wrong in the last couple of weeks. I don't think there's anything amiss with connections. Regards, Andy

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Andy Parrett's 6 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

7:19 PM
Norwich

Andy Parrett: Hi again, Andy. as long as you have THOROUGHLY checked the aerial lead connections from the aerial socket wall plate in your tv viewing room, right through to the tv set, then it rather sounds as if you need to go up into the loft and check the booster. The key thing is to ensure that no dampness has got into the electronics inside its plastic packaging. For safety reasons, make sure it isn't getting any power supplied to it before you pull it apart. Often, boosters like this get their power sent up to them along the aerial cable, but not always. Sometimes they are plugged into a mains socket in the loft! If the booster's electronics look dry and there are no signs of dampness at all, check its plug wiring and fuse if it has a plug., replacing its fuse if necessary. The booster could have failed completely due to use over many years and a failed booster, instead of boosting your signal, does the opposite: it cuts down or 'attenuates' the signal, which is what I think could be happening in your case. To ascertain whether you have a booster which has failed, take it completely out of your system. Without the booster 'in circuit', you'll have to find a way of joining the aerial lead from the aerial back to the lead which finds its way down into your viewing room. Don't try to get away with twisting wires together! I would suggest you put an aerial plug on the end of the aerial lead that comes from the aerial and another one on to the end of the lead that comes up from downstairs. Join them with a double female coax connector. alternatively, put a female connector on the lead from the aerial and a male on the end of the lead from downstairs and plug the male into the female. Go downstairs, switch everything back on ( except the out of line booster!) and see if the signal coming down without the booster has sufficient strength and quality to give you the channels yiu want. If not, you could either buy a new booster or, in my opinion, a better idea, replace the ten year old aerial with a brand new multi-element Group'T' ('Total band') aerial which will last you until 2019 when it will need to be changed again due to a reshuffle of the channels from Tacolneston. Come back and let us know how you get on, Richard.

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Tuesday, 21 June 2016
K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

4:47 PM

LAURA MOSS: is it only ITV2 and Channel 5 that are not performing correctly? If ITV and Channel 4 are OK it would suggest that channels that can be identified as 'London region' are being received from Crystal Palace, assuming 'London' was selected as the preferred region, whilst the troublesome channels are being received from an alternative transmitter. If you are able to access a signal strength screen on you receiver compare the strength, quality and frequency of the working channels with those of the troublesome ones for clues towards identifying the problem. If interference is affecting the PSB2 mux that delivers your ITV2 and Channel 5 try changing the position of any HDMI cables relative to the receiver and aerial cable, also relocate the modem as this has been found to be an interference source in some situations.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
Sunday, 26 June 2016
R
Roger Forshaw
6:51 PM

After recent storm, all channels on BBCA multiplex are missing in Bath, Somerset - seems there may be a fault at Mendip transmitter - although UKTV website says no fault!
What is the correct fault reporting procedure?
Thanks
Sunday 26 June 2016

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Roger Forshaw's 2 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

9:45 PM
Norwich

Roger Forshaw: Hi, Roger. Ofcom says that you should report the problem to the BBC after checking your installation in your home is all OK. You could do this via the BBC website.

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Monday, 27 June 2016
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:36 PM

Roger Forshaw:

At the time you wrote there was no known fault at Mendip. I get my Greeview from that transmitter and have not experienced any problems recently.

However, there is now some engineering work being done, to add some services I gather, and today will see weak signals. That means you may have some problems during the weak signal periods.

That being said, it is uncertain as to whether you are using the Mendip transmitter, Bath has its own 'relay' transmitter. If you give a full post code (or that of a nearby shop or post office) we can check which would be the more likely source.



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A
Andy Parrett
2:14 PM

Richard Cooper: Thanks v. much for your help, Richard. We have a chalet bungalow so the booster is just in a side attic, easily accessible and the power socket is in the adjacent bedroom. I can't see any problem with it - there's a green light on for 'UHF' and a red light for power (though this one does seem to flicker a little. I have tried bypassing the booster but then the TV was unable to find ANY stations. So I think I'm going to have to call an aerial engineer. However, when in Hughes in BSE this morning to get a F-2-F connector for the aerial cable the salesman asked if I'd had reception problems for about 3 weeks and I said yes. He replied that there have been atmospheric etc problems during this time in the area, though he thought things had since 'settled down' again. A solution, he suggested, would be Freesat ......

