All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Chris Mann:
Sorry for the delayed response. It won't be transmitter problems as different multiplexes in the area come from a couple of different transmitters. 10B (Trial Manchester) is on a transmitter of its own
Apparently this particular model seems to have had a number of problems with tuning according to information I turned up on a quick search. Dry joints on the circuitry is one suggestion that seems to be a cause.
Apart from doing the obvious, check your aerial is still intact and any downlead is secure an OK, check all the aerial connections.
Try a full reset of the device. If it's internal dry joints, try a sharp tap of the unit. I saw one suggestion that said make sure it wasn't full of dust - blow it all through. Another said use a hairdrier to warm up all the circuit boards and connections - I'm assuming this would cause joints to expand and maybe connect if dry!! BUT caution, make sure things don't get excessively hot.
Other than that, it's a case of see what a repair would cost - don't know who your original supplier was - I think Richer Sounds sell them and may have a decent repair team. OR replace it with a new box! Sorry can't be more helpful.
| link to this comment |
Alister Bottomley:
Well this certainly is a strange one. There's no transmitter faults that I can find, so it's not interference coming from there. Those two channels are not used by any of the other transmitters nearest to you nor do they have any reported faults.
Have you moved or changed any equipment?
Is the equipment that you have using the channels linked by coax cable or RF.?
Is reception of Freeview affected in anyway, has the signal strength or quality figures reduced?
If your equipment is linked by coax cable then it must be some very strong very local interference. As Analogue will be far more susceptible it suggests maybe some electric equipment operating, maybe something with a motor or maybe some discharge lighting - fluorescent, high pressure sodium, even LED (including street lights) very nearby.
Make sure you don't have any HDMI leads running close to your aerial and coax flyleads. HDMI has been known to cause interference.
If the equipment is RF linked then there are additional possibilities. Has any work taken place recently on any nearby mobile phone masts? Have you ever received a postcard from restoretv.uk ?
There has recently been some very variable and intermittent weather related Tropospheric Ducting which can cause signals from more distant transmitter to travel a lot further.
IAs far as more local transmitters go, in addition to the UHF channels used by Strathblane, the nearest transmitters to you use C32,C34,C35, C40,C41,C43,C44,C46,&C47.
No transmitters anywhere now use anything above C48.
If the interference seems restricted to C36 & C39 you could try channels well above C49 is your equipment will allow. If you are finding interference up there as well, it could be due to new services from a close by mobile phone mast.
.
| link to this comment |
James Smith:
Thanks, but not our responsibility I'm afraid as this is a free independent technical help-site. Try contacting Arqiva
https://www.arqiva.com/me…sion
https://www.arqiva.com/co…ndex
| link to this comment |
David Harris :
https://support.itv.com/e…LbSi
At present you might have access to a few more Xmas films on ITVX, note I said might as I haven't checked thoroughly .
| link to this comment |
Derek Heal:
Hmm. Are there particular TV channels or multiplexes that you are having a problem with?
I assume you meant auto programming. Having looked at the predicted reception for your postcode it varies considerably depending on where you are with in it.
None of the transmitters you might receive have any reported faults that I can find, nor are they listed for Planned Engineering.
A lot of addresses will get good reception from Caradon Hill and only a few from Plympton, so auto tuning could produced some "mixed" results.
I did think it might be the very local terrain responsible but that's not obvious from looking on street view as the one thing I noticed was I couldn't see any TV aerials!
So in light of all this, some more detail about your installation is needed to give some sensible suggestions.
Where is your aerial located? Roughly which direction does it point - compass bearing 307 degrees - that's almost NW, or compass bearing 109 degrees - almost ESE?
Are the aerial rods (or squashed Xs) horizontal or vertical?
Don you have an amp/splitter to provide signal to more than one TV? If so, where is it located & do you know the make/model?
Have a look in your TV tuning section and see which UHF channels the set is tuned to for each of the multiplexes you are receiving/
| link to this comment |
Anthony Brown:
Before the 700MHz Clearance, Pontop Pike channels were within a CD Aerial group. Since then a Group K aerial would be required (a Group[ T or Wideband may suffice).. Some Group CD aerials will continue to give satisfactory reception but that is very dependent on the particular aerial and more so on location. If the installation is quite old it may have deteriorated and be suffering water ingress.
Did you have an aerial change/upgrade either just before or since the final clearances on 12 September/13 November 2019?
If not, this could be the primary reason for your poor reception.
GB News is carried on the ArqB/COM6 multiplex UHF C35 at Pontop Pike. TalkTV is carried on the SDN/COM4 multiplex UHF C32 which you may also struggle with, as well as ArqA/COM5 on UHF C34 and also the Local multiplex (Newcastle) on C33. There are of course other TV channels carried on those multiplexes.
See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which TV channels are carried on which multiplex.
If you need an aerial upgrade, make sure your downlead is replaced with high quality double screened coax such as CT100 or similar.. I'd suggest you consider a high gain Group K Log Periodic aerial.
| link to this comment |
Anthony Brown:
In addition to the above, I should have asked/commented on whether you used to get signals from Bilsdale before the fire in August 2021?
Was your aerial re-orientated for Pontop Pike and was it replaced at that time (or previously)?
If your aerial did originally point at Bilsdale, unfortunately you aren't predicted to get reception from the temporary Bilsdale Tower and at present, the new Bilsdale mast is not expected to be up and running until the middle of 2023 (although construction work is well under way).
Your are only 7km from the temporary Eston Nab transmitter, but predicted reception from that is very dependent on where you are in the postcode and a Local Engineer may have a better idea. Which transmitter(s) are your neighbours using/roughly which way/compass bearing are their aerials pointing?
| link to this comment |
Rudi :
As far as I can make out they may possibly have been on the London III multiplex in the very early days, but certainly aren't now. They appear to only be licenced to broadcast on Cable and Satellite but are also available to listen to online using some online players.
See IBC Tamil Radio - Listen to Tamil Music Online UK | Live Tamil FM London for information by them.
Online eg.
IBC Tamil - Live Online Radio
Radio IBC Tamil listen online live streaming
IBC Tamil live - Harrow, United Kingdom | Online Radio Box
| link to this comment |
Dennis Kay:
When you say "not always available" what exactly do you mean? Are you having signal reception problems? Or is it the news coverage on Central (East) doesn't give enough coverage to your liking if you are getting signals from Waltham?
Some parts of Grantham can get a signal from the Belmont transmitter, but you'd need to give a full postcode before we can advise on that.
| link to this comment |
Monday 5 December 2022 11:25PM
Patrick:
Sounds a bit like you might have been retuning when there was some weather related Tropospheric Ducting around causing reception of more distant transmitters. That has currently cleared.
When was the last time your retuned?
Have you checked in your TV Tuning section that you are correctly tuned to Dover's UHF channels. See my post just before yours.
Do you have any reception problems with any of the COM multiplexes?
We really need a full postcode to look at your predicted reception. Parts of Faversham have quite variable reception from Dover, similarly for other main transmitters you might receive. You might also end up (part) tuned to the Faversham relay, and if your aerial is pointing at Dover, that reception will be unpredictable.
Have you checked your aerial looks intact and is still pointing correctly, for Dover it will somewhere around compass bearing 131 degrees (that's almost SE) and its rods (or squashed Xs) should be horizontal. Check that your downlead is secure and not flapping in the wind.
Do you have an amplifier/splitter to feed more than one TV? If so what make and model is it?
Have you changed any equipment recently?
Make sure you don't have any HDMI leads close to your aerial and flyleads. HDMI has been known to cause interference.