All posts by jb38
Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Andrew: Meant also to add that a Sky box cannot be made to operate as though a subscription was in force, Sky has ensured that doesn't happen! you can of course use it without a card to view all non subscription channels except Pick TV.
| link to this comment |
Andy H: Your problem could possibly be caused by an excessively high level of signal being received as you could be located as close as 8 miles away from Crystal Palace, and an excessive level of signal will causing partial blocking in the TV's tuner and especially sensitive types as are used in Panasonic TV's.
If you have one lying around for a test try using a set top aerial (normal type not amplified) and see how that goes after having retuned the TV, should the situation be improved then purchase a variable attenuator of zero - 20dB and that should reduce the signal to an acceptable level.
There could of course be a problem with your aerial, but at distances such as yours from a transmitter the power of Crystal Palace anyone that uses a roof aerial always has to suspect overload problems existing, as the signal readings seen are very likely to be totally inaccurate by the measuring circuitry being distorted by the excessive signal level.
| link to this comment |
Stephen P: Interesting to know that Stephen, as I personally like to hear reception reports from actual people in various locations as it gives a much better idea of the situation over that seen in a reception predictor containing elements of guess work involved, educated or not!
| link to this comment |
Dave: Its quite impossible to offer any advice on this problem without having knowledge of the location involved, this preferably in the form of a post code or one from nearby (e.g: a shop)
But though when you went into the loft and found no aerial, did you then run a new coax cable from the loft to the kitchen?
| link to this comment |
Mike: Being so close to a transmitting station as powerful as Crystal Palace you always have to suspect that any problems being experienced are caused by a severe signal overloading of the TV's / boxes tuner, so should one be available for a test try using a set top aerial and giving the TV / box a re-tune after installing same.
| link to this comment |
hunny: Please see my reply to Mikes posting @ 09.56pm, as this applies to anyone with reception difficulties that only started after the main switchover on the 18th.
Another point being, that the signal strength / quality readings seen in any box or TV can be totally wrong because the excessive level of signal in the tuner can corrupt the system used to measure the signal, and the error caused always gives a much lower level than actually exists.
| link to this comment |
John: This is quite a commonly experienced problem and is usually always caused by the TV having found more channels than its memory system is capable of storing.
One way to get over the problem is by after having carried out a re-tune go into the edit channels menu and delete everything that's not required, as that will reduce the total number stored in the memory, or if your TV does not allow you to do that carry out a factory reset (or default setting) on the TV before carrying out another auto-tune.
Another way that "sometimes" (set dependant) works is to pull the aerial out and carry out a re-tune but just stop it as soon as it starts to scan as that should have blanked out blank the memory, then reconnect the aerial and re-tune as normal.
| link to this comment |
David Taylor: Thanks for the update on the situation and pleased to hear that you have now got something that actually works, of course now you have then this is your ideal chance to use your new purchase to test out the Freeview box that been the object of some doubt, so you should couple the box (whilst unpowered) into the scart socket on your new TV and then power up it up (the box), then as soon as you take it out of standby it should automatically change the TV over from its own internal tuner to its scart input socket, if it doesn't auto-switch then just use the AV button on the TV's remote control, once done "if" the output from the box appears to be stable when viewed on the TV (unlike before) then if you wish you could temporarily connect the aerial lead into the box and give it a auto-tune, checking the results, although the test was really more to verify if the box as such is OK or not, considering what was happening when it was coupled into your AK46 without an aerial being connected.
As far as your neighbours aerial is concerned, I know there are a few odd shaped (gimmicky) aerials around, but if your neighbours aerial is a multi-element job then I am afraid they are deluding themselves, (as many do!) as even if a person is in a difficult area for reception then a multi element aerial would certainly not help the situation where a 200Kw transmitter is located at only 11 miles away.
Anyway, give an update when you find time to try the test suggested with the box.
| link to this comment |
MARI: If you have an outdoor aerial that uses a booster then this has to be by-passed as it might be overloading the tuner in your TV, if though this doesn't apply then come back with the model of TV you are using as some models cannot operate with the new transmission modes that came into force at switch over.
| link to this comment |
Sunday 22 April 2012 8:40PM
Andrew: Press "services" then 4 - 4 and that will take you into the screen where you manually enter the channel you want, so enter 11.623Ghz polarisation "H" - 27.5 - 2/3 and press find channels, then on the box that comes on you will see PCNE amongst some other programmes, select it and store it by pressing the yellow button finishing by pressing select and then backing out of the menu.
In operation press "services" then select 7 and the menu will come on where you will see PCNE, select it by scrolling down and press the select button to view.