All posts by MikeB
Below are all of MikeB's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Jo: Have you lost all reception, or are your channels really difficult to watch? Let us know about your setup, and someone might be able to help, but check your cables anyway.
If you put your postcode into the website, you can see whcih transmitter you should be getting signals from, etc, and if you ask any further questions, then other people can find out more infor for you.
However, putting your postcode into the coverage check reckons that Winter Hill is your best bet, and that seems to be fine Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice
| link to this comment |
Anne Britland: If it keeps happening, and the aerial has actually been checked, then yes, it could be the TV. But is there any pattern to the loss of signal? If its a windy or wet day, then a roof aerial can suffer, only to be fine when it drys out - there is a fault, but it doesn't always show up. There shouldn't be any need to retune (in fact thats a bad idea) - its the aerial connection thats gone, nothing else.
Could be worth looking at the socket on the wall, to make sure nothing is loose there, and of course the aerial lead itself. Has anyone else in the home complained of such a problem?
Try another TV or just an old digibox plugged into the back of the current TV - if the same thing keeps happening, its the aerial. If its fine, then its the TV.
| link to this comment |
Paul Cooper: Apostcode would be helpful, so we could see what sort of signal you should get. Looking at someone elses postocde from that area, you should be ok for winter hill - check your comon cables, etc, since its likely you've got a fault with your aerial or connections.
| link to this comment |
Andrew: The model in question is difficult to find on Google, but what comes up tends to be problems!
You can see here - Hitachi HDR081 problem | AVForums -
Digihome PVR80 (similar to Hitachi HDR081?) lifeless | AVForums
Frankly, someone more expert than me would be better at diagnosing the actual problem, but its shouldn't be anything to do with having Freeview in your TV. If you want to experiment, split the signal, so that one goes into the TV, and the other into the recorder, rather than passing the rf signal through the recorder, as you do right now. But I suspect that its the unit. And frankly, considering its age, etc, its probably not worth spending a lot of money on repair. It might be a time to get something else, perhaps something from Humax or a similar quality brand.
| link to this comment |
Mike: You could start here: Aerials, TV Aerial and Digital Aerial
I'm sure that many are more qualified than me to answer the question, but basically, if the aerial works fine with a digital signal, then thats OK, at least at present.
However, some aerials do better than others, and if you've an old aerial, which has been rusting away for years, its possible that its not at its best anyway, so replacement with a newer aerial is possibly desirable anyway.
But if everything is fine at the moment, dont worry.
| link to this comment |
Margaret Paterson: Your not the first the person to have mentioned this - Can I stop paying Sky and use my satellite receiver to get Freeview ? | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice
The whole history of the thing is slighty bizarre, but there you are. Obviously there is Sky/Freesat, and I assume there is Virgin (!), but Sandy Heath is 35km from you, with a clear signal path. If you click the links by your question, you can see what sort of signal you might get.
On the other hand, indoor aerials are fairly rubbish, and even an amplifier, they are still not that great. They are pretty small, and generally not hign up. However, give its a go. They are not expensive (dont spend more than about £20), and you might get an old aerial from someone.
Ifr it does not work, then you could go the satellite route (Freesat dish to watch/record is about £100, and the cost of a PVR/Sky), or see if you can get a proper aerial.
| link to this comment |
Sam: if your not getting any signal, perhaps others have the same problem. There might be a fault either within the cable to your own tv, or one coming down from the main aerial. If its the latter, then you can share the cost, get the management company to put it right, etc.
So ask other people first, if only to find where the problem lies.
| link to this comment |
Mr Roger Haines: Normally a postcode would be helpful, but I think you've answered your own question - you are just 2 miles away, and therefore the signal is likely to be very powerful - probably too powerful.
Obviously any boosters, etc should be bypassed if possible, and see here - Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you | Digital switchover | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice
| link to this comment |
MR B THORPE: You havn't supplied a postcode, so its difficult to give more information, but its not a bad bet that the booster is the source of the problem, and a stronger one will only make it worse.
Digital signals are almost as strong now as the old analogue signals were, and there have been lots of people recently suffering from too high a signal strength - often caused by having a now unneeded booster, etc.
Bypass the booster if possible, and see here:
Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you | Digital switchover | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice
| link to this comment |
Saturday 23 November 2013 8:22AM
Hannah: a quick look on the web shows that your picking up a signal from virginmedia , but on cable (google Milton Keynes and analogue tv) - so you have sky, virgin, freesat, and freeview. What's really strange is how your getting the signal in the bedroom - are you actually paying for this ?