Feedback
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV For the last six years, I have answered many thousands of personal emails that you have sent to UK Free TV.
Sadly, I am unable to offer this personal service at the moment.
Until I can restore this service, please can you leave any questions you have on an appropriate page, where they will be answered as soon as possible, or below, if you can't figure out where to ask.
I look forward to your questions!
Help with TV/radio stations?
In this section
Sunday, 8 December 2013
S
sally9:19 PM
London
May I ask what you mean by UHF tuning. the only fine tuning on my tv is mhz. Also is there a hd tv service anyone could recommend that would bypass this annoyance with an installation of a basic tv service?
| link to this comment |
sally's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
sally: A lot of TVs use UHF channel numbers and some use/give frequencies in MHz only - they both relate to the same thing.
In relation to what I said above, Woolwich on C57 is 762MHz. Crystal Palace C26 is 514MHz.
I'm not in the area so can't recommend anyone. The outcome could be that you can only receive the Public Service channels (from Woolwich) - a common question of installers these days being can I change to using a transmitter which carries all channels? As I say, where you are this is at least difficult.
| link to this comment |
S
sally9:38 PM
London
On 514mhz i got no joy and on 762 I got a poor signal which basically means a blurred/choppy picture?
What if anything do you recommend?
| link to this comment |
sally's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
sally: It sounds like the aerial could be directed to the Woolwich transmitter.
I suggest that you confirm, perhaps in daylight, that it is fitted correctly and hasn't come down.
Also check that there isn't another aerial socket or aerial cable coming into the room - that is check you haven't connected the TV to an old aerial cable that is no longer used.
If there is an aerial wall socket and you therefore use a lead to join the TV to it, can you swap with another to prove that it isn't at fault?
If you have a box such as a recorder, disconnect the box and connect the TV directly to the incoming aerial. That way you discount the box as causing the issue.
| link to this comment |
S
sally10:32 PM
London
The aerial is pointed towards woolwich and the box we're using to get a connection has two holes/sockets on the left it's "vhf" and on the right it's "uhf" we're getting the signal through the uhf socket?
| link to this comment |
sally's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
sally: That's correct - UHF is TV.
Confirm, by viewing the signal strength screen, that BBC One is tuned to 786MHz (or could perhaps be 785.8MHz, which is the same thing).
If so, then the TV is tuned to Woolwich transmitter and as such the problem would appear to lie elsewhere (so retuning isn't likely to rectify it).
You will only receive PSB channels which are the BBC, ITV, ITV+1, ITV2, Channel 4, Channel 4+1, E4, Film4, More4 and Channel 5. There is no ITV3, ITV4, Dave, Yesterday etc.
If you are using a booster then remove it.
What do the strength and quality show as on BBC One and ITV? (There isn't a need to check BBC Two because it will be the same as BBC One; likewise Channel 4, Channel 5 etc are the same as ITV.)
| link to this comment |
Monday, 9 December 2013
S
sally12:07 AM
London
I only get bbc/2/3 etc No itv No C4 (which is what I watch mainly. We get everything related to the bbc (news/cbbc) i've been able to tune itv and C4 but they are just to blurry with maybe a second of audio every 5 mins. I'm not using a booster of any sort. The quality of the bbc channels are good but they too get increasingly blurry about once an hour and sometimes tune right out.
Dave since you are not close is there a service I can get say sky/virgin/bt who once I subscribe will then come and instal the service for me. I can barely make out the aerial as its behind the *ceramic tube things* which look like massive clay vases lol.
| link to this comment |
sally's: mapS's Freeview map terrainS's terrain plot wavesS's frequency data S's Freeview Detailed Coverage
sally: Did you get anything from at800, either at your old address or new one? This could be a postcard or filter which you connect into your aerial lead?
at800 is the company that is run by the 4G mobile operators and is charged with alleviating any issues with TV reception caused by their signals.
I am wondering if this could be caused by one or more 4G base stations. You are around 400m from the telephone exchange whose roof is festooned with mobile phone antennas.
If the issue is 4G signals then at800 will supply you with a free filter to connect inline with your aerial lead. Under such circumstances there may well be nothing wrong with your aerial and therefore any work at your expense would be unnecessary.
| link to this comment |
T
Tom Herrington12:15 PM
From Tom. H I get my signal from the Llandonna transmitter on Anglesey (three miles distant) Four weeks ago we lost all digital programmes on multiplex SDN --some completely some frozen picture. Prior to that they were perfect. Something similar happened last winter and then they returned in the Spring so I dont want to invest in a new aerial if the problem is elsewhere. My postcode is LL588RN.
| link to this comment |
Tom Herrington: It's probably worth enquiring with neighbours to see if they have the same issue. See if theirs affects the same channel and comes and goes around the same time as yours.
It sounds rather like a seasonal issue caused by the terrain which the signal path traverses (that's the "line" between the transmitter and you).
Here is a plot of the terrain:
Terrain between ( m a.g.l.) and (antenna m a.g.l.) - Optimising UK DTT Freeview and Radio aerial location
The plotter only samples ground levels at fixed intervals and as it's only just over 2 miles it isn't totally representative. However, it does suggest that the ground between you and Langoed is in the way. Of course, there is also likely to be vegetation on that land which can affect reception.
With this in mind, if you can access it safely, try tilting the aerial up a little if its bracket permits. Failing that, mounting the aerial in a different location such as on the other end of your bungalow might do the trick. That said, because the line-of-sight is interrupted by the terrain you could always be susceptible to such woes.
The thing with digital reception is that it either works or it doesn't - there is very little inbetween where it "sort of" works. Consequently it could be that yours is "only just" not working. It might be that others' signals have degraded but they still have what they would call a "perfect" picture, signals being "only just" good enough. In the days of analogue you would might see the picture get gradually worse.
| link to this comment |
Select more comments
Your comment please