All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Duncan Martin:
I can't currently find any faults listed for Torosay and the transmitter isn't on the list for Planned Engineering at this time.
Your predicted reception for ArqA and ArqB isn't quite as good as the others. What %Quality figures are you getting for each of the other multiplexes?
Do check you are correctly tuned (use Manual Tuning) for each of Torosay's UHF channels which are 28/25/22/23/26/30.
There's currently some weather related Tropospheric Ducting which may be briefly disrupting reception in some areas. There's currently a BBC Warning
High pressure could affect TV & Radio services across parts of the UK - 19th July | Help receiving TV and radio
If you are correctly tuned to UHF channels 26 & 30 for the ArqA & ArqB multiplexes and your signals haven't returned, there's another likely possibility -
You should have received a postcard from Restore TV. You may be getting interference from any new/upgraded phone masts now operating in the 700MHz band.
See https://restoretv.uk/post…ure/ and enter your postcode. There are at least two mobile masts close to you.
Contact Restore TV 0808-1313-800 for a Free Filter. IF you have a masthead pre-amp you should advise them of that as they will have to send an Engineer (Free of charge) to fit a filter on the mast before the pre-amp. A Filter have to be fitted BEFORE (on the input to) and Amp or Amp/splitter.
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Charlie S:
Freeview updates usually take place on a Wednesday, normally once a month and have done for some time. They are often changes initiated by the smaller Commercial Broadcasters which can be rebranding, channels withdrawn or launched. Some channel moves are to "tidy-up" the EPG listing as per the EPG rules. and are usually imitated by Freeview.
The actually time can vary but it is often around the time you have noted.
Seen On TV has gone into Administration. No doubt the channel change had been planned before this had happened, and in any event the Auditors will decide what will happen to the asset.
The UKTVPlay changes were planned some months ago. If you were signed up for the UKTVPlay App on Freeview Play, you would have had some emails detailing the changes. They have "rebranded" themselves as "U" and advised that "U&" would be added to the channel names. The App is now just called "U" rather than UKTVPlay.
Other changes you may not have noted are Radio stations on LCNs711-717. The Commercial stations that used to broadcast in those slots withdrew from Freeview a short while ago. BBC Local Radio stations have been moved up the EPG to occupy those slots.
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ken partridge:
Some sets may tune in automatically if the aerial is connected and the first time it's switched on, otherwise you usually get prompted, and that can also be for Freesat, and a satellite dish connected is needed, even if it's the new Freely, then your set needs to be connected to the internet.
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js:
Well done and thanks for that, I wonder if Bruce has tried it?
I found something similar but it was years old so I didn't consider it, I didn't see that recent one!
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Dave C:
Let's deal with your last point before the pixelation. As this is a (I presume) new set, it will likely be one of the LGs that have this new Freeview Play feature called "Channel List Management". At the present time only the BBC have implemented use of it.
The HD channels are still only transmitted on the PSB3/BBCB HD mux on UHF C45 at Pontop Pike.
If your set has an Internet Connection then the CLM feature copies (in most cases rather than move) BBC1, BBC2, BBC3 & BBC4 HD versions to where their SD counterparts were LCNs 1, 2, 23 & 9 It moves the SD versions to 611 to 614. CBBC and CBeebies LCNs are swapped.
So you will still find those main BBC HD channels still on 101, 102, 107, 106 as well.
There are several reasons you may be seeing pixelation, but as you haven't given a full postcode I can only generalise.
The Pontop Pike transmitter has been on Planned Engineering again and if your predicted reception of C45 is not as good as the others due to your location. then any reduced power or use of the Reserve antenna may cause reception issues. It could also account for the signal strength being 4% less, but that could also be related to aerial performance, I wouldn't consider this significant in any event.
You've mentioned that you set gives 100% Signal Strength (I assume you mean for each multiplex as you didn't elaborate) so you definitely do NOT want any aerial amplifier. This can lead to front end overload which can cause all sorts of issues, pixelation being one of them.
As you have an attenuator, I would wind the signal down to the low-mid 90's. What is important is that in normal conditions the Quality remains at 100%.
What you may find is that when you have the HD pixelation, the Quality figure has dropped briefly on C45.
Now the cause could be some source of Local electrical Interference, current weather conditions with the high pressure giving Tropospheric conditions, or a nearby new/upgraded. phone mast now using the 700MHz band.
Local electrical interference would normally be quite persistent and/or occur at regular intervals/exactly as the same time of day etc.
Current weather conditions usually result in interference from distant transmitters usually only brief but can last seconds/minutes/hours often only affecting one multiplex. Nothing you can do except wait for conditions to change. At present this may persist for several days on and off.
