All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Karl:
Undoubtedly the cliff edge approaching. How particular sets cope when approaching such limits will vary from one set design/manufacturer to another. Some sets can cope with much lower signal strength before the quality starts dropping and even then how they cope with that will vary. I was rather surprised the other week when we had some tropo with a good lift, one multiplex I managed to pick up on one set was showing 14% signal occasionally dropping and 9% quality peak dropping to almost 0% quality, yet I has steady picture and sound for most of the time, no break-up!
Whilst following general guidance - if your set displays 100% signal, as long as it still shows 100% quality then you may be ok, but if you have occasional picture/sound break-up or a missing weaker mux, consider the fact you may have too much signal and need to wind the signal down a bit. Some sets can start having overloaded front ends/tuner desensitisation at less than 100% displayed signal.
It can be very much a case of experiment, suck and see in some circumstances, some times it can need to be a compromise to get what you want (and in some cases not want!). I have come across cases where a manual tune isn't possible and to avoid a 2nd unwanted transmitter, put in some attenuation whilst tuning, then remove it after.
This is a very much overlooked tool for such situations, eg. - Coax TV Aerial Attenuator Adjustable Variable Between 0-20 dB Reduces signal | eBay (eBay item 310039226920)
There are other suppliers available (and some rip-off prices) but I've found that brand good value for money.
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John Howells:
TV music channels, Radio music channels, Freeview, Freesat or Sky?
This list above does have a section of Radio channels, but you'd probably have to search through for those that are music.
The lists may not be 100% up-to-date as the site owner has had trouble trying to keep up-to-speed with all the changes.
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B Stanton:
It is still transmitting, I can find no listing of any faults or changes of power but it's not high power like the main multiplexes.
Have you changed anything in your set-up? Is your aerial still pointing the right way after many high winds?
As you know Birmingham TV is at LCN7. Do you get programmes at LCN's 48,50,60, 94 & 207 ? if you do, you are getting the Local multiplex, so try a retune to see if that resolves the problem.
If not, post back with a bit more detail about your installation - do you have any aerial booster/splitter to run more than one set? Have you got any new equipment? We need a full postcode to look at your predicted reception as well.
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Andy Humphreys:
I'm going to guess you get your signals from Winter Hill.
Are your channels as listed here - Problems with Freeview reception? | Help receiving TV and radio
See the item "Engineering work affecting television services in the North West of England from February 2020"
If you have retuned and you have also tried a manual retune on UHF C32 but not receiving the BBCA multiplex there, the you are going to need a new aerial which can be obtained free of charge. The final retunes have been postponed because of the covid-19 situation, but I expect you can get added to the list for the free In-home support by contacting Freeview on 0808 100 0288.
See also Important changes to Freeview | Freeview
Click on the FAQ link Coronavirus (COVID-19): some changes to in-home support for viewers
If this is not your problem as you aren't using Winter Hill, as StevensOnln1 has said we need a full postcode.
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Robert M:
Wrong. At least wrong, based on your previous post where you implied that you used to receive them when they were on COM8. It would have been helpful if you'd commented on whether you'd ever received BBC News HD on 107.
So if you used to get them when they were on COM8, then COM7 IS BEING BROADCAST in your area, but you aren't receiving it for some reason.
As I don't know which transmitter(s) and multiplexes you might be able to receive, you'll need to provide a full postcode so we can look atb your predicted reception. We might then be able to help you solve why you aren't getting COM7.
It'll also be helpful is can can say what sort of aerial you have, is it on the roof, or in a loft etc.? Do you have any splitters/boosters to run more than one TV/device? Do you have any HDMI leads that might be close to your aerial leads or any flyleads?
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PETE SAM MAAMARI:
Not a good idea to post your full address details on an open forum.
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Alan Ritchie:
I'm afraid it won't be available from Beecroft Hill which is a Freeview "Light" transmitter and only broadcasts the 3 PSB multiplexes. The Commercial Operators don't find it cost effective to broadcast from "Light" transmitters because of the relatively small audiences served by them, the cost of installing extra transmitters makes it an unviable proposition.
If you provide a full postcode we can look at the predicted reception at your location to see what transmitters and multiplexes you might be able to receive.
If there are no other options, you might want to consider Freesat. A lot of modern TVs have the satellite tuner built-in, so you only need the dish and LNB.
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Karl:
> .. its a bit a chore going up there and running up and down ladders to look at the effect as you change something.
Ha, we've all been there at one time or other :D
Your amplifier isn't external is it?
The main thing about using amplifiers is to get as good a signal as possible at the aerial. The worst thing is amplifying an unnecessarily poor signal. Nothing wrong with attenuating a "good" signal that's too strong.
With the aerial connected direct to the downlead, you can experiment with the attenuator at the set, in any event it's the best place to do any attenuation.
If you are messing around with a loft aerial, a portable set if you have one is useful, otherwise if you can put a set somewhere near the loft ladder (not where you might fall on it!) and use a short cable to connect the set to the aerial/distribution.
That Sony HDD must be a right pain, as for Panasonic, lots of people say their stuff has gone right down the pan in recent years. I've given up recording stuff, never manage to find time to watch it :yikes: I can use catch-up if I want to and find time!
Shuffling is likely to continue aside from 700MHz Clearance. Broadcasters have this nasty habit of closing/opening channels and moving multiplexes depending on the deal they get with the mux operator. A pain in the butt, to put it moderately politely.
Don't forget to keep any HDMI leads as far away as possible from aerial & flyleads as they can sometimes cause interference, notably with C55 (COM7) where a number of people have had problems.
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David Warner:
Ah, good, glad you've made some progress. Don't forget sometimes the best signal can be obtained when you are slightly off-bearing. Also it's not just bearing that can be relevant with a loft aerial, a bit backwards or forwards can make a difference, especially if you are trying to minimise multipath from structures as well as trees. Good luck with further manoeuvres!
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Saturday 4 July 2020 12:11PM
George Chapman:
You'll need to contact the Broadcaster, details here - Pick