All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
SteveM:
Quite correct with the information. In fact, as a general rule these days, if you live somewhere that can get signals from more than one region or transmitter even in the same region, it is always best to do a check which channels the set has tuned to to be sure they are the ones from the wanted (primary/best signal) transmitter. If not, then clear the tuning and do a Manual tune of the wanted channels from the best transmitter(s).
As a general rule the tuning advice here (and some other sites!) is really a bit out of date, especially since the B700 clearance when there are now more transmitters sharing channels. It was all very well before DSO when signals from different transmitters were much lower power and out of region reception was very unlikely.
If tuning is done when the "wrong" weather conditions are present then you can end up with incorrect out of region tuning which isn't stable and will disappear as the conditions change.
One thing people should never do if they'd been correctly tuned, is do a Retune when they have No Signal as this often results in the correct tuning being cleared. If you have No Signal which could be due to Engineering work, a transmitter fault or weather conditions, the it's a case of being patient and wait until the issue is resolved.
Manual Tuning is often the best option.
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Neil:
Hi, click on the latest Page number (P51?) just before the reply box to see all the posts, there a bug on this page!
Well, for the postcode you've given you should get excellent reception from Pontop Pike especially if all the multiplexes are giving that sort of Signal Strength and 100% Quality. But Pontop Pike is on Planned Engineering which may have something to do with it, BUT is it a case of those LCNs 266/267 not appearing in the EPG list or is it a case of they are there and you aren't getting anything?
If the latter, these are streamed channels (are all others in the 251+ range), and you need a Smart TV with an Internet connection to get them streamed.
As an aside, the postcode in your profile is not the one in your post (maybe it's an old one). Click on the cog icon top RHS of the page and update the postcode.
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Phil Lancaster:
Hi there. This is a free technical help-site so we can't fix anything and the broadcasters or transmitter and other engineers are not likely to see the posts here.
However what we can say is that the problem you are seeing is more widespread not just affecting Winter Hill as I've seen a couple of other reports elsewhere.
If the problem is still continuing, the best solution would probably be to Phone ITV and Phone Channel 4 and ask them to report the problem to their engineering teams. There is no other direct line of contact with the Commercial operator engineering teams.
HTH.
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Phil Lancaster:
I'm seeing reports saying it should now be fixed and was working this morning.
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jack:
Hi again, thanks for the reply even though it's somewhat belated, that's not a problem.
I decided to have a complete re-read of all your posts to see what I may have missed or anything I haven't seen addressed correctly/directly.
Firstly an apology regarding asking about postcode again more recently, you have supplied it a few times!
So I'll try and comment on your points above and then any other more general issues.
1) I find that extremely odd that you're suddenly seeing what appears as a 40% increase in power, especially if you haven't changed anything.
Have those trees been cut back at all?
2) All I can say is what I said once before, that over the years I've seen all sorts of bugs and funnies reported with any assortment of Humax boxes. Just because you haven't seen any reports of similar issues doesn't mean that it's not buggy firmware.
These bugs could/might only appear with certain "combinations" of UHF channels and their respective signal strengths etc. as well as the possible addition of some interference. I'd say it was very likely we'll never get to the bottom of this one.
3) & 4) Now that's even odder. The only "common" factors afaik are the output from the studio complex which then goes to some "playout" centre but thereafter I would expect the feeds to be separate. I would expect the Ads to be fed by the Playout centre but again afaik there is no regionalisation on GB News. I'm not seeing any GB News issues on Freeview (Mendip).
Ok, lets look at some general things.
1) Aerial(s). I believe you've said in a previous post that you have two.
Are these both external? I don't recall seeing you mention exactly where they are located (apologies if you did). Have you checked them to see that their cable connections are still good, not corroded and water entering the connector boxes?
Check the coax/plugs on the end of the direct aerial leads for any wetness and corrosion. If any, then suspect water entering the system somewhere - this won't always affect all UHF Channels the same as it can affect the cable impedance which results in mismatches and signal reflections at different points in the cable, cause standing waves and so on.
2) Are these the original aerials you had when the COM7/8 muxes were on air? In which case, apart from the possibility of deterioration, they will be wideband and capable of picking up any interference from any new/upgraded phone masts now using 700MHz. - You are surrounded by multiple masts!!