The BBC have a current warning -
High pressure could affect TV & Radio services across parts of the UK - 28th July | Help receiving TV and radio
If you've noticed any new/upgraded mobile phone masts nearby or received a postcard from Restore TV, this could be the cause. If you provide a full postcode we can comment more on this.
One other thing NOT to do if you have bad pixelation or No signal - Do NOT Retune. You cannot tune to signals that aren't there or can't be decoded. The usual effect is to clear your correct tuning.
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Dave Cordes:
Hi Dave. You should get excellent reception of the 6 main multiplexes in your location, you have a clear line of sight to Pontop Pike unless there are any very local obstructions close to you. Any tall trees on the line of sight, very local structural changes, scaffolding etc.? These are all the sorts of things to rule out but in view of your comments I'm doubting there is anything like that to be of concern.
You certainly would not need a larger aerial, especially as you have already said the set shows 100% Signal for those 6 multiplexes. You should also get good reception of the Local multiplex on UHF C33.
I'd be inclined to put the attenuator back in (for now) and reduce the signal to the low-mid 90s.
I should have remembered to mention about HDMI, Ethernet and power cables being close to your aerial cable & possibly causing periodic interference (especially if the aerial lead/flylead is not double screened coax. Having moved them away see if the problem has gone away. Some sets are affected by such issues, others are not!
Despite your postcode not having been sent Postcards from Restore TV, see
https://restoretv.uk/post…ure/
there are at least 3 mobile masts near you which might cause an issue if they are/have been upgraded to use the 700MHz band, so I'm not ruling out such interference (again some sets might be more vulnerable that others strangely).
We've encountered many incidents where postcards have not been sent but such interference turned out to be the cause when the Free Filter was fitted the problem was solved!
Having moved your HDMI and other cables, refit the attenuator as suggested and see if the problem is resolved. If not the contact Restore TV and request the Free filter.
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Gavin Copper:
As you've given very little information and without a full post code it's almost impossible to offer anything other than generalised comment and advise.
If I'm understanding correctly you have a clear view of the transmitter from your back garden?
Where is your aerial located? Does IT have a clear view of the transmitter?
Are there any tall trees, agricultural buildings etc on the direct line-of-sight between the aerial and transmitter. Any other structures? Any scaffolding etc.?
If I've also understood, you have no reception of any HD channels or BBC channels, just ITV/4/5 and sister channels and this continuously all through June and July? You say this was exactly the same as last year - exactly? through the whole of June and July? When did the signals return?
Do you have any amp/splitter to feed more than one TV? If so, where is this located?
Have you received a postcard from Restore TV?
Without that postcode we don't know if you could be suffering interference from a new/upgraded phone mast.
Have you changed or moved anything around in your installation?
Make sure that you don't have any HDMI leads, power cables, etc. running close to your aerial cable or flyleads. Check your coax plugs and accessible connections to ensure they are correctly connected.
Is there any new electrical equipment in your house or the immediate vicinity?
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Graham Preston:
You should normally have excellent reception of the 6 main multiplexes from Mendip.
As per the post before yours, Mendip is listed for Planned Engineering (again!), therefore there could be brief interruptions to transmission etc.
If you were correctly tuned, then if there was No Signal due to weather, engineering, faults etc. OR badly pixelated pictures Do NOT Retune. You cannot tune to signals that aren't there or cannot be decoded. The usual result is to clear your correct tuning so you then have to retune again when signals are normal.
Mendip was transmitting normally at various times when I checked in the morning and this evening.
If you are still having a problem please post back with some further details.
Where is your aerial located? How old is it (roughly)?
Do you have any amp/splitters feeding more than one TV and where is it located? Are there any tall trees etc on the line of sight between the aerial and the transmitter?
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Bailie:
This sounds a bit ;like some localised electrical interference if it's occurring at exactly the same time of day on a regular basis, but it's difficult to get a feeling for this not knowing what your normal reception is like which we can't check without a full postcode.
The Filter that you've fitted, is this the Free 700MHz Filter (5G) Filter from Restore TV? Is it fitted between the aerial and any pre-amp/amp/splitter you may have?
Nor exactly sure what you mean by "fitted a new satnav", not sure what a satnav has to do with Freeview reception!
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Saturday 20 July 2024 1:07AM
Bruce:
I've a feeling this is related to some recent bugs in the EPG due to some changes in some channels on the Local multiplex and as usual Humax and Sony boxes seem to be affected.
Just bear with it, I'll post back if I can get any update.