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Andy Parrett's 6 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

3:09 PM
Norwich

Andy Parrett: Hi, again Andy. The red flickering light on your booster is probably a tired neon or LED, but the fact that it's glowing red is an indication that power is getting to the electronics of the booster. I found it interesting that removing the booster altogether resulted in no channels at all, which is at least an indication that it was/is needed with your current aerial. On the topic of an aerial engineer, do you not feel confident about installing a new aerial yourself? I used to think I hated heights as a child, but once up on the roof with my Dad, I was surprised that I was actually OK. That was on a chalet bungalow too and Im just a fraction taller now, aged 62! Aerial contractors tend to charge a fortune, both for their cheap and nasty 'contract' aerials, chosen for their own eompany's economy and then for labour and V.A.T. If I were a little younger and not suffering from left side weakness, I'd have offered to come and give you a hand, because I've always enjoyed tackling that type of project! Typical Hughes salesman, trying to sell you a Freesat setup, when all you went in for was an F-to-F connector!!! I had a bit of stuttering during 'Neighbours' an hour ago, so it looks as if atmospheric interference is back, after a welcome respite of almost THREE WEEKS! BTW, Don't hughes have their own aerial engineers any more? They used to have them! Richard, Norwich.

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Wednesday, 29 June 2016
A
Andy Parrett
9:46 AM

Richard Cooper: Thanks again Richard. I have emailed friends in the village and although some have said that they sometimes get problems (pixellation etc) no-one seems to have issues to the extent we currently do. Thanks for your suggestion about self-installation but although I have been up on our roof a number of times, for various reasons, I don't feel confident about removing an aerial and installing another - if only because the chimney to which it is fixed is on the side of the house where directly below there is a conservatory with a glass roof! Also, don't you need direction-finding equipment to be certain that you're getting the best signal? (I should say that the current direction may not be best since we had the chimney repointed and the builder put the aerial back at what he thought was the right direction. This was about 5 years ago and we didn't notice any deterioration at that time.) Thankyou also for your friendly attitude to my problem (!) and I'm sorry that you're suffering from left side weakness. As for Hughes, I do find them helpful but I don't think they have their own engineers. I asked the man in the shop if he had any more info on 'Group T' aerials and I'm sure he said that they didn't sell aerials - and he didn't offer an in-house engineer. I'm looking at calling a local person. BTW where we live is served by both Sudbury and Tacolneston but the maps on this website show a better coverage from Tacolneston than Sudbury, certainly where our house is.

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Andy Parrett's 6 posts GB flag
K
KayPind
7:39 PM
Bristol

I am in Keynsham, between Bath and Bristol (postcode BS31)
I am unable to receive Channel 4.

4 Channel is occupied by a Welsh Language station (and has been for months, much to my irritation)

Channel 800 is not functioning. My tuning menu shows the following information:
Frequency [Ch44*] 65800MHZ
Signal Quality : 2/10
Signal Strength: 3/10
The picture and sound freezes and breaks and the sound stutters

I can get Channel 4+1 on channel 13.

Channel 44 is occupied by Channel 5+1

All other channels and DAB are working correctly.

The problem arose months ago when the Welsh language station appeared in place of Channel 4. I've lived with it, but now it's getting really annoying.


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KayPind's 3 posts GB flag
KayPind's: mapK's Freeview map terrainK's terrain plot wavesK's frequency data K's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Thursday, 30 June 2016
K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

9:01 AM

KayPind: what is on channel 7? If you are receiving signals from Wenvoe, Channel 4 would normally appear at position 7 (used to be 8) in the channel list with S4C at position 4.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

10:06 AM
Norwich

KMJ,Derby: Hi, KMJ. Here in Norwich we have our local tv service Mustard TV on 7, but I gather that other cities that have a local tv service on Freeview have migrated theirs from 7 to 8?

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Richard Cooper's 471 posts GB flag
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K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

11:08 AM

Richard Cooper: Hi Richard, local tv in England had the choice of migrating to 7 from 8, or keeping position 8 following the closure of BBC3 as a DTT channel. Somewhat oddly (in my opinion) many chose to occupy position 7 despite the local tv in Wales and Scotland being allocated position 8, with Channel 4 in Wales and BBC Alba in Scotland moving to 7. The situation in overlap areas gets a bit complicated with the first frequencies found in the scan and any regional choice that may have been selected both playing a part in the final position in the epg for any programme service. Regarding the overlap between Wenvoe and Mendip, due to the local tv services from both transmitters using the same frequency (C51), it is possible that in some locations the signals interfere with each other resulting in no local tv being found at all.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

12:06 PM
Norwich

KMJ,Derby: Hi, KMJ,Derby. Thank you so much for enlightening me on the history of local tv channel numbers when BBC3 came off Freeview and went online only. A very comprehensive report is what you've given in a ver concise manner (124 words if I counted correctly), Tanks again, Richard, Norwich.

