All posts by MikeB
Below are all of MikeB's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
les : No, the freesat box should go to the TV. The Video player should also go to the TV, via scart. If you want to record from the freesat box to video (although if its a Freesat PVR thats obviously pointless), then you should enable the Freesat box to output to scart, and feed into into the VCR. The manual should tell you how to do it, if its possible and you really want to do it. Personally, I wouldn't bother, and I'm not sure what you'd want to use the VCR for these days either, but there you go.
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John Fox: According to the R + T link, there has been no reported problems with the transmitter, so logically its your own system. Could be moisture getting into the system, etc.
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John Butler: I know what you mean, since my Goodmans box has frozen and sometimes refuses to react to the remote on and off for the last three weeks. Firstly, I don't think its a software problem, since I doubt that the software has ever been updated. However, its not impossible that something with the signal has slightly changed, and thrown the box - it certainly seems to happen on some channels more than others.
Secondly, like you, signal strength is perfect, so its not a matter of a dodgy feed.
My cure is to normally pull out the power lead at the back of the box, which resets it. However, it sometimes freezes a minute later, so a 'mains reset' is not a total solution.
I'm waiting for the retune on the 3rd, and if its not OK by then, I'm just going to buy another box (although they all seem to be by Vestral..). But my advice would be to spend as little money as possible if you are going to replace them (if you can't take them back to the shop) - there is no point in spending good money after bad.
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John Fox: I would say that half a cup of water might cause a reception problem! Of course the water might have flowed into the amp over time via a break in the coax, its that which killed much of the signal. I'm sure someone more technical than me could explain why BBC channels went first. perhaps its just one of those things.
The coax replacement makes sense, but I'm not sure you need an amp - your only 23km from the transmitter with a clear line of sight. Try it without and see how you get on. If signal is fine, then you can send it back unopened.
Reporting a loss of signal? I have no idea, although there is a phone number on the Radio & Television Investigation website. But you are trying to report a problem with your reception, and just yours. If you and your neigbours all have no signal, then its likely to be the transmitter. If its just you, then probably not. Remember that Talcneston serves 330,000 homes, so even if 0.1% have a problem with reception, thats a fair amount of people.
However, if you look back through all the questions about reception or loss of signal, relatively few can be traced to an actual loss of signal from the transmitter, and then its either off for some work done during a quiet period for not all that long, or its an accident caused by a power failure, etc.
Instead, the vast majority of faults are from the households end, caused by anything from water getting in, corrsion, the aerial falling down or simply the aerial lead at the back of the TV falling out. This seems to be often accompanied by the phrase 'I pay my licence fee'. Best plan is to ask someone nearby - if its them as well, then its the transmitter, but chances are its your system.
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Dave Hagen: I honestly dont know. The address on their website is the same as Eurosat EUROSAT ? About Us - but that seems to be the UK distributors. You could have a search on Freesat Forum | AVForums , but it does seem difficult to find out what you need. I suspect somebody makes them and possibly rebadges, but thats just a gut feeling. Best thing is to look at the software onboard - if its the same as another brand, its probably part of the same group. Can I assume the box has gone puft, and your after some spares, rather than just binning it?
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Nedbod: And yes? Everyone knows that current DAB chips use far more power than FM, and so you generally get far less battery life. Of course the Roberts DAB radio also has FM, so here is an experiment - play the radio on battery on FM, and see how long it lasts. I suspect quite a long time. When you need it to be on DAB (BBC 6 Music, for instance), then use it on DAB.
The reality is that most people dont use a DAB radio unless its plugged into the mains anyway (something I suspect is the same for FM), so its generally not a big deal.
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Dave Hagan: A quick look around the net actually brings up some pretty decent reviews for the box, although apparently their recorder can be a bit sticky. I dont know which one you ordered, but the S2 (Freesat) actually gets pretty good reviews from our customers http://www.johnlewis.com/…etID , and seems a reasonable price. Several customers have said its OK, and if your after a Freeview HD receiver, then they seem to be one of the few on the market. Personally, I'd recommend Humax for Freeview and Freesat PVR's, and in the case of the Manhattan Freesat PVR, its only a tenner more for the Humax, but you pays your money and takes your choice. Let us know what its like.
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Paul Blackburn: You havn't included a postcode, which would be really useful, but there are some things that do stand out.
You've got 4 TV's which all have the same problem, so I assume that they all are fed via one aerial, and possibly using a powered amp. If the signal vanishes every evening, is it at the same time? You say that the signal sometimes comes back after ten minutes, and sometimes its off all evening.
First thing that makes sense is that the distribution amp is dodgy. Water getting in (perhaps after rain?), a failing power supply or simply a badly frayed cable which completely loses it sometimes.
Strange that it go off at the same time, but if you check out 'Single Source Interference' on this site, then that might explain it.
I'm sure JB38 or Dave LIndsay might come up with a better answer, but in the meantime, I'd check your distribution system, paying special attention to any splitter/amp, and include the power supply. Of course the problem could be further up the system, including the aerial itself.
You say the aerial has been checked, but there is obviously something wrong, so perhaps another check is needed.
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Friday 29 August 2014 10:50PM
Graham slater: When you move, put your postcode into this site, and it should bring up all the data you need. I think MikeP is right - the tuners could just be more or less sensitive (frankly, I havn't recommended Sharp in 6 years, so I'm not a fan anyway), but it would be nice to know where you are now, just to check what you should expect.