All posts by Michael Perry
Below are all of Michael Perry's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Ricky:
You are some 20 km from the Rosemarkie transmitter and there are no hills shown as being between your location and the transmitter. Therefore it is likely that a good aerial in the loft should work for you. I use a log36 type in my loft and I am some 30 km from our 'local' transmitter. That works perfectly for us so I'd expect you would get similarly good results as long as it is correctly fitted. You would probably not need any aerial amplifier either.
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Mike Truculent:
I don't understand, despite 50 years in the business, what you mean by 'VHF Broadband'! Radio transmissions using the VHF frequencies usually use the FM system and often include stereo capabilities. Those signals are received by a suitable radio set via and aerial and there is no internet requirement. However, many providers of radio style services are now also offering their programmes via an internet connection. Some may offer a stereo version that way but not all - and it is not 'radio' as such as there are no 'radio' transmissions on the internet but the programmes are provided by streaming the data.
I tend to agree that DAB is not what we were led to expect and DAB2 (or DAB+) are a long way from being 'universal' as the coverage is still insufficient compared to true VHF FM.
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Mrs Hodson. :
There is no problem currently reported for your local transmitter. It could be a purely local aberation. DO NOT RETUNE your equipment and advise others nearby the same.
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Free Channels:
We are not missing any tricks. We contributors know that any Freesat set top box will receive all the free-to-air programming offered via that medium. Likewise we are fully aware that using a Sky box without a subscription still shows all the free-to-air programmes as well. Similarly, Freeview equipment shows all the free-to-air programmes available. However, there is a regulatory requirement for any receiving and watching any UK TV services, even if using a 'catch-up' service, to have a TV licence which costs 145.50 per year.
Note also that Freesat, Freeview and Sky boxes used this way do not have to have an internet connection at all, but having such allows access to some of the catch-up services. Some equipment does use an internet connection, such as BT TV and NOW TV, use both an internet and an off-air method. You have to pay for BT TV at a cost of at least 5 per month.
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Simon:
Please will you check that you are receiving the correct channel multiplex for your area and then check what the reported signal strength is on that channel. Then we may be able to determine what the cause is.
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AnnieP:
I suggest you ask 5 USA themselves. Their website is at 5USA - Channel 5
This website is intended to assist those having reception problems.
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MikeB:
The web is not available at sufficient speed fo HD or 4K 'everywhere' yet. We are a long way short of that, just check the Ofcom figure for coverage that meets the 10 Mbps USR.
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Blue:
If you are in North Somerset, we can't be sure as you have not given the required full post code, then you may well be receiving from the Mendip full service transmitter. If that is the case then you are getting all the channels transmitted, there are no others available unless you use Freesat or Sky.
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Mardler:
Transmitter problems are very rare and are normally dealt with quite speedily by Arqiva. Plus any such problem will normally affect all viewers who receive from that transmitter, not just one or two.
My fifty plus years experience show the opposite to yours as transmitter faults are rare. However, there are regular maintenance visits to them and during such it is not uncommon for there to be either reduced power operation or sometimes outages to protect the staff from extreme levels of RF radiation when they are close to the aerials.
In fact, there are more problems due to aerial systems at the reception end as they are generally poorly maintained - if at all.
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Wednesday 4 January 2017 4:17PM
Stef Neumann:
Patience is the best cure! Many areas of the UK have been subject to high pressure which tends to cause TV signals to travel further than intended so causing interference. Many have reported such and waited patiently without retuning - and their programmes returned. So wait a while and DO NOT RETUNE. All that would achieve would be thwe loss of some programmes.