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Richard Cooper's 471 posts GB flag
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K
KMJ,Derby
sentiment_satisfiedGold

4:22 PM

KayPind: You are able to receive signals from both Wenvoe and Mendip, presumably with the aerial pointing to Mendip. If Channel 4 has been displaced from both position 4 and position 7 it would normally be expected in the 800s. There should also be two ITV regions present (West and Wales), these being at position 3 in the channel list and at a random number in the 800s. Do both of these services work correctly? If manual tuning is available on your receiver you could try manual tuning on C54 for the PSB2 mux from Mendip to see if that changes the situation, alternatively deleting the channel list and then doing a manual tune for each of the Mendip frequencies should give a full set of West region channels, assuming that there is a clear signal on each multiplex.

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KMJ,Derby's 1,811 posts GB flag
K
KayPind
11:39 PM
Bristol

Thank you so much.

Yes I've got ITV West (3) and ITV Wales (801) and both work perfectly.

I will try the manual tuner, as you suggest.

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KayPind's 3 posts GB flag
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Sunday, 3 July 2016
D
DocTone
12:33 PM

We are using a Sony HDD recorder and often the EPG is incomplete; i.e. we will have listings for BBC but not ITV or vice versa, or may be patchy for both, most often for tomorrow or subsequent days but sometimes even for the same day. Tried retuning, may be better for 24 hrs then gradually deteriorates.

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DocTone's 1 post GB flag
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Thursday, 28 July 2016
A
Alison Barry
10:54 PM

Hi, I've moved 2miles East in Witney Oxfordshire and seem unable to receive a group of channels that include 'true entertainment etc..

I have a new smart Samsung too which is very clever but I do enjoy Little Hoyse on the Prarie !

Can anyone help ??

Thanks

Alison .

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Alison Barry's 1 post GB flag
Saturday, 30 July 2016
C
Clive Walker
1:41 PM

I have a Humax HD Fox T2 set top box, about 3 months ago I lost the BBC News Channel 107. I can get all the other HD Channels. I have reset the set top box as per Humax instructions, I have also had a new aerial fitted all to no avail, I live in the Northwich area. I noticed when I reset the Humax box manually, I was unable to get HD channels 31 and 37 but I could get 54....go figure! Can anybody out there solve the mystery for me please?

PS I hear they are doing work on the winter hill transmitter station but I think my fault precedes this

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Clive Walker's 1 post GB flag
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

8:47 PM

Clive Walker: Check your signal levels and what transmitter your tuned into. Put your postcode into the site, and you'll get lots of useful links, including the compass bearings and channels of various transmitters - you might have scanned the wrong one.

And of course if your losing a mux, check signal levels - you might have a problem, and its knocking out some muxes, but not all.

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Sunday, 7 August 2016
R
Richard Doyle
6:42 PM

About a week ago Sky News (chan 132) and RT (chan 135) disappeared. On checking signal strength I saw that this was zero. I retuned the tv - still no signal. Sometimes, in the evening, the signal returns and is then close to 100% with a zero bit error rate. Grateful your advice.

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Richard Doyle's 1 post GB flag
Monday, 8 August 2016
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:39 PM

Richard Doyle:

To be able to offer any advise we need to know roughly where you live so that we can check reception and whether there is any problem with the transmitter in use (there are over 1000 of them around the country!). So please supply a full post code, or that of a very nearby shop or post office.



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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 9 August 2016
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

4:03 PM

Alison Barry: Hi. Alison. You say you've moved, but have you thoroughly inspected the tv aerial installation at the house you've moved into? This should be one of the first things that a keen tv viewer should do as soon as he or she has moved. Is the aerial likely to be more than ten years old? If so, it might well need replacing. even if quite new, is it pointing in the correct direction? It should be pointing slightly North of East. Even the most professional installations don't last for evermore! What is the condition of the cabling from the aerial down to the room in which you have positioned your lovely new Samsung? What are the connections like between the aerial cable conductors and the coaxial connecting plugs and/or sockets? You need to investigate all of these things. What readings for signal strength and signal quality are you getting on the multiplex which is playing up? Hope this advice is helpful, Richard, Norwich.

