All posts by jb38
Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Dick Budgen: To my understanding, ITV3+1 on Freeview is only a part time channel due to it time sharing with other broadcasters, the fact of it only broadcasting from 18.00hrs to 00.00hrs being a great source of annoyance to anyone who happens to have set their recorder to record any programme that finishes after this time, as it simply cuts off.
Its always best to record whatever on (10) ITV3 to avoid this problem.
By the way, this restriction only applies to reception via Freeview, and not Freesat or Sky.
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Abbey: Well, I do have to admit that I had assumed the downlead from your Freeview aerial was located adjacent to the Sky box, this lead (as you have mentioned) being connected into the I.O ports aerial input socket rather than into the aerial input socket on a Sky box, the usual way of doing things.
However, although what you are presently doing should (in theory anyway) work, rather than go to the trouble of making any radical changes to your wiring, I would like you to carry out a test by leaving the connection coming up from the I.O port modulator as it is, but unplug the roof aerial connection into the SLx device, checking if this action enables you to change channels on the Sky box. If it has? then that's OK, but if you cannot, change the feed "from" the I.O port modulator over to the "input" on the SLx previously used by the roof aerial and see if this corrects the "no channel change" problem.
The reason for this request is, that although your SLx 27824BMG distribution amplifier may well have two inputs, they are not both the same as each other, one being for the TV and the other for VHF radio, this latter input having an attenuating effect on any signals in excess of 300Mhz being fed into it, which of course applies to all TV channels, the fact that the situation apparently changes by swapping the leads over most likely due to the TV signals from either the Freeview aerial on the roof, or alternatively coming up from the I.O modulator being fed into an input on your SLx device not intended for TV use.
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Alan : Although I fully appreciate that this might well be the case, but though in practically all cases where a time factor is associated with interference, the reason for is usually traced to a fault having developed in a piece of household electrical equipment such as the devices mentioned in the examples. The point being that the defective equipment need not necessarily be located within your own household, as interference can be of a radiated nature and picked up in your aerial system, or alternatively by it passing through the mains wiring, the test mentioned of using an AM radio being a highly effective way of detecting the latter.
If interference is entering your household via the mains wiring, sitting an AM radio near to the incoming supply or even next to a power socket, will usually detect its presence.
Its also prudent (where possible) to make an enquiry with a neighbour to ascertain if they are also experiencing the problem or not just in case its widespread, although I have known cases where an enquiry resulted in the problem magically vanishing, it eventually being found out to have been caused by badly worn out brushes in a washing machines motor, motorised devices of the type that use an copper armature being prone to causing interference as soon as the brushes get worn.
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D.J.Clarke : Pleased that you have found a way around the problem, although I do have to say, that as ITV4 is transmitted on the same multiplex as CBS it should not really be necessary to use this procedure. Still if it works, that's all that matters.
Many thanks for the update.
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Mazbar : You beat me to it, as that was going to be my next point based on Abbey's 2:52pm update.
Abbey: If you click on the link you will see the type of device Mazbar has mentioned, remembering the the power supply is a separate purchase as seen in "frequently bought together" under the main advert.
Triax Link RF Output for Sky HD Box: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
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Abbey: Yes, please do, but please ensure that the RF output port on the I.O modulator (RF2 on the one in the link) is fed into the UHF input socket on the SLx amplifier and not the one marked FM.
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geoffrey o'neill: As far as I can gather, JSTV (246) is a Chinese based TV channel, KYKNET (247) being South African based, although once that they do come into service (date unknown), they can only be viewed on TV's or boxes connected into the internet, as both are IPTV channels.
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Jan Lloyd: A Sky box will work practically anywhere in the UK provided its connected into a satellite dish facing towards the Astra 28.2E satellite. If the new property you are moving into is of the apartment block variety, then it should be fitted with a "communal" dish system, satellite wall sockets being identified by them having a protruding threaded stub exactly the same as the LNB input on the rear of your box.
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drgeoff: Many thanks for your info on JSTV, as although I did read up on a few facts about the channel, your report is obviously of a somewhat more detailed nature.
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Sunday 25 January 2015 8:44AM
Peter: Unfortunately it could be either, because if your mast head amplifier has failed then this will indeed result in no signal being received, however the fact of you having received a 4G filter through the post indicates that AT800, the company contracted to assess the possibility of a household being affected by the installation / commissioning of a new 4G transmitter, has considered your household as liable to be affected.
The majority of the channels used by the Roseneath transmitter (C53-C60) are in the range most vulnerable to be affected by a 4G transmission, the BBC on C49 to a slightly lesser extent, but though as you are using a mast head amplifier, this could be swamped (blocked) from operating correctly should you be located close to the source of a 4G transmission, this being why 4G filters have to be connected in the aerial downlead "before" going into any form of amplification / distribution devices.
Taking that said into consideration, the only way of finding out which of the two situations mentioned applies is by checking the mast head amplifier, but though if the power supply to the amplifier is easily accessible and you can manage to acquire the loan of a simple test meter, you should test for power (5 -12 volts DC) on the socket that feeds the power up to the mast head amplifier, that is assuming that the power supply referred to is of the type that feeds the power "up" the downlead from the amp, as well as separating the signal from said downlead.
In most cases amplifiers fail because of a fault in the power supply, but though a mast head amplifier can fail if there has been any thundery type rainstorms in the area, as static rain can destroy the amplifiers input stage.