All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Eileen Brown:
I would follow the advice given but also note that Bluebell Hill is currently listed for Planned Engineering with "Possible weak signal", so that may be affecting you now, and it's always possible that there might have been a fault affecting only a small area, but not an assumption that is definite.
If at some point, your set auto-retuned (if it does turn off that function - more trouble than it's worth) or you retuned when signals were weak or missing for whatever reason, you may have got tuned to the wrong transmitter with much weaker signals. Also if you are in the Medway area, not all parts get good signals from Bluebell hill. If you provide a full postcode we might be able to advise further.
Check in your TV's tuning section (maybe Signal Strength or Manual Tuning) that you are tuned to the correct UHF channels for Bluebell Hill.
For Bluebell Hill the correct UHF channels are C32, C34, C45, C40, C43, C46, C55, C21 for the multiplexes in the order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6, COM7 & the Local multiplex.
Reception of particular multiplexes, especially the temporary COM7 and Local will depend very much on location.
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All:
Since parts of the listings at the top of the page haven't been fully updated yet, just to note -
For Bluebell Hill the correct UHF channels are C32, C34, C45, C40, C43, C46, C55, C21 for the multiplexes in the order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6, COM7 & the Local multiplex.
Reception of particular multiplexes, especially the temporary COM7 and Local will depend very much on location.
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Oliver:
It depends on which Group K aerial you have. There are some that have quite a good response at C55 and some that can give a better overall response than T or Wideband BUT not all Group K are like that! You can find examples at ATV aerial gain tests : full results - A.T.V. Poles, Brackets, Clamps & Aerials
Make sure you don't have any HDMI leads near any of your flyleads or aerial leads especially if those aerial or flyleads are not the high quality double screened types. HDMI is known to cause interference in some cases, especially to C55.
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JOHN MORRIS:
Again Sutton Coldfield is currently listed for Planned Engineering with "Possible weak signal" so it's quite likely this may be the cause of the problem you are seeing. If you provide a full postcode, we may be able to comment further.
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Paul:
Brierley Hill is a relay of Sutton Coldfield which is currently listed for Planned Engineering, so that may have something to do with it. I can't see any reports of problems otherwise, is PSB3 still off-air?
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Paul Robinson:
Unfortunately neither Freeview nor Arqiva provide that level of information. Sometimes trying to get any information is like getting blood from a stone!
That said, it shouldn't be off-air for this long! The Brierley Hill PSBs operate as a Single Frequency Network (SFN) with the Kidderminster Light Relay, it's possible something has gone wrong and that hasn't been spotted yet.
But first, if you retuned (or your set auto-retuned - turn hat function off, it's more trouble than it's worth) when there was no signal, it usually just clears the correct tuning. Try a manual tune on UHF Channel C35 which is the one for the BBCB HD/PSB3 multiplex at Brierley Hill.
If that hasn't restored the signal, try calling BBC Engineering 03700 100123. It may well just offer the possibility of leaving a message (it may even say only if you are in a vulnerable group, but ignore that, just leave a message). It won't get an immediate response but if that gets nowhere try the BBC general number 03700 100 222.
Let us have an update on progress.
If tomorrow, there's still nothing, try phoning Freeview on 0808-100-0288 (option 3 IIRC but it may have changed) and complain that the transmitter is faulty (not ask them if there's a fault). If they try fobbing you off as no-one else has reported anything, insist they log it and request a log reference number. Good luck!
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Bernard Martin:
You may have been able to receive COM7 a while ago but not noticed.
As you probably know, COM7 is a temporary multiplex, which will close by the end of June 2022 (as per the current licence) if not before. The frequency it uses is allocated for Mobile "SDL" usage. IF when the 700MHz frequencies are sold (due soon), any MNO that buys those particular frequencies will need to develop cell equipment, and suitable handsets need to be available as well. This will take time, but as soon as an operator is ready to use the frequencies, 3 months notice may be given for COM7 to close.