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Richard Cooper's 471 posts GB flag
Saturday, 13 August 2016
M
michael.o
1:02 PM
Coventry

Richard Doyle: why is my signal strength low post code CV5 9HF cannot receive all normal channels.
michael

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michael.o's 1 post GB flag
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Sunday, 14 August 2016
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

2:51 PM

Michael.O:

You should have excellent reception from Sutton Coldfield and no problems are reported with that transmitter.

Perhaps you should check that your aerial has not moved and that all the cabling, indoors and out, is in good condition with no breaks and no water ingress. All connections should be checked thoroughly and it is often worth unplugging the aerial flylead at the back of the TV set and wall socket and re-inserting them carefully.

It is also worth using the signal strength checking system built into most TV sets. The 'ideal' strengths are between 50% and 85% for SD and between 655 and 85% for HD services. Any less than this will mean apparent loss of reception. That is also the case if you have too much signal strength, especially for HD services. Again that is often reported as being 'no signal' but really means too much signal.



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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

4:31 PM

Michael.O: Good afternoon, Michael. In addition to that which was stated by Mike P, I would add that you have probably been experiencing high atmospheric pressure yesterday and today, which can be very disruptive to Freeview tv reception. In my case, I would usually get a signal strength of 85% plus and a quality of 99% on SD, but under high pressure conditions my signal strength drops to 65-70% and the quality can be spoilt with glitchy interruptions to vision and sound. Richard, Norwich. PS, We might have to wait a day or two for the atmospheric pressure to fall so that Freeview reception normalises again.

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Richard Cooper's 471 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 17 August 2016
G
George Lunn
11:21 AM

We have had 13 wind turbines installed in the last month they are south& west our property we are having problems with reception on most of our channels could these turbines have anything to do with this problem we had perfect pictures and sound before the turbines were erected hope you can help.

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George Lunn's 1 post GB flag
S
StevensOnln1
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:38 PM

George Lunn: The turbines could be having an effect, particularly if they are directly in line between you and the transmitter. If you provide a postcode we'll be able to see where you are located and which transmitters should be available to you, allowing further advice to be offered.

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StevensOnln1's 3,695 posts GB flag
Saturday, 20 August 2016
R
Robert Newman
5:34 PM
Barrow-in-furness

How long to transmitter at WINTER HILL is working again, I have only BBC channels and done all retunes and resets on my smart tv. Winter Hill has engineer works today and just need to know when its back up and running again, PLEASE

LA14 2RF postcode area

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Robert Newman's 1 post GB flag
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Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

7:12 PM

Robert Newman: Hi. The whole of the UK TV transmitter network is on lock down because of the Olympics. There are no engineering works during this time.

So... it's probably not the transmitter that is the cause of your reception issue.

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Briantist's 38,929 posts US flag
Tuesday, 23 August 2016
B
Brian Springthorpe
sentiment_satisfiedBronze

9:26 PM

We live on the opposite side of the Menai Straits in Penmaenmawr. We receive from Llandonna.

All of the BBC channels seem to be playing up on Freeview and have been doing so for several days now. The screen is continually pixellating. The TV that the problem is occuring on is a Panasonic Vierra obviously with Freeview integral.

It seems strange to me because the BBC channels are usually the strongest signal and never fail. I have two other TVs utilising Freeview in other rooms in the house and nether seems to show the same problem that the "main" lounge TV is experiencing. Of the the other two TVs one has integral Freeview, the other works of a box.

I have attempted retuning several times and it works for a short time and then it starts breaking up again.

All the other channels seem to be OK, even the Channel 4 ones, which are usually prone.

One thing that has been said is that ever since the digital signal was switched on a problem has existed across the Menai. If the sea is calm and the tide high, at certain times of day we evidently experience "signal bounce" which has the similar effect of breaking up the picture. I don't think that this is the case with my current problem with the break up of the BBC channels.

Can you shed any light on this problem?

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Brian Springthorpe's 76 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 24 August 2016
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:10 AM

Brian Springthorpe: When you say that neither of your two other TV's show the same problem as your "main" lounge TV is experiencing, is that when they are tuned to the same channel as your Panasonic?

However, irrespective of whether they are or not I wouldn't advise altering anything at this present time, as many parts of the UK (particularly Wales / South Western area's) are experiencing intermittent problems with reception due to the effects of high pressure zones sweeping across the UK, said effects being the enabling of reception from distant transmitters (not necessarily UK based) which operate on the same channels to that used by the local station and clashing with same, some channels being affected much more than others dependant on the frequencies / channel numbers used by the local station.

