All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Andrew Oldacre:
Thanks for coming back with the postcode. You should get an excellent signal from Torosay, even with Planned Engineering being only 3 1/2km from the transmitter! It's not currently listed for Planned Engineering and I can't find any faults currently listed. Even though your aerial is in the loft, do check that it hasn't been disturbed, it should be pointing in a North-Westerly direction with its rods (or squashed Xs) vertical. Make sure there's, been no vermin damage to the cable.
I assume, given your location, that you don't have any amplification unless perhaps you have an amp/splitter, in which case please give some details of make and model.
Check in your TV Tuning section for Signal Information - Strength and Quality. The Quality should always be 100%, Signal Strength can (and should) be lower as too much signal can be a problem!
Now, are you sure you aren't getting signs of any problems except when it's windy? If not, then my immediate suspicion would be - are there any nearby trees on the line-of-sight in the direction of the transmitter? You ought to be able to see the mast at night with red warning lights on it, and if you have some tree branches now in the way, see if you can get them trimmed.
Even a tree that is extremely close and adjacent to where the aerial is in the roof could cause a problem.
Tree foliage waving around on the line-of-sight, especially when wet, will disrupt the signal.
Sometimes repositioning the aerial slightly can improve the situation.
Other than trees, have you had any new construction very close by, anything metal like scaffolding being erected which can cause signal reflections and so maybe trees which otherwise wouldn't be a problem, become one.
Give us an update when you can.
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Andrew Oldacre:
Hi again. Do have a look in your TV tuning section for these Signal Strength and Quality figures. That could help point a way of trying to deal with this.
Also, it's highly improbable that there's something at the transmitter causing this, that would have been spotted long ago. Main transmitters are monitored.
Are any particular channels affected in these windy situations, or does it appear to be a broad spectrum?
As you may or may not know, the TV channels are carried in groups on what are called Multiplexes. Sometimes in these situations only one or two multiplexes are affected.
For which TV channels are carried on which multiplex, see
Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview
See if you can narrow down the multiplexes affected (of course it could be all of them!).
If you can find the Signal strength and Quality figures, as best you can, make a note of how much they individually vary in the wind.
Is the Labgear splitter a powered one with an amp? If so which model, does it have a gain control?
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Andrew Oldacre:
Hi again. Somewhere (usually a button on the remote) you can go to the TV's "Settings". There should be options there for Tuning etc. Usually there is an "Automatic" Retune and a Manual Retune. There could be a setting similar to/such as Automatically Retune when there are changes. That function needs to be turned OFF. It would cause the set to try retuning when it finds no signal and you can't tune to a signal that's not there! The usual result is to clear existing correct tuning!
Somewhere amongst the Tuning settings, there should be something that will show the Strength and maybe Error rate if it doesn't show Quality.
What make and model TV set is it?
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john slater:
Hi john. No, the filter must go BEFORE any amplification (otherwise it defeats the object).
So you need to unplug the aerial from the amp/splitter in the loft and plug the filter in there and plug the aerial into it.
HTH.
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MartinRS:
Hi. The transmitter at Tapton Hill aka Sheffield (Crosspool) is a line-fed relay of Emley Moor.
Emley Moor is listed for Planned Engineering, so it's possible that whatever work they are doing there may indeed be affecting these Ch4 programmes carried on the PSB2 mux on UHF C24.
Unfortunately they never say what the work involves, how long it will last or which services may be directly affected, nor would any such effect get reported as a fault, though in any event trying to find reported faults for commercial stations is like getting blood from a stone!
Your best bet if the problems continue, is to contact Channel 4. Tell them your postcode and the fact that you are using the Tapton_Hill Sheffield Crosspool transmitter. I would not bother mentioning using an indoor aerial though, it might give them an excuse for saying you've got a weak signal or similar!
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D dickson:
The Belmont transmitter is currently listed for Planned Engineering. I've seen other reports this week about problems associated with Belmont, so it's highly likely that whatever the work, that is the reason for these issues.
Unfortunately they never say what the work involves or how long it will last.
But do check in your TV Tuning section that your signal strength and quality figures are good and that you don't have any problem with your aerial installation where weak or disrupted signals will also cause problems.
If this continues into next week, your best bet may be to contact BBC Engineering where you will most likely get a proper response and the matter raised in the relevant places.
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Thursday 23 October 2025 12:26AM
Keith M Walters::
A little more research tells me you won't get satisfactory reception from a set-top aerial.