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 Perkins:
Hi. Your location with your last post actually gives a slightly improved prediction for Hannington's 6 multiplexes and including the Basingstoke Local multiplex on C32 (albeit that one is a poor prediction).
Now one thing I had intended to mention (but I had a browser hiccup and it then got forgotten), that's potential mobile phone mast interference. You are surrounded by a number of them! But more importantly, there is one not quite on the line-of-sight to Hannington but possibly within the beamwidth of your aerial and it's close by, at around 0.2km !!
You should have received a postcard from Restore TV UK although there's a number of known instances where people have not been sent them. If you haven't had one (you should have) it may be that the cell has not been upgraded (yet) to use 700MHz the band that was cleared of TV recently and sold to mobile phone operators. Whilst the data I'm looking at isn't up-to-date , it's an EE cell (which may now be shared with others) and they are most certainly likely to upgrade in due course as they bought a chunk of 700MHz.
See https://restoretv.uk Contact Us and ring them on 0808-1313-800 a free call.
Tell them you are suffering interference with picture break up being frequent (I wouldn't mention it's only recent or intermittent). Ask them to send you a free filter. That filter should go between your aerial and any amplifier/splitter distribution system.
if you happen to have a masthead amplifier, they can arrange a free engineer visit to fit an external weather proof one.
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Richard Sutton:
Sorry, I did miss your comment about only one input on the booster, I was side tracked by the pylon & power lines :(
Quote "I just don't understand what it is that I am supposed to be turning off? Are you suggesting every electrical device in the house ...... "
YES, everything electrical/electronic. I did say "Any potential source of interference in the house (or very nearby) could fluctuate depending on the equipment responsible, but as the signal affected may also be varying, it may not take much signal variation for the interference to have a significant effect.
I did make reference to the "cliff-edge".
Interference doesn't just get radiated (transmitted) it can travel along mains wiring direct to equipment but the wiring can also radiate the interfering signals as well. Worst case scenarios are eg. interference from faulty street lights as it's often difficult to track down, but they re usually easy to eliminate if the interference is 24/7 and the street light is only on after dark rather than stuck on!
Don't overlook anything that may have some sort of electronic control - a lot of modern fridge freezers for example have electronic controls as does modern central heating.
Some LED or fluorescent lighting etc can also cause issues but again only when on unless it's PIR or dawn/dusk controlled.
Digital/electronic anything has potential, if poorly designed or has developed a fault - not necessarily outwardly noticeable!
It's simply just easier to eliminate something by unplugging it at the mains, or switching off a circuit at a Consumer Unit (if it's not the one with the distribution amp or the TV!).
Even if you find nothing in the house (including outbuildings), at least you know it not something you can have control over.
Whilst it's rather obvious you are in a rural location surrounded by low hills, you are taking "line-of-sight" a little too literally, a low hill that's not immediately close to you and some distance away usually doesn't have that much of an effect on a powerful transmitter whose mast is around 400m asl even if you can't see it (Sutton Coldfield) or around 360m asl (Ridge Hill). In any event reception predictors take account of this sort of thing, some can check line-of-sight (that doesn't necessarily mean that it's physically visible to the eye), it's the direction of the transmitter from your location and obvious permanent obstructions and tell you how far away the obstruction is). What predictors cannot take into account is very nearby trees like your conifer, or eg. a neighbours very tall barn with a tin roof that's directly on the line of your aerial !
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Kathy:
I'm afraid Arqiva never state how long any particular work will take, some of it may be weather dependant. However, if you've been without signal for several days, there's likely to be another reason as there would be a lot of complaints if it were down that long, which it's not.
if you are in a marginal reception area that could explain it, but you'd need to provide a full postcode for us to check that.
if you unfortunately went and retuned when you had badly pixellated pictures or no signal (never recommended when you'd been correctly tuned) then there's a good chance it's just cleared all your correct tuning, so you'd now have to retune again, and maybe try several times as you won't know when the signals are normal.
As mentioned, if you provide a full postcode, we should be able to give further advice.
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niall:
No, your radio does not need to be connected to the internet.
Talksport is transmitted on the D1 National multiplex Block 11D: 222.064MHz in Mono, whereas
Talksport2 is transmitted on the SDL National multiplex Block 11A: 216.928 MHz in DAB+ Stereo HE-AAC v2
How old is your radio? If it is not DAB+ capable then you won't be able to hear the stations transmitting in DAB+ (the latest standard). There are stations on both multiplexes that use DAB+ and the number will increase with time. There are some stations on both multiplexes that transmit in Mono or Joint Stereo which a radio that isn't DAB+ will be audible.