This situation is unfortunately forecast as remaining until well into next week, albeit that its seen to clear for a short time late Wednesday / Thursday before returning with a vengeance for the following few days.




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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:10 PM

Brian Springthorpe:

It is worth checking that the flylead feeding the affected TV set is in good condition. This is usually best done by carefully swapping the lead for a new one, they are very inexpensive.

Are the other sets working off the same aerial? Are they fed through a powered splitter?



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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
Sunday, 4 September 2016
R
Roy
7:55 PM

Bridport Freeview has stopped working.

Can anyone fix it.


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Roy's 3 posts GB flag
S
StevensOnln1
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:09 PM

Roy: The Bridport transmitter page on this site currently has a transmitter engineering notification that the transmitter has been off air since 17:35 today, so engineers are aware and no doubt working to fix the problem. This website is independent so we don't have any further information.

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StevensOnln1's 3,695 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 7 September 2016
M
Malcolm house
9:52 PM

I have signal strength 10 and signal quality 10 all day long until 21.30' or sometimes a bit after that then I lose itv and other channels this happen almost every night it's not my Aerial as I've had it checked .
I live in bexhill on sea and get the signal from Hastings . What's going on ? And how do I report this to whoever it needs reporting to.

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Malcolm house's 3 posts GB flag
Thursday, 8 September 2016
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

6:17 PM

Malcolm house: Search for 'single source interference' on this site - sounds like a dodgy timer or thermostat messing up the signal. BTW - 10 quality fine, 10 strength is a bit high - 75% is close to perfect.

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Tuesday, 13 September 2016
B
Bruce
12:20 AM

Hi,

I live in Cobham, Surrey and have a Band A roof antenna pointed at Crystal Palace.

All my channels have 100% signal strength, except all stations on the multiplex for Ch 33 (570 MHz) which is quite poor meaning intermittent reception especially when the weather deteriorates.

I'd appreciate any suggestions to the cause and remedy of this issue.

Many thanks.

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Bruce's 1 post GB flag
S
StevensOnln1
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:04 AM

Bruce: COM7 and COM8 are broadcast at much lower power than the other multiplexes so it may be that you are not receiving quite enough signal, or it could be that you are seeing interference from another source. Do you have the same problem with COM8 on UHF C35?

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StevensOnln1's 3,695 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

11:18 AM

Bruce: Hi, Bruce in Cobham. I believe you mean a Group A aerial rather than Band A. Anyway if some of the strands of copper braiding on the outside of the inner polythene insulator surrounding the central thick copper conductor of aerial cabling become frayed or unintentionally disconnected from the casing of an aerial socket or aerial plug, this can lead to poor reception on one multiplex, which is the issue from which you are suffering. What you need to do then is to carefully inspect all aerial lead connections all the way from the aerial on the house right down to the signal feed into the tv set or receiver/recorder box. This requires some patience and ingenuity, as well as a ladder and some particular health and safety care, as well as self-risk assessments! Good Luck and if you need any further assistance post a reply / further question back on the www.ukfree.tv website. Richard, Norwich.

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Richard Cooper's 471 posts GB flag
Friday, 16 September 2016
N
Nikki Pomroy-Levien
9:12 AM

I live in Aylesbury and have just got rid of now tv to use the freeview channels but can only get 10 BBC channels including radio and nothing else. I have tried to reach tune my tv but can't seem to find how to do this other than scan for channels. Signal strength shows up as bad and we have also bought an indoor aerial. It is a jvc LT32C350. Any ideas.

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Nikki Pomroy-Levien's 1 post GB flag
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:24 AM

Nikki Pomeroy-Leviens:

An indoor aerial, one in the same room as the TV, is not at all likely to give you any useful signals. You need an aerial mounted externally near the ridge of your roof. What type of aerial depends on your exact location, so please give a full post code (or that of a very nearby public building) so that reception conditions locally can be determined. Doing that will show some small blue boxes below your posts and these will show which transmitter is likely to be the best for you.



