All posts by Mike Dimmick
Below are all of Mike Dimmick's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Heavenscentrose, Dazultra: You are both likely to be using the Whitehawk Hill transmitter, which is off-air for engineering works today and yesterday. Check
Digital UK - Planned Engineering Works for updates.
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Canukinuk: Check whether it's a model that uses GuidePlus rather than the standard Freeview EPG. If you're having trouble getting Multiplex A - the information is attached to the bid.tv channel - this may explain the problem.
You might see if it's possible to put the TV in 'standard Freeview' mode.
Otherwise, if you're experiencing break-up on the BBC channels and the other affected channels, but not on other channels, it could be too much signal (see above). However, all multiplexes carry regular Freeview EPG data for all other multiplexes, though the services on the same multiplex are prioritised.
Some equipment gets confused if there are multiple copies of the same channels. Ensure you do a full retune/full reset/first-time installation/default setting/'virgin mode'/reinstall all channels, to clear out everything it previously thought it knew. If you still have duplicates after that, see Digital Region Overlap.
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stafford: If you have ITV4 but not Film 4, check whether Film 4 appears in the 800s. If it does, you probably have a box that can't handle the larger Network Information Table, or otherwise has a problem with the NIT.
Check http://www.digitaluk.co.u…tnit , a list of some boxes known to have a problem with it.
Otherwise, check with the box supplier.
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k: For FreeVIEW you need to use an aerial connection, which is a push-in connector. This might be connected to your Sky box at the moment, to distribute to other rooms in the house.
For FreeSAT - free TV through a satellite dish - the connection from the dish uses a screw-on connector. Just transfer this from the Sky box to the Freesat box. However, you need a second, completely independent, connection from the box to the dish if you want to guarantee recording two programmes at the same time. You cannot split an existing cable. The recorder sends some signals back up the cable to the LNB (the box at the end of the dish arm) to tell it what range of channels to select, and each tuner has to be able to select any of the four options.
Some installers do use screw-on connectors for aerial connections as well, but the last cable to the TV or box will end in a push-in connector.
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Claire Evren: For satellite TV, you need a cable running from the dish to the box. This is the screw-on connection typically labelled LNB1 on a satellite receiver. If you only have an aerial lead, which pushes in (typically labelled RF1), you would need to get a cable run from the dish to your bedroom.
You can connect to the TV with EITHER HDMI or SCART, you don't need both (and this will often result in getting SD pictures on HD channels). If the TV has HDMI, use that.
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Ryan: You should be getting 100% signal *quality*. You will not get 100% level and you don't want it anyway - see Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
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Iain: See Freeview reception has changed? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
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Ryan: That assumes you have a box where the signal quality is calculated as percentage of data received without errors, after all error correction. Most boxes do. Unfortunately that makes it a completely useless stat, because it cannot tell you how far away from break-up it is. It will only go below 100% when it's already starting to break up!
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brian walker: Please provide a full postcode. Note that many relays are still off-air as they had to wait for work at the main mast to be complete, the last is actually not scheduled to complete until 4pm as it relies on four intermediate hops.
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Tuesday 20 September 2011 6:03PM
Philip Hawkins: Digital UK reckon you have a good chance of locating reliable reception, though that's based on the centre of your postcode and could be worse further down the cliff. It is your best bet, Rowridge itself is shown as a fairly low chance of even variable reception, and zero chance of reliable reception. You will only get the three Public Service multiplexes.
One advantage that digital has over analogue is that the relay can do a full decode with error correction before re-encoding and transmitting. You might have to ask around to see if other viewers have better reception to figure out if the relay is retransmitting a poor quality signal, or if your reception is problematic.
Note that the channels are changing at switchover, which may mean that the channels are also more clear of interference than at present.
Do be aware that reception deteriorates over time as the aerial and particularly the cables weather. If water has penetrated the cables they will drop a lot more signal than if they were completely dry. You should probably plan to replace cables after about 10 years, or if they've been allowed to rub over brickwork or tiles, which damages the insulation.