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Anne:
We don't have a channel, this is a technical help-site.
You may find highlights on BBC1 MoTD, Don't what Sky Sports have but you'll need to be subscribed.
Then there's AVFC and subscribe to VillaTV, don't know what's available.
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Alan Thompson:
It's current weather conditions! There's some significant "Tropospheric Ducting" affecting parts of your area at this time. Do NOT retune.
These conditions cause signals from distant transmitters in Europe or the UK to travel further and result in interference to your wanted signals. This doesn't always affect all multiplexes at the same time and may not affect all viewers. It can last seconds, minutes or for longer. There is little you can do except wait until conditions improve - or try watching online etc.
If you did retune when you had badly pixellated pictures or no signal (never advised if you were correctly tuned) this usually just clears your correct tuning. You'll then have to retune again which you may have to try several times as you won't know when signals will be normal.
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David Esp:
I can find no listing of any outage, however as per just after the top of the page, the transmitter is currently listed for Planned Engineering.However, I think it highly unlikely that interruptions or a reduction in power would have been made during Eurovision.
As per the post before yours, if you live in a marginal reception area, but also if reduced power was already operative that could be the cause of what you experienced but a full postcode would be needed to check that.
What I didn't mention in the reply to Kathy, was current weather conditions. There's some significant "Tropospheric Ducting" affecting differing parts of the UK very randomly.
These conditions cause signals from distant transmitters in Europe or the UK to travel further and result in interference to your wanted signals. This doesn't always affect all multiplexes at the same time and may not affect all viewers. It can last seconds, minutes or for longer. There is little you can do except wait until conditions improve - or try watching online etc.
Being in a marginal reception area makes you more vulnerable to such problems.
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Lee purser:
As noted at the top of the page, the transmitter is currently listed for Planned Engineering, other that that is could be current weather conditions.
There's some significant "Tropospheric Ducting" affecting differing parts of the UK very randomly.
Do NOT retune.
These conditions cause signals from distant transmitters in Europe or the UK to travel further and result in interference to your wanted signals. This doesn't always affect all multiplexes at the same time and may not affect all viewers. It can last seconds, minutes or for longer. There is little you can do except wait until conditions improve - or try watching online etc.
If you did retune when you had badly pixellated pictures or no signal (whatever the cause and never advised if you were correctly tuned) this usually just clears your correct tuning. You'll then have to retune again which you may have to try several times as you won't know when signals will be normal.
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Kathy:
I replied to your first message on the 13th May (above). Please read!
As you haven't supplied a full postcode or any other information about your aerial installation eg. as another poster has mentioned whether you are on a communal system, then it's almost impossible to provide further advice.
If you are on a communal system, check if your neighbours are having the same issue, but in any event you will have to contact your building management to get the matter resolved.
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Friday 12 May 2023 12:39PM
StevensOnln1:
I did suggest considering Freesat a few posts back, and if the set already has a satellite tuner, just dish and LNB required.
Richard Sutton:
Again, you are drawing false conclusions when it comes to interference. Just because nothing has changed in the house does not mean something isn't causing a problem. If you continue to ignore the possibility then obviously nothing will change. As for the power lines & pylon, it's highly improbable at the distance they are away that they'll have any effect whatsoever.
Any potential source of interference in the house (or very nearby) could fluctuate depending on the equipment responsible, but as the signal affected may also be varying, it may not take much signal variation for the interference to have a significant effect. If the set is capable of decoding the signal with few errors then you'll likely get 100% quality. The errors may only need to increase somewhat and decoding falls over the "cliff edge" - a phrase you may have heard of in relation to digital signals.
Without specialist equipment, like a spectrum analyser which a very qualified (probably CAI approved) installer may have, the only other way of eliminating as many possibilities as one can is to go round unplugging/totally switching off (not on standby) all electrical/electronic equipment).
There's also a possibility of something generating a harmonic RF signal, that "may" be getting picked up by any unused VHF input on the amp/splitter and make matters worse - I think that's less likely as the issue didn't seem to be better without the amp/splitter.
You've had this problem for several years, I cannot understand why you stubbornly don't try and eliminate as many potential causes as you can that don't cost anything to do.