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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

11:12 AM

Nikki Pomroy-Levien : Hi, Nikki. The recommended transmitters for Aylesbury town centre are the main full Freeview transmitters at Croydon, South London, or at Beckley, just North-East of Oxford, depending upon whether you would prefer to watch BBC London, itv London, BBC South (Oxford) and itv Meridian/Central from the Whiteley itv studios between Southampton and Portsmouth. It depends whether your allegiances are more to London or to Oxford, really. Either way, you ought to be using an outdoor aerial, or at least a loft aerial, rather than an indoor aerial, and I'm fairly certain that other contributors to this website would confirm this. I've also heard of people in the east of Aylesbury using the Sandy Heath, Bedfordshire transmitter, from which you would receive BBC East (West sub-region) and itv ANGLIA (West sub-region). To work out the best transmitter for you, along with the correct type of outdoor or loft aerial, we need to know your Aylesbury location more precisely. The name or number of your nearest main road would be a useful starting point if, as a consequence of privacy issues, you do not wish to part with your actual postcode. Hear from you again, shortly. Rixhard in Norwich.

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Richard Cooper's 471 posts GB flag
S
StevensOnln1
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

1:28 PM

Richard Cooper: The coverage map for Crystal Palace (Croydon is a backup transmitter and is not a main station) stops far short of Aylesbury so I think it would be unlikely to give good reception. A friend who lives there gets good reception from Oxford and the coverage maps shows good coverage for the whole of Aylesbury and surrounding areas. Sandy Heath also shows as a reasonable alternative for my friend's postcode on the Digital UK checker, although is show as being stronger. If Nikki provides their postcode they will be able to see which is the recommended transmitter for their location.

Don't forget that the transmitter network wasn't originally designed to be regional and was intended simply to cover the highest proportion of the population possible from each main station, with relays having been added later to improve reception in areas that couldn't get good coverage from a main station. Although the BBC and ITV's regional news does get many millions of viewers, many people aren't that bothered about which region they receive and it would probably be of secondary importance for many behind getting the best reception with the largest number of channels. Also, there is always satellite for those who want to watch a region which they can't receive terrestrially.

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StevensOnln1's 3,695 posts GB flag
Saturday, 17 September 2016
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:25 AM

Richard Cooper:

Further to that said by StevensOnln1, the 'Croydon' site is the former ITV 405 line VHF transmitter aerial and site. Though it has the capability of UHF transmission, using the 625 line UHF transmitter that replaced the VHF one, it is not regarded as a 'main' transmitter. It is at the top of Sydenham Hill. At the opposite end of the ridge is the main Crystal Palace transmitter site. Originally a 405 line VHF site, that carried the first 625 line UHF BBC2 transmissions and later gained extra transmitter capability when all the then channels (BBC1, BBC2 and ITV) became available in 625 line colour (in November 1969). It is now the main transmitter for the bulk of the London area, but there are blank spots.



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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
M
Marcia
2:15 PM

Last February my TV wouldn't work, although it did show it's power was on. I didn't do anything about it until now, when I received a second-hand one -- a Panasonic with Full Freeview. However, I've had only
2 hours viewing from it since it was set up a week ago, when after 2hours a "No Signal" sign came on:
followed by "no service". I've tried it many times during the intervening week,, and it comes on for 5 or 10 minutes.....then the same signs come on. The Aerial is in the loft.
I would be very grateful if you can help me please.
Thanks....in anticipation...........Marcia

PS. Is there a Mast at Wonersh ? I am in Walton-on Thames

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Marcia's 1 post GB flag
M
MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:08 PM

Marcia: Read the manual - the TV isn't the problem, the aerial system is.

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Sunday, 18 September 2016
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:40 AM

Marcia: Re Wonersh: Yes! this is a Freeview "light" transmitter, but which is indicated as not being receivable in the Walton on Thames area as this is covered by Crystal Palace.

On the subject of your TV, if as you have said, reception is only possible for around 5 or10 minutes or so on each occasion you have tried it, then thats inclined to suggest that your second hand TV has an internal power supply problem, this said on the assumption that your aerial is "not" amplified in any way? which it shouldnt be anyway, as Walton on Thames is indicated as having excellent reception from Crystal Palace across all eight (plus local) multiplexes available from this station.

It would though be of assistance if your post code was known, or at least one from somewhere nearby such as a shop / post office, this used purely for signal checking purposes.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

9:54 AM

Marcia: Hi, Marcia. Whilst there are problems on the Wonersh transmitter, you shouldn't be using it. You should have your aerial with its little rods horizontal, with the aerial pointing in an East-North-Easterly direction towards Crystal Palace in South London, from where you should obtain excellent reception in Walton -on-Thames. You need to carefully check that your aerial is set up as I've described here, as well as checking the aerial lead connections, all the way from where the aerial is, down to the tv set you're trying to use. Hope this helps, Richard in Norwich.

