All posts by jb38
Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
David: According to DUK's trade reception predictors transmitter power indications all three PSB muxes are on their final power of 20Kw and the three commercials (inc ArqB) are likewise on their final power of 10Kw.
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Iain : If changing the aerial has not resolved your problem then the obvious question would be, have you have checked with any other residents living nearby just to make sure that it isn't a transmitter problem?
That said, and although this is unlikely to be applying, but as you are located at only 6 miles away from the transmitter then you "might" be suffering from a signal overload situation when using that type of aerial and which is something that can completely block out reception, so needless to say that if you are using any type of booster in line try by passing it then carrying out another auto scan, this action being necessary as no channels will be stored in the memory, however if no booster is being used then try a short piece of wire (about 18" or so min) connected into the aerial socket before carrying out an auto scan.
If still nothing, the next thing to try is go into your TV or boxes tuning menu - manual tune (should it have this facility) and enter Ch58 which is BBC from Gartly, as in most devices (excl some Sony's) as soon as this channel number is entered the signal strength / quality that the signal (if any) is being received at should instantly show "without" having to scan.
If you do not see anything then try entering Ch28 this being BBC from Durris, as I did notice that the property sitting parallel to the one with a stainless steel external chimney has an aerial facing Durris, and you "might" get a trace of a signal from there on the rear (near anyway) of your aerial which would indicate that your receiver is OK.
These are a few things to try, but the main one is to try and determine if you are the only one with the problem.
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Bob: You would use No1 out to go into the TV, but this only provides limited functionality and can restrict what you are able to view as this facility is really aimed at the user who only has one input feed from the dish, as they would connect a jumper between No1 out and No2 in which would then allow two channel recording provided both channels were on the same polarity, not really a satisfactory way of doing things.
You should change your LNB to a quad version as these can be obtained as a complete kit for around £10.00 or so from e-bay outlets and are simplicity to install, then all you require is an extra coax lead to be run from the block to your receiver.
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TED: Although what you have mentioned may or may not be applying at this present time (no info available) you should also beware of the problems caused by receiving an excessively high level of signal, something which could possibly apply to your situation by you being located at only 1 mile away from the Kings Weston 200 watt transmitter, the symptoms of signal overloading being identical to that of a weak signal.
Without knowledge of any details regarding the aerial being used if you have any booster in line then try by passing it, (not switching off) or if a booster is not being used then purely for a test try either a set top aerial or a short piece of wire connected into the aerial socket, if this produces a more stable picture then an attenuator is required to be placed in line with the aerial input to your TV / box.
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Nick: Reducing the height of an aerial does not necessarily make things worse and in many cases can improve them, dependant of course on whether or not the signal being received has elements of it being channelled or reflected from distant objects, I fully appreciate though that moving an aerial around in the horizontal plane isn't always a very easy task in the physical sense depending on facilities, but I can assure you that Logs (especially amplified types) are perfect for testing (and reception in general) no matter what distance is involved and in many cases can out perform larger pieces of metalwork of the so called "high gain" variety, mostly of course because of the latter having been installed in situations totally unsuitable for the characteristics of the aerial, and especially when dealing with digital reception where quality is of prime importance rather than strength, meaning things are far more critical than had applied with analogue reception.
And just to reiterate a statement I recall having been made to many in my time, insomuch that its a mistake to look at things in an even remotely black and white preconceived fashion when dealing with reception difficulties and with this being especially so in non line of sight areas, because RF signals do not really conform to any set fashion likewise its always found that no two situations are the same, this being why extensive testing of the nature mentioned is always required for purposes of assessing the situation.
The other point of course being of one not being too influenced by looking at aerial specifications, as an item that might well look grand on paper when used in real life situations will generally perform totally differently, as the original testing was done under strictly controlled conditions and which no longer apply, and I say this as a qualified engineer who has been intensively involved with transmitter, receiver and ancillary equipments for approximately 40 years or so, this also having been my exclusive hobby over the entire time much to the annoyance of my wife.
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Mike O'Sullivan: If you are receiving Freeview from the Guildford transmitter at just over 3 miles away on a bearing of 283 degrees then its HD service is on mux Ch40, all muxes seen to be predicting good reception at your location.
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Mike O'Sullivan: No problem! and if you have excellent reception on normal Freeview SD channels then there is no reason for not having likewise on HD.
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STEVE: Well if you are receiving your signal from Emley Moor then there isnt any more changes in the pipeline that I can see, and 2014 is indicated as the final situation.
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Friday 3 August 2012 11:59PM
Paul Murphy: Purely on the issue of Freeview light transmitters expanding, this is something that's very unlikely ever to happen as its 100% dependant on whether the transmitter operators consider that there are sufficient numbers of potential advertisers around that's willing to contribute towards the substantial costs involved in running the service, this being unlike the PSB channels where its principal role is purely to provide a service devoid of any profit motives in mind.