The only other reason COM7 may close earlier is for commercial reasons as Arqiva decided for COM8 last June.
COM7 operates as Single Frequency Network (SFN) on UHF C55 along with the other 25 main transmitters that still transmit it. This means there will be some locations where the signal you get is affected by other transmitters, so if any of those signals are off-air or low due to transmitter maintenance or faults, this can change your reception.
If you happen to retune (or the set auto-retunes) when there is no or very weak signal, it usually just clears the correct tuning, and you may not get the signals until a further retune. If those signals are normally weak, auto-retune wil sometimes miss them, so a manual retune on UHF C55 should be tried.
Hope that information helps.
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Frank smith:
Without knowing which transmitter you are receiving and your full postcode, we can't tell what your predicted reception might be or whether the transmitter is on Planned Engineering and may therefore have reduced signals.
If the signals are reduced, they maybe "borderline" and you cable run to the Living Room will likely have greater attenuation than the one to the bedroom, so the signal may be just low enough to have dropped off the "digital cliff edge".
Both channels you've mentioned are on the ArqA/COM4 multiplex. See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview and see if other channels on the same multiplex are also missing.
Very often, retuning when you have no signal or very low signal will just clear the correct tuning and so you'll need to repeat a retune when the signals improve. Probably best to try a "manual" tune for the UHF channel for ArqA for your transmitter as autotune can sometimes miss weak signals. Can't advise on that without the information mentioned at the start of this post.
Other than that, you should also check all you coax plugs, connections, flyleads etc, unplug connectors check for corrosion or other problems and reconnect them. Flyleads can be a common problem, try swapping them. See what signal strengths (if any) and quality you are getting for the other multiplexes shown in your TV's tuning section, this might indicate potential issues with your aerial or downlead. Also check that your downlead looks undamaged and that your aerial seems intact and pointing in the correct direction.
Aerial mis-alignments, problematic connections, water ingress etc. can seem to affect reception of just AN individual or several multiplexes.
If you've altered anything around in your installation, check that you don't have any HDMI leads close to any aerial or flyleads, especially if the aerial and flyleads aren't high quality double screened types. HDMI is known to sometimes cause interference.
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Andrew Sparkes :
Channel4 and Film4 are both on the D3&4/PSB2 multiplex the same as a number of ITV channels - see Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which channels are on which multiplex. Did you not notice similar problems with ITV?
Mendip had been listed for Planned Engineering (Possible weak signal) so that might have caused an issue. As you probably know, in your location (assuming you haven't moved) you can receive two other main transmitters - Wenvoe & Stockland Hill. If Mendip was weak when you retuned you might have become inadvertently not tuned to Mendip. Check in your TV's tuning section that you are correctly tuned to Mendip's UHF channels. See my post 3 before yours (9th Jan.).
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Tuesday 9 February 2021 4:03PM
Andrew Salmons:
I would certainly get him back. Signal strength in the 80s should be fine, but the Quality should be virtually 100% across the lot. If you aren't in a strong enough signal area, he should have done an external install not one in the loft, BUT any slight movement of the aerial in a loft can affect reception dependent on positions of metal chimneys. water tanks, party walls, lead flashing etc. Have you put anything into the loft since the aerial was installed, especially anything that may have metal in it, or anything in front of the aerial, but again depending on what it was, anywhere can have an effect. It can be a bit of a black art.
But nevertheless, the installer should have checked you can get all available channels.
I'm thinking if you are only getting 88 channels, then those HD ones may not be the only ones you aren't getting.
If the only transmitter you could receive was a "Light" one, you wouldn't get as many as 88. Stockland Hill transmits all 6 main multiplexes - BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6.
See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for the channels on those multiplexes.
There is no temporary COM7, or a Local multiplex at Stockland Hill. However there are a few odd locations where one or more (usually COM) multiplexes can't be reliably received. If you provide a full postcode we might be able to comment on that.