All posts by Richard Sutton
Below are all of Richard Sutton's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
StevensOnln1:
Many thanks for commenting but surely the detailed listing above shows ITV4 and the other related Freeview channels as being available on both C25 and C29 as well as the regional version of ITV? At least, that's how I'm reading it but I might be wrong.
Either way, I can certainly receive both C25 and C29 but they are both hopelessly weak and one of them (I'm not sure which) used to be fine until the last few weeks.
I've just tried ITV2 and ITV3 and they are both breaking up and unwatchable just like ITV4. I don't see how it can be a connection issue as all the other channels are 100% quality.
This is the Coverage Checker result for WR11 4HQ: Coverage Checker - Detailed View
It used to show Ridge Hill as the best for me which is why I have been on it ever since switchover but that has now changed to Sutton Coldfield which is the transmitter I used to use pre-switchover.
Richard
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StevensOnln1:
I just realised that our the newish LG 4K TV I can do a signal test on each Channel mux and it lists all the broadcast channels available on that mux and you're right. C29 which I can get with a watchable signal is only ITV and the LG has put that on 800.
ITV4 which I want is listed on C25 by the LG but the signal checker currently shows UHF Ch25 (506000 kHz) as being Signal Strength 94%, Signal Quality 1% - 4% so it's unwatchable.
This must mean that I have also now lost Film 4 on channel so I've just checked that live and that is just like the ITV channels, i.e. unwatchable. I've recorded dozens of films of over the last few years on Film 4, the most recent I've just checked was a film called "Thanks for Sharing" which I recorded on the Humax on the 4th July 2019 and I've just checked and that looks fine.
Whatever has happened to C25 seems to have happened in the last few days although I only realised when I tried to watch the BSB recording from ITV4 last night.
I wonder what's happened?
Richard
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StevensOnln1:
I've taken your advice and unplugged and re-plugged all the aerial cables in the lounge and in the loft and that seems to have restored the signal quality on C25/ITV4 back to around 50%. It's nowhere as near as good as all the other channels but the picture looks fine and it's not breaking up.
I don't understand why only C25 seems to be affected by the corroding connection or whatever it is but I'm delighted that I finally understand that C25 is the only one I need and I can stop trying to tune in to C29 as I'm not interested in ITV SD.
It seems that this connection thing is just something I will need to keep an eye on.
Many thanks for you help which has been invaluable.
Richard
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My issues with the Ridge Hill continue to plague me after all these years even though it is the recommended transmitter for my location. I've tried Sutton Coldfield but that also has issues due to my specific location and the surrounding hills.
Anyway, over the last couple of weeks I've lost a few channels so decided to do a manual rescan on both the TV and the Humax. An auto scan never works as, for some reason, my devices always tune to C29 rather than C25 and C29 is unwatchable at my location.
Anyway this is my current channel reception figures:
C21: Strength 100%, Quality 100%
C22: Strength 100%, Quality 100%
C24: Strength 90%, Quality 0%
C25: Strength 98%, Quality 100%
C27: Strength 100%, Quality 100%
C28: Strength 100%, Quality 100%
As you can see, there is zero reception (blank screen on TV) on C24 even though the strength shows as 90%.
Can anyone suggest why I cannot receive any of the Arqiva A programmes from Ridge Hill.
Many thanks
Richard
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Sorry Chris
I need to check why I am getting no notifications that anyone has responded to my post.
I'm going to do another retune as C25 has now gone bad and is unwatchable whereas it was fine when I made the above post. It is now Strength 94%, Quality 30% so a programme that I recorded last night on ITV4 which I just tried to watch is just a pixellated mess.
I'll update on the retune tomorrow.
We don't have any old analogue devices or games consoles or anything of that sort.
The booster in the loft does have a gain control which is on maximum gain and is connected to the mains supply. It has four coax sockets in the front of it but we only use two of the sockets for the two separate cables which run down to the lounge and the breakfast room which are the only rooms with TV/recorders in them.
Many thanks for your assistance.
Richard
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That's odd. I thanked Chris and posted a long reply last night but there is no sign of it on here. Let's see if this short acknowledgement appears.
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My post from last night has now appeared so I'll continue with the results from this morning. I'm using a manual tune on the LG TV as it has a very good signal strength/quality display.
These are my current figures from Ridge Hill:
C21: Strength 100%, Quality 100%
C22: Strength 100%, Quality 100%
C24: Strength 90%, Quality 20%
C25: Strength 94%, Quality 35%
C27: Strength 100%, Quality 100%
C28: Strength 100%, Quality 100%
As before. the quality for C24 and C25 is terrible although my figures are averages as it jumps + or - 10% around the figures shown.
If I try C29, which is not my region as I'm sure that I'm West Midlands rather than Gloucestershire because the strong BBC channel, C28, shows up as BBC1 West Midlands, I get:
C29: Strength 100%, Quality 50% which also jumps around +/- 10% but is actually better that the alternative C25 but still poor.
I don't actually need C24, the channel which was originally bad, so that's not a big loss although I can't understand why four channels can be 100% / 100% whilst that one is always unwatchable.
However, the big problem for me now is C25 and C29 are both bad. I'll try using C29 to see what that is like as, even though it has always been a worse signal than C25 in the past, it seems that it now might be the better of the two. This assumes that C29 on Ridge Hill is actually broadcasting ITV4. It is according to the channel allocation table shown above but I'm not sure that is correct.
Richard
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OK, after more investigation using my TV settings, I can see that C29 on Ridge Hill is only broadcasting four programmes:
555 Accessible TV guide
800 ITV1
802 ITVBe
803 E4+1
The table above is obviously incorrect which means that, as things stand, I no longer have access to ITV4.
ITV1 on 800 is fine although keeps breaking up on 003 but, as I only ever watch it in HD on 103, that is of no use to me.
Richard
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Having spent a couple of hours changing cables and sockets and unplugging all devices which are not currently in use, none of which made any difference at all to reception on C24 and C25, I now suspect that the problem is caused by the high winds over the last few days and the trees between our house and the Ridge Hill antenna.
Is it possible that trees/leaves swaying in the wind could affect C24 and C25 so badly but not affect any of the other channels?
Richard
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Tuesday 9 July 2019 11:31AM
For years I have had tuning problems using Ridge Hill because of the West and Central transmission which have always confused the various tuners where I live as I'm in a tricky reception area. However, Ridge Hill has always been shown in the Digital UK Coverage Checker as being my best transmitter so I've stuck with it.
Something seems to have changed in the last few weeks and I cannot now receive ITV4 (for BSB bike racing) on either mux 25 or mux 29. The signal quality on both appears to be 30% or less on all my devices and the picture constantly breaks up.
I've just checked the Digital UK Coverage Checker and, after being Ridge Hill all these years since switchover, the recommended transmitter for my post code (which is only 4 houses) is now Sutton Coldfield.
I guess that I will have to ask an aerial fitter to come and swivel my aerial 100-ish degrees so I hope that my current aerial is still suitable unless someone can advise whether this 25/29 problem is likely to be a temporary issue.
I always watch the main channels in HD and the HD muxes are fine.
Richard