All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Darren :
None of Winter Hill's UHF channels use an offset. PSB3 did before clearance and that was the only one, they're now all exactly on channel, so C35 is 585MHz. (Unfortunately the transmitter page here shows an offset which hopefully the site owner will correct, as well as the old channels for two local muxes).
Any indoor aerial needs a good signal to work well and they are all affected by not only their position, but anything else in a room. Also, things like Xmas LED light sets are notorious for generating interference which may affect you.
As for the type of aerial you have, all these advertising claims about how many mile away they work and that they are HD or Digital is all advertising bull. Aerials are aerials they pick up RF signals, they do not distinguish between HD, Digital or Analogue!
If you have moved anything at all since before losing the channels, or anything outside has appeared somewhere near the line-of-sight, then that can affect the signal. I don't know how far you are from the transmitter or predicted reception as you haven't given a full postcode, so I can't comment on that.
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Darren :
Hi.Well, you are 31km from the transmitter, and the direction is compass bearing 123 degrees - that's about halfway between ESE and SE. Whilst the signal strength in the area is generally predicted to be good, you should also get the Local Preston Multiplex on UHF C40. But whether that aerial is capable of providing adequate signal to the set is certainly questionable!
The only way to get a better idea is look in your TV Tuning section where there should be an indication of signal strength and quality (or Errors/BER), where that is will vary from model to model, maybe something like Signal Test or maybe in Manual Tuning etc.
Post up the figures for the multiplexes you are getting and that will give us a much better idea of how marginal things may be.
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Mike:
I can't find any reported faults, that doesn't mean there isn't one !! But as this is a commercial multiplex carrying Sky News (ArqA/COM5) chances of finding a report are minimal! Check with some neighbours if they have the same problem in which case it might be easier to contact Sky News and tell them as they should know exactly who to contact regarding such a fault.
Otherwise check all you coax connections etc., make sure you don't have any HDMI cables running close to your aerial cables and flyleads as HDMI has been known to cause interference.
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4wd:
As mentioned by StevensOnln1, the full help scheme may not be operating as it was, but some help might still be available.
If you provide a full postcode, we may be able to advise which of the relay transmitters you might get some signals from.
Unfortunately the Project Restore latest news doesn't include a mention of all the relays that were turned on.
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4wd:
So, for example the Loftus relay only serves a large town? I don't think so!
There's a few coastal locations that can get good signals from Pontop Pike.
Some places a bit further inland could be quite variable.
But as you haven't given a postcode or even nearby location, it's pointless trying to comment further.
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David Shepherd:
Hi. Up until very recently there has been quite a lot of weather related Tropospheric Ducting which has been very intermittent and variable. It doesn't normally affect all multiplexes (and so the TV channels carried on them), usually just one or two, but it does depend on where the interfering signals are coming from. This can affect TV, DAB and FM. The S/SE can often be quite vulnerable due to proximity to France etc.
If you have been having problems with BBC2, you should have had similar problems with other BBC channels as they are all carried on the same multiplex BBCA/PSB1 (except the HD ones which are on BBCB HD/PSB3).
Similarly with 4Seven on the ArtqA/COM5 multiplex you should have seen problems with eg. Dave, Pick, Quest Red etc.
See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which TV channels are carried on which multiplex.
You are predicted to get good reception from the Dover transmitter, but also from the Chartham Relay. I assume you've looked at your aerial to make sure it looks intact and is still pointing correctly and the downlead is secure and not flapping in the wind.
If it's pointing at Dover it should be pointing at compass bearing ~145 degrees (10 degrees S of SE), with its rods (or squashed Xs) horizontal.
If it's pointing at Chartham, the rods will be vertical pointing at compass bearing ~247 degrees (almost WSW).
If you tried retuning when you had badly pixellated pictures or intermittent/no signal - which is never recommended if you were correctly tuned - that will often just clear your correct tuning or leave you tuned to the wrong transmitter with a weak signal which can disappear.
If you are pointing at Dover, check you are correctly tuned to Dover's UHF channels as follows -
In the multiplex order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6
The UHF channels you should be tuned to are C33, C35, C36, C39, C42, & C48
If you are incorrectly tuned then do a full automatic retune or a manual one on those UHF channels.
Did your aerial get replaced at some point shortly before or since Oct.2019, how old is it?
Dover is one of several transmitters whose original UHF channels were in aerial group C/D. With the 700MHz Clearance programme these were all moved to lower UHF channels now requiring a Group K aerial (although Wideband/Group T would do in good signal areas). Freeview did provide free help with aerials during the clearance programme.
Lastly, have you had a postcard at all from restoretv.uk ? If so, there's a possibility you may get interference from newer/upgraded mobile phone masts and would need a free filter.
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Pauline Wagstaff:
You should get good reception in your location, transmitters you might receive have no reported faults that I can find and are not listed for Planned Engineering, so there's a few things to check.
Which region are you/or do you want to receive? Central or West?
What make and model is your aerial, and is it roof mounted or loft mounted?
Was the downlead replaced at the same time as the aerial, with good quality double screened cable such as CT100 or similar?
I assume you haven't had a postcard from restoretv.uk about possible interference from new mobile phone signals and that there's not been any new or upgraded masts installed near you?
It it any particular channels that you've had a problem with and if so, which ones, or is it all of them?
Do you have any other equipment connected such as aerial amplifiers, PVRs, games consoles etc?
If so, have you checked all the flyleads? Also make sure you don't have any HDMI cables close to aerial or flyleads. HDMI has been known to cause interference.
Had you changed anything, including other electrical equipment when the problem started?
Do the problems occur at any particular time of day, or is it constant?
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david Braybrook:
There's a report that it's been off-air due to a fault since 6:43am on 17th Dec 2022 but no update has yet been provided.
Have there been any power cuts in your locale? That might be the issue if there has been.
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John Mair:
I wouldn't reset any equipment or retune, you will most likely just lose your current correct settings. Give the same advise to your neighbours.
Transmitter reports here come from BBC Engineering, so unless a BBC service is affected a report is unlikely to appear here.
Unfortunately trying to find fault reports for commercial multiplexes is like getting blood from a stone!
Your could try contacting Arqiva who are the transmitter company responsible for those two multiplexes, make sure it's clear your neighbours have the same issue, so it's definitely a transmission problem. Try 0333-032-8000
Failing that you could try contacting one of the major TV broadcasters on one of those multiplexes and asking them if they can contact "whoever" to sort it as you can't watch - try Channel 4 as they have Film4+1 and 4Seven and others on ArqA,, or even QVC as they have QVC Beauty and QVC Style on ArqB. Commercial broadcasters ought to be concerned about a loss of viewers!
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Thursday 15 December 2022 1:38AM
Darren :
The transmitter doesn't appear to be listed for Planned Engineering, and I can't find any faults listed either.
The cold weather as such is not causing any reception problems in general, unless you have some sort of odd fault on your aerial or coax installation.
You have not been very clear - you are using an external aerial but it's indoors? What do you mean by this - is it in a loft?
Have you moved it recently or changed anything about that might affect reception - metal objects, water tanks etc.?
You maybe in a spot that has marginal reception of the BBCB HD/PSB3 multiplex, you'd need to provide a full postcode for us to check on that.
Try a manual tune on UHF C35 which is the one that carries the HD mux at Winter Hill.