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All posts by jb38

Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.


mieke: I assume that it must have been a very temporary break? as I checked the signal from Sandy a few minutes ago and it was as normal.

It has been published to expect interruptions to the service to occur at any time during this week, so if the screen is found to be blank at any time do not alter anything.

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Frazer Palmer: According to the info I see they should presently be doing on mux Ch51.

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Frazer Palmer: Just in addition to that said, if you are using auto-tune you "might" pick up either Rowridge (Ch21) or even more so the more local Findon (Ch47) at 3 miles away, as both these are indicated as having the edge on Whitehawk Hill for reception, and if you do then manually tuning in of the channel required is the only way around the problem.
(Ch47 at) 

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J
Diagnostics - old version
Monday 26 March 2012 8:40PM

Mike: When you say "switch to its VCR input" switch what? as the TV shouldn't really be connected to anything other than the box, the scart cable from the TV's AV1 input to the boxes same.

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Connecting it all up | Installing
Monday 26 March 2012 8:56PM

Sid Barnett: Pleased to have been of assistance and many thanks for your kind words. I will say though that even although your Sky box might be old it should still have been possible to change the channel via the engineers menu, accessed by pressing "services" then in a smooth evenly spaced sequence "4-0-1-select" (best done whilst NOT looking at the screen) then on position 4 you will see the RF outlets setting, you just entering another number.

But though as you are going "up market" its best not to alter anything and hope that you find the new box to your satisfaction.

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Jon: All DVD/VCR combo's have had Freeview as standard for quite a number of years now, but if you purchase one of these you dont actually require to record from its built in Freeview tuner as you simply select it to record from its external input via its "input selector" menu, this input being connected to the Sky box.

You will also be able to play back any VHS tapes you have as well as any DVD's, so up to a point you have the best of all worlds.

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Diagnostics - old version
Monday 26 March 2012 11:31PM

mike: The system described is called daisy chaining and only requires one scart cable from the TV's AV1 scart socket going into the Freeview boxes AV1, the method that you likely used to try the Freeview box out, but if whilst the VCR is in standby another scart cable is used between the Freeview boxes "video" AV2 socket and the VCR's AV1, then as soon as "play" is pressed on the VCR its command signal will cut the Freeview off and allow the VCR signal to pass through the box thereby allowing the VCR to be viewed.

The same thing happens for recording, insomuch that when the VCR is not in standby its menu can be seen on the TV as it passes through the Freeview box, this allowing you to use the VCR as though it was connected straight into the back of the TV, the main aspect about this system being that the TV's input socket selector is left on AV1 at all times.

But though going by what you have mentioned I assume that you have more than one scart on the TV and so another more versatile system can be used, and one that you are possibly more acquaint with.

That is to have the Freeview box connected to the TV as before, and a scart cable from the "video" socket on the Freeview box into the VCR's AV2 input, then another scart cable from the VCR's AV1 straight into the TV's AV2 input.

In operation if you select AV2 on the TV this will enable you to view the VCR directly from it and NOT via the Freeview box, and if on the VCR's input selector menu you select AV2, whatever is on the Freeview box will immediately appear on the TV, so you would then just use the VCR as you have always done but always remembering that to record Freeview its input must always be set for AV2 (the Freeview boxes link) or the VCR will be sitting on its internal tuner by default.

By the way this set up requiring three scart cables.

I realise that this might appear a bit complex, but is the standard way of doing things.




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r. harvey: It depends entirely where you are receiving your signal from, as you are predicted as only being able to receive Nottingham on a status of poor but good from Waltham or even Sutton Coldfield, although Walthams PSB transmitters are indicating to be being slightly down compared to normal although SDN (ITV3 etc) isnt.

Checked from near Peterborough.

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Diagnostics - old version
Tuesday 27 March 2012 4:54PM

Eddie: What model of TV do you have? and based on what you have said about checking the cables (scart?) suggests that the TV works from a set top box? the reason I ask being that if reception is exclusively via the set top box then the problem could be with that and not the TV, unless of course you are in an area where analogue TV can still be received and it also comes and goes on that as well, as if this is the case then its the TV at fault.

Anyway maybe you could clarify.

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Diagnostics - old version
Tuesday 27 March 2012 6:19PM

Mike: If you have used the second method I described which I have to say is the best for flexibility, then what you have said suggests that the VCR's "input selector" is not sitting on AV2, as the scart cable from the AV2 socket on the VCR should be connected to the Freeview boxes AV2 (marked video) and so the TV is not really be involved with the recording process.

However I would like you to check something as there are two versions of that box you have, if its the one with a row of six light grey buttons on the right hand side of the front then there is need to try this as I know it works, but if its not as described then carry out this simple test just to ensure the socket you see marked "video" is actually an out and not just an in, as this socket is marked VCR on the ones with the buttons and not marked as video.

The test being to view something on Freeview then put the GRD11 (and only the Goodman's) into standby, then take the scart out of the Freeview boxes AV1 and transfer it to its AV2 socket, after which take the Freeview box out of standby and Freeview should appear on the TV, if by any chance it doesn't then press the AV button on the TV making sure that its sitting on AV1, if this works OK then that's proven that the Freeview boxes AV2 is still working as normal and not had the way it operates changed, giving an update on what you find.


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