All posts by MikeB
Below are all of MikeB's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
David Clover: Whats your postcode, it will really help in getting to the cause of the problem.
The same goes for Algernon Black - if you want help, we need to know where you are, to check signal path, etc.
| link to this comment |
Declan McDonnell: If your on Black Hill, your only 26km away. Check signal strength - if its too high HD channels are the first to break up - 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 |
hieu: Firstly, thanks for the postcode (makes life so much easier!).
Secondly - why are you using Oxford? The Digital UK tradeview shows your 73km from the Oxford transmitter (its doesn't even show up on the terrain plot), whereas Sandy Heath and Waltham are much closer, and give a good signal path.
OK - if your are using Oxford, there (according th the R +T investigation) no problems with the transmitter, so I suspect the problems in your house. Check back from the TV - is there a cable loose? If your aerial is in the loft, check that its connected properly, and if you have some sort of distribution system, make sure that verything works properly. If its only the roof, again much the same.
Even if a transmitter is off, unless its some sort of emergency, its seldom very long, and enginnering work tends to mean a reduced signal, rather than nothing at all.
| link to this comment |
Petra: Your only 11km from Sutton, so getting 45% signal strength is very strange, since you have an excellent signal path.
Could you check and see what transmitter the TV is tuned into? If you look at the Digital UK tradeview, then you'll see the transmitter, the RF channel number, and the direction the aerial should be facing. Switch to BBC1, and look at signal strength/quality, and the channel it is on - as you can see, you should 43. There are closer transmitters, which are 'light', and are on channels 24 and 50. The Wrekin is on 26, and Waltham on 49 - none of these look great for you, and it could be that your accidently getting these instead.
Let us know what number you do get, and perhaps the reception experts can suggest something.
| link to this comment |
Petra: I'd didn't see your second post before I replied, but the TV is fine (I remember that model) . The fact that its sometimes better than in the venings points to reception being better/worse depending on the time of day - which would be understandable if your getting signal from a fair distance, and the signal is refracting - but its shouldn't be.
| link to this comment |
Petra: Ok, thats really strange. Since its a communal aerial, it could be that the cable is slightly dodgy from you socket. Best suggestion I can make is try to borrow an indoor aerial (something which normally rubbish, but your so close to Sutton, it might be OK), pointing it to 33 degrees, and se what its like.
Other than than, I'm stumped.
| link to this comment |
Ken: I'm with Michael - if you'll all without a signal, its the distribution system which is at fault (power supply gone?) - the landlord/agents needs to sort it out.
You can go Freesat, but its going to cost you £99 for the dish and the cost of a new recording box - about £350. I'd ring the leasing agents first!
| link to this comment |
Jim Boyles: I susepct you have a broken cable, etc in your home system.
Your certainly unlikely to have any effects from 4G, and even if the signal had dropped very low, you'd probably still get something, even if it varies over a couple of minutes. No signal means no signal at all. Check back from the TV the chain going up to the loft aerial.
As for which transmitter your on, its a Goodmans! (although kudos for having one which has lasted so long). I assume (like mine) that its has no manual tuning, so it could be picking up either Ridge Hill or Sutton Coldfield - both are actually fine for you in theory. Try seeing what the box says under 'technical info' - its how you check signal strength, etc - often it will say 'East Midlands', Central', etc - are that the transmitter - often similar name to the BBC local news.
As an aside, my personal advice would be that when the Goodmans dies, get a Humax recorder - you can manually tune it, it records, gets you Iplayer and can get you freeview at the same time, and when the TV dies, you can use it with the new TV to record in HD.
| link to this comment |
r.bedford: Looking at the long discussion, I would have to say that It is possible for a tuner to go, but I suspect it would normally go altogether. Since the other TV showed a very low signal strength, it looks like you might have got two problems rolled into one.
Unfortunately, the manual for the B450 is not easy to find (or at least download safely), but here is a link to a Samsung factory reset method which was current back in 2009 - give it a go : Performing A Factory Reset
There is also a whole thread here: Lost dtv on my samsung tv | AVForums.com - UK Online
If you get back to DTV, at least your part of the way there.
If your remote is bad, then its about a tenner for another one from ebay, but if you then find out its the tuner/TV anyway, your talking a fair amount for repair - since you can buy a new Samsung 32F5500 (100hz screen, wifi, smart LED) for about £360, you have to decide whether its worth repair, etc.
Could I ask who you bought it from? My customers have a five year warrenty, so if you bought it in 2009....
| link to this comment |
Sunday 13 October 2013 6:41PM
Diana: Your best bet is Waltham Waltham (Leicestershire, England) transmitter | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice (yes the signal is a little low at the moment, but I'm about the same distance from it and the siganl seems fine). There seems to be a clear signal path as well.
It looks like your missing one of the mux's - and probably the best thing to do is to check whether your recorder is picking up the same transmitter as the TV, and then do a retune.
Again, this is more the reception guru's area, but hopefully it should work.