3) I did mention in a previous post about checking for postcards from Restore TV which you should have had - https://restoretv.uk/postcards-not-sure/
My advice is contact Restore TV and ask for some Free Filters for each aerial. The filters MUST be fitted before any amp/splitter. If you have a mast-head amp on either aerial tell them, they should send an engineer free-of-charge to fit an external one before the masthead amp.
4) If filters don't improve/get rid of any of the problems, going back to the "original' aerials, maybe replacing them with new Group K aerials, I'd suggest med-high gain Log periodics - yes Group K logs have been available for some time. If you want a link, ask. Also replace the downleads with double screened coax cable.
Can't think of anything else right now, I'll post again if I do, or maybe someone else may come up with something.
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jack:
Regarding contacting Restore TV mentioned above, I wouldn't elaborate on all the details you've given here, just tell them you seem to be suffering multiple interference issues across a range of channels which has been going on for some time and despite carrying out an assortment of checks the problems continue.
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John:
Don't worry about the repeated posts, there's frequently a delay between posting and it appearing on the site - it's supposedly checking for swear words and spam! The site software should get round to removing duplicates in due course. A belated reply is fine too!
Thanks for the postcode. Whilst you are some distance from the transmitter but not inordinately so - 42km, you are predicted to get good reception of all 6 main multiplexes. That's of course assuming you don't have any trees (or other local obstructions) nearby, directly in the line of site to the transmitter which is otherwise clear.
Your aerial should be pointing at compass bearing 207 degrees, that's circa SSW for you postcode and the rods (or squashed Xs) should be horizontal.
Check also, the end of the coax/plug direct from the aerial for corrosion/water as any such sign would indicate water entering the aerial connector box or coax.
With an amplified signal, there's two very important things.
1) Any filter MUST be fitted BEFORE any amp/splitter. If it's a mast-head amplifier then Restore TV should have asked/been told as they should then send an engineering Free of Charge to fit a waterproof external filter to the mast (and often do any additional work deemed necessary to fix your reception).
There are at least 3 mobile mast around or less than 1km from you, and certainly two of which are pretty well on the line-of-sight to Sandy Heath.
2) If the amplification is too high, especially if/when the interference is added in, it can overload the tuner front end which will degrade any signal and cause problems, .
Does your set have a section in the Tuning to check the Strength and Quality of each of the multiplex's UHF channels?
The other thing, when retuning, is to check that you are correctly tuned to Sandy Heath's UHF channels as weak signal (due to engineering etc) or adverse weather conditions can cause incorrect tuning to other transmitters.
The UHF channels should be C27, C24, C21, C33, C36, C48 that's in multiplex order PSBs1-3, COMs4-6. Manual tuning to those UHF channels is to be preferred if you regularly pick up any incorrect ones.
As far as the engineering work goes, virtually all (certainly main) transmitters have had Planned Engineering off and on over pretty well the last 2 years. We know that some of the work has been doing things like greasing stay cables and the like, no doubt to ensure the masts stay up in severe weather, it'll over a decade since a lot of such work may have been done at DSO. And when working close to the antenna, reduced power (or use of the reserve antenna lower on the mast) is needed for safely reasons.
Post back with any update or if you need any further explanation/help.
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jack:
If BBC Shropshire remains at LCN713 after a full tune, is there signal present?
You could try deleting it to see if that affects the crashing issue.
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Monday 17 November 2025 2:45PM
Graham Wellstead:
Hi there. Unfortunately they are highly unlikely to see your post here - this is a free Technical helpsite.
Have you tried this email address support@tptvencore.com I don't know if that works, that's where I get my tptv emails from.
info@talkingpicturestv.co.uk should not bounce as that's the one registered with OFCOM!
Well what a story. Have you looked at the Encore webpage Encore
I don't know if a search will throw up what you need - Encore (if that link as posted works).
If all else fails you could always try writing to them -
Talking Pictures TV Ltd Highcroft Langley Road, Chipperfield Kings Langley, Hertfordshire WD4 9JP United Kingdom
Hope that helps. Good luck.