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Richard Cooper's 471 posts GB flag
Friday, 23 September 2016
S
Simon
9:46 PM

Hi, I'm trying to receive freeview signals on a tv I've just bought using an internal room aerial for the simple reason that my daughter has no loft aerial in her bedroom. The aerial has an in-built power supply and dozens of reviews on ebay where I bought it from (approx 20) were positive! I can't seem to get any signals wherever I point the aerial. I live in watford. Any help gratefully received. Thanks Simon

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Simon's 1 post US flag
Saturday, 24 September 2016
MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:47 AM

Simon:

Please provide a full post code so that we can see the reception conditions for your exact area.

Room/Set-top aerials rarely work if you are more than a couple of miles from a large main transmitter, despite what reviews on eBay or any other sales website might say.



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MikeP's 3,056 posts GB flag
Sunday, 25 September 2016
D
David Thomson
8:57 AM

Can't get itv3 in troon Ayrshire

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David Thomson's 1 post GB flag
J
james ramage
11:57 AM

I I am getting no sound today 25 Sept on all Freeview HD channels from Bilsdale transmitter. HD picture is fine as are all SD channels (picture and sound). Is there a fault on the transmitter please?

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james ramage's 1 post GB flag
M
Mark
12:34 PM

I live in PR69PU which is 10 miles from Preston and 15 miles from Manchester, yet all my Freeview and digital radio tuning from the Winter Hill transmitter ( I'm less than 2 miles away ) defaults to Liverpool, meaning on Freeview 8 I get the Liverpool TV station and not Manchester or Lancashire, and the local radio stations are Merseyside based. How can I force a Manchester retune.

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Mark's 1 post GB flag
R
Richard Cooper
sentiment_satisfiedGold

5:35 PM

Mark: Hi, Mark. Since the Manchester and Liverpool groups of channels are both transmitted on the same UHF TV channel, which is UHF channel 56, I don't really know what to advise, because as they're both using the same frequency the only thing to differentiate between them is radiation pattern direction, meaning that the Liverpool-biased local TV & radio stations are 'beamed from Winter Hill South West towards Liverpool, whereas the Manchester ones are beamed South East towards Manchester, so looking at your postcode, it would appear that just North East of Adlington railway station your house is in the 'line of fire' from Winter Hill towards Liverpool and so, because of this, I can't work out how it would be possible, at your location, to pick up the Manchester local services, for which you'd need to be located in-between Winter Hill and Manchester City itself. United doesn't feature in this response!!! I suppose you could contact the transmission company, Arqiva, to see if they can come up with any suggestions, but apart from moving, I don't see any answers!. So sorry I couldn't help, but re-tunes won't achieve anything due to L'pool & Manc'r using the same frequency for both these local services. Richard, Norwich.

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Richard Cooper's 471 posts GB flag
Thursday, 29 September 2016
G
Graham
11:09 AM

I live in Canterbury and we use the Chartham transmitter for BBC programmes but since yesterday I can't get any signal for these programmes, is the transmitter down?

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Graham's 1 post GB flag
S
StevensOnln1
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:11 PM

Graham: There is currently a transmitter engineering notice on the Chartham transmitter page that it is currently off air. Do not attempt to retune your TV or box as this will delete the channels which are already tuned. Once that transmitter is back on air your channels will return on their own.

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StevensOnln1's 3,695 posts GB flag
Saturday, 1 October 2016
D
daniella
12:26 PM

I live in bristol and use the kingweston transmitter. There has been no tv in my block of flats for 2days now. Who do i contact to sort this issue.

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daniella's 1 post GB flag
S
StevensOnln1
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

2:20 PM

daniella: If you have confirmed that your neighbours in the block are suffering the same problem then you need to contact the managing agent or housing association responsible for the building and get them to send someone out to check the communal aerial system.

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StevensOnln1's 3,695 posts GB flag
Sunday, 2 October 2016
P
Peter McWilliams
10:41 AM
Bangor

I live in Bangor, Northern Ireland (BT20 3PZ). I have noticed during the past week (26/09/2016 - 01/10/ 2016) that my Freeview has been having some interference with certain channels. During Friday 30/09/2016 and Saturday 01/10/2016 I have lost all channels at approximately 6.30pm, I have checked the uhf channel numbers and there is no signal strength or quality. This lasts through the night, but channels are back in the morning. Can you check and advise. Many Thanks.

