All posts by Aytchgee
Below are all of Aytchgee's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
I know nothing about the technicalities of aerials etc but what I do know is that for the past 10 days, living in Ipswich with a very basic aerial set up towards Sudbury, I haven't been able to get any of the ITV channels until mid to late evening. Normally there are very rarely any problems getting the "main" channels, and as many of the Freeview ones worth giving house room.
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Hi Mike.
Tried that but to no avail. My postcode is IP1.
There are certain atmospherics during the year that do affect my signal on occasion but never normally the ITV channels - only some of the freeview ones.
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Hi again.
I entered my postcode into the checker to find that there is no current abnormality from the transmitter on any of the usual channels so I conclude my current problem is atmospheric coupled with my somewhat lacking aerial set up.
Many thanks for your help in this matter.
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As a foot note: now all of a sudden yesterday (even before I had done yet another retune) my ITV, Ch4 and Ch5 channels are back again all day long as opposed to only being available in the late evening - that would seem to correspond with this current time of change of some of the Freeview channel numbers.
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Dunno what's going on with the Sudbury transmitter - at first I thought it was either the weather or the new vast building on Sproughton road hampering my signal (which is in a direct line to Sudbury from my house) but in the past week or two I have had no watchable freeview signal each day other than the BBC channels until 10.15p.m each night!
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I should add my post code is IP1 4HL and, all aerial connections checked, if I reset my freeview channels early in the evening I only get around 22 tv channels - the only watchable are the BBC's at that time. If I reset late at night around 1a.m I get well over a hundred when all the missing ITV, Channel 4 / 5 and other freeview miraculously work. There was no problem last year up until around this new year, even though I have had a loft aerial set up with amplifier for many years.
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Many thanks for your reply. I have looked up the links which will prove useful in the future.
I think my problems may be connected to work on the transmitter as well as the new Sproughton road warehouse which is far wider in profile than the old silos to my location. Yesterday non-BBC channels were slightly improved much earlier in the evening - well before the approx 10.15p.m change of previous evenings which seemed to be like someone switching on a booster somewhere!
Anyway - thanks!
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Long term if we have major problems I may have to have an aerial mounted outside, probably on the chimney stack. I currently also have a 360 degree radio aerial connected to the one down line which has meant certain tv channels are now weak or non existent. Fortunately I'm not over enamoured with freeview tv and its endless repeats coupled with ads for nothing I'm interested in, so I get by!!
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Saturday 12 February 2011 7:14PM
Hi. I'm no technofile when it comes to TV so here goes....
Sudbury transmitter area - based in Ipswich.
Outside aerial in loft.
Although on top of a hill, the position of the house means the aerial has to point at a party wall to face the transmitter.
Using an amp, my analogue reception on BBC1 BBC2 ITV are A1. Channel4 is a B+ and as usual Channel5 is a D- (but then so are the programmes)!
Have full set of squares on the test pages on BBC1 BBC2 and Anglia but cannot get teletext / ceefax on Channel 4 to test squares on that channel as suggested by the switchover pages on Ceefax.
Have Philips set top box but it cant find any Freeview channels at all.
Have tried replacing aerial with brand new AllForOne SV9351 (outside) aerial in loft to no advantage - in fact all channel pictures are slightly worse.
Question 1 = Is Ceefax / Teletext available on Channel4 in my area. Is my inability to get it indicative of why my set top box can find no Freeview channels?
Question 2 = Are Philips DTR220 set top boxes any good, as I have read many poor reviews since I purchased it a couple of years ago?