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Peter McWilliams's 1 post GB flag
Peter's: mapP's Freeview map terrainP's terrain plot wavesP's frequency data P's Freeview Detailed Coverage
A
Andrew McClelland
5:02 PM

I live in Shipton Oliffe, Cheltenham and receive main free view channels from the Andoversford transmitter and other channels like tru tv and CBS reality from Ridge Hill transmitter. I have had strength 10 signals from both transmitters but, over recent months, the signals have fluctuated. The last few days have been strength 1 from Ridge hill resulting in no tv picture for chann Lis we have always been able to watch. Technicians have been working at Andoversford and the signal from there has improved to around 5. BBC, ITV, Channels 4 and 5 are good.

I note from the website there are no reported problems at Ridge Hill but my neighbours and I have been experiencing highly unreliable reception for a long time. I would be grateful if this could be investigated please.

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MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

5:29 PM

Andrew McClelland:

To be able to help we need a full post code so that we can determine exactly what the reception conditions and terrain are at your location.

It is worth noting that signal strengths of 10/10 are too strong and will result in pixelation and loss of sound quality.

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William Chisholm
7:05 PM
Whitby

Located at Newholm (YO21 3QT) with new digital aerial receiving signals from the Bilsdale transmitter.
Until 3 days ago I could receive excellent pictures with 59 channels tuned in from this transmitter. I then lost all signals for a couple of days & retuning resulted in 0 stations (just as if no aerial plugged in). I checked all co-ax cabling etc & ensuring the TV wasn't at fault (Sony with built in Freeview). Yesterday evening, I tried a further set-up & got 36 stations tuned. Sadly this did not include some of my favourites (Dave, Quest etc).
Resetting to factory state & retuning still returns only 36 stations. Why this sudden loss of stations when my equipment has not been changed? Any suggestions welcomed.
Bill Chisholm

PS Use Bilsdale transmitter, rather than the Whitby repeater due to location

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MikeB
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

9:41 PM

William Chisholm: DigitalUK doesn't think you'll get much of anything, so 59 channels is great.

If the signal hasn't changed (unlikely, but you can check the status of the transmitter), and there is no evidence of temp inversion etc, then it has to be you.
Your describing the classic symptoms of a failing system, perhaps via a frayed cable, water in a connection, etc. You've lost a mux, at least, and possibly everything for a bit.

If the coax from the TV to the wall is fine (always worth swapping out, they are very cheap), then it has to be higher up the system. Could be a failing booster (if you've got one), but if you've just had a new aerial fitted, it might be worth asking someone to come out again to check it.

Your Sony has a nicely sensitive but robust tuner, and you can check signal strength easily. Find the Bilsdale page and note down the channel numbers for each mux. Then find a TV channel in each mux and note down signal strength. They are probably all low, and some have gone entirely, which points to cabling.

Check that you are tuned into the right transmitter as well - retunign just means you can lose what you already have.Let us know what happens.

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MikeB's 2,579 posts GB flag
Thursday, 6 October 2016
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John Bayliss
10:13 AM
Worthing

I live in BN13 1DG, and had a new aerial fitted 3 months ago. I did not use the freeview service much then, but now my sky box has stopped working, I need freeview, but I cannot get any channels from the Rowridge transmitter on com 7 and com 8, i.e. BBC4 HD, BBC news HD and all the others on channels 31 and 37. I suspect the aerial is the wrong type: the receiving arms are vertical, and I note that everything on freeview is polarised in both the vertical and horizontal except the 2, com7 and com8, which appear to be horizontal only, so is the aerial the problem?
Thanks for any help.

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MikeP
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

10:35 AM

John Bayliss:

COM 7 and 8 from Rowridge are only available with horizontal polarisation, so an aerial mounted with the rods vertical will not receive those signals. Not everything on Freeview is polarised both vertical and horizontal. On main transmitters, it is usual for all the services to be horizontal whilst the smaller 'Freeview Lite' transmitters are usually vertical - but not always. Rowridge is unusual in that it provide the main transmissions in both horizontal and vertical polarisations, but the COM7 and COM8 services are only horizontal. Just look at the 'digitaluk trade' box below your posting, it will show the services available.

Note that these services will likely be replaced around 2020 as the 700MHz band is sold off to the mobile phone companies and UHF TV digital services are converted into DVB-T2 transmissions that will allow all channels to be transmitted using a narrower spectrum.

Note also that to get the COM7 and COM8 services you need a TV that is a full HD one with a built-in DVB-T2 tuner and not one that is described as being 'HD ready' as they do not have the needed tuner.



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